People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

“Your Excellency, it is a pleasure to meet you. Skadi often mentions you to me. To be honest, not long ago, Skadi and I thought you had already heroically sacrificed yourself in the battle against the newborn.”

Goredia was slightly taken aback, glanced at Skadi subconsciously, and then immediately realized what was happening.

That's not entirely wrong; Skadi's assessment is reasonable. After all, when she herself was stranded on land, didn't she initially believe that the Deepsea Hunters had no other survivors?

However, what she really cared about was the information that Ernst "inadvertently" revealed in his words—he knew about the Newborn, knew that the Deepsea Hunters had launched a campaign against the Newborn, and knew that many of his comrades had sacrificed themselves in that campaign.

Skadi told him quite a bit. Looks like we'll have to give the Deepsea Hunters another lesson on secrecy in the future.

Thinking of this, her heart tightened, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

She subconsciously assumed the role of the captain. Right now, where are there enough deep-sea hunters to keep up with her lessons?

Perhaps, in Agor's territory, the Deep Sea Hunter organization has already been abolished, and these hunters have already been given a cenotaph and a grand funeral?

Admittedly, she didn't regret the outcome. After all, the newborn had already been killed, and the Deep Sea Hunters' duty had been fulfilled. Even in death, they had no regrets. Not to mention, their survival was already an unexpected miracle.

She believed in Agor's moral standards; as long as they could return to Agor, they would still be treated like heroes, and there would be no tragic scenario of "the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked."

Therefore, the most urgent task is to unite the people on the ground to find a way back home. And the person worth uniting with is the young man in front of us.

“This is a misunderstanding,” she explained. “I’m perfectly fine.”

She wasn't telling the truth; her condition wasn't actually that good. Aside from the obvious problem of severe dehydration, the scales on her neck, hidden by her high collar, were a constant reminder that her body was undergoing a strange change.

In the past, once discovered, this mutation was enough to lead to arrest, execution, and being left to dry on the rocks—the transformation of marine life!

But since she was speaking to future allies, Gladys represented Agor, the exiled senior Agor officials, and all the surviving Deepsea Hunters. As the captain, she naturally had to be assertive and not expose her weaknesses!

However, Ernst was different from the members of the Deep Sea Church she had dealt with before. He first nodded, expressing his joy at the news of Greta's good health, and then asked in return:

"Since Your Excellency is lucid and in good health, if I may be so bold, as the captain of the Deep Sea Hunters, you should be able to identify which hunter this weapon belongs to, right?"

As Ernst spoke, he took out his terminal, opened the photo album, flipped out the photo of the spear, and placed it in front of Goredia.

His tone was sincere, his smile kind, and his eyes earnest, as if he were genuinely asking a serious question:

"Well, Your Excellency, do you recall me?"

A slightly embarrassed smile crept onto Goredia's usually aloof face.

Weapons? What weapons? What other weapons could they be?

Of course, it's the weapon that was thrown from 800 miles away when Ernst was assassinated some time ago!

There was no need for Greta to look at the photo on Ernst's terminal. If others couldn't recognize that weapon, how could she not be familiar with it?

That's her!

At the time, she didn't take the people on the ground seriously at all. In addition, the Deep Sea Church offered a deal: in exchange for the whereabouts of a Deep Sea Hunter, she would do something. So she agreed.

She controlled the force of that spear thrust; Skadi could have blocked it if she reacted quickly enough. And once Ernst's magical shield was activated, even Graceia would be helpless against it.

But regardless of the circumstances, it's gone now. Whether it was a successful assassination attempt or not, it was still an assassination attempt.

It would have been better if people hadn't brought it up, but the moment they did, Goredia knew she was in trouble! It seemed her plan to get something for nothing was doomed!

Is it okay if we don't recognize it?

After thinking about it, Goredia realized that it was indeed possible.

After all, while she is indeed the captain of the Deepsea Hunters, theoretically she should know about the hunters' weapons. But that's just theory; no one is obligated to know, right?

However, before she could even utter a word of refusal, Laurentina, standing nearby, curiously "reminded" her:

"This long spear, Captain, is that your weapon?"

"shark"

Goredia glanced helplessly at her teammates standing next to Ernst.

Laurentina blinked and gave her an innocent look.

She did it on purpose.

Goredia saw through it immediately. She was one of her own teammates, someone she'd been through thick and thin with so many times; she couldn't possibly miss such a little trick.

This betrayal is truly disheartening. Even if Skadi had spoken up, it would have been better than you asking.

No, that's not right.

Graceia glanced at Ernst without making a sound, then at Skadi.

Skadi probably already told Ernst about this weapon. She even told him about the Deepsea Hunters and the Newborn Battle; would she really keep something like this a secret?

He had momentarily lost his composure, but thankfully Laurentina reminded him that if he had really lied just now, then today's negotiations would have been over!

Ernst is a man of many talents. He can organize a summit of nations, attract the attention of countries on land, and be famous throughout Terra. He is certainly not an ordinary person. His questions just now were obviously rhetorical and were a test for her.

If she were to choose to lie at this moment, in the eyes of someone like Ernst, she would be inherently insincere. Her first impression on him was already that of an assassin, which was already quite poor; if she were to further demonstrate her dishonesty, wouldn't she truly become an "uninvited guest"?

It's a bit dangerous; he might just smash the cup as a signal, and all three hundred land-dwelling people would come out at once!

Having made up her mind, Greta nodded, both to Ernst and to Laurentina.

"I know, this is my weapon."

"It's actually yours?" Ernst's face showed surprise, and there was no sign of him faking it.

What defines a veteran actor? This is a veteran actor!

"Then could it be you..."

"To be honest, this weapon was lost after that great battle, and I've been searching for it ever since. I suspect it fell into the hands of the Deep Sea Church. May I ask where you found it?"

"Greedyne said. Ernst raised an eyebrow and smiled:

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing. Since it was the Church of the Deep Sea that stole it, this matter naturally has nothing to do with Your Excellency the Governor. Let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it."

Sensing that Ernst meant "to let bygones be bygones," Gladys smiled in response.

"You can call me Gretia directly."

"Well, Ms. Grace, I wonder if you've found anything from your investigation?"

Ernst rubbed his hands together.

"To be honest, Iberia, the country we are currently in, is also deeply troubled by the Deep Sea Church. Even now, with the anti-terrorism forces from all over Terra working together to crack down on these stubborn Deep Sea cultists, the results are not very satisfactory!"

"Since you are a Deepsea Hunter and a captain-level figure, your understanding of the Deepsea Cult must be far deeper than ours. Do you know any of the Deepsea Cult's secrets that you might be willing to share with us?"

Certificate of application?

Gladys was a smart woman and immediately understood Ernst's intention.

He wasn't ignoring the assassination attempt, but now wasn't the time to discuss it. Since you, Goddess, had taken the initiative to appear before me seeking cooperation, you'd better get past this hurdle first.

The threshold is also very simple: prove that you are not a follower of the Deep Sea religion.

Ernst didn't trust Skadi's "Agor's method of identification," which involved dancing and singing. Who knew if their interpretation of dancing and singing was the same as their understanding as land dwellers? What if their dancing involved casting spells, and their singing was equivalent to a banshee's shriek?

Therefore, Ernst had his own method.

It's very simple, just show your loyalty.

This tactic was simple and easy to understand, and it also reminded Goredia that she was right; she knew that Goredia had once attempted to assassinate her.

Grandia also knows that Ernst knows she assassinated him, but the two can now tacitly cooperate, provided that you reveal the location of the Deep Sea Church members you are cooperating with, as well as all the information you know about the Deep Sea Church, so that the counter-terrorism forces can carry out a major operation!

What could Gladys say? This request did her no harm whatsoever. The other party's caution was also understandable.

Rather, the fact that the other party didn't seize on this matter to exploit her for things like Agor technology, but instead put her in charge of dealing with the Deep Sea Church, was already enough to surprise and impress her.

Unless she is a true member of the Deep Sea Cult, she has no reason to refuse!

Goredia nodded: "I'll take you there."

She had long disliked the Deep Sea Church!

She absolutely had to be this traitor!

Heavenly soldiers, please come this way~

Chapter 737 Deep Sea Church: We're in big trouble!

The Church of the Deep Sea, Iberia Headquarters.

"By the way, when did we get a headquarters?"

Patting the dust off the chair, Aurus sat down with a hint of helplessness. His smile seemed no different from usual, but upon closer inspection, the weariness in his eyes betrayed his true condition.

Amaya arrived earlier, and when faced with Aurus's teasing question, she rolled her eyes and replied nonchalantly:

"Is it possible that this is the only base we have left?"

Aulus didn't speak, not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't say it.

The current situation certainly doesn't sound like a joke.

Cicero, who had just entered the room, tapped his cane on the ground and frowned slightly.

"Has the situation gotten that bad?"

Amaya sighed, and even though it wasn't hot inside, she still took off her small round hat and fanned herself.

"It's more than just bad, Cicero. Look at how many of our colleagues are absent from today's meeting!"

Cicero glanced around the room, somewhat surprised:

"What do you mean? I thought they were just like before, too lazy to attend these boring meetings."

"Then why did you come?" Aurus chuckled. "Don't you usually never attend our get-togethers? Cicero, you're always busy with your experiments, have you made any progress?"

"Yes," Cicero glanced at Aurus, tightened his robes, seemingly unwilling to say more about the matter, and answered with just one word before falling silent.

Amaya shook her head and said:

"This time is different from before. They can't come."

"Of the Deep Sea Church's branches on land, this is the only remaining stronghold, and it's uncertain how long this one can remain hidden. As for the bishop..."

She raised her hand, pointed to Cicero, then to Aulus, and finally to herself:

"It's just the three of us. Even if there are other survivors, there won't be more than five."

This is what a devastating blow looks like.

The Deep Sea Church was once so vibrant and full of life, and now it is so desolate and tragic.

Amaya's figures were even conservative; in her own judgment, she felt that apart from the three people gathered here, there were no other survivors outside.

This wasn't just something she made up. Before convening this emergency meeting, she had also visited the territories of several other bishops, and the situation was far from peaceful; in fact, it was completely transformed!

The Deep Sea Cultists, those who resisted, were bombarded to death. Those who hid were found and bombarded to death. Those who tried to disguise themselves as law-abiding citizens, even if their disguises were flawless, were easily identified by the foreign soldiers who seemed to know everything, simply pointing at the list and deceiving them.

Amaya wanted to say it was indiscriminate slaughter, but the enemy's accuracy was terrifyingly high. Once an area was sealed off, 99% of those killed were Deep Sea Cultists! The remaining 1% was a tolerable margin of error.

Moreover, calling it an error isn't entirely accurate. Among that one percent, many were friends, wives, and husbands of the Deep Sea Cultists. They might genuinely be completely unaware of everything, including the true identities of the people they lived with day and night. So when the Tribunal obtained the list from the Full-Power Shapeshifters and Goredia and began arresting people, they desperately tried to stop it.

The counter-terrorism forces and the tribunal won't tolerate them. One warning, two forced dispersals, and if you still insist on coming back a third time, fine, the tribunal is militaristic and has plenty of ammunition!

Besides, when it comes to hand cannons, whether you kill one person or two, there's really no difference, is there?

Besides, they're all considered benevolent. You'd better pray you don't run into those roaming Sarkaz. They're the real demons!

Oh, they were originally called the Demon Race.

Those Sarkaz were extremely cruel, with a silver-haired, red-horned bomb maniac being the most notorious. It was said that wherever she went, that place would never experience darkness that night! Not because she brought light like the sun, but because she detonated so many bombs, creating such a blinding spectacle!

Amaya considered herself a well-informed follower of the Deep Sea. Before the anti-terrorism base was chosen to be located in Granfalo, she infiltrated there and was even called a "prophet" by the locals! It was precisely because she was so knowledgeable that she was disappointed with the social systems of Iberia and Terra, and thus longed for a system like that of the "Legion".

To paraphrase Ernst's eight-point theory, this husband is a know-it-all. What public intellectuals love to boast about most is fabricating stories of having seen countless scenes! But this is a scene she wouldn't even dare to claim she'd ever seen!

Is the courtroom planning a complete and utter fight to the death?

Upon realizing this situation, she immediately decided to convene this emergency meeting.

But as it turned out, it was obviously too late for her to come to her senses.

Perhaps feeling that her expression wasn't clear enough, and not enough to raise the suspicion of her remaining two colleagues, Amaya added:

"Even Quintus didn't come."

Cicero and Aurus's expressions immediately turned serious.

Quintus didn't come either. That idiot who loves to join in the fun, always contradicts everyone at meetings, has no idea what he's thinking, and always thinks he's an indispensable part of the Deep Sea Church, a leading traditionalist, and enjoys pointing fingers at everyone—he didn't come at all!

This is a really big deal!