“Eh?”
Jin looked at the screen Elsa Randol was pointing at.
Slightly offset from the South Pole, a massive concentration of free ether was clearly visible.
“What’s this place?”
『My Lord, I shall attempt to use the Peeping Telescope in tandem with this.』
“Oh, good idea.”
A moment later, the magi-screen brightened.
Projected there was a massive block of ice—likely sea ice floating in the Antarctic Ocean.
『It is a massive piece of sea ice, over two kilometers wide.』
“That’s huge... And the free ether is concentrated right here?”
『Yes. Let us take a look inside.』
The image shifted.
“Whoa!”
“Th-this is...”
Jin and Elsa both gasped in surprise.
The interior of the ice was an artificial structure.
“Is this... a megafloat?”
『It appears so. Though, rather than an island, it looks more like a gargantuan vessel.』
A megafloat is typically a massive artificial floating island. Unlike a ship, such an island cannot navigate under its own power.
However, this structure possessed an exterior that suggested it was capable of self-propulsion.
It was roughly circular, with a diameter of two kilometers and a thickness of about 100 meters.
“In any case, the free ether is being funneled into this thing...?”
『There seems to be no mistake that this is one of the reasons the ether concentration on Ars has not returned to normal.』
“Right.”
From its appearance, the structure looked unfinished. It was clearly still under construction.
『It likely requires a massive amount of free ether for its assembly.』
The perpetrators were building it beneath the Antarctic ice—a region nearly devoid of free ether—to keep the project a secret.
To sustain that construction, they were consuming more than half of the free ether across all of Ars.
“But for what purpose?”
『I do not know. Let us investigate the interior further.』
The Peeper's field of vision pushed deeper into the structure.
『This area appears to be a residential sector. However, I see no humans.』
“If it’s under construction, someone has to be building it....Wait, could it be?”
『Yes, My Lord. It appears that golems are doing the work.』
Small, wriggling objects appeared on the screen.
“What on earth are those...?”
Caterpillar-like things with ten legs. Spheres with three legs. Cubes with wheels instead of legs.
Golems with shapes that bore absolutely no resemblance to humans were busy at work.
“Hmm...”
Jin understood prioritizing function over form, but seeing such a total absence of humanoid models was eerie.
“Is it a golem or a magi-brain controlling them?”
『It is likely a magi-brain,』 Laojun replied.
“Is it inside the megafloat?”
『I believe so. That would be most efficient, and more importantly, it is that sort of location.』
“True.”
The Antarctic Ocean was locked in ice. It was a region with almost no free ether. It was only logical to assume the governing magi-brain would be located inside the structure where the ether was being transferred.
『I have found it. This is likely the one.』
“Yeah... Wait, what?”
Laojun quickly located a likely candidate for the magi-brain and projected it onto the screen.
However, as Jin looked at it, he couldn't hide his unease.
“What is this thing?”
The magi-brain had a bizarre shape.
The main body was roughly spherical, supported by a sturdy-looking structure.
However, Jin got the impression that several foreign objects had been stuck onto it.
“They look like boils...”
Five hemispherical growths were attached to the surface of the sphere.
Their placement was irregular, which only heightened the sense that they didn't belong there.
“If they were attached symmetrically, I could see them as appendages, but...”
Their color and texture were also vastly different.
The original sphere was a muted silver-grey, but the attached hemispheres were black.
“I wouldn't say the combination is ugly, but...”
The surface texture was perhaps the most unsettling factor.
While the silver-grey sphere was smooth and even, the black hemispheres were covered in numerous smaller, protruding bumps. Depending on one's perspective, it looked quite grotesque.
『There is a high probability that these are devices added on after the fact,』 Laojun remarked, sharing Jin's assessment of the black hemispheres.
“Still, not knowing their purpose is frustrating,” Jin mused. “Maybe we really should just demand answers from Onogoro Island...”
『My Lord, before that, I have a report.』
“Hmm? What is it? Did something happen?”
『Yes. We have discovered and captured a spy believed to be an agent of Onogoro Island.』
“What!?”
The story shifts back to the previous day.
Regulus 2, better known as Liber, was the Quinta assigned to Alban, the capital of the Klein Kingdom.
He was the one who had spotted the suspicious individual.
For several days, the man had been persistently asking about the "Lord of Kunlun" in taverns, to back-alley vagrants, and even to individuals who appeared to be criminals.
(If you’re going to do espionage, you should at least try to be subtle about it.)
The man's actions were so blatant that Liber couldn't help but be unimpressed.
(Even without us watching, someone would have caught on eventually.)
Liber had reported the matter to Laojun and investigated the man's identity, but since he was somewhat elusive, the decision was made to simply seize him.
He called for backup: Spica 7 (better known as Bargo), who was also stationed in Alban, and Deneb 2 (better known as Faumi), from the Town of Charles.
In the evening, once Faumi arrived from the Town of Charles, the three units moved out.
“That’s our man.”
The target was easily located.
In a tavern on the outskirts of town, he was buying people drinks while fishing for rumors regarding the "Lord of Kunlun."
“How shall we lure him out?” Bargo asked.
“Laojun mentioned that if he’s with Onogoro Island, he’s likely a total novice when it comes to violence. Let’s start by setting some bait.”
“How so?”
“Simple. If we hint that we have the information he’s so desperate for, he’ll come right to us.”
Liber flashed a fearless smile.