Black Shores.
Under the treatment range of the Final Loop, except for a very few Black Shores guests and Bloom Bearers who had not yet woken up, most people had completely awakened.
However, after being provided only with life-sustaining nutrition by Slaughterblade of Carnage for a long time, even though they had woken up, they were still too weak to move.
Hungry, thirsty, pain everywhere, and general discomfort. These were their most real feelings.
"Time to eat!"
The Jinzhou army had cooked white porridge and were orderly distributing it to all the Black Shores people in batches.
Those too weak to move were fed white porridge with side dishes by the army personnel. Those who could move ate by themselves. But no matter who it was, they could not eat too much suddenly after long-term malnutrition.
After nearly four months, this group of Black Shores guests and Bloom Bearers finally ate real food again. Even though it was just white porridge, they still ate it with great relish.
From time to time, some people would turn their heads while eating and look toward the only lucky survivor of the entire Black Shores — Aalto.
"Bro, you're too awesome! You actually solved Slaughterblade of Carnage! You're practically Solaris's number one savior!"
Aalto jumped and hopped excitedly, his face flushed red, frantically giving Noah thumbs up:
"From now on, you're my godfather! Godfather above, give me a chance to take care of you in your old age!"
"Cough cough, no need to exaggerate so much. You're actually a bit older than me."
Noah coughed lightly, his face turning a little red from the praise:
"It was just a small effort, not worth mentioning."
"Ah! To you it's just a small effort, but to us in the Black Shores, it's like being given a new lease on life."
The more he spoke, the more excited Aalto became. He immediately made a bold promise, completely failing to notice a blue figure approaching from behind:
"To be honest, as long as you raise your arm and call out right now, I'll immediately support you to become the highest administrator of the Black Shores!"
"Aaalll—too—"
The sudden female voice made Aalto feel a chill down his back. He turned around to see the Shorekeeper.
The Shorekeeper was forcing a smile on their face, yet their whole body seemed to emit a gloomy aura.
Aalto: Oh no! My job!
"Encore has been unconscious the whole time. Could you please go check on her?"
"Yes ma'am!"
Seeing that the Shorekeeper was not pursuing the matter on the spot, Aalto breathed a sigh of relief and quickly left.
Only then did the Shorekeeper shake their head and apologize to Noah:
"Sorry, poor management on my part. I made you see something embarrassing."
"It's fine. I was actually able to come to the Black Shores thanks to Aalto finding me. I'm long used to his style. He was just joking earlier, don't take it seriously."
Hearing this, the Shorekeeper nodded slightly and changed the subject:
"Through the Sonoro Spheres, I have confirmed again that there is nothing left anywhere in the upper and lower levels of the Black Shores related to the Tethys System."
"However, for safety's sake, could I ask you to set up a time-flow barrier outside? Stay here for three days so I can make further confirmations."
"Of course, three days is no problem."
Noah readily agreed, even thinking of offering to extend the time.
Matters involving a global Lament required him to take them seriously.
"I have a question. Can you tell me more about that 'Glance' you mentioned earlier?"
Honestly, the two words "Glance" had genuinely scared Noah to death.
What the hell? Wasn't he playing Wuthering Waves? Why did a concept from the neighboring Honkai: Star Rail suddenly appear?
If it really was the glance of the Destruction Aeon Nanook from the other game, then he might as well quit playing and just surrender.
"I'm not very good at describing it."
The Shorekeeper thought seriously for a moment before answering:
"According to Slaughterblade of Carnage's records, that Glance is like a concept of despair and finality, similar to Ovathrax's war, or Leviathan's plague."
"Oh~ So it's just similar to a Threnodian."
Noah immediately felt relieved in his heart, secretly estimating that it was probably just another unseen Threnodian creation.
No big issue, as long as it wasn't the neighboring Destruction Aeon dropping by. As for the specific origin of this Glance, he could only explore it slowly later.
"By the way, after this ordeal, how long will it take for the Black Shores to rebuild?"
"The shortest time needed is three days."
The Shorekeeper made an OK gesture. The intellectual look paired with this action unexpectedly gave off a somewhat cute contrast:
"The important technologies of the Black Shores have long been shared with the whole world. We only need to redeploy the equipment and the Black Shores will be fully restored. However..."
As they spoke, those beautiful eyes became somewhat dim:
"However... the Black Shores without the Tethys System will have greater difficulty predicting Laments. From now on, the future of civilization will no longer be observed. What will happen, only heaven knows."
A future that is observed is a predetermined future that cannot be changed, while a future that cannot be observed holds endless possibilities.
Perhaps the next second humanity would be destroyed by a Lament, or perhaps humanity would find a way to solve the Laments. No one knew.
The Shorekeeper did not know whether this was ultimately good or bad for civilization.
"In any case, no matter what, the Black Shores is ultimately a powerful force with enormous influence across all of Solaris."
They clasped their hands in front of their lower abdomen, appearing graceful and elegant, yet unprecedentedly solemn:
"As one of the rewards for saving the Black Shores, once reconstruction is complete, the Black Shores can forever serve as your backing."
Hearing this, Noah shrugged indifferently:
"I appreciate the thought, but I've heard words like this many times. If you really want to help me, then work hard on finding Rover."
"That is something I should do anyway. But, what do you want to find her for?"
It had to be said that the Shorekeeper's question stumped Noah.
At the beginning, he wanted to find Rover so he could lie back and win alongside her.
Later, he wanted to find Rover in the hope that she would save Jinzhou.
Even later, he gradually took over Rover's responsibilities and gained strength comparable to hers.
So why did he still want to find Rover now?
"I don't know either. I've been imitating her actions, doing the things that should have been hers to do..."
Noah scratched his head and gave an explanation:
"Maybe I want to find her... simply because I want to find a spiritual anchor that puts my mind at ease, something that makes me feel all of this has meaning. Rover can do nothing at all, but she cannot be absent."
"So that's how it is." The Shorekeeper nodded as if gaining some understanding:
"Listening to you say this, I suddenly understand... the reason I could tell at first glance that you were not her when we first met at the black hole boundary."
"Why?"
"It's hesitation. You have one more degree of hesitation than her, even though you hide it very deeply. As for her, once she makes up her mind, she will firmly carry it through."
The Shorekeeper explained:
"I don't know where your hesitation comes from. Perhaps it's because you want too much to become her, to learn from her, which causes a trace of hesitation deep in your heart."
"You will wonder whether you have done your best, doubt whether what you are doing is right, and subconsciously think: If Rover were here, what would she do?"
"But in fact, if she were here, she would definitely praise you like this —"
They reached out and gently placed a hand on Noah's shoulder. The corners of their mouth curved up slightly, and a brilliance that had not been there before appeared in their eyes as they praised:
"You did well"
...