Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

This was not a difficult task for Gladys herself, but for the Ursus people she knew...

Is she really from Ursus?

Could the "Super Ursus Superman" she mentioned earlier be some kind of super soldier research project?

"Stop arguing, stop arguing. I can tell you can handle it."

Thomas tried to smooth things over, to prevent the two from starting a fight over such trivial matters, and shouted at the ceiling above.

"Tester, please mark her as passed and mark her as qualified."

"Honestly, you suddenly came over to watch and got in my way. 'Passing' was a done deal anyway. No way, you have to compensate me for something else!"

However, Winter's dissatisfaction had not disappeared. She had been feeling stifled on Rhodes Island for a while, especially seeing that she had made progress in her training but had nowhere to use it. Using those monsters to practice was her only pastime.

"Compensation for what? A month's worth of Ursus leba?"

"Who would eat that stuff? Can't you give me a field mission, the kind where I get to beat people up?"

"That won't do. I'm not the Doctor or Dr. Kal'tsit, so I don't care about these things."

"Tsk."

They chattered amongst themselves, but Skadi didn't join in, just watched silently. However, Goredia seemed a little anxious now.

“I’ve seen what you showed me. Skadi is indeed different from before. The training room is also special; the walls were almost completely undamaged in the previous battle. Even the little girl’s strength is much stronger than I expected…”

Goredia's dry lips were already cracked, and if you looked closely, the air above her head seemed somewhat distorted.

"So, when are we going out?"

As Thomas gestured for Gretia to leave, he unconsciously twitched his nose.

There seemed to be an unusual, slightly burnt smell in the air.

"What does it taste like... grilled fish?"

[Event] Beneath the Tide, Seafood abounds: Chapter Seven - When it comes to food, Saiyans are always serious.

Having seen off the grumbling Winter, it's time to focus our attention on Gretia.

But she doesn't look to be in very good condition right now—Skadi is watering her bottle after bottle.

This attracted the attention of many passing operators, who were puzzled by Gretia's serene expression.

"There's nothing to see, just heatstroke... no, just burnt."

Thomas explained to the operators around him, glancing back every now and then at Gretia, who was adjusting her breathing.

As Skadi said, being able to endure extreme environments is one thing, but being able to get used to them is another.

Based on her physical constitution alone, Goredia could probably survive in much harsher environments, such as the waterless terrestrial environment, which is one such environment for the Agorians. However, under more specific conditions, there is still room for improvement in her adaptability.

Just like Skadi, who stayed there for the same amount of time without any impact.

"...Slurp, let's have seafood tonight."

Thomas looked at Gretia, wiped away the drool that had been left from lusting after her body, and waited for her to recover slowly—and the reason she took so long was probably related to his earlier attack on her with his qi.

"The reason I don't want you to have this thought is because of what just happened... Could you please put away your strong appetite and dangerous thoughts?"

Goredia leaned against a bench outside the training room, her body saturated with moisture that seemed to be absorbed even through her clothes, and her voice sounded more energetic than before.

Although she is still processing her emotions, she is much calmer and more clear-headed than before.

While accepting that Rhodes Island had exceeded her expectations, she also turned the conversation back to matters in Saltwind City.

"When I said I wanted to fight you before, it was actually to confirm your full strength."

"That won't do. If you really get beaten to death, I'll be in big trouble too."

"...In short, what I mean is, if the operation of using 'bait' to lure Hai Si out cannot continue, we should simply adopt a strong offensive approach that can deal with all unexpected situations. Although there is a risk of losing clues, it is better than doing nothing."

The original plan was not allowed and could not be carried out, so there was nothing Goredia could do.

Now that things have come to this, let's just take a hard line and not resort to espionage, intelligence gathering, or sting operations.

“Count me in when you kill that trash Hai Si and that bastard church. Besides, if you and I go together, it’s enough. There’s no need to specifically ask him to come along.”

Skadi realized that Gretia wanted to invite Tomat to join the operation.

However, given her understanding and abilities, such assistance was completely unnecessary.

"Maybe, but the original plan was to lure out Hai Si and then have three people attack him at the same time. There are also a considerable number of unknown species of Terrorfish there. Three people is the minimum required. If that's not possible, we should at least find suitable substitutes. Do you know anyone here?"

After saying this, Goredia seemed to suddenly realize something and said in a tone that showed no remorse whatsoever:

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you probably don't have many friends."

"...Grani went to Kazimierz."

Skadi paused for a moment, then said the name of an operator she knew.

"You actually have friends?"

However, Goredia did not ask who the other person was. Instead, she was surprised that Skadi could actually name someone.

"If this continues, you might end up fighting. Here's what we'll do: tell me what exactly we need to do, what the problems are, and what the risks are. I'll find you a few reliable operators."

Thomas intervened in the conversation between the two and made a suggestion.

"But you just told that Ursus girl that you didn't have the authority."

If I say that, will she still let me go?

This suggestion isn't entirely unacceptable.

Since such young members already possess remarkable combat abilities and experience fighting creatures with the capacity for evolution, the others should theoretically be no less capable.

After deciding that the suggestion was acceptable, Goredia revealed her plan for a full-scale attack.

The deep-sea church bishop there, named Quintus, has now been found to be in cahoots with the Sea Siblings and is conducting experiments to transform people into Sea Siblings. He usually spreads various heresies, making the people of Saltwind City worship him as a saint and savior.

Iberia had long since abandoned that coastal city, so they did not restrict his missionary activities. Although they continued to monitor residents for illegal border crossings, they did not concern themselves with the various problems that occurred within the city.

The bishop's actions even stabilized the populace, preventing them from fighting amongst themselves, and they tacitly approved of his public preaching.

Quintus's most notable act in Saltwind City was to send a townsman who drew a red seashell into the ocean as a sacrifice to the sea every hundred tides.

In reality, the transformation is carried out by Hai Si. At the same time, due to the contract between Hai Si and the bishop, Hai Si will wash a large amount of seafood ashore for the townspeople to use as food until the next ceremony begins.

He claimed to be acting as a spokesperson, conveying the residents' wishes to the ocean, but in reality, he was simply making a unilateral contract with the ocean and then using the residents to satisfy his own research needs.

Although the Church usually interacts with Haisi, Goredia doesn't usually see it. But the day of the ceremony is different; it has nothing to do with the bishop. It will definitely appear and take away the offerings, so she can only seize that opportunity.

"Wait, wait, wait, what did you say earlier?"

Thomas listened attentively and assessed various elements of the task to determine who was best suited to participate.

However, when a certain keyword appeared, Tomat didn't react yet. After thinking about it carefully, he suddenly called out to Gretia.

"Ahead? 'Hai Si will appear during the ceremony'?"

Is he considering candidates suitable for underwater combat?

"No, no, a little further ahead."

Thomas shook his head.

"Does it mean 'residents decide the offerings by drawing lots'?"

Is he concerned about the local residents? Is he outraged by this foolish act?

"A little further back?"

He continued, frowning.

"Trading offerings for food?"

"That's it! This is the one!"

Thomas clapped his hands suddenly, startling Greta.

"...Have you found a suitable candidate?"

Goredia was unsure how this issue had anything to do with the selection of candidates.

"Isn't it right in front of you?"

Thomas immediately pointed to himself.

"...So, when you seemed to want to eat me before, you weren't joking, right?"

Goredia realized that this man always seemed to take eating seriously.

[Event] Beneath the Tide, Seafood abounds: Chapter Eight - A Powerful Strike

"It stinks... Is there really any seafood here?"

The real coastal areas of Terra are mostly shrouded in clouds, with no sky visible.

No one knows exactly why. Perhaps, as the rumors say, there exists evil in the ocean from a realm deeper than the abyss, and the darkness it carries, even with ocean currents thousands of meters deep obscuring it, cannot stop it from devouring the light on earth.

The foul sea breeze carried a putrid smell; there was no vitality like that of the Siesta shore winds, only an unsettling aura of death.

On the high cliff with its sharp, eroded edges, Tomat pinched his nose and looked down at the dilapidated city below, where the scattered signs of life still lingered.

It's clear that this place was once a bustling metropolis filled with neon lights, but now, not a single ray of light can be seen on any of the roads or buildings.

The only building that appears to be intact is a pointed church on a high point, along with a large number of unidentified remains that curve like ribs and cover the sky.

"Looks like something's up..."

Although he felt that the situation was quite different from what he had expected, he still chose to leap off the high cliff and land in the ruins of the buildings below.

This is Saltwind City.

There is one day left until the next ceremony.

Although it was agreed on Rhodes Island that the three of them would handle the matter, Gladys still asked Tomat and Skadi to arrive at Saltwind separately at different times.

The purpose was to prevent the bishop from becoming overly vigilant and ending the ceremony, and to prevent the people of the inquisition from noticing the involvement of these Agorians.

The former means missing an opportunity, while the latter means getting into trouble.