Even though they seemed to be in good spirits, they could not ignore the fatigue of flying in the morning and traveling by , and Goh and Rubina fell asleep very early, even including the time difference.

Goh and Rubina went to sleep very early, including the time difference.

Of course, Jin was no stranger to early risings, so he went to .......

"You're going for a walk?"

"Oh, good morning, Jin-sama!"

"Yes, it is. I'm showing Goh around.

"Well, Rubina has been here before."

Yes. I was 10 years old then.

Now I'm 12. Have I grown up a little?　Rubina said.

"Yes, I think I've grown."

"Really?　You don't mean you've grown ...... taller, do you?"

"No, I think you've grown taller, but I think your technique has improved.

"Heh heh, really?

Jin did not say that the inside of the room had not changed much, though.

After that, they went to the cafeteria, which opened at 7:00 a.m., and ordered whatever they wanted.

Since Jin and his party were VIPs, they could order room service, but they did not like such a stiff treatment, so they came to the diner.

Jin had the breakfast porridge set meal, and Goh and Rubina had the daily Japanese breakfast.

Jin-sama, is porridge good?　I'm not used to it.

"Well, I think porridge made from rice tastes good. It's easy to digest, and although it's often thought of as a sick man's food, it's quite tasty."

"I wonder if so... ...... I'll try it next time."

What about you, Goh?

"I like congee too. I like congee too, but I prefer chewy rice. ......

They ate their breakfast while talking like this.

After breakfast, we returned to our rooms to prepare for the meeting.

I only checked the documents I had prepared.

I brought 100 copies of the paper for the time being. If there are not enough copies, I have the original data, so you can have them printed here.

"We only have 20 copies each of the engine test results and the safety tests, though.

"I'm sure we'll have enough, since it's probably the Go Lab and the Aeronautics Lab that want the technical data."

I'm not sure if 10 copies of the aircraft blueprints will be enough.

"I think so.

So, all is ready and all we have to do is to go to the designated place at the scheduled time.

It is about a 15-minute walk to the small conference room at ......<>.

Jin decides to walk there to calm Goh, who is a little nervous.

"Ugh, I wonder if I will be able to talk well with the great people of the <> ......."

Rubina cheerfully tells an anxious Goh.

"Don't worry!　I was ten years old when I got it!"

"...... I envy you your audacity."

"What? Are you saying I'm insensitive?

Then Jin said.

"Haha, even Rubina was nervous at that time.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, she was. Well, that's understandable.

"I see, even Rubina was nervous in the beginning. ......

"Uh......"

Jin further advised.

"It's okay as long as you know what you're explaining. If someone asks you a question, you can answer it. And if you can't answer a question, don't waste time worrying about it, just tell them honestly that you don't know.

I'll follow up," Jin said, and Goh (and Rubina) looked a little more at ease.

* * * *

Now, what happened to Rhodes and the others?

On the morning of their encampment, they greeted each other briefly after their communal breakfast and took off in their <>.

<, turning gently to the northwest.

The flight was smooth with no obstructions in the sky.

We parted at about 50 degrees north latitude,

< flew west. <.

< heads north. < divides into two parts.

Since they could not hear each other, they waved goodbye to each other and wished each other good luck.

The first and second aircraft parted and continued to fly to their respective destinations.

To the west.

To the west.

The <<> arrived at the mouth of the Sitong River before noon.

We set up camp in the same place as before in the light of day.

With Golem's help, they are ready before dusk.

We'll start the survey tomorrow morning.

"That sounds good."

"I guess the blow floaters saved us a lot of time in the end.

The group was at ease, knowing that there was little danger here.

* * * *

To the north.

<>have a general idea of their destination, but the location of the <> has not been determined.

"It was around where the river splits in two, wasn't it?"

Rhodoth asks the multifunctional battle golem <>, who has information on the <>, and receives an affirmative response.

"Yes.

"So it's in that area?"

"Yes, sir."

Looking down from above, the terrain is clear.

The part where the river bisects the river seems to be a rocky terrain.

I have the impression that the river came from the upper stream, hit a rocky place, and split into two.

"First, let's land on the east side, shall we?

"Yes, sir."

So the two blow floaters landed on the east side of the Sitong River.

The riverbanks here are wide and wide enough for a landing.

Rhodes decided that it would be suitable for an encampment.

"Would it be dangerous if the water rises?"

It was melting snow now, so there was a good chance that the water would rise.

"Let's pitch our tent on a higher ground, even if it takes us a little farther away from the river.

"That sounds like a good idea."

The leader, Rhodes, and the second leader, Kondak, agreed, and the tent was pitched about 100 meters from the river.

<

"We'll use this as a base for the rest of the day. We will start a detailed survey tomorrow.

With such a policy, they worked hard to improve the habitability, gathering dead grass and piling up stones around the tent to protect it from the wind.

At times like these, the physically strong have an advantage.

Since all the preparations were done while it was still light, we were able to prepare for dinner at leisure.

The stars began to twinkle in the evening sky, foretelling of clear skies for the next day.