Chapter 21 – CHAT 1: THE WANDERING AUTOMATA
After Jin was sent away by the 《Warp Gate》 and lost somewhere, the 《Automata》 also used the same 《Warp Gate》 to search for Jin.
A moment of malfunctioning, and the 《Automata》 was sent above the sea.
Splash, and then the 《Automata》 sunk. Having a body relatively the same as a human body in weight, she should be able to easily swim, however the materials for the return 《Warp Gate》 were heavy.
The weight was about 20kg, and the 《Automata》 dragged it under water for nearly 30km.
However, she was not an ordinary 《Automata》. Jin constructed her without restraint, so to speak, she was a 《Super Automata》. Her physical strength was tens of times that of a human, and her stamina almost infinite. If she moved her delicate limbs, she would be able to effortlessly get out of the sea.
「This place is…」
Looking over into the far distance, the silhouette of an island could be seen beyond the horizon. The 《Automata》 began swimming towards there for now. Wearing clothes and also carrying 20kg of luggage, the speed exceeded 60 knots (111+km/h). There were probably no aquatic creatures faster than her.
In an hour, the 《Automata》 arrived on the island. Though it’s an island, it was fairly big.
「This is… the island where the laboratory is? No, it can’t be…」
If where she landed was where she departed, the island where the laboratory is, it would be quite surprising. Because the 『island』 she knew was a much more smaller island.
The island from her memory is a volcanic island, with a mountain towering at the centre of the island that always puffed out smoke. That is, now without smoke, its height was taller than 1000 metres. Its height above sea level exceeds 3000 metres. She could see snow on the surface of the summit.
「It might have raised after 1000 years」
She murmured with an expressionless voice and headed towards the direction in where the laboratory would be. Walking through the open forest and meadows on the island was simple. Because it was not the tropics, there was no dense forest.
「There doesn’t seem to be any large animals」
She saw insects, birds, and also small mammals and reptiles, as well as amphibians. The organisms had not changed much from the original island.
The laboratory was all over in the plateau of the island, it was underground. From the time required so far, the 《Automata》 roughly understood the size of the current island.
「It’s increased by more than 100 times… well, I don’t think it’s an inconvenience」
Originally it was around the area of Miyakejima of the Shichito Izu, but the area is now about that of Shikoku. That is over 300 times more.
However, the 《Automata》 advanced without particularly caring about it. Then she arrived at the entrance to the laboratory. Though it was covered in ivy, the original resident, the 《Automata》 was able to immediately find it. Before her strength, the tangled ivy was no more than a weed on the road side, and opening the door quickly, the 《Automata》 entered inside.
「Right, once again」
Not knowing fatigue, she got on the 《Warp Gate》 once again, causing it to malfunction again.
This time, the 《Automata》 arrived in a desert.
「So it’s a desert. Now, the direction where people are is… that way」
She moved proceeded to move towards where she could sense a little magic power. Not knowing fatigue, she faced the scorching day and freezing night, finally arriving at a town in 4 days.
「Father… does not seem to be here」
Not mistaking the magic Jin used to make her, she determined that Jin was not here.
「There should be a 《Warp Gate》 to return to the laboratory set up somewhere around here」
Inside a cave half way up a rocky mountain far away from the town, there was a 《Warp Gate》 set up there. A boulder sealed the entrance, so strangers could not enter. Furthermore there was a protection barrier.
Well, using a function that distinguished magic power, it could not be used except by Jin and other authorised people (including the Automata).
「Well then… transfer」
And so the 《Automata》 had returned to the laboratory.
The third transfer.
This time arriving in the middle of a wasteland. 7 days to a human settlement. Returning back to the laboratory with a 《Warp Gate》 set up nearby.
The fourth time was a land inhabited by demons. Most of the demons ignored the 《Automata》, some came to attack, and were helplessly repelled. Among them were the 《Sham Dragon》 species. The hide and wings, fangs and bones seemed to be good materials, so they were collected and with the set up 《Warp Gate》 she returned to the laboratory. After returning, the materials were classified and stored to be used at any time.
And like that, the《Automata》 without thinking that Jin was dead, went out to search for him over and over again.
And now, not counting every time, she no longer knew the amount of transfers.
This time was a place with snow. With the weight the 《Automata》 carried, she buried into the snow. The dry snow, powder snow gave no resistance, and she wasn’t likely to get out no matter how much she tried to move her limbs.
「It can’t be helped, 《Heat》!」
The body of the 《Automata》 grew hot. Controlling it so it was at a level to not affect the luggage she was carrying while she melted the snow. Although it took time because the parts of the 《Warp Gate》 are weak to heat, she was somehow able to successfully get out of the snow after a whole day.
「Now then, where is this?」
She climbed on top of a rock and looked around. It looked quite like a high mountain.
「The snow should decrease if I descend. Though, which way should I go…」
Perhaps because of the range, she could not sense the presence of human magic power.
「This time I should ask to strengthen this area function」
The function to search for Jin needs to be strengthened, but it can’t be done without Jin, so first she needs to search for Jin, and therefore it’s a situation that goes around in a circle.
「Going South should be safe」
The season is Winter, so she determined that it was better to head towards the South than to the North, and descended down along the ridge to the mountain with little snow. Sometimes the wind silently blows down, and it takes time for 《Heat》 for when it is undone, so it took 3 days to arrive to a point with little snow.
Now, before her eyes was a 3000 metre class mountain. Looking back, the mountain she descended, was a glacier 6000 metre class mountain.
「This will likely take some more time. A place where the 《Warp Gate》 can be set up should be a little bit beyond here.」
The 《Automata》 headed towards the 3000 metre class mountain. Though, it wasn’t necessary to honestly cross over the summit, in any case she headed towards the saddle between the mountains. ⚑
Still in the vicinity of the ridge where the fallen snow reached over 1 metre, it took 2 day to complete the second mountain.
「There shouldn’t be any problems after this」
Finished with the 3000 metre ridge, all that remained was a rocky mountain of less than 2000 metres. The 《Automata》 intended to set up the 《Warp Gate》 up around the summit.
Without any snow, she climbed up after half a day.
The day had already turned dark after reaching the summit, but it did not matter to her as she could see in the dark.
The summit she climbed up on was wide, and there seemed to be a cave that looked good to set up the 《Warp Gate》.
「That place looks good」
The 《Automata》 approached it. Then, she flew far back and fell. Looking over to the place she had stood, something large gouged out.
「……《Hekatonkheires》 is it?」
It was a giant with a height of 20 metres and 100 arms. Climbing up the slope from the opposite side of her, it suddenly threw a boulder it held.
「Is it a demon type magic power that it has stored inside? That must be why I couldn’t sense it」
Even now the 《Automata》 calmly analysed her opponent. A giant type demon, the amount of magic it can’t use is large. Instead it used its large body, and the magic inside is consumed to maintain it.
Therefore the magic power that leaked out was very small, and she determined that she could not perceive it right now.
「If not for the luggage on my back, it would be an opponent I could face up front… it can’t be helped」
The 《Automata》 murmured her resignation, and raised the operation of what had been 5 percent of the 《Ether Converter》 up to 20 percent.
At the same time she raised the operations of the 《Mana Drive》, her magic power was immediately refined. And then.
「《Mana Explosion》!」
She threw her strongest attack magic. The output is 20 percent.
It crashed into and engulfed the 《Hekatonkheires》 own 《Core》, causing a huge explosion, and that large body was extinguished in an instant.
The advantage of this magic is that it is possible to extinguish only the opponent’s magic power. There is no effect on the terrain in the vicinity of the summit. The cave is also fine.
「… suppression complete. Although I think it’s a little bit wasteful, it couldn’t be helped. Besides that」
The materials left behind could be useful, so she felt it was a little wasteful to completely extinguish it, but there was something more important to her.
「… this magic power, without a doubt it’s Father」
Finally coming here, she was able to sense Jin’s magic power.
「I need to hurry up and set up the 《Warp Gate》」
In the cave of the 《Hekatonkheires》 she just suppressed, the 《Automata》 went to set up a 《Warp Gate》.
In the surroundings were the bones of the prey of 《Hekatonkheires》, the Wood Bear that were scattered and thrown to the the bottom of the valley.
Carefully constructing the 《Warp Gate》, she confirmed its operation. When complete, she used it once to return to the laboratory, then immediately came back again to get a feel of it. All of it was for the sake of Jin. In the event that something goes wrong when Jin uses it to return to the laboratory, the 《Automata》 itself would destroy itself.
It was dawn when everything was completed. The 《Automata》 hurriedly descended the mountain. Crossing over and beyond another low mountain.
While crossing the low mountain, a small village could be seen. Near the fence that stood on the outskirts, it was the figure of the person the 《Automata》 wanted to see, she had found the figure of Jin, and she let out an output of 100 percent.
It gave her a speed close to the speed of sound, and she moved a distance of more than 100 metres in an instant. And then before the 《Automata》.
「Father!」
Searching for around 6 months, there stood the 《Creator》 with a face of astonishment. ⚑