Jin decided to begin by constructing the House for No. 700672.
He did this out of respect; No. 700672 was, for all intents and purposes, the "Elder" of Planet Hale.
"I am in your debt, Jin-dono."
"Not at all. It’s my pleasure."
Two hundred Smith units—numbers 101 through 300—handled the labor. They finished the foundation work in what seemed like the blink of an eye and moved on to the grotto.
"Wow, that's fast!"
Neige and Rouge watched the progress, bubbling with excitement. They had always seemed like such quiet girls, but ever since arriving on Hale, they appeared much brighter and more active. Jin wondered if leaving their indoor life for the great outdoors had influenced them.
The grotto was being carved into a towering cliff face of solid stone.
"They must have quarried stone here a long, long time ago," Jin murmured, looking up at the sheer vertical wall. No. 700672 overheard him and nodded.
"Indeed, there is no doubt about it."
Thousands... no, perhaps over ten thousand years had passed. The old quarry had likely blended back into the natural landscape over the eons. Jin let his thoughts drift to the distant past for a brief moment.
But back to the matter at hand.
The Smiths were boring into the rock wall. Because they were applying Toughening as they worked, it took a little more effort, but it would result in a far safer dwelling. Even with the extra step, they were excavating about ten cubic meters of rock per minute; the basic structure was finished within a few hours.
"Wow, it looks so cool!"
The structure built into the stone wall consisted of two basement levels and three floors above ground—plus a little something extra. Since the cliff was about fifty meters high, Jin had installed a room that could be called an observatory at the forty-five-meter mark. He planned to add a spiral staircase and an elevator later.
The basement levels were designed to be spacious, intended for research labs, storage, and a living room that would serve as No. 700672’s study. Specifically, Jin planned to replicate the White Room from Ars.
Jin believed that by doing this, Neige and Rouge would be less likely to suffer from homesickness. He remembered his time at the orphanage; several children had been adopted, but some couldn't adjust to their new homes right away. They would occasionally return to the facility, their faces finally finding peace once they were back in familiar surroundings.
A familiar environment provides comfort, even if it might not seem particularly special to an outsider.
"This is... truly thoughtful."
No. 700672 noticed that one of the basement rooms was the exact same size as the White Room and immediately realized Jin's intention. Though Jin had meant for the room to be a surprise gift, the secret was out.
"I shall handle the interior decoration myself," No. 700672 declared.
"...Please, go ahead."
Jin took a walk through the other rooms. For now, he had to use the stairs, but he planned to install an elevator eventually.
The second basement level was for storage, with rooms partitioned for food and various materials. The first basement level contained the White Room replica, and a small-class Warp Gate would be installed there as well.
The first floor featured an entrance lobby, storage, and spare rooms. The second and third floors contained living rooms, guest rooms, and additional spare rooms. Far above them all sat the observatory.
Jin thought about making "children's rooms" for Neige and Rouge, but since they hadn't quite decided what they wanted yet, that part of the plan remained on hold.
Once the Smiths had mostly finished the grotto, they began building the House. This was a modest home with one basement level and two floors above ground. Using stone gathered from the vicinity, the plan was to finish the exterior so it wouldn't look out of place against the landscape.
Incidentally, the rock in this area was a hard, dense type called quartzite. Since they were applying Toughening to it, its durability was guaranteed. Watching the House take shape in just an hour, No. 700672 alternated between being impressed and being utterly bewildered. With two hundred Smiths working in perfect unison, such speed was only natural.
"How exactly should we use this building?"
Since No. 700672 had never lived in a house like this, it was a fair question.
"Well, regardless of how you use it now, you can use it to host guests in the future, or perhaps hold meetings and gatherings."
Jin explained that he wanted No. 700672 to take on the role of a consultant in his capacity as the Elder of Hale.
"I see. I have no objection to that."
"Thank you. In that case, I'll refer to you as 'the Elder' from now on."
Jin left Smiths 101 through 200 to finish the House, while units 201 through 300 began construction on the dome.
"Oh!"
This work was even faster—so much so that even the Elder couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise.
"I've decided to make the dome itself out of diamond rather than cubic zirconia," Jin explained.
Diamond had a simpler molecular structure than zirconia, and since it consisted entirely of carbon, it could be synthesized via Crystallization.
"Ho, how interesting."
The Elder asked Jin several enthusiastic questions about the process. Eventually, he offered his thoughts with a small smile.
"...I understand now. And I also understand that only Jin-dono could perform such an extraordinary feat."
The dome was a hemisphere, ten meters in diameter and five meters high. It was made of diamond ten centimeters thick, further reinforced with Toughening.
The entrance was located underground, meaning it couldn't be accessed from the surface. It was connected to the House and the grotto at the first basement level. A Warp Gate was also installed, complete with safety measures to ensure no one would ever be trapped inside. The interior featured full climate control, allowing for the regulation of ventilation, temperature, and humidity.
Everything up to this point had been done according to Jin's instructions.
"I'll leave the interior design to you."
"Yes, I shall consult with Neige and Rouge. We will make it to those children's liking."
Since the project had started at their request, that was the logical choice.
"It would probably make a good lounge or a place to just relax," Jin suggested.
The Elder nodded. "Yes, the girls were saying something similar. They wanted a place where they could spend their time leisurely."
"I see. In that case, the inside should probably..."
In his own mind, Jin imagined an interior filled with potted plants, plush carpets, sofas, tables, and rocking chairs. Heavy wooden bookshelves would be the perfect finishing touch. However, since this was just Jin's personal preference, he didn't say it aloud. He would save that vision for his own future residence—or perhaps his villa.
"Deciding what to do is truly enjoyable."
A warm smile spread across the Elder's face. Seeing that, Jin felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Let's plant some trees around the perimeter as well."
For fruit, he thought of persica and apulul. For flowers, he considered query trees and kemeria.
"Oh, that would be wonderful."
With the soil improvement project progressing well, such trees would have no trouble growing in this area. In this manner, Jin and the Elder continued to refine the new residence.