Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

"It's the same here. I've heard a lot about what you've done in Terra, and honestly, I wouldn't be where I am today without your delegation of authority. Rhine Life is undoubtedly the best scientific research company in all of Terra. We even have priority in researching Agor technology. Do you know the pace of our technological breakthroughs these days? We're breaking through a topic so quickly that we only need to get some sleep before a breakthrough in a project we've been agonizing over comes in. I haven't felt so happy in a long time."

"It seems like you've benefited greatly from working with Agor?" Noah loosened his hand and asked curiously, "And why did you come here to take charge? To study the technology Agor sent you as soon as possible?"

"You guessed it right, those who know me well——"

"Come on, come on, stop pretending..." Noah sighed. "Director Ferdinand, the fact that Agor and we can now coexist peacefully isn't solely my credit. If you really want to be polite, go find Agor's people. Although I'm no longer a member of Rhine Life, we're at least former colleagues. There's no need for such politeness."

"...That's right." Ferdinand nodded. "Ahem, I was indeed a little too excited. Noah, you don't know the current level of Rhine Life. I doubt that Christen is my match now! Thank you, Agor! Thank you, science!"

"...Ahaha..." Noah had heard about the two people's quarrel before, "Where is Christen now? Is she still in Rhine Life?"

"Her? How could she possibly stay at Rhine Life? After deciding on a location, she rushed to Kjerag to establish a space base. According to their current plan, they'll attempt to launch the first satellite in two months. Agor will be responsible for drilling a hole in the star pod. I'm afraid Christen is so excited right now that she's about to take off."

Ferdinand curled his lips in disdain. "If no one had stopped her, she would have definitely been in space before the satellite."

"Indeed..." Noah nodded. "But right now, we know nothing about what's happening outside the pod... So it's best to launch a satellite first. I hope we'll make some new discoveries after I return."

"Come back? How long will you stay in Agor this time?"

Ferdinand reacted.

"Yes, I plan to officially begin exploring the Deep Blue Tree Laboratory." Noah nodded. "This trip is very dangerous, and we have a limited crew, but if everything goes well... I will definitely give you a surprise."

Noah held the railing and looked at the people coming and going in the building. Among them were Agorians, Iberians, and some researchers from Colombia. These people had different nationalities and identities, but they had the same direction for the development of science.

Noah is very happy to see this...

"—I really hope everything can stay like this."

she said to herself.

Chapter 2: Staying up late will cause acne

"Ms. Noa, I'm not sure how dangerous it is to go to the Deep Blue Tree Laboratory. After all, it's not within my purview." Ferdinand couldn't help but speak up, seeing Noa's expression and her fearless demeanor. "But I hope you understand, Ms. Noa, you're not fighting alone. In fact, we've always hoped to advance with you."

"...That doesn't sound like something Director Ferdinand would say." Noah blinked, a little surprised. "I thought you didn't like me."

"At first, it's true." Ferdinand straightened his clothes and said with a smile, "At first, I thought you were just a relative, entering Rhine Life through connections and inexplicably holding a high position. Naturally, I didn't like you, but later you proved your worth. You are beneficial to Rhine Life, not harmful. I can be sure of that. Since you won't harm Rhine Life, then I won't be your enemy. If you can help Rhine Life—then you can even be my friend."

"...Ferdinand, do you like Rhine Life that much?"

"Rhine Life is my lover," Ferdinand said earnestly. "It's the most outstanding, advanced, and enlightened cause in the world, and the one most worthy of my lifelong struggle. From the very beginning, I believed that Rhine Life would be my lifelong wish. As long as I can act for Rhine Life, I will be the happiest person in the world."

"I understand." Noah could indeed understand this feeling. At the beginning, as a businessman in Casimir, Noah had a similar awareness. At that time, she was really in danger of losing her life. Her mind was full of thoughts about helping Margaret, making the Linguang family live a better life, and doing everything she could before her death. She lived every minute and every second with the thought that she would die tomorrow, and even had a backup of her suicide note.

Although that period could be said to be extremely twisted and tiring... it was also the time when Noah was least confused. Because time was tight, she had no time to be confused. Every minute and every second she lived in the world was spent working for a goal that she believed was worth entrusting her life to. That feeling was fulfilling and real, so she could fully understand what Ferdinand said.

"You've talked too much. Do you want to have lunch together later, Ms. Noah?"

"No, as you said, I still have many people waiting for me."

The two smiled at each other and waved goodbye.

Noah walked out of the research building and seemed to have regained something through Ferdinand's words. This was the self-reflection she was good at, but she was too busy recently and didn't have the time. Fortunately, it was not too late.

By the time Noah returned to Rhodes Island, it had already dropped anchor and begun resupplying supplies. After entering Iberia, the effects of the Lateran Treaty initiated by Lateran were gradually becoming apparent. Noah saw a lot of international supplies aiding Iberia, each of which was labeled with the label of its respective country and was easy to recognize. Coupled with the progress in the research of mineral disease and the control of Precious, the chance of Terra being infected with mineral disease has greatly decreased. Even if it is infected, as long as it is not in the late stage, it can basically be expelled with the help of drugs.

As for the seriously ill, we'd have to take it slow. After all, in those cases, the Originium had already taken over some of their organs and bones, making it impossible for medication to cure them. In those cases, we'd need to utilize Agor's technology, the same repair and medical pod that Noa had used.

Agor has not yet been fully opened to the outside world. Although a large number of Agor people have come to the land, most of them are scholars. One of them...

"Long time no see, Noah." After Noah returned to Rhodes Island, the first person he saw was Gloria waiting at the door. The woman who almost had a political marriage with him had a smile on her face, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

"Goletia, you're quite quick with your intelligence. You came to me shortly after I landed?"

"Of course, you are our VIP guest. For you, my mother even planned to give me away."

"...Um, isn't this over yet?" Noah was helpless. Although the other party was obviously joking, Noah still found it quite embarrassing. "And how is your mother's matter...recently?"

"What else can I do? She'll treat me like she doesn't have a daughter, and I won't treat her like her mother. Then I'll continue my work and be in charge of contacting the mainland. Not just me, you remember that we later improved the technology. Now the stability of the Deep Sea Hunter seeds is very high. Although it's not as powerful as our generations, after strengthening their physical strength and self-healing abilities, Agor may have the hope of achieving genetic...ah, I think I'm getting off track."

"What about the Pearly Tear Lamenters?" Noah was still concerned about the situation of the Pearly Tear Lamenters, but when talking about the Pearly Tear Lamenters, Gloria's expression became a little subtle.

"Those... well, they're already very different from Haisi." Gloria frowned. "You know, I'm allergic to these things. After all, we've been fighting for so many years, and it won't be easy for us to live in peace."

"I understand... I just hope you don't clash. I hope this peace treaty can continue... or at least not be torn up so soon." Noah expressed his wish sincerely. "This is just my opinion. If you have other ideas..."

"...Alas, the Agors are quite different from you landfolk." At this point, Gladia shook her head. "You should know that the Agors can easily let go of hatred. As long as it benefits the future, we can make friends with any enemy."

"……you mean?"

"We have officially established diplomatic relations with the Pearl Tear Lamenters, and they have also begun restoring the underwater ecosystem. In the long run, our cooperation will be beneficial," Goletia replied. "Therefore, the Pearl Tear Lamenters and Agor... can be considered to have officially reached a truce."

“…This is the best news I’ve heard recently.”

"Let's not just talk about us for now. How was your vacation? Did it feel more relaxing?"

"...relaxed...I wouldn't say." Noah shrugged. "It's more like a lot of extra burdens. It's called a vacation, but it's actually just overtime at my own expense..."

"That's really not easy for you. After you finish exploring the Deep Blue Tree, why don't you go to Agor to rest for a while? There aren't as many things to do there as on land. It should be quite suitable for a vacation." Godetia suggested seriously, but Noah also knew that she probably wouldn't be able to stop. After the Deep Blue Tree, she might have to go to the Sami Ice Field to check out the status of the star gate... Although the doctor should be able to do this for her, she would still be a little worried if she didn't go herself.

And then... eh...

Noah was still thinking when she suddenly felt dizzy, as if a moving train had suddenly gone off the tracks. She was like that train, having gone off the track called common sense - her body was like a machine that suddenly lost power and fell straight down. Gloria, who was standing beside her, reacted very quickly and immediately supported Noah, but although Noah's eyes were open at this time, she had no reaction at all.

"Noah! Noah! What's wrong with you?"

Goletia's anxious voice faded further and further away, and Noah seemed to be sinking into an endless black abyss. An indescribable coldness seeped into his bones.

She wanted to struggle, but the more she struggled, the deeper she sank. At this moment, a voice sounded in her ears.

"—Don't be afraid."

Is that...Amiya's voice?

Noah recognized the source of the voice, but it seemed to come from all directions and she couldn't tell the direction. She tried to communicate with the other party, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't speak.

When the black mist engulfed everything, she opened her eyes again and found herself on a black throne condensed from crystals. Before her stood a girl wearing a veil, suspended in mid-air. Half her body was engulfed in a cluster of black Originium crystals, and a black crown adorned her head. Was she... Amiya? Even through the veil, Noya still had that feeling.

But she...is not the Amiya he knows.

Why does this girl wearing a black crown appear here?

“…Amiya?”

"..."

Noah's call received no response. Rather, Amiya seemed to be in an unstable state. Noah could see that her figure was translucent and occasionally shook like a faulty CRT display. This distortion was obvious. This Amiya seemed unable to stabilize her own existence. In fact, she herself was a projection... a projection of a larger existence.

Noah finally regained control of her body. She supported her body and stood up from the crystal throne. She wanted to say something, but she suddenly felt that there seemed to be something extra on her head. She stretched out her hand and touched a... crown?

It was different from the Leitania crown he once held, and the style seemed similar to the one on Amiya's head...

After thinking for a moment, she spoke.

"Amiya, you are Amiya, right? What happened? Why did you drag me to this place... and... what's wrong with you?" Noah stretched out her hand, wanting to touch the Originium crystal cluster on Amiya's body. In such a serious situation, even in the late stage of mineral sickness, it would be difficult to appear, or those who have reached this level would have died long ago. But when she stretched out her hand, Amiya suddenly raised her head. Through the black veil, Noah could not see her expression, but for some reason... a feeling of sadness surged in her heart.

Noah's hand stopped in mid-air, and then she placed her hand on Amiya's head.

"...Amiya, what exactly happened to you... Can you tell me?" Noah said gently, stroking Amiya's hair. "You must have your reasons for bringing me here. Regardless of whether you're the Amiya I know or not, I hope you can tell me... what happened, and..."

She squatted down and naturally placed her hand on Amiya's cheek.

"what can I do for you?"

I don’t know if it was Noah’s illusion, but when Noah put his hand on her cheek, Amiya’s figure seemed to disappear for a moment, but the next moment, Amiya’s voice rang out.

“——Ms. Noah, please…%＆*￥…”

"...What did you say?" It was relatively clear at the beginning, but at the end, Noah could only hear a bunch of noises. She had to ask again, but this time, Amiya seemed to realize that she could not convey the correct information just now, so she stretched out her hand and conjured a black cube similar to a three-dimensional Rubik's Cube in her palm, and then waited there quietly, as if waiting for Noah to take it away.

Noya double-checked before reaching out. The moment she touched the black cube, a flash of light instantly obliterated everything in sight. When she opened her eyes again, she was already in Rhodes Island's infirmary. She propped herself up, her head groggy. Could everything she had just seen... have been a dream? Yet, the reality didn't seem like a dream.

"Ms. Noah! You're awake!" At that moment, Noah heard the voice again. She turned around and found Amiya sitting beside her bed. However, this Amiya was the normal Amiya she knew, completely different from the Amiya wearing a black veil and a black crown. She immediately reached out, cupping Amiya's face and examining it. She didn't find any large clusters of Originium crystals, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ms. No... Noa?" Amiya, whose face was held in her hands, spoke a little confusedly, her face still slightly red, but she still looked healthy. "F...F Sen Shenmo."

"...Ah, sorry, I just had a nightmare. I dreamed that you had a lot of... pimples on your face! Yes! Pimples! Do you often stay up late? It's not good for your skin!" Noah originally wanted to talk about Originium crystal clusters, but when the words were on her lips, she changed her mind. After all, for a severe mineralopathy patient like Amiya... something like Originium crystal clusters doesn't seem to be an impossible situation.

"Hey! Really? Do I really have acne?" Amiya quickly touched her little face, but Noah just smiled and shook his head.

"No, it was just a dream. Amiya, you're still as adorable as ever," Noya said with a smile. While most people would be caught lying in front of Amiya, Noya was probably an exception. Ever since she mastered her abilities, she'd been able to shut herself off at will, and Amiya's abilities couldn't penetrate her inner barriers. So... she was probably one of the few people who could lie to Amiya. "But you still have to go to bed early."

"...Ms. Noah, you're so mean..." Amiya puffed her cheeks, "I'm still worried about your health..."

"How long...have I been sleeping?"

Chapter 3: Memories of Amiya

"About two days. Everyone was so worried. Miss Noah, you suddenly fainted..." Amiya calmed herself down before answering. Noah's behavior just now was so sudden that she was not mentally prepared at all. Her anxious look did not seem fake. Although Noah said she was dreaming, Amiya was not easy to deceive. She must have dreamed of a more terrifying scene.

But Miss Noah is a very gentle person, so she probably concealed some of the details. If it was just a pimple, why would she be so anxious?

"I'm sorry, maybe it's because I'm too tired recently. Um... I shouldn't have missed anything, right?" Noah apologized a little embarrassedly. After all, fainting suddenly would certainly make people worry. But she felt that it was not the right time to tell the contents of her dream. At least she had to wait until she confirmed the situation of the other Amiya. Moreover, before waking up, Noah still remembered that Amiya gave her a black Rubik's Cube.

Her expression shifted as she questioned Theresa, who was repairing the situation in her soul space. As soon as she entered the soul space, she saw Theresa staring blankly at the Rubik's Cube floating in her soul space. She only looked up when she saw Noah enter and began to speak. "When did you get the Demon King's power from Amiya?"

"Huh?" A big question mark suddenly appeared in Noya's head. "You said this is... the power of the Demon King?"

"I wouldn't be mistaken. Although its appearance is different from the crown I know, it is indeed the power of the Demon King." Theresa nodded firmly. "After all, I am a legitimate Demon King. I wouldn't be mistaken. Moreover, I have a deep understanding of the Demon King's power."

"Really?" Noah leaned over, imitating Theresa's observation. Perhaps because she knew nothing about the Demon King's power, she saw almost nothing. However, Theresa had a bold idea. She glanced at Noya, and after Noya nodded, she reached out and attempted to manipulate the Rubik's Cube the same way she had in the past. The next moment, Noya saw the Rubik's Cube instantly transform into a black crown. Without a doubt... this was the survival of civilization, the so-called Demon King's power.

"This is a public measurement and reproduction platform built by a previous civilization. It's crown-shaped and black, allowing the wearer to read and store the thoughts of others. This is how the administrators explained the continuation of civilization. It's also a technological product left over from the previous civilization. Although you call it the power of the Demon King, in essence, this crown doesn't actually grant anyone power. To be more precise, the so-called power of the Demon King... is probably simply because the Sarkaz themselves can generate power through emotion. Ah... wait."

When Noah extracted the content about the continuation of civilization from the administrator's memory, she suddenly realized something. Although the continuation of civilization is the creation of the previous civilization, in the administrator's memory, the continuation of civilization is essentially a quantum computer used to record and store everything about civilization from the beginning to the end. However, judging from the way Theresa used it, the Sarkaz did not extract any content about the previous civilization from the continuation of civilization... This is very strange.

Logically speaking, this place should be filled with information about previous civilizations.

"Theresa, have you discovered any information about previous civilizations during the continuation of civilization?" Noah immediately asked the former Demon King Theresa to confirm his thoughts. "Anything is fine."

“…Honestly, no,” Thearesia shook her head. “Ever since the Sarkaz acquired the Demon King’s power, it seems no Demon King has ever extracted any knowledge from it. With the way we use it, it’s almost just a representation of the Demon King, a symbol of power for all generations of Demon Kings… Other than that, I’ve never gained any knowledge of previous civilizations from it.”

"That's strange... This thing was created to preserve the contents of previous civilizations. It's impossible that it didn't preserve anything at all..." Noah asked doubtfully. "Theresa, can I borrow your authority? I want to use you to examine the contents of the civilization that survived."

"Of course." Theresa didn't mind lending her authority. It was also beneficial for her to understand the true purpose of the survival of civilization. So Noah came directly to Theresa's side, put his hand on Theresa's shoulder, and obtained Theresa's demon king authority through the connection between the spirits. This kind of spiritual connection felt a bit strange. Although it was not the first time that Noah had established a spiritual connection with others, this kind of fusion above the soul was actually a very delicate and dangerous behavior. That is, a being like Noah who has the ability to repair his own soul can use spiritual fusion like this at will.

In a sense, the connection between spirits is a very rare situation. After all, there is naturally a wall of heart between people, and Noah's ability and Amiya's ability can bypass this barrier and directly operate on their souls.

What Noah did was no longer a simple connection. To be precise, Noah's soul was truly merged with Theresa's. Only this method could deceive the authentication model of the civilization's survival and successfully enter it with the authority of the Demon King.

As expected, a temporary fusion took place, and a completely new existence that was both Noah and Theresa appeared in Noah's spiritual space. She only made a slight adjustment, as such a soul fusion could not take too long, so she reached out her hand in a hurry and touched the black crown.

The next moment, she was completely swallowed up by the huge flow of information—

That is the history of the Sarkaz.

To be precise, it is the history, culture, and memory of the Sarkaz recorded by the continuation of civilization.

As a public measurement and reproduction platform with almost no storage limit, it would not be difficult to cram the entire history of Terra into it. However, for so many years, it was only the Sarkaz who controlled the survival of civilization.

Noya instantly read through the biographies of all the demon kings who had once held civilization in check. The sheer volume of information gave her a headache, but fortunately, Theresa was helping her share the burden. As she used the demon king's authority to mobilize civilization's survival, Noya noticed that it contained nothing but the history of the Sarkaz. How could this be possible? Normally, it should contain everything about previous civilizations.

...Great destruction?

Noah immediately thought of the strange destruction. Could it be that the destruction not only wiped out the memories of the beast masters and the giant beasts, but even the backup of the civilization was completely wiped out?

How on earth could the lumberjacks delete everything about the previous civilization without damaging the civilization's continued function?

She couldn't help but feel a little creepy. No wonder the Sarkaz had used their civilization for so long to survive without acquiring any of the previous civilization's technology, and even regarded this thing as a symbol of some demon king.

However, this thing does resemble a system from novels. Noya can access the Originium skills, even the martial arts, and experience of past Demon Lords from her memories, effectively creating a superb expert in a short period of time. In a sense, it's a powerful tool for the inheritance of civilization. Therefore, the Sarkaz's use isn't wrong; it's simply insufficient.

However, since the records of the previous civilization have been cleared, the value of this crown to Noya is too low... but...

Noah was suddenly stunned. If the previous information only gave her a headache, the memory she had just touched was not the memory of the previous generations of demon kings.

——That is Amiya’s memory.

Noya hesitated, unsure whether she should examine this memory without Amiya's consent. But there was no doubt that this black Rubik's Cube had been given to her by another Amiya. That Amiya did exist, and like the Amiya she knew, she was a demon king. Otherwise, Amiya's memories couldn't possibly be here. There must be something Amiya wanted to tell her.

Maybe... she wanted to let me know this on purpose?

Noah guessed, and recalling Amiya's sad expression in her dream just now, she suddenly made up her mind.

"If I did something wrong... I'm sorry." Noah stretched out his hand and took the initiative to touch this memory, this vast, calm memory that was like a black, still ocean.

-

Little Amiya was separated from her parents.

The caravan she and her parents were in was inexplicably caught up in a local war. From Noya's understanding, this must have happened a long, long time ago... After all, Amiya at this time looked like a child. If Noya remembered correctly, the Doctor had once told her about his meeting with Amiya. Logically, after this incident, Amiya would have met the Doctor, who had just begun his journey on Terra...

So, when Amiya was attacked, she was not surprised that the story did not end there.