The first < to arrive was the second one we found, a sphere 10 meters in diameter.

The reason why it was the first to arrive was simply because it was the smallest.

To be more precise, it was just barely large enough to be sent by the on board the cruiser << Seki>>, which was following up on the site.

If it were larger, the magic circle would be larger than the width of the cruiser.

Of course, there is a way to send a magic circle of that size, but it takes a little time and effort to prepare it.

Thus, a sphere with a diameter of 10 meters was sent first.

The old man reports.

The dock at Tatsumi Bay is equipped with a quarantine function, and the inside of the dock can be sealed off for sterilization.

"Okay. Thank you."

Jin thanked him and stepped into the area to investigate. Reiko, Reinhard, Erza, and Saki were with him.

Bertsche, Goose, and Hanna are outside of the warding, staring at the monitor.

"Oh, I can understand a lot of things when I see them close by.

"Hmm, there are no adherents at all. The exterior is made of a very special material.

"Huh, it seems to be very hard. Is it metal or resin?"

These are the words of Reinhard, Erza, and Saki, respectively.

Then Jin and Reiko silently examined the sphere.

"The surface seems to be coated with resin. It is also a material with extremely low friction.

"Ah, so that's why the adherent organisms aren't sticking to it."

"So even if they did, the slightest external force would cause them to peel off."

"If ...... is the case, why doesn't the coating come off?"

Elsa's last question is a fair one.

If there is a substance to which nothing sticks, can that substance be coated on another substance?

Wouldn't the coating come off immediately?

The answer is <.

"There are several ways to do it. First, how about coating the material and then treating it to lower the friction?

"Oh, I see."

"Then, you can also make the surface to be coated rougher."

The flat surfaces would peel off, but if the surfaces were uneven or key-shaped, like hook and loop fasteners, they would catch and not come off, Jin said.

"Now all that's left is to join them magically."

Frictional force is a physical force. Magic is a completely different system of force, so it is compatible with the property that <>.

"So, perhaps an engineering-magical coating."

"Indeed. That's my brother Jin.

Erza's engineering magic is also top-notch, but she has put more effort into healing magic and medical care, so it is inevitable that some aspects of her work are not as good as Jin's. That is why she is the one who is the best in the world at engineering magic.

That's because she is the best healer in the world.

"Well, let's see what's in this one: ......"

<>

"What?　...... Hmmm, okay, please."

As for the "Mere Old Man", he took safety even though he ignored Jin's wish to check something unknown.

Knowing this, Jin could not say no. Of course, Jin could not say no either.

Of course, Jin was also aware of the possibility of danger lurking inside.

Therefore, he had thought of putting up several layers of wards and asking for <> to help him.

This is because Jin D is on a business trip to <>.

Aside from that, the old man, who got permission from Jin D., used a to carefully inspect the inside of the building.

After spending about 5 minutes,

He assured them that they were safe.

"Good. ......<><>......I see."

Despite the assurance of safety from the old man, Jin did not skip his usual checking procedure, but went through it one by one, step by step.

"<>"

Finally, after sterilizing and disinfecting the hatch once again, he opened it without hesitation.

<, it was easy for Jin to understand what was going on by just looking at it for a moment.

Jin peeks in through the hatch and chuckles to himself.

"Hmmm... ....... I guess it's not meant for people to ride in."

"Father, then what in the world is it for?"

Reiko, who was following him, responded to Jin's soliloquy.

"I think it's a magi-machine for surveillance. I don't know what it was used for until I examine the control core ......, but it was probably used to check for distortions in the crust of Ars or something."

Unlike Earth, Ars is a solid planet to the core.

However, it has been modified by the , the most important of which is the increase in gravity.

The central core is filled with superheavy materials to increase the gravity, which may cause distortion of the crust.

Jin concluded that ...... seems to be a magi-machine to monitor it.

<.

This is a theory in which the (relatively) light crust floats on the heavy upper mantle.

According to this theory, the crust is thicker on land and thinner in the ocean. The deeper parts of the crust are especially thin.

Therefore, it is thought that distortion is more likely to occur in the deep sea, where the crust is thin, than on land.

That is why Jin thought that the "Origin" might have created this Magi machine to monitor the condition of the earth's crust.

"Brother Jin, isn't it bad that you brought it here?

Erza looked concerned, but Jin countered.

"No, Erza, think about it. Even if it is a device for monitoring, there is no more to monitor.

"Oh, sure, that's right."

"Oh, yes, that's right, and this sphere's energy is running out. Perhaps the Magi Reactor is damaged.

"That makes sense."

The old man added.

Based on the above assumptions and the fact that the sphere had run out of energy, Jin and the old man decided that the sphere could be treated as a relic.

"There is a maintenance passage inside. ......"

Jin and Reiko are looking around the interior.

Since this was a type of magi-machine that he had never seen before, he seemed to have gained a lot of things from it.

* * * *

Saki is working on the analysis of the coating material of the outer wall, and Reinhard and Erza are helping Jin to analyze the contents of the control core that he has read out.

Through their efforts, the sphere is gradually becoming clearer.