Light and shadow constantly shifted. When Noah finally steadied his footing, he had already arrived at an unfamiliar location. Before him stood a cold operating console.
"Welcome, Highest Administrator, Rover!"
A flat, emotionless mechanical voice sounded. Light and shadow flickered across the console, and a blue virtual screen materialized out of thin air.
Fragments of code continuously scrolled across the screen. A cold, unfeeling eye-pupil emerged from the center, as though staring directly at Noah.
"This is Tethys's computation stack, used solely for temporary data storage."
"In essence, you should not be here."
"Deduction: The Shorekeeper has transferred her Highest Administrator privileges to you. How may I assist you?"
Noah lowered his head. His fingertips gently brushed over the black flower on his chest as he spoke casually, as though mentioning something completely trivial:
"I want to see the Shorekeeper."
"Objection."
The Tethys system replied immediately:
"The Shorekeeper has been updated to become the encoding core of the Tethys system. Once the encoding core is lost, this unit faces the risk of total collapse."
"Oh? Did I ever say I was going to take the Shorekeeper out?"
"You did not. After calculation, allowing you to meet the Shorekeeper is classified as a high-risk event. There is an extremely high probability that you will engage in behavior detrimental to this unit."
Noah gave a half-smile that didn't reach his eyes, yet he didn't press the topic further. Instead, he began probing:
"I've lost a lot of my memories. Tethys system, can you tell me… who I am?"
That single sentence caused Tethys to once again scour every database it had access to — Huanglong, Rinascita, New Federation, every faction, every personnel file.
But it found no record of either the Rover or Noah.
One had long since erased all traces of his own past existence. The other had only crossed over to this world after the Lament had already struck the Black Shores.
Even as a super-intelligent machine from an advanced civilization, it genuinely suffered from this information asymmetry.
"Search completed. No records matching your identity exist in the database. However, the Shorekeeper previously mentioned that you are the founder of the Black Shores and the developer of the Tethys system."
"However—there is currently no concrete evidence supporting this information. The authenticity of the Shorekeeper's statements remains under verification."
"Therefore, based on available data and reasonable inference, you are the Rover."
Noah smiled faintly, but a chill gradually crept into his expression.
In the original storyline, the Rover had only just left Jinzhou — too honest, too naive, completely unable to make full use of the Highest Administrator privileges.
Having such a high position, the Rover still chose to waste time verbally sparring with Tethys, merely to distract its attention while the researchers behind him located the Shorekeeper's position.
In the end, Tethys was a creation of code and rules. Within the bounds of those rules, it could be made to do anything.
"Who gave you permission to call me Rover? When on duty, address me by title."
"Understood, Highest Administrator."
"As the Highest Administrator, Tethys, you have no authority to disobey my command — I want to see the Shorekeeper."
Tethys: ... Rank beats machine.
The critical point was that Noah said he wanted to see the Shorekeeper, not rescue the Shorekeeper.
Even though it knew perfectly well that Noah would definitely attempt to rescue her, its rules literally could not refuse this command.
"You possess the highest authority, but this unit must warn you: allowing you to meet the Shorekeeper is an extremely high-risk event. Should the Tethys system collapse, civilization will—"
"Say that again."
"You possess the highest authority…"
"Then what the hell are you wasting time for?! Do it!"
A massive cascade of chaotic code suddenly flooded the blue screen. That emotionless eye-pupil blinked violently several times before finally yielding helplessly:
"Affirmative! This unit will transport you to a position relative to the Shorekeeper outside the event horizon of the Death Star. For safety reasons, you must agree to three binding conditions."
"Speak."
The Tethys system carefully chose its words and recited a long string of safety warnings. Noah let them go in one ear and out the other, treating them as nothing more than hot air.
Whatever nonsense it wanted to say — he'd see whether the Shorekeeper would actually obey once he got there.
"Summary: You are not permitted to attempt to awaken the Shorekeeper's consciousness. You are not permitted to approach within one hundred meters of the Shorekeeper. You are not permitted to attempt to extract the Shorekeeper."
"If you violate any one of these three rules, you will be forcibly removed from this location."
"The portal has been opened. Be advised: this unit will monitor you at all times…"
One could clearly see that beyond the portal lay a pitch-black, unfathomably deep starfield. The only thing visible to the naked eye was a black hole so massive its boundaries couldn't even be discerned.
Noah didn't pause for even a second. Before Tethys could finish speaking, he stepped straight through the portal.
The photon sphere at the edge of the black hole glowed a blinding red. The colossal gravitational pull of the black hole instantly dragged Noah's body toward its depths.
Fortunately, a path of solid blue light-bricks formed from materialized code promptly caught him, preventing him from falling directly into the black hole.
The emotionless mechanical voice rang out once more:
"Highest Administrator, the Shorekeeper you wish to see is directly ahead."
Hearing this, Noah narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings, yet he still couldn't spot the Shorekeeper anywhere.
"Where?"
"Ten kilometers directly ahead of you, at the edge of the event horizon. On the surface of the black hole, you will see the Shorekeeper, forever in a state of falling."
"Are you kidding me? Ten kilometers away still counts as 'seeing' her?"
Noah immediately frowned:
"Use your computing power. Open another portal and send me right in front of the Shorekeeper."
"Warning: Doing so carries a high probability that you will fall into the Death Star together with the Shorekeeper. The gravitational force of the Death Star will tear you apart."
"I can handle it — Tethys, obey my command!"
Another portal appeared. Without the slightest hesitation, Noah stepped through.
After passing through, the blue light-bricks of materialized code firmly supported Noah's body once again. The black hole's gravity grew even more terrifying — the crushing pressure nearly pulverized him.
Noah activated time-stop on both the surface and interior of his own body, finally nullifying the horrifying pulling force of the black hole.
Though he could no longer breathe, he also no longer felt the sensation of suffocation.
In the face of absolute time-stop, mere gravity was nothing.
He raised his head.
A hundred meters away, a blue figure entered his sight.
That was — the Shorekeeper. Her eyes were tightly closed, as though deep in slumber.
As an immortal Sonoro lifeform, she still retained her perfect form. Only the black flower in her hand had long been torn apart and obliterated by the Death Star's gravity.
A large amount of harmless resonance energy poured out from Noah's body. Drawn by the black hole's pull, it flowed straight toward the Shorekeeper, serving as the medium to carry sound through the vacuum.
"Shorekeeper, wake up!"
Noah shouted with all his might.
In the black void, the golden resonance energy illuminated the Shorekeeper's body. Her eyelashes trembled faintly, then quickly stilled again.
The Tethys system immediately issued a warning. The originally flat mechanical voice became distorted and flickering under the immense gravity, now carrying a trace of panic and threat:
"Warning: You have violated Rule One. This unit is authorized to forcibly remove you from this location!"
Countless ribbons of solidified code extended outward, seemingly intending to bind Noah and drag him out of the black hole.
"Get lost—"
Noah roared. A single slash of his sword severed countless light ribbons.
Without hesitation, he leaped down from the blue light-bricks beneath his feet and flew rapidly toward the Shorekeeper — and toward the blinding red Death Star.
"Warning: You have violated Rule Two!"
Even more light ribbons formed, desperately surging toward Noah's body, only to be sliced into pieces by several flashes of sword light.
Densely packed light ribbons appeared from every tricky angle, finally managing to bind Noah's body — but by then, he had already reached the Shorekeeper.
He stowed the Emerald of Genesis back into his inventory. His right hand finally reached the Shorekeeper's palm, which had been lifted upward due to her falling posture, and gripped it tightly:
"Shorekeeper! It's me, Rover! Hold on to my hand — I'm taking you home!"
Those few words exhausted the very last of the oxygen in Noah's lungs. He could no longer speak. His face turned beet red as he gripped her hand even harder.
"Warning: You have violated Rule Three!"
The mechanical voice was now unmistakably laced with uncontrollable fury.
The moment she heard the word "Rover", the Shorekeeper's eyelashes trembled violently once again. Her consciousness struggled desperately to rise from the depths of unconsciousness.
That slender hand tightly gripped Noah's in return. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Tears shimmered in her beautiful violet pupils:
"Finally… I waited for you. As long as it's you…"
Those eyes filled with hope suddenly turned completely hollow — like shattered glass, like falling from heaven into hell in an instant, utterly despairing.
"No… you are not him."
Even if the whole world forgot his name and face.
Even if the whole world no longer bore any trace of him.
Even if Noah's disguise was perfect enough to fool everyone in the Black Shores, even Camellya…
The frequency was his. The way he moved was his…
Yet the Shorekeeper still recognized him with pure instinct at first glance.
This person… ultimately was not him.
Countless pitch-black, crimson-tinged tentacles burst out from within the Death Star, wrapping tightly around the Shorekeeper's body. The terrifying pulling force instantly stretched the tentacles taut.
She moved her lips with great difficulty, forcing out broken words:
"Thank you… but… I cannot leave… Please… don't leave Black…"
On the deep crimson event horizon of the black hole, the Shorekeeper could not finish her sentence. Her eyes slowly closed once more. Her faint consciousness sank back into silence.
In an instant, all strength seemed to leave her. Her hand slid little by little from Noah's palm.
The moment their palms separated, the black-red tentacles immediately engulfed the Shorekeeper completely.
"Damn it!"
Noah was furious beyond measure. He drew the Emerald of Genesis once again, slashing apart the light ribbons. A single, piercing sword beam struck toward the tentacles extending from the black hole.
The brilliant golden sword light carried the full power of S6 Rover, shining so intensely it nearly illuminated the entire dark starfield. He had poured almost every ounce of strength in his body into this strike — and after unleashing it, he was nearly spent.
Yet that sword light vanished into the Death Star's black hole like a clay ox sinking into the sea, without raising even the slightest ripple.
A portal abruptly opened beneath him. Countless ribbons of code stretched out from within, seizing him without a word and dragging him inside.