reincarnation npc, but tomorrow's ark

It wasn't very large, which is one of the few shipbuilding techniques that Iberia managed to retain. Larger ships existed only on paper or were forgotten in those abandoned shipyards, becoming the nests of the terror fish.

Several amphibious warships also brought a large contingent of punitive soldiers. Unable to dock at the small island's pier, they could only patrol near the "Eye of Iberia".

Bai Ye took out a crystal-clear, multifaceted prism.

This is the key to that large ship. The night was deep, and under the moonlight, it stood out prominently.

“Breagan is the owner of this key,” Dario said softly. “He was a guest of honor among the princes and nobles during the golden age of Iberia, and people once thought he symbolized the beginning of harmonious coexistence between the Agorians and the Iberians.”

"No one knows what he did before the disaster, or what he didn't have time to do, but he certainly left us a great legacy."

“I’ve already seen the tools you used to remove the Netherworld Mark; they’re in the lighthouse. He was prepared for this.” Bai Ye nodded.

Dario did not continue speaking.

He stood on the deck, looking at the night sky before dawn.

Finally, he suddenly said something else:

“I had a feeling that I might fall in front of the lighthouse and that it would be Eleanor who followed you to the big ship, not me.”

"That's just an illusion," Bai Ye shook his head.

"No, that's not the case. It's just that it seems my lamp can still burn."

Chapter 169 Boarding

"The ocean was calmer than I had imagined."

White Night gazed at the gently rippling sea, an endless deep blue that seemed to merge with the dark sky.

Three hunters stood beside him, gazing at the sea with him.

Skadi held her breath, and involuntarily reached out and placed her hand on Bai Ye's hand, which was gripping the railing. Bai Ye could feel the warmth and texture of the girl's palm.

Laurentina, standing on the other side, did the same.

Both girls' hands were trembling slightly.

Goredia hesitated for a moment, but made no further move. She simply stood behind Bai Ye, then took a deep breath.

"Hunters, we're going home."

The deeper they went into the ocean, the better their condition became. Even after such a long period of fighting, their bodies had recovered.

Just as Gretia said, they went home.

“I tried to return to the sea, but I was stopped every time. Never before have I been this far away,” Skadi said, breathing in the familiar air.

“We’re going to go much further; this is just the beginning.” Laurentina pointed to the sea. “Look, they’re already welcoming us.”

The fleas darted around their boat, while more points of light slowly emerged from beneath the surface. They floated on the water, drifting with the current, shimmering and flickering as if breathing.

“All the light in the sky are stars, all the light on the sea are enemies… White Night, this time, we must succeed,” Skadi murmured.

“They are not hostile...they are just welcoming us and showing us the way.” Goredia noticed the unusual nature of these lights.

They clustered together, drawing a clear trail on the sea. Dario silently took out a nautical chart and marked the positions of these points of light on the map. Although the error was large, it was still clear that the direction these points of light extended was towards the area they had marked at the Eye of Iberia, the area where the large ship might be located.

"It seems we don't need to bother searching anymore." Bai Ye's voice was light and cheerful; he was probably the most relaxed one there.

“You are very familiar with the sea, not just because you have acquired a lot of knowledge, but because you have been here before,” Godia said softly, looking at Bai Ye.

“Because my hometown also has a sea like this. There’s almost no difference, except that it’s just as dangerous.” Bai Ye nodded.

"Dangerous?" Goredia asked, puzzled. "Are there monsters in your seawater too?"

Bai Ye denied this.

"The monster is ourselves."

"We have polluted our own oceans. In the Old World, a despicable nation dumped tons of wastewater carrying untreated radioactive waste into the sea, and as the ocean currents circulated, the seawater was no longer clean."

"Later, our world was engulfed in a war that nearly destroyed us. Only after the war ended did we have the resources to rebuild civilization and clean up the oceans. By the time my generation was born, the seawater was almost completely clean..."

Goredia was stunned, clearly not expecting this to happen.

"Isn't it ridiculous that we haven't eaten seafood in a long time? Nuclear wastewater has killed and mutated marine life. By the time we've had time to clean up the mess, we've found that the things we used to know have become something else entirely. Dumping pollution only requires pressing a switch. But restoring things to their original state can take decades, or even centuries."

Bai Ye shook his head as he spoke.

The deep-sea hunters were speechless; for them, this was truly incomprehensible.

"Perhaps this is a kind of arrogance," Goredia remarked at the end.

……

Following the guidance of the large group, they arrived at their destination: a giant ship appeared on the distant sea. Indeed, it had become a lair for the sea creatures, an integral part of this vast ocean.

Therefore, she never sank, but she never returned to port.

The ship that Bai Ye and his companions were on appeared extremely small in comparison to this giant vessel.

“A ghost ship…” Bai Ye squinted at it. “Stutifira, we’ve found her.”

The deep-sea hunters took up their weapons.

Deep in the sea, beside Bai Ye, they were in good condition.

Especially for Goredia, who was no longer thirsty and had been treated by Bai Ye, she was in excellent condition.

Bai Ye did not pick up a weapon. He gazed at the ship's magnificent ram and its intricate decorations, the technology of the Agor Islanders ensuring it showed no signs of decay even after decades. Bai Ye led the group to float up and land on the bow.

Dario held his breath, staring intently at the mast of the Stuttgart. The sea was pitch black, the light dim. Sixty years seemed to have stood still at the mast.

Even the Grand Inquisitor was momentarily stunned.

A flagship teeming with scholars and soldiers, a royal palace on the sea where a fallen dynasty once stood… He had read about these things many times in books and scriptures, but no matter how exaggerated the words were, they could not compare to the impact that reality had on him.

It was indeed a colossal object.

Bai Ye looked at Dario, whose expression was as if he himself were standing on the spaceport, gazing at the starship "Northern Cross" under construction for the first time. The impact of that colossal object, the vivid tangible reality that had sprung from the data and information, completely shattered the image he had previously constructed in his mind.

After a moment of distraction, Dario regained his composure, took a deep breath, and then drew his weapons—a sword and a hand cannon.

He paused for a moment after picking up the weapon, then switched from the hand cannon to the lantern.

He did not want to damage the giant ship unless necessary, as it was an Iberian heritage that he wanted to bring back intact.

……

Bai Ye then bent down and placed his palm on the ship's deck. The thick hull made the ship virtually unsinkable.

Bai Ye gently patted the ground, humming a melody as he moved his hands to keep time.

The hunters' bodies swayed gently; it was the song of the sea, something they had taught the White Night.

Finally, Bai Ye struck down with his palm, and an indescribable wave of energy spread throughout the entire ship.

The deep-sea hunters only felt something strange brush against their bodies; they swayed, but were unaffected.

After all, Bai Ye's target wasn't them.

Initially, nothing happened.

However, after a brief moment of calm, the entire ship began to tremble.

Countless ferocious fish were fleeing from here, but the White Night drove them away and claimed this place as its own territory.

Chapter 170 The Captain

(I'll be drawing Tess tomorrow!)

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

Bai Ye's abilities are limited. Although Isamara is sealed within him, he does not have the authority to control the entire swarm. Therefore, when faced with an almost endless number of Sea Legions, he is unable to solve the problem without bloodshed.

Otherwise, he wouldn't need to go through all this trouble. He could simply stand on the beach, shout at the sea, and control all the sea creatures to return to the deep sea, directly solving all the problems at hand and in the future.

Bai Ye really wanted to do that, after all, he didn't want to risk going deep into the sea. However, reality often goes against people's wishes, and the solutions to problems are far from as easy as imagined.

However, Bai Ye's ability, which originated from Isamara, was not merely for show. This ability could be effective when Bai Ye limited the objects of his control and command to a relatively small group of Sealings.

Furthermore, in the absence of interference from other nascent beings of equal rank, the effectiveness of this law is almost absolute. This is because this is the swarm; even if a considerable number of Sealings have awakened intelligence, transcended the realm of biological instincts, and possessed power far exceeding that of their peers, they are still insignificant individuals within the swarm, and they too cannot rise above the rules of the swarm.

……

As the White Night issued its decree of expulsion upon the entire ship, the Stutifira's hull began to tremble after a moment of calm. The swirling shadows that had been wrapped around the hull began to recede, and the organic matter in the cabins that had become nests was losing its activity. The tentacles that had been wrapped around the giant ship were rapidly contracting.

Of course, compared to these commotions, the retreat of the Terrorfish and the Seafowl was far more impressive. Countless swarms of Terrorfish poured out from all parts of Stuttifera, almost covering the deck, before quickly flowing into the sea. Any opening to the outside world could become their escape route.

Without any explanation or reason, they simply followed the instructions from above, unconditionally executing Bai Ye's commands.

The seawater was churned up by the countless surging sea creatures, and the shimmering, fluorescent ripples illuminated the entire area.

In short, once all the commotion subsided, the ship was spotless, as if it had never been touched by the sea creatures. All traces had vanished; they had even wiped the decks and cabins of the Stuttgart clean before they left.

Grand Inquisitor Dario witnessed everything that happened. He had thought it would be an endless battle to the death, but it all happened so suddenly that it was over before it even began.

Without shedding a drop of blood, they recaptured the great warship, the Stutifaira.

However, Dario still raised his longsword, the tip pointing at Bai Ye, and said in a deep voice:

“If it weren’t for Lord Carmen’s orders, based on your actions just now, I would have already concluded that you were colluding with Hai Si, and I would have tried you according to Iberian law. Your abilities are no different from those of the bishops of the Deep Sea Church.”

“However, you didn’t act immediately.” Bai Ye nodded frankly.

“Because Lord Carmen has warned me that you might display some incredible abilities, even those that violate the laws of Iberia,” Dario said, lowering his weapon.

“It seems I need to change my perception of you.” Bai Ye smiled. “I always thought you were religious fanatics who would stop at nothing.”

"Everything is for Iberia; otherwise, it's just meaningless self-gratification."

Dario said, preparing to put away his weapon.

It seems there's no need to keep holding onto it anymore.

However, Bai Ye shook his head:

"It's too early to say, we're not the only ones here yet."

As if confirming Bai Ye's words, the melodious and deep sound of bells suddenly echoed in Stutifela, as if welcoming their arrival.

"Are there still living people on this ship?" Laurentina couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

“Perhaps, he is no longer human.” Upon hearing this, Dario picked up his weapon again.

Bai Ye walked at the very front:

"Come with me, I've found its location."

The group walked through long, winding corridors. Stutifaira was a vast floating palace and warship. Its armored sections ensured the ship's self-defense, while its lavish decorations were a microcosm of that golden age.

This giant ship is indeed a testament to Iberia's past glory, but now it only evokes more regret and anger in the Iberians.

Finally, the group arrived at a seemingly empty golden hall, where the lights flickered on.

"Where is this?" Skadi frowned.

Bai Ye waved his hand, stirring up a gust of wind that blew open the curtain in the center of the hall, revealing the throne inside.

That was a golden throne.

A sea monster, wearing a crown and draped in the same color as the curtains, knelt quietly beside the throne. It was clearly the throne's most intimate companion, like a former queen and close advisor, serving the golden sun of Iberia.

"There are still some Hai Si who haven't left." Goredia reached for her weapon.

Bai Ye looked behind the throne and said coldly:

"come out."

Yes, there are still people.

Another figure slowly emerged from behind the throne.

He coldly surveyed the crowd, then asked:

Why did you board my ship?

“Answer me, answer me, great Alfonso, what are you here for? Why break the silence to find this ship, ‘My Iberia,’ which has been neglected for decades?”

For the first time, Dario showed surprise as he looked at the figure before him. He recognized the face. As a Grand Inquisitor, Dario was well-versed in the scriptures and knew history by heart. Alfonso—he certainly knew him; he was Iberia's greatest captain.

However, Captain Alfonso was already nearly fifty years old sixty years ago, while the person in front of him looks even younger than he did back then.