On January 28, the foundation for the artificial island that would serve as Deus Ex Machina's base, which had been under construction on the Moon (Uni), was finally completed.
It took two full days to fly all the way to Planet Ars.
By January 30, it was floating quietly upon the calm waters of Tatsumi Bay.
"It's a cylinder one kilometer across and one kilometer tall, and the bottom isn't flat, but bulges out into a gentle curve, doesn't it?" Reinhard murmured quietly as he observed its silhouette before it touched down on the water.
"Yeah, that's right. And we'll build the island on top of the flat section," Jin replied.
"First, you're laying down rock, right?"
"Yup. If we used soil, it would just spill over the edges or get washed away by the waves."
The perimeter would consist of sheer cliffs walled with stone, while soil and vegetation would be reserved for the interior.
As for the rocks, they had already been loaded inside the structure and brought over from the Moon (Uni). Most of them were slag and leftover debris from extracting necessary resources out of fragments from the long-period planet. The idea was to put them to good use rather than letting them go to waste.
"Are you having Daidara handle that?"
"Pretty much. With five Daidara units on the job, it should go quickly. I'll also have two hundred Smith units pitch in."
"Th-that certainly ought to be fast, then."
Using magi-craft, the massive stones were fused to the main structure through the liberal application of spells like Fusion, Joint, and Bonding.
Basalt, andesite, peridotite, serpentinite, tuff, and more were bonded onto the foundation one after another.
They started by making it flat.
In the center, a framework for a mountain roughly two hundred meters tall had already been prepared; once stones were adhered to it, the mountain would be complete. The Daidara hauled the massive stones, while the Smiths attached and fine-tuned them.
"Oh, what an incredible sight." Reinhard watched in admiration.
While the others watched via the large magi-screen in the laboratory, he alone stood alongside Jin, observing the progress on-site. Watching the dull silver surface become engulfed in natural stone right before their eyes was a spectacle that never grew old.
In about three hours, the rock covering was complete.
"That was quick."
"Let's grab some lunch while we have the chance."
Leaving the minor touch-ups underway, Jin and Reinhard headed over to the laboratory dining hall.
"Oh, we're having yakisoba today?"
Sauce yakisoba was on the menu for lunch. Along with the usual cabbage and meat, it featured sakura shrimp that gave off a wonderfully savory aroma. When Jin added a generous sprinkle of his favorite Asakusa nori, an enticing fragrance filled the air.
"I was watching on the magi-screen, and it looks like the bulk of the work is already done," Saki noted between bites.
"Yeah. After this, we just need to smooth out the rough patches, check the joints for flaws, and weather the stone a bit."
Unless they made it look properly weathered, they wouldn't be able to sell the story that it had been inherited from the previous Maquina.
"What were we doing about the armaments again?" Marcia asked.
"If I recall, four hundred years ago, I think I established that Deus Ex Machina was far more heavily armed than I was."
"That sounds familiar."
"And with the Magic Federation to consider, I'd like to make it even more formidable than Avalon. With top-notch security, of course."
"Specifically?"
"The standard loadout will be magi-cannons, lasers, and torpedoes, I suppose. Ah, and the Magi Trans Cannon as well."
The Magi Trans Cannon was a piece of artillery capable of discharging a wide variety of attack magic, such as Flame Lance and Thunder Javelin.
"Though we've hardly ever had to use any of those in real combat."
"What about the defenses?" Rodrigo asked.
"Let's see... We have barriers, solid barriers, Shields, and the Aegis."
The Shield was not a barrier deployed in a sphere or hemisphere, but rather one shaped like a circular shield. While it boasted immense defensive power, its main drawback was being directional—meaning it was completely useless against attacks coming from angles the shield wasn't facing.
The Aegis, on the other hand, was not a barrier system at all; it severed the continuity of space itself to nullify attacks. Capable of deflecting even space vibrations, it was currently their most formidable defensive system.
"What about the garrisoned golems?" Toa chimed in.
"Air Force golems from the Sky squad, numbers 1001 through 1100. Navy golems from the Marine squad, numbers 501 through 600," Jin explained. "Then Army golems from the Land squad, numbers 1001 through 1100, and the Marine Force's Mermaid Squad, numbers 101 through 120. None dedicated to space operations."
"That ought to be plenty... Ah, what about everyday domestic support?"
"The butler golem Butler E, plus two of each of the 5-Color Maids... maids numbered 103 and 104. On top of that, I'm thinking of assigning Smiths 101 through 120 as a maintenance crew."
"I see." That sounded more than sufficient, Toa agreed.
"Hey Jin, what are you doing about the island's supervising management brain?" Beena asked.
"I'll prepare one, of course. Or rather, the provisional setup is already complete. It wouldn't have been able to fly all the way here from the Moon (Uni) otherwise."
"Good point."
"After this, I plan to boost its performance further and set it up officially."
"...And what about the names? For the island, too."
"Hmm, I haven't settled on anything yet."
As far as ideas went, Jin had been tossing around the names Olympus for the island and Poseidon for the brain. They came from Greek mythology, and while Poseidon made sense as a sea deity, his seat of power wasn't Mount Olympus. To begin with, Olympus was the name of a mountain.
Another idea was calling the island Ryugu and the brain Otohime. But Jin personally thought that was a bit too on the nose.
"I figured I'd ask for everyone's input... Any thoughts?"
"Well... it's hard to come up with something on the spot like that."
"I'll give it some thought," Reinhard offered.
Since the rock covering was likely wrapping up, Jin decided to head back out to Tatsumi Bay. Knowing he wouldn't be able to get a proper view of the island from the ground, he decided to fly out aboard Pegasus 2.
"Oh, this looks great."
Looking down from the sky, the artificial island was coming together splendidly.
"Without Tatsumi Bay carved into it, it looks just like a miniature Hourai Island."
A mountain stood near the center, flanked by flat ground on one side. That was where the laboratory or base facilities would be constructed.
"Looking at it from up here, it really is a solitary island in the middle of nowhere."
The thought crossed Jin's mind that he could just name this place Hourai. That way, it might serve as a decoy to conceal the true Hourai Island. However, realizing that might end up causing far more confusion than it was worth, he decided against voicing it.
"Was it Okinawa? There was that mythical paradise called Niraikanai, wasn't there...?" Jin mused, gazing down at the island as he mulled over prospective names. "Or maybe Norse mythology... though I don't really know much about that."
It was a classic lament from Jin, who perpetually struggled with naming things.