Man in the Ark: Revitalizing Kazdel

On the eve of the second session of the International Conference, the holy city, shrouded in night, remained as vibrant as it was during the day. The arrival of delegations from various countries brought a new batch of customers to the night market.

The target shooting game, a common practice among the Lateran, has attracted many curious tourists to try it out. Powered by high-pressure air guns, these guns can fire gel bullets without requiring Originium Arts skills, greatly satisfying the shooting desires of non-Sarkotas.

Simply hit a stationary target 50 meters away with five consecutive shots to win any of these exquisite plush toys. For those without shooting talent or crossbow experience, achieving consecutive hits is extremely difficult.

Therefore, most people are mainly there to experience the fun of shooting, and only a few people actually win the doll.

Roy played with Theresa for about a dozen rounds, winning two plush toys before stopping. Neither of them had any shooting talent, but they could use magic to correct the trajectory of their shots, which was a minor form of cheating. As for whether the stall owner would suffer any losses as a result, the plush toys weren't very valuable; the money they spent on the game was enough to buy five or six plush toys.

......

In a quiet residential area far from the bustling night market, there is an unremarkable three-story building with a well-maintained small garden in front of the door.

A flat stone path stretched from the side of the street to the doorway. A thin man in a tattered white robe, carrying a bouquet of flowers, stepped into the house. The woman in the wheelchair remained silent.

He tidied up the scattered notes and papers on the table and replaced the withered flowers in the vase with fresh ones.

After doing everything he could, the man stood silently with his hands folded in front of him, watching the woman in the wheelchair. She was reading a newly borrowed book, seemingly oblivious to the other person's presence.

Silence. Perhaps it's because what needed to be said has already been said. And what shouldn't be said hasn't come yet. The unique empathy between the Sarkaz allows them to sense each other's thoughts without needing to communicate.

Once teammates who shared life and death, now strangers. If it weren't for that accident that changed everyone's fate, this should be a joyous reunion after a long separation.

After a long silence in the room, the woman in the wheelchair finally spoke: "How long do you plan to stay in Laterano?"

“Wait until what needs to be done is done. After all, I can only guide the souls of the Laterans here, and there’s not much else I can do.” The gaunt man’s gaze fell on the woman’s legs, which were folded together in the wheelchair, his expression one of pity and self-reproach.

“…Hmm,” the woman in the wheelchair nodded gently, without saying anything more.

“I ran into Fiameta when I entered the city. She didn’t give me any trouble, probably because she was considerate of your feelings. If she comes to visit you, please tell her I’m sorry. It’s getting late, I should go now, you should get some rest too.” The thin man looked up at the clock on the wall, the hour hand pointing to the number nine. Unbeknownst to him, he had already been here for an hour.

“Starting tomorrow, don’t come here anymore. The doctor wants me to go back to the sanatorium to recuperate.” The woman in the wheelchair closed her book, put it back on the desk, and looked at the thin man for the first time.

The man stood silently for a moment, then turned and left the room. The woman wheeled herself to the window, opened it, and looked outside.

The towering statue of Jesus stands in the city's central square, draped in a veil of holy light by the silvery moonlight. He gazes upon each Sakota with equality and forbearance, accompanying them throughout their lives, from the birth of new life to the death of old age.

In a park cemetery on the outskirts of the holy city, the deep-sea bishop Orus, who had escaped from Fiameta, handed an important item to the hunched Liberian gravedigger before turning and disappearing into the thick fog.

......

On the day the second meeting of the Universal Conference was held, several incidents of monsters injuring people occurred in the Serfas district of the Stiven area of ​​the Holy City. Without exception, all the victims were Sarkaz.

The monster was entirely black, its smooth skin covered in hard scales. It moved with astonishing speed, its long, powerful limbs touching the ground. The first attack occurred in a suburban cemetery, where citizens visiting to pay respects to their loved ones were attacked by the monster lurking in the shadows.

Someone drew their gun and fired at the monster, repelling it but simultaneously displaying signs of impending doom. The brightness of their halo and wings became unstable, even cracking. This meant that the bloodthirsty monster, like them, was one of their own, protected by the law—but how could this be...?

After being shot, the monster dragged its wounded body into the city streets, followed by a series of attacks. Guards are conducting a full-scale search for the monster that escaped into the city, while the wounded are being cared for in hospitals. Sakorta, exhibiting symptoms of a fallen angel, is separated from the others and receiving treatment and assistance from Papal officials.

.....

The delegates from various countries, who had already entered the venue, were unaware of the monster attacks in the city. Their discussions were focused on the war in Victoria and the upcoming meetings. Before the Pope, dressed solemnly, took the stage to deliver his speech, a middle-aged priest quickly approached and quietly informed him of this unsettling news.

"Don't panic. Trust our excellent guards; they'll resolve this soon. Reassure the affected crowd. I'll go check on things after the meeting," the Pope said gently, patting the middle-aged priest on the shoulder.

"Understood. I wish you a successful meeting." The middle-aged priest nodded, turned, and left the meeting room to relay the Pope's instructions. The papal knights responsible for the meeting's security tightened their defensive perimeter, their vigilant gazes constantly scanning the surroundings, ready to prevent any unexpected situations.

Inside the hall, the Pope ascended the podium and announced the official start of the second session of the Universal Conference. The conference focused on the framework of a peace agreement entity, and most of the demands and opinions raised by the representatives at the previous session were largely met, except for a few insincere and unreasonable requests.

Compared to the tough stance at the previous meeting, the Victorian representative showed an unprecedentedly positive attitude, demonstrating sincere goodwill for cooperation with Letania, Colombia, and the Eastern Country, hoping to use this to counterbalance the alliance between Kazdel and Ursus.

The nascent peace agreement is steadily progressing as the meeting continues. Meanwhile, deep underground at the meeting venue, monsters that have evolved after consuming large amounts of organic matter from a meat processing plant are attempting to approach the location of the mainframe.

The monster's size swelled to five meters, a dim halo began to appear above its head, and its chaotic consciousness gradually became clear. The will from the deep sea and the laws of Laterano overlapped on its body, both sharing a common purpose—to survive amidst destruction.