In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 147 The Sea Sibling Annihilation Plan? Heratia's Madness?

"Oh? It failed?"

No sooner had Gretia's "attack" failed than Heratia received intelligence from Clementa while she was deep in thought.

"Yes."

Within the holographic projection of her "little helper," Clementsa reported all the intelligence she knew to her superior.

"Our coast guard reported that they saw Goredia and her entourage walking out of the Emperor's residence on the street."

"Greteia clearly showed no signs of having completed her mission, and did not go to the hospital for a check-up immediately after leaving."

"Therefore, it is estimated that the probability of Goredia's mission failing is 99.9%."

As for the negligible 0.1%... it was a scheme devised by Goredia and the Emperor to conceal the fact that Goredia was pregnant, intending to secretly free the child from Agor's control.

But the possibility is extremely slim, and saying it would only make people laugh.

The reason for leaving a low probability is simply that Clementsa, as the technology administrator, is used to leaving herself some room for interpretation.

"I never imagined that my precious little Gretia would ever make a mistake."

After a moment of slight disbelief at this somewhat unexpected result, Heratia calmly replied:
"It seems that this emperor on land did not have a high enough artistic taste to appreciate what true 'beauty' really is."

"...Let's set aside aesthetics for now." Clementa shook her head at Heratia's words and then asked in a low voice:
"What should we do next, Governor Heratia?"

“Our actions have undoubtedly aroused the emperor’s displeasure and vigilance. From now on, the people on land will surely guard against us closely.”

"Moreover, as far as I know, Governor Goredia is also quite averse to this task and is unwilling to continue accepting it."

"Should we inform Greta and ask her to cancel the plan?"

...Was it too hasty?
After hearing Clementa's report, Heratia was plunged into unprecedented anxiety.

My little Gretia, don't you really understand your mother's good intentions?

Everything your mother did was for your own good, so that you could survive and become a hero of Agor, not a victim.

Heratia remained silent for a long time, but in the end, this mother, who harbored a twisted obsession with her daughter, seemed to have made up her mind.

"I will discuss this matter with my little Gretia myself."

"The key issue now lies with the emperors on land; we need to come up with a better plan to keep them in check."

Heratia smiled faintly and calmly gave the order to Clementa:
"Tomorrow, once our land-based friends arrive, we will openly abandon our plan to create deep-sea hunters through genetic modification."

"Then we shared the second solution."

"This can cripple Haisi in one fell swoop, ensuring that Haisi will be unable to develop a harmful second plan for the next ten years!"

"--yes."

Clementa's holographic projection slowly faded away, leaving Heratia alone in her meditation. Beneath her calm and dignified appearance lay a stubbornness born of "selfish maternal love."

Goredia, my little Goredia.

Mom will do anything to keep you alive.

Even if... everyone has to sacrifice themselves for your life.

……

"Spell Annihilation?"

The next day, on the streets of Miliaruum.

Because the city moves constantly in the deep sea, there is no clear distinction between day and night in Agor. On the streets, you can always see Agorians discussing things and heading to work.

The Agorians seem to be extremely busy at all times, with extraordinary benefits in every minute and second.

Therefore, Chen Qi and Jian, these two seemingly aimless and leisurely land dwellers, stood out conspicuously in the eyes of the Agor tribe.

Of course, it's not that Chen Qi and his group didn't want to take this opportunity to learn more about Agor's technology and knowledge.

The reason is that the Agor leadership, who were originally so enthusiastic and willing to make some "generous gifts" to the land, shelved these technologies again after Chen Qiyi righteously rejected their Deep Sea Hunter modification plan.

However, Chen Qi was not at all surprised by this result.

Agor was never that generous.

Especially when they faced Chen Qi, such a powerful obstacle, that they were not entirely confident in controlling the land.

Agor is even less likely to engage in any behavior that would "aid the enemy" or make his "potential adversary" stronger.

According to Agor's current view, many cutting-edge technologies in the hands of "barbarians" would only bring destruction.

On the street, Chen Qi only shared with Jian the second option that Heratia had mentioned to him.

"correct."

Within the magical barrier, Chen Qi could ensure that his conversation with Jian would not be known to outsiders, so he confidently explained:

"For Haisi, their long-standing adversary has always been Agor. Agor's technological weapons are extremely powerful, but he is completely ignorant of magic."

"Therefore, Hai Si's resistance to magic is almost non-existent."

“If we use magic to attack Hai Si, it will be particularly effective.”

"—So, Agor intends to use your magic to destroy Hai Si?"

Having said that, Jian understood Agor's plan, but she quickly noticed a major flaw in it and couldn't help but ask:

"But I remember you said that Haisi understands evolution."

"If you destroy them with magic once, they'll probably be even harder to destroy with magic after the next evolution, right?"

"You're right." Chen Qi nodded, then explained:

"Therefore, Agor hopes that I can eliminate as many Sealings as possible once and for all through magic."

"To this end, they devised an extremely dangerous plan."

As he spoke, under the movement of Chen Qi's fingers, the magical runes, like the outlines on the drawing book, converged to form a virtual three-dimensional object.

Soon, a giant device, resembling a classic Victorian jukebox, appeared in front of Jian.

And this is the "ultimate weapon" that Agor designed for Chen Qi.

"This is?"

"—This is an energy transmission system created by the Agorians that can play the 'Golden Melody'."

Chen Qi calmly explained:

"The main energy sources of the Agor are geothermal energy, hydrogen energy and bioenergy from underwater volcanoes, so they are not proficient in Originium Arts."

"According to Agor's plan, they will input this energy into my body, and then I will act as the central hub to convert this continuous energy into Originium Arts needed to unleash spells."

"At the same time, they will release a wave signal at the 'dome,' which is the protective shield of their city, that can attract Hai Si."

"During this period, the city beneath our feet will travel at extremely high speeds across the seabed, attracting as many sea creatures as possible to besiege the city."

“And once my spell is finished, they will remove the ‘dome’ and let all the gathered sea creatures in.”

"At that time, all the Sealings will die under the spell I unleash."

Under Chen Qi's nimble finger control, Jian witnessed the destruction of a small Miliaruum.

And the countless Sea Si, whose exact number was unknown, were completely destroyed by the astonishing destructive power of the "Golden Melody," leaving not even a trace of their remains.

Without a doubt, this plan was bold, effective, and extremely dangerous.

This doesn't just mean that Agor has to abandon the fortress city they've fought so hard to maintain, the one facing the Sea Siege.

This also means that when the 'dome' disappears and the sea and sea creatures surge forth, the remaining Agors in Miliarum will inevitably become the victims.

However, since Agor dared to formulate such a bold plan and share it with Chen Qi and others as a formal implementation scheme, it was quite remarkable.

This means that they have recruited enough "sacrifices".

"After discussing with the Doctor, Kal'tsit, and others, I have agreed to Agor's plan."

Chen Qi dissipated the spell in his hand, and, meeting Jian's particularly worried gaze, calmly analyzed the situation:

"According to Agor's precision machinery calculations, their operation is expected to eliminate about 80% of the Hai Si."

"Based on the rate at which the sea brethren reproduce, it will take them at least nine to ten years to recover to their current size."

"During this time, Agor will also send out their fleet to continuously encircle and suppress the remaining Sea Siren, and regain control of the Sea Siren's scale."

"So... optimistically speaking, Hai Si might not be able to cause any more trouble for the next twenty or thirty years."

"And these two or three decades are the best opportunity for us to do everything we can to eradicate Haisi."

Of course, if nothing unexpected happens, the Originium on land will start to face a crisis again in the next two or three decades.

Chen Qi shook his head with a wry smile. He really had no other choice but to act like a firefighter, moving things wherever needed, as this continent was full of cesspools.

All he can do now is hope that the crisis of Hai Si doesn't erupt at the same time as the Originium, and that at least one of them can take a break for a while.

"...Then what about your safety?"

However, after Chen Qi shared Agor's entire plan, Jian only asked one question that concerned him the most.

"If you let Hai Si in, the seawater and Hai Si will drown you."

"You had just unleashed the 'Golden Melody' and were in a weakened state. The entire city was doomed then. What would you have done?"

"Don't worry, silly boy, I'm not so desperate as to give up my own life to eliminate Hai Si."

Faced with the worried mace, Chen Qi had already planned his escape route from the moment he heard Agor's plan.

"I left an anchor point in Outland when I was suppressing demons there."

"At the moment the 'Golden Melody' is released, I will use the last bit of energy I have left to 'exile' myself to Pavieyong in the outer realm."

"Time flows much slower in Outland than in reality, so I can get plenty of rest there before teleporting myself back to Terra."

"Perhaps by then, the city in the water will have just sunk, and you won't even have time to catch your breath before I'm already back."

Seeing that Jian's furrowed brows were still not calm, Chen Qi said half-jokingly:
"If all else fails, I can always activate my Originium Arts."

"Don't forget, my Originium Arts can allow me to travel to other timelines."

"Although this will temporarily deprive me of my powers in reality, as long as I can return alive from that time and space, I might gain the power to turn danger into safety."

"If not, I'll go through time again until I'm absolutely sure I'm okay."

With each comforting word from Chen Qi, the worry on Jian's face finally lessened considerably.

Finally, Chen Qi's seemingly cheating Originium Arts made Jian laugh in exasperation, and he even jokingly said:

"I don't want you to keep traveling to other times."

“Last time you traveled through time, you brought me back a god of the snow mountain, along with a whole bunch of film.”

"If I let you travel through time again, do you intend to bring me back a whole basket of Agorians?"

"...Hmm, who knows?" Chen Qi shrugged upon hearing this, deliberately playing along with Jian's joke.

"Perhaps I can become the ancestor of Hai Si, and then the Hai Si crisis will naturally be resolved?"

Jian: "—If you turn into that disgusting thing, then don't even think about touching me when you come back."

As expected, a simple threat from Jian left Chen Qi, the Earth Emperor, speechless, and he could only silently follow in Jian's footsteps. However, the two had not gone far when a graceful figure that had been waiting there for some time stopped them in their tracks.

"...Greetings, Your Excellency Qi, and Miss Jian."

When Goddess, who had been waiting there for a long time, saw the two figures, a hint of embarrassment flashed across her pretty face, but she quickly regained her usual aloofness.

"...What are you doing here again? Second Captain, with your unsatisfied desires?"

Naturally, Jian wouldn't have a pleasant expression when facing Goredia, the woman who almost cheated on him to his face.

However, despite the mace's wariness, Goredia's expression was unexpectedly calm and relaxed, and she clearly stated her purpose for coming.

"It's nothing, I just declined the task that embarrassed me from Governor Heratia as a way of thanking you."

Greta, who was considerably taller than Chen Qi, bowed slightly and gave Chen Qi a calm thank you:

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency, which has allowed me to avoid my tragic past from being repeated in my descendants."

"--It's nothing, Ms. Grace, it's best if you can think it through."

Sensing the mace beside him, and the hand gripping him even tighter, Chen Qi skillfully soothed her emotions while also raising a smile to express his friendliness to Goredia.

After all, he could feel that the oppressive atmosphere around Goredia had suddenly dissipated.

Grandia is not good at lying or acting, and her reaction is enough to prove that her genetic crisis has been resolved.

"There's a saying among people on land: 'Great kindness needs no thanks.' I've always thought that's very much like Agor's way of doing things."

A rare friendly smile appeared on Goredia's face as she easily spoke to Chen Qi and Jian:
"I will not use words to explain my past actions. In the future, I will prove with my actions that I am a trustworthy comrade-in-arms of you on the mainland."

"Now that Your Excellency Qi and Miss Jian have nothing to do, why don't I introduce you to some of the more interesting parts of this city?"

“Agor no longer pursues material things, so the city is not as prosperous as the land.”

"However, there are still many places worth visiting in Agor, as well as many restaurants worth tasting and elegant balls."

As she spoke, Goredia extended her hand, smiling elegantly like a lady:

"Let's consider this a conversation between friends after we've cleared up any misunderstandings. I hope you'll do me the honor of joining us."

Greta actually invited others to balls and restaurants?
When Goredia extended an invitation to Chen Qi and his group on the street, many passersby in Agor, who were originally focused on their own affairs, couldn't help but stop in their tracks and cast incredibly surprised glances at her.

After all, in Agor society, as one of the first deep-sea hunters, Goredia was known for her aloofness.

Few people have ever seen her attend a ball, and even if she has, her dance partner is always a woman.

Grandia herself is extremely talented in many fields, but there is no record of her ever showing interest in anything.

Today, she actually took the initiative to invite a guest from land, which is indeed a bit unbelievable.

Realizing that something was wrong with Grandia's attitude, Chen Qi and Jian exchanged glances. Finally, after receiving Jian's tacit approval, Chen Qi extended his hand in acceptance.

"Then, I shall respectfully comply."

However, the moment Chen Qi and Grandia clasped hands, he felt Grandia tighten her grip.

And the message conveyed in her cool, clear eyes.

Understanding perfectly, Chen Qi subtly shared his isolation spell with Gretia through his palm, pulling her into his and Jian's "voice channel."

"Alright, now you can speak, Ms. Grace."

"...I must admit, your magic is truly amazing."

After hearing Chen Qi's clear voice echo in her mind, Greta, relieved, replied in a normal tone:
"Your Excellency, what I am about to say may constitute a leak of information, so I hope you will keep it confidential and cooperate."

"The plan to seize your genes has not been suspended by Governor Heratia. On the contrary, she has ordered me to complete the task within seven days."

"Seven days?"

Because of the shared voice recording, Jian was also surprised to hear Gretia's words.

Fortunately, Chen Qi, realizing what Goredia was thinking, interrupted Jian in time and gently replied to Goredia:
"So, Ms. Goredia, since you're willing to share this secret with me, can I take that to mean you're no longer willing to accept this order?"

"--nature."

The sound of Goredia's smile came clearly.

When Goredia learned during the day that she still needed to carry out the mission that filled her with grief and indignation, she simply said two words to her birth mother.

"no way."

Chen Qi had no idea that his unintentional act would inadvertently solidify Goredia's resolve.

The emperor of that land was absolutely right.

All her grief and hatred stemmed from past tragedies, and she was determined not to let the tragedy that had happened to her be repeated in her children.

She wants to choose her own spouse and walk the path she believes is right.

This has nothing to do with any ruler, and even less to do with the mother with whom he has only a biological connection!

"—This is the result of a collective discussion among Agor's senior management, Gretia."

"You have no right to refuse this mission."

Goredia still remembers the death order her birth mother gave her during the day, given her with the ruthless attitude of a governor.

"This matter concerns the prosperity of the Agor people, and even the lives of thousands of Agor people."

"You only have seven days, Goredia."

"Within seven days, no matter what method you use, or what technology or memories of Agor you utilize, I will grant you access."

“If you fail to complete the task within seven days, I will, in my capacity as Governor Agor, punish you for your ‘dereliction of duty’.”

"At that time, I will remove you from your position as captain of the deep-sea hunters, and may even expel you from the Agor group—think it over carefully, Goredia."

The mountain-like burden, along with Heratia's words, was thrown at her own daughter.

This time, however, Gretia, whose mind was already made up, was no longer willing to be held hostage by her mother's so-called responsibilities.

Should she be relieved of her post as captain of the deep-sea hunters?

Of the surviving deep-sea hunters, aside from one missing Ulpian, the only two remaining are by her side.

Her position as captain was earned through killing Hai Si; how could it be revoked by a single word from the higher-ups of Agor?
As for expelling Agor... that had no effect on Goredia.

In any case, in the eyes of many Agor people, the Deepsea Hunters are no longer Agor people.

As long as she can continue to slaughter the Sealings, in her heart she will still be a true Agor.

Her achievements and status do not require the approval of others.

However, Goredia could not remain inactive in the face of the directives issued by Agor's high command.

Just as she was struggling with how to fool her birth mother, her teammate Specter gave her a good suggestion.

"It's very simple, my dear captain. You just need to act like you're trying to get closer to that emperor on land, right?"

Greta remembered Laurentina's ambiguous smile and knowing look when she said those words to her.

"Just spend more time with that emperor and make them think you're very hardworking, that's enough."

"Perhaps, Captain, during this time, you'll develop some feelings for that emperor and change your firm belief in remaining single?"

"...Just kidding, haha."

"--In short, that's the gist of it."

During the handshake, Gretia, who had laid out everything to Chen Qi, wore a relaxed and composed smile as she said:
"I have already decided that once the second plan is completed, I will take my team away from Agor and prepare myself mentally."

"For the next seven days... how about you treat me as your bodyguard, protecting your safety closely?"

“It is my pleasure, Ms. Graceia.”

After receiving Greta's honest answer, and seeing that she had revealed so many secrets, Chen Qi no longer doubted that she might be lying.

"But...where do you plan to go after leaving Agor?"

"This question is meaningless."

After much deliberation, Goredia, unsure of where she could go on land, replied indifferently:
"You are the emperor of the land. My coming to the land is the same as coming to your land."

"I was born to eliminate Haisi, and I will dedicate my life to this cause."

"And now, you are also contributing your strength to eliminate Hai Si, so it is only natural that I will serve you for a period of time."

"In that case, I warmly welcome Ms. Gretia to my country."

Chen Qi was overjoyed to receive this completely unexpected answer.

He never expected that the pressure exerted on Goredia by the Agor leadership would actually drive away this second captain.

How could I possibly get a whole team of deep-sea hunters for free? What kind of good thing is this?

"It seems that today is indeed a day worth celebrating."

After a moment's thought, Chen Qi, delighted, turned his gaze to Greta and said with a smile:
"Ms. Greta, would you please help us find a good restaurant to celebrate our future collaboration?"

"What an honor."

Goredia smiled and agreed, then briskly led the way for her two land-based comrades.

For some reason, even though it was just a few words, the last bit of melancholy that Kingia felt for leaving her homeland vanished.

...Perhaps it's because he and this emperor on land share similar worldviews and values.

Unconsciously, Laurentina's words to her suddenly flashed into Greta's mind.

Do you feel favorable impression of this emperor?

Grétia, who had previously scoffed at this view, no longer denies what Laurentina said.

Of course, Goredia's affection was definitely not romantic.

Compared to this group of rational, correct, and efficient Agor leaders... I'm probably closer to the emotional land dwellers when it comes to my family, relatives, and comrades.

These were feelings that Goredia used to consider "weak".

That is the chain that now connects them, enabling them to complete one impossible task after another and overcome one difficult obstacle after another.

Having experienced so many battles and so many life-and-death separations, Goredia no longer denies the so-called "power of emotion."

She was looking forward to it.

In the upcoming plan to wipe out 80% of the Sea Heirs.

I can also build such relationships with these friends from the mainland...

Perhaps, in the future, she will be more at ease with these land people whom she once regarded as "savages," and open her heart to them.
However, what the agile Goredia failed to notice was...

Above that "dome" that protects the city from the sea and marine life, hundreds and thousands of "eyes" are watching her every move.

There was a woman she hated and loathed who saw all her weak and vulnerable acts.

Someone she never expected, someone she thought had always ignored her, had been monitoring her from the very beginning.

That person never truly let go of his feelings for her.

She was no longer willing to wait.

(End of this chapter)