Confirming the Shinobi Squad's position with the magi-radar, Jin saw that they had successfully moved up one level.
"Assuming this is the second floor, what exactly is up there?"
The footage being transmitted back showed nothing more than a cavernous, empty hall.
"In terms of area, it doesn't look like this floor is partitioned either," Milowina noted.
The first and second floors appeared to consist of single rooms that spanned the entire interior diameter of the Pagoda, rather than being divided into smaller chambers.
"...It’s holding up remarkably well, structurally speaking."
The Pagoda’s horizontal cross-section was nearly a perfect circle, roughly thirty meters in diameter. There were no visible supports other than the central spiral staircase. Jin was impressed that the second floor’s flooring could maintain its integrity across such a wide span.
"Wait a second."
Jin suddenly realized that the spiral staircase didn't actually provide access to this level.
"So it really was a dummy?"
"It is likely there was a trap involved—perhaps a teleportation magic circle at the top of the stairs intended to send intruders elsewhere," Laojun speculated. It was a plausible theory.
"In that case, there must be some kind of trap on this floor too."
"Actually, My Lord, the floor itself appears to be the trap. The atmospheric pressure on this level is a mere third of ground level."
In Earth terms, that was equivalent to an altitude of 8,000 meters in the Himalayas. A human suddenly exposed to such thin air would immediately fall into respiratory distress.
"It’s a good thing we sent the Shinobi Squad."
As golems, they could function perfectly even in a total vacuum. A teleportation magic circle was discovered shortly thereafter.
"It was a completely empty floor."
With no obstacles in the way, the search had been easy. From there, the squad transitioned to what was presumably the third floor.
"This place is..."
It was a room filled to the brink with magic tools.
"No walls here either?"
The floor appeared circular at first glance.
"No, My Lord. This is a disguise," Laojun interjected.
"What?"
"According to the magi-radar, while this is indeed the third level, the room's dimensions are slightly smaller than the Pagoda's external diameter would suggest."
"I see."
It was a clever bit of architectural deception that only Laojun would have caught.
"Then the way up is outside the room?"
"That is highly probable."
"And these magic tools are—"
Before Jin could finish his thought, Laojun reported again.
"My Lord, reports from Shinobi 3 and 4 indicate that these magic tools are traps."
It appeared that moving them carelessly would trigger a variety of countermeasures.
"Then let's leave the tools alone and look for the teleportation magic circle."
Jin didn't know who had built this Pagoda, but judging by the nature of these traps, the architect had been—at best—extraordinarily cautious, or—at worst—pathologically paranoid.
"An entire floor that's just a trap... that’s a bit much," Jin muttered.
Just then, Shinobi 9, who had been inspecting the walls, discovered a hidden door. Almost simultaneously, Shinobi 5 found another one.
"It's possible that one of them is the right way, or they could both be traps."
"...Yeah. Whoever made this has a very nasty personality," Elsa agreed with Jin’s assessment.
They searched for any other exits but found nothing.
"Hmm, what's the play here?"
Jin had never been much of a gamer, so he wasn't particularly familiar with the common tropes and variations of dungeon traps.
"...Jin-kun... I have a feeling those doors are traps as well," Milowina whispered hesitantly.
Jin nodded in agreement. "I see. A mislead, then."
Hearing this, Laojun offered his own hypothesis.
"My Lord, if that is the case, the path forward must be in a truly unexpected location."
It was a pattern sometimes found in game dungeons—situations where you had to visit a different tower to reach the top of the first, or descend into the basement before you could find a way up. Unfortunately, Jin had no such gaming experience to draw upon.
"Father, what if we just took the leap and teleported directly to the top floor?" Reiko suggested.
"Hmm..."
"My Lord, that might actually be the best course of action. Structurally speaking, the top floor is almost certainly the primary objective."
"Alright, let's go with that," Jin decided.
"That might be closer to the right answer than we think, Jin-kun," Milowina added, sounding impressed by the bold move.
"I have received Father's permission. Proceeding now."
Reiko used the Warp Gate on the Konron 3 to return briefly to Hourai Island, then used the transporter to beam directly into the Pagoda's interior.
"So this is the summit."
There was no doubt about it. The ceiling was domed, and the room was circular, measuring roughly five meters across. And sitting right in the center was...
"It doesn't seem to be a magi-brain... A recording device, perhaps?"
It was a Magi Machine roughly the size of a student's desk. It featured a small magi-screen, giving it the appearance of a bulky, oversized computer.
"The mana is still active. Shall I call for Father to investigate?"
Since there appeared to be no immediate danger, Reiko reported back to Laojun, and it was arranged for Jin's Doppel to be sent in. A minute later, the Doppel arrived with a look of visible delight. Naturally, the one feeling that excitement was its operator, Jin.
"Oh, so this is the inside of the Pagoda!"
Jin's Doppel peered around curiously before immediately getting to work on the Magi Machine.
"It really is a recording device. But the capacity is tiny... The data format must be incredibly inefficient..."
Jin's Doppel continued its analysis, muttering to itself exactly as Jin would have. Meanwhile, Reiko stood by, keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings.
"Laojun, send over a magi-crystal for data storage," Jin instructed from the command room on Hourai Island.
"Understood."
Laojun teleported a magi-crystal without a second's delay. Since the Doppel served as a precise marker, the crystal arrived exactly where it was needed.
"Ah, there it is."
The magi-crystal materialized in front of the Doppel.
"I'll make a copy onto this. Trans Info."
Once the information transfer was complete, Jin had the Doppel sweep the rest of the room. He found it hard to believe that such a complex ruin existed just to house this one piece of hardware.
"Hmm, nothing else."
Jin couldn't help but feel that this was a truly baffling ruin.
"Wait... hold on a minute..."
At that moment, a sudden thought struck him.
"Normally, a Pagoda is..."