Jin was now pouring his heart and soul into the construction of the Modulation Commander.
Eira watched, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Wh-what is this speed? I can’t even follow his hands..."
She stood there, mouth agape, as she watched Jin masterfully utilize Forming, Write In, and Fusion to engrave Magi Circuits, assemble Magi Devices, and bring a Magi Machine to life.
"So this is... Jin being serious..."
In truth, he was working at only about half his maximum speed. Experience had taught Jin that while he could go all out in the laboratory on Hourai Island, doing so in an ordinary workshop was a challenge.
It came down to the purity of the materials, the strength of the workbench, and their respective resistances.
When low-purity materials are Formed at ultra-high speeds, areas with imperfect atomic or molecular structures—such as impurities or lattice defects—are prone to deterioration. According to magi-craft theory, these impurities and defects create resistance that slows the propagation of mana; if the Forming speed is too high, the resulting stress can cause cracks to develop.
Of course, this was a problem only for a Magi Craft Meister or those with comparable crafting speeds; under normal circumstances, it was nothing to worry about.
While Jin could have used Purely or Stransform to "season" the materials beforehand, he had opted not to this time, as those processes were time-consuming.
Furthermore, there was the issue of the workbench’s durability. When Jin worked at full power, the sheer aftereffect of his mana—even a mere 0.0001 percent of it—could cause the surrounding equipment to warp or become brittle. The workbenches and tools in the workshop on Hourai Island were built with high magic resistance, so they wouldn't budge even if Jin exerted his full strength.
Ultimately, it took Jin about ten minutes to complete the Modulation Commander. It was now 11:30 AM.
"Alright, we still have thirty minutes to spare."
Just to be safe, Jin decided to perform an operational check on the device. Since he couldn't risk affecting the surroundings, he gave an order. "Reiko, set up a Magic Barrier."
"Yes, Father."
Reiko established a barrier to block mana waves before the test began. It was an unusual application—setting up a barrier specifically to prevent mana waves from leaking out from the inside.
"Preparation complete."
"Good. Start!"
For a fleeting moment, the Modulation Commander flickered to life.
"Whoa!" Eira clapped her hands over her ears. However, since the device only operated for a split second, she quickly regained her composure. "Wh-what was that?"
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
"I... I don't know. It felt like something shook the inside of my ears... or rather, deep inside my head."
"Is that so?" Jin mused. Neither he nor Reiko had felt a thing. He wondered if Eira simply possessed a high sensitivity to mana waves.
However, investigating that would have to wait. "Reiko, how was it?"
"Yes, Father. It appears to have functioned perfectly."
"Good."
Using her sensory capabilities, Reiko had confirmed the device’s operation from within the Magic Barrier.
"This should do the trick. Now we just need to pick the right spot."
Jin believed that activating it as close to the center of the float as possible would yield the best results.
"We're already close to the central hole. I just need a high vantage point."
"Oh, there's a control tower nearby," Eira suggested.
According to her, 200-meter-tall control towers were situated throughout Avalon to manage the aircraft passing overhead.
"Perfect. Let’s head there."
The tower stood about 100 meters away from the research wing. It was equipped with an elevator for transporting personnel and materials, which Jin and Reiko used to ascend near the summit.
Eira stayed behind. It was decided that as many people as possible should be stationed on the ground to locate the enemy devices once the Modulation Commander exposed them.
"The view is certainly impressive. This will work."
At 11:50 AM, Jin and Reiko finished their final preparations and waited for the scheduled moment.
11:55 AM.
Within Avalon, 100 Maquina Golems and 500 units of the Land squad were on high alert. Alongside them, 1,500 residents of Avalon kept a watchful eye on their surroundings.
The Land squad had been secretly deployed by Laojun via teleportation. At a glance, they were nearly indistinguishable from Maquina’s golems, and since no one could be certain of the exact golem count, Laojun had used the chaos to bolster their numbers.
Furthermore, Laojun was harboring a quiet resentment toward the culprit whose actions had ruined Jin's New Year's holiday.
11:56 AM.
"Four minutes to go," Tomax Bartman muttered, his eyes on the wall clock. He was personally monitoring his own office. He suspected his predecessor, Graham Derby, might have left a trap behind.
11:57 AM.
"Three minutes," Elena whispered. Thanks to her internal clock function, she knew the time with absolute precision. She was currently responsible for the first floor of the Guest House.
11:58 AM.
"Two minutes left," Maquina III muttered, as if confirming the fact to himself. He and Rei were stationed at the airport.
11:59 AM.
"One minute," Jin said softly.
"...59... 58... 57..." Reiko provided the countdown.
"...30... 29... 28... 27..."
A portion of Avalon stretched out below them. From this height, Jin intended to oversee the entire operation.
"...11... 10... 9... 8... 7..."
Jin placed his hand on the Modulation Commander. This allowed him to activate it precisely while keeping his eyes fixed on the city below.
"...3... 2... 1..." Reiko’s voice rang out. "Zero!"
"Start!"
In that instant, the Modulation Commander hummed to life, only to stop exactly one second later.
However, several things occurred during that single second.
First, a portion of the golems within Avalon froze for approximately 0.2 seconds. This was a result of the "interrupt" signal generated by the Modulation Commander.
Second, some of the Magi Machines within Avalon suffered a momentary malfunction lasting 0.1 seconds. This was also an expected side effect of the device, so no one was alarmed.
And third—this was the reaction Jin and his allies were looking for.
At four specific locations within Avalon, unidentified magi-devices or Magi Machines emitted a distinct magical response.
The first was found within a green space adjacent to the commercial district.
A Maquina Golem spotted it. It had emitted a faint glow for a mere 0.05 seconds—but for a golem's reaction speed, that was more than enough time. The Maquina Golem promptly secured the device, which had been disguised as a common streetlight.
The second was located in a corner of the civilian airfield, situated on the opposite side of the float from the main airport. Elena was the one who found it.
"In a place like this...?"
She immediately dug it up from where it had been buried.
The third was found attached to the roof of the research wing itself. Jin and Reiko identified its location from the tower.
And the fourth...
The fourth reaction came from deep within a drawer of the desk in Chief Administrator Tomax Bartman’s office. It was discovered by another Maquina Golem.
The device had been so cleverly camouflaged that it was unlikely a human would have ever found it. A hole had been bored into the back panel of the drawer—which was roughly two centimeters thick—and a Magi Machine about one centimeter in diameter had been tucked inside. Naturally, it had been concealed by a cover that perfectly matched the wood grain of the desk.
However, it could not deceive the Golem's eye.
"They had it hidden right here...?!"
With a sharp curse, Tomax Bartman plucked the magi-device from its hiding place and slammed it onto his desk.