Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Normally, Noah doesn't care about face at all, but when it comes to love, she is still a girl after all, so she will naturally be shy and avoid it.

"If you can't get down from this embarrassment, then I'll carry you down." Jian lowered his head and gently kissed Noah's lips. The sun was shining brightly. There was no one else beside them at this moment. There was only the girl's shyness and the sound of the tide. It was unknown how long it took before the two separated their lips. This was not the first time for Noah and Jian, but every time, her heart was pounding.

After all, their fate was destined from the day he picked up the mace and brought it home. Noah's heart is not made of copper or iron. Even if it is made of tempered steel, it would be as soft as silk at this moment.

"...After returning from Agor..." Noah didn't dare to look into Jian's eyes, "We...should..."

"I don't care about status or anything like that—" Jian didn't care about that. "I just hope to be by your side, no matter what my status is. I'm just a warrior, there are many things I can't help with, I can only protect you. If anything unfortunate happens, at least I can die before you."

"...I can't bear to do that." Noah sighed. If there really came such a day, even if she made all the wishes at once, she would let Mace survive.

Companionship is the most lasting confession of love. Noah cannot be without Jian. Even if they are separated for a short time, their hearts have already been entangled together and can never be separated again.

"Jian, I like you." Although Jian is a carefree person and doesn't care about status, Noah is different. She doesn't care about the world's opinion of her, but she cares about the people around her. Her attitude towards Jian is always the same.

The relationship between the two first reached the stage of family, and then gradually developed into lovers.

Although this situation is a bit strange, Noah still likes it very much.

After all, it was her luck to meet Jian.

As for... Margaret...

Noah’s first love was indeed Margaret Linguang, but the two of them were rarely together, just like the sun and the moon, and it was difficult for them to see each other.

Rather than something illusory, Noah prefers someone who can be by his side at any time.

Just as it was written in that letter, between Casimir and Noah, Margaret would choose Casimir.

Noah understood, respected, and blessed them, but if she were placed in the same situation, she would choose Margaret Linguang. This was the decisive difference between the two.

It is this little difference...perhaps everything is destined.

Chapter 39: Dive

At Noah's request, Iberia advanced the time to contact Agor, and naturally all the deep-sea hunters were present, not just Gloria, Skadi, and Laurentina. Gloria knew that Ulpian must be nearby as well.

Even a busy man like the Doctor finally showed up and greeted Noah.

"Long time no see, Noah—no, should I say, Lord Commander?"

"It's the Acting Commander. Long time no see, Doctor." Noya corrected with a smile, "Doctor, you really won't miss the opportunity to contact Agor."

"Indeed." The doctor nodded. "But when you're not in Rhodes Island, you hear rumors about you everywhere."

"I didn't do anything." Noah shook his head. "And I don't think you didn't help me. For example, when it came to Saltwind City, Dr. Kal'tsit was able to be there. It must have been with your help, right?"

"Hehe, it's just helping her with a month's work, no big deal." The doctor curled his lips indifferently.

"Doctor, Miss Noa." At this time, Skadi also interrupted the conversation. "Gladiya said that she will send a signal through the Iberia Eye's transmitter soon, and there may be some vibration. I want to remind you to hold on to nearby things to prevent falling."

"Sending a signal actually makes such a big noise?" Noah asked curiously, "I thought it would just be a signal and that would be it."

"Agor technology may not be as sophisticated as you think." Skadi explained, "Many times, Agor scientists have a strong faith in one word."

"What word?"

"The force is so great that the bricks fly."

The Doctor and Noah were both stunned. Then, the top of the Eye of Iberia beside them suddenly expanded to both sides, revealing a strange device that looked less like an antenna. Immediately, the direction of the device was slightly adjusted, and then layers of light circles lit up from the top of this hideous device. Immediately, with a humming sound, the sea surface was pierced by invisible waves, and the entire reef began to vibrate.

Noah quickly covered her ears. She didn't expect that the signal was sent in this way... If the signal sending device was facing a ship directly, it might be able to sink the ship directly.

Fortunately, the call only took two minutes. Noah put down his hand with lingering fear, "...As expected, the force is so strong that the bricks fly."

"Signal transmission isn't easy on the seabed, so they came up with this clumsy plan," Skadi explained. "The vibration just now contained an encrypted signal. Through the sensor device Agor set up on the seabed, they can quickly communicate. The cost is that it consumes a lot of energy, and then... it's also very noisy."

"If a normal sea creature were in this sea area, it would probably be frightened to death..." the doctor complained, "I've never seen a communication device that can directly cause the sea to become turbulent."

However, if the Iberian Eye hadn't obtained the communication key from the Fool, it wouldn't have been able to actively send a signal. After sending the signal, all it needed to do was wait, wait for Agor's response.

But they didn't expect that they would have to wait for eight days.

During these eight days, Saint Carmen, apart from necessary rest and meetings, had been staring at the sea, and beside him was Alfonso, the great captain, who stood beside Carmen and spoke.

"what are you worried about?"

"..."

"I know I'm asking this question even though I already know the answer. But even if the Agors are hostile to us, that's perfectly normal. You killed too many innocent islanders. These people are all from the Agors. This is no small matter."

The captain laughed and said, "Carmen, you've done a lot of great things while I was away."

"Your return is certainly a good thing, but it's not so easy for Iberia to accept you again these days," Carmen said. "I don't know if Agor is a friend or foe. It's not just me; the Punishment Army and the Fool are all on high alert. We're waiting to see if it's a friendly or warlike situation."

"But you still choose to contact Agor—because they are the hope for Iberia's rise." Captain Alfonso punctured Carmen's thoughts. "You want to make Iberia a gateway, a connection between Agor and the mainland countries, and gradually make Iberia stronger. The plan is good, but what if Agor is hostile to us?"

"Then accept the challenge—" Carmen responded, "Iberia is not afraid of any challenge."

"What courage, hahaha." Captain Alfonso always looked upon brave men with a different eye. He laughed heartily as he stood beside Carmen. "Indeed, you are no longer the Carmen you used to be."

"You're not the same Alfonso anymore. We're the same."

The two old men were joking with each other, but before they could finish their conversation, something unusual happened on the sea. Suddenly, the sea surface became restless and agitated. Before everyone could see, something gray and black was floating in the sky.

Carmen recognized what it was—a bionic drone, similar to the ones brought ashore by the islanders in the early years.

These drones formed a matrix and flew across the sea in the blink of an eye, corresponding to the towering lighthouse in the distance. One of them broke away from the formation and flew in front of Carmen and Alfonso. The drone's surface rippled with a strange, scale-like outer layer, and its wings flapped at a speed indiscernible to the human eye, like a hummingbird, resembling a flying fish emerging from the water. And soon, a voice, belonging to Agor, rang out.

"Agor greets you, all of Iberia." (Agor's language)

Noah, who knew a little about Agor, understood the meaning of this sentence, and the source of the voice quickly began to introduce himself.

"I am Clemenza, one of the technical officers of the Social Administration Inspection of this country."

The words had already transformed into Iberian. Carmen held the lantern steady, gazing calmly at the drone before her. The two contrasting lights seemed like a dialogue, or perhaps a confrontation, between two completely different civilizations.

"Iberian Inquisition, Saint Carmen y Iberia." Carmen's voice, neither humble nor overbearing, carried a sense of age and an unbearable authority. "I believe this is the first official exchange between our two countries."

"Indeed," Clemenza responded, "Agor has been preparing for this meeting for a long time."

"It can be seen that your Iberian is very standard." Carmen thought that the other party was learning the Iberian language on the spot and could not help but praise him.

"Before leaving this place, I recorded the Iberian language module for myself. Please understand if my expression is inappropriate." But Clemenza quickly gave an unexpected response.

Inputting a language module? Could it be that this Clemenza is actually a bionic machine? Or has Agor already begun mechanical ascension?

Noya's mind suddenly had a few more ideas, but she quickly dismissed them. It was foolish to use her own perspective to speculate on the technology of other countries. Maybe they really had already developed such a thing. For Agor, the efficiency of learning knowledge would be terrifyingly high. Learning a language might only take a few minutes.

Furthermore, the other party used drones to meet with Carmen... There are two possibilities. One is arrogance, thinking that this is enough. The other possibility is that it is a response to Hai Si's attack. In order to prevent Hai Si from affecting the conversation, it is not impossible that Agor used these drones to circumvent Hai Si's influence.

Fortunately, the Techno-Consul, who calls herself Clemenza—this position was also held by Goletia before she became a Deep Sea Hunter—soon replied, "To express our apologies, we will welcome the Iberian envoy to our city. Agor respects Iberia's efforts in the aftermath of the Sea Heir Crisis."

"...affected?" Carmen frowned slightly. "You mean, the Great Silence and other events that happened in Iberia...are just the aftermath of the Sea Crisis?"

"Strictly speaking, yes," Clemenza replied naturally. "Of course, there's no need to dwell on the words. We all witnessed the sacrifices and efforts of Iberia and Haisi during the battle. You, like us, are comrades on the same front. We haven't ignored Iberia's intention to make sacrifices, but to better respond, we must distinguish between the primary and secondary battlefields."

"That's why Agor is here. We hope to collaborate with Iberia and the other nations on land to open a direct shipping route to the mainland." Clemenza's tone wasn't disparaging, but the statement certainly made people uncomfortable. "We will clear the vast expanse of sea between Agor's territory and the mainland so that Agor's main force can reach the coast."

"...Need I remind you of the implications of sending large numbers of troops to the borders of other countries on land?"

"It means we will do everything we can to combat the imminent threat." Clemenza understood Carmen's meaning, but she continued. "If necessary, I'm willing to meet you on land and explain everything in detail. However, relocating to the deep sea will help you better understand our current situation. Right now, the fleets of the Eighth and Tenth Legions are systematically clearing the sea swarms along their route. They will then welcome you to our city, Miliarum."

Clemenza wasn’t soliciting, she was informing.

"The drone fleet will continue to synchronize the progress of the battle and environmental changes with you until you arrive safely. The ocean may be brewing an unprecedented disaster. And Your Excellency the Inquisitor, I worry that even the vast earth is just another isolated island."

Carmen's expression didn't turn gloomy. It was more like he had already prepared for this. Captain Alfonso patted him on the shoulder and said, "I will lead the team to defend everything in Iberia. Even if they really want to declare war on Iberia, you and I will fight to the last moment."

"...I have no problem with her arrogance, Alfonso." Carmen shook her head. "They mean no harm, I can see that. But I will remember their inherent arrogance, or rather, their contempt for Iberia."

"Iberia will remember."

Carmen knew that an arrogant adult armed with a sharp weapon would not bother to play tricks and tactics on an unarmed child. They might not have meant any harm, but it had deeply stung Iberia's nerves.

However, for the sake of the overall situation, they must first strengthen the ties between the two countries, otherwise the concept of a gateway country cannot be established.

Iberia needs Agor... this is an indisputable fact.

No matter how dissatisfied you are, you can only tolerate it for the time being.

In addition to the entire Deep Sea Hunters, the team heading to Agor this time also includes the Doctor, Kel'tsit representing Rhodes Island, and the Terran Neutral Organization. Noa Kyrielight and Mace join as special personnel, while Jodi and Elini join as representatives of the Inquisition.

For deep-sea hunters and Agorians like Jodi, this trip was no different from returning home. But Noya could sense that Goletia wasn't in a good mood. She quietly stayed at the end of the group and asked.

"What's wrong? I finally get to go home, why do you seem even more worried?"

"I can't hide it from you. I'm just worried about whether my choice is the right one," Goletia replied. "We've been away from our homeland for too long, so long that they might have considered us sacrificed. Returning now, I can foresee that I'll face many rounds of scrutiny. They want to make sure I haven't defected to Hai Si, and that I haven't lost control."

"...It sounds like a lot of hardship, but you still decided to go back?"

"That's my hometown, and the shark situation requires Agor's skills... Besides, I promised you I would help you find a way out." Gloria looked at Noya, "I keep my promise."

"...Indeed, I believe you." Noah sighed, "If there's anything I can help with, just let me know."

"I have to handle this alone this time. Thank you, Miss Noah."

The two stayed at the end of the team and took a small boat to the designated sea area. Soon, a little phosphorescence suddenly emerged from under the sea. Then, a strangely shaped... submarine appeared in front of Noah and others. As the hatch was opened, the soldiers who walked out of the hatch saluted everyone. The clothes of these people were similar to those of deep-sea hunters, and this submarine that surfaced from under the water also gave everyone a great shock.

But they also knew that if they followed the submarine deeper, they would see something even more incredible.

After Goletia stepped forward and confirmed the identification code, Noah and the others were transferred into the submarine. The space inside was unexpectedly spacious. After making sure that everyone was seated, the Agor man in charge of reception reminded everyone to fasten their seat belts, and the submarine began to slowly dive. Through the camera and display screen, the team members could see the diving process and the underwater scenery - this was still a shallow sea, and the sun could still illuminate it.

Perhaps this is something commonplace for the Agor people, but for them who have lived on land all their lives...

They are entering a new territory.

Chapter 40: Caesarean Section

For most Terrans, submarines were a rarity, relegated to the realms of science fiction. While Terra had already popularized cutting-edge technologies like mobile city-states, because the continent was essentially a single monolith and most of its nations were landlocked, ocean exploration was virtually nonexistent. Consequently, Terrans' research into watercraft and submarines, both surface and underwater, was extremely rudimentary.

Just like most inland people who have heard of the ocean but have never been to the seaside, most of these people can only imagine the vastness of the ocean based on the things around them, just like the country people who are now looking around in the submarine.

“…There are no mermaids under the ocean.”

"If you want to say so, the Agors should also be considered a kind of...merman?"

"That's different. I'm talking about the kind where half the body is fish—"

When Elini communicated with the ghost shark, Elini often talked about mermaids, Atlantis and the like. Mermaids and Atlantis are actually widely circulated in Terra and can be regarded as quite ancient urban legends.

It is said that its origin is a fairy tale called "The Daughter of the Sea", which tells the story of a creature with scales on the lower body and human upper body, who made a deal with the sea witch in order to pursue the prince of Iberia and gained legs.

Some people also speculate that "The Little Mermaid" may record the love story between the Agorians and the Iberian royal family. However, the Iberian royal family is completely dead, so there is no point in refuting the rumors. Therefore, such conspiracy theories and rumors are indeed endless, such as the story that the Iberian prince and the Agorian governor had to tell, and the Agorian girl who secretly went ashore and gave birth to a child with an Iberian man but was captured by her brother, a member of the Agorian guard, and was buried under the coral reef.

Even people like Noah from Casimir have heard of this kind of story... It can only be said that it is an evergreen theme.

Of course, the Agorians have never acknowledged the authenticity of such stories. The mermaid, half scaled and half human, is the biggest misunderstanding of the Agorians. While the Agorians have nicknames like "aquatic," they never have such bizarre images as a scaly lower body and tail. As for the legend of Atlantis, it does have some plausibility. After all, the Agors do share a similar identity to Atlantis, and the name itself comes from the remains of a previous civilization.

While Elini and Ghost Shark were discussing the hundred misunderstandings about the Agor people, Noah was resting with her eyes closed. Unlike the others, her reason for coming to Agor was very personal, which was to control the gray matter in her body. However, the closer she got to Agor, the more she felt the gray matter in her body begin to activate, as if something stimulated it. Noah had to focus most of her attention on her body to prevent the gray matter from suddenly breaking through her body - that scene would probably be as brutal as the alien breaking through the chest.

Noah sighed, not knowing whether the gray matter finally couldn't hold back anymore or whether he knew that Noah's goal was to control the gray matter itself. The gray matter obviously had its own consciousness. Although this consciousness was immature, it could still be controlled by Noah, but Noah didn't know how long he could control it.

——When you think about it this way, gray matter is a bit like your unborn child.

She is the mother, providing nutrients, and her body is a huge placenta, nourishing the gray matter, a fetus with terrifying power.

She shook her head. Was she particularly prone to overthinking lately? Was this prenatal depression?

The birth of gray matter was fraught with chance. The combination of one's own abilities, accumulated negative emotions, and the uncertainty of the transmitter's own undeveloped state gave rise to something as bizarre as gray matter. Calling it a child is a bit of a stretch. Essentially, it was a mass of self-aware nanorobots. While undoubtedly dangerous, for now, one could still control it and prevent it from completely spiraling out of control.

Just as he was thinking, Noya felt a vibration on the underwater ship, and immediately began broadcasting a report from inside the cabin. "Dear guests, we have arrived at the Agor city of Miliarum. Please unbuckle your seatbelts and proceed with minimal activity. This submersible journey will not last more than thirty minutes. It may cause dizziness, seasickness, claustrophobia, etc. If you feel unwell, please report to the Coast Guard immediately."

After the announcement, everyone unbuckled their seatbelts. As deep-sea hunters of the Agor people, they certainly wouldn't experience any adverse reactions. However, because they were underwater and in an artificial pressure environment, Noah and Jodi, two weaker landlubbers, felt a little short of breath. Fortunately, this was normal. After taking two breaths of oxygen from the oxygen masks beside them, they felt better.

"This feeling is quite strange... We are clearly at the bottom of the sea, but the air is dry..." Noah smiled bitterly, "I thought we had to wear diving suits to enter your city."

"Aside from the deep-sea hunters, the other Argorians also need oxygen. We're humans, after all, not mere sea creatures," Goletia explained. "But it's true that most Argorians are born with the ability to swim and hold their breath for extended periods, making them highly resistant to water pressure. Sometimes, we deliberately allow seawater to flood into our cities. Most people call it a ritual to feel a part of the ocean, but this ritual can be fatal to land dwellers."

"A ritual to feel a part of the ocean..." Noah shook his head. "Although I can already swim, I'd rather forget about this level."

Under the command of the Coast Guard, the group got off the boat first. When they saw the underwater city for the first time, Noah and the others were shocked.

—Milliarium, an Agor city. Beneath a transparent glass dome, countless colorful neon lights paint the sea in a dreamy shimmer. Within a vast aquarium-like structure, biomimetic drones, like swarms of scales dotting a blue canvas, weave through artificial coral reefs, vivid and lifelike, as if they were real creatures. To Noya, the city's buildings seemed like something from another world. Transparent smart materials could adjust their light transmittance according to the external environment, sometimes blurry, sometimes crystal clear. Between the buildings, numerous pipes for drones flowed through them, and these water pipes ran throughout the city, like its blood vessels...

"This is... Agor?" Noah's eyes sparkled slightly, taking in all these scenes. She originally thought that Rhine Life was already technologically futuristic enough, but in front of Agor's city, it seemed a little lacking in imagination.

"This city is actually quite small. I've managed the electricity for cities much larger than this before—" Skadi interrupted. "I was considered an elite electrical engineer back then. I could maintain the dome of an entire city by myself."

"This dome..." Noah asked curiously, "Is it powered by electricity?"

"That's not accurate. The dome is the foundation of the city of Agor. It's a combination of many technologies. Even without electricity, its structure and materials alone can withstand tremendous water pressure—" Skadi explained. "I'm only responsible for maintenance. As for the specific technology, I don't really understand it."

"That's already impressive..." Noah praised sincerely, "I imagined Agor's skills were impressive, but I didn't expect them to be this impressive."