On a Schicskal-class transport airship off the coast of Guangzhou, a silver-haired Valkyrie with red pupils was typing away at a keyboard.
Her teammate's inquiry came through her earpiece: "Alvitr, have you adjusted the equipment?"
"Just the last two parameters... Alright, adjustment completed! We can deploy the final batch of detection buoys now."
Alvitr stretched lazily, but the seat space wasn't large enough for her arms to fully extend, so she reluctantly pulled them back in.
The transport airship smoothly changed its posture and dropped several dozen red-and-white buoys into the sea below. They would continue to operate, gathering environmental information in the vicinity.
After confirming that all deployed detectors were functioning normally, Alvitr announced over the communication channel, and it erupted with cheers.
"Finished for the day!"
"I'm going to have a big celebration!"
Someone teased, "How many days has it been since your last drink? Less than a week, right? And weren't you celebrating the successful completion of the last project?"
"Can't we declare a perfect completion in advance given the current situation?" the alcohol-loving Valkyrie retorted. "We've basically pinpointed the location of Chiyou, and all that's left is to find the entrance and send exploration teams in for a thorough search... We've hardly ever encountered any hiccups in this regard, right?"
Her words were met with agreement from the other Valkyries.
"That's true."
"The most troublesome part, locating, is already done! Cheers!"
Alvitr chimed in, "Yeah, I thought it would be just like before, sitting in vehicles every day, hauling heavy computers to adjust detectors, ending each day looking a mess with no place to shower..."
"It won't be as difficult this time, considering we're near the continental shelf, and we have this transport airship... The airship needs maintenance back at the base too!"
The alcohol-loving Valkyrie continued, "Besides, I feel like our luck has been really good these past two days. The Intelligence Department's coordinates landed right on top of the Stigmata ruins... For this stroke of luck alone, I'm going to drink a couple extra when we get back."
The Valkyrie piloting the transport airship exclaimed, "Can we stop talking about alcohol? You're making me crave it! I have to stay combat-ready during the mission and can't even touch a drop..."
"Haha, after all, you're the driver. If you drink and drive, we'll all end up in the sea!"
"Shut up, or I'll launch you out of the airship right now!"
Amidst the laughter and cheers, the airship returned to base.
Alvitr carried her computer and walked out of the transport plane with her teammates, finally stretching her lazy limbs.
"Ah... that feels better!"
"Alvitr!"
A Valkyrie who looked quite imposing approached the landing pad, walking towards Alvitr.
"Wow, Captain Whitley!"
"I need to trouble you again..."
Whitley's face carried a familiar apology, and Alvitr immediately understood why she was being sought out.
She hesitated for a moment, asking, "Do I need to be the one to communicate with the scientists at headquarters?"
"Haha, after all, you're the only one in our team skilled in technology and data... It's more efficient if you handle it."
Alvitr rubbed her temples with some discomfort. "Alright, alright. Most researchers have very special thought patterns. I hope this time we'll be dealing with scientists who are good at communication..."
Whitley patted Alvitr's shoulder gently. "Ah, Alvitr, with your skills and communication abilities, staying in our exploration team is actually a bit of a waste... Are you interested in going to headquarters? They're recruiting, and if you're willing, I'll recommend you."
"Well..."
Alvitr pursed her lips, visibly conflicted. "Let's talk about it later... Let's talk..."
"No rush, take your time to think about it." Whitley squeezed Alvitr's shoulder. "It's a big decision, you have to make it yourself..."
The two stood by the landing pad, watching as the ground crew began maintenance on the transport airship, taking their time.
"Hmm? Someone's calling?"
Whitley took out her personal terminal and answered the call.
"Hello? What's up? Is there a scary Valkyrie from the Intelligence Department checking on our progress?" The captain gasped, "You think it's from headquarters? Ugh... I'll be right there!"
While Alvitr was still contemplating her future, Whitley grabbed her arm. "Alvitr, stop daydreaming, let's go together!"
"Uh... huh? What's going on?"
"It's time to put your skills to use!"
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After receiving the message, Luo Lin rushed from Mount Taixu to the Schicksal base.
Now, she was standing in front of a holographic projector representing the underwater situation, staring at the red-marked area on it.
The area was quite large, with some upward protrusions that might be mistaken for ordinary underwater volcanic formations at first glance.
But Luo Lin knew that this was the body of the Judgment-level Herrscher, Chiyou!
And the most important thing was that it hadn't died yet, and it could even climb up and perform an assault on the mainland.
Luo Lin licked her lips and turned her head to look at the few Valkyries of the exploration team standing beside the projection. One of them, a silver-haired and red-eyed individual, looked very familiar to her.
After introductions and hearing the other's name, Luo Lin suddenly realized who she was.
Wasn't this Alvitr, who claimed to be a "toolman", but in fact was equally adept at being a cute and lively companion alongside Susanna in the Immortal Blades?
It seemed she hadn't joined the Immortal Blades yet...
"...After the detectors collected preliminary data, it was processed by the supercomputer and artificial intelligence, analyzing the parts of the nearby sea with abnormal Honkai energy."
Alvitr nervously spoke from the side, "We then immediately deployed high-precision detectors and unmanned submersibles for a search in the seabed area. Finally, we found evidence like this..."
The projection in front of Luo Lin changed, showing several photos of the seabed.
Pieces of pottery covered in coral;
Metal debris buried in the mud, with obvious artificial traces that didn't belong to nature;
And the most significant, a huge stone slab engraved with strange characters.
The voice of Senti came from the depths of Luo Lin's mind: "I know this, it's a type of ancient text passed down in Shenzhou..."
Luo Lin remained outwardly composed, but inwardly asked Senti, "Master, Can you translate it?"
"What a strange title you've given me... Let me think, it's been a long time since I've used this style of text..."
Senti remembered for a moment, snapped her fingers, and said effortlessly, "Found it, the old timer remembers this aspect quite clearly... Uh, wait a minute... Aren't these all tombstones used in graves?!"
"Huh?"