Upon entering the star chart's interior, a massive floor-to-ceiling window came into view. Beyond it lay a bustling cityscape of towering skyscrapers, with suspended trains weaving between them.
Lucian gazed at the vibrant night scenery outside the window, silent for a moment before saying: "Where the heck am I? Is this still the Black Shores?"
Rover approached from behind: "This must be the Port City of Guixu before its destruction, right? In other words, this is within Jinzhou's territory."
Lucian fell silent again: "Now that Jinzhou has withstood the Tacet Discord tide and reconstruction is progressing quickly, will we soon see Jinzhou City become as prosperous as the Port City of Guixu once was?"
Rover shook her head slightly: "Hard to say. Although the Tacet Discord tide has been temporarily repelled, we can't be sure if they'll come back."
"So the most important thing now is to strengthen our defenses."
Lucian stroked his chin thoughtfully: "I didn't expect the Port City of Guixu to have been so prosperous…"
"If that's the case, the regions untouched by Tacet Discords and The Lament must be even more thriving than this."
Shorekeeper, however, interjected: "Some regions, though untainted by Tacet Discords and The Lament, still face intense internal conflicts."
"As some humans say, if there are no external enemies, then humanity's greatest enemy is itself."
Lucian nodded slightly: "That's true. As the saying goes, where there are people, there's drama."
Lucian's gaze passed through the glass window, taking in the brightly lit cityscape, which seemed even more prosperous than his previous world.
He wondered what kind of terror the people living here had faced, to destroy such a futuristic city in such a short time.
Shorekeeper seemed to sense what Lucian was thinking: "In that era, the confidence of exploration drove the people of this city, and indeed the entire world."
"They conquered the seas with sails, the land with wheels. People didn't worry about war, housing, or livelihoods, and they loved one another."
"Buildings grew taller, and people increasingly believed they could seize tomorrow in this era."
Lucian asked, puzzled: "When is this Port City of Guixu, before The Lament? It looks so peaceful."
Shorekeeper's expression carried a trace of sorrow: "This is merely one hour before The Lament struck."
"And with my computational power, I can only recreate the final hour before the disaster to the fullest extent."
"The further we progress, the closer we get to destruction."
"And the redirection data for the Tethys System lies within the moment of The Lament."
"We cannot change history—neither the history of the past nor the 'history' of the future."
Shorekeeper hesitated for a moment before turning to face the two: "I want to know… what exactly did you experience in this story… what kind of feeling was it…"
"If you get the chance, please tell me about it, alright?"
Lucian raised an eyebrow: "Miss, why are you frantically planting flags before the main event?"
Shorekeeper looked confused: "Planting flags… what does that mean?"
Rover burst out laughing: "He means you're talking too much!"
Rover headed toward the nearby corridor: "Come on, let's go meet this Tethys System."
Watching Rover's back, Lucian whispered in Shorekeeper's ear: "Do you know about the Sonoro Sphere?"
Shorekeeper looked over, puzzled: "The Sonoro Sphere? Why would you ask about that?"
"In theory, the space we're in right now is a Sonoro Sphere."
"Including the domain of sound you and Magistrate Jinhsi once entered, Jué's domain, that too was a Sonoro Sphere."
"To put it simply, a Sonoro Sphere is an otherworldly space distinct from the real world, with its own unique rules and phenomena."
"It can be seen as an independent realm. Some Sonoro Spheres actively invade reality, causing Waveworn Phenomena; others are like secret realms, waiting for the destined to unlock them."
Lucian nodded thoughtfully. The vibrant cityscape he'd just seen made him think of home.
According to Shorekeeper, the Sonoro Sphere he'd seen in the system shop earlier must also be some kind of portable space, suitable for living.
At that moment, Rover turned back: "What are you two whispering about behind my back?"
Lucian's expression shifted: "If Jinzhou City is rebuilt to be like the Port City of Guixu was, I was thinking about where I should buy a cozy little nest for us."
Rover blushed: "You sure know how to talk…"
But she quickly adopted a suspicious look: "This little nest you're talking about doesn't include anyone else, does it?"
Lucian hurriedly replied: "Abby definitely isn't human, so of course there's no one else."
In his mind, Lucian thought to himself, No one said I could only buy one little nest…
Abby: "?"
"Who're you calling inhuman?"
Lucian asked, puzzled: "Are you human, then?"
Rover answered first: "Simply inhuman."
Abby: "…"
Shorekeeper, standing beside Lucian, glanced at him: "A cozy little nest…"
So Mr. Lucian wants a place to call home… No wonder he asked me about the Sonoro Sphere.
As someone who's constantly traveling, having a portable Sonoro Sphere would indeed be convenient…
Speaking of which, she could use a crystal—a part of her body—to craft a custom Sonoro Sphere.
Shorekeeper pursed her thin lips. Though she couldn't give Mr. Lucian and Rover everything they wanted, at the very least, she could give them a beautiful dream, a place to rest without worries… if there was still a chance…
"Kukuku… hello there!"
Lucian looked puzzled at the KU-Key before him: "Why's it you again?"
KU-Key grinned mischievously: "Because I like you!"
Lucian: "?"
Lucian paused, then looked at Rover's Speaker: "Have you already replaced the Tethys System?"
Rover's Speaker: "?"
Rover's Speaker seemed highly displeased: "Even if I replaced the Tethys System, I wouldn't say something like that!"
Lucian sighed: "I didn't expect the Tethys System to have such… peculiar tastes. That's dangerous."
"It's hard to imagine what kind of dire straits the Black Shores members deal with every day…"
"No wonder Aalto and KU-Money get along so well…"
Rover slapped the back of Lucian's head: "What are you even thinking!"
"KU-Key's 'like' is just friendly affection, not that kind of like!"
Lucian looked suspiciously at KU-Key: "Is that so? Because I swear I just saw it make a super creepy face!"
KU-Key: "???"