Lucian shook his head: "Even without the Tethys System, another system will take its place."
"As the saying goes, 'When a whale falls, all things flourish.' That's the principle."
The Tethys System responded coldly: "Objection. This unit is the most advanced 'civilization simulation sandbox' on this planet. No other system can replace me."
Lucian scoffed: "Don't be so full of yourself…"
"But are you really as great as you claim?"
"You call yourself the planet's strongest, yet you can't resolve the Lament at its root."
"You observe the Lament with the Lament, creating a Möbius loop logic, causing the Lament events to never end."
"And you dare call yourself the planet's strongest?"
The Tethys System's voice seemed somewhat exasperated: "Even so, I remain the most advanced 'civilization simulation sandbox' on this planet!"
"Over the past ten thousand years of continuous observation, this unit has predicted five global extinction-level Laments and over three hundred thousand regional Laments."
"By following this unit's simulation plans and referencing the computational outputs provided by Sentinels worldwide, all possibilities of large-scale civilization collapse have been avoided."
Rover chimed in: "The most precious exhibit in a museum isn't the bronze artifacts, but the eyes gazing from outside the glass."
"Shorekeeper possesses genuine emotions, while you're just a cold machine."
The Tethys System said gravely: "Emotions are a burden to survival."
Lucian snorted coldly: "True survival lies in the dynamic balance of reason and emotion."
"We don't have time to debate with you here. Release Shorekeeper and the others trapped inside now."
Tethys System: "Warning: Forcibly removing the encoding core will trigger this unit's defense protocol, revealing a future of destruction."
As the Tethys System spoke, all surrounding screens turned into red exclamation marks.
The previously stable ground suddenly split open, and the two fell through.
Lucian reacted quickly, grabbing Rover's hand and pulling her into his embrace.
Eternal winter ensued, time frozen in icy blue silence.
The world was covered by a heavy curtain of ice crystals, with glaciers winding toward the horizon like the spine of a giant beast, refracting cold, eerie light.
Fine ice dust floated in the air, as if star fragments had solidified in this moment.
Lucian slid down the ice ridge, the bone-chilling wind scraping his face like a knife.
He pressed Rover's body closer to his chest.
"Damn it, if you scratch Rover's face, it's fine, but if you scratch my face, I'll make you soar!"
Rover: "?"
Rover mumbled from the warmth of Lucian's embrace: "Heh… you're protecting me in your arms, yet your mouth is still so sharp-tongued, huh… you jerk…"
The Tethys System ignored them: "Our tomorrow has been frozen into cold silence…"
Lucian used the properties of his Shape-Shifting Garment to transform his shoes into ice skates for stability, turned his clothes into cold-resistant gear, and donned a mask on his face.
Nearby, Rover's Speaker floated down, providing timely BGM.
"Put your head on my shoulder~"
"Hold me in your arms, baby~"
"Squeeze me oh-so-tight~"
"Show me that you love me to~"
Lucian cursed: "Stop freaking singing, it's copyrighted!"
"You've got time to sing, but not to analyze?"
Rover's Speaker replied earnestly: "I'm using a top-tier processor beyond your comprehension, capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously."
"So, I can absolutely analyze while adding a splendid soundtrack to your thrilling journey."
Lucian: "Thanks a lot, huh."
Tethys System: "…"
Are you even taking the apocalyptic scene I've created seriously?
At that moment, a Sonoro Sphere appeared ahead on the ice ridge, seemingly a gateway to another space.
Shorekeeper's voice echoed in their ears: "Be careful…"
"I will… protect you…"
Lucian's lips curved slightly: "See that, Tethys? This is the bond between me and Shorekeeper!"
"No matter how many centuries your garbage algorithm iterates, it can't compare to a cat randomly typing 'I love you' on a keyboard!"
Tethys System: "…"
The Tethys System felt it was beginning to understand the human emotion of anger.
Lucian used his Grapple to leap into the Sonoro Sphere ahead.
The scene shifted again. The sky took on a hazy orange-yellow hue, as if it were sunset or dawn.
Golden sunlight slanted down, piercing through sparse clouds.
In the distance stood ancient architectural ruins, severely damaged, reduced to broken walls.
A desolate sense of despair intertwined with the hopeful golden light, a stark contrast to the earlier glacier.
Lucian quickly reverted his heavy clothing, chattering: "Fire and ice? Didn't expect the Tethys System to be so playful, huh?"
Rover bumped her forehead against Lucian's chest: "It's the end of the world, can you be serious?"
Tethys System: "…"
They really aren't taking the apocalyptic scenes I've created seriously!
"The earth tears apart, the world burns…"
"Target: Supreme Administrator."
Lucian clicked his tongue: "Can't win an argument, so you resort to grabbing people?"
"Damn, Tethys System, you're so despicable!"
As Lucian confronted the Tethys System, his movements to dodge various attacks were swift.
He used the Sonoro Spheres created by Shorekeeper to weave through the ruins.
"Don't stop… don't look back… must protect…"
Shorekeeper's intermittent voice echoed.
As Lucian leaped into the final Sonoro Sphere, the scene changed again.
It was as if they had broken free from Solaris's constraints, entering a temporal tunnel.
Dazzling, psychedelic colors filled Lucian's vision, composed of countless glowing geometric shapes that intersected and extended, forming a tunnel of light.
The ground wasn't solid but a mirrored swamp of billions of prisms.
Each step triggered a ripple-like explosion of color, reflecting countless distorted images, some whole, some jagged outlines.
Ahead, Tacet Discords spawned by the Tethys System emerged from the psychedelic ground.
Beside Lucian appeared a translucent blue crystal butterfly: "Calling… the final Sonoro Sphere…"
Shorekeeper's voice sounded, and the crystal butterfly fired at the emerging Tacet Discords like it was wielding a Gatling gun.
Lucian laughed: "I don't even know how I could lose."
Shorekeeper's voice sounded again: "My path ends here, but you cannot stop."
Sliding to the tunnel's end, a Sonoro Sphere suddenly appeared.
A colorful mechanical hand abruptly reached out, grabbing at Lucian's sliding figure…