128. Golem Great Mountain Range
You could call it a magi-electronic mechanical civilization. The old golems, born from a joint research project between the Demon Kingdom and the dwarves in the age of creation, were abandoned in highland regions after the Great Magical Outburst Incident, where they survived and evolved independently.
Their core mechanism originates from a silicon-based mechanical civilization brought to this world by the deity Isanamia, on a certain planet. The area corresponding to the original mechanism's brain uses electricity—very similar to Earth's electronic devices and computers.
"Nice to meet you. I am Gilbert Ploer, a scientist of the Golem tribe."
His appearance is a pale blue. His entire skin is blue, smooth like plastic. He vaguely resembles a robot. They refer to themselves as the Golem tribe.
They look human in form, yet lack expressions, giving them a slightly eerie, mask-like quality. At least their speech has proper intonation—something of a relief.
Incidentally, he stands nearly three meters tall and has a large build.
Their clothing is no different from that of humans—likely a result of cultural exchange with Magiwesuto. Naturally, the size is enormous.
"Likewise. I'm Shiro. So, about that energy source in question?"
"Ah, I'll show you."
Shiro and the others moved through a cave-like passage in the mountainside, arriving at a large chamber.
In the center of the room stood a device resembling the mana-magic conversion apparatus Shiro had repaired in the capital—except this one was more than twice the size. Attached to it was another apparatus, and beside it stood a row of sleep pods, neatly lined up.
"This is a mana-electricity mutual conversion device—it transforms mana into magical energy, and then into electricity. We charge ourselves inside this pod."
"Charging... You're powered by electricity?" Shiro said.
"The part corresponding to the brain, yes. The body moves through magical energy," Gilbert said.
“Our species is, in a sense, a descendant of a silicon-based mechanical civilization that descended upon this land eons ago. The part of our brain, equivalent to organic lifeforms’ brains on this planet, is made of silicon and powered by electricity. Normally, we can last about three months on a single charge from this pod—however…”
Shiro felt Gilbert’s expression had taken on a slightly grim cast.
Whether Shiro’s expression actually shifted was unclear to him, but for some reason, he felt it had.
A little while ago, the device stopped working—it stopped generating electricity. And this device is an artifact. Something passed down continuously since ancient times. It’s been around for nearly two thousand years. So, unfortunately, we don’t have the know-how to repair it. And as displayed here, the remaining capacity is running critically low.
"Two thousand years ago? That's incredible," Shiro said, stunned.
And I examined the device.
Ah, I see. This part here—yeah, that’s a simple mana-to-electricity conversion core. Worn down over years of use? Not sure if “worn” is the right word, but it looks like the core’s been consumed and just… vanished.
And Shiro said.
“How do we acquire that component?” Gilbert asked.
"Um, just a second—"
"Shiro, this is 【Particle Control】 via 【Divine Magic-Physical Conversion】."
Ah, so… why did Suzuko vanish like that?
“I don’t know. But this device is definitely quite old. And it lacks any safety mechanisms. Probably, recent mana instability caused an over-inflow of mana, and the excessive magical output overloaded it.”
“Ahh, I see. That’s plausible. Likely due to the Hero Summoning. But judging by this, similar devices in other locations might be affected too…” Shiro mused.
“Then we’ll just rebuild it,” Shiro said, pulling out his stored mana crystal first.
He generated his usual barrier sphere, then forged a mithril disc. There, he inscribed an elric-based mana-electricity conversion matrix.
He connected it to the mana crystal, then linked it further to the mana-to-magic conversion unit.
Using an add-on spell, he installed a spirit, replacing the original component with this new setup.
“Good. Let’s power it up,” Shiro said, flipping the switch between the mana-magic converter and the battery.
The mana-electricity converter glowed faintly, and the battery began charging.
“Whoa, brilliant. We’re saved,” Gilbert said, expression unchanged.
“Glad it’s fixed. We’ve replaced the old component with mana-based electricity generation. So no more failures from component wear. The material’s metal—should run semi-permanently. If anything comes up later, let us know. Or—how about joining the Federation?”
Shiro said it with the casual tone of someone inviting someone to a club.
“Shiro, I’ll explain the details,” Sophia said, smiling wryly.
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