Chapter 3: Direction of Rhode Island

Agor, a mysterious nation in the deep sea, is currently the only known oceanic nation in the Terran world.

Unlike the various nations and political regimes on the Terran continent, Agor seems to be non-existent, with only fragmentary information coming from operators from Iberia.

Currently, Terran nations have very limited knowledge of Agor's politics, economy, and technology, but a few clues suggest it is a highly developed nation, its civilization far surpassing that of other continental nations.

The Doctor had often heard Agor's arrogance and disdain towards Terra in his conversations with Gloria.

Years ago, a large number of Agors fled the sea to the neighboring ocean nation of Iberia, and some Agors also ventured deep into the mainland.

Currently, there are still some Agors on Rhodes Island.

After informing Amiya of the previous events, Doctor Yoder convened a meeting of all the island's senior leaders, along with Iberians and Agors, to finalize the matter. Although a significant number of Iberian Operators were not native to Agor, reaching Iberia would still require considerable effort, and Rhodes Island needed their assistance.

The Rhodes Island conference room was instantly packed, and Dr. Yoder only then noticed the sheer number of Iberian Operators already on the island.

Kel'tsit and Amiya sat on either side of Dr. Yoder, Kel'tsit still expressionless as before.

Although Amiya was the leader of Rhodes Island, she seemed a bit anxious, frantically helping the doctor organize the documents.

"Everyone, I've gathered here to inform you that Rhodes Island Operator Gloria disappeared some time ago and has been unable to be contacted. The exact date of her disappearance is unknown, but her personal dormitory records indicate she's been missing for over a week..."

Before Dr. Yoder could finish her words, Ghost Shark jumped up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table. Skadi, sitting next to her, stared at the doctor with the same shock as Ghost Shark, and the other operators nearby were also startled. "Calm down, calm down. I'll explain the situation slowly. Sit down first, and don't break the table."

Skadi took Ghost Shark's hand, looked at him, and gestured for him to sit down first. Ghost Shark was stunned for a moment, then slowly sat down.

The Doctor accidentally noticed that the table had been broken again.

The electronic screen behind Doctor Yoder displayed the details of Gloria's disappearance and a record. Of course, this record was written by only the Doctor and Kal'tsit.

In fact, this record didn't reveal much information. It only recorded Gloria's conversation with the Doctor before her departure, but not her conversation with Kal'tsit.

Yoder suspected that Kal'tsit was hiding some information and asking the operators present, especially Skadi and Ghost Shark, to provide more relevant information.

The Doctor noticed that they seemed a little panicked. Ghost Shark even stood up again, but Skadi held his hand.

Skadi wasn't completely calm either. She turned to the Doctor nervously, her words tinged with fear. "Doctor... you've called us here. What do you want us to do now?"

Skadi knew that Gloria's departure would likely put them in danger, but they couldn't afford to panic now. They needed to act immediately. The Doctor had gathered them here precisely to resolve this matter.

In addition, some operators, especially those from Iberia, knew about the Saltwind City situation.

Last time Gloria took Ghost Shark, Skadi left Rhodes Island without permission for Saltwind City. This time, with Gloria's departure, the two would likely leave Rhodes Island directly to find Gloria.

This meeting was intended to temporarily stabilize the two through negotiation and resolution, preventing them from leaving the island directly. A Rhodes Island operator's unauthorized departure, with their lives threatened, was not something Rhodes Island wanted to see.

Although no one could stop Skadi and Ghost Shark from leaving, just as no one could stop Gloria from leaving,

Dr. Yoder was taking a gamble. He was betting on Skadi and Ghost Shark's trust in him and Rhodes Island's expertise. Of course, this alone wasn't enough. The next plan was the basis for the doctor's gamble, and the real reason for calling everyone here.

The doctor flipped the screen, bringing up a map of Iberia, just as Kal'tsit had done before.

"At this point, Kal'tsit, Amiya, and I have jointly decided that Rhodes Island will change its course towards Iberia. Rhodes Island will head towards the southern coast of Iberia and will eventually attempt to reach the Agor region."

As soon as he finished speaking, a questioning "Hmm?" was heard in the conference room.

This was indeed no small matter; it was a major issue in changing Rhodes Island's course.

Operator Wendy raised her hand. It was she who had raised the question, wanting to ask the doctor a question.

Wendy was also an operator from Iberia and had joined Rhodes Island long ago. She was a key researcher there and had a good relationship with the doctor, but it seemed she had some objections to the plan. "Well, Doctor, that's a faraway place. We don't know what will happen along the way. Do we really need to go there with the entire Rhodes Island fleet?"

Reaching Argor is definitely not an easy task. Rhodes Island is currently located near the Dragon Gate. To reach Iberia, one must pass through Syracuse and Lateran. Once in Iberia, it's a long journey to reach the southern coast of Iberia.

Argor is even more unrealistic. Even in Iberia, no one has ever truly reached the Argor region; it's completely uncharted territory.

Also, as Wendy said, Rhodes Island is a massive ship. Reaching a place as far away as Argor would require a massive energy supply and directional research—a massive undertaking.

Rhodes Island isn't a deep-sea hunter with exceptional physical strength and speed like Gloria or Skadi. They can reach that place quickly and independently without any hindrance, but Rhodes Island can't do that. "Indeed, there's a lot going on here, but the necessary preparations for the voyage have already been completed. You can refer to the work report provided by Operator Jeju."

"Hmm?"

Wendy turned to look at Jeju, who sat next to her. Jeju also wore a proud expression, his hands on his hips as he looked at Wendy.

"Haha, don't worry about that. Planning a route is no problem for me. I've never failed a mission the Doctor has assigned me!"

In fact, the Doctor had anticipated that some Operators would raise objections to this plan, so he had explained the matter to some Operators in advance, asking them to prepare the necessary work and gain their support.

Operator Jeju was one of them. He had traveled alone to many regions, including several routes from Lungmen, where Rhodes Island is currently located, to Iberia. He had planned multiple routes and had also planned all the necessary supplies and communications.

Dr. Yoder distributed Jeju's work report to each Operator, and after reviewing it, they all found it to be a feasible voyage plan, not as far-fetched as they had previously imagined. Wendy looked at the report. It was indeed a good route plan, but she had another question.

"Doctor, and everyone here should all know that Iberia has extremely strict entry restrictions. Even personnel entry is quite difficult. How can Rhodes Island, with a ship as large as this, enter Iberia?"

"Don't worry about that. The Rhodes Island Iberia office, led by Kal'tsit, has established contact with the Iberian Inquisition. The Inquisition and the Grand Inquisitor will assist us in entering Iberia. The specific diplomatic work will be handled by Operators Elysium and Thorn."

Wendy once again turned her head fiercely towards Thorn, who sat next to Elysium. Thorn didn't smile with his hands on his hips like Elysium did, but whistled triumphantly.

Thorn was one of the operators Dr. Yoder had recruited. He was one of the few operators who didn't shy away from Iberia and often brought up Iberia. Much of Rhodes Island's Iberian information was accumulated by Thorn. Thorn was also adept at communicating with the Iberians, establishing good rapport with the locals even in the heavily religious region. Previously, Thorn had been responsible for much of the docking between Rhodes Island and Iberia, with Jekyll also participating.

"Haha, while this guy was primarily responsible, my handsome appearance was a huge help in facilitating the connection."

"You're kidding! The docking process went best when you were hanging on the deck."

Thornn and Jekyll chatted, and the previously tense atmosphere eased. Even Skadi and Ghost Shark were no longer as anxious as before.

It was their activeness that allowed the Doctor to better control the overall situation and implement his plan.

Wendy ignored the arguing two and once again presented her thoughts to the Doctor.

"Doctor, I still have a question. If the goal was simply to locate Operator Gloria, a small task force would have sufficed. Why send the entire ship?"

The Doctor didn't respond as quickly as before. He leaned back on the table, his arms folded, and spoke after a moment. "To be honest with you all, Argor has always been the core of Rhodes Island's research. Data from the medical department shows that the Argor region is rarely affected by oripathy, and its prevention and treatment has always been one of Rhodes Island's most important issues."

Indeed, at least considering the Argorians of Rhodes Island, the Originium density in their bodies is shockingly low. Unless someone, like Ghost Shark, undergoes extreme measures, it's unlikely they'll contract oripathy like the average person.

"Argor may indeed offer us a shortcut in preventing and treating oripathy, a point confirmed by my conversation with Operator Skadi."

The Doctor stood up and looked at Amiya, who sat beside him. "Too many have died from oripathy, and many among us are suffering. We can't wait any longer. Even though the journey to Argor is arduous, it pales in comparison to the suffering of the infected, and this is exactly what we at Rhodes Island should do. We all believe that only by sending the entire fleet to Argor can we accomplish this."

As soon as Dr. Yoder finished speaking, Thorn and Elysium applauded, bringing a touch of cheer to the conference room.

At this point, Wendy really had nothing more to say. After all, treating oripathy is indeed Rhodes Island's core mission. She simply sighed and stared at the two applauding people beside her.

"Okay, your reasons are indeed very convincing, and I won't say anything more. I do have another question. Besides the two idiots hanging on the deck next to me, who else among you was your team? I'm not the only one you've been kept in the dark about."

"Hmm?"

Now it was the doctor's turn to be confused.

Dr. Yoder and Wendy exchanged bewildered glances. Wendy was surprised to discover that, aside from Ghost Shark and Skadi, who were unaware of the situation in order to prevent them from leaving early, seemingly all the operators knew about it.

"Miss Wendy, the doctor saw you were too busy in the lab and didn't have time to tell you. He also sent you a letter explaining the details of the meeting."

Amiya intervened, but the cautious Dr. Yoder had already made arrangements with most of the operators beforehand. For the few operators who couldn't meet with him due to missions or other reasons, he sent letters to their dormitories explaining the details of the meeting. Wendy was one of them.

But Wendy had a habit. Being a mysophobe, she rarely used paper mail, believing that something that had traveled so long would be dirty. Therefore, she generally only checked her emails. The mailbox outside Wendy's dorm was just a decoration, and she rarely paid attention to it. But the doctor also had a habit: he particularly favored paper documents, like the disorganized mess of papers in his office. It was said this was a subconscious preference he'd maintained even before his amnesia, so he always used paper to send letters, even within such a short distance within Rhodes Island.

The letter now lay lonely in the mailbox outside Wendy's dormitory. The meeting announcement was made via public announcement, and Wendy attended the meeting completely unaware.

The misunderstanding was resolved, but Wendy was still bewildered.

The doctor cleared his throat and apologized to Wendy, expressing his regret for his mistake. He promised to send emails to Wendy in the future, but he also mentioned the advantages of paper.

The plan had been finalized. The next step was to gradually disseminate the plan to all Rhodes Island operators and explain the route to all operators.

Dr. Yoder, hands resting on the table, officially announced:

"Rhodes Island, proceeding to Agor. This voyage is named 'Operation Southward.'"