âSo, if thatâs the case, how should we go about identifying everyone?â
âIt would be best to pick something thatâs theyâre always holding . â
âThatâs trueâŚâ
Jin nodded at the Laojunâs suggestion and thought about what would work best for everyone .
âJin, how about a ring, bangle, or pendant?â
Elsa proposed . Jin was fine with these options, but still seemed reluctant .
âI want to pick something that suits whatâs unique about each person . Something that would be unnatural for others to carry . Â It would make it safer . â
âI seeâ
âKufu, Jin, in that case, my glasses would work well . â
Saki decided for herself first . Indeed, Sakiâs glasses were only used by her, so it was unlikely others would wear them .
âYeah, good idea . Saki will use her glasses then . â
âJin, Iâll use thisâ
Elsa said, holding up her arm with the bracelet Jin gave her to protected against access magic illness .
âHmm, I see . So, Elsa will use her bracelet? â
The bracelet was also a magic tool no one else could use, so it was perfect for identification .
âWhat should Reinhardt and the others use?â
They had time to deliberate, since there was no reason to rush .
âWell, Edgar is fine because he was born here, but weâll need to register Aal, Neon, and Noir .
âNo Master, Aal already has your magic pattern so heâs fine . Although you said Edgar would be okay because he was born here, Elsa is the one who made him, so he doesnât have your pattern . â
Laojun pointed out . Taking this into consideration, Jin thought about what to do with Neon, Edgar, and Noir .
âThe easiest solution would be to embed a magic crystal in each of them for identification . â
If they had Jinâs magic pattern on them, their identity could be verified . Considering the options, installing a magic crystal was the quickest and most reliable .
âAlright, letâs try this . â
Jin muttered and asked Laojun to bring the magic crystals .
âBerthie, I want to exchange Neonâs control core, is that OK?â
Jin asked, while playing with the crystals in his hand .
âHer performance will probably increase through the process . âŚâŚ Oh, but her personality and knowledge will stay the same . â
Berthie considered this before answering,
âYes, if thatâs the case, then by all means . Neon, youâre fine with it? â
âYes, Mistress Berthie . Reikoâs master isnât the type to make mistakes . â
âThank you . Iâll do my best to meet my expectations . â
Jin moved everyone from the cafeteria to the workshop .
He had Neon lay down on a workbench before severing her magic in order to begin modifying her .
âUm, Elsa, can you do me a favor?â
Elsa appeared right away . He was hesitant to undress the automata when she looked exactly like Berthie .
âOkay, I understandâ
Elsa briskly set about her task . Jin returned after Elsa had removed the external skin around Neonâs chest and other areas .
They swapped out her control core and some anti-overwriting magical countermeasures .
âWhile weâre at it, letâs harden and toughen the skeleton . â
Muttering such things to himself, Jin carried out his work .
âOh, oh!?â
Reinhardt was amazed to see Jin proceeding at his usual speed without any hesitation .
Looking sideways, Reinhardt saw Elsa observing Jin at work . She looked serious but showed no surprise . Reinhardt then realized Elsa always watched Jin like this . He understood how Elsa had developed so fast a magician .
While Reinhardt was thinking about this, Jin had almost finished the remodeling with help from Reiko .
It was Elsa who reapplied her skin and redressed Neon .
âOkay, with that sheâs done . Â Anti-overwriting magical countermeasures, an upgraded control core, and skeletal strengthening . Thatâs everything, right? â
It had taken about 10 minutes . However, the shield case used in the anti-overwriting magical countermeasures was stocked as a standard part, making it a simple matter of installation .
âNeon, âstart'â
âYesâ
Neon stood up .
âHow does your body feel? Is it easy to move?â
Neon performed a self-check procedure and confirmed that there was no problem .
âYes, Master Jin, I feel superb . Thank you very much . Thank you very much, Mistress Berthie . â
Thanks to improved processing speed and ability of her new control core, Neon spoke more fluently that before .
âWow Neon, your pronunciation has improved . Iâll be relying on you again going forward . â
âYes, Mistress Berthie . Thank you for always taking care of me . â
Since her essence hadnât changed, Berthie would soon get used to the new Neon .
âOkay Elsa, install the anti-overwriting magical countermeasures in Edgar for me like I did in Neon . â
âOkay, understoodâ
Elsa asked Reiko to provide her with everything she would need to install the magical countermeasures, such as a shield case, and began remodeling Edgar .
Seeing Elsa carry out the same procedure Jin had with ease, Reinhardâs jaw looked about ready to fall off .
âYeah, I thought Iâd understood this already but, Elsa, youâve really grown âŚâ
â⌠Thank you, Rei . âElsa was happy to be praised by the cousin she respected .
Although it took her more time than Jin, Elsa still finished remodeling Edgar in about 40 minutes .
For the finishing touch, Jin embedded the magic crystal himself . It was âa magical recording stoneâ . It was key to identifying Edgar because it carried Jinâs magical pattern .
After confirming everything, Jin smiled at Elsa .
âYou remembered well Elsa . Iâve got no complaints . â
Praised by Jin, Elsaâs face flushed, and a smile spread across her face .
âHey Elsa, youâve grown to smile really nicely, thatâs good . â
âYeah, itâs true . I really like Elsaâs expression right now . â
When Saki and Berthie saw her smile, they praised Elsa . Elsaâs face reddened in response .
Jin had implanted the magic stone in Noirâs chest while Elsa was remodeling Edgar .
When Reinhardt had remodeled Noir previously as a preventative measure against the Unification Party, he had only installed a shield structure, so a magical recording stone had yet to be implemented .
With this, the golems and automas could now use the transfer gates with no issues .
All that remained was Berthie and Reinhardt .
âI guess rings would suit the two of you best . â
Jin suggested .
âYeah, I think so tooâ
Elsa agreed .
Jin and Elsa decided to make protective rings, or âguard ringsâ for the couple .
â âTransformationâ â
Elsa was responsible for the rings design and their forging .
â âSavingâ âJin copied his magic formula onto the rings .
The previous rings were round with a semi-circular cross section, but now they were different .
Their upper surface was decorated by a Leve (a lion-like animal), the crest of the Randle family, and on the inside of the ringâs Reinhard and Berthieâs names were engraved .
Upon seeing the rings, Reinhardtâs eyes widened in surprise once more .
âUm, I just said it a moment ago but, Elsa youâve really become an amazing magician, huh . If youâre missing anything at all, itâs life experience . â
âThank you, Rei . â
Being complimented again, Elsaâs cheeks colored, and she gave thanks .
âTo think that you were this talented . You shouldâve told me . â
Reinhardt shook his head, realizing their fates would all be different if that were the case .
âNo, thereâs no point thinking about what ifs . If youâre happy now and you can be happy going forward, then whatâs come to pass is for the best . â
Elsa handed the rings to Reinhard and Berthie . Reinhardt adjusted the fit himself .
âThank you, Jin⌠Thank you, Elsa . Weâll take good care of them â
Made high-quality magic crystals, the rings glowed a rainbow color .
âNow everyone can make it here through the transfer gate . Still, listen to what Laojun tells you this time . â
âAll rightâ
âUnderstood . â
âOkay, I got itâ
Reinhardt, Berthie and Saki nodded together .
âNow, Saki and Reinhardt, you can use this workshop for the time being . â
The first studio was about 8 by 15 meters wide, so it was spacious enough for three people to use .
âIf you need a private room, there are many empty rooms on the third floor . â
With this finished, Jinâs thoughts turned to how his predecessor had set his sights on a research facility a bit closer to the sacred site of magical engineering .