Irene, Good Luck

The script before him was unlike any known symbol in Terra. Perhaps the ancient Sarkaz could make some sense of it, but it was still too obscure for Muelsyse to understand.

But the Doctor could understand it. She knew what every word meant, every formula and algorithm, and she understood the role of this laboratory and even the entire research institute.

This is indeed the origin of the Seaborn, and everything stems from a branch of the Preserver Project. The operating system in front of the Doctor records in detail the beginning of the Seaborn Project. Although many parts are missing and the time and place are vague, it is different from what I remembered as being developed for planetary ecological modification.

Perhaps because she was a time traveler and knew more, the Doctor, as the designer, never intended for Seaborn to alter the ecological environment from the very beginning.

Indeed, Seaborn has the ability to transform the entire planetary ecosystem, but that is only incidental. According to the experimental design plan, Seaborn was designed from the beginning to be a creature that "can quickly adapt to the environment no matter how harsh or difficult it is, survive and reproduce, and prioritize the continuation of the species above all else."

This is just one of them; the Doctor discovered that she had a total of five requirements for Seaborn's design.

In addition to the above, which states that "they can quickly adapt to even the harshest and most difficult environments, prioritize survival and reproduction, and place the continuation of the species as their highest priority," there is also:

Second, when faced with any danger threatening the survival of the species, enter a state of combat until the threat is confirmed to be completely annihilated;

Third, protect the Spreading Branches and the Heart of Deep Blue, and do not allow any outsiders to approach the facility.

Fourth, all Seaborn equal rank can become Firstborn, with priority given to the interests of the Brood.

Fifth, if Izumik is born, the Seaborn him as its leader.

The first two of these five points are easy to explain, but the latter three are something that Doctor has no doubt about. She was paving the way for the future of Mizuki, but this shouldn't be the case... Even if she really liked Mizuki and knew he was capable, she wouldn't have chosen to put all her hopes on one person at that time.

What exactly happened?

The Doctor pondered for a moment, then pulled up the usage records. Sure enough, it had been used once in the lab before, and it still had Mizuki's signature and a signature Pac-Man smiley face, which was unique to Mizuki.

"This... it feels like you, Doctor, knew I was coming and made preparations specifically for this. But is the Seaborn really meant for planetary terraforming?"

"Can you understand it?"

This was something the Doctor hadn't expected. Mizuki nodded frankly; he could indeed understand it, and even felt the characters were familiar, mostly because he had been there before and made his own modifications.

"That's true. If you can't understand it, you won't even know how to operate it. But I was hoping there might be some other clues here, but it seems I was overthinking it."

The Doctor woman didn't have much attachment to this research institute, nor had she recovered many memories. She was just somewhat depressed... an indescribable feeling of suffocation. It seemed that sitting here, she could still feel the tension of those sleepless nights she spent trying to accomplish something.

Back then, everyone worked very hard to survive.

"Honestly, what I learned today feels like a dream."

Muelsyse was when she first learned that her Exusiai were Sankta; she mainly felt a sense of being crushed.

She prided herself on being Columbia's youngest and most accomplished ecologist, with significant achievements in other fields as well. However, after witnessing what lay before her and learning that Seaborn was merely a planetary terraforming system developed by the Doctor woman, she felt like she was probably just a kindergarten child.

"Me too." Exusiai was still a little shaken. If the world knew that Sarkaz and Sankta were from the same origin, it would cause a huge mess.

But the Doctor is probably the one who understands it the most. She built all of this herself, yet she doesn't understand why she chose to place all her bets on Mizuki millions of years ago. It can't be because she's a time traveler, can it?

So you must have known back then that the Old Civilization would go extinct. Did you really do nothing?

"Individuals can never change the course of events," Mizuki read the last sentence of the plan, "So we choose to become stepping stones for the future."

"Can my mouth really utter such philosophical words?"

The Doctor lady scratched her head, feeling that these words were not something she could say herself. After all, she knew best what kind of person she was; if not a menace, she was certainly not very human.

"The first half of the sentence was written by you, Doctor; the second half is in my handwriting."

Mizuki muttered to herself that although these documents were all saved in the form of data, the last sentence was the only one that had been split into two parts, and it was a handwritten record. The first half of the sentence was written in the Old Civilization language of the Doctor, and the second half was written by Mizuki in Seaborn.

"That sounds like it's hinting at something."

The Doctor hugged Mizuki, pressing her chest against his head. She was much taller than Mizuki, so this position was perfect. The Doctor had always felt a heavy weight in his chest, making it difficult for him to run.

But those words still left a lingering unease, an inexplicable sense of unease. They didn't seem like a grand statement impromptu, but rather... a last will and testament.

"Mizuki, has something come to mind?"

"Just like you, this place feels familiar, but I can't remember what happened here."

She sat comfortably in the Doctor's lap, her head bearing a heavy weight. Exusiai was busy exploring the laboratory, otherwise she would definitely be jealous if she were seen.

"These facilities are far superior to those in Aegir."

Specter gently stroked the wall. Putting everything else aside, the fact that it could still function normally in the deep sea for over ten thousand years was already incredible. Aegir's science and technology were indeed advanced, but they were still not enough.

"Unfortunately, this facility has reached the end of its service life. Apart from the most important facilities which are still under maintenance, the other sections have lost their basic functions."

The sound of the prts00 rang out at just the right moment, and the entire room instantly became much brighter.

"The evolution of Mizuki has consumed the system's limited energy reserves and the energy of underground magma. According to the system's calculations, all facilities and equipment will lose all energy supply in six months."

"In that case, let's leave this place to the Sea Siren?" Mizuki seemed to remember something. "These girls have been complaining to me about not having a laboratory. This place is perfect. As for the energy issue... lava should work, right?"

"OK."

Logically speaking, the Doctor should own this research institute, but she has basically accepted that Mizuki is hers, and it is considered joint property of the couple, so she doesn't need it anymore. She just looked through it and found that apart from the documents related to Seaborn's research, there is basically nothing left in the database.

"I'd like to ask, why does this AI speak the language of Terra?"

Exusiai discovered a blind spot: although the control panel in this lab was covered in unfamiliar characters, the AI, whose voice pack was the Doctor, could speak Terra. Was there still a signal here?

"This is the result of a translation after Mizuki provided the corresponding text template; he has been here before."

Now it's no surprise that Exusiai have accidentally touched something and caused an accident.

She didn't know why, but ever since entering this facility, she had felt an inexplicable sense of unease, as if her head had become much lighter, and it was as if some vague connection that had always been with her had been severed.

"Then this place can be used by these Sea Siren. They're all family anyway, but they might need to learn how to repair it."

"It's alright, they always learn things very quickly." Mizuki hugged the Doctor in gratitude, and was then kissed back.

That's true. The Sea Siren rely on the Sea of Life to connect and share their thoughts, with a clear division of labor. They can use their brains in a coordinated way, so they can do everything quickly. Besides, the tentacles of the Mizuki are always learning all sorts of things, which allows them to gain a lot of knowledge as well.

Of course, this isn't just about giving away his belongings. It's unrealistic to stay here forever. Judging by the time, it'll be about time to go back. Muelsyse's water clone can't be hidden for that long.

This initial exploration seemed to have yielded no information, but in reality, the amount of information revealed to Doctor and Mizuki was quite substantial.

First of all, it is certain that Mizuki must have come here to complete her second adaptive evolution, becoming an existence of the same level as or even above the newly born Seaborn Firstborn Ishar-mla, but without disturbing the Seaborn, she silently chose to head north.

Secondly... from the very beginning, when the Doctor designed and created Seaborn, she was paving the way for Seaborn. All of this was preparation for Mizuki from start to finish.

From Mizuki's perspective, this is quite strange, because Mizuki is only around twenty years old, while the research institute is at least several thousand years old. How could the Doctor have prepared for him in advance?

However, the Doctor lady vaguely sensed something, which was not surprising. After all, she was a transmigrator, not someone who possessed another's body, but rather someone who was reincarnated. She came to this world before the destruction of the Old Civilization, so she must have known all the endings and must have tried to save it.

But ultimately, no one can reverse the tide. This was written in the last line of the plan. The Doctor knew that she would not have chosen such a radical and risky approach unless things had reached the worst possible point. After all, no one could say for sure that Mizuki would become Izumik, the leader of Seaborn, and the Evolutionary Singularity.

Fortunately, the plan succeeded, and even more unexpected developments occurred that the Doctor herself had not anticipated. Mizuki's power continued to grow, which was very abnormal, but it was beneficial to their side.

"It's time to go back. Things could get complicated if the Iberia find out."

Putting all thoughts aside for now, at least Mizuki didn't tell everyone the contents of the plan he saw. He certainly didn't understand why the Doctor was so confident that he could become the leader of Seaborn, but that's okay. The trust between her and Mizuki never needed to be spoken.

"Hmm." Muelsyse didn't linger, but from then on, she settled down. "Following Mizuki, I can indeed glimpse some of the truth of this world."

Evolution has a long history in Terra and is considered a relatively popular theory. However, while evolution is not entirely wrong, it does not apply to the Terra. According to Doctor Name], life on Terra is characterized by an external order but an internal distortion, which is probably why there are so many differences.

"00, from now on, grant the Sea Siren access to the facility, allowing them free entry and exit, and cooperate with them to repair this place."

Because of the problem set up by the Doctor herself, she did not have the authority to issue orders. Instead, Mizuki had the highest authority, and the orders were naturally issued by Mizuki.

"Command confirmed, grant secondary access."

Handing the facility over to the Sea Siren was actually an early plan of Mizuki and the Doctor. They came under the guise of peace talks and needed to operate under the surveillance of Iberia. Muelsyse was a mole used to cover their operations at night. Considering that Carmen had lived for so many years and might know the elves, the Doctor specifically asked her to minimize her public appearances.

This has resulted in the group not having much time to explore the area. Entrusting it to the Sea Siren not only provides these girls with a place to advance their technology, but also means relying on them for exploration.

Once everyone had left, the lab lights dimmed, leaving only Siren No. 666 waiting for her sisters to come back. When it was time to go back, Exusiai carry Mizuki.

"You deleted the database yourself, right? Why did you leave only Seaborn's part?"

She asked, but prts00 didn't answer, though she knew she was right.

Of course, Mizuki and the Doctor knew this too, but they kept it to themselves and weren't in a hurry to find out the reason behind it, or perhaps they thought it was unimportant.

Chapter 168 Irene, may you have good fortune

Irene had a dream, she couldn't remember it very clearly, but it seemed like someone named Laurentina tied her to the bed and then...

"Cute Little Bird, wake up!"

Slender, pale fingers gently caressed Irene's earlobe, an extremely sensitive spot for the Liberi, which was why Irene had blushed and felt shy when Laurentina spoke into her ear earlier.

That's why her carefully maintained image of fortitude collapsed so quickly... Wait, why does that voice sound so familiar?

"Laurentina!?"

Irene opened her eyes alertly, only to find that Specter was lying on her bed in disarray, wearing only a black nightgown, the sheer fabric of which made it possible to vaguely see that she wasn't wearing anything underneath.

Her shoulder strap slipped halfway down, her eyes slightly glazed with intoxication, full of affection. Specter was beautiful, with a captivating aura and stunning looks, but Irene only felt fear, always feeling that she might be devoured by this guy without leaving even bones behind.

"It's me. What, have you forgotten what happened last night?"

"Last night I... oh dear!"

Irene jumped out of bed in fright, then suddenly stopped, realizing that there was no one beside her bed at all; it had just been another dream, but a dream within a dream.

"That scared me to death." Unable to resist wiping the cold sweat from her forehead, Irene wished it were Mizuki lying in her bed rather than Specter. No, that didn't quite sound right either.

I got up and opened the window, facing the sea. The weather wasn't great today; it looked like a storm was brewing. The sky was overcast, dark clouds were pressing down on the sea, waves were surging, and seagulls were flying as if battling the storm.

There's a certain oppressive feeling, something those who live by the sea can understand best. When a storm approaches, the gloomy clouds and sea, the deserted beach, the desolation makes one feel somewhat uneasy.

But Irene saw a blue light that then turned white. It was Mizuki. Her eyesight was excellent, and the beach wasn't far away, so she could see it clearly. The way the pure white light spread upwards from the tips of Mizuki's hair seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. She just thought the back view was very beautiful.

"Oh wait, it's already this late."

Irene then realized that she had overslept, which was a mistake. As an inquisitor, she needed to be ready for battle at any time and strictly regulate her sleep schedule.

But it was mostly because I was too stressed recently, busy with peace talks, and the various rehearsals and memorizing of lines had taken a toll on my energy. Yesterday, I finally breathed a sigh of relief after finding that Mizuki and the others were much more amiable than I had imagined. The fatigue of the past few days suddenly overwhelmed me, and I slept until ten o'clock without realizing it, even though the sky wasn't very bright than six o'clock.

"As expected... the Sea of Life has expanded again."

The tide washed over Mizuki's ankles, feeling a little cold. A slightly cute-looking Seaborn crawled in front of Mizuki, resembling a crab.

"Ah, little one, you've come to see me?"

Mizuki reached out and gently touched its pincers. The latter swayed its body up and down, then showed Mizuki its abdominal shell.

"Okay, I understand. You can go ahead now. Here's a tip for your trouble."

She took out a piece of chocolate and gave it to the Seaborn. Then, Mizuki turned around and waved to Carmen, the elder from Iberia, who had witnessed everything. Or rather, Mizuki had no intention of hiding it from him.

Looking at Mizuki's pure white appearance, he couldn't imagine that such a person could be the leader of Seaborn. Mizuki had an indescribable sense of peace about her.

"Is this what you really look like?"

"I guess so." Mizuki looked at her hands. The Doctor called this state of hers "Deep Blue," even though it was clearly white. But she liked it. At first, only her hair turned into white branches, and gradually even her clothes were assimilated.

This can be seen as a sign that he is gradually gaining control over the Sea of Life.

"The Seaborn from just now..."

"A messenger has come; someone wants to see me."

Carmen knew that the Church of the Deep wanted to see Mizuki, but she didn't expect Mizuki to be so frank.

"Cicero, the Bishop of the Deep Sea?"

"It seems you have excellent connections, but I don't remember much. Grandpa Cicero only has one memory of him."

"Family?"

"No, I'm an orphan from the Higashi, from a small village. I encountered deserters who had become bandits, and I'm the only one left alive in the whole village. Grandpa Cicero gave me a choice."

Even if Mizuki doesn't remember the circumstances, he can be certain that he made that choice. He is not afraid of death, but that doesn't mean he wants to die.

As for the part mentioned above, it was what the Doctor told Mizuki. She said she had found it out herself, and Mizuki didn't ask any more questions. She just nodded in agreement and took it as such.

"... The Church of the Deep has done this many times over the years."

"Well, as long as you swallow Seaborn's cells, you will naturally be transformed into Seaborn. Most of them are utterly disappointed in humanity, or they admire Seaborn's power. In short, they each have their own reasons."

Mizuki didn't care. Even though he was now the de facto leader of Seaborn, he didn't want to associate with the people from the Church of the Deep.

The Church of the Deep always believed that they had grasped the essence of the Seaborn, understood the meaning of Seaborn existence, and were able to communicate with Seaborn. They truly believed that they had become a part of the Seaborn.

However, both the Doctor and the Sea Siren merely mocked their foolishness. Indeed, the people of the Church of the Deep were quite capable; they might be clever enough to establish contact and communication with Aegir and remain rooted in Iberia for many years without being eradicated. But they were too arrogant and too stubborn, and in the end, they turned out to be nothing at all.

From the very beginning, they did not understand what Seaborn were. Apart from the continuation of the Brood, Seaborn cared about nothing. They had the concept of kinship, but they could turn themselves into nutrients for the benefit of the Brood at any time, just like "Spreading Branches" that die to nourish the entire species.

Now, Izumik has pointed the way for the entire the Brood and is leading the Brood to transform in another direction. Seaborn regards him as the continuation of the entire the Brood. After all, as long as it can be integrated into the Sea of Life, it is a transformation for the Brood. As for those that have not transformed, they feel regret but not sadness, as it was their own choice.

But what about the members of the Church of the Deep? How many of them can do that?

Mizuki was too lazy to guess, but she knew that Cicero was probably one of them. That man was not disappointed in humanity, nor did he worship the power of Seaborn. He just desperately wanted to find a way to preserve the Terra as much as possible, for the sake of the new humans in his heart.