Jinzhou, City Hall.
"Report to the Magistrate: after thorough searches layer by layer, we have not found that traveling merchant from the Black Shores within Jinzhou's territory."
Sanhua gave her routine report.
"The Jinzhou vehicle management office just sent an alert, saying the honored guest failed to attend the driving exam scheduled for last night and cannot be contacted. They are worried about the honored guest's safety."
"What!"
Hearing this, Jinhsi's whole body shook.
How could Noah suddenly schedule a driving exam for today? No, more importantly—how could Noah be out of contact?
Hurriedly pulling out her terminal, Jinhsi tried to send a communication to Noah.
But before the call could go through, she finally noticed that Noah had already sent her a message earlier.
[Noah: I have something to do and am leaving Jinzhou for a while. Don't worry (this is a group message; no need to reply)]
"Ah!"
Jinhsi let out a sharp exclamation.
Amazing!
That detestable traveling merchant from the Black Shores really kidnapped her Noah!
"Sanhua, prepare a boat."
"Magistrate, you are going to..."
"I'm going personally to the Black Shores ruins overnight. Noah must have gone to the Black Shores with that merchant."
===✧✦✧===
Sonoro Sphere space, Black Shores.
Noah rubbed his reddened eyes.
He figured there must be dust in his eyes—otherwise, why would they feel so sore and stinging.
"The Lament at the Black Shores still hasn't been investigated clearly, but—"
The Shorekeeper—he would do everything possible to save her!
One more task.
The central star gate in front of him connected the upper and lower halves of the Black Shores.
Now, he had thoroughly investigated the upper layer of the Black Shores and found nothing. So, the truth of the Lament could only be hidden in the lower half.
Noah took a deep breath, leaped forward, and plunged straight into the red star gate—deep and bottomless, wrapped in massive Data Torrent!
Under gravity's pull, his falling speed increased faster and faster. The hundreds of meters passed in mere seconds.
When crossing a certain critical point, the originally downward gravity suddenly flipped upward. The entire world's direction rotated 180 degrees, pulling his free-falling body to decelerate continuously.
When his speed gradually reduced to zero, his soles just steadily landed on the ground of the Black Shores' lower layer.
"What a unique experience."
Noah hadn't finished marveling when his scalp tingled—a strong sense of crisis assaulted his mind.
His figure retreated ghost-like. Before he could steady himself, he saw his original position already crisscrossed and pierced by up to thirty chains with sharp arrowheads.
"As expected, it's down here!"
Noah was delighted rather than shocked.
There's a classic theory in every game: if you encounter enemies, it means you're going the right way!
Countless more arrowhead chains broke through the air, stabbing toward Noah like ferocious venomous snakes. He neither dodged nor evaded, snapping his fingers.
"Time stop!"
The dense arrowheads instantly halted around him—one of the closest even nearly piercing his eye.
Noah averted his gaze, not looking at the cold gleam on the arrowhead, drew Emerald of Genesis, and severed the massive interwoven chains like a tide.
"These highly aggressive chains—are they the Lament at the Black Shores?"
His mind was calmer than ever, thinking rapidly.
The regional Lament in Jinzhou before was dense swarms of Tacet Discord tides.
The Lament in the Port City of Guixu was suddenly sprouting incinerating flames with terrifying high temperatures from underground, along with a Death Star black hole appearing in the city center.
Since the Black Shores was a global Lament, its scale shouldn't be smaller than the previous two—how could it just be these lightweight chains?
Releasing his perception, the layout of Bank of Life clearly appeared in Noah's mind. Without hesitation, he quickly ran along the direction the chains came from.
Exiting Bank of Life, the enormous star map virtual universe created by the Tethys System came into view.
Every Lament on Solaris was a star in this vast universe. The Tethys System's duty was to observe Lament, understand Lament, and deduce the origin of Lament.
The prerequisite for observing and predicting Lament was the existence of Lament. Without Lament, Tethys couldn't predict it. Thus, relying solely on Tethys, one could never truly crack Lament.
Noah had no time to appreciate this exquisite visual design that seized heaven's work. Stepping on the long-dried dark red bloodstains on the ground, he sprinted all the way.
Behind him, hundreds upon thousands of chains pursued relentlessly, yet they stopped unreasonably within one meter of him.
Modulation Hall.
"Code name Rover, authority verified. Welcome to the Modulation Hall."
Slashing hundreds of stabbing chains with his blade, the tech-filled door opened amid the mechanical voice.
Noah entered the Modulation Hall. The scene before him made him suck in a cold breath.
Inside the hall, countless figures lay haphazardly—some technical consultants in uniform, some Black Shores Bloom Bearers wearing Blake Blooms...
Every person's body was pierced by chains with arrowheads: some from chest through back, some diagonally from shoulder to abdomen, some even through the head.
Dried blood spread wantonly in every corner of the hall, forming shocking dark red patterns on the metal floor.
Every chain piercing through people's bodies emitted cold blue light fluctuating like breathing.
As if plundering bodily functions—or as if supplying nutrients to the body.
"So, all the people from the Black Shores have been gathered here."
Noah endured the discomfort, walked into the hall, crouched down, and reached out to sense the nearest Black Shores consultant lying on his back.
Though this consultant's body was highly depleted and weak—like a withered plant long without water and nutrients—but—
These people were still alive!
Joy surged in Noah's heart. He reached out and pulled the chain arrowhead from this consultant's body.
Switching characters to Verina, warm Resonance power overflowed from his palm, rapidly healing the consultant's wounds.
Finally, no need to fly around like a headless fly. When this consultant wakes, he must ask for specific intelligence on the Black Shores.
Noah hadn't been happy for long when he heard countless chains breaking through the air stabbing toward him again.
"Really endless—"
He gritted his teeth, switched back to Rover, waved his hand to activate time stop again. Over a hundred stabbing chains halted in mid-air.
The consultant hadn't received enough treatment and remained in deep coma, unable to wake.
"No good."
Noah clenched his fist, thoroughly realizing how troublesome these chains were.
They were tireless, endless in number—harder to deal with than locusts swarming fields. Once pierced by them, who knew what severe consequences there would be.
If he didn't resolve the source of these chains, even he would be worn to death alive.
Releasing perception, he glanced one last time at the countless fallen figures in the Modulation Hall, sighed, and turned to leave.
According to perception, the source of the chains was nearby.
Suddenly, a faint, blurry murmur reached his ear, halting Noah's steps.
"...Don't go..."
"...Fated... seed..."
Noah stiffly turned his head. In his eyes reflected a swaying figure of a woman struggling to stand.
Slender waist, long legs, white with black-edged cropped navel-baring skirt, and... short hair as fiery red as camellia under a black hairband.
Camellya!
Because she sensed the frequency belonging to Rover on him, it forcibly awakened Camellya from the chains' control.
"Found... you—"
In the center of the hall, the woman like a camellia flower finally stood.
She couldn't open her eyes but instinctively stumbled toward Noah. The chain piercing her thigh suddenly tightened.
"Don't go, don't go!"
The chains in the air seemed to suddenly find their target, viciously stabbing into Camellya's back. Yet she ignored it, joyful and excited, laughing amid the pain.
"It hurts so much—this isn't a dream! I really... found you..."
Blood flowed from her pale lips and back. After just a few short steps, her already overburdened body reached its limit completely.
She fell heavily into unconsciousness, the red in her hair fading back to snow white.
[Limited Banner "Lingering at the End of the Maze," "Red Spring" has been activated.]
"Sorry, I'm not the fated seed you're looking for. I don't know how to respond to you."
Noah sighed as he approached, crouched to pull the chains from Camellya's body. Briefly switching to Verina to heal her wounds, then immediately switching back to Rover.
He stood up, drew Emerald of Genesis, slashing hundreds of surging chains in this short time.
Blade sheathed, Noah turned around, striding out of the Modulation Hall without looking back.
"I'll first resolve the source of the chains and reclaim the freedom you deserve. As for the rest... we'll talk later."