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Early the next morning, sunlight filtered gently through the Black Shores' light-filtering curtains, casting a soft glow across Cartethyia's room.
She woke up early. Perhaps due to a slight unease in the new environment, or perhaps nervousness about the upcoming examination, she hadn't slept very deeply.
After washing up simply at the vanity in her bedroom, she pushed open the door, only to find Rover already waiting for her in the corridor outside.
"How did you rest?" he asked with a smile, his golden eyes looking exceptionally gentle in the morning light.
"I... I rested well." Cartethyia nodded, subconsciously adjusting her collar, which wasn't even messy. "Righteous One, have you been waiting out here the whole time?"
"I just arrived not too long ago," Rover naturally deflected the topic. "Let's go. The Shorekeeper should be waiting for us."
The two strolled through the highly advanced, sci-fi-esque corridors of the headquarters building. Eventually, they arrived before a large door enveloped in a radiant, flowing energy barrier.
Rover pressed his hand against a sensor screen beside the door. After quickly passing the identity verification, the large doors slid open silently to both sides.
The space behind the door was incredibly vast. Rather than a scientific laboratory, it looked more like a towering grand hall. The domed ceiling was incredibly high, simulating a starry sky where thousands of stars slowly revolved.
In the center of the room sat a massive silver platform bearing a pristine white bed. Various testing apparatuses surrounded it, with holographic screens floating in the air, continuously flashing with torrents of data.
The Shorekeeper stood quietly by the bed on the platform, accompanied by several scientific researchers dressed in Black Shores uniforms.
Seeing Rover and Cartethyia enter through the main doors, she gave a slight nod.
"Are you ready, Miss Cartethyia?" Her voice was as aloof and tranquil as ever, yet it possessed a strange ability to soothe the anxiety in one's heart.
Turning her head to look at Rover and receiving an encouraging look from him, Cartethyia turned back to the Shorekeeper, took a deep breath, and nodded firmly. "Yes, Miss Shorekeeper. I will be in your care."
"Please lie down and relax." Following the Shorekeeper's instructions, Cartethyia took off her sandals and lay flat on the bed, her hands resting gently crossed over her stomach.
Once she was settled, a gentle, water-like ripple of light began to emanate from the surface of the white bed, enveloping her body.
The Shorekeeper, her slender fingers painted with blue nail polish, lightly tapped the air. Holographic screens instantly materialized from the surrounding equipment, displaying numerous complex data streams and energy spectrums flowing at high speed.
"System self-check complete. Commencing deep scan of the target's Resonance Circuit and energy spectrum..." a cold electronic voice prompted.
A pale blue light grid slowly swept over Cartethyia's body from top to bottom. She subconsciously gripped the edge of her clothes.
"There's no need to be nervous," the Shorekeeper comforted her softly, her gaze focused entirely on the holographic screens. "The Tethys System is very gentle. All you need to do is try to recall... try to recall the sensation of wielding your Resonance power."
Cartethyia closed her eyes as instructed, recalling the feeling of battle.
The Resonance power of both the Sentinel and the Threnodian surged simultaneously within her body, intertwining, wrapping around each other, sometimes merging into one, and sometimes fracturing apart...
As she recalled the sensation, a bizarre and deeply concerning phenomenon occurred.
On the screens surrounding the platform, the deep blue waveform representing Cartethyia's own life force remained highly active.
But at the same time, the screens monitoring the ambient energy flow showed that the free energy within the laboratory was being pulled by an invisible gravitational force. Like a tiny whirlpool, it was slowly being siphoned into her body.
"She is siphoning ambient energy," the Shorekeeper stated flatly. Her fingers swiped rapidly, enlarging and analyzing the data, a faint light shimmering in her purple eyes. "Miss Cartethyia's constitution is incredibly unique. As a unique Resonator who has integrated the powers of both a Sentinel and a Threnodian, whenever she utilizes her power, she involuntarily absorbs ambient energy from her surroundings and converts it into her own strength."
Rover watched intently from the side, his brow slightly furrowed. "Does this mean she grows stronger the longer she fights?"
Recalling Cartethyia's account of her battle inside the Playwright's script, she had practically been spamming her ultimate attacks like basic attacks, chasing Christopher and Scar down without losing the upper hand for a second.
In the end, she had forced them to lose control over the script, creating the crucial opportunity for him to intervene, modify the script, and reclaim Lupa's character.
If not for this kind of constitution, it would have been very difficult for Cartethyia to sustain such high-intensity combat for so long.
"Theoretically, yes. But the problem lies in the environment of her previous battles."
The Shorekeeper's fingertip pointed to an ominous, dark red energy waveform. Its mass was expanding very slowly—almost imperceptible to the naked eye—but its persistent intent to erode the deep blue energy waveform was unmistakable.
"In the Seven Hills, and in the 'upside-down tower' you mentioned earlier, the omnipresent Black Tide was permeated with a dense Lament aura. The majority of what she absorbed was this Threnodian energy, completely saturated with negative emotions. Over time, this has caused a severe structural imbalance in her internal power, which is currently tilting dangerously toward the Threnodian side."
Cartethyia, lying on the bed, seemed to feel the violent tug-of-war between the two powers within her body. She let out an uncomfortable, muffled groan, her brows locking tightly together.
Looking at the alarming dark red waveform, the worry in Rover's eyes deepened. "This is highly dangerous. Is there any way to block her ability to siphon ambient energy, or simply purify the Threnodian energy within her?"
"Siphoning is her core Resonance trait; there is currently no way to remove it," the Shorekeeper shook her head. "As for purifying the Threnodian energy... it has been accumulating inside her for a very long time. If we try to forcibly extract it, I am afraid it will severely damage her very origin."
Hearing their conversation, Cartethyia opened her eyes. She raised both hands, clenching them into tight fists over her chest.
Although her voice still carried a trace of exhaustion, it was exceptionally resolute. "It doesn't matter, Righteous One! I can feel it. As long as my will is firm enough, I can control it!"
One of the Black Shores researchers watching from the side couldn't help but shake her head, bluntly interjecting, "Miss Cartethyia, we greatly admire your courage and determination, but... please, you must trust the science. Willpower cannot alter fundamental laws of physics."
Cartethyia: "..."
The Shorekeeper raised a hand slightly, halting her subordinate's blunt remark. The look she gave Cartethyia held a trace of admiration, but her tone remained strictly rational. "Your willpower is indeed of the utmost importance; it is the key to maintaining your current balance. However, the Threnodian power is still eroding you, albeit extremely slowly. We need to create a more favorable external environment for you."
She swiped a finger through the air, summoning a massive three-dimensional map of Solaris, eventually locking onto a colossal, inverted tower suspended high in the skies of Laguna.
"According to the calculation results of the Tethys System, there is one place with an environment most perfectly suited for your recuperation and harmonization at this stage—that upside-down tower. In other words, the former Aventurine Academy."
"Is it because the power of the Imperator exists there?" Rover asked, spreading his hands slightly.
"Yes... That place was once the location most closely connected to the Sentinel, and a massive amount of pure, peaceful Sentinel energy remains there." The Shorekeeper nodded, looking at Rover. "In such an environment, the energy Miss Cartethyia passively absorbs will help neutralize the excess Threnodian power within her."
"Until we find a truly viable, permanent solution, this should serve as the optimal mitigation measure for the time being."
Rover stared at the inverted divine tower, pondering for a moment. "The Aventurine Academy... I understand. This is indeed a feasible plan." He looked down at Cartethyia. "What do you think, Carty?"
Cartethyia sat up from the bed. There was absolutely no fear in her icy blue eyes; instead, they sparkled with an eager, resolute light.
"If the Righteous One thinks it is a viable plan, then I will go." She gave a heavy nod. "No matter where it is, as long as it allows me to better control my power and stops me from being a burden to you, I am willing to go!"
Hearing her words, a faint smile graced Rover's face. He took two steps forward, stopping right in front of Cartethyia as she sat on the bed. To her slight surprise, he reached out and gently patted the top of her head.
Feeling the soft, smooth texture of her long hair against his palm, Rover spoke, his voice gentle and comforting. "There is no need to rush into this immediately. The Black Shores still needs to run some more in-depth tests on you to formulate a comprehensive treatment plan."
"More importantly, I—and the Black Shores—will always be here to help you fight against the Threnodian... So, there is no need to worry."
"Righteous One..."
During this exchange, the Shorekeeper had been standing quietly to the side, her hands clasped elegantly in front of her skirt. She watched Rover gently stroke the top of Cartethyia's head, and the latter's expression as she closed her eyes and leaned into the touch like a content little kitten.
After a moment, the Shorekeeper gave a slight nod and spoke softly, interrupting their interaction. "Rover is entirely correct, Miss Cartethyia. The energy environment within the upside-down tower is unique and highly complex, and the energy balance within your body is currently extremely fragile. We still need to make meticulous preparations."
She turned to the holographic screen beside her, bringing up an even more complex stream of data.
"For someone whose internal balance is currently dominated by Threnodian energy, being directly exposed to such powerful Sentinel energy would not be nourishing. Conversely, it could trigger a violently catastrophic energy conflict. It would be exactly like throwing an icicle directly into a blazing furnace."
Hearing this, Rover's hand paused in its stroking motion. He pulled his hand back and looked at the Shorekeeper. "It would be dangerous?"
"There are risks," the Shorekeeper answered honestly. "Energy harmonization requires a gradual, step-by-step approach. Before you go, we need to utilize gentle methods here at the Black Shores to lay a solid foundation for Miss Cartethyia's body."
"Our objective is to enhance her affinity and adaptability toward the Sentinel's side of the energy, while stabilizing her current internal balance as much as possible. This will significantly reduce the probability of a violent rejection reaction upon arriving at the upside-down tower."
She looked at Cartethyia and explained, "This will take a little time. We need to formulate a customized harmonizing agent specifically for you, and utilize the Tethys System to conduct several preliminary, adaptive guided treatments."
A researcher chimed in to elaborate, "Exactly. It's just like how a deep-sea diver needs to decompress before returning to the surface; ascending directly will cause decompression sickness. By the same logic, directly entering a high-intensity energy environment would inflict far too massive of a shock onto your Resonance Circuit."
Cartethyia suddenly understood. The frantic urgency on her face receded, replaced by a look of comprehension. "I understand. I was being far too impatient. I will follow every arrangement made by the Righteous One and Miss Shorekeeper."
Rover also let out a sigh of relief. This reasoning was completely flawless and rooted entirely in prioritizing Cartethyia's safety.
He patted Cartethyia's shoulder. "In that case, rest easy and stay at the Black Shores for now. Cooperate fully with your treatments. Once we've laid a solid foundation, heading to the upside-down tower will yield twice the result with half the effort."
"Mm!" Cartethyia nodded emphatically.
Seeing this, the Shorekeeper issued her final directives. "Immediately formulate the phase-one harmonizing agent for Miss Cartethyia based on the scan data. Schedule the first adaptive guided treatment for the morning of the day after tomorrow."
The crowd of scientific researchers acknowledged their orders and filed out of the room one by one.
"Rover, during this time, please also keep a close eye on her condition."
"Of course," Rover solemnly promised.