reincarnation npc, but tomorrow's ark

Bai Ye also browsed through the catalogs and general contents of these research projects.

Cicero was certainly one of the more advanced figures; his experiments even successfully transformed a land-dweller into a being similar to a sea creature. This guy seemed to want humans to evolve using the sea creature as a means to transcend their original human form.

superman.

But it's all in vain. This process of monsterization is controlled by a large swarm of consciousnesses, and it seems that's exactly the result he wants. Only those who pass the test can be considered new humans. Most people, after swallowing the "gift of the messenger," which is the limbs of the sea creatures, will have their consciousness conquered by the instincts of the swarm, becoming dinosaurs or some kind of incomplete sea creature, eagerly swimming into the ocean.

In Cicero's view, these losers were merely eliminated failures, defective products, the result of survival of the fittest. Only by successfully accepting this "gift" could one become a better human being.

“A pointless study.”

After confirming that these fruitless research findings indeed had no impact on Agor or the land, Goredia entrusted them all to Bai Ye for safekeeping. Although they were of no use to her, Goredia thought that Bai Ye might find them useful.

Even Greta herself didn't realize that she had been thinking about White Night for a long time, despite being a scientific governor of Agor...

Chapter 160 The Conspiracy Begins

(Prepare to extract the teosinte and blue flash!)

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

"Thank you."

Bai Ye added all the information to his inventory, and then the two of them simultaneously turned their attention to another bookshelf in front of them.

This bookshelf contains Cicero's personal notebooks and some letters.

Bai Ye reached out and took out a letter, then read out the sender's name. It was purely subconscious, because the name was written in a difficult Agor script.

As soon as Bai Ye uttered the name, he sensed a change in Gladys beside him. Turning his head, Bai Ye saw that Gladys's face had become incredibly terrifying, her gaze fixed intently on the letter in Bai Ye's hand.

"Swordfish?" Bai Ye had never seen Goredia show such an expression before. Usually, Goredia always had a cold demeanor, and she was used to hiding her emotions deep inside. According to her, this was a habit she had developed since childhood. This made her appear more mature and less prone to showing her emotions.

"I'm sorry, I lost my temper." Greta quickly composed herself, but her heaving chest revealed that she was still upset.

"Do you know the person this name represents?" Bai Ye guessed with certainty.

Goredia took a deep breath, then nodded slightly:

“Yes, I know him…no, we all know him. He’s a master at the Agor Institute of Technology.”

Some things can be confirmed without even checking the letters. What kind of person would communicate with the Deep Sea Bishop through letters? The answer is simple: another Deep Sea leader.

Bai Ye took all the letters off the bookshelf and checked the sender and recipient information one by one. Then he opened Cicero's personal notebook and compared the contents with the letters.

The result did indeed leave Goredia feeling somewhat desperate.

Those names sent chills down her spine—these individuals were scattered throughout Agor's technical, scientific, and artistic circles, some of whom had been identified as Deep Sea Bishops years ago. Yet, most of them still maintained considerable status and influence in Agor; just seeing these names was enough to foreshadow the devastation the Deep Sea Church had inflicted on Agorian society. These people, lurking within Agor, were omnipresent, controlling virtually half of Agor's upper echelons.

Graceia struggled to keep from collapsing. She suddenly wanted to laugh, but couldn't. It was hard to imagine what Agor had become. Originally, her motivation to return to her homeland was to bring the other hunters home, then gather Agor's strength to solve the Sea Heir problem and save her country.

However, reality now tells her that Agor doesn't need saving, because the country is already corrupt.

The question Bai Ye had once asked her resurfaced in her ears:

"How can you be so sure that the Deep Sea Hunter Project is intended to deal with the Sea Siblings?"

"How can you ensure that the plan to hunt newborns was truly devised by you, and not based on some kind of inducement or the expectations of certain individuals?"

"Is Agor's crisis really caused by Haisi? The knowledge of the masses tells me that Haisi will not attack your city on its own initiative."

……

All of this filled Goredia with fear and dread. Yes, she was afraid. If the Deep Sea Hunter Project was indeed a conspiracy by those bishops, created to verify some kind of experiment… and she, for her own pursuit, had joined it, and even played a significant role in it, propelling this blasphemous experiment forward…

The proud Goredia could not accept this fact.

And then she saw even more:

Information such as Isamara's close communication after being hunted, the Deep Sea Bishops' surveillance of surviving Deep Sea hunters, and Agor's movements were presented to Goredia through letters. As time passed, Isamara's biological essence remained within the hunter who hunted her, and the hunter's whereabouts and the movements of other sea gods began to become more important issues for the bishops.

In their more recent letters, the bishops appear to have reached some consensus:

They want to send the hunters who hunted Isamara back to the ocean, only in this way can Isamara awaken again. Only in this way can Isamara awaken again, and only by letting her meet the culprit who caused the Great Stillness—the other Newborn—can a crisis that destroys the world be triggered.

A catastrophe that engulfs Terra.

Cicero was pleased with this outcome. He seemed to believe that the Great Tranquility would accelerate the integration of humans and the Sealings, and that Agor might universally implement Deepsea Hunter modification technology. As generations of humans accepted these gifts in their fight against the Sealings, the perfect humans he envisioned would emerge from this process. Therefore, there was no doubt that he participated in this plan, even though his ideas differed from those of the other Deepsea Bishops.

Of course, the only thing these bishops overlooked was that as Bai Ye devoured his Hanti, the newborn Isamara within Skadi's body was transferred to Bai Ye's body and sealed away by Luna through the game system. Luna would not allow any other being to steal her child.

This was something the bishops were unaware of: Isamara had been replaced. Those bishops who knew of this outcome were either dead (Quentus of Saltwind) or captured by the White Nights and handed over to the Inquisition (Amaya, Cicero). This was information the bishops were completely unaware of.

……

“No.” Goredia put down the letter in her hand, turned around and looked at Bai Ye seriously. “You already know their plan. You cannot enter the deep sea.”

"If you venture into the deep sea, you will fall into their trap—leave the ocean, leave the coastline, leave Iberia—"

Goredia paced back and forth in the laboratory, pondering the conspiracy.

Bai Ye reached out and pulled her back:

"Calm down, Greta."

“I’m very calm now.” Grandia stopped and looked at Bai Ye seriously. “You absolutely cannot go into the sea. Isamara is inside you. You are their target, not Titi, not me, not Ulpian, or the sharks.”

"Leave the rest of the journey to us... You are a land dweller, you don't need to sacrifice too much for me—for us..." Goredia looked at Bai Ye and spoke slowly.

"What is your plan?" Bai Ye asked calmly.

“I will venture into the deep sea alone, return to Agor, and gather evidence according to this list. I am also the scientific governor of Agor, and I will surely be able to expose it—”

Chapter 161 Goredia

(Let me tell you a secret: I didn't actually write anything during the May Day holiday; these were all drafts I prepared in advance.)

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

This was the first time Bai Ye had seen Goredia show such emotion. This deep-sea hunter was not a emotionless, cold robot, but she always kept all her emotional fluctuations hidden deep inside.

At this moment, however, Goredia's hand was trembling slightly, while her other hand, unconsciously, had crushed a corner of the stone desk beside her to pieces.

Although she had already had some unpleasant assumptions and conjectures, and had been warned by Bai Ye in advance and had prepared herself mentally, Goredia still found it difficult to accept when the truth was presented to her.

Is the Deep Sea Hunter the hero who protects Agor?

Perhaps that is true, but in the eyes of those high-ranking Agor officials, they were nothing more than a group of experimental subjects.

"We cannot use more advanced weapons to eliminate the Sea Siren, because that would trigger their passive evolution. We can only use the Sea Siren modification surgery to create super soldiers and use these deep-sea hunters, who are of the same origin as us, to fight the Sea Siren hand-to-hand."

This is what she knows about the original intention behind the "Deep Sea Hunter" project.

But is this really the case?

The doubts and anger that had been forcibly suppressed in the past surged up from the bottom of her heart once again. Goredia's emotions had reached their limit and could no longer be suppressed.

……

"So, you've decided to go into the deep sea alone? To return to Agor alone?" Bai Ye countered. "You can't go back. You already know that most of Agor's higher-ups have already been corrupted by the Deep Sea Church."

“Wherever there are sea creatures, there are their eyes and ears. The moment you enter the sea, they will know that you will either be captured or die from exhaustion. There will be no third outcome.”

There's no way Grétia will be able to hand over the list; she'll either die on the way or become another experiment.

"Don't go and die. There are only four Deep Sea Hunters left." Bai Ye looked at her and said softly.

“Yes, it’s just the four of us now…” Grandia reached out and touched her neck. She felt the scale trembling, as if it sensed its owner’s emotions, and the Sea Spirit within her body was slowly activating.

“There are only four of us left… and I am gradually turning into a monster,” Godia murmured, then made up her mind.

She raised her head, looked at Bai Ye, and said firmly:

"Bai Ye, at this moment I am still the Technical Administrator of Agor, the Honorary Legion Commander, one of the chief war architects of the Agor military group 'Deep Sea Hunters,' and the captain of the Second Depth Sea Hunters. I cannot stand idly by as the Deep Sea Church corrupts and erodes Agor. Protecting Agor is the duty of the Deep Sea Hunters, and I must fulfill my duties to the death."

“I have the authority to order the remaining deep-sea hunters to remain on land and assist the land dwellers in resisting the disaster from the deep sea. As for me, I will return to Agor, identify the deep-sea bishops hiding in Agor, and thwart their plot to overthrow our country and once again trigger the Great Tranquility to submerge the land.”

As she spoke, Goredia quietly reached out and grasped the weapon behind her.

Then, she looked at Bai Ye:

"Mr. Baiye, I entrust the care of the deep-sea hunters who remain on land, especially Skadi and Laurentina. In order to protect them, please also stay on land and do not go into the deep sea."

"..." Bai Ye didn't speak. He looked at Goredia, and Goredia stared intently at him.

She had a premonition that this was the last time she would see this land dweller, or rather, this stranger.

Just as Bai Ye said, she could never return to the deep sea. She might become a sea spirit, an experiment of the deep-sea bishop, or simply fight in the sea until she dies from exhaustion, becoming a stone statue clutching a weapon...

For the first two scenarios, Goredia would end her life before they even occur, while for the latter, she would accept it with equanimity.

However, she would never choose to live a life of ignominy on land. Becoming a deep-sea hunter was a decision she herself had made in the past. Gloria had her own pride, and as proud as she was, she would never allow herself to hide on land. She had to fulfill her duty, even if the road ahead was dark and filled with despair.

However, when she looked at Bai Ye, she suddenly felt a pang of reluctance. Even Goredia had to admit that during her time on land, she had indeed gained much that she had never experienced before—happiness. For her, this was a luxury; Goredia was almost devoid of joy.

That's why Goredia chose to enter the deep sea herself. She couldn't let more people die for her sake, and besides, she had already begun her transformation into a sea creature.

Of course, Bai Ye's answer was exactly what she expected—

"I refuse." Bai Ye shook his head.

Before the words had even finished, and while the sound waves were still spreading through the air, Goredia's figure vanished from her spot. She was even faster than before, and with a loud bang echoing through the laboratory, Goredia had already broken the speed of sound.

She charged towards Bai Ye with her long spear, and before she could get close, she flashed away again, finally appearing behind Bai Ye.

The weapon was aimed at Bai Ye's non-vital points; Goredia's only intention was to break down Bai Ye's resistance and prevent him from reaching the land.

"I know you'll refuse, so... get some sleep, respectable stranger. There are many more who need and deserve your help. Don't stop me—"

However, the next moment, Bai Ye reached out and grabbed the long spear, his hand bearing the terrifying kinetic energy carried by the weapon. This action caused his feet to sink deep into the ground. The laboratory's stone floor was as fragile as tofu.

But Bai Ye did not fall; he looked into Gretia's blood-red eyes.

"Stop, don't resist," Goredia said coldly. "I don't want to hurt you."

Bai Ye shook his head:

“You are no match for me. If it’s only this level, you can’t stop me.”

“Normally, that’s true, because once you enter that special state, no combat technique can defeat you.” Goddess began to apply increasing pressure downwards with her hand. The solid ground could not withstand the force of their struggle and began to show spiderweb-like cracks.

“But now—you’ve just used solar wind rays, and your mental energy is severely depleted, insufficient to support you in entering that state. This is my opportunity.”

A flash of silver light appeared in Bai Ye's eyes, followed by a muffled groan, and a trace of crimson blood oozed from his nostrils.

Chapter 162 Shutting Your Mouth

(I have to work six consecutive days after the May Day holiday...)

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

“You’re right. My mental strength is indeed insufficient right now. Creating solar wind consumes a lot of energy, but the bigger challenge is actually controlling it, at least, preventing it from causing a real solar storm on the surface.”

Bai Ye readily acknowledged the facts stated by Goredia.

"You really know how to find opportunities, Gretia," Bai Ye laughed.

Goredia didn't laugh; she looked at Bai Ye and said:

“I don’t want to take advantage of your vulnerability, but this is my only chance to stop you. You’ve used large-scale spells, and you used your abilities when you led us in the airborne assault and captured the Deep Sea Bishop. And before all that, you’ve been constantly fighting ever since we entered Iberia.”

"Now is when you are most tired, although even Skadi and Laurentina did not notice, you hid it very well."

Goredia continued to apply pressure to the weapon in her hand:

"This is the deep sea, and the ocean is enhancing my abilities. In terms of theoretical data, my strength and speed are now greater than yours; in terms of combat experience and skill, it's been seventeen years since I last picked up this weapon—"

As she spoke, Goredia took another step and kicked the rock wall next to her with all her might.

It seems the lab's self-destruct program was activated, and seawater quickly flooded in. Fortunately, Bai Ye had added the valuable professions to his inventory beforehand; otherwise, all of those items would have been swallowed by the sea.

The entire cave was filled with seawater, and Goredia's voice sounded like singing.

This is how deep-sea hunters communicate in the water.

“I know Skadi and Laurentina taught you how to fight in the water, but what you need to learn has become instinct for us.”

Soaking in the seawater for the first time in so long brought Goredia an unprecedented sense of comfort. Yes, she had returned to the sea, and the strength she had lost due to dehydration was gradually returning; those things that had been dormant were slowly awakening.

"Right now, I am stronger, so I can stop you."

"In the end, we have to thank you for your sudden idea to capture a deep-sea bishop, which allowed us to discover these damned scum's conspiracy ahead of time."