On the very same day King Melikalans I of the Klein Kingdom visited Toka Village—November 14th—events were unfolding on Electra Island, one of the isles in the Pleiades Archipelago floating in the southern seas of the Kingdom of Elias.
Specifically, at the headquarters of Nostalgia.
"So you are saying that, for now, there is nothing suspicious about Marukonen."
Elena, Nostalgia's Honorary Advisor, murmured softly.
"Yes, Elena-sama."
The person addressing her was Liira Madagas, an executive of Nostalgia and a female engineer who routinely gathered intelligence under the guise of the Mechirei Workshop.
"If we pry any deeper, we risk arousing his suspicion."
"Yes, that is my assessment."
"In that case... I suppose I will have to meet him directly."
"You personally, Elena-sama?"
"Yes, indeed."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
"I doubt it..."
Marukonen showed no signs of ambition or malice, and the current Elena had been reinforced by Jin.
Besides,
"I will also be bringing guard golems with me,"
she added.
"Understood. We shall provide our full support as well."
"It seems Lord Elena of Nostalgia will be paying us a visit."
Word arrived at the Elias Kingdom State-Run Magi Workshop that she wished to engage in a technical exchange.
"Oh! Elena-san is coming in person?!"
"I heard she's quite the beauty, isn't she?"
The State-Run Magi Workshop buzzed with excitement over the news.
"Nostalgia, you say?"
"Ah, you haven't heard of them, Marukonen?"
"No, I know a little about them."
Even as he replied, Marukonen appeared lost in thought.
On November 17th, at one in the afternoon, Elena, mid-tier engineer Alum Pit, and two escort general-purpose golems arrived via airship, touching down in Borgia, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Elias.
"Oh, she really is gorgeous."
"As beautiful as ever..."
Walking calmly past the murmuring onlookers, Elena stepped forward to shake hands with Magic Technology Minister Fiorina de Dorante, who had come out to receive her.
"Welcome, Elena-sama."
"Thank you for coming to meet us, Lord Fiorina."
"You always look so youthful, Elena-sama. I truly envy you."
"My, thank you. As for today..."
"Yes, I understand."
Fiorina de Dorante had known Elena long before becoming the Magic Technology Minister and had even studied under her.
Simply put, she was effectively an outer disciple, so she had already deduced the underlying purpose of this visit.
"Currently, two research projects are underway at the State-Run Magi Workshop: aircraft and automata."
"I understand aircraft, but automata as well?"
Elena and Fiorina conversed as they walked toward the workshop.
"Indeed. A few of our engineers have shown sudden enthusiasm for the field..."
"Is that after seeing the automata brought in by the newcomer, Marukonen?"
"Precisely."
"How intriguing."
Before long, they arrived at the workshop.
"Welcome, Elena-sama!"
"Elena-sama, welcome to the Magi Workshop!"
Amid the echoing chorus of welcomes, one person stood staring intently at Elena, as if analyzing her. Needless to say, it was Marukonen.
Once the welcoming cheers subsided, Elena spoke.
"Thank you all for the warm reception. Today, I have come hoping to discuss various aspects of the aircraft currently being developed across different nations."
Since this was a perfectly natural topic, no one found it out of the ordinary.
"Then please, follow me this way."
As the highest-ranking official present, Magic Technology Minister Fiorina led Elena's party to the workshop's reception room.
"Let's see... Benitoa, Ruhf, and Marukonen as well—please join us inside."
Magic Technology Minister Fiorina called upon the female engineer, the male engineer, and the newcomer who was the center of attention.
Once the clerk finished serving tea to everyone, the discussion began. Incidentally, Elena was capable of drinking tea, and she could evaluate its flavor through Analyze.
More importantly, leaving her as the only one without a cup would look like deliberate mistreatment, creating an awkward situation for both host and guest. Thus, Elena made a point of drinking the tea offered to her.
Digression aside.
"Now then, let us move to the main topic."
Magic Technology Minister Fiorina took the lead as facilitator.
"Regarding aircraft, let us begin with Elena-sama, if you would be so kind."
"Very well....At present, the most widespread means of flight is undoubtedly the balloon. There are hot air balloons and gas balloons, though gas balloons are far more common."
Because balloons lacked maneuverability, their primary use was in the defense of towns, castles, and fortresses.
Those buoyed by helium were classified as gas balloons; compared to hot air balloons, which required heating mechanisms, their sheer simplicity made them the mainstream choice.
"In contrast to balloons, the Blow Floater, which generates lift by blowing wind-attribute force, has seen remarkable advancement recently. Developed by Marikka-sama of the Nord Federation, it completely separates the floating mechanism from the propulsion mechanism, keeping both maintenance and crafting straightforward."
Everyone was already well aware of this, so they listened in respectful silence.
"However, that very design introduces certain drawbacks. Does anyone know what they might be?"
Marukonen was the one to speak up.
"Forgive my forwardness in answering....The issue is that scaling them up is difficult."
After delivering his concise reply, he took a brief pause before continuing.
"The reason it is difficult is that efficiency plummets the larger the craft becomes, not to mention concerns regarding structural strength, degraded maneuverability, increased vulnerability to winds... and so forth."
"I see. That is your assessment, then. Does anyone else have an opinion?"
"Yes, if I may."
This time, the female engineer Benitoa Raston raised her hand to speak.
"Regarding larger sizes, I do not believe that is an insurmountable issue, as it can be addressed by using different materials. Rather, scaling up dramatically increases mana consumption. I humbly believe that is the true problem we must resolve."
She pointed out that because aircraft generally relied on mana tanks and mana drivers, fuel replenishment remained a critical bottleneck.
"I see. However, that can easily be solved by using an ether converter."
At that moment, an unexpected phrase slipped from Marukonen's lips.
"Did you say... an ether converter?"
Elena cut in immediately.
"Lord Marukonen, are you capable of crafting an ether converter?"
"Yes, of course."
His casual reply left not only Elena, but everyone in the room utterly stunned.
"Just where did you acquire such technology...?"
Alum Pit blurted out, unable to hide her shock.