Two minutes had passed since Jin issued his assignment to the three apprentices.
Using the transporter, Laojun sent over materials like magi-crystals and light silver. As a matter of principle, Jin had no intention of using anything original to this laboratory for his work.
Another minute passed.
"Oh! Could it be...?"
"Did you figure it out?"
Jin paused his work on the magi-device to look back at Rubina, the source of the voice.
"Is it... Analyze?"
Jin shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. But the line of thinking isn't bad."
"Then... then, Grand Search!"
Met with a rejection, Rubina blurted out her next guess without a moment's hesitation. This time, Jin nodded.
"Exactly. Grand Search is a spell meant for finding substances within the earth, but there's no reason it shouldn't work inside a room, right?"
"...That makes sense. But why go to the trouble of making a magi-device for it?"
"I’m glad you noticed that. Good eye. Using it inside a room is quite different from using it underground, so a dedicated magi-device will be far more efficient."
Jin continued his explanation while praising Rubina for her intuition, his hands moving with practiced ease throughout the conversation.
"Alright, it's done."
Because he had built it in such a hurry, its internal circuitry was exposed, but Jin didn't hesitate to wake up the newly minted Searcher.
"I’ve tuned the target to magi-resin for now. Eventually, I'd like to make it capable of searching for anything."
Even as he spoke, the Searcher picked up a signal. It used a PPI scope—the kind of radar display where a line of light rotates around a circular screen, causing points of light to appear on the surface.
"Let’s see... there are three over here."
Jin walked toward a corner of the room where the remains of broken magi-devices lay scattered.
"It looks like there's magi-resin inside these."
"Oh, let me! I'll dismantle them!" Rubina volunteered, and Jin let her handle it.
"Next is this way."
In a pile of dust in another corner, they discovered a piece of magi-resin about the size of a red bean.
"And the last ones are here."
Right at the entrance where they had first walked in, Jin found two fragments of magi-resin wedged into the gap of the door. They were no larger than fingernail clippings.
"When they're this small, it's no wonder we couldn't find them just by looking around aimlessly."
Rubina’s haul consisted of three pieces the size of pachinko balls. Combined with the red-bean-sized piece and the two tiny slivers from the door, they had gathered quite a few samples.
"That should be all the clues we can get here. Let's start the analysis. Analyze... Analyze... Analyze... Analyze... Analyze... Analyze... I see."
After checking all six pieces, it became clear that the fingernail-sized fragments found in the door gap were the high-performance magi-resin they had been looking for.
"It contains an unknown impurity."
The information provided by Analyze was limited by the user’s own understanding. In a sense, it was a spell that searched the dictionary of the caster's knowledge. If Jin didn't recognize a substance, the spell couldn't identify it for him.
"Let's head back to Hourai Island and have Laojun take a look."
Jin wanted to leave the ruins of the laboratory as undisturbed as possible, so now that they had a lead, he decided to retreat. Marikka and the others didn't object; in fact, their expressions suggested they were dying to see the final results.
Returning to Hourai Island via the Warp Gate aboard the Hurricane, Jin immediately handed the samples over to Laojun.
"What do you think, Laojun?"
『Yes, My Lord. The impurity detected is a type of alkaloid.』
Alkaloids were a class of basic, nitrogen-containing organic compounds found in plants. Many of them had potent effects on the human body, such as morphine, nicotine, or cocaine.
『The specific substance appears to be atropine.』
"Atropine... I’ve heard of that. It’s the toxin found in Japanese belladonna, right?"
『That is correct.』
Japanese belladonna was a mountain herb that sprouted soft green buds in early spring. Because it looked so much like edible wild greens, foragers often picked it by mistake, leading to frequent cases of poisoning.
『The structural formula for it was found in the books brought by the Magus, Shuuki Tsetse.』
"Ah, right. That’s where I remember it from."
『To return to the matter at hand, Japanese belladonna has not been found in this world. However, we have confirmed that this specific component is present in the bark of a tree known as Pinacea.』
"Okay, and where does that grow?"
『While the tree prefers colder climates, it is not found on the Gondoa Continent. It grows in the northern reaches of the Lauren Continent.』
"So, somewhere north of the Kruger Mountains?"
『Yes, or perhaps the region north of Kaina Village.』
"I see..."
This significantly narrowed down the potential source.
"Let's start by searching the area north of Kaina Village."
『It might also be beneficial to consult the current Village Chief of Kaina Village, Mr. Gaizak.』
Laojun suggested that the harvesting of this specific magi-resin might have once been a local industry.
"Yeah, that’s a real possibility."
While such industries had likely withered away following the rise of the Magic Federation, Laojun pointed out that the Village Chief might still have some records or knowledge of it.
"Alright, let's head to Kaina Village."
Kaina Village. The very sound of the name filled Jin with a deep sense of nostalgia and an irrepressible urge to visit.
"Last time I was there, I was just a visitor, but this time, as the Third Generation Magi Craft Meister, I can openly use Jin Castle as my base of operations."
Naturally, he intended to take Rubina, Greena, and Marikka with him.
"That's the village where you started, Jin-sama?! I want to go! I definitely want to go!!" Rubina chirped, practically hopping with excitement.
"Kaina Village... It’s been a long time," Marikka said softly, a wistful smile on her face.
Greena also expressed her desire to join. "The place of your origins... I would be honored to accompany you."
The following day, after making some brief preparations, Jin, Reiko, Rubina, Greena, and Marikka made the jump using the Warp Gate at Jin Castle.
It was 9:00 AM local time.
"Welcome, everyone."
Butler C was there to greet the group, with the Five-Colored Golem Maids standing at attention behind him.
Jin informed him they would be staying the night before leading the group toward the Village Chief’s house.
However...
Jin had completely forgotten something that had quite annoyed him during his last visit: the fact that the workshop he had once used was now being preserved for all time as a memorial museum.
"Wow! So this is the cradle of the Magi Craft Meister!"
"It’s like a historical landmark!"
"It’s so nostal-gic!"
Everyone besides Jin and Reiko was absolutely delighted. Jin, on the other hand, remained stubbornly silent, his face burning with embarrassment.