reincarnation npc, but tomorrow's ark

Noticing Bai Ye's emotional change, Luna comforted him through the game system panel.

She is probably the one who understands Bai Ye the most, because the root of all this is her plan.

Bai Ye glanced at the system panel and then nodded.

After a brief moment of shock, Bai Ye quickly recovered. In fact, this was the first time he had seen a friend he knew very well in the past "through the screen" in the game, so the impact was quite significant.

Once things returned to normal, Bai Ye had the leisure to secretly observe his old friend. Sure enough, upon closer inspection, it was almost identical to its pre-transmigration state, with the only difference being its equipment. After all, Bai Ye had been with him back then, and they had tackled some more challenging dungeons together, resulting in some differences in skill setups.

As a top-tier veteran player, Bai Ye could even tell that the levels of some of his old friends' passive skills were indeed lower than before.

Overall, however, the current tea party seems stronger than before. The reason is simple: Bai Ye accelerated the growth of the player base's strength, shortened their development cycle, and even introduced power armor as a weapon in the third version. Bai Ye himself doesn't even know what kind of monster he's raised, and he's even somewhat unfamiliar with the combat power displayed by the players now.

Fortunately, Arknights Online is not a game that focuses on combat balance. In fact, it's not a game at all. No matter how powerful the players are, they are just projections. They are just using the game to familiarize themselves with the rules of this world.

……

While Bai Ye was observing the players, these players who had just boarded the Stutifaira were also watching him.

At first, they didn't even recognize Bai Ye, after all, he had been "out of touch with the masses" for a long time, and hadn't shown his face to players for almost a whole version.

However, they quickly recognized that the NPC on the ship was Bai Ye. A glance at the classic, almost black, warning messages and personal data filled with question marks showed that even though players' levels had increased significantly since the server launch, the gap between them and Bai Ye remained enormous.

As more players boarded the large ship via small boats, they also noticed Bai Ye. Bai Ye no longer needed to pretend; he exuded the aura of a master in front of the players. This aura became increasingly prominent as Bai Ye's strength grew, and the players felt much more at ease seeing him there.

Chapter 176 Sea Burial

(A one-day weekend is really not enough...)

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Bai Ye did not interact with the players.

Because there's no need for that; he's completely moved beyond personally playing a role in front of players, and he no longer needs to manipulate their emotions through words and performances. The game system's pre-set tasks will naturally guide players in the direction Bai Ye wants them to go.

Looking once more at his old friends, Bai Ye suppressed his vulnerable emotions.

After adding a fragment of a story called "Afonso" to his inventory, Bai Ye looked at Saint Carmen, who was walking towards him.

Carmen gazed at Stuttgart, then remarked with emotion:

"It's a really big ship."

However, he appeared very calm, showing none of the agitation seen in the other judges and disciplinary troops.

“There’s nothing strange about it… In the past, we had countless large ships like this. Stutifira was just one of them. The oceans were filled with our fleet.” Carmen seemed to see Bai Ye’s doubts and shook his head. “Those young people are unaware of the dangers of the deep sea. Recapturing a lighthouse and finding a large ship is indeed very encouraging, but for Iberia, such a victory is merely a drop in the ocean.”

After a pause, the elderly saint continued:

"Next, we will proceed according to plan."

"It seems you're ready. Can the technicians you brought restart this large ship?" Bai Ye lightly stomped his foot on the deck he was standing on. The entire ship's propulsion system had stopped working; the engines were no longer operating, and the ship could only drift with the current, like an iron box floating on the sea.

“Let’s check the condition of this ship first…” The old saint turned around and then walked into the cabin.

Judge Dario followed after them and then whispered something in Carmen's ear.

Upon hearing this, the old saint suddenly froze. Bai Ye saw that his body was trembling slightly. After a while, he rushed into the cabin with agility that was completely inconsistent with his appearance.

Bai Ye and the others followed him, arriving once again at the golden hall. There, Carmen met Alfonso, who had turned to stone.

"..."

Bai Ye clearly saw that the saint before him seemed to have become much more hunched over the moment he saw the statue. He looked at the statue, his lips moving slightly, as if he had a thousand thoughts running through his mind.

“Alfonso… Garcia… Touré… Julia…”

This was the first time Bai Ye had seen an expression on the face of this resolute saint that was befitting his age.

It was a kind of aged, weary expression.

Even if he obtained the method to achieve immortality, and the years he lived were not illusory, this saint was still nothing more than a weary old man.

However, he was also a powerful figure. Like Bai Ye, Carmen quickly composed herself, and the saint, showing signs of fatigue, smiled at Bai Ye:

"I'm sorry, but older people always have one or two old friends like that."

He paused, then continued:

"Actually, this is already very good. I was prepared for these old friends to be completely destroyed... but at least now, I can still see them."

Although in this way.

"Now, what are our plans? To... take them back to Iberia?" Bai Ye asked.

However, Carmen shook her head:

"No, they can't go back."

As he spoke, he pointed to the limbs of Alfonso and Garcia that had been transformed into Hai Si:

“Although we all know that they are still human, they cannot return to Iberia because their bodies have indeed mutated, which violates the law.”

“Even I am not above the law, so despite my private messages and the fact that they are indeed heroes of Iberia, I cannot bring them home.”

Although his expression remained unchanged, Bai Ye knew that the old man in front of him was in great pain.

His friend's body was right in front of him, right here, yet he could not bring it back to Iberia.

“Dario, throw them into the sea… This is the place where they fought their whole lives, and this is their final resting place.”

"Forgive me, Alfonso."

After saying that, Dario nodded.

Having composed herself, Carmen no longer looked at the stone statue, but instead turned to look at Bai Ye:

"Young man, please take me and the engineer to the engine room. We need to repair the propulsion system of this large ship."

"There are actually people in Iberia who can repair ships?" Bai Ye was surprised that there were still craftsmen in Iberia, where technology had been disrupted, who could repair large ships.

“It only needs to be able to move slightly; we will conduct more detailed research and repairs afterward,” Carmen replied.

Bai Ye nodded:

"I'll take you there; we happen to have the key."

……

Previously, Bai Ye and the three deep-sea hunters found the technological prototype left behind by Breogan in the engine room.

“You’re lucky. We happen to have the key to this place, and it’s the last one.” Bai Ye said, taking the prism key out of his inventory once again.

"Captain Alfonso had the key to this place, but he threw it into the sea after their last engineer died."

Carmen nodded:

"That's definitely something he would do."

"Here's the key. I hope everything goes well. Oh, and Greta can also help you." Bai Ye said, handing the key to Carmen.

“Of course, when it comes to maintenance, I’m probably a little better than the Iberians who have only a superficial understanding of Breogan’s technology,” Goredia replied matter-of-factly.

Aside from nighttime, she always treated land dwellers this way.

White Nights are special.

Despite the tone, Carmen showed no displeasure; he nodded and said:

"Thank you for your help."

Dario found the ship's blueprints in the captain's cabin, and the group began working to restore the Stuttgart's propulsion system. Afterward, the ship would carry Bai Ye and the others for a while longer before venturing into the deep sea.

Bai Ye stayed behind to help; he was practically a technician himself, and he even managed to add a point to his engineering skills. He'd gained a considerable amount of experience points in the previous battle—not enough to level up his mission, but plenty to improve his skills.

Thus, in a short period of time, Bai Ye instantly became a semi-engineer by adding points, and could even assist Goredia in completing some repair work.

Chapter 177 A Temporary Break

【2008年5月12日14时28分04秒，四川汶川县（北纬31.0，东经103.4）发生里氏8.0级地震】

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With a long whistle, the Originium engine reignited, and the Stutifaira seemed to awaken from an incredibly long slumber. Every part of it was faulty, yet the thing finally started up.

"Back then, the land dwellers did indeed create some decent things." Gladys nodded slightly as she looked at the revived Fool.

Above the colossal ship, the "Cyclops" hovered, while around it were several medium-sized naval and land warships of the Inquisition. Although these warships were built for the open sea, this was the first time in decades that they had ventured into such deep waters.

"The Punishing Army just discovered that the underwater portion of Stutifira is covered in Nethermarks. Should it be cleaned up?" Laurentina asked Bai Ye.

Bai Ye shook his head:

"I left those there on purpose. I could have driven away all the sea creatures that connected to the previous ones, but I left the Netherworld Marks on the hull so that the ship could still be identified as a nest after entering the deep sea, thus easily overcoming the sea creatures' blockade and obstruction of the ocean."

Carmen nodded; he could accept this approach, as long as it was cleaned before returning to base.

However, Iberia probably doesn't yet have a port or dock that can accommodate this giant ship. Perhaps they will need to reclaim the port and shipyard before bringing Stutifera back.

"Let's go," the saint commanded.

"Bai Ye, as planned, we will take you to the maximum distance that Stutifira can reach, and then we will return and make a big commotion to divert the attention of the cultists."

The passage between Agor and the land has been blocked by the sea, but this giant ship can cross this chasm.

Having used the lighthouse to determine her course, Stutifaira, the flagship of the golden fleet, once again set sail for the deep sea. The Great Stillness of the past had halted her journey, but now she would restart and continue her mission.

After receiving supplies from the Iberian Tribunal, Bai Ye and the others could finally rest and regroup. Looking back, neither the deep-sea hunters nor Bai Ye had had a proper rest since entering Granfalo Town. Bai Ye and Gretia, in particular, had suffered tremendous physical exhaustion.

Fortunately, no battles have occurred since boarding, which is much better than expected. Bai Ye had even prepared for the possibility that there might be multiple high-level Sea Enemies on the Stutifaira who were not communicable, requiring a battle.

The difficulty of such a battle is not to annihilate the enemy, but to defeat the enemy while protecting the ship, which is no easy task and may even be more difficult than killing the opponent.

The Deepsea Hunter's weapon could easily slice through the ship's hull, while the Sea King showed no mercy to the ship's hull. The combined power of the two forces was too great for even a giant ship like this to withstand.

In short, the current situation is the best possible outcome.

The White Night and the Deep Sea Hunters did not return to their aircraft, "Cyclops," because it was a backup plan they had left behind. Even the Inquisition was unaware that there was a large aircraft above the giant ship.

In fact, when Bai Ye and the others left the Eye of Iberia in the small high-speed boat used by the Inquisition's intelligence agents, Luna had already piloted the aircraft into stealth mode, following them overhead. Bai Ye still had a backup plan; he remained wary of Iberia.

Bai Ye has not yet revealed the existence of the aircraft, nor has he returned to the more comfortable aircraft to rest. Instead, he has chosen a relatively clean and satisfactory cabin in the empty ship for rest and recuperation.

Bai Ye used the wind to disperse the stagnant air that had been dormant for decades, and then disinfected the cabin.

After completing everything, the hunters finally had a place to rest and relax.

"How far can this ship travel?" Laurentina asked curiously as she ate her high-calorie food.

"There's not much fuel left. The Inquisition has drained a warship to supply this behemoth, but it can only travel a short distance." Goredia shook her head.

After the Great Quiet, the Stutifera nearly exhausted all its fuel in an attempt to escape. Although Captain Alfonso later ordered the engines shut down and the ship to drift with the current, it was to no avail.

"The Inquisition also needs to reserve fuel for the return voyage, and of course they will continue to send ships from the land to transport fuel." Bai Ye opened the package and drank the potion called "Emergency Sanity Concentrate" to restore his mental strength. This stuff is a unique product of Rhodes Island, specially supplied to Doctors, and Bai Ye had collected quite a few and put them in his inventory.

Incidentally, when Bai Ye took the stock of medicine, she did not inform Kal'tsit, the head of the medical department, so she initially thought that the Doctor had taken it himself and even lectured him about it.

This stuff is much more effective than the mana-replenishing potion that Bai Ye concocts himself. However, because the sanity potion contains a certain mustard extract, it doesn't taste very good, so Bai Ye won't eat it unless necessary.

He's a real hoarder; he's kept these potions in stock until now.

"As long as this ship can take us across the blockade, that's enough. We can walk the rest of the way ourselves," Greta calmly answered Laurentina's question.

Skadi nodded.

She had personally experienced the horror of the blockade. Countless sea creatures surrounded her, preventing her from venturing further into the ocean. She had tried several times, but to no avail.

"Get some rest. The journey ahead is going to be incredibly long." Bai Ye downed several bottles of potion in one go, each bottle containing 120ml. Only he would dare to drink like that.

If it were the Doctor, he would have been hung on the bridge by Kal'tsit.

Agor is a very broad general term, and its territory is even larger than the combined territory of Victoria, Iberia, and Ursus. This does not even include the depth along the z-axis.

It was a long journey, and the deeper places were places that even the deepest sea hunters had never ventured into.

Therefore, the hunters were unusually quiet, and Laurentina and Skadi did not ask for any more strenuous activities. They sat quietly to rest and recover their strength.

“You also need to rest; just drinking this kind of potion isn’t enough,” Godia suddenly said.

As she spoke, she sat down on the ground and gently patted her legs.

Chapter 178 Is it fake?