After returning to Hourai Island, Jin headed straight for the command room to begin a briefing with Lordtoss.
"First, Laojun. Where exactly did they flee?"
"Yes, My Lord. It is Mount Onoyuni in the Celuroa Kingdom."
"Mount Onoyuni... Mount Onoyuni..."
As Jin pondered the name, searching his memory, Laojun projected a map of the kingdom onto a magi-screen.
"My Lord, it is a mountain towering over the northern Corin region. They have a base deep underground near the Graphus Mine."
That clicked for Jin. "Ah, I see. That mountain."
It was a peak located slightly north of the Tropic of Cancer. There were three productive mines in the area, with the Graphus Mine situated on the southern slope of Mount Onoyuni.
"The Graphus Mine only reaches about fifty meters down, but the enemy base was constructed at a depth of five hundred meters. It is, quite literally, their final stronghold."
Jin nodded at Laojun's report. "As expected of you, Laojun. You've already dug that deep into their secrets?"
"You flatter me. To be precise, their true 'final stronghold' was likely the base in Mount Nakyu on the Pandor Continent where Markitus was entrenched." Laojun added that no one currently in the Magic Federation should be aware of that location.
"True. That place utilized the technology of the Progenitors as well."
"What is the scale and equipment of this base?" Lordtoss asked.
"It is a large-scale facility that includes its own arsenal." Laojun explained that this was the very factory where the majority of the golems used by the Magic Federation had been manufactured. "Naturally, there are numerous security golems stationed there. I have confirmed forty-three units."
"I know I'm the one who asked," Lordtoss said, sounding impressed yet bewildered, "but may I ask how you've learned all this?"
"Certainly, Lordtoss. We utilize a device called a Peeper."
Laojun went on to explain the operating principles of the Peeper. As a magi craftsman himself, Lordtoss seemed to grasp the concept immediately.
"I-I see... Forgive me for interrupting. Please, continue."
"As it is a secret base, its external armaments are meager." Laojun noted that their design philosophy seemed to prioritize remaining hidden over active defense. "At their peak, they had up to two hundred golems for protection."
Jin figured that such a force would have likely provided them with a sufficient sense of security. "So, how many people are there now?"
"Yes, My Lord. There are five."
"That's a small number, isn't it?"
"Yes. The remnants are disorganized and appear to be acting independently."
Jin thought those were often the most troublesome kind to deal with.
"These five all appear to be technical specialists. They seem to have been the ones responsible for the majority of the Magic Federation's magi-devices, magi machines, and golems."
"In that case, is Graham Derby not among them?"
"No, he is not. Their names are Garakeus, Picches, Fosmer, Bretta, and Warden." Laojun further explained that because they were technical types, they were poor at strategic planning, which resulted in the crude operations they had seen lately.
"But there's no doubt Graham Derby was cooperating with these five, right?" Jin asked. After all, there had been a magic circle in Graham's former room in Avalon, and the golems and Pseudo-Gigas had been sent through circles Graham was believed to have installed.
"That is almost certain. However, as Graham Derby's current whereabouts are unknown, it remains unclear whether he acted under brainwashing or of his own free will."
"I see... Do those five not know where Graham is?"
"Based on the conversations I have eavesdropped on, there has been no indication that they do."
"I see..."
The remnants of the Magic Federation were scattered across the globe. Finding and dealing with every last one of them seemed like a daunting task.
"I suspect they were participating of their own volition rather than being brainwashed," Lordtoss said with a grim expression. "They likely don't even care about the Magic Federation's ideology; they're probably just opportunists trying to secure their own interests."
"Yeah, that sounds like the type," Jin agreed. "If that's the case, they'll be hard to root out completely."
"However, My Lord, they cannot accomplish much without a foundation."
"A foundation?...Ah, I get it." Jin realized what Laojun was getting at. Without funds, a base of operations, or logistical support, they were limited in what they could achieve.
"In that sense, it is vital that we capture those five and learn how many other secret bases and strongholds like this one remain."
"Right... Were there no records of that in the back of the abandoned mine?"
"No, My Lord. It appears such documents were either taken when they fled or destroyed. We found nothing."
"I suppose that makes sense." Even if they were technical specialists, they weren't such amateurs that they would leave a trail for people to follow.
"In that case, should I have Maquina handle it?" Jin didn't think it was wise to leave these five to their own devices any longer.
"No, let us settle this with Hourai Island's own forces."
Maquina III was a public persona. He couldn't afford to do anything too over-the-top. However, if Hourai Island acted independently, they could deploy their full strength without restraint.
"I have not yet informed anyone else about this enemy base." Of course, Mentor, who served under Laojun, was aware. "We can hand them over to Maquina after we have captured them."
Then, they could claim that he had tracked them down through his own investigation.
"Let's go with that." Jin personally wanted to be done with these distractions. Still, having come this far, he couldn't just leave the matter unresolved.
"I have already dispatched the Shinobi Squad as an advance party."
"As expected of you, Laojun."
"First, I shall have them confirm the interior layout of the base."
"The question is, what should our next objective be?"
The Five-man group was currently in the middle of a meeting.
"Our influence has shrunk considerably. I believe it is important that we reconsider our goals at this point."
Through the eyes and ears of the Shinobi Squad, the occupants of the Hourai Island command room were able to watch and listen in real-time. Since the Peeper could not transmit audio, this method provided a significant tactical advantage.
"In the first place, it's not like any of us actually cared about the Magic Federation's ideology."
"Exactly. We only joined because they let us build whatever we wanted."
"I feel the same....After all, our work cannot exist without the necessary materials."
"...They have surprisingly decent judgment," Jin muttered to himself as he watched the transmitted footage.
However...
"The completion of the Final Weapon... that's still quite a ways off."
"Umu. We're only at about fifty percent, aren't we?"
"Yeah, that's right."
The mention of such an ominous term caused Jin's focus to sharpen instantly.