Chapter 2

The mechanical whirl echoed in the hallway, neon lighting casting a shadow in the dim-lit halls. Two figures walked down the metal flooring, as numerous doors leading to specific or another hallway were presented each side to them. Their destination was the end of the hall where a metal door split open automatically once they about to enter the room.

"This will be your base and home from now on, for now, we should greet the Arbiter, lest she will throw another tantrum."

The boy only nodded at the Siren, though he intentionally ignored her last remark knowing full how typical the Arbiter whim is.

"Then I will leave you here. I do hope we can meet again."

She said like it was the last time he would've seen him. "You said an ominous thing, alpha."

"Is that so? I think you should enter the throne room right now. you still have another 2 seconds or you will be more than just frozen cabbage."

He was stricken with panic, as he hurriedly ran to the large door at the end of the chamber. It was an intricate piece of steel as an orange path of circuitry passed through it. Though he doubts if it's just for an aesthetic purpose.

"What took you so long, my dear Praetor."

He kneeled before the throne, as a woman sat in the black throne. Her aura exuded brilliance, oppression, and importantly tyranny. Like an absolute king to his subject, he was now under her jurisdiction and within her whims.

She sat so willfully, sitting sideways, her long silky leg rested on the arm of her large throne. He particularly trying so hard to avoid such absolute perfection. Though he hides it skillfully due to his skill, experience or perhaps he just plain tired after all those ordeals.

"What? Are you displeased by my action? Where's the man I've met many years ago, Praetor." She narrowed her eyes, fixing her posture as she stood up and descended from her throne. She approached the boy.

"Look at you, matured beyond my expectations. Your eyes tell me you still have doubts. Was losing a single war already watered that brilliant fire I once saw within you?" She said, cupping his cheek and leveled their gaze at the same level.

Her orchid met the gaze of his golden.

"You sorely mistaken, my dear mistress." Something awakened him the moment the queen uttered how bitter he is losing the war.

"I have no doubt, I lost due to my incompetence. I have been given a second chance, for that, I was grateful and pay the most to fulfill your and your cause. It just…"

"It just?" The arbiter said, as restraining the growing smirk in her eyes.

"It just that you're too close."

"Is that so…" The queen hurriedly released the boy from her grip and faking a light cough. "-Ehm, you're quite a bold one, as expected of my dear praetor. No one ever had the audacity to tell the empress of her own habit."

"I would take that as praise, but is that all you need my mistress."

"Umu, I'm satisfied with you. As a praetor and my right hand, you will be charged with the continuity of this reality observation and experiment."

"As you wish."

"Dismissed."

*We are the betrayed*

The base primarily consisted of a few hangar bay and landing strip, siren tech ensured all planes have a vertical take-off capability. Though he rather classified them as drones instead, since almost all siren weaponry and machine are automated.

Cryo-chamber, hydroponic bay, Power plants, submarine pen, 3D manufactory, and various facilities dominated the base inside the complex bunker beneath the base ensuring safety to all personnel. Not there is many personnel to begin with.

Siren primarily doesn't need any sleep and nourishment, but still provided as a means of luxury and comfort as each provided of their room and cafeteria for all to use inside the bunker.

On the surface stood the harbor where the production ship was laid and rested. There was also Warehouse or junk house as many called considering most of the useless and deadweight tool and object dumped there.

Though the surface facility is compressed into a single complex due to how small landmass of the island it currently stood on. Radar array and network, entertainment center, Administration building where it overlooked the entire island.

He sighed after looking at the blue sky outside.

After two weeks he adjusted living in here, amongst his new brethren, the siren.

It seems he can't escape paperwork no matter the faction.

He thought it supposed to be automated, damn it.

"Yes, it can be automated if you wanted, Praetor."

Called a voice in front of his desk. There floats the ever-snug Observer alpha who sat in her rig and writhing mass of tentacles.

"But I can't possibly afford the AI and install it to main core, am I?"

"In time for sure. Unfortunately, you need to finish the next batch, praetor."

"is that so."

"it is."

She giggled seeing his troubled expression after giving him another stack of paper. Fleet coordination, Fleet patrol, Deep-sea mineral, and oil mining, casualties report, facility construction, maintenance, statistical data of the siren fleet fare against the Azur lane in the past months before he took the helm as the leader of the siren in this reality.

Many things need to be adjusted and improved to meet his end.

The siren was not as mighty as everyone thought. They need to scrap every resource they could get, and use it as efficiently as possible in this foreign world.

Though that's not the sole reason for the current stalemate between the fight of siren and humanity. The fight was not they looking for, destruction could only bring so much.

It's progress and result they were searching for. A way to attain victory, a new ally to be gained, no matter what the method used as long as there's a sliver hope of light against adversaries they currently face with.

His base was to be granted α class authorization and technology. Meaning no more than basic siren technology, and he could only field a few executor-class and overseer-class siren. Such as Observer α, Tester β, and Purifier.

"Well, you can purchase more technology through the prophet, or you can develop the technology of your own. The latter is more encouraged as you know. Praetor is a special seat reserved only for you; this is the only reality where you exist after all."

"In other words, all these currencies and purchase crap is just one of your experiments."

"My, you surely always surprise me time to time Praetor," Alpha said with her own brand of a smile.

It was all drawn upon to limit him of ease. Limited resources, limited subordinate, against the might and industry of the entire world.

The point is he can accumulate a sort of currencies known as Core point where he can use the point to purchase blueprint, upgrade the base, resources, and many other things.

"I hope the prophet would have a summer sale or something."

He muttered wistfully, leaning against his chair.

"I hear that praetor." A woman suddenly barged into the room.

"Prophet is there something you need."

She merely nodded at Observer.

Her appearance was that a person who bored of life, eyes dead like a fish, voice monotone and flatter than Alpha chest. Her creamy hair hidden by the hood she wore, though a few locks still hanging out here and there. She wore a dark robe lined u that set her as a sort of gloomy person.

"Enough with the flattery Praetor, I have come to report you of the construction."

"Oh, you have done it?"

"As per requested, additional submarine pens, underground heavy ordnance and munition manufactory and dock, and also, your bankruptcy."

She gave him a note, indicating the exorbitant amount imprinted on it.

"Still, I don't expect you to spend it all at once Praetor."

Alpha took the note from the desk.

"We are pretty self-sufficient after all, I figured we can last a few battles and week even without the points. Also, we can start to make our own munition, and weaponry with this."

"Yes, but we have a lack of wisdom cube now."

"That's only for the mass-produced ship, right?"

Alpha and prophet nodded.

"Then it won't be matter, you treated them as mere cannon fodder and something easily expended. While it is indeed a good prospect to have the cube manifest the ship instantly for us, we can make them regardless with the new manufactory."

In addition, the wisdom cube was a great source of power. The siren main tech was centered around these cubes, from their power plants, weapons, tools, even daily life.

He diverted the remaining cube mainly for powering the facility and base construction.

"And then here."

He handed Prophet a few documents which she briefly read, and scanned over.

"Deep-sea mining, and oil refineries?"

He nodded at her. "At this time, we can't sustain ourselves with cube technology, so we will switch to contemporary human tech. Diesel, oil, nuclear, whatever will do. I have asked tester to scout near the outskirts of the arctic for potential mining prospect, fortunately, while no oil found there's a deposit of uranium located there."

Then he pointed towards the largest ocean just below their base location, "And I've sent purifier for the same mission, while human and Azur lane traffic is heavy there, it has been found a large deposit of crude oil deep 2000m below the seas."

He looked at the official siren facility engineer and technician, "I trust no human vessel can go deep as that, and the drone can safely drill those oils and uranium undetected."

"No, the drilling won't be a problem, but the transportation cost will be enormous since we don't have underwater transport vessel with cube technology."

The ship that manifested from cube technology never needs a refuel, at least for the mass-produced one. The cost will be negligible if they use the transport with cube tech, at least the investment will be worth it.

"Then take the emergency cube reserve we have left, and design the transport. I'm sure you can do that at least."

She nodded at his word, "Is that all, Praetor."

"No, if you wanted to have a coffee break with me."

"Then I'll politely excuse myself."

She lightly nodded then went out of the room.

"A break? how nice Praetor, how about you finish those first." Alpha on his side nudged him to the stack of paper left on his table.

"Don't you always tease those KANSEN and not this kind of slave driver." He let out a sigh.

"Then how about a little incentive?" She coyly smiled at him, slowly wrapping her rigging tentacles to crawl around him.

"Stop that alpha. You know this is sexual harassment."

"Heeh is that so. I'm sorry for this pitiable excuse of secretary to not know such law exists." She said that without no hint of apology as she still teased him with her tentacles

He only sighed, at least it can be break too although coated in writhing mass of black and golden tentacles. Now how to detached his mind off this slimy covered body.