Ark Simulator, Aren't I Supposed to Be Incorporeal?

Volume 6, Chapter 384: This is not redemption

"In that case, let's continue our journey."

Gladiia glanced at the fleet situation provided by Su Rui. Just as planned, Aegir's fleet was only taking a short break and was ready to resume operations at any time.

Su Rui's return allowed Gladiia to resume her arrangements. "Alright, next, let's move on to the location of the next city block."

After several hours of silence, the fleet resumed its voyage, heading towards the city block that Su Rui had previously marked, which had only one year left to exist.

The initial decision to rescue the most distant city was to use the fastest route to reach the most severely affected city. Once the problem in that city was resolved, the situation in the other cities would be relatively less serious.

Xikunda looked at the intelligence displayed on the large screen on the bridge and couldn't help but feel curious:

"Even if the cycle can't be maintained, a year is not a short time. Governor Gladiia, you seem a bit nervous about this city. Do you know anyone there?"

"No, a year is indeed a long time for rescue, but the people inside the city don't know there will be rescue, and they might take some irrational actions. Therefore, the people inside the city probably can't really manage for a whole year."

Gladiia paused for a moment. "However, it shouldn't be that we can't wait even a few days. Relatively speaking, we still have plenty of time."

Xikunda nodded, not pressing for further questions, and waited for the fleet to arrive before commencing operations.

Gladiia found a tablet and used it to communicate discreetly with Su Rui by typing:

"How are you feeling? Are Skadi and Laurentina really asleep?"

Perhaps because communicating via tablet is more discreet and relaxing, Gladiia's words inevitably took on a touch of... flippancy and cheerfulness?

"Of course they're asleep. Or should I show you the photos?"

As Su Rui spoke, before Gladiia could answer, she directly showed her condition through her goggles. The white-haired, red-eyed Aegir, a handsome young man, wearily opened his eyes and made a V-sign at the camera, surrounded by Skadi and Laurentina.

"You look very tired." Gladiia looked at the screen in front of her, tapped the tablet lightly, and quickly typed these words.

"Hmm, my body is indeed very tired, but my mind is very sharp."

In the scene that Gladiia saw, Su Rui lay back down, closed her eyes, and then shut down the communication interface:

"So I'm communicating with you now outside my physical body; you could say it's like my soul leaving my body."

"Hmm... we've arrived. What's the condition of this plot of land?"

As soon as Gladiia typed those words, Su Rui had already displayed the scanned intelligence on the large screen on the bridge.

Su Rui's voice also rang in Gladiia's ears at the same time:

"Fortunately, this isolated city block doesn't have any Deep Sea Cultists. Of course, it's also possible that the city's residents know they don't have much time left to live and are too lazy to bother with those unnecessary things."

"In some people's eyes, becoming those ocean monsters is a form of salvation."

As Gladiia typed those words, she began arranging for the fleet's operations team to enter that area and made contact with the area's governor, who seemed very excited and pleasantly surprised.

"You've come to rescue us? Thank goodness... But the city's power system has failed, and we only have a year's worth of supplies left. If no one comes soon, we'll have to risk leaving the city to explore... Actually, we've already tried several times, but to no avail."

The governor on the other end of the communication line paused for a moment before asking Gladiia, "While I know it's unwise to ask questions before a thorough diagnosis, I still want to ask... are you able to repair this area? Or are you going to bring us into the fleet?"

At this point, Su Rui would probably say something like, "I'll do anything to survive," or something similar.

Gladiia waited a moment, but instead of hearing Su Rui's voice, she saw the analysis chart appear on the bridge's large screen. Only then did she hear Su Rui's voice:

"Alright, the problem in this city isn't beyond your capabilities; you can answer it now."

Gladiia nodded, looking at the somewhat apprehensive governor before her:

"Don't worry, the situation is as we expected. You can all be escorted back together within the repaired city walls."

The governor on the other side nodded excitedly, Gladiia responded in kind, then typed a teasing message to Su Rui:

"Does Su Rui have a solution to all the problems?"

"Of course!" Like a child whose foot had been accidentally stepped on, Su Rui's disgruntled voice rang in Gladiia's ear:

"Of course I have the ability to solve all problems. Also, I'm not here, which is why you might not be able to solve the problem at hand. Finally, even if we lack tools, I can make suitable tools as long as we have the materials."

However, after a moment of silence, Su Rui added, "If there aren't even any ingredients, then there's nothing I can do. After all, you can't force me to cook a meal without any ingredients."

Su Rui's personality is quite meticulous. Gladiia's lips curled up as she watched the dispatched teams and maintenance teams begin their operations. Some potential dangers were marked by the intelligence provided by Su Rui and then dealt with by the execution team.

The repair team also made good progress thanks to the markings and reminders given by Su Rui.

To show off her abilities, Su Rui even displayed the conversation between the repair crew members directly to Gladiia:

"This... is truly remarkable. What kind of radar or scanner could allow us to know such detailed information about places buried so deep within the city walls, even from outside the city walls?"

"He was like a prophet; he even predicted the difficulties we might encounter and gave us solutions directly."

"If I have the chance, I must meet with the person who provided the information and ask him for some advice."

Su Rui turned off the audio, then said smugly in Gladiia's ear:

"There's no need for a face-to-face meeting. I don't really have much to discuss with them, and it's not appropriate for me to share too many technical details with you. Besides, Aegir is developing quite rapidly these days."

Gladiia nodded. Su Rui's proud demeanor made her want to laugh instead.

Volume 6, Gladiia: It's time to get them to work.

While the task force was carrying out the repair mission, Su Rui and Gladiia didn't have much to do, so they got a little bored.

Gladiia wasn't particularly sensitive to this matter; after all, as the fleet commander, it was perfectly normal for her to keep a close eye on the situation of the teams carrying out the missions at all times.

After a moment of silence, Su Rui suddenly asked, "Speaking of Gladiia, aren't you hungry? It's been over ten hours already, hasn't it?"

"... It's alright." Gladiia tapped the tablet. As an experimental product of comprehensive enhancement, the Abyssal Hunters, although it had quite serious side effects, was indeed far superior to the average Aegir in many aspects.

Including their need for food, Abyssal Hunters can endure longer periods of time; in more mechanical terms, they have longer endurance. Of course, they still need to replenish their energy reserves to make up for any losses afterward.

However, Su Rui's words did remind Gladiia, since she also felt hungry. She hadn't noticed her own hunger because she was too focused on her surroundings, but after Su Rui's reminder, Gladiia realized it.

"Speaking of which, I noticed your fleet has already changed shifts once, gone to eat and rest. Aren't you going to eat anything?"

Gladiia nodded and typed back, "I'll go take a break after this mission is over."

"Okay, I understand. Speaking of which, Aegir's food isn't that much different from what's on the mainland, except that some of the more irresistible foods have been turned into protein paste."

"Only fleets make such modifications for the sake of operational efficiency; most of the time, the residents of Aegir don't mind spending a little more time eating."

Gladiia said this as if she were defending Aegir, or perhaps emphasizing that Aegir's food culture was not so lacking.

"Don't worry, I didn't say anything about the food being monotonous. Even if it is, the variety of food in the Aegir Sea is at least more abundant than Victoria's menu."

Su Rui's voice echoed in Gladiia's mind, and she casually mentioned a country that seemed to have always lived in an era where supplies were cut off.

Gladiia's lips. As she traveled across Terra, she had indeed carefully observed and experienced the customs and cultures of different countries. Victoria's food was certainly a memorable experience.

"I've tried Victoria's food, and their dishes have a unique flavor; at least, they're not particularly unpleasant, although a few dishes are a bit odd occasionally."

"Like Stargazy Pie?"

Su Rui's words startled Gladiia for a moment before she remembered a dish she had once seen:

"... You mean that Stargazer Pie that makes food keep track of time? I've never tried it."

"So even the Aegir find this dish strange? It's clearly a famous dish from Victoria."

"I didn't hear many descriptions or recommendations about Stargazy Pie in Victoria; it's probably only well-known among some enthusiasts."

"Really?" Su Rui ignored Gladiia's denial and instead emphasized something else:

"At least, it's undeniable that Victoria's menu is thin."

Gladiia nodded slightly. Although she didn't know why Su Rui cared so much about this, she also found it interesting because of Su Rui's influence, and:

"At least in the simulation, we can eat a lot of food in Aegir's fleet. Although we made a lot of compromises for efficiency, the variety and taste of the food are quite good for the morale of the soldiers."

Gladiia glanced at the repair team that had completed their repairs and was returning, then got up and walked towards the corridor outside the bridge leading to the dining hall.

Xikunda glanced at Gladiia, who was walking outside, with some surprise, and greeted her:

"Going to rest? I'll stay here and keep watch."

"Okay, please."

Gladiia nodded and went to the restaurant alone. It wasn't shift change time, so the spacious restaurant was empty, without even a chef.

However, Aegir's advanced technology had filled the restaurant with all sorts of cooking machines. Gladiia went to the food counter, operated the machine a few times, selected a few items, and waited a short while before receiving her... breakfast. It was almost midnight.

With no one around, this time Gladiia didn't need Su Rui to ask any questions; she proactively answered any questions Su Rui might have:

"Although Aegir has food-making machines, they are still different from those made by chefs. To cater to different tastes, there are still chefs responsible for preparing food during working hours."

"Okay~ I got it. It's a pity I'm not here. I want to try it too."

"Skadi and the others will be awake soon, so they can take you to eat."

"Hmm, I understand. Also, maybe they'll want to come and join you? Should I bring them with me?"

"..." Gladiia glanced at the numerous missing land parcels that Su Rui was showing through her goggles, which still required assistance, and nodded:

"Now that they've spent the whole night cuddling with you, it's time for them to do something."

Even Gladiia didn't notice the hint of dissatisfaction in her tone as she spoke.

"Great! I'll arrange the ships here. The escort ships can stop briefly and wait for us to board."

Su Rui marked the route of the escorting ships. It would probably take several more hours for the ships to return to the vicinity of Miliarium. However, the return to the fleet after the escort was completed would definitely be much faster, and they would be back in no time.

Gladiia sat upright at the dining table, eating silently. The taste of the food seemed unimportant to her, as she showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever.

However, Su Rui could still notice through her Scanning Vision that Gladiia's mood was fluctuating; she wasn't a machine.

While Gladiia was eating, Skadi and Laurentina woke up one after another on Su Rui's side.

"Oh, you're awake? Hurry up and get dressed, we need to leave."

Su Rui threw Laurentina and Skadi's clothes at them, then sat down in a chair and slowly ate snacks.

"Oh, right, don't eat breakfast, let's eat on the ship."

Volume 6, Chapter 386: Can you help me comb my hair?

"On a ship?" Laurentina tilted her head, putting on her combat uniform as she spoke. "I thought the captain would give us more time to tour the city. To be honest, it's been years since I've been back, and I feel a bit unfamiliar with this place."

Skadi nodded as well, but she was more concerned about breakfast. "Me too... Shall we go get something to eat?"

"Okay, let me comb my hair first," Laurentina said, heading towards the bathroom.

Skadi looked around and then fixed her gaze on Su Rui:

"Su Rui, do you have a comb?"

"Yes, I certainly have daily necessities in stock... Is there anything else?"

Su Rui took out a comb, ready to hand it to Skadi.

But Skadi didn't go to take it; instead, she sat down next to Su Rui, with her back to Su Rui.

Can you help me tie my hair?

"Okay... Actually, I'm quite good at styling other people's hair. What kind of hairstyle do you want? Like before?"

Su Rui fiddled with the comb for a bit. He had combed Vulpisfoglia and Suzuran's hair quite often before, and had gradually become skilled at it.

Skadi thought for a moment, "You decide." Skadi wanted to see what the hairstyle Su Rui had prepared for her would look like, regardless of whether it looked good or not, it was Su Rui's idea.

"Okay... then a high ponytail will do."

Su Rui first combed Skadi's long hair, then tied it up. "Your hair is a bit thick, and simply tying it into a ponytail doesn't seem to suit you. I'll make a slight adjustment."

Besides the ponytail, there were some strands of hair on both sides, which Su Rui braided.

A moment later, Laurentina, who had just emerged from the bathroom, looked at Skadi in surprise as she fiddled with her hair in front of the mirror, and gave a subtle smile.

"Is it because you're in a good mood after coming back here? Why did you suddenly decide to change your hairstyle?"

"Su Rui got it for me." Skadi's tone was as calm as ever, but her undisguised joy was still evident.

After hearing Skadi's words, Su Rui had a premonition that Laurentina would make the same request of him.

Sure enough, just as Su Rui had this premonition, Laurentina's smiling expression changed, and she looked at Su Rui. After noticing the comb Su Rui was playing with in her hand, she immediately realized that Su Rui was not lying.

So Laurentina sat down next to Su Rui and leaned closer to him, saying:

"I didn't expect Su Rui to know these things, then..."