Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Minutes after leaving Kal'tsit's office, Shiro was lost, figuratively.
'What do I do now?'
Kal'tsit did not give him a definite room where he stays. Having nothing to do, he simply strode on the Rhodes Island ship.
Shiro: "Where do you send guests inside Rhodes Island?"
A minute later, Kal'tsit's response arrived.
(A/N: There's a time gap due to them being in different worlds.)
Kal'tsit: "The third floor. You would see an extension of the operators' dormitory. You can choose somewhere within 315 to 319."
Kal'tsit: "Don't tell me my other self forgot to say this?"
Shiro: "She did."
Kal'tsit: "..."
After the speechless reply, Kal'tsit did not entertain him longer. Perhaps due to embarrassment, she closed the chat group panel.
"I wonder what face she's making right now."
"I sense it! An Ultraman!"
Suddenly, a girl bumped into him. Before she could fall, a power intervened. Her balance returned which let her avoid that fate.
"You! It was you!"
"Pardon?"
Caught off guard by the girl's words, Shiro instinctively accelerated his thoughts.
"Ultraman! The one who fights Kaijus!"
"Eh?"
Unfortunately, the girl went on to her world.
"How does it feel fighting one?!"
"Kaijus? You mean, giant monsters?"
"That's right." She nodded fervently. "My intuition told that you fought a kaiju. Was it true?"
Thinking of the outer god presiding on the moon as well as Walpurgisnacht, Shiro thought they fitted into that category.
"I guess so?"
"I knew it!"
Th girl immediately pulled off a notebook out of nowhere. Wearing a bright expression, she began questioning him.
"How does it feel fighting one?"
"Not that special?"
"How did the kaiju look like?"
"It's quite... gross. If you add godzilla along with ten other dinosaurs and an octopus, that's how it'll look like."
"Gojira? Is it a kaiju?"
"That's right. If you want to take a look..."
Shiro pulled out a manga and gave it to her. She swiftly skimmed through the pages. As she progressed, she became more amazed by its plot as well as Godzilla itself.
"This..! This is it! The perfect kaiju!" She exclaimed. "Tsk, I finally have so many new ideas for the next film..!"
She turned around and faced Shiro.
"I'll treat you to a chili hotpot as a thanks."
"Sure..?"
With no time, he found himself being dragged by the girl to the cafeteria. She talked to one of the chefs before she went back to their table with a tray of ingredients. Then—
"Here it is!"
Out of thin air, a metal pot and stove was created. It was somehow similar to [Arts] but different.
'This girl... A Feranmut?'
"I'll take care of the fire." Shiro said before summoning the manifestation of [Phenex Regeneration]—a phoenix made of fire. It dove straight into the stove before it kickstarted the fire.
"Whoa. That's very flashy. And cool."
Shiro saw she was about to dump everything after adding water. Just before she could do so, he stopped her.
"What's the matter?"
"I'll cook this one." He said. "That's not how you make hotpots."
First, he dumped the meat. He let it simmer for a few minutes before adding the flavors, namely the herbs and spices such as chilis. When the meat was about to be cooked, he dumped the vegetables.
For a few minutes, the girl watched him cook seriously. By the time he finished, a strong aroma wafted in the air.
"You remind me of my brother, you know?"
"I see..?" He replied. "How should I call you?"
She realized that she haven't introduced herself after all this time.
"My bad, my bad! You can call me Nian."
"Nian. You can call me Shiro."
"Shiro? You came from Higashi?"
"No. I'm from Sargon."
"That wasteland? You really came from afar."
While the idle talk happened, the hotpot was done. They soon filled their bowls with its contents.
"Amazing..!"
Within the first bite, Nian was won over.
"I've only tasted something like this now... It's been a long time already!"
"I'm glad you liked it."
For reference, Shiro did not use much of his powers. He only has his godly timing as well as techniques—two things that made his cooking godly.
"You are new here, right?" She asked.
"That's right. It's my first time here."
To be honest, Rhodes Island reminded him of the modern society. It is the peaceful world that many Infected longed for. Here, they have their own jobs and are accepted by their colleagues.
It is completely different from the outside world.
This is one of the reasons why his company took in the Infected. He did not care about the disease that could be handled by them. If he could not do so, he would not be worthy of his name as a creator.
"Why did you choose to come here? I am fairly sure you can better relax inside our place."
Hearing this, Shiro's expression did not change.
"I'm not the type to shut myself for a long time. Well, it was in the past. I am a changed man now."
"You're also a shut-in before? You might hit it off with my sister."
"I am married—" Shiro retorted. "—with six wives."
"As expected of a man like you!"
As a Feranmut, her worldview was firm. She saw many men in Yan who has 'concubines'. It did not shake her worldview much.
While they are talking, other operators noticed the man eating across her.
"Miss Nian found someone to trouble again."
"Seems like it."
Ch'en and Hoshiguma sighed at the same time. They felt unfortunate for the newcomer bothered by her.
"The chaos outside is already reaching the breaking point. I wonder what Doctor has in plan for us." Hoshiguma murmured. "I heard the little girl was deployed somewhere else right now."
"Rosmontis? Don't worry much. Blaze and Sharp are with her."
"True. The last time elite operators came together was the mess in Kazimierz. But, even they could not succeed in that mission."
Rhodes Island has many diplomatic relationships with the other countries. Each time, it happened due to the Doctor intervening on the said country's matters.
Stopping a civil war in Kjerag.
Helping the Infected in Kazimierz.
Making connections with the Durins on Sargon.
There was even a time when he helped the Abyssal Hunters find the other survivors of the Great Silence. Unfortunately, their lives were lost during the first descent of the Seaborn on the surface.
Each time, it proved that Doctor could accomplish many things. The reason Rhodes Island's morale are currently high is due to this.
"He would find a way. Even if it is to only keep some of us alive."
"That's fine by me. Struggling the best we could is something I'd wish for." Hoshiguma replied. "We're under the best leader, after all."
[Paging Mister Shiro. Doctor Kal'tsit is requesting your presence to the bridge.]
Hearing this announcement, Shiro has to leave.
"Well, there it is." He said. "I'll be back in a while."
"Sure."
Without wasting time, an aurora curtain went past him. Moments later, he found himself standing on the bridge.
"What?!"
Amiya was startled when she found someone standing behind her all of sudden.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"It's alright." Shiro then added, "Where's Kal'tsit?"
"She's busy."
A man wearing a black coat and mask approached him. Shiro saw Kal'tsit after the man pointed it out at him. There, he saw her communication with someone.
Big screens could be seen on the transparent glasses. Various matters related to Rhodes Island's operations are presented on it.
'Man with that outfit...'
Shiro remembered Kal'tsit's descriptions of a certain man.
"You must be the Doctor."
"I am."
Silence briefly occurred between the two.
"Mister Shiro. You are a Feranmut, right?"
"You don't seem surprised. Right, there are already three other than me, no?"
Nian.
Ling.
Dusk.
The three sisters from Yan. Rhodes Island accommodated them as they assisted in finding the other fragments of Sui, a chaotic god who could bring further chaos in Terra. He could sense their presence inside the landship.
"You're already acquainted with them?"
"No, just miss Nian. She's a peculiar one."
"I see... She tends to be troublesome at times..."
Doctor was one of her victims. There would be times when Nian pulls him over to accompany her in shopping. There are also times she will randomly invite operators for a hotpot party.
"Anyways... I want to ask something about your domain."
"My power?"
The Doctor nodded before he continued speaking.
"How fast can you arrive in Columbia?"
Right now, the safety of their operators lies in his answer. They could make them fall back, but casualties would be inevitable. Furthermore, Kal'tsit guessed that the man would help them actively. From Thorn's statement, they reached Rhodes Island in less than a day, too.
"A second."
"...Huh?"
"I could reach that place within a second."
For a moment, his mind did not process his words. There's more than 3,000 kilometers between Rhodes Island that is situated in Kazdel and Colombia. Even their specialized helicopters will take days to reach that point. Moreover, their safety was not guaranteed. If a strong catastrophe happens to be on their route, they could only stop flying.
Fortunately, he managed to process everything well-enough.
"Please save our operators." He pleaded as he made a bow.
"Doctor..?! Who are they?!" Amiya abruptly asked.
He remained silent before he answered.
"It's Rosmontis' squad. Colombia's defense systems fell through after some of their officials turned into Seaborns."
"What?!"
Worry could be visibly seen on her face. She and Rosmontis are very close due to their age as well as the immense strength they possess.
"...It's her."
Shiro suddenly rushed to Kal'tsit's place, to much of Doctor's and Amiya's surprise.
"Where are they?"
"They should be in the capital city."
"Understood."
As his hand passed through the aurora curtain, one of his newest UR-items, [Neo Decadriver], was called forth. He found it floating inside the curtain where he passed through.
"I could test this." He mumbled before placing it to his waist. "I'll be going for a walk."
With that, he left.
"Shiro... Why does he go to such length..?"
As a result, he did not see Kal'tsit's conflicted eyes.
*****
Fact #104: Arknights has three different routes as shown in Integrated Strategies. The Endings 2 and 3 show very tragic stories such as Thorns dying as well as Mizuki failing to persuade the Seaborns, which would lead to the end of the civilization in the surface. It was also stated that the Sui siblings (Nian, Ling, Dusk) are busy fending the ancient god Sui, hence they couldn't help with the predicament. It led to Kal'tsit begging the Feranmuts to help them, but to no avail. There should still be a few Feranmuts who tried to help them, though (the ones who are already their allies way back).
As for the Ending 4, it is the canon one. Skadi successfully resists the Seaborns, thus averting the disaster. Mizuki (another Seaborn like Skadi) convinces the ocean zergs to leave Terra and head to the outer space. There are no zerg invasions on top of global-scale politics and outer gods. Everyone was happy in that ending.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Minutes after leaving Kal'tsit's office, Shiro was lost, figuratively.
'What do I do now?'
Kal'tsit did not give him a definite room where he stays. Having nothing to do, he simply strode on the Rhodes Island ship.
Shiro: "Where do you send guests inside Rhodes Island?"
A minute later, Kal'tsit's response arrived.
(A/N: There's a time gap due to them being in different worlds.)
Kal'tsit: "The third floor. You would see an extension of the operators' dormitory. You can choose somewhere within 315 to 319."
Kal'tsit: "Don't tell me my other self forgot to say this?"
Shiro: "She did."
Kal'tsit: "..."
After the speechless reply, Kal'tsit did not entertain him longer. Perhaps due to embarrassment, she closed the chat group panel.
"I wonder what face she's making right now."
"I sense it! An Ultraman!"
Suddenly, a girl bumped into him. Before she could fall, a power intervened. Her balance returned which let her avoid that fate.
"You! It was you!"
"Pardon?"
Caught off guard by the girl's words, Shiro instinctively accelerated his thoughts.
"Ultraman! The one who fights Kaijus!"
"Eh?"
Unfortunately, the girl went on to her world.
"How does it feel fighting one?!"
"Kaijus? You mean, giant monsters?"
"That's right." She nodded fervently. "My intuition told that you fought a kaiju. Was it true?"
Thinking of the outer god presiding on the moon as well as Walpurgisnacht, Shiro thought they fitted into that category.
"I guess so?"
"I knew it!"
Th girl immediately pulled off a notebook out of nowhere. Wearing a bright expression, she began questioning him.
"How does it feel fighting one?"
"Not that special?"
"How did the kaiju look like?"
"It's quite... gross. If you add godzilla along with ten other dinosaurs and an octopus, that's how it'll look like."
"Gojira? Is it a kaiju?"
"That's right. If you want to take a look..."
Shiro pulled out a manga and gave it to her. She swiftly skimmed through the pages. As she progressed, she became more amazed by its plot as well as Godzilla itself.
"This..! This is it! The perfect kaiju!" She exclaimed. "Tsk, I finally have so many new ideas for the next film..!"
She turned around and faced Shiro.
"I'll treat you to a chili hotpot as a thanks."
"Sure..?"
With no time, he found himself being dragged by the girl to the cafeteria. She talked to one of the chefs before she went back to their table with a tray of ingredients. Then—
"Here it is!"
Out of thin air, a metal pot and stove was created. It was somehow similar to [Arts] but different.
'This girl... A Feranmut?'
"I'll take care of the fire." Shiro said before summoning the manifestation of [Phenex Regeneration]—a phoenix made of fire. It dove straight into the stove before it kickstarted the fire.
"Whoa. That's very flashy. And cool."
Shiro saw she was about to dump everything after adding water. Just before she could do so, he stopped her.
"What's the matter?"
"I'll cook this one." He said. "That's not how you make hotpots."
First, he dumped the meat. He let it simmer for a few minutes before adding the flavors, namely the herbs and spices such as chilis. When the meat was about to be cooked, he dumped the vegetables.
For a few minutes, the girl watched him cook seriously. By the time he finished, a strong aroma wafted in the air.
"You remind me of my brother, you know?"
"I see..?" He replied. "How should I call you?"
She realized that she haven't introduced herself after all this time.
"My bad, my bad! You can call me Nian."
"Nian. You can call me Shiro."
"Shiro? You came from Higashi?"
"No. I'm from Sargon."
"That wasteland? You really came from afar."
While the idle talk happened, the hotpot was done. They soon filled their bowls with its contents.
"Amazing..!"
Within the first bite, Nian was won over.
"I've only tasted something like this now... It's been a long time already!"
"I'm glad you liked it."
For reference, Shiro did not use much of his powers. He only has his godly timing as well as techniques—two things that made his cooking godly.
"You are new here, right?" She asked.
"That's right. It's my first time here."
To be honest, Rhodes Island reminded him of the modern society. It is the peaceful world that many Infected longed for. Here, they have their own jobs and are accepted by their colleagues.
It is completely different from the outside world.
This is one of the reasons why his company took in the Infected. He did not care about the disease that could be handled by them. If he could not do so, he would not be worthy of his name as a creator.
"Why did you choose to come here? I am fairly sure you can better relax inside our place."
Hearing this, Shiro's expression did not change.
"I'm not the type to shut myself for a long time. Well, it was in the past. I am a changed man now."
"You're also a shut-in before? You might hit it off with my sister."
"I am married—" Shiro retorted. "—with six wives."
"As expected of a man like you!"
As a Feranmut, her worldview was firm. She saw many men in Yan who has 'concubines'. It did not shake her worldview much.
While they are talking, other operators noticed the man eating across her.
"Miss Nian found someone to trouble again."
"Seems like it."
Ch'en and Hoshiguma sighed at the same time. They felt unfortunate for the newcomer bothered by her.
"The chaos outside is already reaching the breaking point. I wonder what Doctor has in plan for us." Hoshiguma murmured. "I heard the little girl was deployed somewhere else right now."
"Rosmontis? Don't worry much. Blaze and Sharp are with her."
"True. The last time elite operators came together was the mess in Kazimierz. But, even they could not succeed in that mission."
Rhodes Island has many diplomatic relationships with the other countries. Each time, it happened due to the Doctor intervening on the said country's matters.
Stopping a civil war in Kjerag.
Helping the Infected in Kazimierz.
Making connections with the Durins on Sargon.
There was even a time when he helped the Abyssal Hunters find the other survivors of the Great Silence. Unfortunately, their lives were lost during the first descent of the Seaborn on the surface.
Each time, it proved that Doctor could accomplish many things. The reason Rhodes Island's morale are currently high is due to this.
"He would find a way. Even if it is to only keep some of us alive."
"That's fine by me. Struggling the best we could is something I'd wish for." Hoshiguma replied. "We're under the best leader, after all."
[Paging Mister Shiro. Doctor Kal'tsit is requesting your presence to the bridge.]
Hearing this announcement, Shiro has to leave.
"Well, there it is." He said. "I'll be back in a while."
"Sure."
Without wasting time, an aurora curtain went past him. Moments later, he found himself standing on the bridge.
"What?!"
Amiya was startled when she found someone standing behind her all of sudden.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"It's alright." Shiro then added, "Where's Kal'tsit?"
"She's busy."
A man wearing a black coat and mask approached him. Shiro saw Kal'tsit after the man pointed it out at him. There, he saw her communication with someone.
Big screens could be seen on the transparent glasses. Various matters related to Rhodes Island's operations are presented on it.
'Man with that outfit...'
Shiro remembered Kal'tsit's descriptions of a certain man.
"You must be the Doctor."
"I am."
Silence briefly occurred between the two.
"Mister Shiro. You are a Feranmut, right?"
"You don't seem surprised. Right, there are already three other than me, no?"
Nian.
Ling.
Dusk.
The three sisters from Yan. Rhodes Island accommodated them as they assisted in finding the other fragments of Sui, a chaotic god who could bring further chaos in Terra. He could sense their presence inside the landship.
"You're already acquainted with them?"
"No, just miss Nian. She's a peculiar one."
"I see... She tends to be troublesome at times..."
Doctor was one of her victims. There would be times when Nian pulls him over to accompany her in shopping. There are also times she will randomly invite operators for a hotpot party.
"Anyways... I want to ask something about your domain."
"My power?"
The Doctor nodded before he continued speaking.
"How fast can you arrive in Columbia?"
Right now, the safety of their operators lies in his answer. They could make them fall back, but casualties would be inevitable. Furthermore, Kal'tsit guessed that the man would help them actively. From Thorn's statement, they reached Rhodes Island in less than a day, too.
"A second."
"...Huh?"
"I could reach that place within a second."
For a moment, his mind did not process his words. There's more than 3,000 kilometers between Rhodes Island that is situated in Kazdel and Colombia. Even their specialized helicopters will take days to reach that point. Moreover, their safety was not guaranteed. If a strong catastrophe happens to be on their route, they could only stop flying.
Fortunately, he managed to process everything well-enough.
"Please save our operators." He pleaded as he made a bow.
"Doctor..?! Who are they?!" Amiya abruptly asked.
He remained silent before he answered.
"It's Rosmontis' squad. Colombia's defense systems fell through after some of their officials turned into Seaborns."
"What?!"
Worry could be visibly seen on her face. She and Rosmontis are very close due to their age as well as the immense strength they possess.
"...It's her."
Shiro suddenly rushed to Kal'tsit's place, to much of Doctor's and Amiya's surprise.
"Where are they?"
"They should be in the capital city."
"Understood."
As his hand passed through the aurora curtain, one of his newest UR-items, [Neo Decadriver], was called forth. He found it floating inside the curtain where he passed through.
"I could test this." He mumbled before placing it to his waist. "I'll be going for a walk."
With that, he left.
"Shiro... Why does he go to such length..?"
As a result, he did not see Kal'tsit's conflicted eyes.
*****
Fact #104: Arknights has three different routes as shown in Integrated Strategies. The Endings 2 and 3 show very tragic stories such as Thorns dying as well as Mizuki failing to persuade the Seaborns, which would lead to the end of the civilization in the surface. It was also stated that the Sui siblings (Nian, Ling, Dusk) are busy fending the ancient god Sui, hence they couldn't help with the predicament. It led to Kal'tsit begging the Feranmuts to help them, but to no avail. There should still be a few Feranmuts who tried to help them, though (the ones who are already their allies way back).
As for the Ending 4, it is the canon one. Skadi successfully resists the Seaborns, thus averting the disaster. Mizuki (another Seaborn like Skadi) convinces the ocean zergs to leave Terra and head to the outer space. There are no zerg invasions on top of global-scale politics and outer gods. Everyone was happy in that ending.
