Half an hour later, the two Hunters walked out of the Saltwind City Marine Research Institute.
The dense fog by the sea had dissipated, though it was unclear if they had brought the Seaborn, or if the Seaborn had caused the fog.
Although the weather remained gloomy, at least the visibility was much clearer.
On the reef where intense fighting had previously erupted, the dead Terrorfish had degenerated into muscle fibers.
Some were dragged into the ocean when the Seaborn retreated, continuing to nourish their own kind, while others vanished into a puddle of pus, leaving no evidence behind.
This is also why the Iberian authorities have found it difficult to raise an alarm about it to this day—those who knew either died, or if they were lucky enough to survive, they struggled to obtain detailed evidence.
For a declining Iberia, being able to send an Inquisitor for an occasional visit was already the limit of what it could do.
Although people across Terra generally compared their own bad situations, Iberia's current performance wasn't particularly bad—it could only be described as rather unlucky.
"Mr. Goki, Nona Skadi, our cooperation is purely verbal. Considering that neither of us has Iberian resident status, should an Inquisitor intervene, you may unilaterally terminate this employment."
Having shed her heavy protective suit and changed back into her classic green short dress, Kal'tsit stood at the door, arms crossed, calmly seeing off the two Hunters who had met by chance and now had a more collaborative relationship.
"As for Nona Skadi, the instruments show that your blood... is very stable and pure, with no signs of Seaborn contamination—the ocean's influence on you and me is omnipresent, but your thoughts, your actions, are what determine if you change. You can be different from others."
Her tone was calm, her expression indifferent. During the preceding period, Skadi had a brief exchange with Goki and Skadi.
Kal'tsit was indeed very curious about the Abyssal Hunter from Aegir and the Hunter who claimed to be from "Yharnam," but only to that extent.
Over the years, Kal'tsit had witnessed many strange people and events; individuals like Goki, capable of rendering Originium ineffective, could find similar existences in both Yan Country and Kjerag.
While Originium is the cornerstone of the world, it is not the sole core.
No matter how peculiar or powerful an individual, facing the powerful, bloated, and complex conglomerations of interests across the entire continent, he is still fragile and powerless.
To become strong, one must... unite.
Recalling the war-torn land far to the east, named Kazdel, and the organization her old friend was planning to establish, Kal'tsit imperceptibly shook her head.
That was irrelevant to her current goal.
"In any case, I will handle this corpse. My identity makes it inconvenient to act openly before an Inquisitor. I originally only intended to collect data and leave, but if you two... perhaps you can discover something from those heretics who have usurped the nest."
Across from Kal'tsit, Skadi, in her red dress, had already begun to yawn from boredom. Only Goki maintained his usual smile, leaning on his cane, and bowed to Kal'tsit in farewell.
"Don't worry, Nona Kal'tsit, although someone is watching us two outsiders, at least this time, he won't come."
Having been discovered by Goki and Skadi, the young Inquisitor evidently dared not follow them directly again, which was why the two were willing to fight freely.
But afterward, they still had to continue masquerading as a Hunter and a Skadi the Singer.
"Of course, thank you also for the instruments and some medical supplies you gave us."
Goki looked at the old pocket harp peeking out from Skadi's arms beside him and the first-aid kit in his own hand. He thanked Kal'tsit on behalf of Skadi, who remained silent and wary of the other party.
"Just some sundries. Consider it a deposit for the commission. In Iberia, a bowl of oat porridge is worth more than a harp. Nona Skadi's disguise is easily suspicious—I wish you success in your pursuit."
Afterward, Kal'tsit did not forget to remind him.
"I don't understand the Yharnam people's first-aid methods, but I know you must pay attention to disinfection, understand?"
Her placid green eyes suddenly glared at Goki. His method of directly injecting blood plasma without any disinfection had nearly caused Kal'tsit, the old doctor, to have a cerebral hemorrhage from anger.
Nodding to the two in front of her, Kal'tsit silently walked back into the house and tightly closed the door.
The Abyssal Hunter's blood sample still contained valuable research material.
Beside him, Skadi's wary expression finally relaxed.
"Hah... this woman named Kal'tsit, everything she says is strange, roundabout. Aegirian sounds more convoluted than an opera in her mouth."
Pouting, Skadi recalled the time since Kal'tsit had drawn her blood and they waited for the lab results. Goki had been talking to Kal'tsit about many incomprehensible things, making her feel a little sleepy.
"What were you two just talking about? I've never heard of those place names; it was like playing charades."
Both of them were speaking Aegirian, but Skadi could understand every word individually, yet couldn't comprehend them when strung together.
"She understands Aegir, understands Abyssal Hunters, and even repaired that emergency treatment device... It's really strange—you should still be careful."
Tugging at Goki's trench coat, Skadi still felt Kal'tsit was somewhat unreliable.
"But her little pet is quite cute."
However, considering that Kal'tsit's "pet" Mon3tr was indeed very cute, Skadi thought that perhaps Kal'tsit might not be as dangerous as she imagined.
"Hah... at least she checked our bodies, and that's worth being grateful for."
Beside him, Goki watched the unexpected Terra wanderer close the door, then turned to look at Skadi, his expression complex.
Just moments ago, while waiting for Skadi's follow-up test results, Goki had learned the exact current time and the general situation of the Terra continent through Kal'tsit, a reliable source of information.
It was largely consistent with Goki's understanding and speculation.
At this very moment, it was indeed five or six years before the main storyline began and the Doctor rose from his coffin, even earlier than the "Darknights Memoir" event timeline.
Rhodes Island didn't even exist yet, buried in the underground ruins of Leithanien, and some Operators familiar to the Doctors were still living their own lives around the world.
Goki didn't inquire in detail, and Kal'tsit wasn't overly curious; the two merely chatted indifferently about their identities.
Goki claimed he was just an ordinary Hunter from the remote town of Yharnam.
Kal'tsit, on the other hand, stated that she was an ordinary Leithanien scholar with considerable research on the ocean, an understanding of Aegirian civilization, and a certain wariness of the Seaborn.
One used truth to mask lies, the other concealed truth within lies—both seasoned individuals hid many things and also unearthed much content.
Throughout the process, Skadi initially listened attentively but then lost patience, becoming bored and idly playing with the lace on her skirt.
She was indeed the reclusive Little Orca who stayed in her dorm to recover her mood and was extremely adept at spacing out.
The Little Orca he encountered, who had just come ashore, was truly naive.
Recalling the reclusive and lazy bounty hunter from his game, Goki wondered how many setbacks it would take for this naive Orca to become the person she would be in the future.
[She definitely got scammed more than once.]
If it weren't for the Little Orca's truly exceptional combat power, she would definitely have been sold to a black mining camp to work as an excavator.
"It's alright, I'll stay vigilant. Kal'tsit is just an exception. Until you learn various languages, just leave the negotiations to me."
Goki patted Skadi's shoulder, comforting her.
Fortunately, in the original story, Skadi didn't go to Saltwind City with Goki at first and didn't meet Kal'tsit there, otherwise, the two would have definitely started fighting at the slightest disagreement.
"And look, you and I both have no health problems. That should be something to be happy about, right?"
Goki's own blood was fine, which was not surprising.
But Kal'tsit said Skadi's blood was "pure," which was clearly a lie.
Skadi's blood was originally Seaborn Blood, replaced by Aegirian technology.
While it was unclear whether it was genetic modification or psionic Ascension, Skadi, having undergone 19 Abyssal Space Marine modifications, clearly couldn't be described as "pure."
At most, it was... stable.
Of course, Goki wouldn't expose this lie; he needed to slowly guide Skadi to accept this fact.
So... he accepted the task Kal'tsit had entrusted to him.
While Yharnam Hunters' primary job was hunting beasts, they occasionally took on other tasks.
For example, helping a little girl who was alone at home find her missing parents... or something similar?
"Mm-hmm, I know. I'll leave all negotiations to you from now on—since Seaborn Blood truly doesn't affect you, I'll help you collect it in the future, even though I really hate it."
Skadi nodded vigorously and walked shoulder to shoulder with Goki towards the Marine Research Institute.
[If all the land dwellers I meet in the future are like Kal'tsit, who loves speaking in riddles all the time, I'll just let Goki handle it—he likes to say mysterious things anyway.]
After being baptized by the riddle-speaking Kal'tsit, Skadi even had the misconception that all land dwellers spoke in such a complicated manner.
Although her expression remained impassive, she was already prepared to directly hand over negotiation duties to Goki next time.
—Only having to think about fighting was simply too convenient!
"But... there are still some scores that must be settled."
She slung the old pocket harp over her shoulder, as if still carrying her greatsword, and walked along the low, dilapidated buildings lining Saltwind City's coast, looking towards a small hill that seemed out of place with the city's style.
It was hard to imagine a natural landscape resembling a seaside cliff appearing on one side of the city, as if it had been specifically constructed.
"—Abyssal Church. I should have known these contaminated bastards always show up in the most annoying places."
The dense fog had cleared, and atop the cliff, a tall, magnificent, albeit somewhat old but still standing Iberian church, stood beneath the overcast sky, seemingly lacking a certain sacredness..
And in Skadi's red eyes, a not-so-friendly light flickered.
"Let's go. We'll drag those bastards out, every single one of them!"
That was the place Kal'tsit had entrusted Goki and Skadi to go.
It was also the direction the recent attackers had fled.
"Dong—dong—dong—"
And just then, a deep, somewhat muffled bell sound drifted through the damp air, seemingly striking their chests.
If one listened carefully, a low song seemed to be mixed within the bell's toll.
Anita's "Sabbath" had also just begun.
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