Everything was ready. After cleaning up the site, we followed Reed in the direction she came from. Of course, we werent just walking without doing anything. We took the time to catch up with each other about what happened after leaving the Republic.
"This investigation of the Imperial Army was actually my idea first!"
Mia quickly clarified everyones assumptions, which were a bit different from what we thought. It turned out that she and Reed had met up much earlier than expected. Just when Reed was about to reach the border between the Empire and the Republic, Mia had already intercepted her.
But the reason they insisted on coming to the Empire was because Reed had heard from the Republic's army about some strange metal bugs being used to build border bases here.
Those metal bugs were the same mechanical insects we saw in the tunnels! These things weren't very strong individually, but they were great at working together, with high intelligence and efficiency! While on a mission, they didn't need to eat, drink, or even rest.
Based on our observations, these mechanical bugs seemed to draw energy directly from the surrounding elements, without needing anyone to charge them! Because of this, the base's expansion speed was incredibly fast, much faster than what could be done with human labor or even magical assistance!
This kind of high-tech "technology" appearing in this world was really unusual. Reed and Mia believed it might be connected to the origin of the "Eye of Galadra" So, after discussing it, they decided to sneak in and investigate the truth before the base was fully completed.
But unexpectedly, shortly after they sneaked in, a shield isolating elements suddenly rose around the base. They hadn't even had time to contact Edenmere before they were completely trapped inside.
"Why didn't you try to escape? And those mechanical bugs, I heard they weren't even developed by the Empire itself. They don't have the technology. So what's the point of staying here?"
I didn't quite understand. Since they had already gained legitimate internal identities, wouldn't it be easy to find an excuse to leave?
As for the identity of the mysterious man in white, I doubted that staying here, even disguised as Imperial soldiers, would reveal the truth. I even suspected that the Emperor Reider himself might not know. Of course, if he could use his so-called "System" to investigate the truth, that would be a different matter.
"There's still some value..."
Reed shook her head, denying it. But then she suddenly gave Cyra a strange look before continuing. "Although the investigation of the mechanical bugs didn't make much progress, we discovered that the Empire is researching a new type of special weapon here! The Imperial soldier we were impersonating happened to be a core researcher on this special weapon project. Using this identity, we could get a closer look at the weapon's purpose and power. Besides, this was a rare opportunity, so we didn't rush to leave..."
"Moreover, the identity of a core researcher is too important to the Imperial Army. During these rushed days, we weren't allowed to go out at all. Even if we wanted to escape and send a message, we didn't have a chance!"
Mia nodded in agreement, adding her thoughts.
"The new type of special weapon you're talking about, could it be..."
Hearing this, I immediately thought of that huge "Gundam" in the massive hangar, but I couldn't quite remember the name. "Something like Midas?"
"Yes, it's Midas! Have you seen it already?"
Mia was a bit surprised, but then she remembered that we had snuck in using invisibility, so it wasn't too surprising that we discovered this secret.
"I remember the design for Midas was provided to the Empire by a mysterious man in white. So you've probably seen the design as well, right?"
Adrian pondered for a moment before asking. I understood what he meant. If we couldn't get reliable information directly, maybe we could find some useful clues from the documents the other side leaked, like the origin of the technology.
"Not much, because the contents of the design are too deep!"
Unfortunately, Reed shook her head, looking a bit regretful as she explained to us. "Besides the different understanding of elements, it also involves a lot of knowledge about machinery, circuits, and chips. This is not only rare and advanced in this world but even for Earth's technology! I could barely understand a small part of it. The rest of the functions had to be supplemented with magic arrays. But even so, Midas is only a half-finished product. Its technological content is far inferior to those mechanical bugs!"
I didn't expect that even someone as brilliant as Reed would face such an insurmountable challenge, making the identity of that mysterious man in white even more mysterious!
"So, does that mean that... Midas was actually made by you?"
As for Cyra, her thoughts were more focused. She wasn't too interested in the man in white and was thinking about Gundam the entire time.
"It's not entirely our work, but without our hard work and Reed's sleepless nights, it wouldn't be nearing completion so quickly! When we first took over this mess, the Imperial magic researchers were completely overwhelmed. Thanks to Reed's guidance, they managed to overcome one hurdle after another. Otherwise, the Emperor would have sent them to the gallows by now!"
Mia nodded, not denying it. It was clear she was excited about this. Although this trip to the Ilandra Dominion Empire was dangerous, it was also quite fruitful.
Now, there was no need to ask any more. We all understood that these two research enthusiasts got curious. They encountered technology that was completely different from the magical world, and then a Gundam appeared out of nowhere! Naturally, their curiosity was piqued, and it's no wonder they stayed behind!
However, since they had created Midas, even if it was just an incomplete version, its power shouldn't be underestimated. Leaving it in the hands of the Empire was dangerous and could pose a new threat to us! However, Mia and Reed didn't seem too worried about this. They didn't say why, but they just told us to follow them somewhere.
…
Not long after, we left the deserted area and arrived outside the research base. Along the way, we passed several teams searching for intruding spies. But with the legitimate identities of Imperial magic researchers, even if someone noticed the light element aura on us, we could easily bluff our way through.
"Sorry! This is a restricted area. Please show your entry permit!"
At an unremarkable entrance, we were stopped. The path ahead was off-limits to regular soldiers. A few fully armed soldiers reached out to stop us as soon as they saw us approaching.
"Idini!"
Reed wasn't fazed at all. She casually showed them a card and walked right in.
"Memi!"
Mia followed closely behind. Seeing this, Cyra and I quickly took out Tagilu and Niki's identity cards from our pockets. We had already used a voice-changing magic scroll, so there was no fear of revealing any flaws.
"What about yours? If you don't have a special area entry card, you're not allowed to enter according to the rules!"
However, when it was Adrian's turn, there was trouble. He hadn't disguised himself as anyone, just changed his outfit, so he was unceremoniously stopped outside.
"He's our bodyguard. The previous one, Apton, was completely unreliable. When we were out on an errand earlier, he suddenly said he needed to use the restroom, but after waiting for a long time, he never came back! We needed protection to hurry back to work, so we applied for a new guard from the logistics department, but we haven't had time to get the entry permit!"
Mia was well-prepared for this situation and quickly explained it to the guards. After spending these past few days together, we had become quite familiar with them. Although they acted strictly according to the rules, they were generally friendly with us.
"Oh, I see. Since you two are vouching for him, there's no problem. I'll notify the security department to issue the newcomer's ID immediately!"
It was surprising how much face Idini and Memi had! The guards accepted the explanation without any suspicion, and Adrian unexpectedly obtained a legitimate identity.
"That Apton guy is really suspicious! He's been missing for so long! Maybe he's the one who colluded with the enemy to let the spies in. You should investigate him thoroughly!"
Cyra, on the other hand, wasn't very kind and took the opportunity to throw Apton under the bus, making me shake my head.
"Huh? Oh... okay!"
The guards' expressions seemed a bit odd, but they quickly responded to her request. Afraid that Cyra might say something more to cause trouble, Mia quickly pulled her along, and we finally passed through the research base checkpoint.