Chapter 193: Babel
"So this is Rhodes Island—"
Xia Yu leaned out, looking at the mountain-like landship on the distant plains.
600 meters long, 306 meters wide, with a total height of 136 meters; even compared to the flagship of any nation's main fleet, this colossal vessel did not pale in comparison. Furthermore, as a landship modified from a prehistoric starship, it was packed with layers upon layers of lost technology.
"Logically speaking, a vessel like this shouldn't be much to look at in your eyes," The Doctor asked casually upon hearing this.
"What's there to look down on?" Xia Yu waved her hand, not even turning her head as she spoke. "No matter how you look at it, it's a hundred-thousand-ton behemoth. Seeing it move is still quite spectacular."
"Besides, I don't even have a Skiff of my own; I've been hitching rides this whole time."
"Convoy ahead, halt!"
Just then, a patrolling Babel squad intercepted them dozens of kilometers away from Rhodes Island.
ACE looked at the elite convoy before him, his expression grave.
"This is ACE Squad," he spoke into his communicator. "Reporting to the Landship: an elite convoy consisting of fifteen armored vehicles and heavy trucks has been discovered on the patrol path. Querying if they are guests on the visitor list. Over."
"This is the Landship. Captain ACE, there are no scheduled visitors today. Please proceed with caution!"
"Copy that, understood," ACE's brow furrowed even deeper. "ACE Squad requesting backup!"
"Landship copies. Reserve squads have been dispatched to your location. Please act with extreme prudence!"
"ACE copies," ACE felt slightly more at ease as he looked at the convoy ahead.
He couldn't afford not to be careful; after all, friction between the Military Commission and Babel had been increasing lately. The two sides were only maintaining a peaceful facade on the surface.
In the shadows, the mercenaries were already tearing each other apart. Take the time they transported the Rhodes Island from Rim Billiton back to Kazdel—if Her Highness hadn't personally intervened, those mercenaries would have truly met their end.
The Military Commission was truly shameless, directly sending elites disguised as mercenaries to hijack the route.
Therefore, facing these vehicles that were clearly well-equipped, he naturally raised his guard to the maximum.
But when he saw the Sarkaz getting out of the vehicles, he became confused again.
Aren't these all rookies?
No, what kind of rookies have such luxurious equipment? Something's wrong!
ACE warily scanned the convoy. If someone really wanted to cause trouble, using nothing but rookies... that would be too conspicuous.
"This is the Babel temporary station," ACE stepped out of his vehicle, holding up his shield as he spoke. "May I ask who—"
"It's me," Ascalon popped her head out from a vehicle, looking somewhat reluctant.
The original plan was for The Doctor to return alone, perhaps bringing only Amiya. In that case, they wouldn't have been intercepted at all and would have gone straight into Rhodes Island.
She would have enjoyed the ease of it.
But now...
With such a grand display, it would be strange if the patrolling Operators didn't stay on guard.
"Ascalon? Weren't you on a—oh," ACE naturally recognized this top disciple of the Demon King. "Then they are..."
He scanned the surrounding mercenaries.
"Just mercenaries doing a job for money. Is Her Highness on Rhodes Island right now? I have top-secret intelligence to report," Ascalon didn't want to elaborate. The main reason was that Bailu's existence had to be kept secret, at least for now.
Otherwise, once her ability leaked out, Babel might be fine since it was a medical organization, but the Military Commission would definitely be unable to sit still. The only person who could restrain them was Her Highness Theresa.
Therefore, she wouldn't say anything until she saw Her Highness.
"Then we're all on the same side," ACE smiled and scratched the back of his head heartily. "Sorry about that. My nerves have been a bit tight lately. Come on, I'll escort you all back!"
After saying that, he sat back in his car and led the way.
While driving, he reported the situation back. Whether these mercenaries were truly just doing a job for money or had other intentions, he believed the Landship would handle the response.
Meanwhile, on the landship, Rhodes Island.
Kal'tsit, feeling uneasy, took out a letter The Doctor had sent her previously.
'Kal'tsit:
I received your letter. I hope everything is going well for you at Babel.
There is something I want to tell you. Two months ago, I rescued a girl named Amiya from a wrecked convoy.
Regrettably, her parents perished in the accident, and she has contracted Oripathy herself.
I originally intended to settle her before continuing my journey, but in this region, people lock the Infected who have no family to care for them into vehicles and send them into the empty wasteland. Thus, I could only take her with me.
By a stroke of luck, she has become my traveling companion.
You cannot imagine the panic and helplessness I felt while caring for her...
Fortunately, a lady calling herself Savage also joined our journey. With her help in caring for the girl, I truly breathed a sigh of relief.
Kal'tsit, I am happy. This vast land is covered in the traces of life.
This is an unfamiliar world, yet it occasionally gives me a sense of familiarity. I think of the legendary stories I was obsessed with when I was young—clichéd, yet they still draw my imagination through them.
The giant vehicles from those old eras in the stories, rumbling through mine tunnels and dust, now stand once more upon this vast land.
It turns out that stories really do become reality, and the reality before our eyes will also turn into a story.
I thought I was merely a passerby here, that history would not record my existence, and that I would form no connection with this place.
This deliberate detachment made me forget one reality—I am already within this vast land.
Kal'tsit, I do not yet understand what caused this feeling in me.
But the heat of life transmitted from a child's feverish palm is scorching my heart, causing an unbearable sting.
Kal'tsit, I will take Amiya to Lungmen. I heard there are doctors there who can treat Oripathy; I want to go and see for myself.
Savage found many medicines for Amiya along the way, but with only our current conditions, I cannot better treat Amiya's Oripathy.
I know Amiya is not a particularly special child. Babel is likewise in the midst of a complex crisis. But I have still decided to bring her back.
Along the way, I met many people, received help, and worried over travel expenses. I saw new things and even felt some long-lost wonder.
The local convoy I was following encountered some breakdowns. Under the guidance of a shepherd, accompanied by the sound of drills and engines, we rode beasts of burden across the wilds of Rim Billiton.
In the end, I couldn't hold on; I tumbled from the back of the beast of burden into the water.
My hips and back burned with pain, water choked my nasal passages, and I coughed until I nearly suffocated.
Yet this interlude, after nearly half a year of walking the earth, made me truly feel that I am living on this vast land.
Kal'tsit, on this vast land, I heard the sound of my own life surging.'
Kal'tsit was very glad that The Doctor was getting along so well with the current world.
This dissipated much of the unease in her heart.
As for the child named Amiya and the news that Oripathy could be treated in Lungmen...
The former was a pitiful soul, while the latter reminded her of the trip to the Snowfield a few months ago.
However, Kal'tsit knew that The Doctor's idea had likely fallen through. Although she had no news from Lungmen, according to Ascalon's report, she was already returning to Kazdel with The Doctor.
She put down the letter and looked at the top youth of Kazdel and Babel's chief engineer.
"Closure, how is the progress?"
Kal'tsit asked with a stern face, "I do not want another incident where the Landship's core system goes out of control."
"Haha, if you really want the truth, we might still be running into some tiny problems," Closure shrugged. "Even with the brilliant tips you gave me, the encryption modes of many of PRTS's programs aren't something an ordinary person can understand. My decoding equipment isn't fully compatible yet."
"As for the result, we might not be able to completely shut down the system before The Doctor boards."
Kal'tsit remained silent for two seconds upon hearing this, then spoke, "Try one more time. If you still aren't certain, prepare the contingency plan... completely cut all power to the Landship."
Closure patted her chest and replied, "Leave it to me!"
"But... it seems you're hiding a lot of secrets, Kal'tsit," she curiously observed the stern-faced doctor. "I've never seen anyone make you this nervous."
"...That is not important, Closure."
Kal'tsit sighed. "What is important is that I do not want any accidents to occur on the Landship."
"But according to the mission brief Ascalon sent back, The Doctor is just an ordinary person—a great philanthropist who wanders around carrying a stranded little bunny on his back."
Closure tilted her head. "It doesn't seem like we need to be this guarded against him, does it?"
Kal'tsit shook her head. "The threat does not come from The Doctor."
"Then what is it?"
"You don't need to know yet."
Kal'tsit looked at the documents in her hand. "For the safety of The Doctor and the members of Babel, erase his boarding record. Until The Doctor and Theresa reach a conclusion, there is no need for other members to know of his existence."
"Alright, alright, I'll work harder..."
Closure curled her lip. "But you clearly look like you care a lot about The Doctor, yet you're so wary of that person... Ah! Could it be that The Doctor has some sort of dirt on you!"
Kal'tsit replied helplessly, "Do not think about investigating. You won't find anything."
Closure was stunned. "Uh, no need to be so serious."
'I was just joking around. You're so serious, could there actually be something?'
Kal'tsit shifted the topic. "Also... the child who was rescued. Her identity?"
"Same old conclusion."
Closure took out a tablet and said, "I've cross-referenced every record related to Rim Billiton from that time and had Scout and our moles in the Military Commission confirm it. There are no issues with Amiya's identity."
"Her parents indeed died during an attack on a convoy transporting laser mining modules for us. The attack on them was an absolute accident; no one knew they were carrying cargo related to the Sarkaz, and that attack was not a deliberate arrangement by the Military Commission."
"She likely became an Infected during that accident as well. If it weren't for The Doctor... she would probably have spent the rest of her life miserably in Rim Billiton."
Kal'tsit pursed her lips. "I will personally handle the examination and treatment plan for that child after she boards."
Closure frowned. "Are you still worried about that child?"
'Clearly everything looks fine, is this necessary?'
"I am."
Kal'tsit said without hesitation, "She is too young, and she hasn't received any proper treatment after contracting Oripathy."
Closure smiled. "So it's that kind of worry."
"I do not want The Doctor's kindness to become the culprit that delays her treatment. And..."
Kal'tsit's tone betrayed a rare trace of gentleness. "Theresa would say she is a kind child and has the right to choose her future."
"Fine, you guys are the ones in charge anyway," Closure shrugged. "By the way, I still have—"
Before she could finish, Kal'tsit's communicator rang.
"Doctor Kal'tsit, Operator Ascalon is approaching the Landship rapidly with a convoy. Please advise."
"Ascalon? A convoy?" Kal'tsit was momentarily stunned.
"According to Operator ACE's report, the convoy is well-equipped, with about a hundred Sarkaz Mercenaries, but they are all rookies."
"Arrange for Reserve Squads 1 and 2 to head to the main gate..."
"Wait, new situation," the dispatcher's voice suddenly interrupted her. "Her Highness has gone out!"
"Then also arrange for Reserve Squads 1 and 2 to head over there," Kal'tsit said without a moment's hesitation.
"Understood."
As soon as she hung up, Kal'tsit stood up and headed for Rhodes Island's entrance elevator.
Meanwhile, Theresa was waiting expectantly outside Rhodes Island.
ACE guided the convoy toward her.
"Is that Her Highness?!" a Sarkaz Mercenary suddenly exclaimed in surprise, looking at the main gate ahead.
"What? Her Highness?" Following his words, a large group of Sarkaz Mercenaries in the vehicles crowded around the windows. "That's... it really is Her Highness!"
"Stupid, didn't someone say it earlier? This is the Babel base. Her Highness would obviously be here!"
"You don't understand, I haven't seen Her Highness in my entire life!"
"Exactly! Not everyone is born inside the city of Kazdel!"
Even Mudrock looked at the white figure ahead with a face full of excitement.
It made sense; after all, that was Theresa, the most merciful Demon King.
"Ha..." Amiya was woken by their voices. She poked her head out from The Doctor's arms, gave a yawn, and looked ahead with sleepy eyes.
"Doctor... are we there?"
"Yes, we've arrived," The Doctor rubbed her little face. "Welcome to Babel, Amiya."
"And welcome to all of you as well," The Doctor looked at the somewhat cowering Charlotte. "Don't worry, Theresa is a very nice person."
"Er, cough, okay, I understand," Charlotte could only give a sheepish smile.
'Good heavens, that's the Demon King! The legendary Demon King!'
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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