I'll Keep an Eye Out (Continued)

They don't care...

Everyone was immersed in the seemingly endless revelry, everyone was dancing and enjoying the sun and sand.

Logically, this environment should have allowed Amiya to get some rest, but in reality, Amiya only felt very oppressed here...

All that emanated from the surroundings was a feeling of happiness... but it wasn't a normal happiness, like the last embers on ashes, merely burning in its death throes...

This is really...

"Fine..."

A cool, aloof girl with white hair and red eyes walked slowly through the crowd, carrying her red orca plush pillow.

Despite the lively atmosphere around her, she showed little emotional change.

She simply lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long time before slowly raising her head.

"Here... I'm about to die..."

"Um?"

Amiya looked up in confusion, but the girl named Skadi didn't offer any explanation; she simply continued walking through the crowd.

The two quickly left the crowd and walked to the edge of the mobile platform.

Dossoles is not a coastal city, but every year at this time, they come to an inland lake for a grand Water-Swapping Ceremony.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any problems with changing the water in inland lakes.

But Skadi sensed something was wrong.

She smelled it...

The smell of the sea breeze.

Amiya, worried that Skadi might cause trouble due to her personality, stayed close by her side. The two of them walked to the beach at the edge of the city, watching the flowing water at the edge...

Because Dossoles had already approached the inland lake, he lowered his platform to allow it to connect with the lake.

With the push of a button, the water supply inside Dossoles can be replaced on a large scale.

At that time, the water from these inland lakes will flow into Dossoles.

This has been done countless times before; logically speaking, this is just a routine water change...

But...

Skadi paused slightly.

She looked at the water beside her and gently sniffed it.

Although she hadn't been near the sea for a very long time, her experience of living in the ocean since childhood made her realize that the water here already tasted like the ocean.

But the ocean... is never calm.

"So... will they bring the water from here to this city?"

"Um... Miss Skadi, are you referring to the Water-Swapping Ceremony in Dossoles?" Amiya, somewhat puzzled.

But seeing Skadi's slightly lowered eyes, she thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"Yes... Dossoles' Water-Swapping Ceremony will begin after the Summer Grand Prix ends... Why is that?"

"... We should go."

Skadi didn't answer; she simply turned slowly, took the girl's hand, and prepared to lead her away.

As Deep Sea Hunters transformed by Aegir, she should have fulfilled her responsibility to evacuate the local population and fight against the monsters.

But in the time she's spent on land, she's gradually come to understand that sometimes, there's only so much she can do.

Those monsters were not something any single entity could contend with... Even a powerful Deep Sea Hunters like himself would be unable to achieve any results against the tide of those monsters.

Even if she insisted on protecting this place, all she got in return was being devoured by Seaborn.

This city will still fall... Those who have never seen Seaborn will not believe that such a creature exists in this world.

My sacrifice was nothing but a laughable act.

So she chose to leave.

Just like I used to be... I chose to run away...

Skadi remained silent, her slightly reddened eyes showing no emotion.

Right now, she doesn't want to care about anything else; she just wants to protect the companions she can still see... protect... the Doctor...

In the silence, Skadi ignored Amiya's puzzled question and prepared to leave with everyone.

But at that moment, a faint call made her eyes widen.

For the first time, her pupils flickered, and she whirled around, trying to find the source of the figure.

But...

"What's wrong, Miss Skadi?"

Perhaps because Skadi's actions were usually quite subtle, Amiya didn't find Skadi's fickleness problematic at all; she just looked at her with some curiosity.

"... nothing."

Skadi didn't explain anything; she just looked around in surprise, and after a moment, her not-so-bright brain made a decision.

"I'm going to find sharks!"

"A shark? Oh, is it Specter?"

Amiya was stunned for a moment before realizing who Skadi was referring to as the shark.

Operator Specter... Although she doesn't stay conscious for long periods due to various reasons, Skadi and Specter still maintain a very delicate connection and friendship.

Only...

"Why are you looking for Specter now?"

Amiya was puzzled.

But Skadi didn't offer any explanation. She simply looked up at the lake, its waters rising with the moon, her eyes gradually sharpening.

"Hunter..."

Walking on the rocks along the coast, the Doll watched the strange girl walk away, then turned its head and stared at Maria without blinking.

"Your offspring?"

"I'm wondering the same thing, about the Doll."

Maria turned her head, her scarlet eyes narrowing slightly, returning to a calm gray.

She was also puzzled.

White hair... red eyes... and the faint pulsation of blood within the other person's body.

To be honest, at first glance, seeing the two together might lead one to mistakenly believe they are related by blood.

But... a little thought reveals that the other party could absolutely not be Maria's offspring.

Even if Maria wanted to define the other party as her own family, she couldn't.

Because blood doesn't lie.

This girl was indeed not her relative.

"I think I've probably left too many traces in this world..."

Maria lowered her eyes a few times before slowly regaining her senses.

The events in Texas had already made her realize that her simulations could influence the present era, meaning that the other party might very well have some kind of connection to her... in the future.

But she didn't bother to find out exactly what happened... nor could she possibly try to figure out every single thing that happened to her.

Rather than figuring out why the girl has his blood in her body, it's more important to figure out what's going on here.

As Mizuki recounted her past, Maria could clearly sense something probing the city.

The only saving grace now is that those creatures don't seem to adapt to the water quality here; Maria has noticed that they often stay here for a short while before moving to the bottom and leaving.

But what troubled Maria was that each time she came, those things would stay for a longer period of time.

From a few minutes at the beginning to more than ten minutes now.

They are adapting to this environment at an astonishing rate...

Such a rate of growth is simply unheard of!

But...

"It's normal for someone to have such abilities as a tentacle of Great Ones."

Maria withdrew her gaze, pondered for a moment, and then slowly turned and left.

The Doll beside them looked on with curiosity.

"Aren't you going to get involved in things here anymore?"

The Doll also saw the creatures surging in the water... Although it's not a good way to put it, the Doll didn't think those creatures covered in sharp claws and teeth came here with peaceful intentions.

If Maria doesn't intervene, this place could very well become a living hell!

"...I don't know, Doll." Maria shook her head, her eyes lowered, recalling the giant blue tree she had seen before.

More importantly, it was the anxious message conveyed by the other party...

The moon... continues...

"Perhaps there is still something in this world that we need to pay attention to."

Maria turned around and chose to leave.

The first day of the competition was, in fact, quite easy for the girls.

After all, their opponents were just a group of guys with slightly better physical abilities. They were easily defeated by the three of them with almost no chance of fighting back.

Along the way, they also encountered Ch'en Hui-chieh and others... They were all a little surprised, but because it was a competition, they didn't have time to discuss it for long before parting ways.

In the end, the girls won first place in the competition by obtaining the twenty-seven Marked Pure Gold hidden in the city, and successfully advanced to the next round.

As for the second match...

It's the traditional triathlon...

"The second and third events are linked... We'll first run a lap around the city, then ride bicycles provided by the organizers along a predetermined route to the beach, and finally swim to board a luxury cruise ship... There, we'll hold the final competition, where the winner will receive a huge prize and the honor of pressing the water-changing button..."

A large group of girls gathered together, talking about the events of the competition.

After Texas explained the events that everyone would be competing in the next day, her eyes were slightly lowered.

For ordinary people, winning this competition could be a life-changing leap.

But for the few people present, none of this was necessary.

They are either of extraordinary status or come from wealthy families.

Some may even have both.

They participated in this competition more out of a desire to have fun.

Besides Texas Lappland, and FrostNova, Ch'en Hui-chieh and the others were also present.

However, compared to the confident Texas players, Ch'en Hui-chieh didn't have much time to focus on the game at this moment.

As for Ernesto who followed them...

"Haha, this place doesn't seem to suit me."

As the only male compatriot present, Ernesto also realized that it was inappropriate for him to continue staying there.

He chuckled awkwardly a few times, nodded to Maria, and then turned and left.

Only then did Ch'en Hui-chieh raise her head, her gaze serious.

"Ernesto... there's definitely something wrong with him!"

"Hmm? Is there a problem?"