The twilight at the Black Shores was always dyed with a faint layer of purple haze. The crashing waves gently caressed the reefs, playing an unending requiem.
Rover stood at the very same pier where he had arrived that day. The final preparations were already complete.
The Shorekeeper stood quietly to the side. Looking at Rover, her voice was as gentle as always, yet seemed to perceive everything. "Rover, follow your heart. The reverberations in the sea of Rinascita are chaotic, but your strength is more than enough to clear away all illusions."
"Flowers need sunlight and dew, and Camellias also need nourishment," Camellya hugged Rover's arm tightly, trying to dilute the gloom of parting. "I'll be waiting for you to come back, my Lord Leader"
Rover nodded slightly, his gaze finally falling upon Cartethyia nearby.
Sensing the Righteous One's gaze, the young girl tried her best to straighten her back, her icy blue eyes weaving together worry and resolve.
"Please be careful. Once everything on my end is settled, I will go find you." Her voice was soft but clear. After everything they had been through, that emotion no longer needed further words; it transformed into the most unadorned promise.
Cartethyia's treatment course was coming to an end. Perhaps after he went to Laguna and resolved the matters there, he could accompany her to the upside-down tower of the Aventurine Academy to recuperate.
Rover's gaze swept over the three of them, and he finally gave a solemn nod.
"I'm off." Without any more words, he turned and boarded the long-distance passenger ship that had been prepared in advance.
The steam whistle roared, slicing through the calm sea surface as it sailed toward that unknown sea region, which, in another set of his memories, was already surging with hidden undercurrents.
The voyage was smooth, requiring no further elaboration.
When they arrived at the port of Laguna, it was mid-afternoon. The salty sea breeze, wrapped in the clamor of human voices, rushed against their faces.
Abby, who hadn't appeared for a long time, excitedly popped out of Rover's Tacet Mark, sniffing hard with its little nose.
"Smells so good! It's a delicious smell! Rover, Rover, let's go eat something first!" It spun around Rover's body, its eyes sparkling as it looked toward a restaurant with curling smoke not far away.
Rover glanced at his terminal. The small boat he rented still needed a little time to be ready, so he nodded. "Alright."
Arriving at Margaret's Family Restaurant after a long absence, the place was bustling with noise as always.
Abby, holding a grilled fish even bigger than itself, gnawed on it with a face full of grease, chatting with Rover indistinctly.
"Rover, do you think we'll run into anything fun when we go out to sea later?"
"We are going to investigate, not to play."
"I know, I know. We can play along the way while investigating..."
Rover took a sip of water from his cup. His gaze passed over the noisy crowd, looking out the window at the boundless azure.
Fragments of memories flashed through his mind—the Convent's attack, the gloom of the deep sea, and that silhouette constructing a paradise of the other shore within the Sonora...
His knuckles tightened unconsciously around the cup.
"Let's go, Abby." He suddenly stood up.
"Eh? But I haven't finished eating yet..."
"Eat on the way."
After swiping the Mortari family's black card to pick up the boat, Rover carefully inspected his rented vessel. Confirming its performance was flawless, he sailed along the predetermined route toward the target sea region.
Abby lay on the bow, enjoying the sea breeze and the rest of the grilled fish.
Just as the boat sailed into a seemingly tranquil, unnamed sea region, Rover's gaze sharpened. They're here.
A massive ship flying the crest of the Convent of the Hidden Sea slowly sailed over from ahead.
"Finlay..."
Just like in his memories, the Prelate of the Convent of the Hidden Sea appeared on the deck of the massive ship.
"Righteous One, if the wariness and hostility in your eyes are born from unsolved mysteries, I am willing to guide your path."
Prelate Finlay maintained that seemingly respectful appearance, gazing indifferently at Rover who had come aboard to meet him.
"Why are you here?"
"To receive Grace, to follow the divine oracle. To act upon His will, and fulfill His desires."
"..."
"Grace and the divine oracle have already descended. His divine power has also returned to this place from that faithless land of the Seven Hills."
"I shall use this divine power to unite divided wills and construct a paradise forever free of conflict."
"Join this grand undertaking. You can also use this opportunity to eradicate your persistent enemies—the Fractsidus."
Faced with this old bastard who had already been reduced to a puppet of the Threnodian, Rover was clearly too lazy to entertain him much. Instead, he drew Blood Pact, pointed his blade at the other party, and mocked him sarcastically: "It seems that our Lord Prelate and the other party have had a disagreement regarding the distribution of the Threnodian's residual power."
In response to Rover's undisguised mockery, Finlay similarly displayed a look of disdain. He raised his hands and slowly levitated into the air. The power from the Threnodian fragments continuously gathered behind him.
"Walking with God is the only way home."
"Those arrogant, faithless fools are unworthy of my salvation... nor can they hinder my footsteps..."
"With swords drawn, it seems that even with a common enemy, we cannot reach a consensus."
The battle broke out instantly. A massive wave was violently churned up, crashing ferociously against the Convent's ship.
"Waaah! What's happening?!" Abby was so scared it dropped its grilled fish.
"Abby, careful!"
Facing Finlay, who had seized a portion of the Threnodian's power, Rover fought while retreating, quickly reaching the edge of the ship's hull.
Naturally, it wasn't that he couldn't defeat his opponent; rather, he was playing along with the old bastard's act—in the script he knew in advance, he needed to reasonably "fall into the sea" in order to be "rescued" by that person.
Another monstrous wave surged over, looking as though it would tear the entire ship apart, instantly submerging the majority of the hull underwater.
Now, Rover muttered in his heart. Abby had already returned to his Tacet Mark.
Feigning being blasted away by the wave, he used the momentum to separate himself from the ship beneath his feet, his silhouette plummeting straight into the profound depths of the ocean below.
Cold seawater instantly enveloped him, and the light rapidly faded.
He held his breath and adjusted his posture. Instead of struggling to swim upward, he proactively dove toward the source of that anomalous Threnodian fluctuation.
During his descent, a massive, dark red rift abruptly appeared. Countless familiar red spider lily chains silently emerged from the shadows, lunging straight at him and snagging his arm in mere moments.
That was undoubtedly Phrolova.
Knowing her intentions, Rover relaxed his body, allowing her to drag him effortlessly into the rift. However, ever cautious, the Tacet Mark on his hand still glowed faintly, ready to deal with any unexpected accidents at a moment's notice.
When he opened his eyes again, a young girl with twin braids, wearing a red-and-white spider lily dress, was quietly leaning against the wall not far away. The red spider lily chains wrapped around Rover were rapidly dragging him over.
Her face looked somewhat pale. One hand held the spider lily capable of commanding countless Tacet Discords, while her other hand gripped her own arm.
Her unbandaged eye complexly sized up this uninvited guest.
Seeing him being dragged toward her without much intent to resist, her eyelashes fluttered. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before finally reaching out and retracting the spider lily chains, bringing him to a halt just a few steps away from her.
Rover steadied his footing and briefly surveyed his surroundings. This was a massive underwater space that seemed reasonably safe, with the seawater completely isolated outside. This was presumably the so-called Hidden Sea Proving Ground.
Subsequently, his gaze returned to Phrolova. He didn't speak, simply watching her quietly with a trace of caution.
There were no drawn swords as expected, not even any obvious hostility.
He just looked at her calmly, as if he had anticipated her appearance all along, with a trace of indescribable understanding hidden deep in his eyes.
Phrolova's slender brow twitched almost imperceptibly. She keenly noticed this anomaly.
This was completely different from the highly vigilant, consistently hostile Rover she was familiar with.
Is it because of the script I sent?
Phrolova thought to herself. She couldn't seem to find any other reason to explain this uncharacteristic calmness at this very moment, coming from the Rover who would usually instantly draw his sword and activate his Spineback Dragon form the second he saw her.
The old acquaintance's unusual behavior added a few more layers of calculation to her heart. But at the same time, a stronger, creeping urge to exploit this change was also quietly taking root.
A faint, enigmatic smile surfaced on her pale face. Her ethereal voice echoed as if carrying the reverberations of the ocean water:
"It seems this unexpected shipwreck has brought me an... unexpected guest?"
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