On January 18th, construction finally began on the Adriana Memorial Hall (tentative name) on the shores of Lake Tosmo.
At nine in the morning, Jin and Elsa, accompanied by Emperor Ernst II and Magic Technology Minister Reglei, boarded the Hurricane and set off for the planned site. A butler had also come along, largely as a formality to attend to the Emperor's needs.
At the same time, Eagle 1 took to the air.
Once again, dust swirled across the airfield in the Royal Palace's courtyard.
"Ohh!"
"...I still find it hard to believe that something that massive isn't just 'floating,' but actually flying."
Such was undoubtedly the honest impression of everyone watching the spectacle from the palace windows.
Leveling off at an altitude of 500 meters, the Hurricane and Eagle 1 flew side by side toward Lake Tosmo.
"A truly magnificent sight."
"Indeed, Your Majesty."
Looking out the Hurricane's windows at Eagle 1 cruising alongside them, Ernst II and Magic Technology Minister Reglei voiced their shared awe and admiration.
"Do you think our country will be able to build craft like these one day?"
It was Jin who answered.
"I believe you will, Your Majesty. Eagle 1 doesn't rely on any special technology. As long as you continue to refine the techniques you already know, you're bound to achieve it."
"I see....Reglei, we must redouble our efforts."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
This reaction was precisely what Jin had hoped to hear.
The royal capital of Loizart was not far from Lake Tosmo.
A mere five-minute flight brought them over the planned construction site.
The location lay east of Koju and north of Ban.
The two craft gradually descended.
"As you can see below, it is roughly around that area," Magic Technology Minister Reglei said, pointing down at the terrain.
Stakes driven into the ground and ropes marking the boundaries came into view.
A rather generous plot of land had been set aside for the project.
Beyond that, the first thing that drew their attention was the workers' lodgings.
They were prefabricated buildings, which the Shouro Empire had apparently prepared beforehand.
"We have been preparing since last year," Reglei explained.
Kicking up dust once more, Eagle 1 touched down on the flat ground near the shores of Lake Tosmo.
Once the dust settled, the Hurricane landed beside it.
"Open the hatch....Daidara 1, deploy."
At Jin's command, the cargo bay hatch slowly opened, and Daidara 1 stepped outside.
"Mm, seeing it up close makes it even more imposing!"
"Looking up at it from below certainly changes one's perspective."
The Magic Technology Minister peered into the cargo bay.
"Fascinating... So this is how it is built....A truss structure, was it?"
"Yes, that's right. It makes the frame light and sturdy. The walls also incorporate a honeycomb structure."
"Ah, the pattern shaped like a beehive."
It seemed the Magic Technology Minister was already familiar with the concept.
"Oh, are there still golems inside?"
"Yes, they're here to assist Daidara 1."
Jin had brought five Smiths along.
"Goodness, I still can hardly believe my own eyes."
"What a coincidence; neither can I."
Only thirty minutes after starting, more than half of the scheduled work was already complete.
Smiths 11 through 15 sectioned off the ground according to the blueprints, while Daidara 1 leveled the soil in step with their markers.
Their coordination was astonishingly swift.
Daidara 1 graded vast swathes of terrain, leaving the remaining ten percent for the Smiths to fine-tune and finish.
At an unprecedented pace, the building's underground section and foundation were fully completed in just an hour.
"Next, we'll level the surrounding grounds."
First, they would channel water from Lake Tosmo to create a pond.
As long as the intake canal was excavated last, the rest of the construction could proceed without any trouble.
The pond was designed to be one meter deep—roughly waist-to-chest height on an adult.
To give the grounds the feel of an open park, the pond was made rectangular like a swimming pool, spanning roughly fifty meters in length.
This design was intended to allow model boat races to be held there in the future.
Having finished their scheduled tasks for the morning, Daidara 1 and Smiths 11 through 15 were returned to the cargo hold of Eagle 1.
Jin and the others took their lunch inside the Hurricane.
The craft was equipped with a kitchenette, making it easy to prepare light meals. Today's menu consisted of sandwiches with an assortment of fillings.
"Your Majesty, Your Excellency, please enjoy."
Elsa had prepared them.
"Oh, these look appetizing."
After the butler performed the customary poison check as a matter of formality, Ernst II took a bite.
"Mm, wonderful."
"Delicious indeed."
The main fillings included ham, tometru (tomatoes), lettuce, topopo salad (potato salad), pigu cutlet (pork cutlet), egg salad, and sliced cheese.
The cutlets and salads had been prepared earlier that morning in the Royal Palace's kitchen.
"Elsa-dono is quite the accomplished cook. I truly envy Jin-dono," Magic Technology Minister Reglei remarked.
To this, Jin and Elsa replied in unison:
"You flatter us."
After the meal, they enjoyed glasses of citran juice. Its crisp acidity left a pleasantly refreshing finish on the palate.
However, their leisurely break was brought to an abrupt halt.
A small Shouro Empire Blow Floater touched down right beside the Hurricane, and a messenger soldier came sprinting toward them.
Noticing the commotion, Hope opened the door to the Hurricane's cabin.
"Urgent report for His Majesty the Emperor and His Excellency the Magic Technology Minister! Around noon today, a massive cave-in occurred at the Torom mine! Rescue operations are currently underway!"
"Wh-What did you say?!"
"Good heavens!"
The town of Torom was only about twenty kilometers west of their current construction site.
Long ago, it was the site where Saki had discovered an aluminum oxide deposit, revealing rich mineral resources sleeping beneath the earth.
On the other hand, tunnels excavated for aluminum oxide were notoriously prone to cave-ins.
After all, aluminum oxide was a remarkably brittle ore.
"What is the situation?"
"Sire! Two of the five shafts have reportedly collapsed. Evacuation from the three intact shafts is complete, and emergency excavation is underway to dig out the two collapsed ones!"
The time was one in the afternoon—roughly an hour since the collapse.
"Your Majesty, if you wish, we can fly straight to the site aboard the Hurricane."
"Jin-dono, are you certain?"
"Of course....Let's bring the Smiths with us as well."
"You have my gratitude."
Three minutes later, the Hurricane soared into the sky.
Its heading was set due west—directly toward the disaster site.