The Vulcan traveled through space, following the orbit of Ars rather than heading directly for Hale.
There was a chance a clue might be found along that trajectory.
While this added about a day's detour, it was not an issue; gathering information was the highest priority.
As the Vulcan neared the L5 Lagrange point—positioned sixty degrees behind Hale’s orbit—it began to decelerate.
It was December 27th.
A vibration shuddered through the Vulcan's hull as its magi reactor surged.
In the engine room, the Cosmos squad experienced the same phenomenon while attempting to maintain precise control.
"Ugh..."
The surge subsided within seconds.
Relying on the inherent stability of the magi reactors crafted by Jin, the ship’s feedback systems regained control almost immediately.
"W-what was that just now? Is there any damage to the ship? Status report, now!"
Captain Cosmos 501, stationed on the central bridge, barked out orders. Reports soon flooded in from every department.
"This is the No. 1 Engine Room. The magi reactor surged for several seconds but is currently stable."
"This is the No. 2 Engine Room. The magi reactor surged for several seconds but is currently stable."
"This is the No. 3 Engine Room. The magi reactor surged for several seconds but is currently stable."
"This is the Auxiliary Engine Room. The magi reactor surged for several seconds. A portion of the unit is damaged, but there is no hindrance to navigation."
Cosmos 501 then requested a report from the observation room.
"This is the No. 1 Observation Room. No obstacles confirmed."
"This is the No. 2 Observation Room. No obstacles confirmed."
"This is the Analysis Team. We have measured the concentration of free ether in this area of space. It is over a thousand times higher than normal. The values are fluctuating between 1,000 and 1,200."
A concentration of free ether a thousand times higher than normal was effectively a cloud of ether, and it seemed the Vulcan had plunged straight into it.
As a result, the energy generated by the magi reactors had also spiked a thousandfold. Although the feedback stabilized the output within seconds, that brief surge had overloaded various magi machines.
＊ ＊ ＊
This situation was immediately reported to Hourai Island.
"A free ether concentration of a thousand times... I don't think that's a natural occurrence."
Such a concentration was unthinkable as a natural phenomenon and was expected to cause various complications.
Previously, when Reiko had confronted the Supervising Brain—now known as Testa—she had been exposed to a free ether concentration of a thousand times. Because it was Reiko, she had emerged unscathed, but one wrong move could have resulted in her standing still or being damaged. A thousandfold increase was that perilous.
"Laojun, what’s your take?"
Jin had arrived in the command room at six in the morning upon hearing the news.
"Based on the position, it is roughly sixty degrees behind Hale in its orbit."
"The point of stability!"
"Yes, My Lord. The fact that Hale, Sun Celane, and this point form an almost perfect equilateral triangle cannot be a coincidence."
"I see."
"I intend to have the ship explore the vicinity more cautiously than planned. This will delay their arrival at Hale, but do I have your permission?"
"You have it. Be especially careful."
＊ ＊ ＊
Upon receiving instructions from Laojun, the Vulcan slowed down even further.
"Begin precise observation of the surroundings."
"Understood."
"Understood."
Responses came back from each department.
"What is the status of the repairs?"
"The damage is minor; repairs will be complete in just under two hours."
As the Vulcan was a construction ship, it was well-stocked with materials, and the entire crew was proficient in Craft Magic. Because the ship's hull was so massive, it simply took time to check every system.
One hour passed. All damage had been repaired, and operational checks were complete. The Vulcan was back to peak condition. The high concentration of free ether was actually working in their favor, as it allowed for high work efficiency during the repairs.
Two more hours passed.
"Object discovered 2,300 kilometers ahead on the orbital plane."
The long-awaited report finally arrived. Moving with caution, the Vulcan engaged its anti-detection barrier and drifted silently toward the target. Within minutes, it reached a distance where the object was visible, and the Vulcan came to a relative stop.
＊ ＊ ＊
"My Lord, please look at this."
"It's a sphere."
"Yes. It appears to be different from the one located at the ninety-degree position on the orbit."
The exterior was a smooth sphere, unlike the abandoned relay base which had been hemispherical.
"Is this facility active?"
"According to reports, no mana activity can be observed, so it is likely standing still."
"Let's try using the Peeper cautiously."
＊ ＊ ＊
The Vulcan woke up the Peeper.
"The image is a bit poor. Did you perform an operational check?" Cosmos 501 asked her vice-captain, Cosmos 502.
"Please wait a moment... Ah, I have found the cause. It appears the signal is being interfered with or scattered by the excessively dense free ether."
"I see. What is the concentration in this vicinity?"
"...It appears to be over 3,000 times that of normal space."
"A terrifying concentration. However, there seems to be no mistake that this is the center of the anomaly."
With that, the Peeper began to project the interior of the sphere.
＊ ＊ ＊
The first things that caught their eye were the warehouses. About half of them were filled with materials.
"This place looks like a storage facility too," Jin muttered to himself in the Hourai Island command room.
The Peeper proceeded further toward the center.
"Is that machinery?"
"It appears so, My Lord."
Then, the magi machines in question were shown.
"Is this by any chance an ether transporter?"
"It is broken. And it looks like it broke quite a long time ago."
A thin layer of dust had settled on the floor. Judging from that, there appeared to be both gravity and an atmosphere inside.
Then, another magi machine was shown.
"This is also an ether transporter."
"There seem to be several units, and all of them appear to be malfunctioning."
"Are there no maintenance golems?"
"Please wait. There is something further back."
Finally, the screen displayed several deformed golems. However, all of them appeared to have been inactive for a very long time.