Standing on the small boat, Irene occasionally looked back. They were getting further and further from the lighthouse, and with the disappearing coastline, this feeling of emptiness made her somewhat nervous.
"The Grand Inquisitor sent you to the Stultifera Navis to find a way to contact Aegir, not to be indecisive and hesitant…" Gladiia was somewhat displeased with Irene's actions.
"I understand…" Irene took a deep breath, calming her nervous heart. She constantly encouraged herself internally, "I am an Inquisitor of Iberia. I represent Iberia. I cannot show any fear."
Specter, standing at the bow, greedily enjoyed the sea breeze. Unbeknownst to them, the sea beneath the boat had calmed, and although the small boat was sailing in the deep sea, not a single ripple could be felt.
In Kanna's vision, countless Seaborn lurked in the depths of the sea. They watched the small boat above but made no move, like an old woman carefully holding a thread, preparing to thread a needle, fearing that a tremor would cause her to miss.
Kanna didn't believe they were afraid of her. Although she was confident that if these creatures in the sea dared to surface, she wouldn't mind asking the heavens to release a batch of lightning into the sea, believing that the heavens would reward such a kind Kanna with a large number of Seaborn corpses.
Irene, as a newly appointed Inquisitor, would not be their target in the eyes of these deep-sea creatures. So, their goal was very clear: these Abyssal Hunters—or more precisely, "Ishar-mla," the symbol of the Seaborn's struggle and evolution within Skadi.
Their inaction naturally didn't mean they were setting an ambush on the Fools Ship. The Abyssal Church's conspiracy went far beyond that. They knew the Fools Ship couldn't stop the Abyssal Hunters' advance, and what was the goal of these Abyssal Hunters? It was Aegir. So, they cut off communication between the land and Aegir, then forced the Hunters to personally venture into the sea to search for news of Aegir.
And the sea was the home ground for the Hunters and the deep sea. People on land couldn't provide any effective help. So, as long as the Abyssal Hunters, especially Skadi, were lured into the deep sea where they couldn't be supported by those terrifying creatures on land, then the Seaborn and the Great Swarm would find a way to make "Ishar-mla" return again.
Thinking of this, Kanna asked,
"If you really get news of Aegir on this Stultifera Navis, will you choose to leave?"
"Of course, the Hunters have been away from Aegir for a long time. We need to go home…" Gladiia somewhat misunderstood Kanna's meaning. Wasn't the purpose of her group venturing into dangerous territory to return to Aegir?
"How long have you been out of contact with Aegir?" Kanna naturally knew that ever since Skadi "killed" Ishar-mla, the Hunters had been adrift in the sea. They had lost their homeland at that moment.
"What do you mean by that?" Gladiia was proud of her Aegir identity, and as an Executive, she wasn't foolish. She naturally understood the hidden meaning in Kanna's words.
"Can you be sure that the news of Aegir found in the Seaborn's lair comes from the real Aegir?
Or, let me put it this way, more than half of the Abyssal Cultists in Iberia, a coastal country, are from Aegir. I can hardly imagine how many are hidden in your nation.
In my opinion, it shouldn't be difficult for the Seaborn and the Abyssal Cultists to conspire to fabricate news of Aegir. Even if this news truly comes from Aegir, it's still possible it's a deep-sea conspiracy…"
At this moment, Kanna looked to her right. A huge and magnificent battleship was anchored alone in the center of the sea. This ship was their destination for this trip, the Stultifera Navis.
"You want to stop us from going home?" There was a hint of killing intent in Gladiia's tone. In her opinion, perhaps Ms. Kaltsit didn't want the Abyssal Hunters to return to the ocean with news from the land, which was why Kanna was sent.
"Hmm, whether you and Specter go back or not, I don't really care. Because to the Seaborn, to the Abyssal Church, you are just Abyssal Hunters. To the sea, to them, you are insignificant. But Skadi cannot go back, at least not yet."
Hearing Kanna's words, Skadi, who had been somewhat dazed, showed a look of astonishment. Of course, she wouldn't think that Rhodes Island and Kanna were intentionally targeting her.
"Give me a reason!" Gladiia raised her weapon.
"Ishar-mla… Is that enough? To be honest, just as you don't trust land dwellers, I also don't trust the people of Aegir, who knows how many Abyssal Cultists they hide.
What exactly are you Abyssal Hunters? I believe you, as an Executive, should know better than I do. The Seaborn calling Skadi 'Ishar-mla' is not baseless. When you dealt with that one, you didn't completely kill it. It is within Skadi, and it has accompanied Skadi as she walked on Terra for so many years… I cannot imagine if she is allowed to enter the deep sea, and if this is truly the Abyssal Church's conspiracy, allowing Ishar-mla to return to the Seaborn Great Swarm, how terrible a disaster the Seaborn, familiar with the Terra continent, would bring to Terra. You cannot bear this responsibility, and neither can Aegir."
Kanna was not angered by the other party's belligerence. She walked to Skadi's side, stood on her tiptoes, and reached out to touch Skadi's face. As she met Skadi's gaze, she felt a sharp scream echo in her mind. This was her second meeting with this nascent being.
The first time, she used her Dragon's Might to catch the other off guard, scaring it a bit. This time, however, was their official meeting.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Kanna Kamui."
In Skadi's mind, a pure white giant dragon stood opposite one of the Seaborn deities. However, the clearly weakened Seaborn deity could not withstand the dragon's majesty. It was easily suppressed by the giant dragon into a corner of Skadi's consciousness.
After doing all this, Kanna's hand fell from Skadi's cheek. She tilted her head.
"Everyone who wanders has a desire to go home. But think carefully, is this desire your own, or is it imposed by others? Skadi, you've been on land for so many years, have you ever had an urgent desire to return to Aegir? And when and where did this urgency begin to appear…"
Skadi reached up and touched the spot where Kanna had just caressed her, her eyes gradually shifting from confusion to determination.
"Vice Captain, Kanna is right. Whether for Aegir or the Terra continent, I am not suitable to return to the deep sea now."
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