Having settled on the initial design for the flashing communicator, Jin and his companions decided to visit Avalon without delay.
Naturally, they could not simply barge in unannounced that very day, so they scheduled their visit for the following day, August 6.
Jin and Reiko made the trip, accompanied by Reinhard.
Since their stay would be brief, Reinhard took the precaution of altering his hair color.
A person's hairstyle and hair color often dictate their impression far more than one might think. Merely shaving a long mane into a buzz cut is usually enough to render someone unrecognizable at a passing glance.
In Reinhard's case, he merely changed his blond hair to dark brown, yet it transformed his appearance considerably.
On top of that, he added a bit of padding around his midsection to give his slender frame a sturdier build.
"At a glance, you hardly look like Rai-nii at all," Elsa remarked.
Naturally, his beloved wife, Berche, had a different perspective.
"I would recognize you no matter how you disguised yourself," she declared without hesitation.
Because they had coordinated in advance with Tomax Bartman, the Chief Administrator of Avalon, the Hurricane was granted immediate clearance to land without any delay.
"Welcome, Jin-dono."
Tomax Bartman met Jin right on the airfield.
"It has been a while. A friend is joining me today."
Jin introduced Reinhard.
"My name is Haruto. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Haruto-dono, is it? I am Tomax Bartman."
"Yes, I have heard a great deal about you from Jin."
Jin then offered a quick elaboration.
"Ra... Haruto is a skilled magi engineer himself. He has mastered the Adriana-style as well."
"Oh, is that so! Why, we were just hosting lectures on the Adriana-style until recently."
"So I have heard."
At that moment, Tomax Bartman realized they were standing around chatting out in the open airfield.
"Forgive my lack of manners. Come, right this way."
In order of Tomax Bartman, Jin, Reiko, and Reinhard, they climbed into a waiting automobile.
Once everyone was on board, the vehicle smoothly pulled away.
"The underground high-speed transit network will be completed before long," Tomax noted. "Once that is finished, travel within Avalon will become more than three times faster than it is now."
"That sounds like something to look forward to."
Reinhard looked around with keen interest, visiting Avalon for the first time—or rather, for the first time in roughly 350 years.
Seeing it through a screen was vastly different from experiencing it in person.
Perhaps sensing his curiosity, Tomax Bartman offered a brief tour of their route.
"The road we are currently on is reserved for authorized personnel rather than the general public. It allows us to reach our destination virtually nonstop."
Before long, they arrived at the Academy—Avalon's, and indeed one of the world's, premier institutions of learning.
"We have arranged to use a conference room here."
Since the agenda centered on the flashing communicator, they had opened the floor to a wide range of participants rather than limiting it to the World Security Guard.
"Please, after you."
Led into a medium-sized conference room, Jin and his party found that about twenty attendees were already seated.
The room featured a round table with no distinction between head and foot. A magi-screen was embedded in the wall, primed for use at any moment.
Among the crowd, Jin spotted a few familiar faces: Groma, Eira, Kachea, and others.
However, seated beside Kachea was a man he did not recognize. He was a broad-shouldered young man with dark brown hair and brown eyes. For some reason, Jin felt an inexplicable sense of kinship with him.
Intrigued, Jin made a mental note to ask about him later.
Once everyone settled into their seats, Tomax Bartman took the floor.
"Now then, everyone, the Magi Craft Meister, Jin Nidou-dono, has arrived. Today, he will be presenting a concept that may well revolutionize air traffic control."
A round of applause filled the room. Prompted by Tomax Bartman, who acted as the host and moderator, Jin began his explanation of the flashing communicator.
"My name is Jin Nidou. Today, I have come to introduce a technology that I believe will greatly aid in air traffic control."
Jin proceeded to explain the method of conveying information through flashing lamps.
"There are two key elements. First... using lamp colors with high visibility. And second, establishing globally standardized flashing patterns."
He clarified that high-visibility colors referred to those with longer wavelengths—specifically, hues ranging from red to yellow.
"Furthermore, by utilizing green lamps as a secondary channel, more detailed instructions can be communicated."
He laid out concrete examples: a steady red light alongside a flashing green light indicated "Landing Prohibited," while a flashing red light combined with a flashing green light signified "Landing Permitted," and so forth.
"Of course, these are not final regulations. They are merely examples to illustrate the concept."
Jin went on to explain that combining short and long pulses could transmit even more nuanced messages.
"If we represent them with dots and dashes, a sequence like 'dot-dot-dot, dash-dash-dash, dot-dot-dot' could indicate 'Danger' or an 'Emergency.'"
Such signals, Jin explained, could be sent simply by toggling a lighting switch on and off.
It was the foundational concept of Morse code.
In this world, because transmitting one's voice directly through wind-attribute magic was far more expedient, semaphore had never been developed, and Morse code naturally did not exist either.
"Introducing too many patterns at once might make them difficult to memorize, so it would likely be best to start with a minimal set and expand gradually."
He also noted that delegating the signaling to golems or a magi-brain in the future would virtually eliminate operator errors.
"The greatest advantage of this technology is that it requires no extra equipment on the flying craft themselves."
In other words, the system could be deployed entirely through infrastructure upgrades on the airport and airfield side.
"Thank you very much. That is indeed a fascinating proposal."
Tomax Bartman turned to the gathered engineers to invite questions and feedback. Several hands shot up instantly.
"Berlich-dono, please go ahead."
"Yes."
The one Tomax addressed as Berlich was the man sitting next to Kachea.
"I am Berlich Becker of the Shouro Empire. Regarding the proposal you just shared, what sort of intervals are you envisioning for the flashes?"
Jin answered smoothly:
"Let us see. How about 0.5 seconds for a dot, 1.5 seconds for a dash, and a 1.0-second pause between them? Once controlled by a magi-brain, it could be operated much faster, of course."
"That sounds quite practical. And the same sequence would be repeated, correct?"
"Precisely. Since it relies on visual confirmation, repeating the signal ensures that anyone who misses the start can immediately catch the next cycle."
"I see....Now, regarding the mention of varying colors for multiple craft..."
At that moment, Jin caught himself. How was an individual pilot supposed to know which colored lamp applied to them?
He swiftly pivoted to offer a revised explanation.
"You could differentiate the colors by nation, or assign distinct colors based on craft type—such as airships, hot air balloons, and Blow Floaters."
"Indeed, differentiating colors by the type of craft seems like an excellent approach....Thank you very much."
Berlich Becker gave a polite nod, concluding his inquiry. Jin silently commended the man for his sharp grasp of the concept.
"Are there any other questions?"
Groma Tray spoke up next.
"Groma Tray here....Well then. Magi-devices known as 'voice capacitors' and 'loudspeakers' already exist, so I am curious as to why those cannot be adapted for this purpose instead."
Both were already in practical use, capable of wirelessly projecting voices over distances of around 100 meters without trouble. Groma was highlighting that existing precedent.
"Allow me to address that. There are two primary reasons. The first is cost. While suitable for large-class airships, outfitting smaller Blow Floaters with such devices would simply be too expensive."
Because they were specialized magi-devices, voice capacitors and loudspeakers carried a steep price tag. That was the initial hurdle.
"The second reason is that it is extremely difficult to isolate communication so that you speak exclusively with the intended airship or balloon."
While voice communication would allow for conversational exchanges, Jin explained that selecting and restricting transmissions to a specific recipient remained a significant technical challenge.
"Of course, I believe both of these issues are solvable through engineering, and I certainly hope that one day we will be able to converse directly with designated targets just as Groma-dono envisions."
"Thank you very much."
Several more questions followed, and Jin addressed each one in turn.
In closing, Jin added a final consideration:
"It is possible that some individuals may be unable to distinguish colors clearly, or struggle to do so. In such cases, the colored lamps would lose their utility, so pilots and personnel assigned to monitor the signals may need to undergo vision screenings."
With that forward-looking remark regarding potential color vision deficiencies, Jin brought the discussion to a close.