"Looking at it like this, it really is an old planet."
Jin observed the terrain as he toured Hale aboard the Adriana.
Based on his observations, the planet's landscape was generally gentle and undulating. This was a result of what geologists call the "geomorphological cycle."
Simply put, the "mature stage" of a landscape is characterized by sharp, towering rocky mountains formed by uplift and erosion—the Himalayas or the Alps on Earth being prime examples. When these peaks are weathered and eroded over eons until they become rounded and low, the landscape is said to have reached its "senile stage."
In Japan, the Kitakami Mountains fit this description.
The mountains here on Hale had similarly been smoothed by erosion, clearly in the middle of transitioning from a mature stage to a senile one.
"...What's coming into view now is the Central Basin... the Mining Area."
This was a massive basin sprawling across the continent's equatorial region. Its heart was a mine where ore had once been extracted. By now, however, the profitable veins had been picked clean, leaving behind only abandoned shafts.
Being situated in the center of a giant continent, the region saw almost no rain. Within the basin, neither flora nor fauna could be seen.
"This would be the perfect place to bring the resource satellites."
"Yes, My Lord."
Jin intended to deposit the resource satellites brought from Zipart here in the Central Basin for processing. Fortunately, since the area was virtually devoid of life, the impact on the local ecosystem would be negligible.
"We could even break them apart if we have to."
He didn't yet know what shape the satellites took. Would they be spherical like the Moon, or irregularly shaped like Phobos and Deimos, the moons of Mars in the Sol Solar System?
"I'll find out once I get there, I suppose."
Jin looked forward to the discovery.
When the ship's clock struck twelve, he stopped for lunch. The menu consisted of toast, vegetable soup, bacon and eggs, and Kuhe. Jin stuffed his mouth with bread spread thickly with marmalade.
"Mm, delicious."
Even though they were aboard a ship, the staff—led by Taisei—worked tirelessly to ensure the quality of the meals never faltered.
After lunch, Jin returned to the central bridge to resume his survey.
"Hmm. The divide between where plants are growing and where they aren't is quite stark."
Because the Mining Area was a basin, it was ringed by mountains. On the outer slopes of those peaks, greenery flourished. More than seventy percent of that verdant land was the fruit of the Fores units' labor. Forests were visible in several places as well.
"With this much reforestation progress, it should be fine."
When Jin had visited about four hundred years ago, only a few drought-resistant plants had eked out an existence. Seeing the surface transformed into such a lush, green world brought him genuine joy.
Hardly any man-made structures remained on the surface, giving it the appearance of a primitive planet. In truth, the Progenitors had simply dismantled almost everything to use as raw materials when they departed. The few traces they had left behind had long since weathered away into nothingness.
The last of the Haleans had ended their lives on the artificial satellite, Kuna.
"The plants we used were originally native to Hale, weren't they?"
"Yes, My Lord. We confirmed the species with 700672 and Testa on Onogoro Island."
"That's right."
A significant number of seeds had been preserved by 700672 and Testa. They had used those stores to grow seedlings, which were then transplanted across Hale. 700672 and Testa’s knowledge regarding optimal planting sites had also been invaluable. Knowing which plants thrived in specific terrains and climates had saved them an immense amount of trial and error.
"There weren't many animals left, were there?"
"No, My Lord. It appears the Progenitors had weeded them out over time. Aside from livestock, there were only a few species of birds and small animals remaining."
"I see..."
Jin was hesitant to introduce creatures from Ars. There was no telling what kind of ecological havoc that might cause.
"I assume the same applies to microorganisms?"
"Yes. While we do not know the exact criteria the Progenitors used, our surveys indicate that beneficial microorganisms make up seventy percent, harmful ones ten percent, and neutral ones twenty percent."
With his limited medical knowledge, Jin couldn't judge if those proportions were ideal. However, he reasoned that if the Progenitors had lived this way for generations, it likely posed no significant threat to them or their descendants.
As the Adriana flew on, Jin considered that as long as the system remained closed here on Hale, things should be stable.
In Japan, diseases like tuberculosis, smallpox, and measles were becoming things of the past, only for new epidemics to emerge from bacteria and viruses brought in from abroad. It made him wonder if eradicating everything deemed "harmful" was truly the right answer... It was a question for which Jin could find no clear solution.
The voice that called him back from his musings was Reiko's.
"Father, we are directly above the basin now."
"Oh, right."
The giant basin he had seen in the distance was now sprawling beneath them.
"No matter how many times I see it, the view is spectacular..."
On Hale, the sheer scale of the landscape was several times larger than anything on Earth. Back when he lived in modern Japan, Jin hadn't traveled much, so he had been in a constant state of wonder since arriving in this world.
"And here I thought I'd finally gotten used to it..."
He couldn't help but be awed by the magnitude of Hale. It was the difference between looking at a miniature model and the real thing.
As he gazed down at the basin, Jin noticed something.
"Was there water pooled there recently?"
Being a basin, the center was naturally concave, and there were faint signs that water had once collected there. However, it had already soaked into the parched earth.
"I wonder if it seeps out from the foot of the mountains..."
Several rivers flowed from the base of the mountains surrounding the basin. While most were likely runoff from rain on the outer slopes, a small percentage might have been mixed with water filtered through the basin itself.
"...It would be bad if there was mining runoff mixed in."
It would be one thing if the water were filtered as it passed through the earth, but he couldn't count on that if the contaminants were water-soluble.
"My Lord, regarding that matter, sulfuric acid and its salts have been detected in some of the spring water."
"What?...I knew it."
There appeared to be locations where aqueous solutions of copper sulfate and nickel sulfate were seeping out.
"Though I suppose we could use that for chemical experiments."
Because Jin wasn't well-versed in chemistry, he had struggled to synthesize substances like sulfuric acid, nitric acid, or sodium hydroxide. He mostly relied on reagents he had received from 700672. Other than that, he had only managed to obtain baking soda—sodium bicarbonate—from certain springs in Kaina Village.
However, with copper sulfate, he could perform copper plating without relying on magic; nickel sulfate would allow for nickel plating as well.
(Saki would probably jump for joy if she were here...) Jin thought, a sudden wave of nostalgia for his "family" washing over him.
The Adriana continued its flight across the basin. Because the ship’s speed was synchronized with the planet’s rotation, it remained around 8:00 AM outside their windows. Nevertheless, time aboard the ship moved forward at its usual pace.
Jin had dinner in the dining hall, then returned to the central bridge to watch the world below. The Adriana was approaching the western edge of the continent, where a massive bay came into view. It was a bay so large it seemed as though the entire continent of Australia could fit inside it.
It was yet another reminder of the staggering scale of this planet.
"What an incredible sight..."
Observing the world passing beneath him, Jin let out a soft, appreciative sigh.