Jin’s lecture continued.
As he sketched out blueprints, he explained the concepts to Freddie.
"Signals travel from the control core to various parts of the body, causing the magi-resin to contract or expand, which is what creates movement."
"I see."
"Now, there's specific know-how for making those movements efficient..."
Jin generously shared the methods he had discovered just the other day. Freddie, fully aware that he was being gifted precious knowledge, listened with earnest attention.
"...And that’s how it's done. Any questions?"
"Let’s see. Um, I understand why we aren't using magi-circuits to keep costs down. And I should assume that magi-resin has lower magical conductivity than those specialized materials, right?"
"That’s a fair assessment," Jin nodded.
"In that case, couldn't we have the skeleton itself serve as a magi-circuit?"
"What?...Hmm... Yes, that’s possible."
Jin intended to use light silver for the skeleton, a material with high magical affinity. While it didn't quite reach the level of mithril, Jin judged it would be perfectly adequate as a medium for magical conductivity.
"I didn't think of that."
"Me neither."
"It was a complete blind spot."
"That's incredible, Freddie!"
Jin and Marikka were genuinely impressed, Rubina looked slightly piqued that she hadn't thought of it herself, and Greena praised Freddie’s ingenuity.
"Wait, r-really?" Freddie’s face flushed at Greena's compliment.
"Yes, really. Jin-sama and the rest of us have considered many things, but that specific idea never occurred to us."
Greena added that with this method, they could likely increase the reaction speed significantly, regardless of the raw power.
"Isn't that right, Jin-sama?"
"Yeah, exactly. It will likely jump to three or even five times the speed of using magi-resin alone."
It was an astounding improvement.
"If we combine this with the improved adhesion between the magi-resin and the skeleton we discussed earlier, along with using magi-resins of varying hardness, we can expect about four times the initial power and five times the reaction speed."
These were exceptionally high figures.
"This raises the degree of perfection for this model yet again."
Jin laughed, clearly pleased with the development.
"Jin-sama, in that case, couldn't we give the exterior those functions as well?" Freddie suggested, emboldened.
"Hmm, that’s an interesting thought. However, the exterior is frequently damaged and, more importantly, it's far from the control core. Besides, we often use materials with poor magical conductivity like iron or steel for the casing, so I'm not sure how much of an effect we can expect..."
Since speculation wasn't enough, they decided to conduct an experiment using a prototype golem—specifically, one with a transparent exterior.
"It's always best to verify such questions with a prototype. It's difficult to account for everything just in your head."
Even as he explained, Jin’s hands never stopped moving.
Modifications like these, added on the fly, were technically complex, so it was faster for Jin to handle them himself.
"There, that should do it....Laojun, try it out."
『Yes, My Lord.』
The golem began to move.
Because the drive system had been altered, the movements were jerky at first, but in true Laojun fashion, they became smooth within about thirty seconds.
However...
『My Lord, while the power has certainly increased, it has become extremely difficult to control. The load on the control core has more than doubled.』
"I see..."
From a practical standpoint, everyone present concluded that this particular direction was best abandoned.
Except for one person. Greena raised an objection.
"Jin-sama, what if we made it so that function only activates when absolutely necessary? For instance, when lifting something heavy, or if a part of the golem is broken."
"Hmm... That might actually work. Good thinking, Greena."
While it increased the processing load during rapid movements, Jin agreed that it could be useful for situations where raw strength was required while stationary.
He had Laojun test the control logic for such a scenario.
『In this case, the load on the control core is negligible. Furthermore, the output has increased by 1.5 times.』
This was a figure well within the range of practical utility.
"Greena, that's amazing!" Rubina offered her unreserved praise.
"I-it was just a fluke," Greena demurred, but Jin insisted it was the result of her flexible thinking.
"Well then, I'm glad we were able to further refine this system in such an unexpected way."
Jin reset the flow of the discussion.
"So, we've added two new specifications: 'using the skeleton as a magi-circuit' and 'using the exterior as a magi-circuit and magical muscle in emergencies.'"
Jin noted that creating a control core based on these premises would be quite a challenge.
"Laojun can manage it here on Hourai Island, but for general use, I’m thinking of creating something like a 'Control Core Management Station'."
"You mentioned that briefly before, Jin-sama," Rubina said, recalling their previous meeting.
"Right. This system is predicated on mass-producing identical golem models."
Jin explained that because the units were identical, the accumulation of data would be invaluable.
"The golems belonging to the network will periodically upload their control data to the station using Send Info. The station’s central brain will organize and optimize that data, then use it to Overwrite and Refresh the golems' control cores as needed, or to program new ones."
"Oh, if you do that, the design will just keep getting more and more perfect! As expected of Jin-sama."
Rubina, quickly grasping the benefits of such a system, praised him.
"It only works if they're the same model, or at least share the same drive system."
"Even so, if you tweak the parameters slightly, you could probably apply the data to other models, so it wouldn't be a complete waste," Greena suggested.
"True, but I can't say for sure until we have a track record. I don't know how much work that parameter adjustment would involve yet."
Jin steered the conversation back to the golem they were currently building.
"We won't build the Control Core Management Station this time, but we'll have Laojun act as its substitute. We'll set everything up so that we can build a physical station immediately if we choose to."
Jin added that if this style of golem gained widespread acceptance, he would want to establish a proper Control Core Management Station.
"That seems like the best approach for now."
Marikka was the first to agree. Rubina and Greena nodded their approval in silence. Freddie, for his part, was not yet at a level where he could contribute to such high-level theoretical discussions.
"Alright, let's consider the additional functions."
Whether or not to include specialized features was the next item on the agenda.
"Well... it’s a gift for a king, right? Wouldn't adding some unique functions give it a more 'special' feel?"
Rubina seemed to be in favor of adding extra features.
"But this is a king who was leaning toward the Magic Federation..." Greena said, sounding hesitant.
"Perhaps we should only grant him functions intended for emergencies," Marikka suggested, offering a middle ground.
"Yeah, I think I'm closest to Marikka’s view. I'd like to at least include Healing."
Jin believed such a function would be invaluable, even if the golem wasn't standing directly beside the king.
"I see... Um, Jin-sama, is it possible to keep them sealed?"
The 'sealing' Greena referred to involved conditioning the functions so they couldn't be used normally, only activating when specific criteria were met—such as when the king's life was in danger.
"Ah, that’s a great idea. Let's look into that approach."
"In addition to Healing, maybe some simple magi-craft?"
"Yes, that’s good. And a non-lethal Stun."
"It would be nice if it could deploy a barrier, too!"
"What about Cleanup or Sterilization?"
The group continued to brainstorm.
Freddie remained quiet, still too inexperienced to offer his own ideas, but as he watched the exchange, it was clear he was absorbing a great deal.