Chapter 112: Misjudgment and Redemption (Third Update)

As a lay believer of the Druidic Order, Colonel Guy naturally harbored a deep-seated aversion to humanity’s destruction of the environment and its ecosystems. Yet, born into the human race, all he could do—as other Druids advocated—was to appeal to the authorities and the public to protect the natural world. Though such efforts often felt futile, doing something was better than doing nothing; it was a form of self-salvation and a way for Guy to seek psychological comfort.

The appearance of the Mysterious Tree had led many to realize that gods might truly exist. Correspondingly, most people’s understanding of the divine was rooted in the hope of ascending to a heavenly kingdom after death. Death itself was not always terrifying; what was truly frightening was the prospect of one’s soul ceasing to exist entirely. People clung to faith precisely because they hoped for a god—one who could provide a different form of salvation when they faced the torments of illness or the finality of death. At its core, faith was simply that.

Guy’s explanation, delivered through the lens of his Druidic beliefs, left everyone present deep in thought. Fleet Admiral Morton paced back and forth slowly before speaking:

"Colonel Guy’s words are not without merit. In that case, we might as well continue to observe for now. I only hope our previous recklessness hasn't provoked this god-favored creature."

"Indeed, the Admiral is right. However, we should report this decision to the mainland immediately, along with all of Colonel Guy’s analysis. Let the bastards in Congress hold the final decision-making power; if anything goes wrong, we won’t be the ones made into scapegoats."

"Agreed."

"I concur."

In an instant, the group’s stance shifted by one hundred and eighty degrees. There was no room for doubt. After all, upon careful consideration, they realized it was highly unlikely that the pollution from the Purple Moon could have birthed such a powerful creature—one capable of both controlling water and rapidly freezing it—at this stage. Even if such powerful, or even stronger, creatures existed in the Purple Moon world, they should not be appearing in non-territorial zones. The "Boundary" was where the true war between humanity and the Purple Moon world was fought.

***

"A miscalculation!"

Ji Yu remained on guard, a hint of helplessness flashing through his thoughts. He had initially assumed that because a little girl was present, humans would not resort to immediate attacks upon discovering the proteus. However, looking at the scene with the proteus’s head obscured by massive volumes of seawater, he realized that even with reconnaissance aircraft in the sky, they likely couldn't see the proteus or the girl beneath the swirling water curtain.

His momentary impulse to summon more water spouts to mask the vortex had been a oversight. Ji Yu decided to remedy the situation; he had no desire to see a nuclear missile landing on his head. As for humanity’s choices and the ultimate trajectory of events, he would have to leave it to fate.

With his powerful soul and heightened consciousness, Ji Yu spotted the fleet, appearing like tiny black specks over a thousand nautical miles away. He promptly dispersed the water spouts surrounding the vortex.

The moment the water columns vanished, the scene beneath the eye of the vortex was revealed. High above, the hovering surveillance drones immediately captured what lay beneath the massive opening. Although water still swirled into the diamond-shaped crystal atop the proteus's head, the view was far clearer than before, with gaps allowing the cameras to record the scene at the base of the vortex.

On the aircraft carrier's bridge, a collective gasp went up as the water spouts dissipated.

"Incredible, truly incredible. The one responsible for such an exaggerated spectacle is actually this creature, which doesn't even look that large."

"And that crystal on its head is truly magical; it seems to be absorbing all the surrounding seawater."

"A proteus... to think it’s a proteus. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry."

"But why did it suddenly withdraw the water spouts? Is it trying to express something?" someone asked in confusion.

"OMG, damn it! Is there a child in the center of that big guy’s coils under the vortex?"

"Quick! Lower the drone’s altitude!" an officer shouted.

Most normal people held a special kind of tolerance for children, especially when a six- or seven-year-old was being coiled around by a terrifying creature. Tension and worry for the child’s safety gripped everyone present.

However, as the drone descended and the image clarified, everyone went silent.

The child, who appeared to be trapped, was not actually being constrained. The proteus had coiled its body, and the little girl was merely sitting in the center of those loops. Moreover, the girl was encased in a magical, transparent bubble of water. She sat with wide, bright eyes, looking up at the proteus with an expression of pure curiosity.

She was perfectly safe. It didn't look like a kidnapping or a predation; it looked more like she was being protected by the proteus. Seeing this, the officers exchanged bewildered glances in the sudden silence.

"Admiral, I think our worries were unnecessary," one officer said. "This proteus is surely a god-favored creature, and it is highly likely that the little girl has formed a friendship with it. If I were to make a bold guess, I’d even say that perhaps this proteus was the girl’s pet before it received the divine favor."

The officer’s speculation was not without basis. The scene spoke for itself, and throughout the Western Alliance and the rest of the world, many people did keep proteuses as pets. Though they were protected animals, captive-bred ones existed. As a cute ornamental pet, the proteus had a significant market in the West.

"The reason the proteus withdrew the water curtain is likely to show us the girl is there, signalling us not to continue our attacks. This could be the proteus’s own intelligence at work, or the girl might have told it to do so. Regardless, since we’ve confirmed it is a god-favored creature, it’s not hard to believe it possesses high intelligence and understands things like humans and missiles."

"In any case, we should stop misjudging this god-favored creature. All we need to do is wait for the situation to unfold, then try to initiate a dialogue and, ideally, establish a friendly relationship. We need it now more than ever, at least when it comes to dealing with the Purple Moon..."