The factory is as big as a gymnasium. Mii opened the closed door with the key he had given her.

I heard that the inside is cleaned regularly.

It was not as dusty as he had expected, and it seemed that regular maintenance had been done.

Jin stepped inside with curiosity.

"Oh ......"

Jin saw something unexpected. It was a machine tool.

However, it was very different from what Jin knew.

But it was definitely a machine tool.

"......Brother Jin, what is this?"

Erza asked,

"It is a machine tool.

Jin replied shortly, and began to move busily among them as if he had lost sight of his surroundings. Reiko was the only one following him.

"Ah, um, Jin-sama?"

Mii, who was amazed by this situation, tried to call out to him, but Erza stopped her.

"It doesn't matter what you say now. It's not going to be heard.

Is that so?

"Oh, is that so? I'm going to take a look at this one.

Elsa slowly approached one of the machines.

"Is this a ...... lathe?"

Elsa knows about lathes. In short, it is a machine used to cut out a rotating object.

The machine there was more like a woodworker's wheel than a lathe. It seemed to be specially designed for shaving the outside of the workpiece.

Someone turns the handle to rotate the workpiece.

The workpiece seemed to be attached with wood screws, instead of being clamped by a chuck, which is a common method in the modern earth.

"Wooden screws ......?"

Erza had never seen a wooden screw before, even though she knew about them.

"No wonder my brother Jin is so fascinated ...... with them."

Next to it was a band saw.

A machine that makes a saw blade in the shape of a metal belt and rotates it.

There was also a drilling machine ...... for drilling holes only, and a mechanical drill.

Both seem to be human-powered, with a handle that is turned to operate the machine.

As Elsa gently turns the handle of the drilling machine, she thinks back to the past.

"But then, why did it stop ......?

Elsa realizes. Yes, it must not be a human who turns this handle.

The handle is too heavy for Erza's strength.

"It must be powered by a golem.

"I think so, too."

Erza's muttering was answered by Jin, who had returned before she knew it.

"I've been shown around. It's a wonderful machine tool. It would be a shame if it didn't work.

Jin tries to turn the handle of the drilling machine that Erza is touching. Then he gives up,

"Reiko, can you give it a quick spin?"

he said to his most trusted daughter.

"Yes, Father."

Reiko put her hand on the handle of the drilling machine and started to turn it.

"What?

Mii exclaimed involuntarily. It was because the handle, which was so heavy that Jin and Erza could barely move it, started spinning lightly as if it had no resistance.

"I knew it. Reiko, that's enough."

Jin turns to Mii.

"You said the factory stopped 300 years ago. There was an incident called "Aether Stampede" and since then the amount of free magic element (ether) in the air has drastically decreased.

With these words, Jin walked toward the back of the room.

"Perhaps the immobile golems have been put away in the back room?"

"Well, umm..."

Mii didn't seem to know that much and was at a loss for an answer. Jin, however, walked on ahead of her.

Reiko followed him, then Elsa and Edgar. Mii hurriedly followed.

The door at the back of the front was a little hard, but it opened easily when Reiko put some effort into it.

"Yeah... ......!"

There, dozens of golems were lying in the dust, just as Jin had said.

"Hmmm, I guess I don't have enough magic power."

Jin checks these golems.

"Hmmm, not this one either. Not this one either. ......

He seems to be looking for something.

"Brother Jin, what are you looking for?"

Elsa wonders and asks. She thinks that she might be able to help in the search.

"Yeah, most of the golems here are power golems. But I thought there should be a craftsman golem and a foreman golem.

Jin thought that if all the workers in this factory were golems, there should be such a division of labor.

And if he could find the supervising golem, he would be able to get answers to his many questions.

"Father, isn't this it?"

Reiko, who had been searching at the end of the room, shouted. She was a little taller than the others and was wearing what looked like a hat.

"Yeah, I think so. I wonder how to reboot ....... ......"

Jin is a little worried. It is not likely to work unless the ether converter is modified. And we don't have the materials to modify it.

"Father, why don't you have them deliver the free magic element condenser?

If we can double the concentration of free magic element (ether) in the medium space of this room, we can probably reactivate it.

"That's the only way. ...... Reiko, contact the old man. But send them quietly."

"Yes, sir."

Mii, an outsider, is helping Erza near the entrance. This way, she won't notice the free-magic condenser being sent to her.

A minute later, a free-magic condenser appears in front of Reiko. Jin immediately activates it.

The free-magic element (ether) concentration does not increase so quickly, but at least the supervising golem in front of her started to move slowly.

It seems that it was not completely stopped.

In that case, I would have to <> it, but the fact that it started moving by itself suggests that it was in a state similar to < on a computer.

"...... have I been stopped all this time?"

Upon recognizing Jin, the supervising golem spoke.

"That's right. Due to a certain accident, the concentration of free magical element (ether) dropped to less than one-third, and your magical element converters (ether converters) became useless.

I see.

Now I'm temporarily increasing the concentration of free magic element (ether). Tell me about it.

The supervising golem does not seem surprised to hear this. Rather, it seems that he does not fully understand.

"I can only order the work golem and the power golem to make what I am instructed to make."

"Oh, I see. ......"

Jin was mildly disappointed. The golem's control core here does not contain much information.

Come to think of it, even Akitsu, the educational automata, did not have much information.

Then, who will give you instructions?

This was the last question, which gave him a ray of hope. It worked.

Yes, the factory manager.

Where is the factory manager?

The supervising golem silently extended his right arm and pointed with his finger at the door further in the back.

"Okay."

Jin answered shortly,

"Reiko, let's go!"

He headed for the door at the back of the room.