NOVEL NEXT Chapter 269: Quarrel
The massive airship was already in position above the Pirate King's Court. In the shadow beneath it, a group of Banshees were locked in a heated argument with several engineers.
Leading the Banshees was Nini. Though she wasn't exactly known for her calm demeanor, she did have a knack for wild ideas—and when it came to transporting the Pirate King, that kind of thinking was exactly what was needed.
Therefore, she had been entrusted with this critical task by Hughes, sent here to study the hoisting procedure.
On the other side, standing with her arms akimbo and glaring at Nini, was Gaia.
Ever since the war came to a halt, the explosives production lines she managed had finally been able to rest a bit. At present, the demand wasn't too high—explosives were difficult to store for long, at least the type currently produced in Castel couldn't be kept indefinitely.
So Hughes decisively shut down most of the production lines and shifted personnel to furnace construction.
Even though the furnace's design hadn't been finalized yet, the preparatory work was immense. From the complex steam piping system to the layout of the factory, the groundwork was not something that could be done in just a day or two.
Several engineers, including Gaia, had been dispatched to study the feasibility of hoisting that monstrous creature from the Pirate King's Court.
They were all veteran engineers, the ones Hughes had poured the most effort into training. From start to finish, he had personally overseen their education. They had received the full curriculum of the advanced class—not engineers trained hastily during wartime.
Even Hughes himself was a bit envious of that ability.
Together, these two groups represented the very peak of Castel's technology.
But that didn't stop them from fiercely butting heads.
At this moment, both Gaia and Nini had their arms crossed in front of their chests, glaring at each other, neither willing to back down.
Nini clearly had the upper hand in terms of presence. She was taller and had three pairs of arms. When all of them were crossed over her chest, her aura was three times stronger than Gaia's.
Finally, Gaia couldn't take it anymore. She spoke first. "I still disagree with your idea. Having the Banshees go and attach the hoisting cables themselves is too dangerous! Who knows if that monster will attack you!"
"That monster doesn't have any offensive capability. Didn't we already test it? The most it can do is try to crush us with its massive body."
Since the seawater had receded, the people of Castel had conducted many experiments on the creature that now squatted in the Pirate King's Court.
Perhaps due to being separated from the ocean, it had become significantly weaker overall. However, it still couldn't be harmed—none of their attacks had any effect on it.
Other than that, it appeared to have no will of its own. The pollution across the Storm Ocean had already eroded its reason completely. The Pirate King who once ruled the seas was now nothing more than a lump of meat waiting to be butchered.
"Still not acceptable!" Gaia stomped her foot in frustration. "You've seen how heavy it is, haven't you? I know you Banshees have strong bodies, but even you can get injured when facing that kind of monster."
"I know, I know, but look, Little Gaia," Nini walked over and mischievously ruffled Gaia's hair. Gaia couldn't dodge in time and glared at her with a look of indignation, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"It's not like we're going in unprotected. When we go to hook up the cables, we'll be wearing heavy armor. Even if we're attacked, the injuries won't be too severe—you know we can recover quickly, right?"
That was Nini's original plan—have the Banshees go in directly and hook up the cables, even if it meant tanking an attack from the monsterized Pirate King. Even if it tried to crush them, it wouldn't kill them instantly. With the power of the Symbiotic Contract, the Banshees could regenerate their wounds.
With no war happening right now, the Banshees' life pool reserves were full. Besides, Monica was here too. Though she couldn't wield the Sea God's power, her vitality was terrifying. Back when she first arrived and joined the shared life pool via the Symbiotic Contract, she instantly healed all the Banshees' critical injuries.
She alone had elevated the entire Banshee clan's life force to a terrifying level.
In addition, Nini intended to wear heavy armor—designed by Hughes himself, this suit offered maximum defense. It was originally created to protect the Banshees during head-on confrontations with the Sea Urchin Monster at the front gates.
So unlike traditional human armor made from interlocking plates, this armor resembled more of a giant iron barrel.
It was specifically designed with anti-crushing reinforcements. Inside the monolithic armor were numerous strengthening ribs, making it perfectly suited to the current situation.
So Nini wasn't wrong. Having Banshees wear heavy armor to hook up the cables didn't carry a high risk of death—at most, they might suffer some injuries.
But Gaia still refused to back down.
"I know what you're saying is technically correct, but the mindset behind it is wrong—when designing a plan, you can't use 'we won't die' as the baseline. If you set your bottom line there, what happens if there's an accident?"
"It probably won't be a big deal. Worst case, someone gets hurt," Nini said nonchalantly.
"That's exactly why I'm against it!" Gaia was visibly angry. "Under no circumstance should lives be listed under the 'cost' column! This isn't war, it's not life-or-death. You're now risking injury just to save time—what happens next time, will you move the bottom line to death for the sake of even more speed?"
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"And also!"
"What you're talking about assumes everything goes smoothly. But what if something unexpected happens? You've been on plenty of engineering projects by now—how many went perfectly? And how many had accidents?"
Nini opened her mouth but didn't respond.
She knew Gaia was right.
She was just impatient. She wanted to get things done as fast as possible. She thought she was strong enough, lucky enough, that nothing bad would happen.
In the end, it was just wishful thinking.
Gaia locked eyes with Nini. "When designing a project, the plan has to be foolproof. That's what your reserve strength is for—handling the accidents and difficulties. Nini-jie, I know you're strong, but tell me—did you design this plan to suit your ease, or is it already pushing your limits?"
Nini sighed. Gaia's insight was sharper than she had expected. This small girl had seen straight through her intentions and firmly voiced her opposition. No wonder Monica insisted on having her join the Moths Chasing Fire.
『I agree with Gaia too.』 Hughes suddenly cut in via the Mind Link, catching Nini off guard. She glared in annoyance at a few distant Banshees.