06-18 Chat 3: One Day on Hourai Island
This world is filled with Ether.
The mantle is of rock containing Magi Stones and Magi Crystals, and the core is of metals like Mithril and Adamantite.
Similarly to geomagnetism’s magnetic poles, magical poles generate lines of Magical Energy.
Since the magical north pole draws in Ether, when approaching the North Pole (magical north pole = magnetic north pole) the Magic Energy concentration in the air increases.
Consequently, devil beasts that use Magic Energy as sustenance inevitably gather near the North Pole.
Because the South Pole doesn’t have a magical pole. This is one of this world’s great mysteries.
For this reason, the area around the north pole is devil beasts’ territory, and the rest is human habitat.
However, because exceptions sometimes happen, one Sea Dragon left its den and swam south.
On the way the sea dragon preyed on a group of Death Serpents it saw. Half of the about 100-strong group ended up in its stomach.
The remaining Death Serpents went south in order to escape the Sea Dragon.
However, that group of fifty-odd Death Serpents met a powerful foe near a certain unpopulated island, and faced a crushing defeat.
Majority of the Magic Energy from that scattered around to the sea and the skies.
The naturally impossible concentration of Magic Energy dissolved into the ocean, and flowed north with the currents.
The Sea Dragon was attracted by the flowing Magic Energy, and restarted its journey south. It didn’t know that this would lead it to its own doom.
A warm current flows around Hourai Island. It starts at around the equatorial region, brushes against the peninsula of Elias Kingdom, and then flows north in the sea Hourai and Kunlun islands are in.
Right now, the Navy golem of Hourai Island, Marine-67 was onboard the triple-hull catamaran ‘Hydro-23’ fishing along with the maid golem Aqua-67.
(Yeah, how about freezei and drying these?)
At that moment.
(Uh-huh. Powerful Magic Energy. We should hurry and go back.)
Avoiding the fish preserve in the southeast bay, they docked by the pier, and Marine-67 went to the research facility using a Warp Gate to deliver a report. Aqua-67 used the Warp Gate after gathering up all caught fish.
The magical intelligence Laozi that managed the island in Jin’s absence received the report, and immediately began handling it.
(Sky-1, roger that.)
(Marine-1, roger that.)
(Land-1, roger that.)
(Roger that.)
Laozi gave orders one after another. The military style wasn’t quite right because Jin’s knowledge used as the basis was incomplete.
After two hours, Sky-45 detected the wake of a boat heading from north to south. Along with the nearby Sky-33 and 37 it descended, and identified that it was a devil beast like a huge dragon.
The information was sent through the ManaComs that were distributed to everyone the other day.
(Sky-45, roger that.)
Sky-45 was took a picture with the Magic Eye it was fitted with to use in cartographing, and sent it to Laozi.
Laozi analyzed the picture received from Sky-45 and considered how to deal with it.
The target is a devil beast. If left as it is, the likelihood is high that it will eat all the fish around Hourai Island. The devil beast is carnivorous.Conclusion. Immediate extermination upon it entering the sea area under Hourai Island’s control.
Supplement. For the master Jin, the raw materials should be secured.
The Sea Dragon kept moving south at a speed of about 40 kilometers per hour. In course of it, it found the palce where the Magic Energy concentration was at its highest.
The Mana was leakage from the Magi Crystals stored on Hourai Island.
Only slightly changing its course, the Sea Dragon sped up and swam towards the source of the Mana.
After getting considerably closer to the source of the Magic Energy, the Sea Dragon noticed tiny sources of Magic Energy dotted around the sky above the sea.
It easily pierced the right hind leg of the Sea Dragon that not even the fangs of Death Serpents could wound.
When the Sea Dragon entered the sea area 50 kilometers away from Hourai Island, it was clear that it was aiming towards the island.
First, Sky-25 who was flying just overhead fired a single [Laser]. It pierced the Sea Dragon’s right hind leg.
(Hourai Island, roger that. Have the Air Force on the scene attack using [Laser]. However, to the best of your ability, aim at the head and chest which appear to be vital spots.)
Then they simultaneously opened fire with the twin [Lasers] each of the nine Albatrosses had as air-to-ground ordnance.
The focused optical weapons like thin needles directly hit the panicked Sea Dragon that was about to escape into the sea.
The Sea Dragon’s life came to an end before it could understand what was happening. Not even blood flowed out.
(Sky-45 reporting. Target neutralized successfully. No damage was taken.)
(Roger that.)
(Roger that.)
The Sea Dragon’s materials were put into the treasury. The horns, fangs, claws, scales, bone were for items using Magic Energy, and the flesh was an ingredient for tonics. The leather had a higher durability than that of a Sham Dragon’s.
Laozi decided to preserve the the blood, almost none of which had poured out.
In addition, the preserved blood would play an important part in the future, but that’s a story for the distant future.
(I’m sure master will also be satisfied.)
Thus, Hourai Island’s managing magical intelligence Laozi’s first mission came to an end.