On February 1, 3459, Jin relocated the base of Akitsu—an assistant automata left by the Magus, Shuuki Tsetse, to watch over and guide Mitsuho—from its original site in the Sahara to Kunlun Island.
The performance of the Warp Gate connecting Mitsuho to Akitsu’s base proved more than adequate, seamlessly linking the two locations despite the change in distance.
On Kunlun Island, Jin had established two high-class lodging facilities: the Jade Pavilion and the Hall of Five Virtues. He had dispatched the blue-haired automata Loll and Refa to serve as the manager and Okami, respectively.
However, after Jin passed away, there was no one to succeed him as the Lord of Kunlun. Consequently, Kunlun Island naturally evolved into a resort destination.
Because it was Jin’s final wish for the land to be opened widely to the public, neither Laojun nor the administrative supervisory magi-brain Taihaku, which managed the island, intervened significantly in its affairs.
But then, the year 3765 arrived.
During the era of the Magic Federation’s rise, Laojun acted preemptively. It moved Loll, Refa, and Akitsu.
Loll and Refa were brought to Hourai Island.
Akitsu, however, was returned to her original underground base in the Sahara.
Laojun had refrained from bringing Akitsu to Hourai Island because it feared the bond between Mitsuho and Akitsu might be severed. In Mitsuho, the custom of new leaders visiting Akitsu upon their appointment remained a vital tradition.
"Akitsu-san, I have no excuse for being unable to invite you to Hourai Island," Laojun apologized to her.
It, too, found it hard to be the one to terminate the role assigned to her by the Magus, Shuuki Tsetse.
"No, you have looked after me well. I am truly grateful."
"As a token of my apology, I shall assign John Dini to serve as your assistant."
"Thank you very much."
John Dini was an automata based on the Deus Ex Machina body double—which had been created as a double for Jin and could be operated remotely—with its appearance slightly modified.
Elsa had provided his name. She had rearranged the letters of "JIN NIDOH" to form "JOHN DINI."
He had gathered intelligence centered on Mitsuho, whose people were regarded as foreign tribes. He had completed that duty and returned to Hourai Island in February 3459.
While I wrote "preemptively," in reality, Laojun’s timing was down to the wire.
Taihaku, the administrative supervisory magi-brain managing Kunlun Island, could not be evacuated in time. It fell under the domination of Golbart Marukitasu, who utilized a Magi Emulator.
That state of affairs persisted until Jin, having arrived in the future era of 3899, finally liberated it.
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As an aside, Chief Hiro Mutu of Mitsuho once told John Dini that "beings like Akitsu-sama must exist in various other places," but I should add that subsequent investigations failed to locate any such automata.
Sadly, they were unable to withstand the passage of time.
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And then, May 3900.
"I see. So the Lord of Kunlun remained absent after all."
On Hourai Island, the original Lord of Kunlun, Jin, was listening to a report on the current state of affairs from Laojun.
"Yes, My Lord. Your former self from four hundred years ago decided that Kunlun Island should be opened to the general public."
"I see..."
Jin thought that sounded exactly like something he would do. While Hourai Island was out of the question, Kunlun Island was at a level where public access posed no security threat.
However.
"Ultimately, that decision turned out to be its undoing, leading to Taihaku being dominated for a time."
"You’re right..."
Jin looked up, as if a sudden realization had struck him.
"Say, I wonder if I can create a magi-device that cancels out those 'domination' type spells?"
"That would be a most welcome development."
"Yeah... I wonder what the best method would be. Personally, I'd like it to be something that can be kept active constantly without causing any issues."
Though the idea was still vague, Jin wanted to create a sort of magical jammer. However, inspiration did not strike instantly.
"...Hanna used to come up with such good ideas for things like this."
Once again, Jin found himself reminiscing about the past.
"She did indeed."
"But there's no point wishing for what I don't have. Hmm, how can we make this a reality?"
"..."
"Laojun, do you have any thoughts? I suppose we'll have to work through this logically."
"My deepest apologies, My Lord."
"No, it's fine."
To begin with, Laojun was better suited for logical deductions.
"So. Those domination-type spells... in terms of mana, they should have a high magical frequency, right?"
"Yes, My Lord. Mental waves generally tend to be high-frequency, though there are individual variations."
"Right... and in the case of humans..."
When casting brainwashing-type magic like Hypno or Seduce on a human, it can be compared to the resonance of a tuning fork. One might imagine it as forcibly issuing commands using powerful mana waves that have been synchronized with that person's mental waves—which are a type of mana wave.
In such cases, to ensure a permanent effect and to lower resistance to the magic, a method of lowering brain activity is also used. Since there is no point in controlling someone if their ability to think vanishes, the secret is to only lower their willpower... or so it seemed.
From brainwashing incidents that had occurred in the past, Laojun had grasped the procedures, effects, and mechanisms of this magic to a high degree.
"I see. So it's effective if you wear down their willpower first."
"Yes, My Lord. It appears to be even more effective when used during Sleep."
"People are defenseless when they're sleeping, after all..."
Based on that information, Jin began developing the necessary magic. Even if it was something he couldn't use himself, if he understood the magi-sequence, he could describe it in a magi-formula. That was the essence of a Magi Craft Meister.
After much effort, the principle of the Hypno Canceller that Jin completed was indeed based on tuning fork resonance.
If we compare humans to tuning forks, each with a different natural frequency, this device emits mental waves at frequencies that correspond to almost everyone. The method it employs is to continuously and repeatedly cycle the magical frequency from low to high and back again, ensuring it covers the entire spectrum.
This possesses an incredibly strong force that pulls the subject out of a brainwashed state by sheer power, "canceling" it. Since the content of the mana waves carries no semantic meaning, the device itself has no brainwashing effect. However, it does cause considerable discomfort.
Of course, the device was not purely aggressive; it also incorporated effects to stabilize the mental state and healing magic to prevent adverse impacts on the brain.
At the same time, depending on the adjustment, it could also serve as a jammer. By narrowing the output, it could interfere with mana waves of the Hypno, Seduce, and brainwashing types, nullifying their effects. Moreover, it had little negative impact on the human body; at most, the person would feel a vague sense of restlessness.
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This device was tested on remnants of the Magic Federation with the cooperation of Elena from Nostalgia, and its effectiveness was confirmed. Naturally, as a gesture of thanks for that assistance, a unit was also donated to Nostalgia.
It is said that Nostalgia, with Jin's permission, later employed this device on the top leadership of the Kingdom of Elias, managing to eradicate the deep-seated influence of the Magic Federation once and for all.