The "unusual ruins" had yielded no significant documents.
"They'll be so disappointed," Sion murmured.
"Yeah, I suppose so," Jin replied. "Still, we can't exactly hide the truth from them."
"We just have to tell them exactly how it is," Hanna added with a wry smile.
And so, after returning to the upper level, Jin and his companions explained to the brothers Reconaus and Tonelius what they had found on the lower floor—or more accurately, that they hadn't found anything at all.
"That is unfortunate..." Tonelius muttered, his shoulders slumping.
However, his elder brother Reconaus remained composed. "If we can understand the history behind why it was left this way, that itself is a discovery," he said. He maintained a positive outlook, showing little sign of discouragement.
Since Hanna, Saki, Goose, and Sion wanted to continue their research at the ruins for a while longer, Jin decided to leave Smith 1 and Nurse Alpha there, sending in Land 101 and 102 to serve as guards.
Marikka headed to Onogoro Island alone. She intended to consult the supervising brain, Testa, about these ruins. Jin was equally curious about what she might learn.
"Let me know the moment you find anything," he told her.
"I will, Jin-sama."
With that, Jin and Reiko returned to Hourai Island.
"Laojun, what do you think?"
Jin wanted to hear Laojun's perspective on the findings from this investigation. Thanks to repeated upgrades, Laojun's current processing power was dozens of times greater than that of a Progenitor magi-brain—enough to simulate every conceivable possibility in an instant.
『Yes, My Lord. Considering the state of the reference room and the traces where the magi-brain was removed, one possibility is that after the base was vacated, hostile parties broke in. Finding nothing of value, they may have destroyed the shelves and other fixtures out of spite.』
"Did the Progenitors truly possess such emotions?"
『No, but we cannot rule out the possibility that it was one of their auxiliary species.』
"I suppose so."
『Furthermore, it is almost certain that the timing of the facility's evacuation and the timing of the ransacking do not coincide.』
"Hmm, I see."
『However...』
Laojun stated that any further speculation would be pointless due to the sheer lack of information.
"True enough. Let's wait for word from Marikka."
With that settled, Jin headed toward the House.
Waiting for him there were his wife Elsa, his son Yuu, and his daughter Mio. Reiko, being considerate of the family's time, chose to remain at the laboratory.
"Welcome home, Dear."
"Oto-cha, welcome home!"
"Father, welcome home!"
"I'm home."
Jin caught the twins in his arms as they rushed toward him the moment he stepped through the entrance. He offered an apology to the three of them. "Sorry I didn't come straight here as soon as I got back."
Elsa gave him a gentle smile, showing she understood. "It’s all right. You found something... difficult, didn't you?"
Jin nodded. "That's right. Or rather, it’s more like I didn't find anything at all."
"...?"
Jin then explained the situation at the ruins to Elsa while keeping the twins entertained.
"...So, it was a type of ruin unlike any we've seen before."
"Exactly. It's been weighing on my mind a little."
"And what about Marikka-san?"
"She went to Onogoro Island."
"Ah, to ask Testa?"
"That's the plan."
Meanwhile, on Onogoro Island, Marikka was listening to what the supervising brain, Testa, had to say.
"I—I have to tell Jin-sama and the others about this right away!"
Having finished her conversation with Testa, Marikka hurried toward the Warp Gate, eager to relay this information to Jin and Sion.
While Jin was relaxing at the House, a message arrived from Laojun.
『My Lord, Marikka-sama has arrived. Sion-sama is with her as well.』
"Understood. I'll head over."
Jin replied immediately, sensing that the information he had been waiting for had finally arrived. He stood up to head to the laboratory. Elsa said she would stay at the House with the twins, adding that she would expect a full explanation later.
"Marikka, based on your expression, it looks like you've discovered something new?"
"Y-Yes, that's right!"
Jin, Sion, and Marikka met in the laboratory's command room. Marikka began to relay the information she had just received from Testa.
"First of all, that ruin was a facility belonging to the Invasion Faction."
The Invasion Faction. They were a sect of the Radical Faction, and even more extreme than the Pioneer Faction that had created No. 600012.
"The Invasion Faction possessed a vast number of combat golems. At some point in the past, once their preparations were complete, they intended to conquer Planet Ars."
"Including the descendants of their own kin?" Jin asked, recalling that the Hale were supposed to be a peaceful people.
"Yes, Jin-sama. I was concerned about that as well, so I confirmed it with Testa. It seems they were a very small minority. Apparently, they diverged from the main group after arriving here on Ars."
『The change in environment likely brought about a shift in their ideology,』 Laojun added.
Jin could understand that to an extent, so he didn't press the matter further.
"...I see. So it was a base for the Invasion Faction..."
Testa had indeed possessed the information they needed.
"And it seems their ambitions for conquest were thwarted by their own kin before they could be realized."
The ransacked floor was likely a remnant of that conflict, Marikka noted.
"That makes sense."
"The weapons they possessed, including the golems, were apparently taken away. It seems some of them eventually resurfaced during the Negadoll incident—specifically the Angiras and the Gorg."
The Angiras were winged gargoyles, while the Gorg were golems made entirely of adamantite.
"However, Testa also mentioned that before that floor was ransacked—that is, before the facility was attacked by their kin—the Invasion Faction supposedly relocated their base."
"Was there any information on where they went?"
"No, that part was vague. Testa only knew that it was 'another continent in the northern hemisphere'."
"That's a shame..."
"I'm sorry."
『My Lord, since they were in complete opposition, it is likely they would not have informed Testa of their destination. It is only natural that no records exist beyond that point.』
"I suppose you're right."
This finally explained why there was so little information regarding the Invasion Faction.
"Another continent in the northern hemisphere, huh... Perhaps the Lauren Continent?"
"The Lashier Continent... isn't really in the northern hemisphere, so it might be the Pandor Continent," Sion suggested.
"True....We'll probably end up investigating it eventually."
"But as for the Nord Federation, we have to focus on stabilizing our own land first."
The population had been decimated by the incident last year, and the Nord Federation was still in the middle of reconstruction. It was only natural for Sion to say so.
Still, their conversation went on.