On the morning of the 19th, Jin turned his attention back to establishing his new base, having entrusted the analysis of the Crystal Discs found in the ancient facility to the Elder, No. 700672.
“I’d rather not build directly on top of that place,” Jin muttered.
The bedrock near the facility was solid enough to support a basement, but the idea of living right above such a massive ruin sat poorly with him. He set out to find a more suitable location.
An hour later, he found what he was looking for.
It was roughly two kilometers east of where he’d originally planned to build—the site where the Progenitors' information storage facility lay deep underground. This new spot was slightly elevated and composed of andesite. While the term covers a wide range of mineral compositions, the rock here was particularly dense and sturdy, containing traces of olivine.
“This will be perfect for a basement.”
Jin performed an exhaustive scan using Grand Search. While he doubted he would run into the same coincidence twice, he didn't want to risk finding more Progenitor ruins beneath his chosen land, so he investigated every inch of the subsurface.
“...Alright, looks clear.”
His search revealed no artificial structures down to a depth of two thousand meters.
“The andesite only goes down about three hundred meters, though,” Jin noted.
“Father, isn't that more than enough?” Reiko asked.
“I suppose it is.” Jin gave a wry smile and nodded. He had only planned for his basement levels to reach a depth of two hundred meters, so three hundred meters of solid rock provided plenty of room.
He officially decided to make this his base of operations. The site sat on a vast plain in the eastern part of the continent, roughly four hundred kilometers from the coast. Though much of the surrounding area was still a reddish-brown wasteland, the grasses were recovering, and soil erosion had been halted. Jin planned to build the House on the surface while constructing a massive base underground.
Three hundred Smith units, numbered 501 through 800, were deployed to the site. Their efficiency was staggering; in just one hour, they had completely formed the underground facility.
“Master, what do you think?” one of the golems asked.
The facility consisted of two massive hangars, each two hundred meters long and wide with a height of one hundred meters. There were ten storage rooms, each twenty meters in all dimensions, and twenty smaller rooms—ten meters squared—to serve as workshops and laboratories. Every floor, wall, and ceiling had been meticulously reinforced with Hardening, Toughening, and Stabilize.
“Excellent work,” Jin said with a satisfied nod. He intended to take his time with the interior furnishings.
Next came the surface structure. He decided to match the size and layout of his House on Hourai Island, as he found a familiar environment most comfortable. Although it was a wooden structure with a tiled roof, the application of Toughening and Stabilize meant it would likely remain maintenance-free for a century. If he periodically reapplied the spells, it would last indefinitely.
“I should probably put up a barrier to block out the ultraviolet rays as well,” Jin mused as he planned the final touches.
The House was completed within the hour without a single hitch. While the tatami, nails, and roof tiles had been brought from Hourai Island, the timber was locally sourced from Hale. Cypress, thuja, and cedar trees had grown large enough to be harvested for lumber. In fact, the Fores units seemed quite proud that the timber they had carefully raised was being used to build Jin’s House.
Jin spent the rest of the day enjoying himself while crafting the furniture. He had a simple lunch of sandwiches prepared by Reiko. For the yard, he decided he wanted a landscape unique to Hale, so he simply laid down a layer of gravel for the time being. By the end of the day, the House was essentially complete.
“Well, I can finally sleep here tonight.”
While the Cabin aboard the Adriana was perfectly fine, nothing compared to the comfort of stretching out on a futon in a tatami room. The bedding, naturally, was made of magisilk fabric and magisilk wadding. As the refreshing scent of new tatami filled the air, Jin laid out his futon.
“Now then...”
It was then that he realized something was missing: the bath. The bathroom itself was finished, and he had installed a Cleanup magi-device for the drainage to protect the environment, but there was one problem.
“Oh, right...”
Since Hale was a planet even older than Ars, hot springs weren't easy to find. The geothermal heat deep underground was likely sufficient, and he could probably strike a spring if he bored down five thousand meters, but that wasn't something he could do tonight.
“I’ll just have it transferred.”
For tonight, he decided to have hot spring water sent from Hourai Island in a storage tank. It was an absurdly luxurious way to bathe.
“Ah, that hits the spot.”
Even Jin realized this was a highly irregular bathing arrangement.
“I’ll have to think of a permanent solution tomorrow...”
He realized then that he hadn't yet considered how to handle the long-term water supply.
“Laojun, what’s the average rainfall like in this region?” Jin asked via manacam before turning in.
『Certainly, My Lord. Your current location is on the eastern side of the continent. At this latitude, trade winds blow from the east. This causes clouds to develop along the western mountain ranges, where they release their rain.』
“I see.”
Jin had built the House near the Tropic of Cancer at an elevation of about one hundred meters.
“So, it doesn't rain much here?”
『Not necessarily, My Lord. Cloud formation can be observed depending on the specific meteorological conditions.』
Moist air carried in from the sea would condense into clouds or mist as it moved over the cooler landmass.
『Consequently, while large trees are scarce, the environment is reasonably hospitable for grasses and shrubs.』
“I see.”
Jin reflected on the fact that he probably should have checked the climate before building the house.
“In that case, how should I secure a water source?”
Since he had already built the base, he had to find a way to get water, even if it required some drastic measures.
『As one possibility, you might consider excavating a canal. It would be a necessary investment if you plan to build a town here in the future.』
“A canal... That’s a valid point.”
It seemed that even after several centuries of reclamation, the land of Hale—which had seen its water hauled away into space for tens of thousands of years—was still a long way from being fully hydrated.
“What are the other options?”
『Secondly, you could simply continue transferring water from Hale’s existing water sources to your current location for the time being.』
“I suppose that’s one way to do it.”
The amount of water needed for Jin alone was negligible.
“Is that it?”
『No, there is one more option: you could desalinate seawater for your use.』
“That’s an idea...”
He recalled his visit to Borgia, the capital of the Kingdom of Elias, four hundred years ago. He had been there with his close friend Reinhard and his dear Elsa—though back then, she had still only been a friend. At the request of Marchioness Firenziano, he had developed a Distillation magi-device for the city.
“I could just as easily use Extraction or Purely to handle it.”
While weighing the pros and cons of each plan, Jin drifted off into a peaceful sleep.