Volume 9 - Chapter 3 – Smith (1/2)

09-03 Smith

“There is a report from Deneb-21.”

The next morning, Laozi conveyed Quinta’s first results.

The destination where Deneb-21 was dispatched was near the lake Azul.

Lake Azul was a huge lake located in the northern part of Celuroa Kingdom. It was a popular sightseeing spot that also importantly had the national border between Celuroa and Frantz Kingdom and aquatic resources.

Due north of the Celuroa Kingdom’s capital Esaia was the tourist city Rulasus. It was said that on its outskirts there were ruins from the times of the Great Magic War.

“It appears that the insides were partially destroyed, and no particularly important documents or Magi Tools were left behind.”

The first results were as stated, although the details were lacking.

“There is a report from Regulus-15.”

“There is a report from Capella-21.”

That day, a total of three reports came, and the third report, namely Capella-4 said that he had found a box with a sealed [Core] of gigantes in it. The location was in the northern mountains of Egelia Kingdom.

“So there really were more. Just as Ann said, huh.”

From the supposedly six remaining ones one of them had been found. Five remained.

The sealed box was a little troublesome, but Capella-4 decided to very carefully carry it to Hourai Island through the Warp Gate near Blue Land.

“Hmm, the advance bases, or rather the lodgements, or rather the network is still lacking, huh.”

Jin muttered. But it hadn’t been more than five days since the completion of the Quinta. That was natural.

“Now then, I’ll, hmm.”

After receiving the reports and giving instructions Jin decided to build a substitute puppet for himself due to Reinhardt telling him to ‘take care of himself’ the other day.

“Using same structure as with the Quinta…”

He would make it just like a human. What was essential was the internal [Mana Telecam] that could convey sounds and images to Jin on Hourai Island.

It would move according to Jin’s orders, basically half-autonomously.

He made its look exactly like Jin on the outside. …Or so he wanted, but it really was hard to make a puppet that was an exact copy of himself by himself, so he asked Reiko to make the finishing touches.

And thus Jin’s substitute puppet was completed.

“…Uncanny.”

Seeing a puppet just like yourself would be uncanny, wouldn’t it.

“Is it not to Father’s satisfaction?”

Reiko said anxiously.

“No, I wasn’t criticizing it. On the contrary, it’s somehow too much like me, just a little. ”

Jin said and calmed Reiko down.

“Let’s try making it move as a test.”

He immediately started a test run. Controlling it was done in one of the rooms in Hourai Island’s research laboratory.

There were five large monitor screens, each projecting what the substitute puppet was seeing, but the front screen was tuned to display what was about the same as a human’s field of vision, while the screens around it showed the rest around it.

The substitute puppet’s field of vision was much wider than a human’s. Normally just the front monitor ought to suffice.

From the room Jin sent simple instructions to the substitute puppet. As implementing remote controls seemed to be time-consuming, and development of control through brain waves also seemed to be time-consuming, this was a stopgap method adopted until then.

The plan was to have Reiko and the SP at his side most of the time giving him support.

Move, stop, walk, run. Basic commands worked fine, but as expected small motions were very uncomfortable.

No matter how you looked at it, it seemed clumsier than a human.

“Well, it’s a substitute for times when I’m going somewhere dangerous, so maybe this should do.”

He had many complaints about it, but it was still a work-in-progress, so Jin decided that the substitute puppet was done for now.

“Now then, Laozi, what’s the state of progress with the aircraft carrier?”

Jin asked Laozi, and,

“My Lord, currently the material processing is 50 percent done.”

“My Lord, currently the material processing is 50 percent done.”

The same reply came from two directions at once.

This was because on one side was Laozi’s human terminal, and on the other there was Laozi’s brain.

“Ahh, having two Laozis is maybe too tangled.”

Jin thought about it. How was it again in that book he once read? Then he remembered.

“…Alright, from now on let’s keep calling the humanoid side Laozi, and call the brain side ‘Laojun’. They both have the same meaning so it’s fine, right?”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Understood, so I am now called Laojin.”

The alias of Laozi in the land of the immortals was ‘Taishang Laojun’, and that’s where he got the name.