Deus Ex Machina guided the group up to the next level.
"Well then, each level is roughly thirty meters tall. The dock for the Aristotle cuts through three levels to secure a full depth of one hundred meters."
"I see, I see."
Deus Ex Machina thus led the guests to the topmost dock for watercraft, situated directly beneath the outer hatch.
In other words, this combined dock and hangar was positioned almost level with the surface of the sea.
"This is the Kingfisher."
"Ooh!"
"How stylish."
"What a magnificent finish... It is simply mesmerizing."
Wattes Schretzer let out a cry of admiration, Elena calmly stated her impressions, and Illumina Ratkin made a remark that clearly showed she had studied under Marikka.
The other three also voiced their praise in their own words.
Resting before their eyes was the Kingfisher—a small, high-speed boat with an overall length of seven meters.
"It normally seats five, and in rescue situations, it can carry up to ten people. Its top speed is one hundred kilometers per hour."
Deus Ex Machina provided a brief explanation.
Incidentally, because knots were not used on Planet Ars, the speed of watercraft was also expressed in kilometers per hour.
Since the distance corresponding to one degree of latitude differed from Earth, Jin had felt this was a reasonable standard.
As an aside, one knot on Earth meant one nautical mile per hour, and one nautical mile corresponded to one minute of latitude.
Planet Ars was smaller than Earth, with a circumference of approximately 7,500 kilometers, meaning one degree was about 20.8 kilometers, and one minute was 347 meters.
It's actually closer to the distance sound travels in one second, Jin had once mused... though that was even further off-topic.
Back to the matter at hand.
"What an unusual hull. It looks like a trimaran, but the central hull is quite large," murmured Edda Eema, a technical specialist from Nostalgia.
"While it has lower stability than an ordinary trimaran, its maneuverability is enhanced," Deus Ex Machina explained.
"I see, so that is how it works."
Illumina Ratkin, also from an engineering background, nodded in understanding.
"Would you like to take a ride?"
Deus Ex Machina added that while the ride comfort would decrease, it could carry up to ten people. At that, everyone except Elena responded eagerly, "We would love to!"
"Understood."
For the time being, they prepared cushions and blankets and headed to the launch dock.
"Are we going out to sea from here?"
It was a room of somewhat unusual proportions, roughly double the width of the Kingfisher, with a length and ceiling height of thirty meters.
Inside sat the Kingfisher 1, fixed onto a drydock cradle.
"This is a type of dry dock," Deus Ex Machina explained concisely.
Since all the visitors were well-versed in such matters, that brief description was enough for them to understand immediately.
"I see, so you draw seawater into this chamber," remarked Wattes Schretzer, who served as a military affairs staff officer for Nostalgia.
"That is correct. The ceiling is high to accommodate fluctuations in the water level."
Amid this conversation, everyone finished boarding the Kingfisher 1.
This time, Squire Rei served as the pilot, while Deus Ex Machina and Elena took the auxiliary emergency seats.
Since both were automata, ride comfort was of no concern to them.
"We will now begin flooding the dock."
At Deus Ex Machina's word, the dock's bulkhead closed.
Water injection began immediately after.
The locks on the drydock cradle released, and the Kingfisher 1 began to gently float.
Once it rose about five meters and reached the same level as the sea surface outside, the water flow stopped.
"Opening the outer bulkhead."
The front bulkhead slowly parted.
Beyond it stretched the vast, blue open sea.
"Now then, we are departing....Rei, take it away."
"Yes. Kingfisher 1, starting now."
Rei set the boat into motion at a gentle pace.
It glided smoothly while inside Arcadia, gradually accelerating once it broke out into the open water.
"The sea is calm today, so we can travel safely."
Saying this, she brought the speed up to fifty kilometers per hour.
"Oh, it—it is fast!"
"This is... an unbelievable speed."
Tomax Bartman, who rarely went out into the field, and Wattes Schretzer raised their voices in astonishment.
"I can increase it a bit more."
With that, Rei accelerated up to eighty kilometers per hour—a blistering pace equivalent to forty-three knots.
Since they were exceeding the vessel's standard passenger capacity, she refrained from pushing it to its maximum speed of one hundred kilometers per hour, but the Kingfisher 1's exceptional performance clearly left a strong impression nonetheless.
Reversing the departure procedure, the Kingfisher 1 returned inside Arcadia.
"My, that was thoroughly enjoyable."
"Truly magnificent."
Tomax Bartman and Wattes Schretzer offered their compliments.
While they spoke, the seawater inside the dock was drained, and the craft settled back onto its cradle.
The Kingfisher 1 was securely fixed in place once more.
"Please disembark."
The eight of them, including Deus Ex Machina and Rei, stepped off the craft. At that moment...
"U-Um, Lord Maquina..." Illumina Ratkin spoke up.
"Lady Illumina, what is the matter?"
"...This is a very presumptuous request, but... would you allow me to ride that small Blow Floater as well?"
"You mean the Komet?"
The Komet had a passenger capacity of only two: the pilot and a single passenger.
When he pointed this out, Illumina Ratkin insisted that she would still dearly love to try it.
"I will not be able to ride along with you, so..."
Even when Deus Ex Machina warned her of this, she replied, "I do not mind if I cannot hear explanations firsthand."
"Very well."
Seeing her persistence, Deus Ex Machina granted permission for Illumina Ratkin to ride aboard a Komet.
When he asked if anyone else was interested, Edda Eema, the technical specialist from Nostalgia, stated that she would like to go as well.
Thus, they arranged for Illumina Ratkin to board the Komet 1 and Edda Eema to board the Komet 2.
"It will be a flight of about ten minutes. Please leave the route to your pilot, an Aero golem."
After emphasizing this point, the two craft soared into the air with their passengers.
It was enough for the hangar hatch to open halfway rather than fully.
Through the fifty-meter gap, the two Komet craft took off into the open blue sky.
"Wow, the agility really is on an entirely different level!"
Illumina Ratkin, having been trained under Marikka, was utterly fascinated by the Komet, an ultra-compact, airship-type Blow Floater.
She paid no heed to the minor G-forces. She kept a sharp eye on its movements, felt the engine output against her skin, and honed all five of her senses to register its every subtle behavior.
As for Edda Eema, while she thoroughly enjoyed the ride itself, she was equally focused on discerning the advanced technology that made it possible.
Much like digital and analog, their approaches and sensibilities differed, but both technicians may well have grasped something invaluable from this test flight.