Chapter 1094.2
Tracking the monster with the naked eye wasn’t easy.
The massive tunnel was at least fifty meters below the surface, spreading out like an ant colony. The size and complexity of the tunnel system made it impossible to tell where the cave began or ended. It at first glance looked like the grotesque octopus monster had burrowed them out, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
When Rinne escaped from the tentacles and entered the research facility, the octopus monster hadn't managed to breach that area for a time. That wasn't behavior suitable for something that could create such a maze. In other words, there was an ancient ruin there that even the royal family of Alberta hadn’t known about. That was the conclusion Davey came to.
Vatan had discovered the ruin before Alberta did and managed to take over the research facility, then began to meddle in secret while Alberta was none the wiser.
That alone raised a multitude of questions and conclusions that didn’t make sense. Yet what left Davey even more baffled was the strange distortion barrier he found not long after entering. It twisted space itself to block pursuit and prevent intrusion from the outside.
He figured something must’ve gone wrong, for such a thing to be visible. Likely, part of the ruin’s system had broken down, and the distortion barrier collapsed from the inside, reconnecting the underground passage to the surface. If that hadn’t happened, even with the traces Rinne left behind, finding the place would’ve been nearly impossible.
“This is a massive ruin. Alberta isn’t run by complete fools, so how did they possibly miss this?”
If the ruin had been within Vatan’s territory, it would’ve made sense. Within enemy territory, beneath their noses the entire time? There was no shot.
[Alberta’s been full of pro-Vatan factions for a long time. Even now, that fact hasn't changed. Some of the nobles under Marquis Barogo probably helped facilitate this situation.]
Marquis Barogo had indeed aligned himself with the Vatan Kingdom, but not even he wanted his native Alberta Kingdom to be completely destabilized by them.
“Looks like you can’t even manage your own people. Look at the mess I’ve gotta clean up because of you.”
[W-Why do you have to clean it up?!]