Magi Craft Meister

ed to gather information here at Rok.
Although that was mostly just listening to gossip.

Even so, Deneb-20 whose hearing was multiple times better than a human’s was able to gather some fairly useful information in a day.

1.
The Unifiers’ influence is great on the shores of lake Azul.

2.
The Unifiers appear to have even dug into the central figures of Celuroa Kingdom.

3.
The Unifiers appear to be moving around excavating ancient ruins.

Numbers two and three weren’t really rumors, but since she had heard the same information from multiple sources their credibility seemed to be high.

Deneb-20 reported the information to Laojin.

“I see, very interesting news.
We’ve also got something to tell you.
First of all, we’ve established a way to recognize people who are under mental manipulation.”

Laojin continued his explanation.

“When detecting the Magic Energy pattern, in a normal condition it’s flat and in times of agitation the normal response is that the pattern peaks.
But a mentally manipulated person’s pattern is constantly flat.
However, it’s at the level of an agitated state.”

In other words, you could say a state of agitation is their usual state.
Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say they’re in a constant state of agitation.

“Although that’s only limited to people who have Magic Energy.”

Since it was about Magic Energy patterns, people without Magic Energy couldn’t be distinguished.
Although since there’s not much merit to mentally manipulating people without Magic Energy the method was practical enough.

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This discovery was the achievement of a Quinta sent elsewhere.

“Understood.
Thank you very much for the useful information.”

Deneb-20 immediately tried detecting the Magic Energy patterns of the townsfolk.
In so doing she found out that two people -someone who appeared to be the town mayor and their assistant- were unmistakably being manipulated.

(Right, [Shock] magic is used to dispel it.)

At the ruins of Keuwan, when returning Rucall who had been affected by [Hypno] back to normal, it was said that a shock needed to be administered to him during a state of agitation.
However, experiments afterwards showed that just the [Shock] magic was enough to dispel the affected person.
That was also according to the report of a Quinta working in another area.

That night, Deneb-20 took the opportunity to visit the mayor and their assistant while they were sleeping and use the [Shock] magic on the two.

After doing that, to get to her assigned area of Kemai she once more got naked and swam across river Azul.

This time Deneb-20 crossed the river without being found out and arrived at Kemai that same night.

She then began real information gathering in Kemai.

During the days she listened attentively to gossip, and during the nights she snuck into the houses of suspicious people and used the [Shock] magic on those who were confirmed to be under mental manipulation.

She also listened behind the tavern during the nights.
As you might expect, there was the possibility of someone seeing through that she is an Automata were she to enter the tavern, so she had to avoid that.

However, on the night of the third day.
Two men stood in front of Deneb-20 who had been listening to gossip behind the tavern.

“Oi, oi, sister, whatcha doing in a place like this?”

“Didja drink too much and start feeling ill? If that’s the case then we’ll take care of you.”

The two seemed to be rather drunk.
But on top of that Deneb-20 was detecting their specific Magic Energy patterns.

“Might you two know about the Unifiers?”

Deneb-20 tried asking.
The attitude of the men became remarkably rougher.

“What? Why did that name come out now?”

This might be a hit, Deneb-20 felt and replied,

“I also want to join the Unifiers so I came to this town.”

The men then glared at Deneb-20 with eyes full of suspicion.

“Hmm, if that’s true, then it’s not impossible to tell you.”

“Really?”

“However, there’s a condition.”

“Condition, you say? Anything long as it’s something I can do.”

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She had begun to grasp an important clue.
Deneb-20 hung onto this critical moment.

But one of the men smirked, checked Deneb-20 out from head to toe with a repulsive and contemptuous look in his eyes, then,

“Keep us company all night tonight.”

He said.
Deneb-20 wasn’t someone who didn’t understand what he meant.

“I see, how unfortunate.
I don’t have a body that can do such a thing, you see.”

She said and quickly made the two men faint with the [Shock] magic.
She then tied them up-

“Now then, these people doubtlessly have some information, but what should I do with them?”

Deneb-20 thought while looking down at the two tied-up men.
At that moment.

“Deneb-20, there’s something to talk about.”

Laojin got in contact.

“We’re constructing a ‘submersible base’ in Lake Azul so go help.”

“Roger that.”

Laojin had decided to build an advance base in Lake Azul which was a central location to the group of small nations.
The giant golem his master Jin had made could be sent out of it.

The Falcon VTOLs brought in materials for a Warp Gate.
The location was a small peninsula on the southern shore.

Deneb-20 had confirmed that it wasn’t in sight of people.

The Warp Gate was established, and Smith golems came through it.
Next was the materials for the submersible base.
Then the underwater golems, Mermaids came.

All the materials were thrown to the water and the construction took place underwater.

The Mermaid golems assembled the parts of the structure while the Smith golems combined them with [Fusion].

Deneb-20 was on the lookout and would deal with any people if they came close.
Deneb-21 and Deneb-19 were also there.

Because it was underwater, the construction continued all the same whether it was day or night.
In a day the submersible base was mostly completed.
It had a spherical shape.
The interior was divided to the top and bottom parts, with the top half having space for a Warp Gate.
The ceiling was able to open and close.

Various Magi Devices were stored in the lower half, but the vast majority was ballast (weights).

To sink the ballast portion took in water, and to rise to the surface it ejected water.
The system resembled a submarine.

After seeing it finished, Deneb-20 reported to Laojin about the captured two.

“That is indeed a great feat.
We’ll handle the questioning.”

Laojin praised Deneb-20 and collected the two prisoners.
Having been left alone for over a day they were quite obedient.

They weren’t certain of just how to question them, but with this as the start surely the location of the Unifiers’ headquarters would soon become apparent.

Today and tomorrow too, Deneb-20, nay, all the Quinta continued collecting information for Jin’s sake.