Chapter 472: Turning Point (1/2)

No matter how talented Jin was, not even him could create new magic or magic tools with an idea alone. He decided to collect his thoughts for the time being.

It was lunch time. They were going to have rice balls.

It was said that on Earth, only Japanese people had enzymes that could digest seaweed, but in this world, everyone could eat it without problems. At least, that was true for all of Jin’s friends.

“This salty taste is delicious!”

Elsa seemed to enjoy the simple, salty taste of the rice balls. Jin was the same.

When they were about to finish their meal, Laojun contacted Jin.

“My Lord. Master Reinhardt, Miss Berthie, Miss Saki, and Miss Stearleana have arrived.”

All of his friends who had gone to the Shouro Empire had arrived. Jin gathered everyone in the command room on the first basement floor.

“Long time no see, Reinhardt.”

“Indeed it has. The feudal lord’s work has settled down for a while at last, so I can finally afford to come here…”

Reinhardt had small dark circles under his eyes.

“Though Adberg is still at work even today.”

Berthie stepped into their conversation with that remark.

“My request for asylum in the Shouro Empire has been accepted. I’ve been able to settle down without any issues. Mr. Toa is a nice person as well.”

“Kuhuhu, my father also seems to have taken a liking to Stearleana. I’m relieved.”

Stearleana and Saki also briefly reported their current situation.

After chatting for a while like that, Jin decided to get into the main topic. That is, artificial Magi Crystals.

First of all, an explanation and apology to Reinhardt.

“…So that’s what happened. Sorry, Reinhardt.”

“Gah! You were doing such interesting things while I was doing nothing but work!?”

Reinhardt let out a scream full of regret, but as soon as he heard Jin’s explanation, he somehow managed to calm down.

“Well, it can’t be helped. So, there’s going to be a report from Laojun soon?”

“That is correct. Would now be the right time for me to start?”

Everyone nodded silently.

“Then, I’ll begin. The first thing I noticed was about Pelshika juice.”

In particular, Pelshika juice from Hourai Island was known to have a high amount of Ether. It was also a well-known fact that its concentration increased further when it was stored in an ether box.

“Of course, it’s still far from the amount of Ether of a Magi Crystal, but I thought it would be useful for research.”

Therefore, Laojun then decided to remove the unnecessary ingredients found in Pelshika juice one by one.

First of all, its sugar content. He separated a type of sugar called fructose from the juice with Engineering Magic. Then, he separated its dietary fiber. At this point, its Ether content had already increased tenfold.

The rest were vitamins and minerals such as potassium and iron. This left almost the liquid portion of the juice, which comprised about 90% of its total composition.

“When only the isolated liquid contained in Pelshika juice was stored in an ether box for a single day, its Ether content had increased to about 1200 times its original value.”

“Wait a minute. That increase of 1200 times its original value is compared to the value Pelshikas have at the time of harvest, right?”

Saki asked a question, interrupting Laojun’s speech.

“Correct. I failed to mention that in my explanation.”

“Umm, can you tell me how to measure the amount of ether contained in a substance?”

Saki asked another question, this time tilting her head to the side.

“Understood. Simply put, I converted a certain amount of the solution into mana with an Ether Converter, and generated magical power using a Mana Driver. Then I compared the duration of the process.”

The point is that the amounts were indirectly compared by converting them into energy. It was essentially the same as comparing the capacities of different sets of batteries by checking how many hours could each set keep the same light bulb on.

“I see. I understand it now. Thanks.”

“I’ll continue. This time, the amount of Ether contained was comparable to that of a Magi Crystal of the same weight. Therefore, I believe that if this ‘solution’ can be crystallized, it could turn into a Magi Crystal. These are the facts that I’ve been able to establish.”

Everyone was deeply impressed. It became apparent that Magi Crystals, which were an important material in Magi Craft, could be synthesized.

After a brief pause, Laojun resumed his speech.

“From here on, it’s all conjecture. I believe it would be easier for Ether to enter the gaps between the molecules of a liquid substance than those in a solid state.”

Jin nodded. He had also thought that that would be the most likely scenario.

“In that case, I wonder if you can saturate Ether into ordinary water?”

Reinhardt’s question was quite reasonable.

“Yes, regarding that, I’ve been wondering if the water contained in the Pelshika found in Hourai Island wouldn’t happen to be an isotope of ordinary water.”

“Ah, I see.”

Mithril silver is an isotope of silver, which means that most of the 60 or 62 neutrons contained in the nucleus of silver are replaced by magical elements.

Aluminum is an isotope of titanium, which means that most of the 26 neutrons contained in the nucleus of titanium are replaced by magical elements.