Chapter 2: Kal'tsit's Guidance

At first, no one paid much attention to Gloria's departure. During that day's operation, Gloria, as usual, completed her mission alone and then disappeared, as she had done in previous operations.

Dr. Yoder also relayed Gloria's words to Skadi and Ghost Shark, but the mundane words of "I'll be back later" didn't garner much attention at the time; after all, it couldn't have been more normal.

But Yoder vaguely sensed that Gloria seemed to be saying goodbye to him, as if she were about to leave.

When he noticed Ghost Shark and Skadi didn't seem to take it too seriously, he realized that Gloria hadn't told them her intention to leave. Gloria had left alone, just like Skadi had gone to Saltwind City alone. Perhaps Gloria chose not to tell them to prevent them from worrying too much about her. However, it's easy to imagine that it would be nearly impossible for them to keep her disappearance a secret; they would eventually learn of her departure.

Then another scenario might arise: Skadi and Ghost Shark would object to Gloria's departure, and fearing they might stop her, they chose to leave alone.

The Deep Sea Hunter once again chose to strike alone.

Yode now hesitated. He hadn't stopped Gloria's departure, partly because he lacked the power to do so. Perhaps if he had told Skadi and Ghost Shark about Gloria's intention to leave, Gloria would have vanished even sooner.

On this Rhodes Island, no one could stop Gloria. She possessed terrifying speed. According to operators, Gloria could even kill a sniper operator's crossbow before its target, and any target that stood in her way would be reduced to smithereens by her spear. In fact, after the conversation between Gloria and the Doctor, the Doctor briefly considered that this might just be a sudden whim or impulse on Gloria's part. Perhaps she wouldn't leave, but would simply go away for a day or two, exploring the new world of the land, as she often did, and then return to rant about it all.

However, a few days after the mission concluded, Gloria still hadn't appeared in Rhodes Island. Her personal quarters indicated she hadn't been back for nearly a week, and she hadn't come to see him during that time.

It was then that Doctor Yoder realized Gloria was truly gone, and his earlier suspicions were correct.

Perhaps he should first meet with Skadi and Ghost Shark and tell them about Gloria.

But before that, he needed to see someone else. Perhaps that person was also responsible for Gloria's departure.

The one who seemed to know everything—Kal'tsit. ...

"Doctor, you should be working on the task Amiya assigned you right now, not coming to me for tea. And I doubt you'd like the taste of this Operator's tea."

Dr. Yoder arrived at the control center where Kal'tsit was stationed. This was the heart of Rhodes Island. While several Operators were usually on duty, Kal'tsit also had her own office in the control center, though she spent more time in the emergency medical team's office.

Unlike the doctor's office, which was cluttered with messy documents, or the emergency medical team's office, which was filled with various medical equipment, the control center office was filled with various operating instruments and countless electronic screens displaying surveillance video and data from various locations in Rhodes Island, excluding some private areas, of course. "We'll discuss the tea issue later. It's definitely a problem that needs to be addressed. It was an oversight on Rhodes Island's part to have an operator unfamiliar with logistics in charge of making tea, but now isn't the time to discuss it."

"It wasn't an oversight. Operator Ceylon was simply very keen on making tea for occasions like yours. This was her personal decision, and the Medical Department approved her proposal after a safety assessment. The Logistics Department meticulously arranges tea for the other operators, including Operator Ceylon herself, who has other operators helping her make tea. After all, she can't possibly be responsible for so many people on Rhodes Island."

Although Dr. Yoder desperately wanted to change the subject, the fact that the reason for the memorable tea he'd been drinking for so long was precisely this matter still stirred the Doctor's mind.

But the key point now was to ask Kal'tsit about Gloria. "Let's not talk about that for now. I came here to ask you something. Do you know anything about Gloria? Did she come to see you a while ago?"

Kal'tsit replied slowly:

"You mentioned Gloria. She has many things to say. I'm not sure which one you'd like to ask. As for whether she's come to see me before, I won't lie. She did come to see me, just like she came to see you before."

Dr. Yoder confirmed his thoughts. This matter was indeed connected to Kal'tsit. Gloria had contact with Kal'tsit before leaving, and Kal'tsit certainly knew more information. Gloria might have sought some clues from Kal'tsit.

It wasn't surprising to the doctor that Kal'tsit knew more secrets about the Deep Sea Hunters. It wasn't surprising that she knew more.

It seemed that Gloria decided to leave after talking with Kal'tsit. Now, it seemed that her conversation with him was more of a final farewell to a friend. The doctor raised his own question:

"What did you say to her that caused her to leave Rhodes Island? She didn't even say hello to Skadi Ghost Shark."

Kal'tsit was silent for a long time, then said to Dr. Yode, "Doctor, I simply told her some facts she wanted to know. The decision to act is hers. It's her own, and her actions are free. Life on Earth is resilient and has its own place in evolution. Domestication and resistance are often futile."

Yode knew Kal'tsit would think this way. From what he had known about her since he lost his memories, Kal'tsit was someone who guided others without interfering too much.

Perhaps what Kal'tsit said to Gloria was true, but some of it might have led Gloria in a different direction. Perhaps Gloria knew this, but she still chose to act this way because of Kal'tsit. Just like Kal'tsit's guidance to Operator Elliot.

If this were me, would Kal'tsit have responded differently? "Since you mentioned the Earth, then I must be a part of it. I believe I, too, deserve to know everything you need to know. Since life is so tenacious, it's even more important for me to find my place."

Kal'tsit silently looked at the Doctor. Yod even saw a hint of bewilderment in her eyes.

She didn't refuse to answer, as Doctor Yod had expected. Instead, she questioned him, just as he had with Kal'tsit before.

"Doctor, do you want to know all this? Perhaps it's too early for Rhodes Island, too early for you now."

"But at least for Gloria, there's no time left, right?"

Kal'tsit remained silent, silently operating the platform. A digital screen appeared, and a message appeared on it.

It was Gloria's message, some of which had not previously appeared in the public archives. This was Rhodes Island's highest-level archive.

The Doctor reviewed the information and discovered some previously unknown details. Although Gloria showed no signs of Originium infection, her anatomy had undergone strange changes. While the changes were minor and hadn't yet affected her core, they likely wouldn't change drastically in the near future.

Furthermore, the examination of these changes was conducted by Kal'tsit herself, and she didn't inform the other medical operators. The rest of the medical department was unaware of this, so further research on the matter was discontinued.

Gloria seemed intent on concealing this matter. At least for all this time, Dr. Yoder hadn't heard anything about it from Gloria.

"Doctor, remember the report I gave you after the Saltwind City incident? It contained records of the species 'Sea Heir.' I wonder if those three deep-sea hunters have discussed this with you during this time."

Dr. Yoder pondered this and was struck by the fact that he had never heard any mention of Sea Heir from any of them. The Saltwind City report had only briefly described Sea Heir as a common land beast. This had led him to remain oblivious to the Sea Heir, believing it to be a common enemy. "The Sea Si and the Deep Sea Hunters have a close relationship, but as Rhodes Island currently lacks further information on them, I cannot provide further details. I can only tell you that Gloria's departure is related to the Sea Si, and the Sea Si are more than just ordinary beasts."

Kal'tsit then adjusted the information on the electronic screen, now displaying a map of Iberia.

Decades ago, a major disaster completely cut off contact with Iberia's southern coast, plunging the entire country into endless panic. Since then, Iberia has become conservative and extremely xenophobic towards foreigners. Currently, Rhodes Island has Iberian operators who fled the turmoil.

In addition, Dr. Yoder knew that Saltwind City, where Skadi had previously traveled, was in Iberia, a place closely associated with the Deep Sea Hunters.

"What do you mean, are you saying she went to Iberia?"

Kal'tsit didn't answer Yoder directly. Instead, she raised her right hand and pointed her index finger in the direction of the doctor. That direction coincided with Iberia, located south of Terra, where the Rhodes Island ships were facing. Kal'tsit's pointing now seemed to go beyond simply pointing to Iberia. It was as if she were answering Yoder's earlier question, guiding the Doctor to his true location.

"Go south, deeper into Agor."