reincarnation npc, but tomorrow's ark

“Kazimir is very close to Victoria, which will make it easier for us to get our hands on Lentinium’s intelligence reports.” Dr. Kal’tsit was also very satisfied with this.

"Unfortunately, my mobile base station hasn't yielded any results so far, except for one experimental line," Bai Ye sighed.

Although the test route from Lungmen to the core city of Chernobog was successful and ran stably for at least three months, the cost was simply too high. White Night wouldn't invest in a second route until the power armor was sold and generated revenue.

"Actually, I'm more curious about how you'll deal with Commander Wei later," Dr. Kal'tsit suddenly asked at the end of the conversation.

Clearly, this problem stems from the old woman's perverse sense of humor.

"...Let's not talk about this, we can still be good friends."

Bai Ye rolled his eyes. He hadn't figured out what to say yet.

After the joke, Bai Ye prepared to leave, but Kal'tsit suddenly called out to him:

“I’ve read Outcast’s report. You’ve been quite active in Little Hills.”

"Thank you for the compliment." Bai Ye grinned.

"I want to thank you for bringing Outcast back. Given the situation at the time, in the worst-case scenario, we might have lost an old friend forever."

"Dr. Kal'tsit said softly."

No one understands the feeling of saying goodbye to old friends of Rhodes Island better than her, because she had participated in the final farewell of every elite operator who had died.

Chapter Ninety-Four Ascalon

(Today, we have lost too much. Let us mourn...)

-------------------------------------

Although Kal'tsit was definitely thanking her, it was quite difficult to discern any obvious emotion in her tone.

Being able to express her emotions in this way is probably her limit.

What Bai Ye didn't know was that, as a matter of course, the funeral for every elite operator was presided over by Kal'tsit herself.

She is by no means a heartless machine.

Or rather, the current Kal'tsit is definitely a huge change from the version of herself that was just set up.

In truth, it's hard for Bai Ye to imagine what the original Kal'tsit was like.

Unfortunately, both Bai Ye and Kal'tsit were very tacit in keeping their secrets about their past hidden.

After all, that's not the main point.

Even Bai Ye, after telling Talulah and the Deepsea Hunters about his origins, did not tell Kal'tsit about it.

He didn't reveal his hand until the very end.

-------------------------------------

Bai Ye didn't stay to continue discussing the issue of Lontinim with Kal'tsit; he had other matters to attend to first.

First, Bai Ye went to Rhodes Island's engineering department. Although he had just met Kroos, Bai Ye wasn't going to see her this time.

He went to see how effective the new powered backpack he had asked the Rhode Island engineering department to develop was.

Rhodes Island's engineering department is quite strong; certain components can be designed and manufactured by them.

Bai Ye wanted to further reduce the size of the previously bulky power backpack in order to decrease the overall weight of the power armor.

However, Bai Ye suddenly stopped on the way.

"Suddenly releasing murderous intent behind someone's back is very dangerous." With that, Bai Ye turned around and looked at Ascaron, who was some distance behind him.

The straightforward and cold-blooded assassin stood in the shadows at a distance from Bai Ye, his scarlet eyes beneath his hood staring coldly at him.

"You're planning to interfere in Lentinium's affairs," the cold Sarkaz said.

Bai Ye nodded, his gaze fixed on Ascalon's arm. He knew that the guy's weapon was a hidden blade. Ascalon, wearing a hood and carrying a hidden blade, looked somewhat like a Brotherhood assassin.

Every time Bai Ye sees Ascalon, it reminds him of an ancient game from Earth that dates back 300 years: Assassin Zero.

“I will go with you,” Ascalon said. “At least I won’t hold you back.”

Ascalon sounded like he was making a declaration or informing someone, rather than discussing things with Bai Ye, but Bai Ye was already used to that.

After all, that's just her personality. And she's long been used to taking other people's heads without a word. For her, speaking like this is actually quite rare.

At the very least, she would provide further explanation for her statements.

"What will happen to SWEEP if you leave Rhodes Island?" Bai Ye knew that since that incident, Ascalon's top priority had been ensuring the safety of Rhodes Island's leadership. Absolute safety was paramount; Bai Ye believed that the incident had had a profound impact on Ascalon.

In response to Bai Ye's question, Ascaron shook her head, strands of red hair peeking out from under her hood.

“Our members are capable of handling things independently, and at least ensuring the doctor’s safety is sufficient.”

Indeed, Dr. Kal'tsit's safety is not something that needs anyone's protection; some even believe that she sleeps with her eyes open.

"It seems you still value the situation over there quite a bit," Bai Ye sighed.

He hadn't expected Ascalon to take the lead and even delegate the work of SWEEP to his subordinates.

"Because I heard that she was in Lentinium. Whether the news is true or not, I have to go and confirm it."

"Moreover, the Kazdel Military Council is preparing to convene members of the royal courts, and I went there to serve the Kazdel Military Council."

As she spoke, Ascalon clenched her fist, and a hidden blade sprang from beneath her wrist. The sharp tip of the blade reflected a cold light.

"I heard that assassins who install hidden blades have to cut off their ring fingers," Bai Ye remarked, looking at the hidden blade.

That's exactly how the original hidden blade worked. Initially, using the hidden blade required cutting off the ring finger so the blade could spring out when the user clenched their fist. Well, actually, one of the original masters who used the hidden blade accidentally cut his finger while completing a mission.

The hidden blade was later improved, eliminating the need to cut off the ring finger. Otherwise, the assassin would be too easy to find; one could simply identify them by checking if their left ring finger was still intact.

However, Ascalon did not respond; she simply looked at the hidden blade and then slowly said:

"This is a gift from them. It was presented to me personally by Theresis after I completed my first mission for the Military Council. It was also the first weapon Theresa installed for me..."

"I need to find out exactly what they're doing."

Bai Ye nodded:

“W is already in Lontinim, and she would be very happy to see her former boss.”

“I think so too, I will go to find her.” Ascaron nodded.

Bai Ye silently prayed for W for 3 seconds.

I hope she won't shed tears of joy because she's too happy.

“By the way, I have some time before going to Lontinim. Do you want me to train the kids from SWEEP for you?” Bai Ye said, pointing to himself. “Don’t let my current appearance fool you. I used to spar with ninjas on the battlefields of the Eastern Kingdom.”

“No wonder you always give me a familiar feeling,” Ascalon suddenly realized. “It’s the feeling of being one of us.”

“It’s just that we don’t use those stealth and assassination techniques anymore,” Bai Ye said with a smile. “Just attacking openly is enough.”

Ascalon sheathed his hidden blade and nodded:

"Then I'll leave it to you. But you should have another apprentice, right?"

“Uh, my student… should be dominating the knights’ arena in Kazimierz right now…” Bai Ye suddenly realized that he had indeed left Melantha in Kazimierz and hadn’t checked on her for a while.

"Okay, I'll send a message to check if you've been training properly!"

Chapter Ninety-Five Melanie

"call--"

After warming up, Melantha put on a bodysuit, a special material that fits snugly against her skin and contains electrodes to strengthen her mental connection with the power armor.

This thing is somewhat similar to the final modification surgery for genetically modified warriors next door—the implantation of a black shell. After the black shell is implanted under the skin and nurtured, it will serve as an interface with the power armor.

Fortunately, Melantha's frontal armor wasn't too large, so being tightly bound didn't cause her too much discomfort. However, when she lowered her head, Melantha still felt a certain sadness. She didn't know whether to be sad or happy.

After preparing, Melantha placed her hand on the chest area of ​​the power armor.

After using the power armor for combat and training in her daily life, Melantha realized that it didn't necessarily require a command to activate. However, she had gotten used to the original activation method, which, although it seemed a bit cheesy, was actually quite cool.

"Henshin!"

After comparing and analyzing the audio with previously collected data, the power armor was successfully activated.

"Buzz-"

With a short beep, the main body of the power armor automatically opened. At the same time, the charging cable connected to the base automatically disconnected.

Melantha skillfully slipped into the armor. Once she was standing still, the power armor automatically closed, sealing and releasing the gas. The heavy, cold metal armor enveloped Melantha, fitting her body perfectly, with a pre-designed space to accommodate her tail. This level of power armor can only be custom-made to fit a person's body shape and condition, and is therefore significantly more expensive than the general-purpose type.

Finally, the helmet visor folded down and covered Melantha's face.

The power-on check is completed the instant the neural connection is established, and the helmet lights up. Compared to the 3-second self-test power-on required during the first test, it now powers on instantly upon entering the power armor, a significant improvement in speed.

A deep sound effect plays:

"alpha"

A waterfall of data flowed across the girl's retina; neural connections were normal, and the system was running smoothly. The world was presented to her in various data forms—basic values ​​such as wind speed, humidity, and air pressure, as well as various objects that were automatically captured and identified.

With just a thought, Melansa can directly process various intelligences collected by these external sensors through a micro-terminal, and can even directly retrieve the camera footage to display the images behind it, and can directly display the situation around the machine on the retina through 3D projection.

Clearly, Melantha's power armor is custom-made, so there's no problem with using as many materials as possible regardless of cost. After all, it's not a universal version, and Bai Ye is very generous to his students.

Anyway, I don't have to spend my own money.

Well, the power armor Melantha is currently wearing, along with the funds required for its daily maintenance and upgrades, is enough to bankrupt a sizable company. However, for Melantha's family's businesses, it's just a drop in the ocean.

Yes, Melanie is not short of money at all; all her expenses are covered by her parents, which was agreed upon after Bai Ye wrote to them. The two of them seem completely indifferent to this; perhaps for them, their daughter's happiness is more important than anything else.

Yes, deep down they felt quite guilty towards their daughter, who became infected due to an accident, a life ruined for a young girl. However, Melantha was incredibly lucky; not only was her family wealthy, but she also had access to Rhodes Island through special channels to receive the most advanced Oripathy treatment.

Of course, for Melantha, meeting her true teacher, Bai Ye, was more important.

……

"However... Xiao Mei, the money you've earned now seems to have exceeded the initial investment, and it's even gotten to the point where your parents are taking notice."

Maria stood to the side, tilting her head as she looked at Melantha.

"Mm." The girl nodded. Although her strength had increased by more than one dimension, her personality had not changed much and she remained very reserved.

"I never imagined that becoming a racing rider would be so lucrative..."

The girl's voice was somewhat deep and muffled due to the power armor visor, but Maria was already used to it.

"Well, this is Kazimierz after all, and the most lucrative thing is becoming a competitive knight." Maria nodded with a smile. "However, it also depends on your own strength, Xiao Mei."

“I’m not that strong, I’m still far from it…” Melantha shook her head.

"Hehe, Xiao Mei, don't compare yourself to that monster."

A month is enough time for Melantha and Margaret's sister, Maria, who also has the blood of the Nearl family, to become good friends.

This was also the first friend Melantha made outside of her squad after leaving Rhodes Island.

In stark contrast to Melantha, Maria is very cheerful, outgoing, and generous. Despite their different personalities, the two girls get along quite well, and after becoming partners, they surprisingly clicked, developing a remarkable synergy after just a few training sessions.

After that, they always achieved quite good results in the doubles competition, and usually the two of them could win decisively.

Although Maria has her own power armor provided by White Night, and its performance is equally outstanding, she only wears it occasionally for commercial promotions.

It wasn't that she felt inadequate, but rather that Maria feared becoming too reliant on powerful external forces and neglecting to train her own strength. Her situation differed from Melantha's; Melantha had reached her limits and could only increase her potential through power armor. Maria's potential far surpassed Melantha's; the Pegasus bloodline of the Nearl family granted her an extremely high talent ceiling.

Therefore, she usually only wears her own armor to participate in the Knights Major.

Now, the preliminary rounds are almost over, and Melantha and Maria have accumulated enough points to advance. With White Night backing them, even though they don't fit into the commercial atmosphere of the Kazimierz Major, no one will dare to target them.

However, Melantha still maintains her regular combat appearances because she needs to constantly fight to improve her piloting skills and collect data to continuously improve and strengthen her power armor.

This was also her original intention in coming to Kazimierz.

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Sun Knight

"Although it's just for cultivation, it seems that the more battles I fight, the more money I earn..."

Maria also found it somewhat amusing.

Well, Melantha received a lot of attention from the very beginning when she teamed up with Maria. Because she wore power armor for every sortie, no one knew what kind of face Melantha had under her all-black visor, with only her vision sensors flashing.

Melantha's natural mystique, her connection to the Nearl family, and her formidable strength allowed her to gain everything other competitive knights desired upon her debut—fame, attention, and popularity.