Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

Then, Carmen changed the subject and stopped walking with everyone else.

"But let's focus on the present moment for now."

The group paused at the edge of the city's coastal section, gazing into the distance.

Granfalo also built extremely high breakwaters similar to those in Saltwind.

The stench of the sea breeze was overwhelming. On the murky shore directly below, the soldiers of the Inquisition had set up a line of makeshift tents and deployed numerous lighting installations that emitted a pale yellow glow around it.

Not far away, you can see a building that extends from the city wall into the shallow sea. It used to be a port for ships to set sail, but it has long been blocked off. Even the local workers who specialize in cleaning up sewage are not allowed to get close to it.

“The ocean is not our home turf, and the tarantulas are far more cunning than we imagine. We can repel the tarantulas that rush ashore time and time again—at least for now—but we are completely powerless to eradicate their source.” Dario held up his lantern and looked toward the court’s position. “In any case, their hideout must be in the sea, but now, let alone diving underwater, even traveling on the surface is extremely dangerous. Countless tarantulas, chaotic compasses and signals... and we don’t even know where their nest is located.”

"Hmm? Where are you going..."

However, before he could finish expressing the grim situation, Tomat leaped off the breakwater, which was dozens of meters high, and landed lightly on the soft, damp sand.

There wasn't even a footprint left.

Thomas strolled along, looking around aimlessly, while Dario and Carmen exchanged a glance before leaping up to follow, each leaving two deep footprints in the sand where their boots sank.

Only Elena looked at the three of them with confusion, muttering to herself as she glanced to her side:

Why don't they all use the stairs properly...?

A small group of court personnel noticed the lights approaching the position. After they had clearly seen the newcomers' clothing and faces, they quickly straightened up, adjusting the Iberian emblem on their chests, and said in loud voices:

"Sir! The coastline is normal; no trace of the 'terrorfish' has been found!"

"Wait, the person next to you is... Your Excellency!?"

"You all, quickly prepare to assemble! Saint Carmen has come to see you!"

But Carmen raised her hand to stop them and told them to continue with their normal activities and not to worry about what was happening here.

Of course, these seemingly polite remarks from superiors did not ease their tension. They simply returned to the camp and continued to worry about the reason why the two judges and a saint had come to this place.

As for Tomat—the guy who dared to walk in front of Carmen in the eyes of the soldiers—he was no longer someone they could question about his identity without permission.

"Hmph... Everything is normal, that's true."

The soldier's earlier remarks made Tom seem to understand something, and he spoke with a contemptuous tone.

"What's wrong?" Dario asked from the side.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just that the ferocious fish sensed some killing intent I let out earlier, so they all fled from this area..."

"...So you were really so angry before that you wanted to kill me?"

Although Dario's expression remained unchanged and his tone was flat, his words still conveyed his lingering fear—and speechlessness.

"How could this be?"

Upon hearing this, Tomat smiled and waved his hand.

Then, in the same relaxed tone, he said:

"If I really had the thought of killing you, I wouldn't let you feel my murderous intent."

As Dario adjusted his hat, he avoided looking at Tomat's harmless face and echoed:

"I see."

Thomas stroked his chin, looked towards the distant ocean, and continued:

"So, let's get back to the point. Although you misled me into thinking there are plump and meaty dinosaurs here, let's put that aside for now and just talk about dinosaurs. They do exist."

"But since there's nothing left around here, let's go deeper into the area to look. After all, the skinny Terrorfish... isn't too bad to eat. Of course, it would be even better if we found something unexpected."

He reluctantly accepted the situation, while also preparing himself mentally for the possibility of only being able to eat the skinny, emaciated dinosaur. Just like the dinosaur before the operation, Tomat also made predictions for himself that he wouldn't be too disappointed if any situation occurred.

Then, Tomat looked at the three judges and asked with a kind smile:

"Since you're going, I'll do you a favor—why don't you want to go to their lair together? I've already located it; you're just worried about not finding it, aren't you?"

[Event] Fool's Tale: Chapter Sixteen - The Hunters' Occasion

Before Tomat and his companions made their decision to set sail and put it into action, let's rewind to a time shortly after he parted ways with the hunters—

"Shark, we're not here for sightseeing."

"Ah...I know, but I think the craftsmanship of this wooden record case is really amazing."

The deep-sea hunters, who had come to find their companions, were moving unexpectedly slowly.

Ghost Shark stood in front of a shop window on the street. The glass, which hadn't been cleaned in a long time, was covered with a layer of hazy dust, and beneath it, a beautiful wooden box sat quietly.

There's also a faded label next to it that reads: Master design, solid wood material, perfectly protecting the sound you love, now only 199.9 Iberian Gold Coins!

"Yes, and the price is just as 'great'."

Grandia urged the somewhat languid Specter to hurry up, while Skadi glanced at the price tag and couldn't understand the price of the record box.

But for Granfallo in the past, small commodities at this price point were not particularly rare.

Granfalo was once a seaport that sent ships, embodying the Iberians' understanding of Agorian technology, to the vast, uncharted oceans, contributing its value to the Iberian people's past glory and honor.

After the Great Tranquility, this place also served as the front line of revival. With countless lighthouses going out, people firmly believed that the last Iberian Eye still stood in the dark ocean currents surrounded by daphnia, and that as long as it was lit, Iberia could see the dawn of victory again.

This place naturally became a place of special significance and worth visiting, and many tourist attractions and shops were built during this period.

Iberians are happy to spend money here, believing that the money they spend—or their youth and sweat—will eventually be rewarded with enough gold and honor to cover the entire city when the ships return from their voyages.

At least that's what people believed, at least a decade or so before the courthouse was suddenly shut down and a large number of locals were arrested.

"Seventeen years ago, the Tribunal discovered that this place had been infiltrated and controlled by the Deep Sea Church, so it took action and arrested almost all the Agor people here. A large number of unrelated people were also implicated, including the Liberi natives."

"In order to prevent the Eye of Iberia project from being used maliciously, they also terminated and destroyed the project, not giving the Deep Sea Church any opportunity to destroy the last lighthouse."

"The result is what we have now—completely under the surveillance of the courts, with strict control over the entry and exit of people, and a continuous decline and decay."

Before coming, Goredia naturally made sure to learn about the local situation. Although Iberia kept its own intelligence quite secret, intelligence gathering was not difficult for her, so she gained a relatively deep understanding of the region's history.

The expensive record box lying quietly in the dirty shop window of the dilapidated store is, in her view, the most authentic portrayal of this history.

“A plan that countless people have devoted their youth and even their lives to has been rendered worthless because of the Deep Sea Church.”

Then Gretia said to Ghost Shark:

"Just like this record box you see now, a masterpiece embodying the ingenuity of the land dwellers, it has now lost its original meaning because there are only a few Argo records left that can be played..."

Upon hearing these words, Ghost Shark, who was standing in front of the shop window, seemed to realize something. A hint of melancholy appeared in his red eyes and brows as he turned his head in front of the hazy glass to look at Goredia.

Grandia seemed to sense that Ghost Shark understood the intention behind her words—many things are in the past, and some of the past is not worth lingering over. One should focus on doing the present well, otherwise, like this town and the record boxes in the shop windows, one will gradually decay in silence.

Seeing the ghost shark's forlorn expression, she closed her eyes slightly with a hint of satisfaction, then nodded to signal them to continue.

But the next moment, Ghost Shark pursed his lips and whispered:

"Second Captain, you're so stingy."

Ghost Shark didn't intend to deliberately understand anything from Gladys's words; she simply liked the record box.

Meanwhile, Goredia's usually cold and aloof face showed visible embarrassment and dissatisfaction.

"If you really want it, you should pay for it yourself, instead of expecting me to divert team funds for your personal interests."

"I also think Shark, you should earn some money yourself. Many missions on the Rhodes Island offer high rewards..."

Specter wasn't surprised by Kingia's words, but when Skadi told him to go and make money too, his eyes widened, and he said in an incredulous tone and with a pained expression:

"Oh, my dear little orca, you weren't so cruel before! You were always by my bedside, holding my hand, talking to me over and over again, gently and worriedly asking me, 'Have you remembered something?' You never let me do anything strenuous, you didn't want me to go out and face the dry wilderness, and you didn't want me to do those strenuous things myself~"

"But now, you actually want a delicate lady like me to work, and a devout nun like me to handle money stained with countless drops of blood—"

The self-proclaimed gentle and devout Ghost Shark carries a circular saw encased in a box as tall as a person, clasps his hands together, and bows his head as if in prayer.

Finally, he spoke in an exaggerated tone, raising his head and making a heartbroken expression for Skadi, who was speechless.

"I'm so sad."

Skadi simply sighed and said:

"I suddenly feel that you are easier to take care of when you have amnesia."

Goredia nodded as well:

"Although I didn't see what she was like at that time, I agree with your point of view."

The three's little skit was about to end because the dramatic Ghost Shark thought the two's reactions weren't funny enough, but a strange feeling made them shiver involuntarily.

They then quickly identified the source of that feeling.

"Huh? What's wrong? Was the instructor angry just now?"

"He seems to be only slightly angry."

"There's no sign of a battle... Hmm? I see. The two people next to him are the ones from Saltwind City."

Of the three, only Skadi received more information.

Although the exact reason for Tomat's anger is unknown, it seems that he did indeed meet with the judges who invited him.

What happened over there was also not something the deep-sea hunters needed to get involved in, so after the group became aware of it, they did not deliberately pursue it.

After the mini-theater and the little interlude ended, they walked a little further, but stopped again after a short distance.

It wasn't that Ghost Shark had his eye on something again, but rather that someone was blocking the way for the three hunters.

A splendid and impeccably dressed black-and-white Liberian woman, seemingly out of place beneath Granfalo's black and white robes, stood on the road directly in front of them. This woman was saying goodbye to another elderly man who looked flustered.

Then, she turned her cold, seemingly emotionless eyes toward them, and with a polite smile, she walked slowly toward them, holding a black cane, her gaze never leaving Ghost Shark.

"Long time no see, but what brought you here?"

And her first words were spoken to Specter Shark.

The Liberi woman's smile was fake but composed; she seemed to have known Ghost Shark for a long time and was not at all surprised by her appearance.

It was as if they had already foreseen what would happen next.

"acquaintance?"

"Greteia, who was standing next to him, asked Ghost Shark."

Skadi, meanwhile, frowned and stared intently at the Liberian woman.