It was while Jin was busy enjoying the process of furnishing the House.
"My Lord, I apologize for interrupting your leisure, but I have a report to make."
Laojun’s voice resonated through the room.
"What is it?"
Jin sat down in front of Laojun’s terminal inside the House. Thanks to Jin’s peculiar insistence, the interface was disguised as an old-fashioned CRT television.
"Yes, My Lord. I have discovered another ruin left behind by the Progenitors."
"Oh, really?"
Now that a dedicated terminal had been established here on Hale, Laojun's operational freedom had improved dramatically. Consequently, Jin had tasked it with conducting deep-underground explorations using the Peeping Telescope, also known as the Peeper.
"The location is the Central Basin. To the south, near the Strong Acid Lake. There is a cavern roughly one thousand meters beneath the surface where a large number of what can only be described as the Progenitors' robots are being stored."
"Wait, did you say 'robots'? Not golems?"
"Yes, My Lord. I have referred to them as robots for the sake of convenience, as they lack control cores and are designed for remote operation."
If I were to give them another name, perhaps 'Magi Puppet' would be fitting, Jin thought to himself.
"Magi Puppets... I understand. I shall use that designation henceforth."
Laojun had apparently overheard Jin’s mumble and decided to adopt the term immediately.
"...Right. So, these Magi Puppets—what do they look like?"
"Certainly, My Lord. I will transmit the images captured by the Peeper."
The magi-screen, masquerading as a television tube, flickered to life. On it, the Magi Puppets were projected.
"Whoa...!"
It was a sight truly worthy of making Jin gasp in awe.
First of all, they were massive. Jin could tell their scale immediately because the ever-considerate Laojun had overlaid a measuring scale on the screen.
"The largest ones are about fifteen meters tall, I see..."
They were comparable in size to the Titan and Daidara units Jin had built. Ten of them stood lined up in the cavern.
"I suspect they were intended for labor, though I cannot rule out the possibility that they were designed for combat."
Laojun made this cautious judgment because the Progenitors generally showed a distaste for conflict; even if a unit were designed for battle, it might not necessarily be equipped with obvious weaponry.
Furthermore, the design was incredibly mechanical. They looked like the giant robots from the anime series that had been popular in twentieth-century Japan. Raised on such shows, Jin felt a nostalgic tug at his heart—a strange blend of awe and kinship.
But the discovery didn't end there; there were also small-class Magi Puppets. Twenty of them, to be exact. According to Laojun’s scale, these were roughly human-sized, though they were twice as wide as a person. They had the stout, powerful builds of sumo wrestlers.
"I wonder what they were used for..."
Jin decided he would have to ask the Elder about it later.
"Why weren't these broken down for scrap?"
Since Hale was a planet where resources had been stripped nearly bare, Jin wondered why such a vast amount of metal had been ignored. He posed the question to Laojun.
"Yes, My Lord. From my analysis, these units are constructed from iron-based materials. As steel, nickel, and chromium are still relatively abundant on Hale, I speculate there was no pressing need to recycle them."
"I see. That makes sense."
The resources that had been depleted were primarily what Jin referred to as 64 light silver, mithril, and adamantite. Since steel and nickel were frequently found in meteorites, they hadn't reached the same level of scarcity.
"I suppose that's true. It would have been stranger if every single resource had vanished simultaneously."
Jin felt satisfied with that explanation.
"I understand why they weren't scrapped. But what about their purpose?"
"I shall begin investigating that immediately. Do I have your permission?"
"Of course. You have my full authorization."
"I think I'll go pay the Elder a visit."
Jin was also curious about the ongoing analysis of the Crystal Discs found earlier, so he decided to head over to see No. 700672.
"He's on Ars right now, isn't he?"
Since the analysis required the equipment in the White Room, that was where he would be. Neige and Rouge were likely there as well.
Taking Reiko with him, Jin returned to Hourai Island for a moment, grabbed a few bottles of Persica juice as a gift, and then teleported again.
"Jin-san, welcome!"
In a rare occurrence, it was Rouge who came out to greet them.
"Father is currently busy with the analysis," Neige added, appearing behind her.
"So he's still at it, then? I have something I want to report regarding Hale."
As he spoke with the girls, No. 700672 apparently overheard his voice and paused his work to join them.
"Oh, Jin-dono. What brings you here today? The analysis is not yet complete."
"Ah, Elder, thank you for the hard work. Actually, we've found another underground ruin south of the Central Basin on Hale."
"What?"
"I came because I wanted to get your take on it. Oh, and here’s a little something for you."
Jin handed over the Persica juice while explaining the situation.
"My, you are always so thoughtful. Thank you. Now then... pray tell me more."
Since he had reached a natural stopping point in his work, Elder No. 700672 decided to take a break.
"...And that's the gist of it."
"Hmm, most intriguing."
As Jin finished his explanation, the Elder showed deep interest.
"Whether by coincidence or fate, I do not know, but there was a record of something very similar on the Crystal Discs I am currently deciphering."
"Really?"
"On two of those discs, there are records that the Masters from twenty thousand years ago utilized such remote-controlled machines... or 'Magi Puppets,' as you call them."
Back then, the Progenitors didn't leave everything to their subordinate golems or automata; they apparently enjoyed performing various tasks themselves.
"Since remote operation is somewhat archaic—or rather, a bit tedious—I imagine they eventually fell out of fashion and were simply left behind."
After all, while there were records stating that "such things existed," the information on "where" they were had been lost to time.
"In that case, would it be alright if I made use of them?"
A thought had occurred to Jin, and he put it to the Elder.
"Hmm? You intend to use them for something? There should be no issue. The Masters have likely forgotten they even exist, effectively considering them as 'nothing' by this point."
"I understand. I'll have to confirm their condition with my own eyes first, but if they're usable, I'm thinking of modifying them to serve this planet."
If I could revive them as guardians, Jin mused.
"Oh, that would be wonderful. Will you be refurbishing them on Hale? I am quite interested myself, so please call for me when the time comes."
"Will do."
"...So this is how they're built."
Using his Body Double, or Doppel, and accompanied by Reiko, Jin had traveled to the ruins in the Central Basin and was now investigating to his heart's content.
Just as he had suspected, the materials were iron-based—specifically, nickel chrome steel treated with Hardening and Stabilize. The musculature—or rather, the drive system—was made of an inorganic material: magi-duralumin.
While magi-duralumin was a technology also seen in the Magic Federation's guardian, the Progenitors had clearly developed their own version of the same alloy lineage.
"Hmm... this is much more efficient than the Magic Federation's version."
As expected of the Progenitors, Jin thought in admiration.
"I bet Rubina would be thrilled if I showed her this."
Now that the House was finished, Jin realized he could start inviting guests to Hale a few at a time. The idea brought a smile to his face.