Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

After receiving Tomat's answer and making a decision in her heart, Elena did not immediately ask about Tomat's identity, but instead asked about what he had done to her body.

Tomat offered an explanation on the spot without any hesitation:

"Although the marine transformation may seem like you and them have grown together physically, as if you have assimilated, it is actually similar to parasitism. They still have self-awareness and the ability to act. The process of marine transformation is the process by which the dinosaurs gradually replace the host."

"For mild cases of marine evolution, simple expulsion is sufficient. They will perceive the body as no longer habitable and will either voluntarily detach from it or rapidly accelerate their absorption, draining the host of its value before leaving."

"However, in cases of severe 'sea-infused' transformation, some limbs and even vital organs will be replaced by the sea-infused organisms. Simply expelling or eliminating them will not allow the host to survive. Imagine your own sea-infused heart judging that the host has provoked an enemy it shouldn't have, immediately activating itself, and then breaking out of the body to escape."

"And you—your limbs and most of your body have already been transformed into sea creatures. Forcibly removing you will only make you watch helplessly as you become an empty shell, while your limbs and internal organs—or more accurately, the dinosaurs that have grown into the shape of your limbs and organs—are running around outside."

"So I helped you convert it. Do you feel uncomfortable about it?"

At this point, Elena raised her hand again to look at her palm, then looked around her body—there was indeed nothing unusual or uncomfortable.

"Transformation?"

Although it has been a long time since she could move her body freely, she is very certain that everything she is experiencing now is a true response from her own body.

The gloomy seascape as far as the eye could see, the pungent wind, the itchy feeling on her skin from being scraped, and the inexplicable noise that had reappeared here—all of these were felt with unmistakable realism by her.

"Yes, to be precise, your body is still composed of many sea creatures, but they have become your physical body, so they are no longer considered sea creatures."

"I'm not entirely sure how exactly it works, but basically, you first use the pressure of Qi to force them to 'submit' at the cellular level, abandoning their self-conscious resistance so they won't grow or devour anything rashly. After that, they can easily recombine and rearrange themselves according to a normal body structure. In that case, even changing their race—or rather, 'healing' them—isn't that difficult."

Such an explanation would only make it more difficult for Elena to understand.

It wasn't that they couldn't understand what Tomat was saying, but rather that they were amazed that "something like this could actually be done."

It's not about barbarically cutting off or burning the invasive parts, but about genuinely transforming them into harmless tissue, even making them part of the human body at a racial level...

Isn't this even more incredible than the Deep Sea Hunter modification plan exposed by the Agorians?

The Agor people implant the Terrorfish into the target's powerful body, granting them regenerative abilities while relying on the body's own strength to suppress it and prevent it from going out of control, but risks still exist.

But with Tomat, there was no need to physically suppress the Terrorfish. Instead, the Terrorfish obediently became part of the body without any resistance, thus perfectly merging and becoming part of the human body.

He also said, "Use the power of air to force them to submit."

Although we know that they can change due to external stimuli, their most instinctive part will always remain the same. How can a creature like the tarantula, which has a whole set of unchanging instincts, be forced to modify its own instincts?

What is Qi? Could it possibly cause fear that is etched into our genes?

Her late teacher once said that to make the tarantula instinctively fear something, one can only achieve this effect by posing an absolute threat to it. However, what has been observed so far is only to the extent that they "dare not approach a certain area." They may test that boundary at any time, or adapt to that threat, rather than showing such surrender and obedience without resistance.

"They...followed your will and became my body?"

The thought that her body was now forcibly formed from some fearsome fish made Elena feel somewhat complicated.

Firstly, there was an instinctive resistance, since no matter how similar they were, they were still made of dinosaurs. Secondly, there was a greater concern about the extent of Tomat's strength and why he was here.

"That's roughly the idea, but you mean 'follow'? I didn't give them that level of self-awareness. Just think of me as kneading a lump of clay, and then they become part of you, turning into organs and limbs, but they won't come to life, don't worry."

The prototype of this technology originated from Terra, where Tomat lived.

Although the terror fish's military strength is not enough to pose a significant threat, it is only a threat to Rhodes Island and its sphere of influence.

There will always be those who fail to find protection or who voluntarily seek refuge in a larger group.

We don't need to worry about whether the latter expressed remorse in their last words, but the former, as a victim group, certainly needs help.

As mentioned above, mild cases of hymenation are easy to treat; even if it's not Rhodes Island, the Inquisition itself has the technology to treat or contain it.

The problem is that people with "severe hymenization" cannot be treated by ordinary surgery. Making the hymen feel fear and leave the host only accelerates the death. However, blindly "humane treatment" does not seem to be the optimal solution.

However, while the doctors were at their wits' end, Tomat came up with a breakthrough idea from the perspective of "ingredients".

Since we can use gas to change their properties, making them harmless and edible, could we do something more precise and "adjust" them so that they no longer have the activity of being sea creatures, but can perfectly adapt to the body of the host's corresponding race?

Although it may seem far-fetched, the Medical Department did indeed take this as a practical direction and achieved results in treating the Seaborne. Some Medical Department staff members, who learned the basics of aura from Tomat, combined their own professional knowledge to open up a completely new field for aura healing. This technique was also perfected and mastered by Tomat, who then reached a higher level.

In fact, if Rhodes Island were to treat Elene, it would require at least several senior medical staff members skilled in aura healing to perform the surgery, working day and night to achieve the current results.

However, Tomat was able to complete it in tens of seconds by relying on his breath strength and precision.

After all, even if the technology used is the same, the results can vary drastically depending on the user.

"Of course, that's what I say. If you really feel uncomfortable, just tell me. I don't usually treat Hai Sihua, and others need the opportunity to practice this skill, so it's not impossible that they've become rusty."

Although it seems that Elene is completely fine, he still doesn't give her a full guarantee, and instead tells her to pay attention to her health at all times.

These words also revealed other information. Elena keenly noticed Thomas's choice of words, and then, with a slight hesitation, asked:

"You're talking about other people... Who exactly are you? You have companions? And people who can cure Hai Si's transformation? Where are they?"

Are they... just as strong as you? Could they... also bring a glimmer of hope?

Seeing Eleanor's hesitant expression, Thomas pondered for a moment, then waved to her, signaling her not to stray so far from him, before replying:

"Who am I? You wouldn't know even if I told you, so just call me Tomat. As for my companions? Don't count on them for now, they can't come. Although I think they would be willing to lend a hand if they knew what was going on here, I can't drag them into this."

Indeed, as Thomas said, it was impossible for Eleanor to know Thomas's name, and even if she did, it would be meaningless. As for the "others" she was looking forward to, they were even less likely to be the people of Rhodes Island who came from other worlds.

Although the answer left Elena slightly disappointed, as it sounded like he was the only one there, it didn't mean she felt that Thomas wasn't worth continuing negotiations with. Even if he was alone, everything he had shown so far was enough to give her more hope.

Even though the idea of ​​"placing the hope of saving the world on a person of unknown origin during the apocalypse" sounds foolish and crazy, in this situation, humanity should not easily give up an existence like Tomat—or rather, an opportunity—because there is no other choice now.

"And as for the hope you mentioned—if you have faith in me, I think it's not just 'a little hope'."

Tomat may have been somewhat reserved in his comments about treating Elene, but when it came to eliminating Haisi, he chose to show his confidence without reservation.

Should we trust this man?

For a fleeting moment, a rather meaningless question arose in Elena's mind.

Clearly, there was no other choice; clearly, everything that was known had already been lost; clearly, one had been wandering in endless death and pain, only able to wait for one's body and spirit to gradually corrode in the pungent sea breeze.

Now, a "variable" that would never even appear in one's dreams has actually appeared before them, yet they still have to be skeptical of the other party's invitation, even if that invitation is merely a matter of "choosing to believe him," a simple thought.

Perhaps I've been in despair for too long, to the point that I equate anything related to hope with "inevitable despair leading to the loss of hope."

"...I can trust you, right? Just like I once trusted my teacher, or another trustworthy person."

It's less about asking questions and more about persuading yourself.

If this trust remains unfulfilled and fails to elicit the expected response, it will only return this doomed world to its predetermined end, and Eleanor will no longer experience joy or sorrow.

But if he can truly respond to that hope and trust, wouldn't that be fulfilling his wish?

Elena knew very well that whether or not she made a wish would not affect whether the wish would come true. Thomas did not need Elena's trust to save the world; he was just giving her a chance to "decide whether or not to make a wish."

Whether Elena believes it or not is her business, but what happens is Thomas's business.

Elena had never had such an opportunity in this desperate world before, because the premise of making a wish is "the possibility of it coming true," no matter how small, and Hai Si did not give them that opportunity.

When you get used to despair, you lose the ability to "hope for things" that you used to take for granted.

But now, her wish for "the world to be saved" has indeed shown a glimmer of unproven hope with the appearance of Tomat.

Should we, like in the past when people threw coins into the Trevi Fountain in Iberia Square to make a wish, choose to place our hopes on a vision that is far from certain?

Elena pondered for a brief moment, then followed Tomat's gesture and left her spot, heading towards him.

"...You're so stupid. Never mind if I didn't ask. I believe you."

She stopped waiting for Tomat's reply, scolded herself for hesitating even in the face of hope, and then laughed.

There was already no way out, and now that there's a tiny possibility, why do I have to think about so many things? I'm not even as good as my past self. Wouldn't I get a severe scolding from the teacher?

She picked up the broken sword, a relieved expression on her face, and for the first time, her gray eyes showed real life.

It was at this moment that Tomat smiled at her and said:

"You can always trust Rhodes Island operators, even if they're 'honorary operators' now—and you are too, right?"

*Similar to the Grand Priest's ability to modify species, but not as advanced, and unlikely to be applied to those stronger than oneself. It's best to treat it as a skill used by Supreme Kais or Planetary Gods to create species.

[Event] Fool's Tale: Part Six - You Don't Recognize Your Grandmaster?

"Rhodes Island...? How do you know that—"

The name, so familiar yet never expected to be mentioned here, left Elena momentarily stunned.

Although her body had returned to its former state, her mind was still unable to clear its thoughts due to the previous influence of Hai Sihua.

Rhodes Island? How long ago was that?

She remembered that after experiencing the various misfortunes of the Fool's Ship, and after her teacher died protecting the Eye of Iberia, she applied to Saint Carmen for a period of apprenticeship on Rhodes Island for some reason, and indeed experienced a short but happy time there.

However, shortly afterward, he returned to the Inquisition due to an emergency recall order from Iberia. Then, a devastating silence ensued, and Rhodes Island's operators deployed in Iberia lost all contact with the fall of Iberia. After that, there was no further news about Rhodes Island.

The man in front of me claims to be an operator from Rhodes Island? That explains why he recognized me.

"...We're both operators, but I've never heard of you before, so you were able to call me by name and mention my identity, is that right?"

"It's a bit complicated to explain in detail, but just assume that's how you think about it."

Thomas didn't want to explain too much about confusing terms like "this world" or "that world," and he readily accepted Eleanor's speculation.

"So... do you know the current situation at Rhodes Island?"

Alene asked, somewhat hopelessly.

"I don't know, I'm planning to explore some possible places."

This mental preparation prevented her from showing much disappointment when she heard Tomat's reply.

"Even you don't know their situation, which is why you said you can't count on other companions? It seems Rhodes Island's situation is truly unclear."

Elena continued to speculate based on her own understanding, believing that Thomas was now a lone but incredibly strong former member of Rhodes Island.

Although she didn't know what he had been doing before, whether he had used his power to fight against Hai Si or search for Rhodes Island, and the purpose of his appearance at this moment didn't seem to be to find her specifically, the reassuring "comrade" status of Thomas made Eileen not intend to ask too many questions.

"More or less correct." Tomat let Alene continue to interpret Tomat's situation according to her own ideas. "In short, be prepared that 'Rhodes Island is not worth it either.'"

Although what he really meant was "how could Rhodes Island from another world possibly come here to help, so we can't count on it," on the other hand, he also genuinely didn't know whether Rhodes Island in this world still existed, what it was doing, or whether it had the ability to resist the current situation. Tomat was indeed confident that he could easily solve the problem, but whether he could meet Eileen's expectations for Rhodes Island in this world was another matter entirely.

Whether or not Rhodes Island exists will not affect whether he can solve the problem, but it will affect Elena, who has high expectations of him.

Thomas welcomes Elene's hope that her appearance will resolve the problem, but he also doesn't want her to think that Rhodes Island, which was once another refuge for her, still has a chance of survival just because she saw him, so he reminds her to be mentally prepared.

After all, whether Rhodes Island still exists is not something Thomas can decide.

"Yes, I know, maybe they already have..."

Elena was strong enough not to be confused by the other party's blunt words that extinguished her hopes; she knew why Thomas had spoken so cruelly.