After dinner that evening, Jin and the others held a brief meeting about the next day's lecture before turning in early.
There was a time difference of about three hours and twenty minutes between Hourai Island and Avalon, which left Rubina particularly drowsy.
She was still only ten years old, so it was hardly surprising.
"Children shouldn't stay up late, you know," Jin teased.
"I-I'm not a kid... yaaawn..."
Rubina offered an utterly unconvincing rebuttal before conceding defeat.
"...I guess I'll go to sleep after all. Good night."
With that, she retreated to her bedroom.
Jin and the others soon retired to their own rooms as well.
The following morning.
"Father, it is time."
Jin was woken by Reiko at 6:30 AM.
"Ah, is it that late already...? Somehow I still feel half-asleep."
"How unusual for you, Father."
"It couldn't be because of the unfamiliar futon... could it?"
Generally speaking, Jin fell asleep easily and slept soundly, usually waking up feeling refreshed.
"『Diagnose』... You do not appear to be unwell."
Just in case, Reiko cast a diagnostic spell on him, but detected nothing out of the ordinary.
"Guess everyone has days like this. Well, time to wash up."
Jin rinsed his mouth and washed his face at the washbasin in his room.
After changing his clothes, he drew back the curtains to find clear skies outside.
"The lecture starts at nine, right?"
"Yes, at nine o'clock."
After confirming the schedule with Reiko, Jin double-checked their preparations.
"Laojun prepared the handout materials for the lecture, didn't it?"
"Yes. Eight hundred copies were completed last night, scheduled for delivery this morning."
"Good to hear."
Right on schedule at 7:00 AM Avalon time, Konron 3, piloted by Sky 101, touched down at the airfield.
After unloading the cargo addressed to Jin, it immediately took off again.
The packages were brought straight to Jin without delay.
"Ah, these are definitely the materials."
Combined with the copies they had brought with them, they had 1,300 in total. That would be more than enough.
By 8:00 AM, Jin and his group were waiting in the dressing room behind the Grand Auditorium, the venue for the lecture.
"J-Jin-sama, I-I'm starting to get nervous..."
"M-Me too... I'm gonna run to the restroom real quick."
Being their first time facing such an event, Rubina and Freddie were visibly anxious.
"It certainly is nerve-racking."
Despite her words, Greena seemed quite composed on the surface.
Noticing this, she added with a slight smile:
"No, on the inside I'm shaking like a leaf. But since Jin-sama is with us, I know everything will be just fine no matter what happens."
"Haha, thanks. Well, I'll be handling the core of the lecture, so leave the heavy lifting to me."
"Jin-sama has stood before royalty from numerous nations countless times, after all," Marikka chimed in.
Owing to the wisdom of her years—though putting it quite that way felt a bit impolite—Marikka wore a calm, collected expression.
At 8:30 AM, the doors to the Grand Auditorium opened. Students and honored guests streamed inside, instantly filling the hall with lively chatter.
"Wow, look at that crowd."
Peering out from the dressing room, Jin was genuinely impressed.
The standard seating capacity of the Grand Auditorium was 900 people. With overflow seating arranged for the special occasion, around 1,000 attendees had gathered to listen.
The materials Jin had prepared were handed out, one copy per person, at each of the four main entrances.
"I can't wait for the Magi Craft Meister's lecture."
"Marikka-sama of the All-Creation Clan is here too, isn't she?"
"I heard it's about an entirely new type of golem system."
"These handouts must cover it, right?...Oh, look, there are explanatory diagrams. It's really easy to follow."
"Let's see... it's about fifty pages long. And they're giving this out for free? Avalon really is an incredible institution."
Students and visiting engineers from neighboring nations eagerly counted down the minutes until the lecture would begin.
At 9:00 AM sharp, the chime signaling the start of the lecture rang through the hall.
The noisy auditorium instantly fell dead silent.
"Now then, everyone. The hour has arrived, and we shall commence the special lecture."
The announcement echoed over the hall, and the day's schedule materialized across the massive magi-screen mounted above the stage platform.
- "Introduction to the New Golem Model" — Jin Nidou
- "The Future of Golem Control Studies" — Marikka of the All-Creation Clan
- "Structural Analysis of the New Golem Model" — Jin Nidou, Disciples Freddie, Greena, Rubina (Lunch & Intermission)
- "The New Golem Model and Materials" — Jin Nidou, Disciples Freddie, Greena, Rubina
- "The Future of Magi-Craft" — Marikka of the All-Creation Clan, Jin Nidou
- Q&A Session
"Without further ado, Jin-sensei, the floor is yours."
Jin strode calmly to the lectern on the stage, where a voice capacitor was set up to serve as a microphone.
"I am Jin Nidou. I inherited both this name and my title from my predecessor. Today, I will be lecturing on a new model of golem. Let us begin with an overview....Please turn to page two of your handouts."
The crisp rustle of flipping pages filled the hall.
"The system I will be introducing today is known as the 'magic-frame style.' In truth, I am not the one who invented this method. It was originally developed by a researcher in the distant past."
A low murmur rippled through the audience.
"However, just before its completion, the Magic Federation rose to power, and the research was buried in history. Consequently, even the name of that brilliant researcher has been lost to time."
The auditorium stirred with renewed whispers.
"...However!"
Jin raised his voice slightly, and the crowd immediately quieted.
"Due to various circumstances, I cannot disclose the exact location, but the remnants of a golem I discovered within ancient ruins utilized this very system."
Jin then instructed the audience to turn to pages three and four.
"Here, you will find a brief summary of various golem drive mechanisms. As many of you know, the most primitive type, the Rock Golem, operates via 'Forming.'"
Those in the audience with experience crafting golems nodded along in understanding.
"Furthermore, the system developed and perfected by the First Generation Magi Craft Meister, Adriana Barbora Tsetse, is the 'Adriana-style.' It employs a skeletal frame and artificial musculature modeled after the human body—a design particularly well suited for automata."
And with that, Jin's lecture was officially underway.