"… Right but how powerful is the ancient machina, because it sounds like Sin is relatively tough."

"They say the machina are as powerful as the aeons!"

"Are there people I can talk to who know more about the project who are hopefully not busy right now…?"

"No, and more information than this is confidential."

"… In case we, what, spread it to Sin? Use it for weapons for some other purpose?"

"Can't say."

"You can't say why it's confidential?"

"Yeah."

"Be back shortly then," he says, and flies up to go survey the area.

"See you."

North of the Highroad is the Mushroom Rock: a large expanse of dull flat rocks supported by thin pillars with lots of spaces between them, almost like an overlarge anthill. There are some Crusaders to be seen guarding the way along the rock road to the southern shore.

If he goes that way and doesn't actually speak to any of them, just sort of flaps about with his wings, does anyone talk to him…?

He's curious and surveying, not actively interrupting. (Plus that guy didn't give him much information and this feels like the sort of thing that will go horribly wrong, though at least these people hopefully know something about technology.)

Well the foot soldiers on the way to the main operation HQ all react pretty much the same as the one on the Highroad, with a side of "is this guy a fiend?"

… Oh ugh now he's gonna feel like he lied.

He waves and backs away slowly.

Well they won't attack him if he backs away slowly, fiends aren't known for that.

Oh that's nice.

Then he can keep observing from slightly further away. Is there anything useful he can get from watching them?

He can find out where HQ is, with a large array of advanced-looking cannons and other weapons pointed at the sea, plus a large metal cage with a huge ugly fiend inside.

Ugh.

He'll fly back to Kaede, report this.

He might be surprised to find that Kaede and the rest of the party have been let through the gate and seem to be making their way to the HQ themselves!

… Well okay, he'll make his way over there instead! "How come you got let through?"

"Seymour has the hots for me and let me through."

"Whoa whoa! That's no way to talk about a Maester of Yevon!"

Eyeroll. "Are you gonna interrupt them? I went over to them, some of them eyed me a bit, I came back."

"Maester Seymour for some reason wants us with them."

"Still can't believe he's letting them use these accursed machina."

"Technology continues not to be cursed," sighs Theo.