Deep Sea Hunter, but Deep Sea Titan

Goredia stood there alone, looking somewhat disheveled, her face full of astonishment.

She now understood why her blood relatives were so fascinated by him. She watched as the strikingly conspicuous bronze giant parted the crowd, as if everyone else had become just blurry blocks of color.

She was determined to have this man; this was Goredia's strongest thought at the time.

"It seems Swordfish will be joining us soon. Although she is a formidable competitor, it's not all bad."

Laurentina gave a meaningful smile.

Laurentina's enigmatic smile reminded Skadi of something that happened long ago in Little Hills, when Laurentina chuckled to herself while showing off—it was exactly the same.

"I don't know if I should have said those things to her just now."

Skadi, on the contrary, felt a little annoyed. Why did she always end up doing things that benefited others, all by mistake...?

Chapter 271: Making Empty Promises for W

To outsiders, this Sarkaz standard-bearer, who seemed unremarkable and possessed an innate air of naivety lacking cultural refinement, was perhaps the least noticeable of Lotin's close associates.

Although W also attended the ball, she neither danced nor was interested in the Agorian performance.

After all, this W is not the W of synesthesia, nor is it Vishdel from Meows Run. The W here is just a pet and hound tamed by Lotin. Although she has made up for a lot of basic cultural knowledge and studied advanced Originium explosives and related mathematical knowledge, she still maintains her most representative quest for excitement.

There are only two reasons why she can sit here quietly: firstly, the Demon King she follows is here to enjoy the opera, and secondly, her teacher Theresa is also fascinated by the operas of the Agorians.

Although W's attachment and adoration for Theresa are not as strong as before, she still maintains at least some respect and admiration for the former Demon King who had shown her kindness. Her relationship with Theresa is gradually becoming more like that of a teacher and student.

"Why are the Agor people able to enjoy such a life?"

Before being forcibly taken to Lottin's side, W lived a precarious life as a mercenary. At that time, Kazdel was still in ruins. The Requiem Festival that Lottin took her to in Lungmen had a great shock to her.

"The candy here is even more wonderful than the candy in that mansion."

The tea and snacks W ate at Wei Yanwu's residence left a deep impression on her. It was the first time she had a concept of delicacies. In comparison, Agor's sweets and desserts made the expensive tea and snacks at Wei's residence seem ordinary.

“Agor was pure luck. What we seek out at the risk of offending the Creator is worthless to them. They were born next to the Creator’s treasure.”

The suffering Sarkaz endured made Theresa somewhat resentful and unwilling, but she also knew in her heart that the Creators never subjectively wanted to give Agor more resources; it was simply because they were born with good fortune.

"However, His Highness the Demon King's decision to allow us to share in the spoils is an undeniable achievement."

Theresa noticed that Lottin had gotten up; more accurately, the Rhodes Island doctor was urging Lottin to head to the main destination of this trip to the capital of Agor—the Agor National Archives.

"Does Your Highness feel threatened by the prospect of having another powerful and outstanding Agor woman by your side?"

Theresa and Lotin's partners were practically always running into each other, so she had to figure out their relationships, whether she wanted to or not. It was easy to imagine the pressure that three Agor blood relatives, all deep-sea hunters, would put on the Doctor.

"Ah, the archives..."

W felt that rather than sending her to such a place, it would be better to let her return to the world of "The Scroll of Mountains and Seas" and tinker with firecrackers with Nian.

"If I could hear the story of the so-called 'creator,' that wouldn't be bad either."

Theresa is a destructive and abusive failure who abused the Creator's gifts, which led to the tragedy of herself and the Doctor. To this day, W still fears this evil spirit of the Tower of Babel, and even though she has lost most of her memories, W still dares not approach her.

“Standard bearer, don’t just stand there in a daze. Lord Nautilus is leaving.”

Laurentina reminded W of something, without even paying attention to Theresa, who was a close associate of Lotin, while Theresa was a prisoner.

Every time W hears Laurentina's voice, she suddenly tenses up. In her opinion, this once eccentric Sister Agor is the one with the most ladylike qualities, even though "His Highness the Demon King" has never said this directly.

"Yes, yes, I will obey."

W now lives a life of extreme material abundance, and her personal freedom has gone from that of a prisoner of war to that of a normal retainer. However, she is gradually growing tired of this lowly and boring role as a standard-bearer. The cruelty and madness in her bones make her unwilling to be merely a docile pet dog.

She was no longer satisfied with escaping Loting's punishment and scolding; instead, she wanted to go further and receive praise from this demon king, preferably through methods that suited her taste, such as tearing apart his enemies.

"But how can I do something that even that monster orca couldn't do?"

On the other hand, Skadi could only obediently stay behind Lotin most of the time, so what could W do?

"It seems that a comfortable life hasn't destroyed your fighting spirit, standard-bearer."

"You don't seem content with just being my standard-bearer."

Lotin also felt that it was too boring to let her be a dispensable standard-bearer. Her talents could indeed support her to do some more valuable work. Although her combat ability was no longer sufficient, her intelligence skills, which she inherited from Hadley, were quite interesting.

Lotin did indeed envision establishing an intelligence network to help him gain a more real-time understanding of the movements of the Terran nations. As for the candidate, Hedley, busy searching for a regent, was naturally unable to extricate himself from the matter. Furthermore, his relationship with Lotin was not close enough, and his connection to the Sarkaz was somewhat too strong.

Lotin believed that Rhodes Island was an excellent platform. Without affecting its daily operations, he could use this pharmaceutical company, which was spread throughout Terra, to extend his perceptive tentacles to almost the entire continent. He didn't need assassinations or intimidation; all he needed was a pair of eyes that could see all of Terra.

"Perform well, you still have a chance to go further, standard-bearer."

Lotin patted W's head like he was petting a pet. With the help of Rhodes Island's platform and his inexhaustible gold, W could easily build an intelligence network that served only him under the cover of Rhodes Island's daily operations, acting as an external cooperative operator.

Given Lotin's personal strength, knowing the movements is enough for him to act quickly and effectively. He doesn't need to abandon the fundamentals and use inefficient traditional methods—such as assassination and intimidation—to maintain his influence. The methods he used to deal with the high-ranking officials of Kazimierz are the most efficient methods for Lotin.

If you discover someone trying to cause trouble, just take action and eliminate them.

"I will try my best, Your Highness!"

The lazy and bored W was thus inspired to fight. She understood that what Lothian wanted her to demonstrate was not her ability, but her loyalty, and in W's eyes, it was perfectly normal for subjects to express their loyalty to the king.

Theresa saw a familiar shadow in W, the same W who was so obedient and naive in front of her back then.

"Please don't tease that child."

Theresa had an expression that said, "Kids are already silly, and you're still teasing them." In her opinion, Lotin would most likely still be playing tricks on W as before.

"It's not a joke, but a genuine intention to give her some more important work."

"I never make empty promises to allies that I can't keep; fulfilling promises is my rule of conduct."

Either refuse to make a promise or fulfill the contract and commitment. This has always been Lotin's guiding principle since he came ashore, and it has never changed.

"I understand, Your Highness."

Theresa wisely refrained from objecting to Lottin's decision. In Lottin's eyes, she was nothing more than a sinner, a prisoner, a slave. No matter how noble she was in front of her former followers, she was nothing more than a laughable and pathetic loser in front of Lottin.

Loting didn't even bother to respond to her compliments and respect.

"You understand, Theresa."

The Doctor looked coldly at her once incredibly close friend. After confirming more details of the Originium Project through Anana, the Doctor became even more convinced that Theresa's flower field was a complete mess.

She simply couldn't understand how this disobedient cat could so easily give Originium decompression, such an important technology that even Kal'tsit herself couldn't understand, to the Terrans.

"If you hadn't gotten involved in the technology to decompress Originium back then, we might still be friends and continue our common cause."

"Amiya won't be in so much pain then."

The Doctor, to some extent, followed her subconscious and thought of her old friendship. She didn't hold a grudge to the point of deliberately tormenting Theresa, but seeing the Sarkaz who had touched the forbidden object being punished, enduring betrayal and loneliness, made the Doctor feel a little better.

"I am willing to accept the punishment."

Theresa had a thousand words she wanted to say to the Doctor, but when the words reached her lips, she could only utter this one sentence, which came from the bottom of her heart, yet was equally pale and powerless.

“You have chosen the right path, former mercenary W. Theresa is now your teacher, and can only be your teacher, nothing more.”

The doctor patted W on the shoulder and stated bluntly that Theresa could not and did not deserve to have any other identity.

Well, W has to admit that the oppressive feeling emanating from the evil spirits of the Tower of Babel was no less than that of Laurentina, who was like the mistress of the house. She was not someone to be trifled with either.

“I have no disloyalty to His Highness the Conqueror.”

Anyone would be a little nervous saying such a thing from someone who has acted as a double agent multiple times, but Luo Ting has tamed her to this extent, which can be considered as raising her to be docile.

"Then there's no need to be so afraid of me. I'm no longer the evil spirit of the Tower of Babel, and I won't take my anger out on people arbitrarily, provided that your attitude is correct enough."

The doctor did this so that W wouldn't become estranged from Loting because of her past. She knew Loting intended to use W's talents, and besides, she didn't want to always be stuck in that painful history.

"Lord Nautilus, let's go inside."

"A world that belongs only to you and me, the only world for two people of the same kind."

The Doctor finally arrived at the Argoor National Archives, which she had longed to visit. She clearly preferred to recall her life in the pre-civilization era, where the most complete and extensive written records of the prehistoric civilization were preserved in this magnificent and vast building.

Lotin also hoped that this was truly a private time for just the two of them, but he had a feeling that Precys would leave something behind—however, if Precys did leave something behind, then he would have to go and see for himself.

Chapter 272: A Crushing Defeat to the Childhood Sweetheart

"This, this is just a personal diary from back then? The Agor people treasure these things like precious gems?"

The Agor National Archives granted the PhD considerable access, but the PhD also had contingency plans in case Agor was unwilling to grant more access.

"I was thinking that if these Agorians were hiding anything, I would use some means to find out for myself."

Because Agor's technology is highly dependent on prehistoric civilizations, the Doctor could theoretically try to use Anana to forcibly invade Agor's human system, as her privileges are second only to Precys.

“Search records about prophets.”

The doctor, out of excessive curiosity about himself, consulted the records about himself, which made Theresa somewhat uneasy.

"What are you panicking about, Theresa?"

"Are you afraid that the evil spirits of the Tower of Babel will regain their memories, then break their previous promises and settle scores with you?"

Lotin said that Theresa was an interesting person. When Lotin asked her what she thought of the prophets of prehistoric civilizations, she said not to bring up the Tower of Babel evil spirits.

"There are quite a few records, let me see..."

"He acted as a prophet in Civilization X, which led to the development of a strange religion, but he left the planet before things could become more complicated."

"The Z civilization commanded a mercenary legion, which resulted in the war, which should have ended, lasting much longer."

"As a geologist in Civilization B, I successfully helped the civilization's spark survive a massive earthquake."

The Doctor spent some time trying to understand the contents of this information. It was basically saying that the previous prophet, the original Doctor, was someone who enjoyed infiltrating other civilizations and role-playing. This experience gave her the ability to empathize with weaker civilizations, which also created opportunities for the Sarkaz to take advantage of her later.

"Huh? Was I really that kind of person? I was actually so enthusiastic about civilized role-playing games."

The doctor's reaction was adorable, like a dark past of his youthful chuunibyou being unearthed, evoking a subtle sense of shame.

"Is Lord Nautilus doing something similar now?"

The Doctor was well aware that Lotin had been trying to insert a statue called "Nautilus" into the understanding of the Terran kingdoms, which, in her view, was no different from the entertainment of the former prophets.

"However, I don't sense any enjoyment or respect from you."

The doctor believed that Lotin's various methods of intimidation and conquest of the Terran nations were for a far greater purpose, completely different from his own past acts of entertainment and amusement.

"In order to accumulate my strength, even the weakest victim's single gold coin thrown in despair is enough to nourish my body and make me stronger."

“The flag in W’s hand can enable those who contribute taxes to transform their reverence into my purgatory energy.”

In the system chat interface, Lotin can safely share some relatively secure information with the Doctor.

"Don't you miss the stars and the sea? The diving suit that once allowed you to roam in the void is now just a keepsake of your memories."

The doctor suddenly looked up at the dazzling starry sky projected in the hologram. The text mentioned the wondrous beauty of the vast universe, which inspired the Agorians and gave them the intention to explore the universe. However, this plan was shelved due to the Haisi crisis.

"I support technological reserves and experiments for the purpose of exploring the universe, but now is not the time to open the pod."

Opening the Star Pod too early might cause the beings that destroyed the previous civilization to become interested in Terra prematurely, and Lotin still has two skins that could be used as trump cards that he hasn't unlocked yet.

One is the Crystal Knight, who has a high probability of being able to correct the Originium Project, and the most powerful Nautilus—the Nebula creature, the Astral Paladin.

The former, Lotin, can be unlocked through a trade with Precyth, while the unlocking conditions for the latter have not yet been announced.

"Believe me, I witnessed everything on the space station at the moment of destruction."

This footage was even played in the sarcophagus in Chernobog, showing a lonely astronaut abandoned by civilization, yet granted the right to eke out a living amidst the ruins.

While the doctor was reading the debate records of several philosophers from previous civilizations, Lotin also began to look up information about the astronaut Nautilus. It didn't have any practical significance; Lotin was just curious about the extent to which the fusion of worlds could complete his past.

"Lord Nautilus, I can hear her voice, Creator, Priestess!"

Theresa squeezed her temples in pain, her quiet and beautiful face temporarily distorted by the ferocious expression. Lotin's first thought was that Precyth had left behind a powerful Originium artifact here that would allow her to exert influence. The Agorians did not value Originium technology, so it was possible that they mistook its artifacts for something else and stored them here.

The next second, Lotin saw the ghostly rhomboid patterns in Theresa's eyes. He knew that the Originium Ghost intended to use Theresa as a microphone. He could have used [Purify] to drive Prissis away, but he didn't. He wanted to hear what Prissis was up to.

"We meet again, astronaut Nautilus."

Precys tried to recall when they last met—ah, it was when the satisfied Doctor made a wanton Y-shaped gesture in this man's arms, and the priestess's words began to become incredibly agitated and angry; that image kept replaying in her mind.

"Do you think you can get my prophet by such despicable means? You've only gotten her body. Once she remembers everything, she'll despise you and abandon you!"

Precyth showed no obvious hostility towards the Terrans; in fact, she was indifferent. She wouldn't interfere with the Doctor's plans regarding Terran civilization, even towards Theresa—if she were merely a close friend and hadn't caused the Doctor so much suffering.

After Theresia did this, Precys wouldn't mind trying, like Lotin, to make this former demon king who used the creator for the sake of Sarkaz pay a price.

But Lotin is different. He can actually have a new offspring with the Doctor. In Precys' eyes, he is completely different from those Terra animals. He can really take the Doctor away from her and threaten her position.

“Pricys, please don’t speak to Lord Nautilus like that. I don’t understand why you have such a strong prejudice against our compatriots.”