"So, what is it?"
Led out into the open lot, Jin asked Eira.
"I wanted you to see this!"
Eira pointed toward a small golem. A large backpack was strapped to its back.
"This is..."
"A golem that can fly!"
Eira puffed out her chest with pride.
"Novum 1, show him how you float!"
"YES, EIRA-SAMA."
The small golem replied, and the lid of its backpack swung open.
An arm extended from within, and from its tip, a circular wing unfolded.
The deployment mechanism worked just like an umbrella.
"Ohh!"
Jin was genuinely impressed that they had managed to build such an intricate mechanism.
Deploying its two circular wings, Novum 1 let out the characteristic hum of a Blow Floater and slowly lifted off into the air.
"Oh, wow! You really pulled it off, Eira!"
At Jin's praise, Eira beamed happily.
"Haha, right? It was a ton of work."
"I bet it was."
"I remade that backpack ten times."
"Still, it paid off since we finally ended up with something decent," Eira added.
"All right, Novum 1, show him how you fly around."
"YES, EIRA-SAMA."
Following Eira's instruction, Novum 1 slowly flew in a wide circle around the lot, which was roughly ten meters across.
"Oho, impressive."
Once again, Jin was thoroughly impressed—this time by Novum 1 itself.
It had accurately interpreted Eira's vague instruction and carried out the appropriate maneuvers.
"Achieving this much in less than half a month... You've really worked hard, Eira."
"Hearing that from you makes my day, Jin. Though, of course, I wasn't the only one putting in the effort."
"Groma and the rest of the Go-lab lent a hand, didn't they?"
"You can tell?"
"More or less....That mechanism to unfold the circular wings was Groma's idea, wasn't it?"
"Bingo....Man, you see right through everything. As expected."
While they were talking, Novum 1 completed its circuit around the empty lot and touched down before Eira.
"Well done, Novum 1."
"YES, EIRA-SAMA."
"So, what do you think? Mind sharing your thoughts, Jin?"
"Well, let's see..."
Since he was dealing with Eira and her crew, Jin decided to give his honest assessment.
"I think the circular wings work well for mobility. Integrating them into a backpack was a smart move, too."
"Yeah, yeah."
"The real issue is how you plan to use it. If you want to leverage its small size for stealth operations like advance reconnaissance, the noise from the Blow Engine is a bit of a concern."
"Ah, that's been bugging me too. But with this engine design, there's just no way to completely silence it..."
"Even if it lowers efficiency a bit, you could consider turning it into a simple magi-device that generates wind-attribute magic instead."
Because a Blow Engine was also utilized for propulsion, achieving high wind velocity was essential.
To that end, the ratio between the intake and exhaust nozzle diameters ranged from two-to-one to ten-to-one, which inevitably produced an audible jet blast.
Naturally, high wind velocity mattered most for a Blow Engine intended for propulsion.
"Ah, good point. At the very least, that approach might be fine just for levitation."
"As for propulsion, instead of a general-purpose one, couldn't you configure a dedicated magi-sequence and set of parameters?"
"I hadn't thought of that..."
"It will probably consume quite a bit of mana, but since the unit is small, it should manage."
"Makes sense. Sounds fun, too. Let's give it a try."
Just then, Fione Fias came over to call for Jin, accompanied by Kachea.
"Jin-sama, I've finished briefing Kachea-san. Laboratory Chief Rasnat-san was also happy to sign the paperwork, so we can depart whenever you're ready."
"Jin-san, this is a huge help, but are you really... sure about this?"
Even at this stage, Kachea remained hesitant.
"It's completely fine. Fif—Fione-san explained it to you, right? Our primary objective is surveying the current situation on the Pandor Continent."
Jin reiterated that he wanted Kachea to guide him, and that framing it as a casual trip was necessary so the locals wouldn't be on high alert.
"Kachea, just be glad and accept the offer."
With Eira chiming in as well, Kachea finally relented.
"...You're... right. Jin-san, I look forward to working with you."
A relieved smile crossed her face as she accepted the arrangement.
"Well then, leaving tomorrow morning works for you, right?"
"Yes. Is that all right with you?"
"Of course....Ah, don't worry about how much luggage you bring, either."
When he told her that traveling aboard the Hurricane meant even several hundred kilograms wouldn't be an issue, she gave him a wry look.
"There's no way I'd ever have that much."
"Still, feel free to bring along souvenirs and whatever else you'd like."
"...Really?"
When she had returned home at the end of the previous year, she had taken what amounted to a shared passenger airship, where total baggage—carry-ons included—had been strictly capped at under twenty kilograms.
"In that case, I'll go buy a few souvenirs, if you don't mind."
"Sure. And you don't have to limit it to just a few, you know."
To Jin's encouragement, she sheepishly replied,
"I don't have that much spending money..."
"Still, souvenirs, huh..."
Jin figured he might as well bring some items of his own, so he asked Kachea:
"What kinds of things are well-received over there?"
"Let's see... First would be books. Technical references and storybooks in particular."
Books were heavy. Because of that, Kachea hadn't been able to bring many when she visited home.
"Then there are tools and implements. Even the standard tools sold in the shop here in Avalon are treated as luxury goods over there."
Those, too, would add substantial weight.
"Crop seeds and sweets are also very popular."
Seeds weren't bulky, so they made for great gifts.
Sweets weren't heavy, but they took up a lot of space; even though she knew they would be a hit, she hadn't been able to haul large quantities back with her.
"Aside from that, pharmaceuticals."
There appeared to be a widespread shortage of medicine over there, meaning even ordinary over-the-counter remedies would be welcomed with open arms.
Naturally, reports regarding the shortage of medicines, tools, and academic texts had reached the World Conference, but the organization hadn't been able to coordinate a swift response just yet.
"Understood. Thanks."
Books aside, medicine was right up Jin's alley.
As for tools, he could easily forge them on-site.
He decided to hold off on sweets. If there was anything they needed, he could always whip it up locally.
"Ah, what about sugar?"
When he asked just in case, she answered,
"It costs about thirty percent more than it does here, but it's still available on the market."
In that case, there's no need to haul sugar along, Jin thought.
"And finally, as you might expect, there's alcohol."
"A timeless classic."
I'll be sure to pack plenty of that, Jin decided.