About to Leave / Setting Out

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Skadi looked at Laurentina, who was secretly amused, with some confusion, feeling that the atmosphere was a bit strange.

"No, no, it's just that we're now completely in the same boat..." Laurentina replied with a smile.

"No matter what, as long as you follow Bai Ye, there won't be any problems." Skadi nodded.

"Hey, you might be the most invincible one from a certain perspective." Laurentina shook her head.

While chatting, the four restarted the aircraft.

Gladiia sat in the chair with her eyes closed, resting, but her legs couldn't help but cross together again, as if something was about to leak out.

Bai Ye then inquired about the whereabouts of the young judge, Eirene.

"The Inquisition arrived first, and they took that scum from the Abyssal Church back with them. Cicero was no longer of any use to us, so we handed him over."

Laurentina looked away from Gladiia and then answered. She couldn't help but look at her captain; she had never seen her captain like this before. Although she had expected this day to come, she hadn't expected it to come so quickly and suddenly.

The sullen nun couldn't help but have some lewd thoughts pop into her head.

Skadi, standing nearby, asked another question:

"Bai Ye, my captain, can he still be trusted?"

This was a thought that had been lingering in Skadi's mind ever since she saw Ulpian again. On one hand, he was indeed her captain, but compared to him, Bai Ye clearly held a higher place in her heart. She wanted to hear Bai Ye's perspective.

Bai Ye piloted the aircraft back to the Eye of Iberia, he replied:

"I can only confirm that he is not corrupt, but I am not sure if his ideas are consistent with ours."

At that moment, Gladiia, who was sitting in the back, suddenly spoke up:

"I will persuade Ulpian to stay ashore. We will be the ones to return to the deep sea."

"He's been deep inside, after all. Do we need his directions?" Laurentina was startled by the captain's sudden question from behind.

Gladiia shook her head and pointed at Bai Ye, saying:

"Those who understand the sea best are not us, but the Swarm, and now, we have the Bai Ye."

"Ishar-mla is still somewhat useful..." Bai Ye chuckled self-deprecatingly.

This guy is a complete the Firstborn, not even able to effectively control advanced Seaborn, but at least he can lead the way...

Chapter 167 Leaving

(Nanxi and I signed a pledge to continue our perfect attendance record in May, or we'll get punched to death again.)

For Gladiia, Ulpian's absence was actually a good opportunity.

Taking advantage of the fact that the aircraft were all genuine "one of their own," Gladiia told Skadi and Laurentina about the letters and documents she had found in the laboratory.

"Sargos has been corrupted, and no one knows how long the tentacles of those scum from the Abyssal Church have reached or where they have extended to. Therefore, theoretically speaking, apart from the four of us, no one can be trusted," Gladiia concluded.

"As expected, it has turned out this way... When I first found you, all of Bai Ye's predictions and estimates came true..." Laurentina said quietly.

Gladiia nodded:

"Yes, now we should wake up completely."

The deep sea gives people many illusions: confusion, blindness, sensitivity, delusion, caution, and paranoia... However, at this moment, the Abyssal Hunter, at least the three surrounding Bai Ye, have all abandoned their illusions.

"It seems we need to rethink the mission of the Abyssal Hunter: for whom are we fighting, and do we still need to surround Sargos?" Laurentina said quietly.

"In the past, I did it for revenge. The monsters of the Seaborn tore my family apart, and my sister and mother died in front of me. But Sargos deceived me. They were mutated Abyssal Hunter, and I became one of them..." Skadi said softly.

Laurentina leaned back in the cockpit seat and whispered:

"Originally, I wanted to be a sculptor; even my teachers said I had talent. When I was very young, there was a huge, snow-white sculpture in my city. I never even saw it crumble. Soon, we moved to another city. But that statue always lingered in my mind; I never forgot what it looked like. My reason for becoming a hunter was simple: I just didn't want to see these beautiful things swallowed up by monsters, nothing more."

She paused, then continued:

"However, I have found something better now, and I will never allow myself to lose it again. So I will protect it with my life."

As she spoke, her gaze was fixed entirely on Bai Ye.

Obviously, it doesn't take much thought to understand what she was saying.

Gladiia was the last to speak. She didn't say much, only softly saying:

"I was pulled up from the abyss, and I have found what I have been looking for all along."

She paused, then added:

"The only thing I want to do now is... revenge."

Yes, revenge. This is the purest emotion, pure hatred for the Abyssal Church, not because of any constraints of identity, a thirst for honor, or any other messy distractions.

These are no longer needed, and those longed-for voids have been filled on land without anyone noticing.

Bai Ye snapped his fingers:

"It seems we share the same goal."

"So the original plan remains unchanged, with the four of us going deep into the sea?" Laurentina asked.

Bai Ye shook his head:

"Good strategy, but I need to make some modifications..."

For example, knowing that the bishops of the Abyssal Church would set a trap for Skadi in Sargos, the city closest to the coastline, Bai Ye could have easily turned the tables and used elite Players as bait to attack the Abyssal Church in the city, diverting their attention and allowing Bai Ye and his companions to enter the Deep Sea smoothly.

"Should I come along?" Skadi suddenly asked. "They probably don't know yet that the real Ishar-mla is inside you. I am no longer Ishar-mla's vessel."

This is no exaggeration. All those who knew this secret are either dead or arrested by the Inquisition, suffering a fate worse than death. The sole person who first spoke of Bai Ye's secret has promised to keep it a secret for Bai Ye.

Even now, the deep-sea bishops are still unaware of Skadi's transformation, a fact confirmed by Cicero's letters.

Skadi's suggestion did make a lot of sense, but Bai Ye shook his head without hesitation:

"It's safer for you to stay with me. After all, if you leave me, the Swarm of Terrorfish and Seaborn will go out of control. Although our journey is deep and seems dangerous, with me here, there will be no fatal risks."

Skadi stopped arguing.

Gladiia then raised a new question:

"Once we enter the deep sea, our connection with the land will be completely severed, and we don't know how far the Eye of Iberia can extend its communication range."

"It's not a complete break. Luna and I can still stay in touch." Bai Ye pointed to his brain.

With the establishment of the teleportation anchor point in the real universe, Luna's authority over this land has increased significantly. Through the game system, she can communicate directly with Bai Ye. Bai Ye, in turn, can learn about the latest developments and situations on the land through the Players forums—in real time.

"What an omnipotent goddess... Can she hear the prayers of her followers even from such a great distance?" Laurentina couldn't help but exclaim.

In the information age, a super artificial intelligence like Luna is an omnipotent deity, not to mention she has even become the embodiment of Humanity's Reason. With such an elevation, she will lead humanity to glory.

During the discussion, the group returned to the Eye of Iberia.

At that moment, the main force of the Inquisition had just arrived. They had spent some time clearing out the fleeing Terrorfish on the way, so they arrived a little later than the agreed time.

Bai Ye and the others arrived at the same time.

However, the junior judge Eirene and her spoils were the first to return. Cicero was handed over directly to Saint Carmen, while Eirene remained at the Eye of Iberia.

Aria and Ulpian, who had been keeping watch in the lighthouse's main control room, had located the large ship Fool's Ship. After considering their options, they sent a signal, but there was no response.

"We should get going." Bai Ye started packing his things, then downed a bottle of potion to restore his mental energy.

Bai Ye put the glass bottle back into his inventory and drafted a detailed plan on his terminal. He needed to make arrangements for the Players before leaving.

Meanwhile, Gladiia began communicating with Ulpian and the Inquisition to finalize the plan for the feint attack. She also needed to persuade Ulpian to stay on land.

Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Chapter 168 Departure

(There seem to be more people catching colds lately, so please be careful and take care of yourselves.)

After the "Eye of Iberia" was recaptured, Iberia's communication system began to be restored, with it as the center.

Bai Ye quickly re-established contact with Kal'tsit and the others.

"After the handover is complete, we'll be ready to depart," Bai Ye said, sending the plan he had just drafted to Kal'tsit.

"The joint command to resist the Abyssal Church has been set up in Gran Faro, the town closest to the Eye of Iberia," Kal'tsit informed Bai Ye of the town's situation.

"Other countries in the core circle will gradually provide us with reinforcements. However, each country has different circumstances and concerns. Therefore, it may be more material assistance rather than sending military forces in an organized manner."

"Command of the joint defense line has been handed over to Saint Carmen. He will be the supreme commander, and he will issue orders for all military forces, the deployment of the undead, and the allocation of supplies."

Bai Ye understood that Carmen was still in charge in Iberia, and the Inquisition remained the backbone of the defense.

"Please arrange the immortals according to my plan, and make the most of their abilities to buy us enough time."

The Abyssal Church deceived the Swarm by making the Swarm believe that Ishar-mla was still on land, so the Swarm's attacks on land would not stop until Ishar-mla was found.

"We will lead the Swarm to land, but the key to solving the problem lies in the deep sea. Our fate is entirely in your hands."

Although it did sound like a very serious crisis, Kal'tsit didn't feel too anxious. After all, this was Bai Ye, someone she could always trust.

Or rather, at least for now, Terra's fate depends on him and the undead.

After ending communication with Kal'tsit and learning about the situation on shore, Bai Ye stepped out of the "Eye of Iberia." The dock on this small reef had been urgently expanded, and the Inquisition's ships were already docked and waiting.

When Gladiia saw Bai Ye emerge from the lighthouse, she waved to Skadi and Laurentina, and the three Abyssal Hunter came to greet them.

"Let me start with my side. The plan remains unchanged. We'll handle things on land with Iberia, and we'll take care of things at sea." Bai Ye opened the soundproof barrier after they approached.

"I've already spoken to Ulpian, and he'll stay ashore. But given his personality, I'm afraid he'll participate in the operation to suppress the Abyssal Church later." The conversation between Gladiia and Ulpian was clearly going very smoothly.

"Then, let's set off." Bai Ye removed the barrier and then arrived at the small dock.

Here, a high-speed warship of the Inquisition awaits them.

Grand Inquisitor Dario and her students were already standing aside; clearly, as representatives of the Inquisition, they were also to participate in this operation.

"According to the plan, we will set off first, determine the location of the large ship based on the data received from the Eye of Iberia, and recapture it after boarding. Afterwards, we will wait in place for the main force to follow up, and together we will penetrate deep into the ambush site of the Abyssal Church."

"After you launch your surprise attack on the Abyssal Church, we will leave the ship and venture deep into the ocean."

Bai Ye informed Dario of the plan.

After listening, the Grand Inquisitor pondered for a moment and then nodded:

"I have no objection."

"Let's set off then." Bai Ye wasted no time. He was the first to board the high-speed ship, followed closely by the Abyssal Hunter, and Dario and Eirene also followed.

"Is the little judge coming with us too?" Bai Ye Eirene asked with a smile.

"Of course!" Eirene replied seriously, "It's my duty."

"Eirene, you stay," Dario suddenly said.

"Eh? Teacher... Commander?" Eirene was clearly not expecting Dario to suddenly say that.

"You, stay here." Dario said, enunciating each word clearly and with an unquestionable tone.

He paused, then offered a further explanation:

"The Eye of Iberia is equally important; we need it to guide us back to the coastline. Therefore, you need to guard this place as the judge."

With that, Dario handed his scroll to Eirene.

Eirene reached out and took the scroll her teacher handed her, but didn't look at it. The girl was silent for a moment, then answered firmly:

"Yes, sir, I guarantee I will complete the mission."

Dario nodded slightly, satisfied with Eirene's attitude.

He then followed the others onto the deck of the high-speed ship.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of your teacher." Bai Ye waved to Eirene. Bai Ye's words seemed to have a special magic, gradually calming down the little judge's initially uneasy mood.

Let's go.

Under the guidance of an old Punishment Force sailor, Gladiia has become familiar with how to use this incredibly "primitive and rudimentary" means of transportation on the water, and now she can skillfully pilot the ship.