Saiyan stowaways on the Ark

If I don't eat it, I feel really bad because after receiving such a great favor from them, this is the only request they've made.

"If... I start turning into sea creatures again after I finish eating, please help me deal with it again."

Ultimately, the first to make the decision was Elena, whose lips twitched as she forced out an ugly, bitter smile.

In her opinion, if Thomas really wanted her to do something harmful to her body, he wouldn't have saved her in the first place. In addition, she had witnessed Thomas's methods of eliminating the sea creatures. Even though Eline was physically and mentally resistant to the fish meat, she still forced herself to accept this unreasonable request for someone with a normal life.

However, this statement also made Carmen realize that the Elene in front of her was not as she appeared, having survived the transformation of the sea all along. She had also gone through the process and was cured by Thomas using some means.

But before Carmen could ask Tomat what he had done to remove the sea creature's transformation, his attention was drawn to Elene, who was pinching her nose and biting the terrifying fish—her resistance was a hundred times stronger than the expressions he had seen when the Inquisitors trained new recruits.

"You really intend to eat this? It's a terrifying fish..."

Carmen tried to stop her, but Alene had already begun chewing the still-warm fish meat with a pained expression.

Judging from appearance, the meat did not seem too difficult to bite through. It seemed that Elena could separate it with her teeth and lips and let it slide into her mouth, while the oil on its surface stuck to the corners of her mouth and slid down slightly.

The judge eating the terror fish—even if Iberia no longer exists, Carmen subconsciously felt that this behavior could no longer be judged as deviant.

Alene continued chewing with a pained expression, then swallowed a mouthful as if it were shards of glass, finally swallowing her first bite of the terrifying fish.

"Hmm, I've heard that the flesh of the Terrorfish is sour and smelly, and even Victoria's military rations taste better. Have you felt anything strange about your body?"

Even saints who lived for over a hundred years never tried to eat the terror fish, and all their knowledge of it was based on hearsay or records from members of the Deep Sea Church.

Carmen looked worriedly at Elena, who was still keeping her eyes closed. Elena loosened her nose, let out a long breath, and moved her mouth a few times, seemingly using her tongue to clean the lingering taste from her mouth.

But after Elena smacked her lips a few times, her pained expression gradually eased, and she revealed obvious confusion—or rather, disbelief.

She opened her eyes, looked at the grilled tarantula in her hand, examined it a few times, and then, with a half-believing expression, took another bite. This time, she chewed it more carefully, then swallowed it normally. She then turned to Carmen and said with a surprised tone:

"Hmm... sir, this tastes pretty good?"

"What? No, this is still the flesh of a terror fish. I should have stopped you when you were eating it..."

Seeing Elene's reaction, Carmen still found it hard to accept. After all, centuries of common sense had taught him that the Terrorfish was an evil creature that should never be swallowed. He had only hesitated to stop Elene because of Tomat's presence.

"Anyway, let's stop eating for now. It's one thing for you to help us, but doing something risky like this is another. There should be a few normal edible plants nearby. I'll go find one to use as a substitute for food—hmm!?"

Before Carmen could finish speaking, Tomat shoved a skewer of tarantula directly into Carmen's mouth, then pulled out the skewer, leaving only the meat in his mouth. Finally, he covered Carmen's mouth, preventing him from vomiting. Carmen could only chew a few times and swallow it subconsciously. The action was so fast that Carmen was completely unaware of what was happening.

"Hmm!? Glug—"

"See? I wasn't lying to you."

"call--"

After this series of actions, Elena put down the terrifying fish in her hand, unsure of what to say.

After all, this was the first time she had ever seen someone so disrespectful to a saint, or rather, "so easily put a saint on the defensive."

Carmen, panting, didn't say anything else.

It tastes good, but it makes me uneasy.

It's not just about the risks of marine evolution, but also about the unease that the rules they've always adhered to are being broken.

Forcing herself to eat something blasphemous that would lead to the destruction of her homeland should have enraged Carmen—but she was no match for the other party and understood that such a struggle was pointless.

At that moment, Tomat spoke up:

"Don't worry, it's all been treated with gas. Don't worry about the principles; it's complicated to explain. In short, these things have become 'edible meat.' Isn't that enough?"

As he spoke, he unceremoniously tore open the body of another dinosaur and held it directly into the fire to roast it.

"Anyway, thanks to certain people, you can't even explain where the Terrorfish or other monsters came from. You can't even explain the technology or power you use every day. Whether it's technological products or Originium Arts, there are many things you can't explain. Not to mention what kind of world you live in and what the situation is like outside the world. So why should you care about my questions?"

Many things on Terra do not come from the hands of any of the tribes. People do not know where they come from, they only know that they can be used, but this does not prevent them from being integrated into all aspects of life.

Too many things cannot be investigated thoroughly because no one can provide a correct explanation, and the few who know all this will not speak frankly about what they know.

From this perspective, the person "Tomat" is no different from those technologies or things on Terra whose origins are difficult to explain, but which can meet people's needs.

Thomas tried to make the two understand that, in the current situation, the importance of "the problem being solved" far outweighed "figured out how the problem was solved."

Just like in a situation where resources are scarce, getting an edible dinosaur is a far greater priority than figuring out why the dinosaur is edible.

"Moreover, speaking objectively, isn't it enough to 'eat one's mortal enemy as food,' to satisfy one's cravings and have a good meal, to serve as a 'beginning'?"

"The beginning? The beginning of what?"

Carmen countered with a question.

The treatment of marine parasites and the edible transformation of the dinosaurs are remarkable advancements for this terrible world.

But according to Tomat, this was just the beginning.

"Your Excellency... have you figured out what to do next?"

Thomas spoke in a matter-of-fact tone, staring at the flames while turning his hand back and forth inside:

"Of course, it's the beginning of turning this damn world of riddles upside down."

Before the tarantula was even cooked, Tomat had already pulled it back to his mouth and started biting into it. After finishing it in no time, he shook his hand to wipe away the oil stains, and then suddenly grabbed the shoulders of the two men.

"Alright, it's time to go."

The next moment, the three figures disappeared off the coast of Iberia.

[Event] Fool's Past: Ten Reunions, but Not Complete Reunions

The massive fortress was enveloped by a hemispherical shield, bathed in the ceaseless gray-yellow rain, which delineated a patch of untouched land.

Tens of thousands of people gathered here, but compared to even ordinary relocated plots of land in the past, the number of people was not large.

Perhaps there are other survivors in other corners of the world, but due to the communication disruptions caused by the Great Silence, they are unable to even send the message that there is a shelter here to the outside world. And the people who were almost chased here by endless terror fish have no time to explore the outside world rashly.

This final sanctuary, built with lost technology and at Kal'tsit's request from the Beast Lord, has done its utmost to accommodate the fleeing civilians—as well as the remaining stragglers who still have the strength to fight the Sea King.

When it was no longer able to accommodate more people, Kal'tsit was forced to close the city gates, preventing anyone else who found the place from entering.

At first, they would gather in front of the city gate and barely survive in the open air, relying on the shelter of the city wall. But after the rain began, those who could not enter the city and were isolated by the protective barrier disappeared.

They vanished overnight, and all the people living inside saw were solemn-faced warriors who went outside the city before dawn and returned, battered and bruised, after fierce fighting.

Everyone in the city knew what had happened, but no one wanted to talk about it.

"There haven't been any new groups of refugees in sight for several months..."

Amiya, gazing into the distance from the city wall, had grown considerably taller. Compared to the petite CEO, she now looked more like a grown woman capable of shouldering greater responsibilities. Yet, her expression, often tinged with sadness yet feigning strength, seemed unchanged.

Amiya wasn't sure if the current situation was good or bad; she could only hope that others had found a more suitable place to live, thus avoiding the disaster.

"The light reflected in the Netherworld is getting closer and closer to here..."

The deep blue of the horizon was the only color in this dim world, but the gradual and writhing blue only made people feel ominous and dangerous.

Amiya's gaze shifted from the distance to the dimly lit fortress.

Even with the support of unknown technologies, this place is already operating at its limit.

Under harsh conditions and with no resupply available, medical supplies, food resources, drinking water, and energy supplies, which rely on these technologies to almost "create out of thin air," can only barely meet the needs. After the protective shield was activated, the residents' available energy was also greatly reduced, which is why such a gloomy scene appeared.

Even though it's a secluded corner of the world, it's far from being a paradise.

Amiya didn't know when this place, built with unknown technology, would collapse—whether it would disintegrate on its own before then, or be torn apart by the approaching waves of the terror fish.

After all, the technology that Kal'tsit obtained, while groundbreaking in a peaceful era, is far from sufficient to solve the difficulties they face in the present.

But before that moment arrives, Amiya doesn't want to show any signs of dejection in front of everyone, because the will to survive and the pain and sorrow of everyone who lives here and every life lost in the disaster are the driving force that keeps her facing reality.

"Time to go on patrol."

Even with the protective shield isolating her from external pollution, patrolling for security is still her job. Amiya composed herself and walked down the steps of the city wall.

"Shh."

Just then, Amiya's ears twitched slightly at the slightest sound.

In a silent environment, any sound is extremely clear, not to mention the exceptional hearing ability of the Catus race.

But this is unusual, since even when the rain stops, people only occasionally shout loudly, or you can only hear some noise if you are very close.

Amiya clearly sensed that the voice came from a spot on the city wall a little further away—it seemed to be where she had been standing before, several meters away from the current steps.

In this environment, at this distance, how could there possibly be any sound?

As if to prove that what she heard was merely an illusion caused by excessive fatigue, Amiya turned her head away with a flat expression.

But the next moment her expression froze completely.

She had previously confirmed that there was no one other than herself on the city walls in this area, and there was no need to even place guards to keep watch. Everything was monitored by sensors inside the city walls, and only on rare occasions would someone come here to see what was happening outside.

So—who are these people?

A strange man.

A Liboli man who appears to be somewhat old.

There was also a gray-haired Liberian girl dressed in a strange orange outfit, whose face looked somewhat familiar but whose identity was hard to pinpoint.

"Hmm? Isn't this Amiya? I didn't expect that the strongest aura around here is yours."

The unfamiliar man called out Amiya's name, greeting her as if they were old acquaintances.

The other two remained rooted to the spot, swaying slightly after a few seconds, as if they had lost their footing and stumbled.

"What...what is this?"

The two were still in awe of the sight before them.

One second they were in ruins near the Iberian coastline.

The next second, they arrived in a well-developed city that seemed completely unaffected by the apocalypse.

Even standing on the city wall, one could sense that this was not a large residential area, yet it still gave them a long-lost feeling of the environment of the "civilized world".

"What...what happened? Where is this? How did we get here!?"

"You! How did you get here!?"

Amiya and the two Iberians said similar things at almost the same time, except that the former also made a wary gesture, because that was her duty.

But while both sides were questioning each other, Tomat, caught in the middle, simply uttered four words.

"Instant teleportation".