Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

So the legend is true? This last knight has been hunting the tides?

Noah was so shocked that he even forgot for a moment that he was in a dream. After all, this knight was too vivid and too real. His lance broke through the tide, and his mount [Rosinant], a beast that was said to have been tamed by the last knight, pierced through the tide and let out a deafening roar.

Noya opened his eyes wide, and suddenly, above the white beast the knight was facing, he caught a glimpse of a girl in red...

"...Skadi?" Noah opened her mouth and muttered to herself, but that was obviously not the Skadi she knew. There was no warmth in her eyes of Miss Skadi. She was the embodiment of the tide, she controlled the giant beast beneath her, and she was the master of the sea.

She could easily crush the last knight—

Everything froze at the moment when the last knight leaped high and stabbed the white beast with his lance.

Whether it was the tide, the last knight, or the white beast, they all stopped where they were.

Then, the picture shattered layer by layer, and a hand pulled her directly out of this strange dream space. She also heard a chuckle in her ear.

"This is an additional service, so it doesn't count as one of your wishes."

Of course it was Priss who took action. She had been watching the show until she saw the thing on the giant beast's head. Then she began to interfere with the dream. Although it was just a dream, if Noah really followed the last knight to attack this thing, the aftermath alone might shatter Noah's consciousness. Although he would definitely not die, it was normal for him to be in a coma for ten days or half a month.

Having already made a wish, Priss naturally couldn't bear to watch his client being shattered, so he forcibly ended the dream and pulled him out of it.

Of course, Noah did not wake up, he was just pulled from the deep dream to a safe place.

"The Deep Blue Tree... has actually gone out of control to this extent?" After pulling Noah back, Precious's expression became serious. She had anticipated that the Deep Blue Tree plan might become an obstacle to the Originium plan, but she had not expected that the thing she saw in Noah's dream... was undoubtedly a sea heir main consciousness of the same level as the Deep Blue Tree. In the past, when the previous civilization left a backup plan, it used the Deep Blue Tree as the host.

The others...are basically backup hosts—

But now the Deep Blue Tree seems to have a big problem, which is why that kind of thing appeared...

Priss frowned. The Deep Blue Tree Project was originally the work of the Doctor. Even for someone like Priss who knew the inside story, it would be extremely difficult to intervene. After all, the main controllers of the two sides were different. The Doctor before he lost his memory should have understood how to deal with this situation.

"...So that's how it is. Although the doctor himself has lost these memories, these memories are not completely gone. After you injected the doctor's blood, you reconstructed his memories. You have some of the doctor's characteristics, so you are connected to the Deep Blue Tree?" Precious paced on the spot, thinking as she paced. Noah heard her words clearly, but could not understand what she meant.

"Isn't that a dream?" Noah asked, "Just a dream...right?"

"Indeed, it was a dream, but it was also a kind of premonition," Precious explained. "It's difficult to explain clearly, so let me give you an example. Have you ever listened to the radio?"

"Um……"

"Broadcasting is a process of receiving signals in order to produce sound. Right now, you are the radio that can receive signals from a wide range of frequency bands. You can receive some frequencies that most people can't. Although you are not aware of this information, your brain reassembles it and restores the content. And these things that you subconsciously restore form a layer of deep dreams."

Precious explained.

"So you are dreaming, but the dream itself is someone trying to tell you something—"

"What's the matter? What does he want to say?"

"That's beyond my ken," Precious said helplessly, spreading his hands. "I'm not entirely sure why the Deep Blue Tree chose you. Perhaps it's because you have the Doctor's blood, or perhaps it's because of the modifications I made to your body that it thought you were a relic of a previous civilization."

"The Deep Blue Tree... is it sending me a signal?" Noah finally understood. He had been inexplicably dragged into the mess of the previous civilization again. Before, a cybernetic ghost appeared from his body, so what was it this time? "What exactly is the Deep Blue Tree?"

"Just think of him as the leader of the Sea Heirs." Precious felt it was too much trouble to explain, so he used the simplest explanation. "The Deep Blue Tree was the actual controller of the Sea Heirs. It was a modified giant beast, originally supposed to slumber in the deep sea. However, due to some unexpected incident, the Deep Blue Tree crashed, or rather, experienced an anomaly. As a result, the Sea Heirs, once a group of harmless little fish, began to evolve uncontrollably—and thus became a threat to you."

For pre-civilizations, sea urchins were little more than robot vacuums, effectively cleaning up organic matter. But for the beast-eared women of Terra, the situation was different. These sea urchins were no less dangerous than Originium.

"You mean, I was targeted by a giant beast? Even though it might be a little half-dead?"

Noah was smart after all, and she understood the current situation. There was a half-dead giant beast that kept calling out in Haiti. Most people couldn't hear it, but Noah could receive this frequency. Although she didn't understand it, she could integrate these messages in her subconscious, and finally formed a strange dream.

Noah had also heard that some things like infrasound waves could make people dizzy and cause hallucinations, and that some sounds that were inaudible to the human body could also cause harm to the body.

But this is the first time I've seen such a situation.

"You could say that. To prevent you from falling into a deep sleep, I've temporarily pulled you out of your dream. Don't worry, this isn't a wish, it's just part of the customer service." This time, Precious was generous, not intending to ask for payment later. "Also, I have a very tempting proposal."

"...What?" Noya asked, even though she didn't believe Precious had any good intentions. "Are you planning on helping me solve the Haisi crisis for free?"

"Almost—" Precious nodded unexpectedly, "You, help me destroy the Deep Blue Tree."

"...? Me?" Noah pointed at himself. "I killed Haisi's final boss? Are you overestimating me?"

"The Deep Blue Tree is also in trouble, half-dead, and Hai Si won't attack you. All you need to do is dive into the deep sea and follow my instructions to shut down the entire Deep Blue Tree project. It's very simple," Precious counseled. "And once you shut down the Deep Blue Tree, Hai Si will no longer be a problem."

"...You make it sound so simple." Noah knew this was probably a trap set by Precious, and quickly shook his head. "Besides, I'm a landlubber! How am I supposed to go deep into the ocean and turn on the power?"

"The metaphor of turning off the power is quite interesting, but I can actually help you with something this time—" Precious seemed deeply concerned about the Deep Blue Tree's situation, even willing to pay a small amount upfront. "If you promise to help me turn off the power to the Deep Blue Tree, I'll grant you one more wish. How's that? Isn't that a good deal? You know, my wishes are very valuable, and you've almost experienced that."

Precious even offered more benefits in an attempt to gain Noah's approval.

"Besides, you have two deep-sea hunters with you. Just let them take you there."

"First, I'm not their boss. Second—I still think you're not paying New Year's greetings to the chickens. You definitely have no good intentions!"

Chapter 11: No? Sister?

One more wish?

Noah was actually very tempted. After all, the value of Precious was obvious to all. This former civilized female ghost was top-notch in terms of both knowledge and ability. Her wish was indeed worth taking risks for.

But the problem is that the mind of this former civilization scientist is too difficult to guess. She lurks in Noah's heart, making Noah's abilities ineffective against her.

No matter how amazing Noah's abilities are, it's all meaningless when you have no way of choosing him.

It is also for this reason that Noah has always been very wary of Priss. The moral concepts of this former civilization scientist are different from those of people today. What she takes for granted may be considered cruel in the eyes of most people.

If it weren't for Herhunzollon helping him suppress her, his body might have been taken away by her long ago. Noah has never forgotten this.

But even the brilliant Sorcerer King couldn't completely suppress it. She could still communicate with him in some way, even bringing him out of a deep dream, indicating that she still had the ability to influence him. This was not a good sign... But Noa had to admit that perhaps cooperating with Precious was the quickest way to resolve the problem. After all, whether it was Originium, the Deep Blue Tree, or the Sea Heir, they were essentially the mess created by the previous civilization.

I'm not a master at cleaning up messes... Sometimes, the person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.

And the person who tied the bell is the smiling lady in front of you.

"What should I do?" Noah sighed and asked. "I can't really go down and turn off the power like I said in my analogy, right? The creations of your former civilization can't be eliminated so easily, right?"

"Of course, for you who worship the giant beast as a god, the Deep Blue Tree will be difficult to defeat even if it is already half paralyzed." Precious nodded, "But don't you have me? I will help you. In this matter, I will have more [Customer Benefits]. You will know when the time comes-"

Precious smiled mysteriously, and then Noah felt her dream shattered. She knew that she was about to wake up.

Precious smiled and waved, "Happy cooperation, my little pony."

"I don't remember when I became yours."

Leaving those words behind, Noya finally awoke. She rose from her bed, feeling the darkness before her remarkably reassuring. She preferred this darkness to the quiet beach, the eerie figures, and the fox-like, omnipresent female ghost of the pre-civilization. Patting her cheeks to shake off the remaining confusion, Noya propped herself up with both hands. Soon, the sound of a mace rang out beside her.

"Having a nightmare again?"

"I'm used to it. Nothing happened last night, right?"

"You got up a little too early. The sun hasn't even risen yet."

"What does the sun coming out have to do with me?"

"I don't like such jokes."

Mace shook his head, once again expressing his dissatisfaction with the hellish jokes that Noah occasionally played.

"Sorry, sorry, I just want to lighten the atmosphere. You've been paying too much attention to my sleep time recently. You know, I have gray matter in my body, which helps me maintain the healthiest state."

Noah pointed to his head and said jokingly.

"Even if I die suddenly, I will be a healthy corpse."

"I told you, making fun of yourself isn't funny."

“…I’m sorry.”

Noah propped himself up, stretched his muscles, and only stretched out his hands after making sure that there was nothing abnormal with his body.

"Thank you for your help, mace."

Without a word, Jian picked Noah up and placed her on the wheelchair. She had done this kind of hug countless times, completely free of distractions. But this time, Noah was unruly and reached out to squeeze the two large fruits on Jian's chest.

"Like touching?"

"like."

Noah is honest and Noah is worthy of pride.

"I feel like this is the softest part about you besides your heart."

"Then let me touch you tonight?"

Although she didn't see it, Noya was instantly intimidated. While it's true that Jian didn't often seek that kind of thing from her, when he did, she was truly exhausted. So she quickly let go of the soft thing in her hand and raised her hands in surrender. "Wrong, wrong. How about you pinch me and let off some steam?"

"There's a chance." Mace put Noya down and crossed his arms. "Are you planning anything today? Or are you going to check on the progress of the delivery project?"

"The soup kitchen shouldn't be a problem. Hmm... By the way, do you know where Skadi is now?" Noah pondered for a moment and decided to first find Miss Skadi, the crucial NPC in shutting down the Deep Blue Tree. Of course, finding Gloria would be best, but ever since Miss Skadi arrived, she seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. If it weren't for the appointment they'd agreed on the last night, Noah would have suspected she'd tricked him into coming here and then run away.

"They should be sleeping in the soup kitchen warehouse. There are special beds there. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried about that. I just want to talk to Ms. Skadi about something. Well, it's a private matter, right?"

Noah felt a little unsure. After all, shutting down the Deep Blue Tree was obviously a big deal. What's more, it was inextricably linked to the Deep Sea Hunters. After all, their main business was cleaning up the sea. As the saying goes, every profession has its own specialization... More importantly...

"Miss Skadi, can you teach me how to swim?"

"……what?"

Skadi was stunned when she saw Noah in front of her with an earnest expression.

"Why do you suddenly want to swim...and is your condition really okay?"

Skadi didn't mind teaching Noya to swim, but considering her condition, not only was she blind, but her legs couldn't move freely either. Could she really swim in that condition? Skadi was deeply skeptical. Not learning to swim was one thing, but if she drowned, she would be ashamed to face the people of Jiangdong.

So she wanted to refuse firmly, but before she could say anything, she saw Noah suddenly stand up from his wheelchair and said in front of her, "How about this?"

"...No? This is...huh?" Skadi was completely confused. "Sister, you can walk? Then why are you still in a wheelchair? Is being in a wheelchair fun?"

"It's because of a special reason..." Noah knew that Skadi was surprised that she could actually move around without a wheelchair. "But I can't maintain this state for too long, so I can only set aside about an hour every day to study. After an hour, I have to sit back in the wheelchair."

Using gray matter to communicate with nerves and forcibly reconnect the nerves allows Noah to temporarily regain his ability to move. However, operating the gray matter in this way puts a lot of mental pressure on Noah, so it can only last for an hour at most. It is considered one of Noah's little trump cards.

She was already trying her best to maintain her normal appearance——

"One hour... then you can only go in the water for half an hour, otherwise it will be very dangerous." Skadi thought about it and decided to ignore the question of why Noah could suddenly stand up for the time being. After all, what is more important now is how to teach Noah to swim.

"It's not just swimming—I need to move with you, so I might need to dive." Noya reminded, "I'm going to go to Agor with you later, and even follow you to deal with Haisi, so I have to learn to move in the water."

It sounds easy to move in water, but Noah is not an Agor, has no natural adaptability to water, and is a landlubber at heart.

The Agors are born with the ability to breathe water, which is something Noah cannot learn. Fortunately, Rhine Life has developed underwater breathing apparatus, which should be able to serve as a partial substitute.

But diving with equipment on your back obviously affects your movements more than diving without equipment at all, which also highlights the importance of practice.

"Half an hour... is enough. I'll try my best." Noah nodded, but she sat down quickly. After all, forced use of gray matter consumes a lot of energy. It is better to move around in a wheelchair. She has long been accustomed to it.

Unless she completely mastered her gray matter, she would likely still be dependent on a wheelchair for a long time. There was no other way around it. Agor might have a way to solve this problem, but that would require reconnecting with Glacetia.

Agor has been silent for so long that no one knows the specific situation. Noah has even prepared for the worst.

"Okay, then come over every evening. We only teach for half an hour anyway. Instead of going out to bask in the sun at noon, it's better to go in the evening." Skadi nodded. She was confident in her own strength and was enough to protect Noah.

"I see."

-

"The opportunity has come—"

Quintus suddenly opened his eyes, and Gloria glanced at him without saying a word.

"The girl plans to head to the coast. The messenger has told me everything." Quintus smiled strangely. "This is a great opportunity. If she becomes one of us, our team will be even stronger."

"Messenger? Where did you get the news?"

Goletia spoke, a hint of doubt in her tone.

"Around her, all of them are people who have been infected with Haisi cells. These people are my eyes and ears. In my eyes, these people have no secrets at all."

Quintus didn't mind explaining the source of his information. Goletia was his partner and would eventually become one of them. The horde told him that there were no secrets or intrigues between them. They confided in each other, understood each other, fed on each other, and preyed on each other. They were absolutely equals.

Therefore, he would not hide anything from Gloria, and he would definitely answer any question Gloria asked without hesitation.

After hearing what Quintus said, Gloria frowned. She really didn't expect that everyone around Noah would become Quintus's eyes and ears. However, her doubts soon dissipated. Noah had Skadi by his side. If Quintus wanted to take action against Noah, he had to get past Skadi first.

You know, if we talk about strength alone, Skadi is second to none among all the deep-sea hunters. Her amazing adaptability allowed her to take on the important task of assassinating the God of the Sea. And from now on, she has fulfilled her responsibility very well. Gloria is completely confident in Skadi's strength.

Quintus knew nothing about Skadi's strength. It would be better to say that Quintus knew nothing about the power of the deep-sea hunter itself. Gloria raised her eyes and looked at Laurentina who was floating in the incubator. The ghost shark, who had been sleeping with her eyes closed in the incubator, suddenly trembled her eyelashes, as if she would wake up at any time, but she did not open her eyes. Gloria knew that the shark had woken up.

However, now is not a good time to show your cards—

"Good luck to you." Goletia turned and left. Quintus's idea had nothing to do with her, and she had no reason to continue watching this clown's performance here.

After exiting the cave, Gloria stood on the rocks, the sea breeze whipping her long white hair. Today was a rare sunny day in Iberia, a rare cloudless day for this humid country. Even the ocean reflected the sunlight, like floating gold. Gloria gazed at the sea for a moment, the place where she had been born and raised. Seeing the golden reflection reflected by the ocean, she suddenly remembered her past.

When he was still a civilian, when he still had the long golden hair inherited from his mother, when Ulpian was still a weak researcher, when they were not yet deep-sea hunters.