Deep Sea Hunter, but Deep Sea Titan

The feud between W and Lappland dates back to when Lotin returned to Lungmen from Kazdel.

During that time, W conveniently dealt with the Gambino family, which made Lappland feel that her hunting grounds and prey had been taken away. Therefore, she felt offended and demanded a decisive battle with W to determine the sphere of influence. However, since Lotin was in a hurry to go to Yan Kingdom, he suggested that they fight on another day.

Lappland was clearly the kind of madwoman who would disregard the consequences for her own pleasure, and Lotin knew she would only initiate a duel to enjoy the thrill of victory and hear the cries and pleas for mercy from her enemies. Perhaps because the Doctor and Precyth had made eliminating and curing Oripathy so easy, and feeling completely free from the torment of Oripathy, Lappland, feeling she had reached her peak, took the initiative to propose continuing the duel.

However, there was no need for Lotin and W to refuse; they could simply treat it as a trip to Syracuse.

"Your Highness, please grant me this small wish."

W gently hugged Loting from behind, acting coquettishly without any restraint. This soft and sweet side of W was something she could only see when she was with Theresa, but now it belonged exclusively to Loting.

W knew that she now had the right to act coquettishly towards Loting. She was no longer just a subject of the Demon King; she, like Laurentina and the others, was a unique partner truly accepted by Loting.

W had never experienced such a strong feeling of being valued and irreplaceable. She was curious and fascinated by this feeling and couldn't wait to enjoy this satisfaction.

This relationship began with a crazy and twisted hatred, but ultimately bore sweet fruit that W couldn't resist.

"Okay, I promise you, W."

Luo Ting smoothed a stray strand of white hair. W was indeed someone he could accept now, and her loyalty and obedience were enough to win her more favor.

Like W, the others also lived a much more mundane life around Lotin than before.

Laurentina is out today buying stone and wood for her sculptures. Sculpting is her hobby, and she is willing to spend a lot of time on it, showing off her masterpieces to Lotin, or holding a solo exhibition at the town museum in Granfalo. More often, she appears in a church somewhere in Iberia, acting as Lotin's mouthpiece to promote the fame of Nautilus.

Skadi would spend some time tending to the large groups, maintaining their evolutionary vitality, and keeping them at a suitable size. Sometimes she would play her lute in the garden and on the beach and invite Lotin to listen.

Meanwhile, Greta volunteered to work as a secretary and housekeeper, helping Lotin run the intelligence processing system supported by Agor technology and organizing information from various countries in Terra. Of course, she also had plenty of free time to spend with Lotin.

Now, the Doctor and Precyth have moved to Loting's manor. Loting has prepared a well-equipped laboratory for them in the underground, and they will use pre-civilization technology to remotely handle some of Rhodes Island's important decisions. Loting will gradually learn the basic science of Originium from the Doctor and Precyth. In any case, the Doctor's ample rest time here is enough to surprise Amiya.

During dinner, Lotin announced his decision to take W to Syracuse. Unsurprisingly, the other girls' murderous intent surged dramatically. If it were the W of the past, she would probably have fainted on the spot. But today's W was different. Today, W sat at the table as an equal to them—although she had been eating with everyone the whole time.

"Mercenary, you seem to have gotten carried away by the special favor you've received from Lord Nautilus."

The sound of the fork scraping against the plate was teeth-grinding, like a horrible butcher sharpening his cleaver. Laurentina, who had always considered herself the queen, unabashedly released a strong murderous intent.

“W, you’ve pulled the bait again, just like you did back in Chernobog.”

The Doctor in this timeline already harbored resentment towards the Sarkaz, so it's normal for her to react with hostility when W suddenly rose to power.

"Have these land people actually stolen Lord Nautilus's favor so quietly?"

Goredia's attitude was even worse; she launched a condescending attack, characteristic of the Agorians.

Precyth, on the other hand, had an expression that suggested she was enjoying the drama; she wanted to see how Lotin would handle the turmoil in the harem.

Through a special schedule, they reached a minimum consensus, even though conflicts and frictions still occurred frequently, most of the time they were just minor squabbles and jealousy.

Sometimes, this possessive jealousy and conflict can reach an irreconcilable point, at which point Lotin will choose to "sacrifice himself" in order to satisfy everyone at the same time.

"Looks like we need to reiterate the rules of this household today."

Loting gave a meaningful smile and reiterated his position as the head of the family. Although he was also a "Guardian of the Deep Sea" in some ways, his status in the family was completely different from that of the other.

Of course, his method of resolving conflicts was not to suppress them, but to meet everyone's needs, just as he promised.

When Laurentina and the others heard Loting's words, their expressions immediately relaxed. Sometimes Loting felt that they were in cahoots to indulge themselves without restraint.

Precy was clearly still in the dark. In her view, if Lotin was suppressing the conflicts between his girls by force, they shouldn't have accepted it so readily.

That night, Precys, unsurprisingly, tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She couldn't resist her inner turmoil and quietly passed by someone else's room in her bathrobe.

The doors to those rooms were all ajar, the lights were off, and no one was inside, except for Loting's own room, which was still lit.

At this moment, Eleanor, who was patrolling the night with her helper, discovered that Precys was leaning against the door of Lotin's bedroom in a rather strange posture.

"Ms. Precyth, how can I help you?"

Elena gracefully lifted her skirt slightly and asked Priscilla if she needed her help, but Priscilla only gestured for her to be quiet with a slightly flustered look, and then said that she did not need help.

In Eleanor's memory, this woman, whom she knew very little about, was a rational, quiet, and always composed linguist who rarely showed such panic and urgency as she did now.

Finally, Alini frowned, puzzled, and then politely left.

Just after Elena left, the sound of the door lock turning rang out, and Precys leisurely stepped into the blind spot he had previously observed.

"Huh, huh."

"Maybe it's just a junior assistant following procedure for night patrols."

The doctor's smooth white hair cascaded over her shoulders, and glistening beads of sweat slid down her fair skin. As she spoke, she glanced in the direction where Priscilla was standing. She guessed that Priscilla was probably there, but she didn't say anything.

Precyth guessed what had happened inside the door. Shame, restlessness, jealousy, and dissatisfaction were all mixed together. She finally realized how Lotin managed to keep everyone temporarily satisfied. She believed that if she were to push the door open like everyone else, Lotin would gladly accept her.

Because that man had told her that she was his most desired and special trophy, a trophy he wanted no matter what.

For a fleeting moment, Precys almost reached for the doorknob, but she pulled her hand back; she wasn't ready to sort out her relationship with Lotin.

After returning to her room, Precys still tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. She comforted herself, thinking that even the Doctor couldn't dispel Lotin's interest in her, and those Terrans were even less of a threat.

She admitted that life here was a thousand times, a hundred times better than enduring the loneliness of ten thousand years in a sarcophagus, where she desperately hoped for a response that was destined to go unanswered.

She no longer had to engage in endless arguments with the Seer, nor could she watch helplessly as their differences grew. She and the current Seer—the Doctor—had many things in common, and they remained close friends, but that was all they could ever be.

During these two years, Lotin had enough influence to get the various countries of Terra to cooperate with Precys' research. He would even temporarily hand over his Originium access for the sake of the objective needs of the research.

Although she herself was unaware of it, she did not have to fight the Sarkaz with wits and courage as she did in the original work, and in the end, she lost a portion of her Originium privileges.

Because Lotin recovered the Blue Tree Project, Precys even had the opportunity to conduct cross-project experiments between the two projects under safer and more efficient conditions. This was clearly more meaningful than the Originium Into the Sea Project that Precys carried out in the original work when the Sea Child was out of control.

The ability to find new solutions greatly boosted Precy's confidence, and her attitude towards life became much more positive than before. It was this positivity that gave her the freedom to examine the man who had brought her both hope and despair.

He stole the Doctor's heart, but also showed Prestis a new possibility besides sealing everything with Originium.

Precys spent a long, bitter night.

Tonight will also be a sleepless night for everyone else.

"Your Highness is really acting recklessly."

Perhaps because of her anticipation of traveling to Syracuse with Loting, W, who was nestled against Loting's chest, was the first to wake up. Their booked passenger landship was scheduled to depart at 11 a.m. this morning—since it was a trip, they deliberately did not use teleportation.

Furthermore, Lotin specifically chose to arrive on the day of Requiem, demonstrating his willingness to take meticulous care of all his possessions.

"Your happiness is the most important thing to me."

“I’ve said it before, I will not abandon any of you.”

A refreshing cold shower relieved Loting's mental fatigue, while W, with a mischievous grin, asked Loting in return:

"Then why didn't Ms. Precythia have—"

"Because she hasn't truly accepted me yet, she needs some time to think about the meaning of her current lifestyle."

"I hope to truly receive her vow under the stars."

Precy had been lonely for too long, and she needed some time to adjust to a life where she could interact with people. So during this time, Lotin didn't actively try to get closer to Precy; he simply maintained a suitable distance while providing just the right amount of help.

W playfully bit Luo Ting's shoulder, saying with a hint of unintentional sarcasm:

"Only Your Highness could be so nonchalant as to say you want to get another person in front of someone of the opposite sex."

"I have a greedy side too."

"However, you can have it all to yourself during this trip to Syracuse."

After a simple breakfast, W took Loting's hand and led him out the door. Before leaving, Loting reminded Aline not to wake Precys, as she might not have slept well last night.

Elena nodded seriously, then went to wake up the others as instructed. She saw the rest of the people come out of a room, and then Elena's little head seemed to be hit a little.

"Hey, hey hey?"

Alini mechanically sighed a few times, then stood there stunned.

Laurentina waved her finger in front of Elena's eyes, but Elena still didn't react.

Elena probably did indeed stop thinking for the time being.

Chapter 316: The Black Luxury Sedan

Having recovered from the Haizi disaster, Iberia has long since resumed transportation and trade with the Terran countries. Passenger land-based ships, which previously only operated within safe zones, have also resumed international passenger services. The new intercity network based on PCS has even made online ticket booking possible.

Considering that he would be accompanying W alone on this trip to Syracuse, Lotin simply switched his skin to [Conqueror], since the Demon King Conqueror had never revealed his true form in public.

Regardless of the skin, Lotin's true form basically only involves some changes in clothing and physical racial characteristics.

The Conqueror's skin reveals a more robust physique with Sarkaz racial features, including a pair of large, curved black horns and a black tail that doesn't clearly indicate its specific Sarkaz sub-race.

Most of the time, Lotin's appearance is calm and profound, but this skin gives off a rather fierce and flamboyant vibe.

Fortunately, Laurentina had seen Lotin in his Kuranta form, so she thoughtfully left a gap for the tail in the dress she designed for Lotin, for which Lotin was very grateful.

The landship sped across the Terran wilderness, but unfortunately the scenery was too monotonous. Although the first-class cabin was equipped with wireless television based on the PCS system and the entire Terran network, W, who had been a bit too wild last night, simply leaned on Lotin's shoulder and took a nap.

The two of them were basically just on vacation in Syracuse. As for fighting Lapland to the death?

That's probably just a tourist experience project.

"Can such a loose union of city-states really be considered a national entity?"

In Lotin's view, Syracuse, which is controlled by families of all sizes, is not a country at all. Their unified armed forces are only at the level of a mobile city-state self-defense force, and their only fleet consists of only a few small-tonnage fast frigates.

Lotin also observed this morbidly contradictory nation, but he still had no interest in Syracuse. Just like the attitudes shown by other major Terran nations, Syracuse was a completely unremarkable place in the plans of Lotin, the Doctor, and Precys.

Perhaps it is this uninteresting and lackluster nature of Syracuse that has allowed this peculiar little country to survive to this day.

"Ah, we've finally arrived. Do you think the Syracuses will greet us with bombs?"

W took Loting's arm and walked up the escalator. She didn't see the assassin, but she did observe some pickpockets and thieves who specifically targeted wealthy foreign tourists.

They specifically wait at the first-class exit, thanks to Syracuse's police and security, who often turn a blind eye to pickpockets due to bribes from some gangs.

"I get the feeling you want to greet them with a bomb."

Lotin noticed that W had not restrained her murderous intent at all. None of the pickpockets dared to approach her. The soft and gentle W belonged only to Lotin, but to others, she was still the crazy Sarkaz mercenary who loved explosions.

"The security situation in Syracuse is really bad."

Luo Ting sighed in disappointment and shook his head slightly. The utterly boring family games had cost this place countless opportunities for development.

This is the old town on the east bank of Vorsini, the residence of the Bellone, Saluzzo, and Rossetti families. However, Lotin didn't even bother to look into their backgrounds; three packs of stray dogs weren't worth his time.

"Given Syracuse's security standards, I could prepare countless surprises, but I'm sure it would be a hassle for you to add to Iberia's security."

W made a childish face, while Lottin shook his head. Although he would never let W bring the bomb on public transportation, W was clearly being too reserved with him.

Tonight is Requiem Night, a night of revelry, and Loting hopes she can relax a bit more.

"Don't use honorifics, W. There's no need to be so formal today."

W understood immediately; Luo Ting's implication was that there was no need for them to maintain any distinction between ruler and subject at this point.

Today she is a lover and partner who will be pampered in every way, nothing more.

"Then let's begin, darling."

Overjoyed, W practically dragged Lotin by the arm to the ground. What greeted her eyes was a noisy crowd, parade floats, and drag queens in outlandish costumes. In the midst of the revelry, it seemed that all the ugliness and distortion of Syracuse had temporarily vanished.

Although the Requiem Festival originated from the Black Celebration of Sarkaz, it has long since evolved into a carnival festival for all of Terra. Major cities are eager to celebrate this festival, which brings unlimited business opportunities. International metropolises like Lungmen and Grand Knightslands will not miss any festival with carnival connotations, because it means business opportunities. The same is true for Volcinie.

The Syracuse revived their 15-day carnival in 1099, but they didn't mind having an extra night of revelry in the year. They were experts at organizing carnivals, and they presented the Requiem Festival in the Syracuse style and form, presenting a unique flavor that was no less impressive than the Lungmen Requiem Festival celebrations.

During carnival, Syracuse people wear masks, while the costume changes during Requiem Night are even more thorough, with people dressing up as legendary monsters and playing pranks and good-natured frights in the streets.

Opera, which had become popular during the reign of Letania, became more vibrant in Syracuse, though W remained uninterested in such activities.

Her mercenary years, during which she could only fill her stomach with roasted potatoes, instilled in her a strong craving for intensely flavored, high-calorie foods, especially meat and sweets. Her past envy of the Sarkaz people also fueled her curiosity about the taste of sweets, with candy being her favorite.

Loting still remembers that on the day of Requiem in Lungmen, W took the pocket money he gave her and bought a big handful of candy like a child.

From Syracuse's most traditional fruit honey candy to Colombian toffee and roasted marshmallows, Syracuse's festival desserts are in no way inferior to those of Lateran.

Lotin bought a sour lollipop from Victoria, the really sour kind. Even he thought the meaning of this food was unclear, but when he thought that it was a product of Victoria, he felt relieved.

"whee."

Curious, W suddenly pounced on the sour lollipop that Lotte had bought and put it in her mouth. As a result, W, who had eaten a lot of desserts, was so sour that she couldn't speak.

"Haha, who told you to be so greedy?"

Loting was genuinely amused by W's comical and embarrassed appearance; he rarely laughed so heartily at a funny or amusing scene.

"Ah really!"

W had completely let go; she no longer used honorifics when speaking to Loting and recklessly lunged at him, pulling at his face.