Chapter 970 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Sirens — this peaceful and mysterious species had been living quietly under the ocean for ten thousand years. They seemed to be contented creatures, slowly going through their lives in the depths of the sea, untouched by the environmental and cultural changes on land.

However, they were not really a stagnant culture. In fact, contrary to what their ninja-esque image suggested, sirens were a curious lot. They enjoyed learning new things, and once they found out about their origins, they grew even more eager to learn more about their culture and history.

“We are currently thinking about rebuilding Nasaton. This includes not only the structures destroyed from the war last time, but also the ship’s hull and lower level containment tanks. There is a wide hole at the base of the city. Sand and metal scraps are blocking the transport tubes down there. The place has been abandoned for ten thousand years, but it is only now that we realize the hole was due to the ship crashing into the seabed.” Katreina brushed her fingers against the holographic projection. “We think that repairing the ship is the first step in beginning our reconciliation with Io. Besides, the process of repairing the ship will help us recover lost knowledge from the past.”

Hao Ren raised his brows. “That’s why you want an ark? To gather building material?”

“It’s not just the building material.” Katreina smiled. “It is also for reference. We have lived under the sea for ten thousand years, and this long period of isolation has made us unfamiliar with the sky and anything beyond it. While I would frequently send observers to the surface, we have only ever had a superficial understanding of this ‘Air World’ concept. This planet is now controlled by humans, so living on land is not an option. However, if we can acquire a spaceship from another civilization, it will be tremendously helpful. We can study it, and use it to educate the younger generation.”

Katreina then pointed towards the side of the holographic projection. Since Nasaton sat on a wide area of sand, that location had nothing on it. “Besides, we are going to build a new settlement beside Nasaton, which will be at least as large as a third of the city. The siren population remains mostly stagnant, but many years have passed now. The city is overcrowded and in need of an expansion. If we can get one of these arks you speak of, not only do we get to repair Nasaton, the remaining hull and building material can be used to expand the city.”

Hao Ren finally appreciated how much the Queen of the Sirens had in mind. No wonder she agreed to rent out their home planet so eagerly — she needed to expand the city and repair their ship. The unexpected arrival of the arks was a great relief. Since she and her people would not be able to return to Io in the immediate future, they might as well lease it. It was like exchanging something they were no using at the moment for a huge spaceship!

“You want to repair and expand the city. You’re right — a spaceship will be very useful to have.” Hao Ren stroked his chin. “Just one question — the ark is designed for space travelling, not for underwater excursions. While I figure those sturdy metals on the ark are fairly resistant to rusting, are they really suitable for Nasaton?”

“We sirens are experts in solving that problem.” Katreina said, and then pointed at the table in front of Hao Ren. “Do you know where this table come about?”

Hao Ren studied the table. It was a long table with bold, circular patterns. The material was not metal, and it felt slightly warm. “Where?”

“It’s mostly made of from one of the broadside cannons on the Mary • Ross. A third of it came from ship’s keel. One of the siren observers took these materials back as a souvenir. We later performed an elemental breakdown of the materials and used them to create this new material.” Katreina tapped lightly on the table. “We have lost much of our technology, but we did preserve some of them. As long as there is water, we can work with almost any material. Besides, didn’t you see the strange things on the streets of Nasaton?”

Hao Ren was taken aback, and could only reply instinctively, “The strangest things I saw when coming here were the sirens…”

Katreina coughed. “Cough cough, today is a special occasion… I meant the ship anchors, keel fragments, and other human trinkets. They were all brought back by sirens when they return from their travels. Many of them are over thousands of years old. We have our ways to make them suitable for use underwater.”

Hao Ren was astonished. He never had the opportunity to study the abilities of these sirens. It was only now that he realized these deep-sea ladies were as capable as master level alchemists!