The news that the Death Sea Serpents had been repelled was promptly relayed to Avalon via manaphone.
With that, the state of emergency was immediately lifted, and normalcy returned to the city.
Deus Ex Machina made his way back to the repair workshop.
Before long, Manon returned as well, allowing the repairs on the Safi units to resume.
The members of the Go-lab also returned to observe.
"Sounds like it really was Death Sea Serpents."
"I'm glad they drove them off. Whenever those monsters show up, they devour all the fish and leave the local fishermen in a terrible bind."
Chatting among themselves, they continued watching Maquina work.
There were only two Safi units left to service.
"I wish I could have watched longer, though."
"Well, it can't be helped."
Eira and Groma were reasonably satisfied nonetheless, feeling the demonstration had provided invaluable reference material.
Then, shortly past noon, the repairs and updates for all the Safi units were complete.
"Thank you very much, Maquina-dono. With this, I am certain the Predecessor Magi Craft Meister would be delighted as well."
Having reported the completion of the repairs, Maquina was now seated in discussion with Tomax Bartman.
"At the same time, I have imparted the Safi with new knowledge entrusted to me by Elsa-dono, so please make use of it to advance your medical techniques."
"Yes, of course. Most gladly."
From there, their conversation grew lively as they discussed future prospects.
"I see... So you are suggesting we explore whether Death Sea Serpent blood can be put to practical use?"
"Elsa-dono referred to them as 'blood products.'"
"Understood..."
The method for producing ethenol was by no means a secret.
The real hurdle was simply that blood from magical beasts as potent and useful as Sea Dragons was exceptionally hard to come by.
Death Sea Serpents, however, were relatively accessible.
Even if their efficacy proved lower, they would hold immense practical value if mass-produced.
"Let us make that an official research theme."
Tomax Bartman nodded in agreement.
Avalon's future looked bright, thought Maquina—or rather, Mentor.
Back in the Go-lab, the room was buzzing with members whose excitement had not waned in the slightest after witnessing Maquina's craftsmanship and the inner structure of the Safi units firsthand.
"Seeing all that in such a short time really drove home what a golem ought to be."
"It truly did."
While many voiced similar admiration, other ideas began to surface.
"I want to build an original golem!"
"Yeah, I'm with you on that."
Eira and Groma found themselves in complete agreement.
"I'd love to make a golem fly through the sky."
Eira voiced the ambition that had crossed her mind the other day.
"A golem in the sky, huh? That sounds fascinating, but how would we manage it?"
Groma was on board as well. What was more:
"Yeah, that sounds brilliant! A flying golem! That'll wipe the smug look right off Roa's face over at the Aviation Research Lab!"
The laboratory chief, Rasnat Heilbronn, enthusiastically jumped in.
"All right! From this moment on, our lab's core policy is 'small golems' and 'flying golems'!"
"Yeah!"
"Right on!"
Everyone was brimming with motivation.
"In that case, why don't we first explore methods for achieving flight using small golems?"
Kachea, their accountant, chimed in with a proposal.
Her reasoning was sound: it would shorten the development cycle while keeping prototyping costs down.
"Oh, excellent idea! That kills two birds with one stone."
"Yeah, that sounds like the right call."
The decision was adopted unanimously.
In short, they would first develop a small golem, with the ultimate objective being "flight."
"I think Forming will be a huge help in reducing weight, too."
"Oh, definitely."
"Looks like we could make it even lighter than the magic-frame style."
"A golem would need wings to fly, but would circular wings do the trick?"
"First, let's focus on building a golem that's lightweight and boasts high responsiveness."
"...It stings a bit to admit, but we might need to swallow our pride and ask the Aviation Research Lab to share some of their flight know-how..."
Setting aside his personal rivalry with Roa Eisker, Rasnat Heilbronn still proved capable of making level-headed decisions.
Around the same time things were growing so lively in the Go-lab...
The Aristotle, carrying Deus Ex Machina, lifted off from Avalon and soared into the evening twilight.
Before long, it vanished into the western horizon.
Seeing it off were Tomax Bartman and his secretary automaton, Manon.
"I wonder where Maquina-dono's true base of operations lies..."
Tomax Bartman murmured softly to himself.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Back on Hourai Island, the magi-brain Laojun commended Mentor and Maquina.
"With this, My Lord's immediate concerns have been laid to rest."
Substantial progress was particularly anticipated in the field of medicine.
"However, regarding the 'flying golem' the Go-lab is setting their sights on... it may be prudent to report this to My Lord."
"Huh... Eira said something like that?"
"Yes, My Lord."
When Laojun reported the matter, Jin took the bait precisely as expected.
"Wings... or rather, fixed airfoils, I wonder?"
Jin found himself recalling the anime series he had watched back when he was living at the orphanage.
"There were robots that flew purely through rocket propulsion, and others that flew by strapping on optional flight packs with main wings..."
Jin pondered which concept would be superior.
"If it's strictly for atmospheric use, having proper wings might be better."
However, he also realized that coming to a dead stop mid-air would prove difficult with fixed wings.
In anime, mecha often adjusted their posture in mid-air to fire off attacks—or so his distant memories suggested.
"Well, that's just anime logic, though."
The forces of Hourai Island flew using barrier projectors, granting them total freedom to hover in mid-air at will, but achieving the same through rocket thrust alone would be considerably harder.
"Man, now I really want to try making one..."
Jin could feel his inner craftsman's itch beginning to stir.