Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed.
[Daily Quest: Clearing Tacet Discords (Challenge) completed.]
[Chronicle Quest: Destined Gladiator completed.]
[Chronicle Quest: Samshas' Treasure completed.]
[Chronicle Quest: Stepping onto the Path of the Ancient Dragon completed.]
[Chronicle Quest...]
"New maps really do have more quests."
Noah recalled the terminal he had thrown out to absorb Echoes, then released his perception once more to scan the cave in Mournfell Canyon where Phrolova had once stayed. His eyes were filled with confusion.
"Where exactly is Phrolova?"
According to the game's main storyline, after the 2.4 versions Shadow of Glory and Flames of Heart, the next one is Phrolova's 2.5 main story Dreamcatchers in the Secret Gardens.
But he was not Rover. Other than some life-and-death grudges with Phrolova, he had no other connections.
"Forget it. This main quest probably can't be done."
After all, when he killed Cristoforo and the Threnodian Assimilation entity earlier, he had not found any trace of a Threnodian gem.
According to the original plot, the Threnodian gem came from Mya's remains, but Mya here had already been cremated long ago.
Other than feeling some regret that he couldn't stab Phrolova to death with a single sword, Noah didn't think too much about it and instead checked his backpack.
[Current inventory: Radiant Tide40, Lustrous Tide35, Astrite48680, Shell Credit9.18 million]
A total of 344 pulls. That should be enough to take the three-chain Augusta to full chains!
Switching to Shorekeeper, Noah's thoughts moved, and white light flashed beneath his feet as he instantly returned to Septimont City.
...
"That person is really strange."
In the Ephor's Palace, Iuno sat with her legs crossed. With a light flick of her toes, a crystal-clear blue orb obediently leaped up, and at the moment it fell, it was steadily caught by her other foot.
Her pair of straight, well-proportioned long legs were dazzlingly fair.
"I've been secretly observing him lately. The prophecies I see every day are completely different."
"The prophecy I saw three days ago was him doing children's homework in a room full of researchers. The day before yesterday, he was holding a meeting in a society in Ragunna while playing with a gem in his hand."
"As for yesterday, it was even stranger. I couldn't see his future at all. It was as if he had no future — just a blank space."
As Iuno's words grew more puzzled, the small orb quickly darted between her delicate jade-like feet. No matter how risky the movements, the orb was always firmly controlled at her toes.
"It's been a long time since the bathhouse incident, yet you're still so hung up on him."
Augusta shook her head helplessly. She reached under her desk, only to suddenly freeze.
It was gone. The Chocoles were finished.
At that moment, her terminal rang with a message notification. She glanced at it, her face lighting up with joy. She quickly typed out a few words before looking at Iuno:
"Aren't you always thinking about him? Perfect timing — Noah is coming over right away."
"Who's always thinking about him?"
Iuno flicked her toes upward, sending the orb flying into her hand as she caught it.
"Since he's coming, I'll leave first."
Iuno tossed her hair, stood up, and walked out the door. As she turned, she collided directly with the person arriving.
"Ah——"
The sudden impact made her lose balance and fall backward. The crystal-clear blue orb slipped from her hand.
A large hand grabbed her unconsciously waving right hand. Noah pulled Iuno back and reflexively lifted her right hand, skillfully spinning her around once on the spot.
The world spun for Iuno. When she regained her senses, she saw Noah looking down at her with a teasing tone:
"Yo, Genius Priestess, don't you do a divination for yourself before going out?"
Recalling what had just happened, a hot rush uncontrollably climbed onto Iuno's cheeks, making her extremely embarrassed and angry.
"None of your business!"
With a hum, Iuno turned and hurried away in another direction. Noah's voice came from behind her:
"Hey, your orb dropped."
Her steps paused for a moment, then she stomped hard and sped up to leave:
"I don't want it anymore."
"What a willful girl."
Triggering the auto-pickup of his profession, Noah tossed the small orb into his backpack and turned to walk into Augusta's hall.
[Limited Banner "Unyielding Crown" and "Authority of the Crown-Forged Thunder" now open.]
Noah took out two full large boxes of Chocoles and gave them to Augusta, then impatiently opened the banner.
Time to pull!
50 pulls — Gold. Augusta four-chain.
80 pulls — Gold. Rover (Aero).
The guaranteed pull was maxed, and he finally got the Aero Rover.
Noah discovered that if he didn't fully collect one attribute of Rover, he wouldn't pull other attributes of Rover.
However, with his current character pool, even if he pulled the Aero Rover, she could only serve as support. Most of the time she would stay in storage and see little use.
No big issue. Keep pulling!
30 pulls — Gold. Augusta five-chain.
40 pulls — Gold. Augusta six-chain.
Satisfied, Noah closed the banner. He unwrapped two Chocoles — one for himself, one for Augusta.
Augusta skillfully nibbled on the chocolate crisp while asking, "Is there something important you came to see me for this time?"
"Nothing urgent for now."
Noah took a big bite of half the ice cream bar and said:
"If I have to say something, other than delivering the snacks, I wanted to ask when we'll start dealing with the high tide period?"
"Ten days from now."
"Alright, call me when the time comes."
Augusta did not refuse and nodded. She then asked about another matter:
"By the way, gladiators have been jointly reporting lately that there are fewer and fewer Tacet Discords outside Septimont City. You seem to leave the city every day — have you noticed anything suspicious?"
"Huh?"
The culprit, Noah, sensed the hint of reproach in Augusta's words and couldn't help asking:
"Isn't fewer Tacet Discords a good thing?"
"It might have been a good thing before, but not necessarily now."
Augusta explained with some emotion:
"Ever since the Montelli family's private terminals became available in Septimont, even ordinary people have gained the ability to obtain their own Echoes."
"But — the problem lies here. A game called Fierce Battle! Toward the Hill of Glory has become popular in Septimont City, encouraging everyone to duel with Echoes."
Huh?
Noah's eyes widened.
Wasn't this the card game from Wuthering Waves in Septimont? How did it turn into real Echo duels?
"This kind of duel quickly swept across all of Septimont. Almost everyone who could afford a Montelli private terminal wanted to get an Echo."
"As a result, countless people hunted Tacet Discords hard to obtain powerful Echoes, giving gladiators a new source of income."
"However — for some reason, the Tacet Discords near Septimont have grown fewer and fewer. Many gladiators who had just found a new profession became unemployed overnight."
Augusta grew more agitated as she spoke:
"Do you know Mournfell Canyon? A gathering place for Tacet Discords and the most dangerous location in Septimont. Anyone carrying a bad reputation who dares to enter Mournfell Canyon earns everyone's respect."
"But just yesterday, a few desperate gladiators entered Mournfell Canyon. Guess what they found?"
"Mournfell Canyon is empty! All the Tacet Discords inside have disappeared!"
Ah, so... that monster farming spot held such high status in the hearts of Septimont's people.
Noah silently glanced at the backpack full of top-grade Echoes he had farmed and said righteously:
"How can this person be so selfish? Clearing out the entire Mournfell Canyon alone."
"Huh?"
This time it was Augusta who was confused:
"Did I say the Tacet Discords in Mournfell Canyon were cleared out by one person?"
"Just guessing. I was just guessing." Noah coughed awkwardly twice and hurriedly said goodbye: "I have something to do. I'll leave first."
As soon as he left, Iuno walked back into the room.
"Augusta, someone just reported to me that a few days ago they saw a person in white casual clothes enter Mournfell Canyon. He's very likely the one who caused the extinction of Tacet Discords in Septimont."
"..."
Case solved!
The corner of Augusta's mouth twitched slightly. She looked at the Chocoles in her hand and ultimately said nothing:
"Alright. Is there anything else?"
"I just saw Noah's future for today."
Iuno sat down familiarly, crossed her long, snow-white legs, rested her chin on one hand, and asked with a puzzled expression:
"The scene I saw this time was outside a very futuristic-looking room. Someone handed him a report. The title of the report contained the word 'Threnodian.' It seems they detected the frequency of Threnodian power."
"Threnodian?"
Hearing this sensitive word, Augusta was slightly startled, then shook her head:
"No need to worry."
"Who's worried about him!"
Iuno turned her face away and glanced down at her feet:
"By the way, did you see the orb I dropped earlier? That was condensed from my Resonance ability."
"You mean the orb that can turn into arrows? If it's lost, then it's lost."
"That won't do. Every anchoring ability I have is useful."