Now, turning the clock back a little to July 24.
It was the day after Maquina's party had returned from the Nameless Peak investigation.
Aboard his craft, the Aristotle, Deus Ex Machina was putting the finishing touches on the magi-monitor's calibration.
"All right, that takes care of that."
"Oh, that was fast."
The Aristotle was currently touching down in Rekode, located in the southern part of the Mimaka Principality. The town also served as a garrison post for the World Security Guard.
Representatives from the Norha Principality, the Darato Principality, and the Mimaka Principality had gathered in the craft, watching the live feeds from the magic eyes installed on Nameless Peak the previous day.
"Oho, the image comes through remarkably clear."
"So this is the summit of Nameless Peak..."
The officials from each principality who had not taken part in the previous operation peered curiously at the display.
The roster of delegates present was as follows:
From the Darato Principality: Minister of Internal Affairs Maise Y Haga.
From the Norha Principality: First Technology Bureau Undersecretary Nahams Marow.
And from the Mimaka Principality: Ministry of Magic Undersecretary Junki Kitts Shu and Ministry of Military Affairs Undersecretary Boon Sumiya.
Because no one knew how many days this verification test might take, undersecretary-class officials had been dispatched rather than the heads of their respective organizations.
Even so, the Minister of Internal Affairs from the Darato Principality had attended in person, demonstrating his country's keen interest in the matter.
Three magic eyes were stationed across different vantage points, each capturing the antenna from distinct angles and distances.
The antenna under surveillance resembled a dish used to receive satellite radio waves.
"This antenna is designed to receive mana waves, which is why the dish itself is crafted from mithril," Maquina explained. "It appears to be oriented roughly toward the east."
From its alignment, one could infer that it was configured to receive transmissions originating from the direction of the Mimaka and Norha Principalities.
"Judging by the fact that it isn't facing the Darato Principality, either they have no operatives over there relaying communications, or..."
Maquina paused for a moment before continuing at an even pace.
"There is also a chance they are communicating without relaying through Nameless Peak at all... Though that remains mere conjecture."
Because Nameless Peak loomed directly between the Jagus and Mimaka Principalities, there was no travel between them and not a single connecting road.
On the other hand, the Jagus Principality shared direct land borders with both Norha and Darato, meaning Jagus was far more likely to employ alternative means there.
"Even so, we cannot act on speculation alone. We must start with what lies before us... Now then, let us begin."
Squire Rei had remained on-site, standing by to tamper with the antenna at Maquina's command.
Without ever exposing herself to the magic eyes or the magi-monitor, Rei hurled a pebble about the size of a fingertip straight at the antenna, scoring a direct hit.
"Oh!"
With that single strike, the antenna's orientation shifted—specifically, tilting upward toward the sky.
Everyone watching was convinced that it would no longer be capable of properly receiving mana waves.
Just because the antenna malfunctioned did not mean a response would come immediately.
Leaving the surveillance to the tireless golems, Maquina seized the opportunity to prospect for subterranean mineral resources.
The foreign delegates remained on board, watching Maquina's actions with rapt fascination.
Piloting the Aristotle, Maquina flew to the foothills of Nameless Peak, briefly set down to survey for resources, and then took to the air again, repeating the process across various sectors.
In reality, he already knew the exact locations of the mineral veins and was merely going through the motions.
At the foothills of Nameless Peak—roughly 50 kilometers southeast of the summit and about 70 kilometers west of the town of Regoko:
"There is a magi-crystal vein right here."
"Oh! Truly?! That is fantastic news!"
First, Maquina uncovered a rich vein of magi-crystals within the borders of the Mimaka Principality.
"It lies about 50 meters underground, so excavating it will require extensive engineering, but I will lend my assistance."
"Thank you ever so much!"
With that, a highly promising mining operation was slated for development within the Mimaka Principality.
Next came the Darato Principality.
After four exploratory surveys, the fifth bore fruit.
"A magi-crystal vein has been located here."
"Ooh! Our country has one as well!"
The site was situated roughly 50 kilometers south-southwest of the summit, approximately 150 kilometers due north of the town of Somioshi along the South Coast Highway.
"This one is also around 50 meters below the surface."
Evidently, the Origin Clan had never layered earth over the foothills of Nameless Peak, leaving the mineral deposits at relatively shallow depths.
Finally, the Norha Principality.
At a point 80 kilometers northeast of the summit and 70 kilometers west of the town of Basisus:
"There is a magi-crystal vein roughly 80 meters underground."
"Oh! What an immense blessing!"
In this manner, magi-crystal veins were successfully pinpointed for all three principalities.
A day and a half was spent on the surveys.
Then, on July 27, there was a development.
Deus Ex Machina called out to the delegates gathered around the display.
"Look there... Are those golems?"
Appearing on the screen were two golems accompanied by two humans who looked to be technicians.
"It seems the technicians made the climb on foot while making their golems haul the gear."
So they didn't arrive by hot air balloon after all, Maquina mused privately.
Most likely, they could not guarantee a pinpoint landing on a cramped precipice like the summit.
"There is a mine partway up the mountain, so they probably used that as their base camp."
Maquina noted that with a mine located between 1,500 and 1,800 meters above sea level, using it as a staging point spared them the grueling effort of climbing all the way up from the base.
"They've brought repair tools along, I see."
The dent caused by the pebble strike was being hammered back into place with a wooden mallet.
(A single cast of Forming would have fixed that in an instant,) Maquina couldn't help but think.
Once the antenna was aligned back into position and a quick operational check was completed, the technicians made a hasty descent.
Given the harsh conditions atop a 3,026-meter mountain, Maquina and the others figured the crew understandably had no desire to linger.
"Well, that settles it. That antenna undeniably belongs to the Jagus Principality."
Having witnessed technicians from the Jagus Principality personally carry out the repairs, there was no room for doubt.
"Well, now that the jig is up, we have no intention of letting them glean anything useful from us. Instead, we'll feed them false intelligence," Boon Sumiya, the Mimaka Principality's Ministry of Military Affairs Undersecretary, declared aggressively.
Thanks to this experiment, they had firmly established that the Jagus Principality had installed the antenna, and that maintenance crews would arrive within two days of any malfunction.
Bit by bit, the veil was being lifted on the Jagus Principality's technological capabilities and domestic governance...