Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Normally, Noah wouldn't have been able to do anything, but this time, she wasn't just accompanied by the mace, but also by the head of the Ecology Department, Ms. Miu Miu. After securing the transport plane, she immediately contacted Noah and confirmed his location, returning to his side. However, after investigating and testing the soil, Muirseth spoke with a slight headache. "The soil here is in terrible condition... Even specially cultivated plants would struggle to survive under these conditions."

"I understand, that's why I asked you to do this." Noah said beside Muerses, "Miusimiao, you are a big shot in this field, there will always be a way."

"I'm not a wish-granting machine." Although Muirseth was very pleased with Noah's praise, he was also troubled. "In any case, if we want to reshape the soil here, we need a lot of fresh water to dilute the salt in the soil. Otherwise, it will be difficult for plants to survive in this soil."

"A lot of fresh water..." Noah also began to feel troubled. "It's really not easy to get a lot of fresh water here..."

"Besides that, we also have to consider the rainfall and groundwater here, and whether it's suitable for digging salt drainage ditches—" Muirses counted on his fingers. "But no matter which method is used, desalination treatment is required. The cost will be very high... and we'll also need to cover the ground with mulch and the like. Well, it's not an easy task anyway. I can only provide some plants for improving the soil, and large-scale soil improvement will require the cooperation of the Inquisition."

"To solve Iberia's problems, we have to address the salinization of the arable land. This soil was once suitable for growing crops... What a pity! This place could have supported many, many people," Noya sighed, but her sigh did not last long. "Victoria, not far from here, has abundant fresh water resources. Can we use it to exchange large amounts of salt for fresh water?"

"...Salt...?" Noya's idea wasn't entirely without merit. Salt was a necessity no matter where one lived, and Iberia already produced and exported large quantities of sea salt. Trading salt for fresh water shouldn't be a big problem. "But will Victoria agree?"

"Perhaps the previous Victoria would be unlikely to agree, but we can give it a try now." Noah hesitated for a moment, thinking that the current Victoria must be very short of foreign exchange. After all, this is post-war, and post-war Victoria needs to recuperate. Compared to using money to buy salt, perhaps exchanging water for salt is more acceptable.

"That's right..." Muirseth nodded. "And cultivating crops in saline-alkali soil... Honestly, it's a good idea for my new thesis. I'll give it a try."

After Alex took away all of Muirseth's research results, she really lacked some scientific research directions. The direction given by Noah was good, and she could give it a try.

"Miss Shu from the Dayan Tianshi Mansion should also have research in this area. I can let you set up a joint laboratory with her. This crop is not only good for Iberia, but also for the whole world." Noah also thought of Miss Shu, but it was a pity that she did not come with him, otherwise the two of them could probably set up a laboratory on the spot.

The people of this disaster-stricken country are still struggling to survive. Noah does not want to let their efforts down. If there is anything she can do, she will do her best to do it.

After finishing the field inspection, Noah and others had just left the field when they heard the bells of the Salt Wind City Church. As the bells rang, the people in Salt Wind City who were like zombies seemed to have received a revelation and headed towards the church.

Noya frowned. Their unusual behavior alerted her. If she remembered correctly, Iberia's religion was essentially derived from the Lateran. Why were these people so concerned about the church bells? Honestly, Noya didn't understand the significance of the so-called spiritual power of religion. After all, she was a believer in science, and she viewed things like gods as simply beings with special powers.

Even after actually meeting Yelagund, her thoughts did not change.

What's more - even if it was Yela, she could only protect Sherag's land.

Touching the bell that Yela had given her and that was hanging around her waist, she said, "Let's go and see what's going on here."

Several people followed the citizens and moved forward slowly. Soon, most of the people in the entire Yanfeng City gathered in the square in front of the church. These people were pale and thin, with dazed expressions. There seemed to be light in their eyes as they were called by the bell. In the center of the square, there was a jar, a very ordinary clay jar. People seemed to take something out of the jar one after another.

They whispered to each other, and Noah felt an emotion called tension spreading in the square and existing in everyone's heart.

What are they...doing?

People took something out of the jar one after another, and most of them looked disappointed, until a staggering man picked up a shell. He was trembling all over, and fear and yearning appeared on his expression almost at the same time.

And Noah finally opened the Eye of God—and looked at the thing in his hand.

It's a red shell...

The person who got the red shell quickly raised the shell in his hand and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Great! Hey! I got it!" He was like crazy, leaving a very deep impression on Noah. "I... I was chosen!"

Noah felt uncomfortable. This crazy emotion was colliding in her heart, and this madness seemed to be engraved into the bones of these people. They were full of envy and looked at the man holding the red shell.

"Soon, another lucky person among us was chosen. He went ahead of us and lived a better life."

"Tomorrow, we will have fresh food. Everyone will survive. Whether we go to the sea or stay on the shore."

"Praise! The gift of God!"

"Praise! The gift of God!"

The chosen one waved to everyone, his hunched back straightened in excitement. Even his complexion had turned rosy, a stark contrast to his previous sickly appearance.

And inside his body, only fanatical emotions supported him.

Like a madman...

Chapter 5: The City That Should Have Died

This is just like a cult ritual...

Noah was already feeling physically uncomfortable. The emotions here were like omnipresent poison to her, and she felt nauseous just by touching them.

Even Noah, who had witnessed various battlefields and tragedies, could not suppress this feeling. In Noya's perception, human emotions were actually no different from ordinary senses such as vision, smell, and taste. She would be happy when she felt positive emotions, and would feel uncomfortable when she felt bad emotions. And now, the emotions that permeated the entire square were like a place where Noya could lose sanity at any time and anywhere.

"Does Miss Goletia know about the situation here?" Noya muttered to herself. Perhaps because she had experienced too many negative emotions, her tone became stiff. In her mind, Herhunzolen also sneered.

"Fanatical believers have their own ways. Those who worshipped me back then were no different from these people." Herhunzoron clearly disliked such fanaticism. He was indeed the most outstanding warlock in the history of Terra, but he did not consider him a so-called god. Rather, to deify him was the greatest insult to him.

He is the king of Leithania, a genius who is comparable to gods and the Creator in mortal form, and a tyrant without peer.

But he is not a god.

How can the innate power of gods compete with human will?

He was so arrogant that he looked down upon the so-called gods, and would not allow anyone to compare him with gods.

To him, these fools who were blinded by the so-called doctrines and laws were just a group of ignorant fools.

After the Witch King's voice sounded, Noah felt that the noise in her head disappeared without a trace. She knew that the Witch King had helped her temporarily block her emotional perception, and her face looked a little better.

Maybe even he couldn't stand it anymore...

There are indeed gods on Terra, and Noah has even seen one, but she does not believe that gods can become so-called saviors. Gods are just special lives with different ways of existence. If people do not save themselves, gods cannot become the saviors of mankind.

Human beings can only control their own destiny by relying on themselves.

Noah has been fighting against fate until now, so it is natural for him to have such an awareness.

However, she wanted to see what would happen to the person who got the red shell.

Noah and the mace quietly disappeared into the crowd. Soon, the man holding the red shell left the crowd and walked step by step towards the pilgrimage site in his mind. He was very pious, chanting a strange scripture all the time, and walked step by step in a certain direction.

That's the direction of the sea -

Noah could feel the oncoming sea breeze and smell the salty smell it carried. It was obvious that the other party was walking towards a beach.

Noah and Mace followed from a distance, without being noticed by this man who had fallen into some kind of religious fanaticism. It would be better to say that there was nothing else in his eyes, and his heart was actually filled with joy. He moved forward step by step, from the cobblestone road to the sand. His feet had sunk into the soft sand, and his steps began to become unsteady. Due to long-term malnutrition, even the sand could hinder this man's steps.

But he did not give up moving forward. His footprints left a long trail in the sand, and he finally arrived at the promised land.

He knelt in the waves, which came one after another like waves invading the land, wetting his clothes, and he just stayed there like a sculpture.

Noya couldn't use the Eye of God to monitor this man all the time, but she also noticed something strange. He just stayed there, like...

"Like what are you waiting for?"

Soon, Noah felt a chilling breath. The feathered beasts that were originally flying on the coast suddenly stopped making any sound. The tide... the tide was rising. Noah calculated the time and it was indeed almost high tide.

But the man still knelt there, and even when the tide had submerged his lower body, he did not move at all.

"Is he planning to drown himself?" Noah frowned. If it really came to that, she would have to take him back to safety. She couldn't just watch someone drown.

However, a strange premonition made her temporarily stop the rescue operation, because something was coming from the sea.

As the tide rose, there was suddenly some... movement on the sea surface. Although it hadn't yet surfaced, something beneath the water began to stir. Then, something bluish-gray rose from the water.

It was a human-like object, and its appearance seemed to calm the entire ocean. Its appearance made the man kneeling on the ground excitedly raise his head and shout loudly.

"Messenger, you are the messenger I have been waiting for, right? I want to return to the sea and live a happy life..." He prayed excitedly, his hoarse voice full of expectation, but the blue-gray figure said nothing. He just stared at the man kneeling in the tide, then stretched out his hand and pressed it on the man's head.

The man fell silent for a moment, then let out a miserable cry.

Noah heard it clearly... but it was too late. Or rather, after that thing appeared, Noah already knew... that the man was dead.

Because what really killed this man was not His attack, but his own body...

The man's body contained the dried fish meat he had eaten before, and these living dried meats had long since infected normal body tissues. After "He" appeared, these mutated body tissues had been awakened.

She is just a catalyst; it is the man himself who actually eats him up.

Soon, the man's screams disappeared without a trace, and his body began to twist and mutate. Soon, he turned into a bluish-white... sea lily-like creature, swaying in the tide.

The human-like object glanced from a distance in the direction of Noah, who witnessed all this. Noah did not avoid it, nor did he even avoid the other party's sight. He should have known that Noah was here a long time ago. From the beginning, he intended to let Noah witness all this.

Soon, He turned around, and His departure took away the overflowing tide, while on the shore, large and small fish of strange shapes were stranded.

After the tide receded, some people soon came to the shore with sacks to pick up these non-struggling fish and stuffed them into the sacks. After processing, these fish would become jerky.

The church here...is using this method to infect the entire Saltwind City...

Let them become Haisi...

Noah had thought the situation here would be bad, but she never imagined it would be this bad. She witnessed these people numbly picking up the food that was obtained in exchange for the sacrifices of their compatriots. They knew where the food came from, but they were so numb.

Soon, all the terrifying fish on the beach were cleared away, and these people returned to Saltwind City with heavy sacks on their backs, as if nothing had happened.

These people have become accustomed to this, accustomed to receiving the [gifts] of the sea.

And beside Noah Kyrielight, who witnessed all this, there was another person who appeared at some point. It was none other than Gloria, who had been separated for a long time.

"What do you think?"

“Why not stop them?”

"Stop them? What happens after you stop them? This is their only way to get food. Stopping them means they will die."

"..."

Noah wanted to say something, but some words could not come out of her mouth. However, this was absolutely wrong, and it was a ritual that could not continue... She witnessed the tragedy with her own eyes, but was powerless to change it.

Since they don’t eat dried fish, what else can these people eat?

They just want to survive, what's wrong with that?

It has always been like this... is it right?

Perhaps noticing Noah's bad mood, Muirseth on the side quickly spoke.

"Let's go back first. We can talk about it later if there's anything. I don't want to stay in this place anymore."

Thinking of the blue-gray figure, Muirses felt uncomfortable all over. That thing had a strange aura and seemed to have intelligence. It even noticed that she and others were observing it. She always felt unsafe staying here.

She even wanted to run away with Noah...

"Yes, let's go back first." Noah nodded, "I need to think about what to do."

Several people returned to their base in Yanfeng City, which was the small house. The deterrent effect of the bandits they had killed before was still there, and they did not find any signs of other people invading the house. They closed the door, lit the stove, and under the light of the flames, Noah spoke.

"Goldetia, you owe me an explanation."

She came here to help Goletia and Agor reconnect, but upon arrival, she discovered the situation in Saltwind City. The people there could only eat the flesh of sea heirs to satisfy their hunger, but this flesh was only a temporary solution. The church here was turning its people into sea heirs one by one, and the people were unaware of it. They numbly consumed the flesh that would eventually transform them into monsters, sacrificing their compatriots one by one.

Is this... what Gloria wants to show me?

What does the situation here have to do with Agor, and what is that humanoid Haisi!

Noah had so many questions he wanted to ask, but Gloria didn't intend to answer them all.

"I know what you're trying to say, but this place should have been a dead city long ago," Goletia replied succinctly. "The people here are all elderly, weak, women, and children. Even the bandits are mostly disabled or even sick. These people can't migrate. Iberia has long since abandoned them."

"Abandoned?"

"Yes, those still alive here should have died long ago," Goletia said bluntly. "The land here can't grow crops, and there are no scaled beasts to hunt on the coast. This place should have disappeared long ago. However, something has kept it this way for now."

"...You mean, Kaiji?"

"Indeed." Gloria didn't mince words, nor did she try to euphemize the situation. Her bluntness felt more like a verdict. "When I arrived here, I already knew this place was hopeless. These people have eaten the dried fish meat. They've become half-sea heirs. They're beyond saving."

"..." Noah was silent for a long time, as if he had to accept the fact that everyone here would become Hai Si first. He thought of the children who surrounded him yesterday, and those numb people who were like zombies.

——Do you want to save them?

At this moment, the voice of Precious sounded again in her mind.

- If you are willing to exchange a wish, I can tell you how to save them.

The voice was full of temptation, like a siren singing to attract sailors to come closer.

"...I'm going to do something." If he didn't know this, it would be fine, but once he knew it, Noah decided to do something.

"They haven't become sea heirs yet. Perhaps we have some way to restore them to normal? Like surgery? Or perhaps we can start researching some kind of effective medicine?" Noah hypothesized. "...perhaps we still have time."

"I'd love to say you're right, but it's too late. This isn't the first time they've eaten dried trollfish. How many times have they eaten it? The only reason they haven't become sea heirs is because the time hasn't come yet." Gloria poured cold water on her, "Ms. Noa, I'm here only to cure Laurentina's illness, not to save this city. We're just staying here temporarily. When Skadi arrives, we'll have more important things to do."

More important things?

Noah really wants to say, the important thing you are talking about is to abandon all the people in this city?

But she also knew that she couldn't ask others to do this, because not everyone was the same as her.

"I'll do what I can..." Noah finally remained silent, saying, "Miss Goletia, you can focus on your own affairs. You said this is just a stopover. My ultimate goal is to find a way to control gray matter, but while I'm in this city, I hope to be able to move freely."

"...As you wish." Gloria did not stop Noah, but she knew that the infection of Haisi was irreversible and Noah's actions would ultimately be in vain.

So she added one more sentence at the end.

“Sometimes, giving up is an option.”