Shrouded Seascape

"Why?" Sparkle asked.

"Because humans are too weak," Anna answered. "Do you really think they'll mobilize their dwindling navy forces just to rescue Charles? All that talk about heroism is mere lip service.

"People will only band together when they are pressured by an imminent apocalypse, forcing them to unite for a single cause.

"Once that intense pressure weighing on them is gone, they will start plotting for themselves to reap the most benefits. Didn't you see how those explorers nearly started another war over the unattended islands?

"If they can show their true colors over such little bit of personal gain, do you expect them to unite to save Charles? Dream on. Relying on others is a fool's errand; it's better to rely on yourself, my dear daughter."

The memory of their battle with the triakis octahedron surfaced in Sparkle's mind, causing her delicate eyebrows to knit together in concern.

"Just the two of us?" Sparkle questioned. "I don't think we're enough. Lately, I've been teaching Lily how to harness the power in her, but her progress is very slow. She's only at Level 6 at best; her control over her power is really bad."

"Don't worry. We'll find a way to rescue your father. They may be powerful, but we're not lacking in means to retaliate," Anna replied in a calm tone. "Let's go. I'll bring you to go meet an old friend."

A hint of curiosity stirred within Sparkle, and she followed after Anna. They soon arrived at a heavily guarded cell, surrounded by multiple layers of security.

"Hmm… this guy can be roughly considered one," Anna remarked as she eyed Swann. "As long as we return his massive mechanical construct to him, he could still be of some use."

Sparkle stared at the giant infant head that was half mechanical and half flesh. Distrust filled her eyes as she commented, "I don't trust him. If we restore his power, I highly suspect that he will turn against us next."

A smile played on Anna's lips as she approached Swann. "Why would he? As long as we settle on the compensation, I believe our Governor Swann here will be a reasonable man."

"I want the Pope dead!" Swann's eyes suddenly snapped open. Both his eyes, one mechanical and one natural, burned with intense hatred.

"Of course. That can be arranged. I've already started negotiations with Julio and plan to get the Pope over here. Just wait patiently," Anna assured Swann before turning to leave with Sparkle.

"Mommy, you don't actually plan to let him kill the Pope that easily, do you?" Sparkle speculated about her mother's actual plan.

"Of course not. Though the Light God is dead and the Pope's power will only get weaker with time, he still has his uses. We can use the little mouse to manipulate the Pope and then use the Pope to manipulate Swann. With that, the two of them will have to be of service to us," Anna said, revealing her plan readily.

"However, we need to handle this carefully. Both of them aren't easy targets to deal with."

Sparkle raised a hand and started counting with her fingers. "So our final assembled team consists of me, you, the Pope, and Swann with his Ronker?

"If those creatures' actual strength is only what they have displayed before, them forcing them to hand Daddy over shouldn't be a problem."

"Not to worry," Anna said with an air of confidence. "Even if they're stronger than that, I have a few aces up my sleeve too."

Anna's words stirred a new wave of curiosity in Sparkle. She contemplated carefully for a moment if she had indeed covered all bases. At the end of it, she couldn't pinpoint what she might have overlooked.

"What is it?" Sparkle asked.

"Have you forgotten my current identity? I'm the governor of Hope Island, and I have several islands under my authority. I have three islands—Skywater Island, Hope Island, and Annarles Island—under my direct control.

"On top of that, we have countless other vassal islands in the Southern Seas, like the Coral Archipelago, Whereto, Elizarles Shores, Ebony Mist Island, and so on and so forth."

Sparkle's visage expressed deeper confusion at Anna's response. "Mommy, didn't you just say that humans' power is useless?"

Anna nodded. "Of course I did. But I wasn't referring to their military strength. They serve another purpose."

"What purpose?"

Anna cast a glance toward Swann's cell, and with an icy tone, she said, "Do you remember how he used the people on the Albion Isles? I'll use those islands just as he did."

"Wouldn't Daddy be upset if you do that?"

"When was he happy to begin with? If he's going to be upset, so be it. Besides, I'm doing it to rescue him. That's the last resort for us to turn the tides if the odds of the battles don't end up tilting toward us."

***

Charles calmly strolled around Site 6, his pace neither too quick nor too slow. As he passed by clones, he'd even greet them with a nod. He seemed to be getting increasingly familiar with the facility.

Apart from the few high-security areas, Charles had explored almost every corner of Site 6. He couldn't help but acknowledge that the Foundation's technology had indeed reached a terribly advanced level.

In the ecological garden, plants grew at an astonishing rate that was visible to the naked eye.

In the fully automated industrial park, there was not a single human in sight. The park itself was rapidly producing various items and was even capable of 3D printing organic beings.

Even the mental needs of the clones were easily satisfied with a plethora of virtual games at their disposal.

As for the weapons facility, Charles' clearance was too low for him to access it. However, from what he had seen so far, the Foundation had clearly not displayed its full strength in the previous battle with the triakis octahedron.

During the battle, the portal in the form of a black hole had remained open on the battlefield. In other words, even if the Foundation was alone against the triakis octahedron, the Foundation would have sent wave after wave of reinforcements.

Charles realized that his chances of resisting the Foundation were significantly lower than he previously thought.

Just as Charles was about to head back to his living quarters, a massive figure appeared in front of him and blocked his path.

It was the T6's swollen spider form.

"Don't rush me," Charles said, looking up at the dozen crimson eyes staring at him. "Joining the Foundation is an important matter, and I need time to think it over."

"I'm not here to rush you to make a decision. In fact, it's against the GK Council's regulations for members to interfere with other members' work.

"And your recruitment doesn't fall under my scope of work. My task is to search for that one possibility among all impossibilities in the vast expanse of knowledge."

Charles nodded in understanding. His tone softened as if he was having a casual conversation with a neighbor. "So, how's your mathematical research going?"

"How is that mathematical research? It should be—" T6 paused and let out a soft sigh. "Never mind, there's no point in explaining things that you won't end up using. To put it simply, progress is not going well; eleven of my backup brains have gone mad, and nine have self-destructed."

T6 then turned sideways to allow Charles a glimpse of the pile of brains on her back.

"I see…" Charles thought for a moment before he asked, "Would it be convenient for you to tell me if the Foundation has any other plans apart from Plan Three?

"They can't just possibly replace the entire human population of the Subterranean Sea and then watch the new batch of humans live their lives as usual, right?"

Since the Foundation's mission was to save humanity, then they surely had more than one strategy than Plan Three.

Judging from the numerous research facilities on the islands, it was highly likely that the Foundation would kickstart multiple studies simultaneously whenever they wanted to research something for maximum efficiency.

"Some old plans have been scrapped, and some new ones have been approved. There are also several that are already in progress. We're exploring every possible solution," T6 answered.

"I tend to be rather straightforward, so please don't take offense," T6 said, "A variable like you is a particularly valuable test subject for Dr. Spyro. He's stationed at Site 3 and has been submitting daily requests to meet you. However, K9 has turned down all his requests.

"K9 believes that rather than being an experimental subject, you would be more suited to be a member of the Foundation."