Although Edward was still unable to determine whether this rumor was true or false, from the moment he heard it, he began making preparations.
Since this "secret place" was said to lie in the wilderness, he had to prepare for the wilderness.
Edward temporarily set aside the unknown dangers of the wild. The first thing he needed to prepare for was how to avoid being bathed in moonlight out there.
Either he needed a large number of soul coins to resist the moonlight.
Or he needed to build a movable room... for instance, a fully enclosed carriage.
Edward decided to prepare both.
He would stockpile more soul coins while building a fully enclosed mechanical carriage with sturdy, tightly sealed materials.
That way, even if he encountered powerful beasts in the wilderness, he could rely on the carriage's defenses to hold them off. The mechanical horses also possessed a certain degree of combat strength. They might not necessarily be much help, but at least they would not be a nuisance like living horses. Living horses would be swallowed by savage beasts not long after setting out.
As he began making these two preparations, Edward continued gathering information about the secret place.
He even borrowed a noblewoman's mechanical carriage to leave Instrument Town and visit the nearby Spirit City and Sacrificial Capital. Both were relatively large cities in Instrument World, each with a population exceeding one hundred thousand.
Since he had no household registration in Spirit City or Sacrificial Capital, he could only stay for three days at a time.
Relying on those few days, Edward constantly sought information about the "secret place."
The "clients" who had commissioned custom work from him would occasionally help as well. One client even obtained a library entry card that was valid in both Spirit City