Hello, Arknights

Chapter 348 "Ishamara"

A drop of water hung from the faucet in the bathroom, reflecting the sunlight outside the window, hanging in the air without falling, and a silvery-white figure sat quietly beside the bed.

Skadi heard the sound outside the door and immediately looked at the access control. She knew Ling Dengxian was coming when his footsteps appeared at the end of the corridor, but the second to last room at the end of the corridor was his dormitory. It was not until he stopped outside her door and started talking to Outcast that Skadi was sure that he was indeed here to see her.

She was a little embarrassed because she was not ready to find him yet, but he came first unexpectedly. Seeing him being sent to the medical department, according to the standards of people on land, Skadi thought Ling Dengxian would have to lie in bed for several days.

A light flashed in her red eyes, and the hunter of Agor felt that she should do something, but when it came to the implementation, she didn't know what exactly to do, so she had to continue sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze.

"... Dove, although we are not worried about whether our outstanding operators will do something stupid, we still have to be careful. After all, Skadi... is not completely open with us." The gray-haired Ms. Sakota's figure is not hunched, which makes her look not old, even though she is actually very old.

"Of course, grandma, just relax. You're still here, aren't you?"

"You kid... be careful. If she makes trouble, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you in the first time." The voices of conversation gradually became clearer, and soon, two figures appeared at the door of Skadi's temporary dormitory.

There was a slight discrepancy between their movements, and the boy was puzzled. Mostima glanced at Outcast, shrugged, and smiled. "Looks like it should be fine. I won't go in. I'll talk to this lady from my hometown."

"You're not coming together again?" Mostima made Ling Xian feel uncertain, worried that she had something against him.

The latter immediately understood what he was concerned about and waved her hand: "Just to ensure your safety. Girls sometimes make excuses."

Is this really just an excuse?

Without further hesitation, Ling Dengxian pushed the door open and walked in, meeting the pair of red eyes that seemed somewhat familiar to him.

"..."

"..."

Skadi had no intention of speaking, but just stared at him silently. It was unknown what she was thinking, and her expression did not seem to indicate that she felt she had done nothing. She knew very well what she had done, but did not feel that she needed to clear up the misunderstanding.

The scene was awkward and cold for a moment. Ling Dengxian took a deep breath. The dull pain in his body once again reminded him of the danger of the person in front of him and his fickleness.

But he still felt that Skadi must have some principles in her actions, and he just didn't understand them well enough - of course he didn't blame Skadi at all, but the strong loneliness in her eyes made him unable to get angry.

Especially since the other party had saved me before.

"Good afternoon, Skadi, I'm here. Um... I want to ask you some questions..." Without hesitating for too long, Ling Dengxian tried to get closer.

"Yeah." The Agor girl lowered her eyes and turned her face away without saying anything else.

Ling Dengxian smiled bitterly: "Skadi..."

"...I did it on purpose. If you need to apologize, I'm sorry. If you think I'm dangerous, just stay away from me like they did."

Ling Dengxian suddenly understood the reason for her loneliness. He had obviously been different from others in insisting on approaching her before, but he just showed the same reaction as those who were afraid of her. Naturally, it would be considered that the mask of disguise had been removed.

The conversation was broken, and his words were pale and powerless at this moment. He didn't know what Skadi would think if he said something wrong or vague. Perhaps he was indeed too presumptuous and had no awareness.

"Skadi, I... am indeed a little scared of you."

"...Not surprising." Although she still acted indifferent, when he took the initiative to speak, Skadi did not remain silent and responded to every word he said.

"No one is afraid of death. Yesterday, I truly sensed murderous intent in you... It was difficult for me to withstand your sword. Compared to you, I am as fragile as a piece of buttered bread..."

"Gu~" A very clear sound rang out between the two of them, and silence fell with awkwardness. Skadi turned her face to the side, her ears a little red.

"Breakfast is a little small." Thus, the girl said the first sentence of her own initiative to explain.

"...Let's go to the cafeteria? I'll treat you." Ling Dengxian scratched his cheek and suggested.

"I can't act freely unless the people outside agree."

"Do you two need takeout?" Mostima's smiling blue eyes shone in through the gap in the open door like the morning light.

Twenty minutes later, Ling, who had been eating his lunch box with Skadi, finally sat down across from the somewhat relaxed Skadi, who had a surprisingly good appetite.

"It seems like you can't just say 'treat' casually..." Ling Dengxian was a little stunned. Upon hearing this, Skadi shook her head and said, "Then I'll pay for it myself."

"That's not what I meant. Oh, you really can eat a lot. I've never seen anyone with such a big appetite. I'm just sighing." Ling Dengxian waved his hands repeatedly.

"Mom did say something similar, like 'If you eat so much, you'll have plenty to do in the future.'" It was rare for Skadi to say so many words at once.

"Really? I thought you would say something like the elders in my hometown say that it's hard to find a partner." Ling Dengxian took a mouthful of rice and said casually.

"According to Agor's marriage law, you can apply for help from the civil affairs agency. Based on past information, they can find recommended potential marriage partners, so my family doesn't have to worry." Skadi said nonchalantly.

"Is this so considerate?" Ling Dengxian was shocked, and then he realized his blind spot. "How do you know it's okay? Could it be..."

"Because I no longer have this right. I was told very clearly at the beginning that 'Hunters' don't need to consider issues in this regard." Skadi's eyes suddenly turned cold, but her expression did not change much.

Ling Dengxian didn't realize the point for a moment and said with some regret: "Then your family didn't say much, right?"

Skadi paused and put down her bowl and chopsticks.

"They're dead."

A bad aura emerged from Skadi, and he saw gloom and pain in her expression: "By those monsters... the city fell, the heavy water pressure and the sweeping sea wiped out all traces of their existence."

"That's why I hate these monsters even more, and I attacked you because I thought you were also one of those sea heirs." Skadi gave her explanation, but there was a taste of blood in her words.

"...Do they look like humans?" Ling Dengxian felt a little horrified.

“They can be like people.”

"Are they... dangerous?"

"Far better than you land people."

"...Are you on the run?"

“…We flee, we die.”

Skadi closed her eyes and shook her head gently, indicating that she wanted to end this Q&A session: "I am the only one left... Maybe one day, I will end the battle. This is my destiny as the 'Deep Sea Hunter'. But before that, there are still people who want to kill me.

"They couldn't do anything to me, so they just focused on killing the people around me. I once said there was a man named Juan, and in the end his father and I could only bury half of his body."

"So that's how it is..." Ling Dengxian's breathing hitched slightly. He felt Skadi's deep remorse and regret, and sympathy and heartache arose spontaneously. "Then why don't you just explain it to everyone directly?"

Skadi's answer startled him, like ripples on the usually calm surface of water. The silver-haired girl raised her face and said angrily, "Because there are so many good people like you! Do you want me to repeat these potentially dangerous things to each of you one by one every time we meet?"

"It's better to go a little overboard. Just be afraid, and it'll be fine. At least if you're afraid you won't die, and at least if you're disgusted you won't bring disaster upon yourself."

After saying this, Agor exuded a deep sense of loneliness and he no longer had the appetite to eat.

Ling Dengxian hesitantly moved closer and asked cautiously, "But why did you come all the way to find me when you were in Casimir?"

"...Because you're a good person," Skadi suddenly stared at him, reaching out and grabbing his wrist. In an instant, he was unable to move, a silent, deep terror enveloping him. Skadi's eyes were terrifyingly calm.

"Put away your 'great power'... It's so hard to see you so closely, don't let this meeting end in a bad mood." The hollow voice made Ling Dengxian's heart tremble. It seemed that his every move was noticed, so he hesitated at the dividing line of whether to trigger the white flame.

"Who are you?" Ling Dengxian's chest heaved violently as he stared into those eyes that seemed like the abyss, his breathing gradually becoming rapid.

He glanced at the door, only to find that there was deep darkness behind him - he was somewhat familiar with this process, but he would not get used to panic.

"My name? You can call me Ishamara." Sensing his uneasiness and fear, the silver figure lowered his posture a little, but this did not give him much sense of security.

"If further explanation is required, I am the source of Skadi's worries, 'The Firstborn of the Sea'."

"Skadi" stood up and the picture began to emerge. Ling Dengxian heard the sound of the tide, light began to appear in the darkness, ripples appeared in front of his eyes, and a feeling of suffocation followed.

What do you want to do?! He was speechless under the water pressure.

Ling Dengxian was enveloped in fear. Ishamara's toes floated off the ground. In his opinion, no swimmer should be able to swim freely in such an environment, but she floated in front of him like a fish. He felt the novelty and excitement in her eyes, and then the terrifying pressure surged into his breath. Just when Bai Yan was about to break free from the shackles, the free breath finally returned to his nasal cavity.

"I planted a 'seed' for you. It will grant you grace when you are once again on the brink of such despair. The sea will no longer reject you... This is my respect for you. It has nothing to do with Hai Si or Terra. I respect your majesty. This is all I offer."

"You just now... were you planning on doing this for real?" Ling Dengxian certainly wouldn't believe it easily. The threat he felt just now was really frightening.

"...I understand your situation, but regarding your question just now, if I truly had thoughts that I shouldn't have, the man in white behind you wouldn't sit idly by."

As he spoke, Isamara's voice gradually became unclear. Before he could ask what the white clothes were, his vision became distorted and blurred, and the depth dissipated. When he could see things clearly again, he saw Skadi who had returned to the bed and fallen asleep.

"She didn't seem to know what was going on."

Ling Dengxian took a breath. The fear of the deep sea he had just felt did not seem fake. He could not help but stare at Skadi, vaguely understanding Skadi's concerns.

The matter was over. I walked out of Skadi's room and saw Outcast and Mastema looking normal, as if they didn't know what had just happened. Even Mastema, who was also an agent, didn't show any abnormal behavior.

"Who is 'White Clothes'?" Ling Dengxian was puzzled. As if in response to his question, there was no wind, but he felt the coolness.

Ishamara, the evil demon, Bai Yan, the first generation blood demon, Xiao Xie, and this "white clothes"... He almost pulled his hair out, and the feeling of powerlessness filled his troubles and could not be shaken off.