Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Tulia will not be the first one. The disappearance of Tulia, who had contact with her, will inevitably attract Noah's attention. Noah will slowly witness everything she has done for her, and will slowly understand her ideas. In the end, they will understand each other.

"I'm so sorry, child." Amaya reached out and stroked Tulia's cheek. "Everything is for perfection and unity."

-

"...So, there's still no news of Tulia?" Lucela asked worriedly, while Cassia beside her just glanced at Lucela before speaking.

"Lucera, it hasn't been long since we reported the case."

"It can be seen that you two care about your friend very much. So, has Tulia talked about any troubles she has encountered recently?" As a member of the Coast Guard, Xikunda asked routinely.

"She is very timid and it is impossible for her to offend anyone."

"Hmm, that fits the profile. Did she tell you anything about the channel plans or the beacon data?"

"No." Lucela shook her head nervously. "We weren't really friends, just occasionally speaking. She kept to herself, quietly tinkering with her own things... Regarding the Channel Project or something, I only knew its name."

But as she spoke, she finally realized what was going on.

"Wait, are you suspecting Tulia? This is a misunderstanding! I know there might be something wrong with what I just described! But she would never do such a thing! Is... is it possible that she is just under too much pressure? In the six months since Miliarium left this realm, battles have been taking place almost every day, and everyone's nerves are on edge."

"Don't worry. If she has no connection to the Deep Sea Church, I won't wrongly accuse her. The Deep Sea Church has never given up on sabotaging the Channel Plan. We've already eliminated enough Deep Sea Cultists during this time." Sikunda immediately calmed Lucilla's agitation. But after comforting her, she immediately stated the reason for her suspicion. "Those Fallen were just ordinary compatriots before they were exposed."

“But she has no reason…” Lucilla’s confidence was a little lacking, but she still argued.

"...That might not be the case." At this moment, Cassia, who had been observing coldly from the side, said, "Well, actually, I still don't quite understand why that child chose to join the Channel Project."

"...Miss, your suspicion is unfounded." At this time, Noah also spoke up, "In fact, I don't think a mere suspicion can be used as a motive."

"This isn't a suspicion on my part, but rather a natural judgment of her abnormality. You all know that Tulia used to work at the Ecological Art Studio in Miliarum, right?" Cassia raised her head and said to Noah with a smile, "She had the opportunity to move to other cities with the studio and continue her original career, didn't she? But she chose..."

"Maybe the reason she stayed here was just because she couldn't bear to leave the algae here?" Noah had met Tulia and talked about this matter, so she naturally raised a rebuttal.

"...You know Tulia very well. Aren't you from the surface?"

"It's a coincidence that I met Miss Tulia and had a chat with her."

"Do you think your chance encounter is more convincing than our daily interactions?"

"Miss Cassia, please maintain the most basic courtesy towards our foreign guests," Sikunda said, signaling Cassia to stop talking nonsense. Then she turned to Noya and said, "We have our own judgment, Miss Noya. Your clues are crucial, but please allow us to resolve our own issues."

"I understand." Noah knew that he had been interfering too much. "If there is anything I can do to help, I will help."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Sikunda nodded. "Okay, now we'll go through the routine questions. Please answer truthfully."

"--Do you need help?" At this time, Skadi asked in a low voice, "The second captain should be able to help."

"... Wait a little longer. Miss Goletia has her own things to do. I always feel that this matter is not unrelated to me." Noah sighed. She has this kind of physique. Whenever she goes to a place, there will always be troubles.

She's used to it.

Chapter 50: City-wide Martial Law

Tulia's disappearance did not cause much stir. After all, she was just a researcher. For Agor, there were as many researchers of this level as they wanted. The main reason for the investigation was that she was very likely to have stolen the data of the channel plan, which should be considered a serious accusation within Agor. The Coast Guard investigated Tulia's biological information and found that the final sending device was completely cut off in an alley somewhere.

Noah, Skadi, Elini and others from the Coast Guard came to the alley, which was not far from the research institute. If they disappeared in this place, it was very likely that they were targeted and kidnapped after leaving the research institute.

But the fact that she is a member of the Channel Project should be kept secret, so why would she suddenly target a young researcher?

Besides, if they just want to know the data of the channel plan, there are obviously more worthy candidates to kidnap. In this regard, Noah actually feels that it is a bit strange.

Is there anything special about Tulia?

She was just a small Agor who loved studying seaweed. From any perspective, she was just an ordinary person. Why was she chosen?

"Noah, look here—" Skadi seemed to notice something and beckoned Noah over. Noah squatted down as Skadi instructed, only to find a wet puddle. It had no smell. Skadi reached out and touched it, then rubbed her index finger and thumb together. The sticky liquid was so thick it was stringy. "This looks a lot like some kind of Hai Si's bodily fluid."

"...Body fluids? Haihe?"

The fact that Hai Si was involved, and that he was still inside the city, meant it was most likely connected to the Deep Sea Church. In other words, Tulia's disappearance was likely connected to the Deep Sea Church. This information was quickly shared with the Coast Guard by Noya, who immediately dispatched personnel to extract the mucus for analysis. Noya and Skadi stood by, pondering, "Could this have been left there intentionally?"

"deliberately?"

"After all, there's only one spot with mucus residue... It looks like they left some clues intentionally."

Noya speculated, but she wasn't sure. After all, even if they hadn't followed, the Coast Guard would have surely discovered the traces and conducted tests. She didn't doubt the Coast Guard's professionalism.

"...If these marks were left intentionally, is this a provocation?" Skadi's naive mind could only think that they were simply scorning her and her companions' provocation. But Noa didn't think so. If it was a provocation to the Coast Guard, the traces were too subtle. If they were accidental, they were too obvious. With a little care, they could be erased—this subtle remnant was like a reminder to herself—that this was the work of the Deep Sea Church.

"The mere fact that Hai Si appeared in the city is terrifying enough." At this moment, Xikunda suddenly interrupted and said, "You guys are very calm. Is it possible that such a situation is very common on land?"

"...I guess so." Elini was silent for a moment. Compared to Agor's strict defense, the way Elini's Inquisition dealt with the Hai Si and the Deep Sea Church was often more passive. There was basically no way to prevent the Hai Si from invading, and they could only wipe them out after the invasion.

It's like playing whack-a-mole. If you don't show up, you can't hit it.

"So, you can completely trust Elini. She's an expert in this field." At this time, Noah casually praised her. Elini was stunned at first, then quickly waved her hand.

"How can I be considered an expert? I...I've only been an Inquisitor for a short time."

"To be precise, Elini is now the Inquisitor Mentor."

Because Master Elini, the Grand Inquisitor who was trapped in the Eye of Iberia with Jodi, was injured and recuperating, Elini inherited her master's lantern and became possibly the youngest Grand Inquisitor in Iberian history. She can also be called the Inquisitor Mentor.

Having accidentally completed the achievement, Elinni didn't feel the joy of seeing a pop-up in the lower-right corner. Instead, she felt immense pressure, and now she wouldn't allow anyone else on the team to address her by her new position. However, Noya simply thought she might be overly nervous. This was undoubtedly an honor, and Elinni's involvement in these events was experience in itself, so the promotion was a no-brainer. So, when asked to address her position at work, she casually mentioned Elinni's position.

"So this young lady is actually the Grand Inquisitor." As a leader of the Coast Guard, Sikunda naturally knew how high the Grand Inquisitor's position was on land. She looked at the young Elini with some admiration. "She must have great ability to become the Grand Inquisitor at such a young age."

"..." Elini glared at Noah indignantly, but Noah could only look at her innocently. Elini took a deep breath and nodded. "I will do my best-"

The news of the appearance of the sea heir in the city of Agor soon spread through internal channels to Gloria, who was still discussing the route plan with Clemensa. The Deep Sea Hunter Team was originally a special team that appeared to target the sea heirs, so naturally they could not be absent at this time. So Gloria quickly said goodbye to Clemensa and came to Noah and Skadi. She did not ask for details, and Sikunda on the side took the initiative to tell her the specific situation.

Deep-sea hunters have a special status. When it comes to sea battles, they have an innate priority - to some extent, they are really comparable to the internal guards of Ursus. They are a special force with special powers.

"Soldier, your report is excellent. From now on, I will take over command here," said Golletia, taking the initiative. "Please immediately activate the city's alarm system and have all citizens evacuate. Once you return home, activate secondary protection equipment and wait for the all-clear."

"Sir... this might alert the enemy, and if we do this... what about the economic losses?" Sikunda still had her doubts, but Golletia gave her a cold glance, and she knew she might have underestimated the severity of the matter. She immediately saluted and hurriedly turned away.

"The whole city is under martial law..." Noah thought of Ulpian. It was obviously impossible for this operation to be hidden from his sight. The city being under martial law might cause some obstacles to his actions. However, considering that Hai Si had already emerged, now was no longer the time to follow the rules.

"Miss Noah - I may need your help this time." Gloria had no intention of letting Noah go. Although she had no obligation to join in, Gloria had gotten to know Noah's character a little after spending some time with her. So she did not ask Noah to go back and impose martial law, but directly entrusted her with the important task.

"From now on, you can directly mobilize the Coast Guard. I'll grant you temporary command authority. If anyone questions you, you can directly use my authority." Gloria trusted Noah's abilities and character and immediately handed him command. "Be careful, after all, our opponent this time is the Deep Sea Church."

"I understand." Noah nodded, showing no sign of rejection. "Then can I move freely?"

"You can do whatever you want. If you run into any trouble, you can contact me through the Guidance to the Distant Homeland." Gloria displayed the ring on her finger. She immediately replenished the lost Guidance to the Distant Homeland in order to establish contact between Ulpian, Gloria, and Noah. "I'll be there as soon as possible."

"In that case, the Deep Sea Hunter's vacation is almost over..." Skadi felt a little regretful. She had finally gotten Noah out, but encountered these things.

But she wasn't that sad. Compared to her bad dating skills, she was better at dealing with Hai Si.

To be honest, Noah didn't think of bothering Gloria at first. He thought it was just an ordinary kidnapping case, but he didn't expect it to develop to the point of martial law in the whole city.

With the declaration of martial law, the entire city's atmosphere shifted. The Coast Guard was heavily mobilized, and the streets quickly deserted. Everyone retreated to their homes and activated security measures. Public facilities were almost completely closed, with red signs indicating lockdown hung on their doors. The quietude of this bizarre city was somewhat unsettling.

Now, except for those with identification marks, anyone who goes out will be questioned by the Coast Guard. The situation is special now, and it is a critical period for the waterway plan, so it is normal to attach such importance to it.

Noah and Skadi worked as a team, Goletia and Ghost Shark as a team, and Elini and Sikunda formed another team. They each used their own methods to investigate for traces of the Sea Si. If they discovered anything, they would use the Guidance of the Distant Hometown to contact other teams and conduct a tactical operation of casting a wide net and focusing on catching fish. As expected, Ulpian's voice soon rang in Noah's ears.

"——The entire area is under martial law. Have you discovered any trace of Hai Si?"

"As you expected, a researcher named Tulia is also missing."

"Has the Deep Sea Church become so arrogant that it kidnapped the citizens of Agor directly in Agor's city?" Ulpian's voice was a little low, but Noah could understand his feelings. This behavior was like a slap in the face of the Deep Sea Hunters and the Coast Guard.

Noah glanced at Skadi, who was still on standby, and continued.

"Why don't you tell Skadi about your situation? She will definitely be very happy."

"not the right time yet."

Ulpian flatly rejected Noah's idea of ​​revealing it to Skadi, so Noah had no choice but to give up, but that was not the point.

"Do you have any clues? About the Deep Sea Church?"

"I told you..."

"Brandus had an alibi when the incident occurred." Noya had already considered this, of course. The problem was, when she asked about the alibis of the city's civil servants, Gladia explained that Brandus had indeed not left the institute during that time, preparing for the Deep Sea Hunter's physical adjustment plan. He had a perfect alibi. It was unlikely that a frail researcher could quietly cause trouble in a heavily monitored institute. "At least this incident has nothing to do with Brandus."

"..." Ulpian was silent for a while. If this matter had nothing to do with Brandus... then...

"Do you remember what you said before, that an Iberian who knew the Agor language suddenly came to Agor?" The person Ulpian was talking about was Amaya.

"Are you doubting Amaya?"

"Yes."

"...Although I've thought so...but we don't have any clues about Amaya right now...we don't even have a photo of her." Noah said helplessly, "It's very difficult to track down Amaya."

"I'll keep an eye on it, and you should also pay attention to Skadi's situation."

"What happened to Skadi?" Noah was curious, but Ulpian didn't say anything else. Instead, he decisively hung up the phone.

After Ulpian's voice disappeared, Precious reappeared.

"Just beg me, if you beg me, maybe I can tell you where she is."

"There's no Originium equipment here. How did you..."

"I can do anything." Precious said with his hands on his hips, a little proudly, "I know everything."

"You look a bit like Dr. Kal'tsit..." Noah complained helplessly, "And does this count as taking up a wish?"

"——Why are you so sensitive? It's useless if you don't use the wish quota?" Precious froze for a moment, then complained with an unhappy look on her face, "You're so unlovable."

"If it's not cute, then it's not cute. You have to be cautious when trying to get the skin of a tiger."

"Don't tell me you really hate me?" Precious said aggrievedly, "I didn't do anything. I just borrowed your body to meet the doctor. That's not an unforgivable sin, is it?"

"...I think you might not be borrowing—" Noah frowned, "Were you really just borrowing it?"

"A long-term loan is still a loan," said Precious, his lie exposed, smiling. "If I wanted to, I could have wiped out your consciousness, but you were so interesting, so I kept you. I didn't expect you to force me to die together."

"…Is this why I have no memories?"

"You almost burned your brain out, and I fixed it for you. You should thank me." Precious said with a smile, but he never mentioned the reason why Noah's brain was burned out.

"I don't think that's a friendly gesture—"

"Indeed not."

Precious shook her head. Since then, she has never taken the initiative to seize Noah's body again. After all, Noah's stubbornness is beyond her imagination. Even if she takes the initiative to erase Noah's consciousness after taking it this time, it will definitely be restricted by Helhunzoron's seal. If Noah's brain is burned again, there may be no chance of rescue.

It was not easy for someone to appear who could serve as his new carrier, but Precious was not that extravagant.

"Why don't you use up your wishes sooner? Miss Noah, it will benefit both you and me."

"...Then forget it."

Chapter 51: Sacrifice

The body reacts faster than thinking——

This is Ulpian's evaluation of Skadi. It must be said that this evaluation is very pertinent. Skadi is indeed not a child who is good at thinking. When Ulpian, Gloria, and even Laurentina occasionally have to think about survival, life, civilization, and art, Skadi's mind may only have what to eat for dinner tomorrow.

This does not mean that Skadi is a fool. After all, she is an Agor and a technical worker. If she were really a fool, she would not be able to sit in the position of chief power engineer. But her personality makes her focus on the present and not think about other things.

This means that among the deep-sea hunters who are all great philosophers and thinkers, there is suddenly a big fool who keeps asking what to eat tonight - and it is precisely because of this that Skadi is actually a very popular one in the entire deep-sea hunter team, almost like a mascot.

Even Gloria had repeatedly suggested to Ulpian, the only one who would show her teeth at Skadi, to stop the so-called training that abused Skadi. However, this proposal was rejected by Ulpian the next day. As for why it was not rejected on the same day - because he was training Skadi that day.

In fact, Skadi doesn't really want to recall what happened at that time, because every time she recalls those people and things, she will feel lost.

The deep-sea hunters are connected by blood, they have a connection that goes beyond blood ties, and it is precisely because of this connection that they can cooperate perfectly in battle. It is also because of this connection that - when Skadi completed the mission, killed the God of the Sea and surfaced from the sea, the loneliness of being alone and feeling lost was so difficult to suppress.

When on land, she always kept a cold face, which could effectively reduce communication. It was not until she found the ghost shark in Rhodes Island that she slightly let go of her attitude of deliberately alienating others.

——As long as you have never had it, you will not feel sad about losing it.

Skadi held this idea for a long time. She was unwilling to establish so-called emotional bonds on land, but it had to be said... there would always be unexpected things.

Skadi's gaze fell on Noah, who seemed to be still thinking with his eyes closed. From Noah, she felt the warmth that she had not felt from anyone else for a long time. The other party's style of doing things, gentle personality, and understanding all touched the softest part of Skadi's heart, not to mention that she was a great beauty - this was a rare moment when Skadi became interested in other people after she came ashore, and the other party was also deeply involved in her return to Agor.

Even to Agor—

Skadi couldn't help but overthink it. Laurentina had also said—Agor has an open-minded population, contact lists are common, and IVF technology is highly developed. Once the shipping route between mainland China and Agor is established, travel will be convenient. She might as well just finish her conquest of Noya in Agor. It might take until the next century for you, little whale, to be tempted again. Seizing the opportunity before you're ready is key.

Indeed, this time in Agor... is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...

But even so... I finally invited the other person out on a date, but still encountered an accident.

The girl's thoughts could only be put aside for the time being, and this resentment... naturally had to be vented on the followers of the Deep Sea Church. Skadi silently placed her hand on the hilt of the sword. Disrupting the girl's plan was not a simple matter.