Ark Undead

The doctor chuckled softly, it was hard to tell whether it was mockery or pity.

"Doesn't this sound strange? This is completely unlike something she would do?"

The immortal thought for a moment, then shook his head.

It's not that it's strange.

"From my memory, I can believe that she was like that."

In the memories seen by the Undead, Kal'tsit was able to argue with the Doctor about casualties and sacrifices during that war, which is enough to explain Kal'tsit's past character.

"I thought she wouldn't object. But she was the first to object."

"Yes, that's right. The first to object was these children's mother, who was very sentimental. But she was also ahead of others in medicine and research on Originium."

The doctor crossed his hands together.

"She and I created these children who could coexist with the power of the abyss, making them the pioneers of a new generation. But she couldn't let go of these children, fearing that they would suffer a devastating blow. So at that time, the decision we made was that she volunteered to stay. As an observer, it was actually a relief for her as well."

“We all know that to survive for such a long time, one would definitely go insane. That’s a certainty, and the facts have given us the answer. Kal’tsit has completely become a different person.”

The doctor spread his hands.

"She's not good at scheming, she doesn't know how to be ruthless, and she always has a smile on her face. But how much does she resemble her former self now?"

"The smile on her face turned into a long-lasting, unchanging chill and silence, and her words carried a sharp edge. She acted seemingly rationally, but in reality, it was nothing more than a way to give herself an acceptable explanation. On those sleepless nights, how many mental barriers did she create for herself that prevented her from closing her eyes?"

"As you know, she led Rhodes Island forward while I was away. While she did manage to prevent Rhodes Island from falling apart, the island not only suffered a financial deficit but also lost many elite operators."

"The most typical example is Greyhound. Although he's not entirely on Rhodes Island's side, at least we share the same goal. But she not only failed to see that, she also sent him to Great Yan, where he encountered danger in that most trouble-free country and even lost contact with them."

"She changed her body, her appearance, and became distrustful of others, unable to even do simple things like decentralization. She took everything into her own hands, believing that only she could handle these things, but it turned out she couldn't. Even when she tried to become like me, she couldn't think about things in the same way as me."

The doctor raised his hand and tapped his forehead.

“I am who I am, and I can’t become someone else. Kal’tsit has lived like a ghost for tens of thousands of years, which is why she needs to awaken me again.”

The Doctor's words may seem cruel and inhumane, but they are the best summary of Kal'tsit's character.

She has become someone else, but she still firmly believes that she is on the right path.

The professor wasn't trying to belittle her; those words might sound unpleasant. It was simply the professor's reflection on the past.

“My rationality made me the military commander back then, and it has also allowed me to regain control of Rhodes Island now. We have different personalities, but we have the same goal, and Kal'tsit and I are the best partners.”

The Doctor seems to treat everyone with kindness and always considers all aspects of his work, bringing victory to Rhodes Island's operators every time.

But in reality, he was the most ruthless one.

To achieve the victory he promised, he could include everyone as a sacrifice, including his family, friends, and even himself.

Kal'tsit appears to be cold and aloof to everyone, with rationality taking precedence and a purely businesslike attitude.

But in reality, she is the most sentimental one.

Every time she forces herself to make what she believes to be the right choice, she might secretly feel sad and shed tears. But she has forgotten how to express these emotions.

Time is cruel.

"The Undead said."

"Forcing people to become something else."

"Yes, that's why I have such a respectful attitude towards that prophet."

The doctor sighed and said.

"She walked alone for longer than any of us could imagine. From the era you describe to the era in which we were born in darkness, she lived so long, yet she never forgot her purpose: to meet you again."

The doctor tilted his head slightly.

"Although I could never feel such emotions, just trying to imagine how strong a mind it would take to do such a thing makes me shudder."

"Lord Ash, you are also an immortal, you can understand what this means."

"She preserved everything about herself for you—her original appearance, her original personality—so that you wouldn't feel like a stranger when you meet her again."

"You are her hero, her faith, and her everything."

The Undead fell into a long silence.

He didn't expect that the professor would suddenly change the subject to the Fire Mage.

The key point is that the Undead clearly know that what the Doctor said is correct and very accurate.

However, even the immortals couldn't accept this change in relationship in a short time.

In his memory, the Fire Mage had always been his...partner? Or rather, colleague.

However, he could also sense that the Fire Maiden's trust and reliance on him had exceeded normal limits.

He was originally focused on doing what he was supposed to do. But now that the Primordial Flame resides within him, he no longer has that single goal.

Faced with such an aggressive fire-type woman, the undead would be at a loss.

Seeing the Undead's dilemma, the Doctor smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about that. I can probably teach you more about interpersonal relationships. You two are inseparable; she belongs to you, and you belong to her. This relationship won't change because of anything. Just get used to it gradually. Until then, try to experience what she brings you."

The immortal hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing, I'm also very interested in your situation."

The doctor shook his head and switched the overlapping legs so that one was on top of the other.

He picked up his coffee cup again, took a sip to moisten his throat, and then continued speaking.

"Getting back to the main point, I think you're probably also unfamiliar with the so-called Agor. After all, it's a city that was born on the foundation of your passing."

“Agor is a city that serves as an anchor point for the world, and it was our final stop there. Therefore, Agor also inherited most of the legacy of that era.”

"In our plan, Agor will not have much contact with the cities on the mainland. The people living there have only one task: to fix the world's anchor point and prevent the world's barrier from shifting. Therefore, Agor is completely unfamiliar to the people on the mainland."

"However, it is not unfamiliar to you. You have been in contact with that group of Agor people."

"Ok?"

The immortal was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"Skadi?"

"Yes."

The doctor nodded.

"Strictly speaking, the Agor people of today are no longer the final products of the group we left behind."

“Initially, we considered that the city of Agor's role was to serve as the front line of the world's bulwark, suppressing the abyssal forces lurking in the deep sea. Therefore, in the subject of abyssal adaptability, we gave them the highest degree of abyssal adaptability.”

"And I am the most successful product born from that project."

The doctor spread his hands and said.

"Being able to perfectly adapt to the power of the abyss while maintaining one's sanity and remaining unaffected by it while in a state of clarity. But the price is the rapid loss of one's sanity, ultimately becoming the deepest abyss being. How about that, doesn't it sound a bit like the undead of your era?"

No wonder Rhodes Island has the formula to create the Humanity Potion; perhaps the Doctor had already devised a solution the moment he used himself as a test subject.

"Unfortunately, someone like me cannot be replicated. Therefore, those selected as warriors among the Agorians are, strictly speaking, defective products."

"They possess extremely high resistance to the abyss, and when conscious, they can control all their reason, almost never reacting to the nature of the abyss. Yet, their bodies are the most suitable vessels to bear the weight of the abyss. Therefore, they constantly hear the call of their so-called 'homeland.' Once they accept the darkness within their hearts, they break free of their shackles and transform into giants within the abyss."

"And these people are now known as Deep Sea Hunters."

The Undead fell silent once again.

This is the weight of the past, enough to leave even him speechless.

Could the way these deep-sea hunters came into being be...?

"That's right, they are warriors developed based on the fragments of the Abyss and the Abyss Nest that we obtained."

The doctor smiled and said self-deprecatingly.

"It's strange, isn't it? We are supposed to be fighting against the abyss, but we have drawn power from the abyss."

"A brilliant idea."

Only an immortal can utter this sentence.

If he had been born in the Age of Fire, the Doctor might have found common ground with the legendary scholar of original sin, Adil.

"There's one more thing."

The Undead was still basking in the "surprise" the Doctor had given him earlier when the Doctor threw out another big gift.

"You are also very familiar with the core of Agor's anchor point, which forms the world's barrier."

The professor casually picked up a piece of paper and wrote some obscure and difficult-to-understand words on it.

Give it to the immortals.

After watching for a while, the immortal felt that it was very familiar.

He frowned slightly and spoke tentatively.

"Cunei script... cunei stones?"

"Yes."

The doctor smiled and nodded.

“We gathered all the wedge stones we could find and, using the flames you left behind as a power source, activated the World Barrier.”

"The so-called world barrier is like a 'weapon' forged from the power and fire contained within a wedge-shaped stone."

"After all, the so-called Sea Siblings are also part of the Abyss, and the characteristic of the Sea Siblings is that they can complete evolution at an extremely fast speed when their consciousnesses are connected."

"Only something as mysterious as wedge-shaped rocks could suppress them at the bottom of the sea."

"Similarly, the weapons of the Deep Sea Hunters are also forged from a mixture of wedge stone fragments or powder."

"Only weapons like these can sever their so-called large-scale connections and truly kill the Abyss."

The Undead took a deep breath and nodded slowly.

That's reasonable, very reasonable.