Reasonable

"What are you doing now...?"

"Because of some things that happened, I decided to relax somewhere else."

Heratia's answer remained impeccable, yet it had a somewhat ambiguous quality.

She didn't know whether the other person hadn't thought of it or had, but understandingly, she nodded earnestly.

"Indeed, nobody wants something like this to happen... Going somewhere else to relax is definitely a good option."

"I've heard that Hashem is a nice place to recuperate. It's great that we've finished building the Jiake Nanle; we're planning to go there for a rest and vacation."

The woman seemed very talkative and quickly became acquainted with Heratia, even inviting the two of them into the room to chat.

To avoid giving herself away, Heratia didn't refuse too much and eventually agreed after several invitations.

However, before agreeing, she glanced at Maria to make sure Maria didn't object before accepting.

The two left quickly.

But it was only shortly after they left.

Two more women slowly approached the corridor.

They exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming with a strange blue light.

405

Chapter 405. Reasonable.

Maria and Heratia entered the couple's room.

They call them a couple because both of them noticed a subtle distance between them.

It's not that they have a bad relationship; it's just that they both blush when there's physical contact.

Clearly, the two are attracted to each other, but there's still a veil between them that hasn't been broken.

However, this has nothing to do with Maria and the other person.

During their brief conversation, Maria also learned that both of them were actually dome designers.

Although the Aegir are a race that lives in the deep sea, this obviously does not mean that they can move freely in the deep sea.

Just as they had done in their Precursor Ruins, they were also unable to adapt to the water pressure of the deep sea. The so-called dome was actually a huge barrier that enveloped the entire underwater city.

This was an extremely meticulous and important task for Aegir.

Especially because of the different land characteristics in different places, there are some subtle changes in the design of each dome.

"You... are very respectable people."

Heratia spoke, her eyes lowered slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

She truly admires the dome designer... just as she admires every profession, recognizing that they all possess their own value.

"It's alright, I just happen to have some interest in this area."

Hearing Heratia's praise, the woman smiled, her face slightly shy.

She then looked at the two of them curiously. After a moment's hesitation, she carefully covered her face with her hands and asked a question.

"May I ask a rather presumptuous question?"

"... sure."

Heratia knew what questions Maria would ask from Maria's expression, but she only glanced at Maria to make sure she was the one to explain, and then continued to speak with a smile.

"How long have you two been dating?"

"Hmm, it's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm sorry, we've been so busy that we've really forgotten when we first met."

Heratia's answer was still impeccable, and her calm smile revealed no sincerity, but her outstretched hand naturally slid to Maria's, making them appear quite affectionate.

The woman watching was somewhat envious.

She glanced sideways at her male companion, but unfortunately, he didn't seem to understand these things and just sat there with a stiff expression.

"Well."

With a helpless sigh, the woman shook her head and continued to stare at the two figures in front of her.

"Speaking of which, I haven't asked yet, where are you two headed? Is it also to Hashem?"

"Well... actually, we haven't decided yet. We just bought tickets for the whole trip and plan to go wherever we feel like it..."

Heratia spoke, her eyes slightly narrowed.

But the woman clearly didn't think too much about it; she simply nodded and showed an envious expression.

"You two seem to be living a really carefree life."

"It's alright... Don't you guys also have time to go out and have fun?"

Heratia spoke, she turned her head again to look at Maria beside her, seemingly wanting to interact with Maria.

But Maria clearly didn't understand Heratia's meaning; she simply nodded slightly after a moment of silence.

"Um."

"..."

Heratia fell silent.

The woman beside her covered her mouth and chuckled.

"You and my companion have similar personalities."

As she spoke, it was unclear whether her words were sarcastic or agreeable.

However, this casual conversation didn't last long. Soon, the girl couldn't contain her curiosity and, after looking around a few times, cautiously asked a question.

"Speaking of which... what exactly happened to you two before?"

"Although we are not good at designing ships for long-distance voyages, we also know that under normal circumstances, even if those ships encounter danger, they can usually be kept largely intact, right?"

"But at that time, we saw your ships..."

As the woman spoke, a hint of curiosity flickered in her eyes.

Heratia didn't answer directly; instead, she smiled and looked at the other person.

What do you think happened?

"Hmm... is it related to the recently appeared sea monster?"

To their surprise, the woman quickly gave an answer.

The words that came out made the two of them twitch their eyebrows.

Why do you have this idea?

As Heratia spoke, she placed one hand in front of her and the other behind her back, gently touching Maria.

She hoped Maria could calm down for a while and wait until she had finished talking to the other party before taking any action.

"Hmm... it's just a feeling, isn't it?"

Whether the girl was truly oblivious to the wariness of the two people in front of her or not, she simply pondered for a moment before shaking her head.

"Although there are various speculations and explanations, I really don't think that someone of your status and skill would be foolish enough to encounter an underwater volcanic eruption before you could even react, let alone guide several ships to collide with each other... It's completely illogical."

"The only reasonable explanation is that they encountered an unavoidable attack..."

"But I've also investigated, and there shouldn't be any special sea monsters around here... So, based on the analysis, it can only be these newly appeared sea monsters."

The woman touched her lips and offered a reasoned analysis.

Although most of these are speculations, they are undeniably quite related.

Heratia and Maria exchanged a glance, then Maria handed over the speaking rights.

"So, you want to know if our attack is related to these sea monsters?"

"Actually, I want to know more... But if there's anything hidden, it's okay not to tell me, after all, I'm just a little curious..."

The woman seemed to know her place; she knew which questions were appropriate to ask and which were not. After a moment of curiosity, she smiled again.

"There is indeed some connection."

Maria didn't choose to keep it a secret; instead, she simply made some things public.

And that's enough for women to make their own assumptions.

Meanwhile, Maria was silently sensing the heartbeats of everyone present.

After confirming that everyone's frequency was fine, I breathed a sigh of relief.

These two people were just ordinary people who happened to meet by chance, and posed no threat.

She shook her head subtly at Heratia beside her, then slowly stood up.

"It's getting late..."

Are you leaving?

Although the woman hesitated for a moment, she still got up and nodded to Maria.

"Yes, do you need us to deliver it?"

"... No."

Maria and Heratia declined the offer and prepared to leave.

But just as they were preparing to retreat, the red alarm light in the room suddenly went off!

Along with this came piercing alarm bells and broadcast announcements.

"Please return to your rooms in an orderly manner due to an emergency. For your safety and the safety of your companions, please return to your rooms in an orderly manner and pay attention to the announcements... Please return to your rooms in an orderly manner..."

The repetitive broadcast kept ringing out; the piercing sound and red light were somewhat unsettling.

This made everyone in the room frown.

Just then, a rapid knocking sounded at the door.

After exchanging glances, it was Maria who took the initiative to make the move.

She walked around the people behind her and opened the door herself.

But...

There was only a person dressed as a waiter standing outside the door.

"Excuse me..."

The waiter was taken aback when he saw who opened the door, but the situation was urgent, and he didn't have time to think it through. Instead, he asked in a panic.

"Are Ms. Lotkalo and Mr. Basdeke in there? I'm a flight attendant for this flight, and we might need your assistance..."

The man spoke urgently, his face was covered in a fine layer of sweat, and his eyes darted around.

In the room behind Maria, the couple also nodded.

"It's us... What kind of help do you need?"

"Thank goodness, you're still here."

The waiter reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"The ship is leaking!"

After receiving the invitation, the couple quickly headed towards the leaky storage room.

Maria and Heratia followed closely behind.

Soon, they arrived at a tightly closed gate.

Meanwhile, the Swarm of engineers wiped the sweat from their brows, frantically assessing the situation.

"What exactly happened?"

Heratia entered the arena and immediately identified herself.

Despite being swamped with other matters, it is clear that, as the current Scientific Governor of Aegir and the commander of several Mantle Exploration, Heratia holds the highest authority among all those present.