Arknights: Sea Goddesses of Terra

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Chapter 4: Columbia Pioneers

"Paulie, what's going on?"

Inside a cave, three people blocked the entrance with a steel plate. There were constant banging sounds coming from it, as though something was repeatedly striking it.

"Chris, this is bad. Didn't you hear it?"

"If this damn storm doesn't stop, John's going to die."

A large man wrapped in a cloak sat next to the steel plate, pressing it firmly against the opening with his body. His gaze fell on another man lying on the ground.

The man on the ground had blood gushing from his head. Even though they had bandaged it, the white cloth was already soaked in large bloodstains.

The three of them were part of Columbia's pioneer team, a small expedition force pushing the nation's expansion outward.

They were also what people called the "infected." Whether due to accidents, frame-ups, or sheer bad luck, they had all contracted mineral disease.

In most other countries, they would likely have been driven out of the city. If lucky, they might have found refuge in unregulated slums.

But in Columbia, infected individuals were granted "human rights"—so long as they purchased medical insurance to prove they were "harmless."

As long as this insurance remained valid, infected individuals would not be deported and could continue to live normal lives in Columbia.

However, the cost of this medical insurance only grew higher with time. Few companies were willing to cover such exorbitant fees for an infected employee.

Unless, of course, the infected person could prove their worth to the company—but how many could?

Yet, to live in the city, money was essential. They needed to maintain their medical insurance.

Otherwise, they would be cast out and become yet another wanderer, doomed to perish in the wilderness.

But how could those who had lost their jobs afford the ever-rising insurance premiums? The answer was simple: banks in Columbia were more than willing to lend money to infected individuals—offering loans that were nothing short of predatory.

Columbia did not discriminate against infected people. No, more precisely, it did not discriminate against their money. The system would bleed them dry.

Yet, even with these crushing insurance costs, few infected individuals lasted beyond two months. Would the nation simply abandon those who had been exploited to the brink?

No. The "benevolent" Columbia provided them with another opportunity—a job as pioneers, venturing into the uncharted wilderness.

On paper, this hardly differed from being a wandering drifter, struggling to survive in dangerous terrain.

But compared to common vagrants, pioneers enjoyed limited free medical care and had access to secure rest areas at designated outposts.

And the meager salary left after loan repayments? It was spent on painkillers for when the mineral disease flared up.

"Okay, I get it. But do you really want to go out in that storm?"

Paulie gestured toward John, who lay half-dead beside him.

"Look at this poor bastard. I don't know if he's lucky or unlucky—his head got smashed, yet he's still breathing."

After saying this, Paulie stood up, placed his hand on the steel plate, and called the other man over.

"Alright, it's your turn."

"I know, I know."

"If you ask me, John's just unlucky. At this point, he'd be better off dead. This place is hell."

After some time, the desert finally grew calm again. The two men lifted the dented steel plate and peered outside.

The wilderness had returned to its usual silence and desolation, as if the earlier sandstorm had never happened. Only the holes in the ground bore witness to the chaos that had just passed.

"I just took an inventory. We're running low on food," Paulie said, looking at Chris. "We should prepare to head back. John needs a doctor."

"I know, I know. Let's go. Damn sandstorm, damn wilderness, damn pioneer team."

Paulie shrugged, ignoring Chris's complaints, and lifted John onto his back.

---

…

"Oh, looks like it finally stopped."

Reinette, hiding in a cave, peered outside through a shimmering water curtain she had created earlier. The wilderness had returned to tranquility.

Quickly finishing the noodles in her hands, she stood up, raised her hand, and dismissed the water curtain from the cave entrance.

She gazed at the now-serene desert and dispelled the murky water orb she had formed. The stones trapped inside fell to the ground with a few clattering sounds.

At that moment, Reinette felt an ache of friction on her back and instinctively raised her tail.

"Still not used to suddenly having a tail."

Just as she muttered this, a blue tail swayed behind her, and a pair of horns protruded from her head.

As for the reason—

[Personal Panel]

Doctor: Reinette

Code: None

Race: Human (Pure Water Spirit, Transformation in Progress 60%)

Physical Condition: Healthy

Mall Module: Collapsed (Click to Expand)

Medical Points: 1000

Medical Rating: D-

Medical Module: Collapsed (Click to Expand)

Battle Module: Collapsed (Click to Expand)

One morning, after waking up, Reinette had found a tail sprouting from her body—and two horns growing from her head.

When she checked her panel, she realized that her racial transformation progress had unknowingly reached 50%.

"And this hair… it's getting bluer and bluer."

Reinette ran her fingers through her increasingly silky hair. Over the past two weeks, it had been growing longer and more vividly blue.

Not that she minded. Her original appearance didn't suit this land anyway. If anything, having distinct features might make things easier.

Though she wasn't sure yet—would standing out bring more trouble, or would looking like a Yan Guolong attract even more problems?

"But with a 60% transformation rate, I should be able to use this."

[Racial Skills]

Water Shape: Water has no fixed state, water has no fixed shape. (Transformation progress at 60%, skill now partially usable.)

The description was vague, but Reinette understood its meaning.

As a Pure Water Spirit—an elemental lifeform of water—this skill should allow her to alter her own form.

She snapped her fingers.

The tail and horns dissolved into azure water, merging back into her body. In their place, a blue feather sprouted on her head.

"It feels… off, like I'm forcing something unnatural."

Reinette frowned. Changing her form gave her a strange discomfort, as if she were resisting her own nature.

"Water has no fixed state, water has no fixed shape… but does it have a natural tendency?"

The ocean could be violent, but it would always return to a balanced state.

Her dragon form was like calm water—her default state. Forcing a transformation was like stirring up waves. Without constant effort, it would revert.

As for why she chose the form of a Liberi—it wasn't because of the influence of those bandits, but because it was the easiest to adapt to.

Other races had more inconvenient features—horns, multiple tails—things she hadn't grown up with.

Agors, who also lacked human-like traits, were too rare on the mainland. Blending in would be difficult.

Liberi, on the other hand, only had two feathers on their heads—common enough in various cities. No one would question it.

"One moment, a raging storm. The next, blazing sunshine. I wish my truck was still here."

The truck she had stolen from the bandits had run out of fuel ten days ago, breaking down on the spot.

Since there was no source stone solution available for purchase in the system, she had no choice but to abandon it.

With only a backpack of supplies, she had been wandering the wasteland alone ever since.

And after more than ten days of travel, she hadn't encountered a single soul.

"This is giving me a headache."

At that moment, Reinette's eyes narrowed as dark figures flickered behind a nearby mound.

"Hounds?"

This land was never short on dangers—natural disasters, the harsh environment, and, of course, wild animals.

And now, a pack of Pelo hounds had set their sights on her.

Reaching behind her, Reinette retrieved a blue-colored modern compound bow from her backpack.

A faint fluorescence glowed around it, spreading to her body as she gripped it. This was no ordinary weapon—this was something she had obtained from the system.

[Name: Eye of the Storm]

[Type: Modern hunting compound bow, wheelbase 35, blue]

Durability: 120/120

[Effect 1: Storm Hunting. The arrows shot out will be entangled by air currents. The whirlwind will reduce wind resistance and increase range, but it will decrease accuracy to a certain extent.]

[Description: An efficient compound bow, a perfect combination of ancient cold weapons and industrial technology, enhanced by rune technology, making it a more efficient hunting tool.]

[Price: 9000 Medical Points]

[Available for purchase with a D-level medical rating]

Reinette also required this bow to be equipped with the Originium circuit commonly used on this continent, but fortunately, the system did not charge any extra labor fees.

Of course, she didn't need this kind of thing to cast any spells, and she didn't know any Originium skills.

All her current abilities were attributed to her race, and the abilities of the Pure Water Spirit did not require the use of Originium to be activated.

The reason for adding it was to reduce some trouble. All spells on Terra were Originium skills, and people who could release Originium skills needed a staff.

The staff needed to have an Originium circuit. She could do without one, and she could do without it on her bow, but it couldn't be absent.

Otherwise, the trouble caused would be no less than having no racial characteristics or having the racial characteristics of the Yan Country Dragon Clan.

However, the backpack behind Reinette did not carry a quiver, and of course, she didn't need one.

Reinette pulled the bowstring, and a ball of water slowly appeared on the empty string, quickly forming an arrow.

As the conversion rate increased, Reinette's ability to control water progressed like a rising tide.

The objects she controlled and formed from water were as hard as steel—if not harder.

When Reinette still had a car, she had conducted a test. She used water to form a knife, and as long as she applied force, the knife could pierce straight through the vehicle.

Until Reinette released control, the water would immediately dissipate and become seemingly harmless to humans and animals.

Her control range spanned a radius of about 100 meters. It wasn't impossible to extend beyond that range, but the mental strength required to maintain control significantly increased.

She wondered why she couldn't perform the telekinetic feats described in science fiction novels, where people with strong mental powers could make surrounding objects fly simply by thinking about it.

Reinette admitted that she didn't know why—it just didn't work for her. While her mental power was strong and stable, she lacked the kind of explosive force necessary to launch objects at high speeds instantly.

She could control water spheres to float and move through the air.

When the water sphere was large enough, it could wrap around and lift an entire car, and throughout the process, Reinette felt no strain at all.

However, she simply couldn't concentrate her strength at a single point and release it in an instant, which was why she needed a bow to assist her in achieving that speed.

Reinette raised her bow and walked slowly toward the mounds of earth.

The hunting dogs hiding behind the mounds were also waiting for this delicious human to step into their trap.