Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Agor's contact was cut off shortly after entering the Haisi nest, and the signals of his teammates disappeared one after another. Even Skadi herself didn't know how she managed to hold on to the end. The most terrifying thing in the world is not the regret after you lose everything, but the clear awareness that your whole world is falling apart. When her comrades, partners, and family lost contact one by one, she even felt a little numb.

The scary thing is that she still has to carry the expectations of these people and move forward. She even thought that it would be nice to just die inside Hai Si's lair.

In this way, I can see my friends and family in another way.

And all this was done to kill Hai Si's spirit. All these sacrifices were made for this purpose.

But now he told her that everything was not over yet. He was still alive? Still alive in his own body?

How could Skadi accept this?

But she didn't do anything. She simply sat there silently, watching the sea, the ebb and flow of the tide, the breeze caressing her cheeks. The smell of the sea breeze, the sea that had once been her home, now so close. Yet, she felt as if she could never go back. After confirming that the Sea Heir God was parasitizing her body, she could no longer return.

She couldn't let all the sacrifices go to waste. She wondered if the God of the Sea would die with her if she committed suicide.

But the risk was too great. Would the Sea God really die because of his own death? What if he was waiting for his own death so that he could devour and control his body?

So, what she wanted to do was not to die here.

She stood up, shouldered her sword, and sang a song.

——Her hometown is behind her.

—Hunter, go to the shore.

——Her path lies ahead.

——A piece of driftwood under the tide has nowhere to go.

——The salt crystals on the skin left marks.

She strummed the harp in her hand, and the red dress that had been only a disguise now became part of her performance. She sang as she played, as if she had truly become a bard. The strings rang out, and the music of Agor once again resonated across the land.

She decided to stay away from the sea, using her body as a cage, never again to touch the people and things she wanted to protect. She wanted to wander, just like in the past, becoming a lone hunter.

Since there is no way to resist fate, just do the best you can.

Before leaving, she did not tell anyone, but just played the harp in her hand alone and sang an old song of Agor.

Even though she was reluctant, she had to take responsibility.

She is a hunter—

She knew what she should do...

"...It's a very nice song." She wanted to turn around and leave, but suddenly she became dazed, and her way was blocked by an unexpected person.

"Ms. Noah? Why are you here?" Skadi was a little flustered. Noah's appearance was indeed beyond her expectations.

"Although I have a vision problem, my ears are much more sensitive than most people's. Besides, Miss Skadi, you sing so beautifully that I couldn't help but come out to listen to you," Noya said with a smile. The moonlight was beautiful tonight, and she couldn't sleep either. Who would have thought that someone even more sleepless than her would be playing such a sad song at this time? Naturally, she couldn't help but come over to listen. "The song is good, but it's too sad."

"...Sorry." Skadi apologized sincerely, thinking she was being too loud. "I just wanted to play a song and relax."

"Miss Skadi actually likes music too. What a surprise." Although Noah could sense that Skadi was indeed lying, she did not expose her lie immediately. Instead, she praised the song Skadi had just sung.

"It's sad, but it's full of emotion. If the singer hadn't had a heartbreaking experience, she wouldn't have been able to perform this piece so perfectly," Noah commented. "Although I only have a passing understanding of music, I can hear the emotion contained in this piece. My apologies for not understanding Agor, but surprisingly, even without understanding the lyrics, I understood the emotion within the piece. It's true—music transcends language."

"In Agor, people always invest their extra energy in art. Shark, for example, invests it in sculpture—in my case, it's music," Skadi explained. Although she had already made up her mind to leave, she intended to do so quietly, not wanting to draw attention to herself, and even more so, not wanting to upset Miss Noya. She could only feign composure, fearing that she would be exposed. "But I'm not very skilled, so I'm not a very accomplished person."

"Really?" Noah was a little surprised. "But Miss Skadi sings very well. I thought you were a famous singer in Agor who changed your career to become a deep-sea hunter."

"...Thank you for the compliment." Skadi hadn't expected to receive her first fan on land. "If you like, I can teach you this song. It's not difficult, and you'll need the Agor language later."

"Then I'll be very grateful to you, Miss Skadi." Noah smiled. "I'm worried about this matter. You are really understanding."

"No, that's nothing. Even if you ask Gladia, she'll teach you." Skadi waved her hand quickly, "And she'll definitely teach you better than me."

"But I hope Miss Skadi will teach me." At this moment, Noah took the initiative to move his wheelchair, came in front of Skadi, and stretched out his hand. In the moonlight, the silver hair of both of them was shining. If someone who didn't know their identities suddenly caught a glimpse of them, they would probably think they were a pair of sisters. But in Skadi's eyes, Noah's outstretched hand was so hard to refuse. She obviously should have known it.

There is something terrible inside her body.

If one day, the thing inside her completely devours the existence called Skadi, the first people to suffer will definitely be the people around her.

But even though he knew this... he still wanted to keep me by his side?

"Ms. Noa..." Skadi looked into those eyes, "I am a person who will bring disaster. I should not stay here, and I should not return to the sea or to Agor. I will only bring disaster."

"Even so, that's absolutely no reason for you to leave without saying goodbye." Since Skadi had made it clear, Noah didn't hesitate any longer. "If you really lose control, I will take responsibility. I will protect everyone, and I will protect you too, Miss Skadi."

Of course she had the confidence to say these words. She had gray matter in her body, the female ghost Prissise, two wishes of her own, and finally, she had the nameless harp.

The disaster that befell Skadi, her curse, was not her fault at all. Someone who had done nothing wrong should not be left alone!

Skadi's persistence in leaving touched the most fragile string in Noah's heart. She knew the pain of leaving her hometown. Even though she had refused to return to Casimir countless times, that was still her hometown.

Hiding disasters, leaving home—

Noah has experienced this before, and she doesn't want Skadi to go down this path. People who have been caught in the rain naturally want to hold an umbrella for others.

"Miss Skadi, I swear in the name of Kyrielight that I will be your partner," Noya said earnestly. Her dark eyes shone like obsidian in the moonlight. She meant it, and Skadi could sense it. "Partners are meant to support and protect each other. We rely on each other. Stay, I'll take you back home. You are just yourself, not a disaster—"

Skadi was shocked. It must be said that sincere words are the most touching.

In the previous moment, she was even a little panicked. Even from her once closest captain and teammates, she had never received such affirmation. It was as if they affirmed her as a person. She recognized her as a partner and vowed never to betray her.

...No, in Agor's culture, this is no different from proposing marriage, right?

Are people on land so open? They're not strangers, but they haven't been together that long, right? Is such a passionate confession really okay?

Skadi was so flustered that she could hardly think and nodded in a daze.

"…If…if that's the case…"

Sensing Skadi's flustered and even somewhat embarrassed thoughts, Noa became somewhat puzzled. She had imagined that Skadi would be deeply moved, and then shake hands with her, deciding to defy fate together.

"Miss Skadi?"

"Ah? Yes! Um... I think I need to think about it again. No... But I will consider it."

It seems that she is just a little worried, and she is right. She is facing an opponent like the God of the Sea. If even Prissex finds it difficult to deal with, then the thing on Skadi is probably not much different from the Deep Blue Tree. However, as Skadi's comrade-in-arms, she has already made up her mind.

At most, I would just need one wish, and Priss would definitely not refuse my request.

The mess of the previous civilization naturally needs to be solved by the people of the previous civilization. A civilization that can install a stargate in orbit can't even take care of its own robot vacuum cleaners, right?!

Noah is confident, but Skadi doesn't know about this. In her eyes, the meaning of Noah's promise is... quite different.

However, her shame and uneasiness had nothing to do with Ulpian and Gloria, who were watching from a distance. Although they were not in the same spot, they both cared about Skadi. They had originally planned to perform their captain's duties and give Skadi some psychological counseling. Then Noya suddenly appeared and intercepted the opportunity. But for Ulpian, the later he was exposed, the better.

However, Ulpian was somewhat concerned by the strange aura emanating from Noah. He really didn't expect Noah's existence. He originally thought that either Gloria or he would appear.

Neither he nor Gloria would let Skadi escape this matter. After all, fighting against the Sea Si was the mission of the Deep Sea Hunters, and they would never allow Skadi to fight against the Sea Si so passively.

"...Sure enough, the sea chose that girl." Besides Ulpian and Gloria, a figure hidden in the tide muttered to himself. "Fate has driven her, and she will eventually belong to the sea."

The sea breeze blew like an unchanging reef, causing the slightly hoarse laughter to gradually dissipate in the tide. The two moons shone on this coast, like broken silver scattered on the sea - sparkling.

The next day, Skadi changed into her original clothes and appeared outside Noya's cabin looking refreshed. When Mace pushed Noya out to bask in the sun, she immediately came to her side and spoke.

"Good morning, Noah." (Agor)

"Good morning, Miss Skadi." (Agor)

Noah nodded in response. The two of them spent the whole night seriously learning Agor language and the melody of that song.

She'd learned a lot, but after a night of burning the midnight oil, she hadn't expected Skadi to be so energetic. Perhaps it was the Deep Sea Hunter's physique that was good; after she'd stopped Skadi last night, she was noticeably more energetic. It looked like there was no need to worry anymore; Noah had already decided to use her wish when the worst happened. This actually made her feel a little more at ease. With Dorothy and Muirseth helping to save Saltwind City, she probably wouldn't need a wish.

After hearing Noah's response, Skadi's eyes obviously flickered. It must be said that hearing a familiar accent in a foreign country is quite lethal to a wanderer who has been away from home for a long time. Skadi felt like she was about to lose her pearls, but she quickly adjusted herself and continued.

"I'm free tonight too, so we can... continue learning Agor together." Skadi was a little shy, but her anticipation of getting along with Noah outweighed her shyness, so she continued. "Will it be more convenient when you get to Agor?"

She had completely forgotten that Agor had a translator, but what bad intentions did Miss Killer Whale have?

"Okay, I'll go to your place tonight to learn Agor's language. I'll also ask you about Agor's music—" Noah nodded and said with a smile, "Maybe I'll write a song for Agor. I'm looking forward to it."

She was really looking forward to it, and she believed that the teacher would also support the inclusion of Agor in the list of completed Echoes of the World.

Agor's language and understanding of music are indeed very different from those on land, and even Noah can feel his heart pounding.

It is indeed a good thing to be friends with Miss Skadi, no, to be a partner!

written request for leave

I went to the hospital for a check-up today and will get the results tomorrow, so I'll take a day off today.

Hey--

One hundred words one ...

Chapter 16: The Clever Haisi and the Stupid Killer Whale

After people had enough food and clothing, Saltwind City looked very different. No one ate the meat of unknown origin anymore. The Iberians were not foolish people who were led by ignorant beliefs. They were simply desperate.

Noah believed this deeply, which was why she tried so hard to make Saltwind City a better place, even though this matter had little to do with her in essence.

Many people define her actions as a political show, or as using Saltwind City as a cover to conduct illegal human experiments. There are even rumors that Noa and Agor, a country from the deep sea, are secretly preparing to overthrow Iberia and establish a new country.

Of course, these accusations were largely dispelled by Rhine Life's public relations department, and Noah himself has repeatedly clarified to the outside world that most of these rumors are unfounded...

Yes, most of them.

Noah never responded to the rumors about human experiments. After all, she did use immature treatment technology on the residents of Saltwind City. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a human experiment. But she also understood that if she didn't do so, the residents of Saltwind City would be slaughtered by the Iberian Inquisition after she left. In the eyes of the Inquisition, just touching anything related to the Sea Si was already a heinous crime, and eating the flesh and blood of the Sea Si and becoming half-Sea Si could only be considered a heresy.

She did not reveal the truth in order to protect the residents of Saltwind City.

The external situation wasn't a big deal to Noya. She and Rhine Life had already prepared themselves to withstand public opinion. She was more concerned about the internal situation, especially the neurotransmitter therapy.

The good news is that the transmitter therapy is progressing very smoothly. It has successfully reduced the concentration of seaweed cells in the patients receiving treatment in Saltwind City. After reviewing the blood test results, which clearly showed a sharp drop in the number of seaweed cells in the blood of these Saltwind City residents, Noya was truly happy for them. If this continues, it will only be a matter of time before the seaweed cells are completely eliminated.

But she couldn't slack off yet. Dorothy had been working all night these past few days to perfect her neurotransmitter control as much as possible.

The battle between transmitters and sea cells is invisible, but judging by Dorothy's appearance, transmitters are obviously superior at this microscopic level. After all, transmitters are also recognized by Prissius as a technology commonly used in ancient civilizations. The power of transmitters, a creation involving nanotechnology, is unquestionable.

But thinking of this, Noah began to worry again about the gray matter in his body which was docile now but might cause trouble at any time.

In essence, gray matter and neurotransmitter are the same thing, but the gray matter has undergone some mutations and no longer accepts the commands and commands of Rhine Life. Only Noah's own consciousness can mobilize a small part of it. If Noah can fully control the gray matter, these gray matter will bring Noah countless benefits, but the problem is-Noah's commands can only mobilize a small part of the gray matter.

Most of the gray matter was condensed and dormant in Noah's body. It was difficult to even touch it, let alone command it.

This is also one of the reasons why Noah sought Agor's help, because Agor inherited the technology of the previous civilization more authentically. Compared with the land, the difference is that one is a direct disciple and the other is an archaeologist.

Unlike the creations of previous civilizations on land, which can only be understood and traced back through archaeology, Agor has truly inherited part of the legacy of previous civilizations. Gloria also mentioned this issue at the beginning. The previous civilization's understanding and attitude towards technology have greatly influenced Agor's social outlook and scientific research direction. It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that Agor is the successor of the previous civilization, but at least it is the spiritual sequel of the previous civilization.

There is no doubt about its value, and the pre-civilization materials preserved by Agor may contain records of how to deal with nanomachines. This is a prescription. As for how Noah can follow the prescription at that time, that is another matter.

Clearly, the promise Gloria had made to Noah had some substance; otherwise, Noah wouldn't have put aside so much to accompany Gloria to Iberia. He even dumped most of the work on Saria and the newly appointed Hemer. It wasn't that Noah found the job of general manager too cumbersome; he simply considered that Rhine Life's affairs ultimately needed to be handled by its people.

Although Saria, Ferdinand, and Hemer often have disagreements with each other, there is no doubt that they are capable of stabilizing the operations of Rhine Life.

And now, I really need to resolve the gray matter issue before the Terra Expo officially opens.

Alas, there are always more troubles than solutions. Miss Noah, who has too many things to worry about, occasionally wants to give up, but she always cheers up in a very short time. She does want to rest, but her sense of responsibility always drives her to move forward, just like her ancestors, who will never stop.

Just like her now——

Wow...

Noah, who swam freely in the water, no longer looked like a landlubber. Although he could only swim for an hour at most every day, learning to swim was not too difficult for him, who had a body that could be called a Kuranta Primarch, with extremely high physical talent, composed of the terrifying bloodlines of Nightmare, Unicorn, and even a bit of Golden Pegasus. Even the coach Miss Killer Whale beside him recognized Noah's athletic talent.

Noya had been a quick learner of swordsmanship and archery since she was little. Despite her long-dead body, she had regained her strength thanks to her gray matter, and she remained as sharp as ever, her aptitude for learning skills. This enviable talent made Skadi wonder what kind of monster Noya would be if she hadn't been injured and confined to a wheelchair.

In fact, Jian had similar thoughts about this. After all, she had been with Noah for a longer time, and she understood how exaggerated the abilities of the young lady in front of her were.

Plus, she also knew Tora, the descendant of the nightmare who was now missing. She actually recognized the strength of this person. You know, Tora was even a few years younger than Noah, but he could fight against the Blood Knight and even fight against the Radiance Knight on equal terms.

The Nightmare's bloodline really has some of the Heaven-Defying element in it...

Besides, Tora had said before that Noah's bloodline was even superior to his.

The only bloodline nobler than the Kheshige was probably the Nightmare Khan who whipped the earth. If that were true, then Noya's mother was probably not only a pure-blooded Nightmare, but possibly even the strongest of them all.

It’s hard to imagine how Noya’s father could get such a strong man to marry him... Unfortunately, Noya doesn’t have many memories of her parents. After all, she was thrown into the Linguang family to be raised not long after she was born.

Now, the only thing Noah inherited from her parents was probably this exaggerated physical talent - after all, she left most of them in Casimir.

Even the heirloom sword belonging to the head of the Kirilet family was left with Margaret. Apart from her body and hair, she really had nothing left.

But now, this descendant of the pure blood of Nightmare Khan, the head of the Kirilet family, the fraudster of Casimir, the saint of Kjerag, the Grand Duke of Victoria, and the acting general manager of Rhine Life have become completely obsessed with swimming and diving, a sport that she originally hated. She was very reluctant at first, but when she learned to swim, she couldn't stop.

She even felt freer in the water than on land, which was bound by gravity.

Swimming has now become one of her most important hobbies, just like fishing for fishermen. If Skadi had not strictly forbade her to go into the water without the protection of Miss Killer Whale, Miss Noah would probably have sneaked over to swim, or just soaked in the sea water.

Compared to Skadi's helplessness, Mace has gotten used to it...