On the surface of the Saltwind City mobile city.
After Skadi drew the red shell and returned to the church with the Priest, the large crowd of residents gathered outside did not disperse for a long time.
Some were envious, some excited, some happy.
The usual confusion and dejection were swept away today. Even the most tight-lipped residents would say a few extra words out of sheer joy.
Because.
According to tradition.
After the tide had risen one hundred times, it meant the god was ready to accept the next believer. At this time, the Priest, as the god's spokesman, would follow the god's will and use the fairest lottery method in the world to decide the next person to enter the sea and be with the god. Everyone had absolute faith in the fairness of the lottery. So, when Skadi was chosen, people were at most envious or jealous, but no one would ever doubt its fairness.
The chosen person would go to the seaside tonight, disappear under the waves, and live a carefree life with the god ever after. Furthermore, when the god took the lucky winner away, He would also leave his gift on the beach—a large quantity of shells and fish, enough for the residents of Saltwind City to live on frugally.
After understanding the full story.
Inquisitor Irene ground her teeth in anger.
"Teacher! Teacher!! Isn't this clearly a heretic? Should we rush in and eliminate him right now?"
As a newly appointed Inquisitor, Irene was young, spirited, and naturally impulsive about many things.
"Not yet."
The Grand Inquisitor said slowly.
"Even if we rush in and kill the heretic, what then? Nearly everyone in Saltwind City now believes the heretic's words. Besides... what the heretic said isn't necessarily a complete lie."
Since arriving, the Grand Inquisitor had been pondering one question: where did the food come from?
All the soil around Saltwind City had been completely contaminated by the sea, making it impossible to grow crops. Moreover, he saw no place for animal husbandry within the city, not even a blade of grass. As for trade, that was impossible. The ports of the coastal mobile cities and Iberia's inland were all blockaded by the Iberian Legion. No merchant caravan could possibly get in. As for fishing in the sea, the possibility was low.
After all, the current state of the ocean was clear to all. It was teeming with Seaborn. Only someone with a death wish would go out.
Despite the severe food shortage, few people had starved to death. This suggests it might actually be true.
In that case...
One person goes into the sea, and food appears on the beach...
Is this...
A trade?!!
A trade with the Seaborn.
The Priest of this Saltwind City church had the ability to trade with the Seaborn. This reminded the Grand Inquisitor of other heretics he had encountered in other Iberian cities.
Suddenly.
For some unknown reason, the mobile city began to shake as if in an earthquake.
The residents still gathered in front of the church thought the Seaborn were attacking and frantically ran home. Soon, only the Grand Inquisitor and the Inquisitor remained.
"Teacher!"
Irene was alarmed.
The Grand Inquisitor was unshakable.
"Not Seaborn... the tremors are coming from underground..."
Just as the Grand Inquisitor was pondering.
A golden beam of light pierced through the underside of the mobile city from the side, stretching for thousands of miles, its divine might terrifying and immense.
!!!
The Grand Inquisitor's eyes widened slightly.
Even with his many years of experience, he could not explain the origin of this pillar of light.
It was impossible for a human to possess this level of energy!
"We're going in!"
"Yes!!"
The two Inquisitors rushed into the church without a word. With the appearance of the golden light, it seemed things were spinning out of his control. Before entering, the Grand Inquisitor had already used the Inquisition's special contact method to alert the other Grand Inquisitors to be ready.
Inside the church, everything was normal.
However, the salty smell of the sea was unusual. After finding the door to a secret room in the corner, the two lit their oil lamps and descended the dark, spiral staircase, carefully arriving at a platform.
But the next scene left Irene too shocked to speak.
Judging by the surrounding walls, the huge space ahead must have once been a secret room. But now, the floor of the room was completely shattered, revealing a gaping maw like an abyss. It wasn't completely dark below; light poured in from a large hole ripped in the side, faintly illuminating the unbelievable battle damage and specks of golden light particles.
Irene's jaw dropped.
As an Inquisitor, she had naturally undergone the strictest training and education before taking her post.
The battle damage below was clearly... or rather, completely impossible to have been caused by humans. Could a... person... really create this level of destruction?
Irene remembered the white-haired Aegir person who had entered the church earlier.
"Teacher, could it be that Aegir person!!"
"...."
The Grand Inquisitor didn't speak, his gaze hidden behind his mask, cold and sharp.
After a moment's thought, he grabbed his student, leaped directly off the edge dozens of meters high, and fired his grappling gun at a random point.
Such battle damage, combined with the earlier light, reminded the Grand Inquisitor of a type of legendary creature.
A Behemoth...
Or... a God.
——————
Skadi and Laurentina had already left Saltwind City through the large hole pierced by the Holy Lance.
The two walked through the wilderness, waiting for the arrival of the person connected to the other thread.
At this moment, Laurentina had returned to her initial ladylike appearance. Coupled with the black nun's habit she wore, she truly looked like a shy and gentle nun. If Lucas Reeve hadn't just seen her frantically attack Skadi, he might have actually believed it.
"By the way, Skadi, what was Miss Laurentina like before? Your expression seems a bit... uh... you know."
Lucas Reeve had seen Skadi's current expression before; he'd even experienced it firsthand.
Over a year ago, when he accompanied the Penguin Logistics lady on a mission in Bolívar, Jessica fell into a dream, and he had to enter the dream to wake her. She had this exact same expression—the look of having so much to complain about but not knowing where to start.
Skadi spoke slowly.
"Aegir's social structure is completely different from the nations on land."
Skadi had traveled through many countries, so she was qualified to judge.
From Skadi's description, a rough outline of Aegir's social system emerged.
Aegir is a city in the ocean, very, very large. At least, Skadi, as an Aegirian, had never been anywhere else, but she had read in books that there was no Originium infestation, no worries about livelihood. Because technology was highly advanced, automated machinery replaced all repetitive tasks and manual labor. From the moment a person was born, their personality, talents, and future suitable roles were already determined.
Aegir's social system allowed almost everyone to enter the field they were best suited for. Even those with physical disabilities had suitable job positions.
Furthermore, in many families, the genetic parents and the nurturing parents were completely separate. Because in Aegir, raising a child was a major affair. If a child deviated from their initial trajectory due to parenting issues, the parents would be held responsible.
Such a social system seemed wonderful, very futuristic, but Lucas Reeve felt it had completely deviated from the fundamental needs of a person... It was as if people were machines, their future job content set at the factory.
"Before becoming an Abyssal Hunter, the old Laurentina was a sculptor. Unlike many Abyssal Hunters who held a deep hatred for the Seaborn, she didn't hate them that much. But she chose to become an Abyssal Hunter simply because she felt the Seaborn were destroying the art created by Aegir. As a sculptor, this was something she could not tolerate, so she began hunting Seaborn."
"???"
Several question marks flashed over Lucas Reeve's head.
That reason... is so abstract.
To hunt Seaborn for such a reason, her personality must have been somewhat strange, to say the least. No wonder Skadi was stunned speechless when she saw such a polite Laurentina.
Lucas Reeve and Skadi chatted a lot about Aegir.
However.
Skadi didn't know much either.
Before becoming an Abyssal Hunter, she was just an ordinary girl. The job arranged for her was also an ordinary clerical job for a girl. If her family hadn't been killed, she wouldn't be chatting with Lucas Reeve here. She would be living an ordinary life in Aegir, and under Aegir's high-tech matchmaking system, she would marry a man whose personality, physique, and genes were most compatible with hers to raise offspring.
Skadi was like a child from a remote part of Terra. She knew Terra was big, knew the country was big, but had never left the place she lived, so she couldn't describe it clearly.
After a while.
Suddenly.
Skadi stopped walking.
A damp feeling washed over her skin. She could even faintly feel a sea breeze. The blood connection between Abyssal Hunters allowed Skadi to sense someone's arrival.
"They're here!"
As soon as she spoke.
A figure moving at an absurd speed descended from the sky, landing in front of Skadi with a *boom*.
As the dust settled, Lucas Reeve saw a figure dressed in light black and white. Her figure was full and graceful; the lines of her calves, thighs, hips, and waist were perfect. Her external features were almost identical to Skadi's—white hair, red eyes—but her expression was even colder, rivaling Kal'tsit's. She held a heavy spear, and her entire presence was like a sharp lance. Combined with her ridiculous movement speed just now, one thing was certain: this woman was even stronger than Skadi.
"Squad... Squad 2 Captain!!"
Skadi was in disbelief.
She never expected the other comrade to be the Squad 2 Captain!!
Squad 2 Captain?
Lucas Reeve frowned.
He hadn't expected it to be not just an ordinary Abyssal Hunter, but such a formidable figure.
According to Skadi's description.
The strength of Abyssal Hunters was also ranked.
She and Laurentina belonged to the most primal batch with the highest fusion rate, placing them at the top tier among the Abyssal Hunters. That was why Skadi was the one to deliver the final blow during the god-slaying operation.
The only Abyssal Hunters stronger than Skadi were the captains. One was the captain of her own squad, Ulpian, but Skadi said he had likely already sacrificed himself.
The other was the captain of Squad 2, the "Shark" squad.
Gladiia!
"Long time no see, Skadi. I didn't expect to run into you here..."
Gladiia's voice was cold and proud, matching her expression and icy aura.
"Long time no see, Captain Gladiia. I'm very happy to see you here."
Gladiia wasn't just the Squad 2 Captain.
She held many titles in Aegir: Technology Execution Officer, Honorary Legion Commander, and Chief War Designer for the Abyssal Hunter project. She was completely different from Skadi, who had been an ordinary civilian before becoming an Abyssal Hunter.
"Me too, Skadi."
Gladiia was more approachable than expected.
She exchanged information with Skadi. Skadi concealed Lucas Reeve's existence, saying she only went to Saltwind City by chance, and included the matter of the Priest in the church and Laurentina's current state.
"I'm leaving Laurentina to you, Skadi."
Gladiia's words caught Skadi off guard.
"Captain Gladiia, what do you mean?"
Gladiia shook her head. "I have more important matters to attend to. It's possible we three are the only Abyssal Hunters left. I've been trying to contact Aegir during this time, but... I can't get through. For now, you and Laurentina are on standby. Use the land-based communication methods. If there's any action, I will notify you immediately."
After a brief reunion, Gladiia left immediately. Her movement speed was incredibly fast, far exceeding that of any land-runner, perhaps even faster than a aircraft. She vanished from sight almost instantly, heading towards Saltwind City.
Skadi didn't try to stop her.
She knew the Squad 2 Captain wasn't like her; she had more important things to do.
"Let's head back to Columbia first to treat Laurentina."
Lucas Reeve gave his opinion.
"Mhm."
Skadi nodded.