"Phrolova, save me!!!"
The third script began with the familiar opening line. Noah stood amid the dense crowd at the harbor, lazily stretching his arms.
Resonance Switch — Jinhsi!
Profound golden light enveloped the entire city of Ragunna. Time around him froze in place. Only the playwright in the distance was desperately sprinting for his life.
Resonance Switch — Camellya!
A vine shot out, tightly binding Cristoforo and dragging him right in front of Noah.
"We've already gone through several life-and-death encounters, old friend. Is it really proper to not even say hello when we meet?"
The vine loosened. Noah patted Cristoforo on the shoulder with a smile on his face.
He really couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. The playwright was now his personal treasure vault! Once he farmed enough Radiant Tide, he'd immediately turn his back and finish this guy off.
"Cristoforo, this time I'm not going to beat you."
"Huh?"
Looking at Noah, whose temperament had completely changed, Cristoforo was utterly confused.
He had already mentally prepared himself to get beaten—why wasn't Noah hitting him this time?
"I have to say, your scripts are actually very excellent. I quite like them. You must keep working hard and creating!"
"Ah… ah… thank you."
Hearing praise from his mortal enemy, Cristoforo froze. For a moment, he felt dazed.
There was actually someone in this world who understood his scripts—someone who truly got him!
An inexplicable wave of warmth surged through his heart. For a brief instant, he even felt that Noah wasn't particularly terrifying or hateful after all.
"Goodbye, playwright. Keep it up, you amazing playwright."
Noah released the time-stop and walked toward the city center. He even turned back and gave Cristoforo an encouraging gesture.
He hadn't walked far when he opened his panel and suddenly noticed a new mail in his inbox.
[Mail: Game Exploit Compensation.]
[Wuthering Waves Development Team: We have detected illegal methods being used to repeatedly farm rewards from main quests through an exploit. The related vulnerability has been fixed.]
[We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. The main quest "The Sacred Breeze So Often Breathes" can still be accepted one more time. Corresponding compensation has been issued.]
[Attachments: Radiant Tide ×20, Lustrous Tide ×10, Astrite ×1600.]
On the other side, Cristoforo was staring at Noah's retreating back, feeling an itch in his brain.
So strange… why didn't Noah beat him this time?
Could it be…
A bold guess suddenly popped into Cristoforo's mind:
Could it be— Noah actually genuinely liked his script? Was what he wrote really that good? Even his mortal enemy had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Thinking of this, Cristoforo couldn't help but feel a little smug. Suddenly, the familiar time-stop unfolded once again, covering all of Ragunna.
Another vine instantly bound him tightly. He saw Noah's figure flash forward like teleportation, his hair now completely dyed a deep crimson.
"Cristoforo, what kind of trash script did you write?!"
"I'm gonna kill you!"
Bang!
Cristoforo was slammed heavily into the ground. Numerous bones in his body shattered. A mouthful of blood sprayed out. His worldview received a massive shock.
"Cough… wait, is this really… okay…"
Bang!
"A person shouldn't… at least shouldn't…"
Bang!
"Change face… so… fast!"
Bang!
"Phrolova, save me!"
…
Time passed, no one knew how long.
Cristoforo, barely clinging to life, opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Phrolova calmly sitting in a chair sipping tea. She tossed him a bottle of high-grade recovery potion.
"Drink it."
Since every script reset would refund all resources anyway, Phrolova had become generous and given him a top-tier potion.
After drinking the potion, Cristoforo staggered to his feet and collapsed back into his seat. The anger on his face had not yet faded:
"That damned Noah! I will—I will definitely—torment him severely!"
"Pfft!"
"What are you laughing at?"
Phrolova covered her mouth with one hand, hiding her amusement:
"Nothing. I just suddenly realized you actually possess top-tier comedic talent."
"Listen, Phrolova, this isn't funny!"
Cristoforo clenched both fists tightly. The fury in his eyes was almost uncontainable:
"The first two times, he was just lucky and avoided being polluted by Ragunna's public terminals. This time, I will figure out the reason and personally deliver the terminal into his hands!"
"Good luck."
Phrolova shrugged indifferently. In her heart, she silently muttered: Anyway, it's not me who's getting beaten.
"Phrolova, what's with that completely unconcerned attitude? Don't forget—you're also a member of the Fractsidus. You're also an Overseer of the Fractsidus."
Cristoforo shouted angrily:
"Don't you think Noah is becoming more and more cruel?"
He made a chopping motion across his own neck, his expression twisted:
"You saw how he acted on Freedom Square, right? He's practically a—Tacet Discord slaughter machine!"
Hearing those last few words that Cristoforo practically gnashed out, Phrolova's body gave a faint tremble. The relaxed expression on her face gradually faded.
Seeing this, Cristoforo finally burst into a satisfied laugh:
"If he catches me, I just die once. But your life is tied to the other shore—you're immortal. If he catches you, you'll only suffer worse torture than me."
"…" Phrolova was silent for a moment before finally speaking:
"We're indeed grasshoppers on the same rope. Tell me—how do you want me to help? Let me make it clear first: I will not confront Noah directly."
On the other side, Freedom Square.
"Phoebe! Phoebe!"
At Noah's call, the golden-haired priestess approached in confusion:
"Hello, is there something you need help with?"
[Main Quest: "The Sacred Breeze So Often Breathes" — Activated.]
"I just have one question I'd like to ask you."
Since it was just a script anyway, Noah, who had smoothly received the main quest through Phoebe, was in an extremely good mood. His large hands gently pinched the cute little round face of the priestess.
The texture was excellent!
The pure, collagen-filled cheeks instantly flushed bright red and grew hot. Bewildered, stammering sounds came from her small cherry lips.
This was clearly their first meeting—why did she feel such an inexplicable sense of familiarity toward this man in front of her?
"Um… sir… please don't…"
With just one sentence, the man turned the pure and kind girl's mind into mush:
"Would you like to become the head of the Order of the Deep, little priestess?"
"Huh?!"
"Heaven is dead, the yellow-haired shall rise! In the year of Jiazi, Phoebe Chuuupi!"
Noah slowly chanted the jingle. The little face cradled in his palms immediately began shaking her head frantically:
"No… becoming the head… I wouldn't even dare think about it… O Sentinel above, please forgive Phoebe's wild delusions."
"Alright then, Priestess Phoebe. See you in the next script."
Letting a pure and kind girl like Phoebe become the head of the Order—on such a treacherous high seat full of scheming and intrigue—she would probably be devoured until not even bones remained.
Noah let go of her with some regret, bent his knees slightly, and leaped high into the air. His soaring wings unfolded mid-flight, and he flew straight toward the Cathedral of Mercury!
"Hey!"
Phoebe stomped her feet anxiously in place. Ignoring the strict doctrines, she shouted loudly:
"Flying is prohibited within the city—"
Before she could finish half her sentence, she saw a long dragon phantom suddenly coil around the man in midair.
A blinding white light burst from the dragon phantom's mouth, directly blasting apart the doors of the distant Cathedral of Mercury.
This scene of extreme blasphemy left Phoebe frozen in place. Her mind could hardly process what she was seeing.
She suddenly remembered the sentence that irreverent man had said to her—
"Would you like to become the head of the Order of the Deep, little priestess?"
If, back then, she hadn't shaken her head… but had nodded instead… what would have happened?
"Heaven is dead, the yellow-haired shall rise! In the year of Jiazi, Phe…"
Phoebe murmured, repeating Noah's jingle in a daze, somewhat disoriented:
"Phe… Phoebe Chuuupi?"