Imperator came gently, returning the power of time. Imperator left gently, leaving behind a Phoebe whose worldview was collapsing and a Cartethyia and Noah who were secretly laughing.
"You are the first person in Rinascita to know the truth~ Congratulations, Phoebe!"
"Ha... Haha... How can this be... You guys are so mean."
Phoebe's pure little face was now somewhat broken:
"The Gemberry was fake, the Sentinel we believed in was fake, so what is real? What else is real?"
"The truth we want to promote is real."
Noah took out the scripture Fenrico had given him, his words carrying a hint of temptation:
"Miss Priestess, do you want to... see the expressions on other people's faces when they learn the truth?"
One sentence immediately captured all of Phoebe's attention.
Helping to spread the truth about the Sentinel would surely make up for her previous mistake of always believing in the Threnodian, right?
Thinking of this, Phoebe grabbed onto the lifeline like a drowning person. She nodded frantically like pounding garlic, her eyes filled with longing:
"I want to! I want to! Please definitely bring me along for spreading the truth of the Sentinel."
"If you want to, you should know what to do, right?"
"I promise I'll obediently listen to everything. I'll do whatever you ask me to do."
Noah nodded in satisfaction, took away the untouched Gemberry Laurel Salad in front of Phoebe, and turned to call out to the restaurant owner:
"Boss, another Traditional Kiln Pizza please."
"Okay~ It'll be right there~"
While the trio ate, they discussed what method to use to spread the truth so that the public would learn it as quickly as possible.
Among methods like handing out flyers, posting announcements, and submitting to newspapers, Noah chose the simplest and most brutal way — street speech.
As long as the commotion was big enough, the naturally gossipy people would spread it by word of mouth. Such speed of dissemination was faster than anything else.
"Hey, Noah, mind if I join the table?"
With a lazy and casual greeting, Zani didn't wait for a reply and naturally sat down next to Phoebe:
"I saw you guys chatting heatedly from far away. What are you talking about?"
"Zani's here. Let me introduce you. This is Cartethyia. Little Cart, this is Zani, the full-time big shot of Ragunna during the day and a superhero at night."
"Ohhh, hello, I'm Cartethyia."
"Hello, don't listen to his nonsense. I wouldn't dare call myself a hero."
Zani and Cartethyia shook hands. Zani secretly marveled at the latter's exquisitely flawless appearance and temperament.
Noah pushed the menu toward Zani:
"Order whatever you want, it's my treat. I'm returning to Jinzhou tomorrow, so go ahead and order boldly."
"Alright, then I won't be polite with you. We're buddies after all. I can't do that overly polite stuff. I'll take the day off tomorrow and see you off."
"So straightforward."
Zani ordered a braised noodle dish and coffee, but her mood was a bit lower than before. She looked at Noah again:
"Old Noah, if I go traveling to Jinzhou later, will you be my tour guide?"
Noah shrugged:
"First get approval for that many days off."
"Fine, fine, fine. You just love poking where it hurts, huh."
"Just kidding. If you come to Jinzhou, send me a message. I'll be there whenever you need."
...
On the other side.
"Sis, Tall Chestnut said he'll treat me to dinner tonight and explain what happened yesterday in person."
Carlotta held up a dress in front of the full-length mirror, comparing it to her figure, while seeking Ciaccona's opinion from not far away:
"This is my first date with him. Quick, help me see which outfit looks better on me?"
"The original one is fine. It makes your legs look longer."
While giving a casual answer, Ciaccona probed for information:
"Did you ask where Noah is right now?"
"I couldn't ask that directly, but... I've already sent my most capable subordinate to find him. He should have located him by now."
Carlotta picked up her terminal, opened the latest message, glanced at it, and replied casually:
"Tall Chestnut and the others are at Trattoria Margherita right now. They'll head to Ragunna Freedom Square later."
"Got it. I have some private matters to attend to. I'll head out."
Having obtained the information, Ciaccona nodded, turned around, and left through the door.
Carlotta, who was absorbed in choosing clothes, reacted belatedly and chased out of the room, shouting at Ciaccona's back:
"Be careful! It's not Carnevale today. Don't get targeted by the Order of the Deep."
"I will."
Ciaccona, who planned to rescue her sister from her suffering, left the Montelli Quarter full of confidence.
She completely failed to notice that in a hidden corner behind her, a figure dressed as a priest took out a terminal and whispered softly:
"Your Eminence, I have discovered a person of interest to the Order — the surviving orphan of the Toccata family, Ciaccona Toccata."
"Very good. Monitor her movements. If she makes any statements or actions unfavorable to the Order's faith, arrest her immediately on charges of blasphemy."
A low voice came from the terminal:
"The Archbishop has called a meeting. I need to attend now. Handle the rest yourself."
"Understood."
...
Ragunna, Freedom Square.
The Carnevale had long passed, but balloons and ribbons still hung around the square, as if the festive atmosphere had not completely faded.
After finishing lunch, Zani returned to work in the Montelli Quarter and missed witnessing the unveiling of the truth that the Order had concealed for many years.
"I've written the speech. Phoebe, you go."
Noah handed over the megaphone he had obtained from Huaxu Academy. Phoebe took two fearful steps back, hid behind Cartethyia, and shook her head frantically:
"This is too bold. I don't dare."
This was a speech in front of the entire square, and the content was extremely daring.
Even Phoebe, who had already done many bold things with Noah, couldn't help but feel timid now.
"Cowards..." Noah could only pass the megaphone to the other person: "Little Cart, you do it."
"Okay!"
Cartethyia swallowed nervously, took the megaphone and speech script with trembling hands, and tentatively turned it on.
A sharp buzzing sound instantly echoed across the entire square, drawing everyone's attention.
Countless pairs of eyes turned toward Cartethyia, then could no longer look away from her exquisite face.
Cartethyia's face turned visibly red at a speed noticeable to the naked eye. Her mind felt dizzy.
The scene before her strongly resembled the moment of her coronation, when everyone had placed their hopes on her. Right after her coronation was completed, the Black Tide descended from the sky...
"No... I can't."
Cartethyia turned off the megaphone and retreated behind Noah to avoid the crowd's gazes:
"It's too intense. I can't do it."
Looking at the megaphone back in his hands, Noah's mouth twitched:
"You two... can't you show a little backbone?"
"We really can't..."
The two girls lowered their heads, humming pitifully as if they had been wronged.
Cartethyia tentatively suggested:
"How about... we go back and rest first before trying again?"
"How can we do that?"
Noah grabbed the megaphone, stepped forward, and raised the speech script.
Instantly, countless curious eyes turned toward him.
The next second, Noah stepped back, put away the speech script, and looked dejected.
Although he had mentally prepared himself, when the moment actually came, he still hesitated.
"How about... we go back and discuss it again? Captain Brant would definitely be very willing to give this speech, and he's especially good at putting on a show. Shall we go find him?"
"Good!" *2
The trio reached a consensus and were about to leave the square.
"Wait!"
A call made the three of them turn around together. Reflected in their eyes was a red-haired, antlered girl in a cyan-green dress hurriedly running over.
The moment he saw the newcomer, Noah subconsciously exclaimed:
"The part-time poet from the department?"
[Limited Banner "Symphony of Poetry and Music", "Aria of the Woods" has opened.]
[Event Quest: "Your Eternal Long Summer Shall Never Fade" has opened.]
...