Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

But before that... they still had things to do. Elini stood up and said, "Captain Alfonso! I have one more thing to ask of you!"

"...Oh?" The barcarolle was forcibly terminated. Alfonso frowned, but out of friendship, he didn't immediately get angry. Instead, he looked in Elini's direction. "Speak."

"Eye of Iberia, we still have people on the Eye of Iberia!" Elini said anxiously. She had been holding back for a long time. "They are being besieged by Hai Si. They need support!"

"Oh?" Alfonso stared at Elini. His eyes were sharp, and he could tell that Elini was not lying. "You want to go back and support our allies?"

"Yes!" Elini nodded. "If you don't want to do it, just leave me alone. I want to go save people!"

"Little Bird, don't worry. We'll go with you." Ghost Shark also spoke up. "Captain Alfonso, thank you very much for your hospitality. We also request that you change course and head for the Eye of Iberia."

"I can promise you to return to Iberia to see what Carmen's Iberia looks like now, but that doesn't mean I have any obligation to help you save people." Alfonso's eyes were cold. "If you want to borrow my power to recapture the Eye of Iberia, that's your own problem. I don't recognize the Iberia of today."

"But!"

"Wait, Elini, let me do it." Noah couldn't bear to watch any longer. "Captain Alfonso, first of all, I have to respect you. You are a hero of Iberia. Iberian children fall asleep listening to legends about you. In their hearts, you are the greatest hero, the true captain. Even an outsider like me can understand this. You know, although Iberia may not be recognized by you now—but what about those children in Iberia? They have been longing for your return, believing that their hero has returned."

Noya raised her head and activated her Originium technique, which would allow her to gain an emotional advantage - to push Captain Alfonso's emotions.

"The two people on the Eye of Iberia right now are the same ones who fell asleep listening to your story. They are fighting right now. And you, Iberia's greatest hero, the hero they consider to be their hero, can you really just sit back and watch?"

After hearing these words, Alfonso's mood did ease. The old man had become numb and self-willed in the past sixty years, but when he heard that all the children in Iberia were admiring him, the old man could not help but have some emotional fluctuations.

His face was gloomy and all the muscles on his face were twitching.

"I have no obligation to save them." He stared at Noya, "And don't use your foolish Originium skills to influence me. I was able to resist Hai Si for so long, don't show off your little tricks here."

"……Yes."

"But you're right," Alfonso laughed. "Rejoice, children! Your great hero, the Captain, has come to rescue you with his Idiot!"

He laughed heartily and drew the long sword beside him.

"Let us announce our return with artillery fire! Iberia! I'll save you once more! First mate! Set sail! Target! Eye of Iberia!"

-

The defense mechanism of the Eye of Iberia is limited. After a bombardment, although the Hai Si was temporarily repelled, giving the Grand Inquisitor, Jody and others a chance to catch their breath, the number of Hai Si soon made up for the previous deficit. The lantern in the Grand Inquisitor's hand could no longer repel the invading Hai Si. The battle gradually entered a desperate garbage time. The Grand Inquisitor, holding a lantern in one hand and a sword in the other, protected Jody and walked step by step to the top of the lighthouse.

Relying on the narrow stairs, he was the only one guarding the pass.

But humans get tired, and they can't just keep fighting like Hai Si. At this time, the High Inquisitor has already put life and death aside.

And Jody was behind the Grand Inquisitor. It was raining heavily at this time, and the rain almost made it impossible for him to open his eyes. This was a good thing for Hai Si, but it was the worst situation for them.

He held the music box Noah gave him tightly in his hand. He had to open it at the most appropriate time without wasting even a moment.

This short period of time could very well mean the difference between life and death, but now... he also felt a hint of despair.

Even if the Punishment Army arrived now, it would be difficult to clear out the sea monsters that were crawling all over the Eye of Iberia Lighthouse. How long could they hold on?

"-----, Ilia, the golden age---is coming." At this moment, the instrument on the top of the tower suddenly received a certain signal, but Jody had no time to confirm it. He saw the Hai Si breaking through the fire curtain created by the Grand Inquisitor, and immediately opened the music box in his hand. As the sound like waves suddenly emerged from the music box, the figures of the Hai Si who were originally surging like the tide suddenly froze.

No...it's not just Kaiji...

Even the rain stopped!

At this moment, on the lonely lighthouse, Jody held up his music box and played the ballad called "Siren". As the Siren's song played, everything fell into a stagnation.

This miracle, like a miracle from the gods, was created by Noah alone.

Until this song ends, no one can harm the people protected by this song.

Siren - The Siren Song.

The music was written by Noah and composed with the help of the Witch King. This is the Iberian chapter in the True Sound of the World. This is the most complex technique composed by the Witch King, and even Noah has never officially used it.

This piece is a bit smaller in scope, but...

The Grand Inquisitor seemed to have heard of similar situations. Everything was at a standstill—what was this? Was this a power that humans could achieve?

——Everything fell into silence, only this song was playing.

——This is a miniature version of great silence.

Chapter 36: Amaya

Amaya...

Amaya?

"……Um?"

Amaya snapped out of her trance. As an interpreter, she'd long been involved in the Iberian plan to reclaim the coastline. She wasn't the only one who joined, but also the former lighthouse officials. Their leader was a particularly muscular young man named Tiago. Upon arriving in Granfalo, he'd taken the initiative to spearhead the massive construction project, aiming to transform Granfalo into a fortress against the sea. However, they'd only just arrived and weren't familiar with the terrain, so these men had been mostly exploring the area these days.

After the Great Silence, Iberia rarely saw such a moment of unity. Amaya, well-read since childhood, was inevitably inspired by the enthusiasm of these men. She also came with an instrument to survey the terrain, but halfway through, she almost collapsed on the ground and had to be carried by several men to reach her destination.

I was so tired that I even looked a little dazed, but I was still very excited inside.

"Are you okay? Come, have a drink of water first." At this moment, Tiago's wife, Marin, came to her side. She was a very beautiful Agor, slightly taller than she was, with a gentle and considerate personality. She was the first one to notice that Amaya was about to collapse and asked for help, otherwise she might have had a perfect kiss with the ground.

After all, I am just a scholar. I came to the front line because of my passion. But I found out that I was not active and was weak. Let alone helping, I should be thankful if I didn't make things worse.

After gulping down a few gulps of water, Amaya asked curiously, "Ms. Malin, why are you here? You work in the civilian sector, right? You were doing well in the Inquisition, so why are you suffering on the front lines?"

"Isn't it true that wherever my husband goes, I have to follow him?" Ma Lin smiled, narrowing her eyes. "Thiago is such a stubborn guy. He sticks to his guns. If I weren't here, I wonder if he'd rush into the sea and fight Hai Si to the death... If that happened, would I be left as a widow?"

"...That's...that's right." Tiago was the leader of the lighthouse workers. Aside from the disciplinary officers, he was the highest-ranking official here. While it would be fine for Marin to scold him, it was different for herself. Amaya could only smile bitterly and shook her head. "But I don't dare say anything nonsense. Sister Marin, please don't embarrass me."

"Who made things difficult for you? You were just complaining. How dare he punish you?" Ma Lin rolled his eyes at Amaya, then turned around and shouted.

"Thiago! Come here! Didn't you see that Amaya has fainted from exhaustion? Are you really going to stop until you die of exhaustion?"

Tiago could only awkwardly run over to his wife's call. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the towel hanging around his neck before speaking. "It's a tight deadline and a heavy workload. There's nothing I can do. Malin, you take care of it first. I have things to do..."

"No matter how important the task is, we still have to consider whether others can handle it. Okay, I'll take Amaya back later and have the others bring you supplies. It will probably take you another two or three days to finalize the building blueprints. Do you really plan to waste time here?"

"Hey, we need to be prepared. We're going to recapture the Eye of Iberia. It's the dream of the lighthouse workers—and if we do, you'll be able to connect with your family, right?" Tiago looked at Marin, his eyes filled with love, despite the guilt of being scolded. Marin and Tiago were a perfect couple, and most people who knew them, let alone in Granfalo, would say they were made for each other.

The Agors actively helped the Iberians rebuild their cities, and these islanders were the most supportive of Iberia's retaking of the sea.

Only by taking back the sea can they have the possibility of returning home.

But Ma Lin was unmoved. She shook her head and said, "I never thought about going back since I got ashore. Besides, now I have roots - why would I go back?"

Thiago was stumped by this sentence for a long time, and he couldn't find any words to say. In the end, the man in his thirties could only turn his head with a red face and accept the teasing of his colleagues. But everyone was also well-intentioned. After all, it was a good thing that Thiago had such a wonderful family.

Amaya inexplicably smiled. She really liked such scenes where people were united and worked hard to move forward.

Whenever she sees such a scene, she feels a little more hope for humanity.

Marin took Amaya back to the camp. Along the way, Marin kept chatting with Amaya, from Agor to Iberia. Although these islanders came from Agor, it could be heard that she really liked life in Iberia.

Although the quality of life is certainly not comparable to that of Agor, Marin is very satisfied. She is satisfied with Thiago's love and the trivialities of life.

She often said that the life of the Agor people was very ordinary. Although they did not worry about making a living, people felt very empty inside unless they found what they wanted to do. This emptiness could drive people crazy.

Even children were handed over to foster care institutions, with little interaction between parents and children, each a separate entity. In such a society, emotional reliance on one another was minimized, rationality was valued, and sensibility was lacking. Even marriage and mating were treated with haphazard abandon. Marin, unable to tolerate living in such a provincial capital, came to Iberia.

The islanders who came ashore were exposed to a new world and met the love of their lives.

Malin's face was filled with a happy smile. She paused, then looked around and whispered to Amaya, "Actually, I still have a secret that I haven't told Tiago—"

"What secret?"

"Here." Ma Lin pointed to her belly. "This isn't a test-tube baby, nor is it a child raised in an incubator. This is the one I'm going to give birth to myself...my child."

"Ah! Actually!" Amaya immediately lost her composure. "Didn't you tell Mr. Tiago about this?"

"A secret. I'll tell you when I can't hide it anymore—" Amaya's surprise pleased Marin. "I wanted to give him a surprise. He still believes that Agorians and Iberians can't conceive. What? It's not apartheid. There's really nothing I can do about someone without scientific knowledge."

"Ahahaha—Mr. Tiago has been working really hard..." Amaya said with a wry smile. After returning to the camp, the two said goodbye and returned to their respective tents. There was another person living in Amaya's tent. When she saw Amaya return, she smiled strangely. "You look like you know something important."

"Don't talk about me. If you knew, you would be the same as me—" Amaya complained, "Roland, why didn't you go out? Didn't you participate in this security?"

"I was invited here, so I don't need to do anything extra. I just need to show up at the critical moment." The Kuranta girl known as Roland said with a smile, "I'm a knight, a Knight of the Hospitaller Knights. Normally, I only need to help treat those accidentally injured in the camp."

"The Knights Hospitaller... I've never heard of them. Why would you, the Knights of Casimir, accept Iberia's invitation? Do you have some conspiracy?"

"How can you ask so directly—" Roland laughed, "Actually, I'm here to look for someone too. Do you know 'The Last Knight'?"

"I've heard of it, but I haven't read it." Although Amaya has read a lot of books, "The Last Knight" is just a bedtime story for Casimir after all. It is not within the scope of her research, so she naturally has not read it.

"It's this last knight I'm looking for," Roland said mysteriously. "You know, this last knight is very related to our captain."

"Your captain...oh, the captain of the Knights Hospitaller..."

"Yes, he's the head of the Kirilet family—" Roland explained. The white-haired girl seemed to be introducing not her own captain, but a junior she was proud of. "I came to find the last knight because I want to know where the captain is now."

"...Is it because of this?"

"It can't be helped. After all, without the leader, the Knights are no longer the Knights." Roland said awkwardly, "Sigh, I don't know how long the search will take."

"Then I wish you good luck. I'm so tired. I'm going to take a shower first and go to bed soon." Amaya didn't bother to care how great her roommate's intentions were. What she wanted most now was to take a shower first and wash off the sweat stains on her body.

There was enough water in the camp. After taking a shower, Amaya wiped her hair and returned to the dormitory. When she looked up, she saw Marin with her hair tied up talking to a group of people wearing cloaks. These people seemed to be Agors as well, but compared to Marin, these Agors gave Amaya a rather uneasy feeling. It was an intuition, and she subconsciously wanted to leave first. She had a feeling that she shouldn't be watching this scene.

But Marlin looked up and saw Amaya. After waving the group of Agor people to leave, Marlin waved to Amaya. "Just finished taking a shower?"

"Yes...just now..."

"Those are all Agor people, my fellow countrymen. We just knew each other and chatted," Ma Lin explained. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

"...No." Amaya looked at Marin's smile and shook her head. "I'm just worried that you've been entangled."

"No—" Ma Lin shook her head. "By the way, are you going to dinner later? Want to keep me company?"

"Okay." The question Amaya originally wanted to ask was turned into a "Okay" by Ma Lin's words. However, when she thought of Ma Lin's smile when she talked about the baby in her belly, Amaya felt that Ma Lin would not do anything bad.

How could someone who loves his own children so much do something bad?

Amaya thought so, but when they first arrived at the camp, apart from the enthusiastic lighthouse workers who were indeed united, everyone else had some ulterior motives.

Including those soldiers and those who got involved... In short, these people made Amaya feel uncomfortable.

Especially the Punishment Army, who always looked at the Agors with eyes full of scrutiny and suspicion. It was said that there were many followers of the Deep Sea Church among the Agors, who believed in the terrifying fish that caused the Great Silence. Amaya found it ridiculous to think that such a belief actually existed.

How could anyone believe in such an ugly thing?

How can the terrifying fish that caused such great damage to Iberia deserve faith?

Amaya crossed herself and prayed using the traditional gesture of the Iberian Church, hoping that Granfalo's construction plan would proceed smoothly.

However, things happen unexpectedly. The next day, it rained heavily in Granfalo. The surveying work could not be carried out in the rain, and the camp had to be forced to stop work and rest. For those passionate lighthouse workers, this was a real unexpected event. They wished it were sunny every day so that they could complete the construction as soon as possible.

Glenfarlow has almost become their second home...

But heavy rain also has its advantages. Amaya likes heavy rain, and reading in the rain is Amaya’s favorite way to relieve stress.

There was a lit small stove, a small stool, and an illustrated book of Agor's social customs on the side. Amaya, who had a high level of proficiency in the Agor language, could have fully understood and read this obscure book long ago.

This book was written by the islanders and records in detail the magic of the sea country of Agor. Although many people question the authenticity of this book, Amaya believes it firmly. After all, she has a real Agor person by her side.

"Look here—babies undergo genetic sequencing before birth to eliminate harmful genes and prevent conditions like congenital heart disease..." Ma Lin pointed at the text in the book. "There's actually a mistake here. Modern Agor genetic sequencing technology no longer requires on-site elimination of harmful genes. From the outset, harmful genes in the Agor genes have already been blocked. This should be screening for genetic mutations in newborns, but the description isn't very clear."

"Agor...is he really that powerful?"

"It's much more powerful than you imagined..." Ma Lin replied, "Before Agor was threatened by Hai Si, he had a plan to break through the sky, but the plan was shelved. Perhaps after Hai Si's threat is gone, they will restart the plan."

Amaya nodded, half understanding. "Although Agor's technology is powerful, why do I feel that these descriptions lack humanity?"

"That's right." Malin patted Amaya's head. "In Agor, reason is the most respected thing. Before reason, all human nature is rejected. This is why they lack humanity."

"Agor and Iberia both have their shortcomings, and we must work hard to change them," Malin said with a smile. "Amaya, I believe you will become a powerful figure like them."

Chapter 37: Salvationists and Adventists

"Amaya, you will definitely become a great and powerful person."

In her dreams at midnight, Amaya still remembered what Bishop Marin said to her. In fact, there were many factions in the Deep Sea Church.

Bishop Marin, among them, espouses the view of moderate evolution. She does not advocate attacking humanity, but rather seeks to slowly transform humanity into accepting the Sea Si, allowing them to serve as a stepping stone for human evolution. This view is known among some as the Salvationists. They hope to see Sea Si and humans collaborate to create a shared future.

However, Bishop Marin's ideas were quite unpopular even in the Deep Sea Church. In order to avoid conflict, she took the initiative to come to the forefront, hoping that through her own efforts, people would accept the existence of Hai Si, or at least ensure the coexistence of both sides. In her opinion, only by ensuring the coexistence of both sides can the possibility of cooperation between the two sides be guaranteed. Hai Si should not be the enemy of mankind.

She and the Agor people who supported her came to the front-line military camp and tried their best to help humans build a new home. At the same time, she also appeased the sea creatures near the coastline so that they would not actively attack the camp. She was also really looking forward to the birth of her child and was full of hope for the future of humans and sea creatures.

A child is the beginning of a new life and the continuation of her hope.

Although Ma Lin never told Amaya about her identity, she was like a patient teacher. Whenever Amaya asked a question, she would patiently explain it carefully. No matter what the question was, Miss Ma Lin would patiently teach her everything she knew.

She certainly wasn't trying to train Amaya to be the next generation bishop. She hadn't even mentioned anything about the Deep Sea Church. Before being arrested, if it weren't for the gossips of the Punishment Army, Amaya wouldn't have known the reason why Miss Marin was arrested.

Amaya knew that Miss Malin would not be able to get out...