Rhodes Island was a legitimate pharmaceutical company, not some shady operation. As a legitimate company, Rhodes Island treated its operators very well, offering ample vacation time. After completing a mission, operators were generally given time off unless there was an urgent task at hand.
Since it was a vacation, there was no need to stay at Rhodes Island the entire time. In fact, even without Daniel Davis, many Rhodes Island operators would have come to Siesta on their own. This was exactly what had happened in the original story.
In the original story, the Doctor and Amiya had come to Siesta for a vacation, likely to give Amiya a chance to relax after the intense battle with Talulah. The Chernobog incident had been devastating for Rhodes Island, with heavy losses.
Elite operator Scout and his team had been wiped out, and only one member of Ace's team had survived. Amiya's team had also suffered heavy casualties. These losses were a significant blow to Rhodes Island, especially since they had occurred because of Amiya's decision to rescue the Doctor.
Although no one blamed Amiya, she still felt deeply guilty, even if she didn't show it. This was something Kal'tsit had privately mentioned to Daniel Davis before they left. The vacation was primarily to help Amiya relax.
"Amiya, it seems we've run into some trouble." While the group was busy, Amiya received a call from the Doctor.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" Amiya immediately asked.
"The volcano nearby seems to be about to erupt."
The Doctor then explained the situation. Provence had called her over to investigate the volcano near Siesta.
Provence was a disaster messenger. Normally, she wouldn't have had anything to do in Siesta, as the city had its own disaster messengers. However, out of professional habit, Provence had taken Skyfire to the mountains near Siesta to collect some samples and had discovered something unusual.
She had called the Doctor over to confirm her findings, as Siesta's disaster messengers hadn't issued any warnings. If it had been any other disaster messenger, they might have ignored it.
But Provence was different. To be safe, she had called the Doctor. If she was wrong, it would just be a false alarm. But if she was right, it meant that the million residents of Siesta could be exposed to an impending disaster. In such a situation, it was better to be overly cautious.
After reviewing Provence's findings and consulting with Eyjafjalla, who was still in Bolívar, the Doctor confirmed that Siesta's volcano was indeed showing signs of activity. When it came to volcanic research, Eyjafjalla was an authority.
Originally, Eyjafjalla should have been called back to Rhodes Island by Kal'tsit for treatment. However, her research was at a critical stage, and she didn't want to miss the volcano's periodic activity. She planned to return to Rhodes Island after her research was complete.
With Eyjafjalla's confirmation, the Doctor and her team immediately prepared to discuss the issue with Siesta's city government. The Doctor, being intelligent, knew that if they, who had just arrived in Siesta, could detect the volcano's abnormalities, the Siesta authorities must have noticed as well.
As a prosperous mobile city, Siesta must have had comprehensive preparations for disasters. At the very least, they would have professional monitoring equipment. The fact that Siesta hadn't issued a disaster warning suggested there was some hidden reason.
If it had been any other matter, the Doctor and Provence wouldn't have gotten involved, as it was Siesta's internal affair. But when it came to disasters, it was different. Siesta currently had a population of a million.
"So you're saying the Siesta government didn't issue a disaster warning because they didn't want to cancel the music festival?"
The annual Obsidian Festival was crucial to Siesta's tourism industry. Without it, Siesta's income would drop significantly.
"My father would never do such a thing!"
Before the Doctor could respond, a sweet but angry female voice interrupted.
"Originally, I thought the same, but the situation has changed." The Doctor's voice came through next. Daniel Davis' earlier guess had been the same as hers, but after meeting Siesta's mayor's daughter, Ceylon, and observing some things, she had dismissed that possibility.
"So what's your theory?"
"Based on the investigation, it seems the mayor's assistant has other plans."
The Doctor then explained her theory. Since it involved a million people in Siesta, even though her initial guess had been the same as Daniel Davis', she had planned to discuss it with the mayor. If the mayor didn't agree to her terms, she would have taken action through Rhodes Island.
With a million people in Siesta, if news of an impending disaster were to spread suddenly, chaos would ensue. Only with the government's cooperation could the million people be evacuated in an orderly manner.
However, the Doctor hadn't been able to meet the mayor. She had only met the mayor's assistant, Clooney, who claimed the mayor was away. If that had been all, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But then Clooney had sent mercenaries after them, which was strange. If it had been an official operation, using the police would have been simpler.
What's more, when the Doctor encountered Ceylon, Clooney had even tried to capture her. That was a red flag.
"So what's your plan?" Daniel Davis directly asked the Doctor about her plan. When it came to strategy and tactics, he trusted the former Babel Demon. Her strategic and tactical evaluations were outstanding.
"I need someone to investigate the volcano and determine how long it will take for the disaster to occur." In other words, since Daniel Davis was the strongest person she knew, he was the one for the job.
In terms of strength, the Doctor had Skyfire with her, so her safety wasn't a concern. Originally, the Doctor had planned to use Skyfire's strength to subdue Clooney. However, Siesta also had a strong individual—a Rhodes Island elite operator-level expert—which had forced the Doctor to retreat. She hadn't had any elite operators with her at the time.
Although Skyfire's Originium Arts were powerful, it wasn't appropriate to use them without fully breaking ties. After all, Rhodes Island couldn't just burn down Siesta.
"That's fine with me, but I'm not familiar with volcanoes. I don't know when they'll erupt."
"That's fine. Just take Provence with you."
"Where are you? I'll come to you."
"The Doctor needs help. I'll go burn them to death." Upon hearing that the Doctor was in trouble, Ifrit immediately raised her flamethrower, which she had been using for barbecuing.
"You're not allowed to act. I'll handle it. You all stay here and have fun."
Daniel Davis patted Ifrit's head and smiled at her. Not only Ifrit, but Amiya also didn't need to go. In Siesta, only Schwarz could be considered a strong opponent. The rest were nothing special.
Of course, this was relative to Daniel Davis. In reality, Schwarz had played a crucial role in Siesta's prosperity. A thriving mobile city without any powerful backing would naturally attract many covetous eyes.
Over the years, Siesta's mayor, Herman, had faced numerous assassination attempts. Strictly speaking, Schwarz had once been an assassin targeting Siesta. However, due to her young age at the time, Herman had spared her and later took her in as a nanny and bodyguard for Ceylon.
Back then, Herman had shown mercy because Schwarz was so young. He hadn't expected her to grow into such a formidable figure.
As a six-star sniper operator and a ruthless assassin, Schwarz was a nightmare for her enemies. Many of Siesta's foes had fallen to her sudden black arrows—her signature tactical execution.
By the time Daniel Davis arrived to meet the Doctor, her group had grown. Provence, Skyfire, Red, Talulah, Ch'en, and two tall women Daniel Davis didn't recognize were with her.
"It looks like we're about to recruit another six-star sniper." After the Doctor introduced them, Daniel Davis met Ceylon and Schwarz.
Originally, the two sides had been hostile. The Doctor had been forced to retreat by Schwarz, but on the way, they had encountered Talulah and Ch'en, who had helped block Schwarz. After a conversation between Ceylon and Schwarz, the latter had switched sides.
It had to be said that Clooney's interpersonal skills were terrible. Despite being in Siesta for so many years, both Ceylon and Schwarz trusted the Doctor more than him.
"I'm coming too." When Daniel Davis prepared to take Provence and Skyfire to investigate the volcano, Ceylon immediately insisted on joining.
To prove she wasn't just a pampered noble lady, Ceylon revealed her academic background: she was a graduate of Victoria National University's Originium Research program.
"Miss, it's too dangerous." Schwarz immediately objected.
"This is Siesta's matter. Even outsiders are willing to take risks, so why can't I? It's just Originium. I've dealt with it before." Ceylon was adamant.
"It's not the same." Schwarz continued.
"There's no difference. Besides, we're just going into the volcano, not an Originium mine."
Originium was an extremely important strategic resource in Terra, and research on it was essential. However, this research wasn't aimed at curing Oripathy but at better utilizing the energy within Originium.
"Since Miss insists, I'll go with her. Charlie, you handle things here." Seeing that she couldn't persuade Ceylon, Schwarz decided to accompany her and delegated her duties to her subordinate.
Schwarz was the head of Siesta's Public Security Bureau, a position equivalent to the head of Lungmen's Guard Department.
"Alright." Ceylon agreed.
"Since it's decided, let's go."
Daniel Davis had no objections to Ceylon and Schwarz joining.
"Wait, Miss, there are people inside."
When the group reached the entrance of the volcano's cave, Schwarz, after scouting the area, immediately drew her crossbow.
"Why would there be people here? Wasn't this place sealed?" Ceylon asked in surprise.
"Someone must be illegally mining obsidian. The mayor has been suspicious of this. Miss, wait here. I'll deal with them." Schwarz whispered.
Daniel Davis, Provence, and Skyfire didn't object to Schwarz's decision, as this was Siesta's territory.
"Did she spare them because Ceylon is here?"
There were six people inside the cave. By the time Daniel Davis and the others entered, all six had been shot through the shoulders, tied up, and left to the side.
"It's obsidian. Who gave them the audacity to do this?" Ceylon looked at the boxes filled with black, glossy stones, her face filled with anger.
"Let's keep moving. We're here to investigate the volcano's abnormalities."
Hearing this, Ceylon, though still furious, had to set aside the obsidian issue and continue forward.
"This is... Be careful!" As the group advanced deeper into the cave, they reached a turning point where the path suddenly widened. However, what they saw ahead made Schwarz immediately shield Ceylon. The area was filled with densely packed Originium slugs, and these weren't ordinary slugs—they were lava Originium slugs.
"Why are there so many Originium slugs, and they're all mutated? I see, it's because of the excessive mining of obsidian, which has damaged the environment."
After carefully observing the Originium slugs and the surrounding environment, Provence quickly understood why the volcano was about to erupt.
"Provence, look over there." Skyfire pointed at a massive Originium slug soaking in the magma, lowering her voice. It was an Originium slug the size of a small hill.
"This is trouble. Let's leave and discuss this outside."
With so many lava Originium slugs and the massive queen-like slug, if they were to burst out of the cave, Siesta would face a crisis even before the volcano erupted. And with the volcano about to erupt, these slugs would definitely rush out of the cave. Provence had discovered the abnormality by noticing the slugs' unusual behavior.
Reality wasn't a game. In the game, Originium slugs were easy to deal with, but in reality, they were completely different. These mutated lava Originium slugs, with their self-destruction and fire damage, combined with their overwhelming numbers, were enough to make even Schwarz retreat.
"There's no need for that. I'm here to discuss cooperation with Mayor Herman. Consider this a gift. Sit upon the frosty heavens, Hyōrinmaru."
As Provence suggested retreating, Daniel Davis stepped forward, waved his right hand, and the Yanluo Mirror Tome appeared in his grasp. After silently reciting the release command, he swung the blade forward.
An ice dragon materialized in mid-air, and as it appeared, the surrounding scorching heat immediately began to drop. The sudden temperature change caused the lava Originium slugs to grow restless, but in the next moment, the entire cave turned into a field of pure white.
The entire cave, including the Originium slugs, the massive queen slug, and even the magma itself, was instantly frozen.
This astonishing scene left Provence, Skyfire, Schwarz, and Ceylon speechless. Even Skyfire, with her exceptional Originium Arts, had never seen anything like this.
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