Having left the Order, it was already afternoon. Noah entrusted Phoebe with conveying the message that the Troupe of Fools had obtained permanent qualification, then found a quiet place to sit alone for a long time.
A mouthful of pent-up frustration stuck in his chest, unable to be released for a long while.
Even though he had learned countless times in the game what kind of person Fenrico was, personally interacting with him still left Noah unsettled.
Indeed, Fenrico had done countless evil deeds, sending large numbers of innocent civilians and even his own classmates onto pilgrimage ships—simply because those who knew the truth about the Threnodian would be eroded by the Threnodian's whispers, becoming unstable elements in Ragunna.
Fenrico's true heart did not wish for this, but under the threat of the Threnodian to Ragunna, Fenrico had no choice.
Noah couldn't help but think—
If their positions were reversed, standing in Fenrico's place as an ordinary person, would he choose to sacrifice a small portion of people to protect the majority?
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.
The afternoon sunlight was dappled, tree shadows swaying. Noah couldn't help once again missing Rover's existence, finally letting out a long breath:
"If it were Rover, he wouldn't abandon anyone, right..."
He silently took out the badge Yangyang had once given him, his thumb rubbing the three words [Rover] on it as he stared blankly.
"...I still have a long way to go, many things to learn."
Temporarily pushing his troubles aside, Noah put away the badge, opened the panel, and accessed the quest module.
[Chronicle Mission: [Celestial Journey] has been activated.]
"Skip."
...
[Chronicle Mission: [Celestial Journey] has been completed.]
A day passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
In the morning, after washing up and stepping out, Noah encountered Sebastian, who had been waiting for some time.
"Esteemed Laureate, I am Sebastian, butler of the Fisalia Family."
The stern-faced butler bowed to Noah and said politely:
"By the family head's order, I have come to escort you to Porto-Veno Castle. May I ask if you are available now?"
Noah was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Cantarella to be even more eager than him, even specially sending the butler to invite him personally.
He nodded:
"Available. Let's go."
Riding in Fisalia's exclusive car, they passed smoothly without obstruction and soon arrived at Porto-Veno Castle.
"Tall Chestnut, where are you right now?"
Carlotta urgently called via communication, her tone anxious:
"The family reported to me that you were invited by Fisalia's butler and got into their car."
"The Fisalia family head actually approached you while I was negotiating with them. Could the negotiation have been a smokescreen, with their real target being you, the Laureate?"
"But if they only invited you alone, it's not convenient for me as a Montelli to intervene. However, if Fisalia means you harm, I will definitely rescue you."
"Mm."
Noah responded with an "mm," feeling it wasn't quite appropriate, then added:
"Don't worry."
The communication ended there.
On the other end, Carlotta exploded.
How could she not worry? Today was Fisalia's sword-drawing marriage contest day, and precisely today Fisalia specially invited Noah.
"The sword-drawing marriage contest caused a huge stir in Ragunna for over half a month, but it always ended with no one drawing the sword."
"Yet, on the second day after Carnevale, the sword-drawing marriage contest restarts, and they specially invite the Laureate Noah."
"Hiss! Terrifying when you think about it. Could Fisalia's sword-drawing marriage contest have been set up specifically for the Laureate? They secretly manipulate the mechanism so the Laureate can easily draw the sword when it's his turn, then recruit him that way."
Though Noah was very strong, the Fisalia Family specialized in poison-making. No matter how strong Noah was, could he withstand deadly poison?
What if Fisalia drugged Noah with something that directly turned raw rice into cooked—wouldn't she explode?
"Zani! Zani!"
Carlotta immediately grew restless, raising her terminal to call for backup:
"Arrange spies immediately. From now on, I want to know every situation in Porto-Veno Castle!"
Soon after, Zani sent back explosive intelligence that instantly shattered Carlotta's defenses:
"What did you say?! Tall Chestnut drove away all the participants in the sword-drawing marriage contest! Why would he do that?"
...
Porto-Veno Castle.
The spacious hall currently held no fewer than several hundred figures—tall, short, fat, thin youths or middle-aged men, even elderly.
Countless conversations made the entire hall chaotic and noisy, like a bustling market.
"So many people. Looks like they're all here for the sword-drawing marriage contest."
Noah clicked his tongue somewhat.
If he had to wait for so many people to line up one by one to draw the sword, his entire morning would be wasted—not in line with his speedrunning philosophy.
Thinking this, Noah turned to Sebastian beside him:
"Do I need to wait in the hall like them?"
"No, no, no. The family head gave special instructions to bring you directly to her."
"Good."
Noah nodded and was about to follow Sebastian's lead forward when his steps suddenly halted, his expression gradually darkening.
Not far away, several sharp voices were particularly grating.
"Haha, I'm not like you all here to draw the sword—I'm here to watch the show."
In the crowd, a sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked man spoke loudly without restraint:
"This kind of sword-drawing marriage contest scam can only fool idiots like you. That sword simply cannot be drawn."
"Even if it could be drawn, would you really want to marry that vicious woman?"
"It's said that insidious woman poisoned the previous family head to death to seize the position, and that she's skilled at manipulating hearts—controlling you before you even realize it."
The man grew more smug as he spoke, as if everyone else was drunk while he alone was sober, superior in intelligence:
"If you really dared to marry her, heh heh, aren't you afraid she'd poison you to death that very night?"
As his words fell, the atmosphere in the hall froze for a moment before becoming even more heatedly noisy.
"That makes sense. Fisalia deals in poisons—who knows what their purpose is with this sword-drawing."
"If the sword really gets drawn, marrying their family head is fine, but add money."
"Sure, you're the type who wants money over life. I'm different—I just want the money. You can have the family head."
Several Fisalia Family servants hurriedly maintained order, trying to suppress this increasingly skewed public opinion. Sebastian walked toward the sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked man with anger on his face:
"Sir, since you are not here to draw the sword, please leave."
"Leave? Why should I leave!"
The man immediately jumped up, raising his voice to attract the entire hall's attention:
"You have the guts to set up the scheme but not to let people watch? How many times has Fisalia set up this sword-drawing marriage contest pretense? Has anyone ever drawn it?"
The inflammatory words immediately drew cheers from the entire hall:
"Yeah, what's the point of a sword that can't be drawn standing here?"
"What exactly is Fisalia's purpose?"
"Are you toying with us for fun?"
Seeing the crowd's emotions rising higher, the situation growing bigger, a trace of panic appeared on Sebastian's face, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Bang!"
A gunshot echoed through the hall, instantly silencing everyone present. The originally noisy atmosphere now allowed a pin drop to be heard.
Following the gunshot, everyone saw a youth standing tall at the front of the hall, his expression dark.
"Since you think there's a problem with the sword-drawing marriage contest, why stay here?"
His voice wasn't loud, but in this silent scene, it reached everyone's ears.
"I'm also a sword-drawer, but not just anyone is worthy of drawing the sword alongside me."
"One minute. I'll only give you one minute."
"Those who choose to stay—don't need to leave."
Gulp.
The sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked man swallowed, a flash of displeasure in his eyes, but he struck a tough pose and stepped forward:
"Who are you scaring? If I don't leave, what are you gonna do? Dare to shoot me and see."
Bang!
After a gunshot, the man was covered in thick opal crystal, unable to move or make another sound.
"He killed someone!"
"He really dared to shoot—he's a madman!"
"Quick, go report to the Order of the Deep!"
The entire hall descended into chaos, various shouts rising one after another, but Noah simply fired another shot at the ceiling, instantly quieting them again.
Under everyone's gaze, Noah grinned:
"Time's almost up."