Turning point (9)
As soon as the meeting ended, we immediately put our discussion into action. There was nothing to be gained from delay, so we began searching for the hidden observation posts right away.
Licorice narrowed down the candidate sites based on the records left in Observation Post 3, and we headed first to the nearest point. Unfortunately, the first site was a bust, but luckily, the second one was a hit.
Since the observation posts would have been built in the same period, we assumed they would share a similar overall design. We relayed this information to the drones and set them searching.
It was a bold move that risked detection by the pureblood supremacists' scan web, but we judged it better to move decisively rather than be fearful and slow down in a place where we were confident Archive would be found.
The second signal post we successfully activated, observation Post 7, was positioned on a mid-mountain slope, just like Observation Post 3. Here, too, it was difficult to find, as the site was being consumed by steadily growing, inverted icicles.
If not for Nadia, whose beastkin senses noticed some kind of wave emitting from Observation Post 3, it would have been much more difficult.
Thanks to Nadia, we located Observation Post 7. It was a triumph we achieved in just a few hours.
Licorice's minimum estimated requirement was three. With two posts activated, there was just one left. Even with only two posts up and running, there was already a dramatic change in the energy field masking Mithrim Montes.
The field, rather than just shimmering, now seemed to flow downward, like a veil being pulled away.
'Still, we can't get through yet.'
The rejection response from the energy field exceeded our expectations. We sent a drone into it as an experiment, but instead of simply blowing up, it was utterly shredded.
It didn't take long to realize that the special energy making up the barrier was vibrating so rapidly, like a high-speed oscillation blade, that the eye couldn't perceive the movement. Perhaps that was fortunate for Kyle—it had already been determined that none of our outer shell armor would be able to withstand it.
Moving from one candidate to the next, we kept searching for another probable observation post location. Before we knew it, there were only three candidates left.
To have a full success, we had to find one that remained structurally intact. For reference, Griffin was also taking part in the search.
From what I heard, it wasn't terrain abundant in resources. Maybe due to the gravity cannon, the terrain itself had become highly unstable.
'Now, our only hope is Myosotis, who should be in orbit.'
We didn't have enough strength to focus solely on resource extraction. Dozens of drones had already been deployed, and that alone probably attracted attention.
Trying to both extract resources and conduct a search at the same time would be overreaching. It would make dealing with unexpected situations nearly impossible. As always, now and in the future, we could not afford to lose any of our strength.
I was riding in the shuttle toward one of the remaining sites. I glanced down at Celestia, who had dozed off clutching my arm. She seemed exhausted, likely from walking around to help with the search since we couldn't leave it to robots alone.
Knowing that even a short nap was good for stamina preservation, I steadied myself so as not to wake her, and asked quietly,
"Licorice, have you heard anything from Roxy?"
— Not yet. It's not like he's sleeping...
Several hours had passed since we'd sent the encrypted communication, but there was still no reply. It was getting on Licorice's nerves, too; she didn't hide her discomfort.
"What are the odds the communication device is broken?"
— If anything, that's more likely. Roxy wouldn't have been captured by the pureblood supremacists. How would they catch him? He upgraded the reconnaissance craft with an afterburner.
"... But if he did get caught?"
— ...
Only a silent breath answered me. Licorice couldn't bring herself to reply.
An uneasy feeling stirred in me. I tried to reassure myself that Roxy would be fine, but the worries wouldn't settle.
There was no denying Celestia was the most important key to our escape. Because of her, we could hope to get support from Myosotis.
Second in importance was Roxy—not me, nor anyone else. Even before the moment we tried to unlock satellite containment through Archive, this place was bound to become a battleground. If we wanted to hold any ground at all, Roxy's piloting skills were essential.
No one else could shoulder that burden, nor would they be nearly as effective. Roxy was irreplaceable.
"... He really could have been caught. Cystus hasn't moved openly yet, has he?"
Cystus had kept out of sight lately, almost like he was plotting something. If he'd intervened, Roxy might have been caught in his clutches.
— Still, you realize we couldn't go rescue him, right? We already agreed not to come after him even if something happened.
"...."
This time I fell silent. I understood what Licorice meant. If Roxy was caught by the pureblood supremacists, all we could do was seek revenge, not rescue him. There was a far higher chance they'd just kill him rather than keep him for leverage.
Even trying to go after him would be a problem. We had no idea where their base was. At best, we could only stay ahead of the pursuit squads.
Moving constantly to avoid getting entangled was the best option; it was impossible to scout out an enemy base without any leeway, and we didn't have any to spare.
'I don't even know how many there are, or how big...'
Even if we found one by chance, the odds of Roxy being there were almost nil.
— For now, we just have to trust him. Maybe it's some minor problem and he can't reply. I'll keep looking into Roxy's case, but you focus on the situation at hand.
"Yes."
— Just to be clear, I'm not saying we're giving up on Roxy, okay? You understand?
"I know. I never thought that."
I'd known Licorice about as long as I'd known Roxy. Even if our more personal conversations were recent, I knew he existed.
Licorice's specialty was being prickly, but she wasn't the type to make a ruthless decision to abandon someone. Once, maybe, but not anymore.
— ... I'm relieved. Anyway, Griffin just checked in. No reaction from observation posts at the other remaining sites except where we're heading.
Licorice cleared her throat, shifting the topic. She reported that she'd found traces of an observation post at one site, but that was it.
These posts were designed to function in extreme environments, but after years with no maintenance, they'd been destroyed. It was exactly as we'd feared.
It wasn't ordinary ice but inverted icicles, affected by the Blue Crystal, that grew toward the sky and invaded the base's gaps, and those gaps had slowly widened until the place was split apart by the ice.
"So there's got to be one at this next site."
— Right. If not... well, we'll have to scan again. There might be somewhere we missed.
Finally, the shuttle slowed, and a white vista spread out beyond the window. It was the usual color, but this time the terrain wasn't so rough.
"Flatland..."
"You're awake?"
"I should get up, shouldn't I...?"
Celestia turned, covering her mouth with one hand as she yawned. Judging by how long it went, she was carrying more fatigue than I'd realized.
No wonder. Unlike me, with my greatly increased recovery rate, Celestia was just normal. A day or two of forced rest wasn't nearly enough for full recovery.
"Wow... I wasn't trying to nap, but I must have dozed off on instinct. I don't even know when I lost consciousness."
"I didn't wake you on purpose. You were even drooling on my shoulder. Thought it was raining for a second."
"Really?!"
Celestia quickly wiped her lips with her hand, then glanced at my face with big, suspicious eyes. When she saw her lips were dry and not a hint of drool, it dawned on her I'd been joking.
"Come on, let's get moving. We need to find the observation post, right?"
I rose quickly, and Celestia reluctantly followed. Pushing away my worries about Roxy, we stepped out of the shuttle; the snow on the ground gave way, burying our ankles.
"Any readings...?"
I pulled out a makeshift detector—an instrument designed to pick up the faint waves emitted from the converted signal post at Observation Post 3. On its screen, a scan circle marked out the location.
"Thankfully, there's something. Whether we can get it running as a signal post is another question, though."
All around us was endless snowy plain. There were no hills or peaks where something might be hidden. Nor was there anything unusual in the sky.
"We're getting a signal but nothing's visible, so..."
"That means there can only be one place left."
Celestia looked down. She suspected the post we were searching for was underground.
With terrain soaring skyward like that, surely there would be deep depressions that reached just as far toward the core.
We tracked the spot where the signal peaked and called Canna.
"Canna, bring all the Beta Series over here. We'll need small excavation gear."
"Right away!"
Canna was confirming if there were any other signals, but she replied quickly and soon approached with the Beta Series in tow.
"Should we dig here?"
"Yes. Somewhere around here, but I don't know how deep. I'll set the guidelines; just follow those."
I grabbed a standard—unmodified—plasma cutter, a mining tool I hadn't used in ages. Excavating was my specialty. Time to show that three years as a miner hadn't gone to waste.
The excavation area couldn't be too broad or too narrow; either extreme would reduce efficiency. Laying out an optimal area was crucial.
"I'll help too!"
Celestia arrived, holding a polar impact driver intended for tunnel blasting. She struck a confident pose and told me to just give the word. She had the posture down—must have seen it somewhere.
I smoothly swapped her tool with mine, taking the impact driver from her and handing over the plasma cutter.
"It's too soon for you to handle this. I'll use it."
"Ah, um...!"
Celestia, momentarily disappointed, reached for her tool before letting go. The polar impact driver was technically heavy equipment and had significant recoil, not something a non-expert should use.
Her suit might be leagues beyond mine, but that and my concern were different matters.
When I firmly said no, Celestia accepted it without protesting further. I expected her to sulk, but she didn't really seem upset—in fact, she seemed just fine.
'Been a while since I've done this.'
I charged the energy into the driver, set its stake in the ground, and fired.
*Thunk!*
The stake's energy radiated through the frozen earth. A clear metallic sound rang out, and the solidified ground shuddered.
Chunks held together by cold and ice split from within, gaining a bit of flow. The pieces were still big, but not impossible to lift.
As I broke up the ground, the Beta Series moved busily, carrying out the loosened chunks. Canna and Celestia took care of the pit's sides, carefully scraping the walls with plasma cutters, checking if anything was hidden—like an archaeological dig.
Who knows how much ground we dug through? By the time the rocky spoil formed a hill, Licorice called in on the comm.
— Need backup? Griffin's finished his search, so we can send more of the Beta Series.
"Hmm... I think we're almost there. The signal's getting stronger."
— Then I'll send Woof-woof first. She's been singing about wanting to come over. If I don't send her soon, I'll get neurosis or something.
"Haha, got it. Tell Canna—"
Knowing Nadia joining would really speed things up, I was about to accept support. Or rather, I would have—
...*Clang!*
But a different sound echoed, not the usual one. It wasn't the ice-mixed rock, but the heavy, metallic sound of the stake hitting metal.
"...!"
I stopped mid-sentence and dug at the spot where the sound had come from. Like sweeping with a broom, I briskly brushed away the soil and revealed what was hidden.
「O-」
Letters began to appear at the edge. They weren't fully uncovered, but enough to understand the meaning.
「OB-2」
Observation Post 2. The third post—the signal post we'd been searching for—had finally appeared. Unlike Observation Post 3, with its overgrowing inverted icicles, this one was buried in earth.
I called all nearby members over the radio.
"Tell Nadia she doesn't need to come. We found it. Observation Post 2."
— What? Wait up. There, see? How am I supposed to know that? You're underestimating me lately—ah! Put that down. I said, put it down. Tell Lee Hyun-woo, not me! Why do you always come to me... Ahem. Lee Hyun-woo, saying Woof-woof doesn't need to come means it's in decent shape, right?
"Uh, yeah. The part we've exposed looks like the roof, so as long as we clear this section, we shouldn't have to dig out the rest."
— Got it. Call me again when you've set up the controller. I've got stuff to organize in the meantime.
"Understood."
As soon as the comm ended, we started clearing the area around the glowing part of the signal post. Now that the task was clear, the work proceeded far faster than before.
We made sure no falling debris from above would block the light. Since the controller didn't have to be directly on the post, we just set it roughly atop it.
We drove the heavy metal column firmly in place, then called Licorice. She checked the post's condition and declared it fit to function as a signal post.
By now, darkness had settled over the sky. Albatross, which had been hiding behind thick, high clouds, descended and lit up the ground.
— Controller activated. All ground personnel, return to Albatross. All that's left is heading to Archive, so this'll be our last prep.
The controller set atop the post deployed its panels. In the moment the energy flows realigned, just as before, the signal post blazed an intense beam.
Suddenly, as if in localized daylight, the darkness split, and the energy field cloaking the fake terrain was slowly neutralized. Bit by bit, the true landscape hidden beneath began to show.
Seated in the return shuttle, we watched all of it unfold.
"... So that's the real Mithrim Montes."
The mountain range with Titan's highest peak. Its summits had become even more grand and towering through repeated terraforming cycles, now reaching the sky.
At the place where sky and earth met, a gigantic cube sat—crackling with red sparks.
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