Deep Sea Hunter, but Deep Sea Titan

Goredia's answer was essentially a direct statement that the Agor regime always treated people differently based on their status.

Goredia had never wished more for her compatriots to be more humble, preferably as respectful as they were in open debates.

"This is not the attitude that cooperation should have."

Loting had anticipated from the beginning that these harpy fish really needed to be dealt with.

Lotin was more curious about how the Agorians, who had little knowledge of giant beasts, felt when they saw the bronze colossus that was hundreds of meters tall.

"Those are the permanent beach fortifications of the land dwellers?"

"But from a common-sense perspective..."

The drone was still rapidly ascending, attempting to scan the entirety of Lotin, but the Coast Guard soldier's sergeant's common sense told him that ordinary non-movable permanent fortifications should not be built higher than 800 meters.

"Lauren Tina, have your fellow countrymen guide us to the city."

In the system chat interface, Lotin informed Laurentina that he should ask his most trusted representative to negotiate with the Agorians on his behalf.

"I will handle it to your satisfaction."

Laurentina descended along her arm to a height high enough for a safe dive, leaving a perfect splash.

"Lorentina, the Deep Sea Hunter, have those land dwellers asked you to represent them in negotiations?"

Sikunda is a coast guard commander who is now in charge of liaising with the land dwellers. Prior to this, she was also one of the researchers in the Deep Sea Hunter Project.

“I am here on behalf of Nautilus to negotiate with you all. He is now here as the protector of Iberia and the butcher of the Seas to establish contact with Agor.”

"Understanding what kind of being this gentleman is is somewhat difficult even for Agorian science at present, but his position is beyond question."

Laurentina's Agor etiquette hadn't been forgotten despite not being used for a long time, but that didn't ease the awkwardness between colleagues.

"In any case, I'm glad to be alive to see you, Sikunda."

After a moment of silence, Sikunda finally spoke up and asked:

"Laurentina, the Nautilus you're talking about, could it be that moving colossus-like metallic body?"

"Uh-huh."

Laurentina smiled and nodded.

"Is it a living thing?"

Sikunda did not obtain sufficient readings from the warship's biological detection equipment to prove that Lotin was biological.

"Sikunda, isn't this too impolite to Your Excellency?"

Laurentina's smile turned strange and unsettling with her displeasure. She cleared her throat, preparing to probe indirectly.

"The recent continental shelf uplift was orchestrated by this gentleman. Please treat him with caution."

"Also, please don't doubt my mental state, I am perfectly clear-headed."

Sikunda stared stiffly at Laurentina. In her memory, Laurentina liked to make playful jokes, but this time it was probably not a joke.

Chapter 240: Late-Stage Cancer

"You should appear before them in the manner that the Agorians are more familiar with, Lord Nautilus."

Laurentina offered her suggestion through the system chat interface.

When an Argol child first boards a passenger ship traveling long distances between major cities, he may feel distressed by the unfamiliar and enclosed environment. At such times, guardians often resort to the story of Nautilus to try to calm the crying children down.

From the abyss where nothing can be seen, giants in brass diving suits appear and disappear unpredictably, chiseling ships that have not paid their tithes to pieces.

Therefore, Lotin switched the skin to the default skin at this time. The giant, tens of meters tall, had been wandering on the edge of the Agor civilization for 60 years. This little bedtime horror story was the only trace he left for Agor during those 60 years.

"A more familiar face, Laurentina, who exactly is he?"

Before Laurentina could respond, Sikunda had already re-confirmed the other's appearance with her own eyes.

"Wait, the Nautilus you mentioned, could he really be the vengeful water ghost from that story?"

“I thought Ulpian was trying to confuse the fallen ones by referencing Nautilus’s image and using a rather heavy anchor as a weapon.”

"I never imagined that it actually exists in reality."

Sikunda still couldn't read any parameters from the instruments that could prove the other party was a living organism, but there was no point in dwelling on it now.

Because right in front of her, the other party shrunk to the size of a ship—although it could squeeze into the ship, it was still about ten meters tall.

“I am Nautilus, whom a large group of people regarded as a dangerous enemy 60 years ago.”

“Now that I have found a way to permanently resolve the threat of Haisi, we can become allies if Agor is willing to fight alongside me.”

A deep voice came from beneath the brass diving suit. Lotin deliberately didn't reveal any more substantial information to Siquinda, because Lotin knew from the plot that the advisor Brandos was a deeply hidden fallen man, and Siquinda needed to report a lot of information to this city's chief advisor.

“Agorians, the Fallen have corrupted your cities, and those cultists have taken root in your nervous system. The same is true in this city, and they will bring your plans to ruin.”

"They will make the evolution of Haisi more active and rapid. If you cannot remove the tumor growing in Agor's brain, your struggle will be in vain."

The yellow flashes in the brass giant's eyes made Sikunda's eyes ache. She had never left the ocean, and the dry air had made her eye mucous membranes sensitive and fragile.

"It sounds like you don't need an ally like Agor if it weren't for the traitors in Agor giving you a headache?"

"Even if you have never known the full picture of Agor."

Sikunda's implication was that the other party only viewed "seeking cooperation with Agor" as a side task in cleaning up the Fallen because they were unaware of Agor's strength.

"Because Agor spent 60 years and still couldn't figure out the nature of Haisi, you can't even predict what the consequences of your largest-scale decapitation plan against Haisi would be."

"I deeply admire your perseverance in resisting, but now it's time to see the results. Miliarum is carrying out the shipping route plan, but will it really be as successful as it appears on the surface?"

“Tumors are growing in your brains, Agorians.”

Based on her understanding of the plot, Lotin could certainly tell that Sikunda's position was not problematic, but the advisor had maintained a false facade in front of her for long enough that it was impossible to make her fully alert in an instant.

Therefore, Lotin was merely hinting that there were corrupt individuals within Agor's current leadership.

W curiously examined the interior furnishings of the Agor ship. If it weren't for the language barrier, she might have tried to observe what kind of ammunition the Agor people used.

In Loting's eyes, W now almost lacked the sharpness and cunning he had when they first met—to him, he instead exuded a naive and silly aura.

Even though she can now read and write, and has even mastered advanced professional knowledge such as Originium Explosives.

Is this a sign that it is about to evolve into Vishdel?

Meanwhile, the Doctor maintained a delicate distance from W and the floating Theresa. At this moment, Kal'tsit sent a message saying that she and Amiya would arrive shortly.

She stared silently into the glass cabin, digging into her memories, trying to provide Loting with more useful information.

"Have you captured any footage of combat near a surface warship using Agor technology?"

Lotin didn't believe Agor had the ability to maintain long-term surveillance in such a densely populated area near the Fool, but he still wanted to try his luck and find clues about the appearance of those biological warships—which Fallen One had induced the sea creatures to evolve modular biological weapons.

"With my current level of authority, I cannot determine the extent to which we can share information."

As a professional soldier in Agor, Sikunda remained cautious in her interactions with Lotin, given that Lotin's identity was that of a "story character"—something that was difficult to decipher.

“Under Agor’s laws, the governor has the authority to open up this level of information sharing.”

The agitation caused by the sea monster's poisonous blood upon returning to the ocean was not as intense as Goredia had anticipated. She speculated that this was because she was near Lotin, similar to Skadi and Laurentina's situation.

This allowed Goredia to think under less pressure. She had also witnessed the enormous biological warship firsthand. Since Lotin had asked the Agor authorities if there were any records of the observations at the time, he was most likely trying to probe for information about the Fallen One.

"Governor Goredia..."

It was precisely because Sikunda was also a researcher of the Deepsea Hunters that she remained suspicious and wary of them. In the eyes of the Agor authorities, Ulpian had already shown signs of losing his way or even defecting. So, was this person who firmly supported the unidentified Nautilus Gretia still rational?

“There are indeed data records, but the consultant Buodus has not made the details public, and even I have no right to view them.”

Sikunda chose to believe Goredia, after all, the official envoy from Iberia could attest to Lotin's position and attitude.

Ah. He thought he could hide it.

Buodus's cover-up of sighting reports about the biological warships is an unexpected bonus for Lotin, as the biological warships are enemies that have never appeared in the story, and he needs to gather this information himself.

Grandia cannot communicate with Lotin using the system chat interface, but her two blood relatives, the two deep-sea hunters, can.

Skadi and Laurentina had no doubt about Lotin's judgment, even if the Fallen one Lotin pointed out was Brandus. They believed that Lotin, as always, would bring the facts to the table at the appropriate time.

They conveyed Lotin's message to Goredia.

Goredia's expression instantly turned quite ugly; for some reason, she wanted to laugh.

If those who have penetrated so deeply into the core of the Deepsea Hunter Project are all fallen, then what exactly is Agor talking about now?

What do those victims really matter?

Is Agor resisting Haizi, or is he providing new macro-research data for those who have fallen?

Goredia was almost laughing in exasperation.

She gripped the spear tightly. The suspects Lotin had raised were at least worthy of her attention, but if the suspicions about Brandus were true, it would only prove that the cancer cells in Agor's body had broken through the blood-brain barrier.

She looked at Lotin, and suddenly she understood why Lotin insisted on first eliminating the corrupt among the Agorians.

Meanwhile, in Miliarum, the chief advisor Brandos naturally knew that the one representing Iberia was the bronze giant who made the masses tremble.

He should have known more about the other party, but the neural signals Quintus and Amaya sent before their deaths were like the babbling of a drunkard and were completely unrecognizable.

The Agorians, who knew nothing about giants, naturally wouldn't know that this was due to the power of the command.

"Agor's policies toward Haisi were all wrong, and that savage metal giant was nothing more than an executioner and butcher."

"Then let's see if you can make Agor bleed to death. Those wise people who are willing to coexist with the sea spirits will naturally find protection in the hands of the butcher."

Brandos couldn't be sure if the other side was targeting the followers of Agor or simply seeking another powerful ally, but in any case, he wanted to see the "die-hards" of Agor and the Colossus of Bronze fighting each other...

Unfortunately, the phrase "driving a tiger to devour a wolf" wouldn't exist in Agor's language.

But will Lotin, who has seen similar tricks many times in Iberia, really be affected by this?

Chapter 241: The City of Miliarum

Before officially entering the city, Dario and Elene, the two envoys representing Iberia, need to go to the pressure regulating chamber to adapt to the artificial air pressure in the city.

Although W initially refused to enter the adjustment chamber, she obediently went after Sikunda told her quite seriously that it would have very serious consequences.

The rest of the people went directly into the disinfection chamber to carry out disinfection work. Given the threat posed by the sea, Loting also believed that such disinfection measures were quite necessary.

"This place is like a completely different world compared to the land. Both are the whale falls of our civilization, but the nutrients that the land and the sea receive are not the same."

During the disinfection process, an autonomous robot introduced Agor and the city to the doctor as requested, and she learned that Agor was a true utopia compared to other countries on land.

"It's practically a utopia, Your Excellency Nautilus, don't you think?"

Even though Agor was paradise to the Terran continent the Doctor was familiar with, she still felt a sense of unease, even though Lotin told her that the Agor had inherited more than any other land race.

"This legacy made Agor a force to be reckoned with by land dwellers, but, Doctor, science and technology are not the entirety of that brilliant civilization."

"When the Agor people had just begun to develop a vague worship of the human body and a primitive belief in natural phenomena, they were too barbarically subjected to a huge impact from the legacy of their ancestors and a comprehensive shock to their worldview."

"This probably plunged the people of Agor into a kind of spiritual emptiness, and they could only seek another lofty ideal to fill this emptiness and maintain the meaning of their existence."

"This lofty ideal is that they define themselves as human beings before any other land race, and they take pride in imitating true human civilization. Agor's worship of humanity and the 'creator' that the Sarkaz people speak of has reached a pathological level."

The nanomachines responsible for sterilization made the rusty brass diving suit of the Deep Sea Titan shine like new. During this time, Lotin answered the doctor's question with his own views on the Agor civilization.

“The Laterans worshipped a supercomputer as a religion, while the Agors imitated and worshipped a creator and their civilization itself.”

"I believe that their collective arrogance stems more from their worship and imitation of the Creator than from the confidence that technology gives them."

"They got too caught up in the role, thinking they could become a guiding beacon for the development of civilization, just like that brilliant civilization."

"Unfortunately, they can't."

Even the current Lotin and the Doctor cannot do this. The Doctor has lost his memories of living in the previous civilization, while Lotin's own timeline of living in the previous civilization only came into being after this world accepted him.

Lotin's main task was to resolve the common calamities facing the entire Terra. He entrusted the development of Kazimir to Margaret and the development of Kazdel to Nez'thrae, which proved that he had no intention of becoming a leader of a civilization.

A protector who comes at a price—this is Lotin's most intimate role in the lives of the nations of Terra.

The Agors attempted to reconstruct the entirety of pre-civilization society based on scenarios imagined and conjectured from some written and audio records, and regarded them as the benchmark of civilization. Such reconstructions were destined to become nothing more than a projection of pre-civilization in a funhouse mirror.

“I certainly drew my conclusions too early, Mr. Nautilus. I haven’t even had extensive contact with the residents here.”

After the doctor turned to the side, she envied that Loting knew more about the past than she did, but he always revealed this information to her cautiously, as if he were on guard against something.

"Your judgment is just looking at Agor from another perspective. Even with all its flaws, it is still a true utopia compared to the land."

The disinfection was finally over, and Lotin, in his Agorian body, stepped into the Agorian city for the first time, while the three hunters returned to their homeland after a long absence.