The new paint developed by Saki was quite well-received.
"Ohh, that's a beautiful color."
Its default state was transparent, just like regular Ground Spider resin.
By mixing in magic dye, it could be made to take on any color desired—though, strictly speaking, white required pigment.
As long as one provided proper direction via magical power during application, different sections could even be painted in different colors in a single pass.
What was more, until it cured completely, it could be redone as many times as needed.
Even if it did harden, it could easily be stripped away using magi-craft.
"Reiko, make that red line over there a little thinner."
"Yes, Father."
The Magi-Jammer Jin had crafted was tuned to his own magic pattern, allowing Jin and any golems or automata he had created to work alongside him without issue.
"Jin-nii, the blue line here would look better if it were a bit thicker."
"Alright."
For that reason, Elsa kept her involvement strictly to offering advice.
"Wouldn't it look good to add the Jin Nidou crest here?"
"Oh, good idea."
They could instantly incorporate suggestions like that on the fly.
"Alright, how does this look?"
"Yeah, looks great."
"Mm, not bad at all."
"I think it looks wonderful!"
With the approval of the Jin Family members, Jin deactivated the Magi-Jammer.
From there, the paint would react with the dense free ether in the Hourai Island area and cure.
"Kufu, even after curing, it's still Ground Spider resin, after all. It has plenty of elasticity, so it won't peel easily."
Saki boasted proudly.
"Yeah, this stuff is fantastic!"
Before Jin and the others stood their brand-new Blow Floater.
"So, Jin, what are you naming this craft?"
"Ah."
Jin sighed in regret, realizing he had cut the Magi-Jammer before inscribing its name onto the hull.
"Let's see... the previous model was the Condor, so..."
A vulture wouldn't do, and a marabou stork was out of the question, Jin pondered.
However, when searching for birds larger than a condor, he was left mostly with flightless birds like ostriches or cassowaries.
"If we're talking big, it'd have to be something from the eagle family."
Jin pictured bald eagles and white-tailed eagles in his mind.
"Let's go with 'Eagle,' then."
"...Passable."
Elsa offered a rather strict passing grade.
Even little exchanges like that were heartwarming moments for Jin.
The following day came the flight test for Eagle Unit 1—the Eagle 1.
Using a magic circle in the underground dock, it was transferred up to the surface airfield.
"W-Whoaaa!"
"S-Such incredible wind...!"
It was the very phenomenon known as "downwash" in helicopters.
Something very similar was occurring with the Blow Floater.
"If you stand too close, you'll be blown right off your feet..."
However, a force generator had been installed for precisely such occasions.
Eagle 1's Golem Brain quickly recognized the necessity of the adjustment, engaging the force generator at low altitudes to suppress the fierce gusts blowing down against the ground.
"Ohh, that fixes it."
Jin nodded in satisfaction at the response.
"That is truly incredible, Jin-san."
Lordtoss was endlessly impressed.
"That's our Jin, through and through."
"Yes, Jin-shama is truly amazing."
Sion and Marikka exchanged words of deep admiration.
"Hahh... As expected of Jin-sama..."
Ludmila still seemed entirely unaccustomed to Hourai Island's complete disregard for normal standards.
The test results that day were more than satisfactory for Jin as well.
The maximum payload capacity was approximately twelve tons.
Fully loaded, its top speed reached two hundred kilometers per hour.
Those numbers reflected performance without the assistance of the force generator.
If engaged in tandem, they could easily push both payload capacity and maximum speed four to five times higher.
"Are you completely satisfied with this, Jin?"
When Reinhard asked, Jin mused for a moment.
"Hmm, performance-wise I'm happy, but there's still one more improvement to make."
"Oh? What's that?"
"The control core for piloting."
"What about it?"
"I want to make it a dedicated golem."
Currently, only a bare control core was installed, but Jin figured building a dedicated golem would offer much greater versatility. Or rather, to put it more bluntly, it was simply because it sounded more fun.
"When piloting Eagle 1, it will link magically so the craft can be maneuvered without hands or feet. Then, during stops—like landing or mooring—it can undergo Separation to act independently."
"Ah, that's a wonderful idea!"
Reinhard readily agreed.
"That way, if anything goes wrong, it can separate and handle repairs on its own."
With that decided, Jin immediately set to work constructing the golem's body.
The base specifications would follow the standard Hourai Island golem design.
Crafted from 64 light silver to ensure it was both lightweight and durable, it was programmed with the necessary knowledge for maintenance and the ability to cast magi-craft.
Linking with Eagle 1 would be accomplished by having the golem wear a helmet-shaped control apparatus called a headset.
By the time he finished, night had already fallen, so Jin decided to save the golem's operational checks and the linked test flight for the following day.
"Man, today was a truly productive day."
Soaking in the hot spring on Hourai Island, Jin let out a contented murmur.
"It's been a while since I've seen you get that serious, Jin."
Reinhard chimed in from the same bath.
"Yeah, Jin's creativity never ceases to amaze."
Goose voiced his heartfelt agreement.
"Still, everyone pitching in to help is what really made it possible."
Jin, for his part, felt deeply grateful for the support of his friends.