Episode 184: How to Utilize the Maso Meter
＜Cosmos＞ frowned, staring at the Maso Meter she had brought to the research facility.
She was understandably hesitant to immediately dismantle one of only two existing units.
One unit was currently being used for field testing, carried by a Communicator Doll dispatched to the Demon Forest.
That left her with only one option: non-destructive investigation.
Using a manipulator, she lightly tapped the device with a plastic hammer.
She would estimate the internal structure from the sound’s reverberation.
After tapping it several times, she recorded multiple echoes. Analysis suggested that the exterior was made of wood, and the interior was mostly hollow.
It wasn’t a complete void; there seemed to be a mechanism for moving the needle.
The Maso Meter was roughly the size of a palm, with a hinged surface that could be opened. Inside was a needle that swung left and right, indicating the concentration of Maso.
However, it lacked a scale, and the zero point was unknown.
At least within this research facility, the needle was positioned to the far right.
When she gently shook the Maso Meter, the needle also moved, indicating that it wasn’t fixed in place.
Since it reacted when she brought a Magic Stone from a Hyena (Monster) transported from the Flattala City Outskirts Base, she deduced that Maso had a close relationship with Magic Stones.
If the worst came to pass, she would disassemble it.
＜Cosmos＞ made that decision and proceeded with X-ray imaging.
It was unclear what effect the radiation would have, but fortunately, the Maso Meter’s functionality remained unaffected.
Analyzing the captured images, she roughly understood the structure.
There was a string-like object wrapped around some kind of material. This string was tied to the base of a metal needle, which appeared to be fixed to an axis.
The needle moved from side to side as the string-like object expanded and contracted.
Considering that the materials were a Forest Tiger’s Magic Stone and whiskers, it seemed the whiskers were wrapped around the Magic Stone in a coil, and their expansion and contraction were used to move the needle.
The Forest Tiger’s whiskers, then, were a material that reacted to the concentration of Maso by expanding and contracting.
It was much simpler and more physical than she had anticipated.
Without a shock absorber, the vibrations from the whiskers’ expansion weren’t being dampened. This was likely the cause of the needle’s vibration.
If they could obtain the same materials, ＜The Tree＞ could likely create a prototype.
However, there was no guarantee that the Maso Meter would function correctly even after disassembly.
It was possible that some Magical (Fantasy) element required this specific shape to function, or that something invisible to X-rays was being used.
Since its functionality hadn’t been impaired, they decided to deploy the Maso Meter as is.
They attached the Maso Meter to a drone about 1 meter in size, and by filming the needle’s movements with a camera, they created a mobile probe.
The Communicator Doll was accompanying the Adventurers and couldn’t move freely.
Using this drone-based Maso measuring device, they would create a map of the surrounding Maso Density.
Moving too quickly would prevent accurate measurements, so the drone’s speed was limited to that of a walking person. Frankly, the efficiency was terrible.
All they could do was hope that the Adventurers, who had resumed their activities, would deliver the materials needed for the Maso Meter.
◇◇◇◇
“Ma’am. An anomaly has been detected within a Fairy Circle in the Demon Forest, so we will dispatch an investigation team. Would you like to observe?”
“Oh?”
＜Ringo＞, standing by, asked Commander (Mum), who was running on a treadmill in the fitness room.
“Since I have the time, I suppose I’ll go take a look…”
“Then, to the Command Room.”
＜Ringo＞ followed Eve, wiping away her sweat as she stepped off the treadmill.
She attended to her needs while walking, without hindering her movement. It was the work of an expert.
She received a sports drink from a cylindrical auxiliary machine that approached from the side, offered it to Eve, and Eve thanked her before putting the straw to her lips.
Perfect.
＜Ringo＞ predicted every move of Commander (Mum), executing perfect care.
Utilizing the abundant resources of ＜The Core＞, tracing every single artificial muscle fiber of the Communicator Doll, ＜Ringo＞ was in top form today.
“This is the Fairy Circle as it was photographed.”
“Oh…? Something seems rather blurred, or…”
Displayed on the Command Room’s monitor was the most recently photographed Fairy Circle.
The satellite image, taken from directly above, showed the Fairy Circle, which had previously formed a clean circle, now filled with greenery, its outline somewhat blurred.
“Analysis indicates that plants are rapidly propagating. Some already exceed 5 meters in height. It is predicted that within a week, the trees will grow to the same height as those in the surrounding area.”
“Ho… They’re growing that quickly?”
Naturally, trees don’t usually grow that fast.
There are some plant species with very high growth rates, like bamboo, but image analysis suggested that these weren’t special plants, but rather trees commonly found in the Demon Forest.
“It is believed that some Magical (Fantasy) effect is at play. We conducted inquiries in North End City, but there are no records of such cases.”
“Well… Unless you observe it every day, you wouldn’t know about something like this.”
Moreover, this phenomenon was occurring quite far into the interior from North End City.
In the first place, this was a region where Fairy Circles were already rare, and even from within the forest, it could only be observed if someone happened to reach that location.
“We have dispatched a squadron of Tiltrotor Aircraft for investigation. As this is considered an abnormal situation, we are prepared for the worst, including total annihilation.”
“Hmm, well, can’t be helped. What happens if they crash?”
“If recovery is not feasible, the control devices will be incinerated with thermite for security purposes. Afterward, they will be blown away with long-range artillery.”
They couldn’t allow technical information that wasn’t masked to fall into the hands of civilizations other than ＜The Tree＞.
Therefore, they had decided to completely destroy any equipment that couldn’t be recovered in areas not under their control.
“And… Oh, you’re taking the Maso Meter.”
“Yes, Ma’am. As this is clearly an abnormal location, it is for investigation purposes. It is valuable, but it is not something that we absolutely cannot obtain.”
The Maso Meter installed in the flying aircraft showed little reaction, though it fluctuated slightly. So far, no significant reaction had been detected in the air.
“Well, I suppose it’s worth a shot. We’re more likely to get information than if we left it with Asahi.”
Incidentally, the probability of Asahi taking it apart was estimated at 280%.
The prediction was that she would disassemble it once, then reassemble it, then disassemble it again, then reassemble it, and then render it irreparable. The probability of her disassembling it again after it became irreparable was 80%.
If Asahi were in North End City, it would have been an option to hand it over to her for investigation.
The environment near the Demon Forest would have been perfect for trying various things.
However, the judgment that she wouldn’t be able to advance the investigation because she was in the rear accounted for half the reason why it wasn’t entrusted to her.
And of course, the worried Onee-sama (older sister) (Eve) and ＜Ringo＞ would never send Asahi to the front lines.
“The butterfly Monsters that emerged within the Fairy Circle have already moved towards the North Wall Mountains. At least, there are no Threat Creatures detectable from the air.”
“Still, it’s scary not knowing what might come out… If those Wyverns attacked in a swarm, we’d have no choice but to retreat…”
Even the Wyverns shot down by ＜The Tree＞ could only be countered by ganging up on them with multiple units.
If Threat Creatures of that caliber attacked in swarms, even ＜The Tree＞ would struggle.
The Threat Creatures they had encountered so far had mostly been solitary.
They had prepared methods to counter each individual, but countermeasures against swarms were lagging behind.
“Well, whatever happens, we need information. It would be interesting if something came out…”
In the video, the investigation team approached the Fairy Circle.