Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Who makes my eldest daughter always like some weird things?

Noa's swimming prowess improved, and his diving skills improved dramatically. It seemed he'd soon gathered all the necessary elements to enter Agor. However, Skadi grew increasingly uneasy. Goletia never appeared before her, and while investigating Saltwind City, most of the information pointed to the church within. But when she checked the water meter with her sword in hand, she found the church deserted.

It was like a fist hitting cotton. She originally thought it would be a fierce battle, but in the end she found an open goal.

Why did Gloria ask her to come to Saltwind City in the first place?

She had to think, although she was not good at thinking about these things. If possible, she would rather just accept other people's orders and swing the sword without thinking too much. That was what she wanted to see.

But she was a lone hunter, and she had to wonder.

Just as she was frowning, Noah quietly swam up to her side and hugged Skadi from behind. Skadi shuddered in fear, but soon realized who was playing a prank. Her face flushed slightly and she angrily said, "What? It was a sudden attack. If I hadn't reacted, you would have been sent flying ten miles away."

This is not nonsense, Skadi's strength is indeed capable of this.

However, the mischievous Noah didn't let go and whispered, "I just ran out of energy and got pushed over by the waves."

She did not lie. Otherwise, Skadi would not have failed to notice Noah's approach. However, Skadi's feelings towards Noah were quite complicated. On the one hand, she was very happy that the other party vowed to be her partner, but on the other hand, the other party had said so many misleading words, but still treated her the same as a partner, which made Skadi, who had finally developed a little girlish heart, particularly dissatisfied.

However, she could only explain that she might have misunderstood, and that the customs on land might not be so subtle.

But after she thought about it, Noah didn't mind at all, including when they were swimming, hugging her was a small problem, and occasionally this hand would secretly touch her face. This ambiguous behavior always happened when they were swimming. Skadi, who had been harassed several times, was uncertain again.

Would anyone do this to someone they don't like?

What's even more strange is that Jian, who seems to have a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Noah, has no opinion on this behavior at all, and even looks like he's used to it.

Alas... I really don't know whether people on land are old-fashioned or bold.

Although Noah had noticed Skadi's troubles, she didn't know that it was caused by the habit of touching that she had formed when she was blind. She just felt that Skadi had been troubled by some things since she went to the church, and she naturally attributed it to the trouble of the investigation being at a deadlock.

Of course, her investigation into the church preceded Skadi's, but she didn't have time to confront the people in the church at that time. After all, her first consideration was to save the people in Saltwind City, rather than fighting the church to the death.

But when she really had time to spare, the church had already run away without her knowing when.

The church may have been deserted because their plan was exposed and they had to retreat temporarily, or they may still be lurking somewhere trying to continue their plan. The latter possibility is even more reliable.

So Noah felt the same way about Skadi's troubles. Holding Skadi's slender waist, Noah said, "Miss Skadi, you have been in Saltwind City for so long. Don't you think there is something strange about it?"

"What?" Speaking of business, Skadi could only temporarily ignore the feeling of the arm around her waist and said seriously, "Did you notice anything wrong?"

"I've pieced together some of the events that have happened recently, and I do have a few guesses of my own." Noah nodded. "Don't you think, based on the information you provided me, Miss Skadi, that these Hai Si are a bit too clever?"

"......?" Skadi tilted her head. "Smart?"

"According to you, the battles between the Hai Si and you were basically head-on clashes, with whoever was stronger prevailing. But the Hai Si we've encountered now, except for the group we met on the beach, have all appeared in strange ways. If you were to follow your words, the Hai Si of the past wouldn't have made a deal with the people of Saltwind City, but would have simply gone ashore and massacred the city, right?" Noah inquired. "But they're using a relatively gentle approach, trying to turn the entire city into Hai Si reserve soldiers—this is really a bit strange."

After hearing what Noah said, Skadi also felt a little strange.

Indeed, Hai Si would not have done so in the past, but should have used more efficient means.

But since the other party has acted in this way, it means that this action definitely has other meanings...

Hai Si...what is he thinking about?

Or, what do they want to gain?

Chapter 17: Felling Woodcutters

"First, let's assume that the Haisi have evolved a brain, or at least someone is behind it—" Noah continued, "But no matter what the situation is, they shouldn't engage in some empty religion or something like that. After all, Haisi don't have complicated reasons in their nature."

Yes, if we simply think that it was just an unintentional act of Hai Si, such a ceremony would be too complicated. In addition, the sudden disappearance of the church was obviously a response to their investigation.

The church rituals, the sacrifices of the people of Saltwind City, and the thirst-quenching dried meat of Haisi, all these elements mixed together, seem like some kind of social experiment.

Considering that the Deep Sea Church was indeed a group of lunatics, Noah guessed that they just wanted to see the entire process of humans being completely transformed into sea creatures, and obtain experimental data through the subtle transformation of sea creature jerky.

Noah never hesitates to think the worst of his enemies. After changing the perspective, Noah made his own conclusion.

"If they really wanted to conduct a so-called social experiment, they wouldn't give up their experimental site so easily. So, they're probably still in Saltwind City, hiding out and using other means to monitor us, trying to interfere with our treatment or even overthrow the camp," Noah speculated. "As for how they're monitoring us, I'm not sure. It could be an insider, or something else..."

"So you can think of so much at once?" Skadi was shocked. "I just felt something was amiss, and you're immediately analyzing the other person's psychology?"

"...I'm used to it." Noah paused and explained somewhat helplessly, "As long as I'm sure the other party still has human thinking, I'm not too worried. After all...scheming against a human is always better than scheming against an unknown and indescribable thing."

Noah's words were sincere. As long as it was confirmed that the other party had human thinking, there would at least be purpose and direction. This was the reason why he would rather go against a genius than scheme against a madman.

The way a crazy person thinks is not something that ordinary people can guess. If you can guess it, then you are not far from crazy.

Noah had seen geniuses and gamblers, and she could understand their thoughts a little bit and then make deductions, but Noah had never seen a madman... If she had to say who was closest to the concept of a madman, it would probably be Herhunzoren, who was known as the Mad King. However, this Witch King was not crazy at all. He just surpassed this era. Whether it was the research on music, Originium skills, or even the development of what he called the subspace, he had reached a level that ordinary people could not reach.

Being one step ahead of the times is a genius, and being several steps ahead of the times is a madman.

Fortunately, Herhunzollon is not his enemy.

"So what are you going to do?" Skadi asked Noya curiously, "Since Hai Si is still in this city, we should find a chance to capture him, right? Is that also the reason why the Second Captain hasn't shown up?"

"As for Gorettia, I'm not too sure." Noah shook his head. "She didn't reveal much. We didn't spend much time together."

It would be better to say that Gloria took away everything she had bought, including the strange fish skin that she had originally intended to use for research... Noah still had some opinions about this matter, after all, the fish skin was quite expensive.

"As for what to do next... I think we should start with the church." Noah said with a smile, "Miss Skadi, you may not be able to find any clues, but that doesn't mean I can't."

-

creak-

The door of the church was pushed open, and Jian, Noah, and Skadi walked into the church hall almost side by side. The place was deserted and it seemed that no one had cared about it for a long time. It was no different from when Skadi came here to investigate. The design of the entire church was still in the style of the Golden Age of Iberia. It was estimated that before being occupied by the Deep Sea Church, this place should have had a glorious history.

The people of the Deep Sea Church had not been away from here for long, and the dust had not yet settled, but the church building, which had lost its popularity, seemed to carry an aura that made people feel awe.

Iberia's religion has been greatly influenced by the Lateran religion. Those arms dealers who wander around with guns unexpectedly have a very strict religious system. The current Iberian government, that is, the Inquisition, is actually also somewhat influenced by this aspect. For example, their leaders are called "Saints."

However, this saint and the Lateran saint are two different things. The Iberian saint is essentially just a title used to show status, while the Lateran saint is the true chosen son of God, although no one knows what the Lateran god is.

"I never thought I'd see something like this in this day and age." At that moment, Precious's voice rang in Noya's ears. "Religion, salvation, ha—does that guy think he's God?"

"What is God?" Noah asked doubtfully, "Is he the deity of your former civilization?"

"That's understandable, but even in pre-civilizations, there were no shortage of such fanatical religious individuals—" Precious nodded. "As for the Lateran you mentioned, from its name to its appearance, it can be considered a creation of pre-civilization..."

"Aren't the things on this land the work of your predecessors?" Noah was already feeling a little helpless. "If Sakota is also your creation, then what about Agor?"

"This involves the question of who's in charge of the various backup plans left behind by the previous civilization. As you know, I'm the head of the Originium Project, while the head of the Deep Blue Tree Project is Luo, the head of the Preserver Project is Friston, and the head of the Heaven's Fulcrum Project is Ed. And this Ed is a religious lunatic," Precious said. "In our time, religion is just a spiritual sustenance, but we have to admit that no matter how far humanity develops, religion will always exist—even though it was long ago labeled as backward."

Precious said a lot unexpectedly this time. Noah thought it might be because they had been in contact for a long time, so he was more relaxed.

"How many backup plans did the previous civilization leave behind? The Originium Project? The Fulcrum of Heaven? And what about the Deep Blue Tree..." Noah frowned and asked, "I won't go to war with Lateran again in the future, will I?"

"That depends on what Ed does." Precious smiled. "I'll help you then, too. Trust me."

Precious did not directly answer Noah's question, but the information revealed in his words was shocking enough.

"Speaking of which, I'm curious. If the Deep Blue Tree hadn't gone out of control, what would Hai Si have looked like?" Noah asked the question again, and this time, Precious was happy to answer.

"I used an analogy before, saying the Haisi is a 'robot vacuum'. Actually, that's not accurate. It doesn't sweep our little room. Its true purpose is to transform the entire Terra and rebuild the ecosystem. In a sense, it's a planetary transformation instrument. Given enough time, as long as there's water and sunlight, it can transform a planet unsuitable for human survival," Precious explained. "Whether it's transforming the ocean or the atmosphere, releasing oxygen, or absorbing excess gases to decompose nutritious food, these things can do it."

"...doesn't sound threatening?"

"Yes, so I'm very curious about what exactly you did to turn these docile and harmless environmental modification machines into what they are today." Precious nodded. "In the past, when the Deep Blue Tree Project was proposed, it was in a sense a companion to the Preservator Project. One of the reasons for its existence was the concern that Terra would no longer be suitable for human survival, so it was used to modify the surface. However, after the Preservator Project failed, the Deep Blue Tree Project also carried out a vision of a previous civilization."

"what?"

"Bio-Ark."

Creature? Ark?

Noah's knowledge was not even enough to understand the meaning of this word, and Precious was not surprised. After all, when the doctor first mentioned this idea, no one was not shocked.

The doctor's vision is far beyond that of ordinary people. She is even ready to give up the hope of the previous civilization, and instead use the flame left behind by the previous civilization to ignite the torch of the successor.

If the doctor's idea really happened, and if all other means failed, the Deep Blue Tree would escape from Terra with the entire Terra's DNA and go to the infinite sea of ​​stars to spread the fire of life.

Although Precious disagreed with this idea at the time, after all, they had already developed Originium, a miracle born from the Sea of ​​Solaris. If Precious was a staunch supporter of the Originium Project, then the Doctor was a pessimist. Many of her plans had so-called "failure plans." She left behind many sparks of civilization, placing her hopes on those who would come after her.

"I'm still curious... what kind of opponent did you encounter..." Noya couldn't understand the meaning of the biological ark, but she wondered why a pre-civilization, almost godlike, would be destroyed. What had happened to them? Or, in other words, what were they facing?

"It's hard to explain, but you can understand it this way: there's a force in this universe that transcends civilization. This force is like a lumberjack chopping down trees in the woods. Civilization is the tree. No matter how vigorous the tree is, what kind of fruit and leaves it bears, or even if it has thorns, it means nothing to the lumberjack. To the tree, the lumberjack is an incomprehensible, terrifying force of destruction," Precious offered. "And we're facing just such a lumberjack."

"..." Noah understood from this metaphor what kind of opponents the previous civilization faced, but she couldn't help but be horrified.

The former civilization was destroyed by loggers, so...what about Terra?

Will Terra's current civilization also be destroyed by a lumberjack's casual axe?

The previous civilization tried its best but failed to survive the lumberjacks. How should Terra face such an opponent?

However, her thoughts did not last long as they were interrupted by a word from Precious.

"It's pointless to consider this. This isn't something you can even consider," Priss replied coldly. "Only one person can contend with this kind of power. It's not me, it's not you, and certainly not the so-called Terran civilization."

Precious didn't say who the person was who was directly playing against the lumberjack, but Noah suddenly realized something.

"You've told me so much, don't you really think of me as a pre-civilized person?"

"..."

Precious didn't say anything. Indeed, she said too much. In the past, she would never reveal so much information, but she did want to find someone to talk to, and now, the only person who could hear her voice was Noah.

Moreover, Noah's body also has the blood of the previous civilization, even her own and the doctor's blood, so she subconsciously still separates Noah from other cats and dogs.

What I just said was more like a confession than a small talk, just something that I had been holding back for too long.

"Your illusion, I just wanted to mock the weakness of your civilization." Prisseth shook his head, and the whole person instantly disappeared into the void. These conversations took place in Noah's spiritual realm. Although they seemed very long, in reality it was only a breath of time.

Soon, Noah focused her attention on the church. She had no time to think about when the lumberjack would swing his axe. What she was thinking about... was how to solve Hai Si's problem right now.

Inside this cold church, Noah frowned slightly. No...something was wrong with the voice.

There was a strange echo inside the church. At first, Noah thought it was the echo of them walking around in the church, but soon she noticed something was wrong. She spoke.

"Mace, help me punch through the floor."

"what?"

Before Skadi could be surprised, Jian punched the ground without hesitation. With a loud bang, the floor under the feet of several people cracked instantly. Skadi hurried to Noah's side. Sure enough, after a moment, the entire floor sank, revealing a huge hole. Skadi reacted quickly and took Noah's wheelchair to a safe place. Jian also left the place as soon as possible.

"Under the floor... there is indeed a space."

Noah's eyes flickered as he said confidently, "They escaped through an underground tunnel. No wonder I could hear the sound of flowing water in a place like this... This is an underground cave, probably connected to the ocean. We found them."

Chapter 18: Gray Nail

Underground caves are generally eroded by underground rivers. The space is filled with stalactites and stalagmites. Noah is basically unable to use a wheelchair and can only ask Mace to help carry him down.

The underground caves were complex and interconnected. If Noah hadn't come down, Mace and Skadi would have been lost forever. After the three of them descended into the crypt, under Noah's guidance, they followed the current and soon reached a relatively wide body of water. Deep within the underground caves, underground rivers crisscrossed and undercurrents surged. Even if ordinary people discovered the caves, they would probably find it difficult to move forward.

Fortunately, Skadi was familiar with the water flow, so she led a few people to a slightly wider place.

There is no light source in the cave. Apart from Noah, probably only Skadi can see things clearly. This is because she is used to the dark environment of the deep sea.

But when they arrived, a deep blue glow suddenly shone faintly in the darkness. Before anyone could react, the entire cave seemed illuminated by the blue light. Skadi could clearly see it: it was the blue light emitted by strange algae clinging to the cave walls. The surface of the dark river began to ripple, and strange shadows loomed in the water. As the waves trembled, a group of strange creatures swam around them like nightmares.

Skadi subconsciously tightened the sword in her hand. Although these suspected sea creatures did not actively attack them, it was obvious that they had been discovered.

"If a fight breaks out later, you must first ensure Miss Noah's safety--" Skadi whispered. Even if she didn't say it, it was estimated that Mace would prioritize protecting Noah.

Because of these glowing seaweed, the entire cave was dyed blue, and Skadi held the sword tightly in her hand.

As a deep-sea hunter, she was already accustomed to being surrounded and fighting with the sea lords.

But these sea creatures were a little different. She could feel that they seemed smarter and more cunning than those she had dealt with before. At this moment, they were hiding in the dark river and seemed to be evaluating Skadi's strength. This would have been impossible in the past. These sea creatures seemed to have learned a lot from humans.

For example, when you have an absolute advantage, you can surround the opponent and hide in the dark river so that Skadi cannot judge the number of the opponent.

Although Skadi was confident that she could fight her way out on her own, in a place like this, if she made too much noise, it might cause the cave structure to collapse.

...Could it be that they are the ones being plotted against?

Skadi gritted her teeth and thought about how to solve the current dilemma. At least, she had to let Noah and the others leave safely.

However, the person who was least panicked here was actually Noah, because she could feel that there was no hostility in the emotions of these Hai Si. Their emotions were surprisingly consistent, even somewhat transparent, so it was actually very simple for Noya to interpret. When she first encountered Hai Si, she realized that these Hai Si themselves had emotions, but these emotions were extremely easy to be guided - or, to be commanded.

If, as Prisseth said, these sea creatures are essentially a group of planet-transforming devices, then today's sea creatures clearly have more traces of living things, and these traces themselves have caused them to gradually begin to evolve in a similar way.

In other words——

In essence, these Haisi are actually a group of children who are very curious about everything in the world.

Like the prototype of the Blacklight Virus, they can even be described as ignorant.

They live according to the source code given to them by previous civilizations, which makes the group called Haisi highly unified. One can even say that Haisi are both individuals and groups, with an inextricable connection between the individual and group Haisi. Perhaps because of this, these Haisi are curious about other species with a huge gap between individuals and groups.

This was the third time Noya had seen Hai Si. The first time was a glimpse from afar, the second time was when he was attacked by Hai Si, and the third time was now—