Chapter 94: Lying in Wait
Layla gently held Lucy, standing there quietly. The little girl in her arms still had tears at the corners of her eyes, her brow furrowed, clearly still sad about Brandish's departure even in her dreams. Layla gently wiped the tears away and softly stroked Lucy's back, helping her to relax. Gradually, her brow smoothed out.
Jude, who was standing to the side, saw his daughter's state improve and nodded to Layla before heading back inside.
Seeing that Lucy wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, Noah cast his Gravity Magic, causing Layla and Lucy to float gently into the air. He led them to Lucy's room. After carefully placing Lucy on the bed, he slowly released the spell.
Layla sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Lucy with a gentle expression. She knew that what Lucy needed most right now was companionship, so she planned to stay by her side so that Lucy would see her the moment she woke up. She waved at Noah, signaling for him to leave and not wait there. Noah nodded, turned, and left the room, gently closing the door behind him.
After thinking for a moment, Noah decided to continue dismantling and retrieving the equipment he had installed near the gate. There was only a little bit left, anyway.
After letting Jude know, Noah went and finished dismantling the last of the equipment, informed King Toma, and then returned to the Heartfilia estate. By this time, Lucy had woken up and was reading a book with Layla in the parlor. Noah saw that her spirits were much better, no different from usual. It seemed Layla's company had worked.
Seeing that Lucy was fine, Noah said to Layla, "Since everything is settled here, I should be going."
Lucy, who had been happy to see Noah, immediately grew tense when she heard he was leaving. "Big Brother Noah, are you leaving too?"
Noah was at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. "What are you talking about? Don't I leave all the time? This is no different. Besides, we'll see each other often."
Only then did Lucy realize that, having just parted with Brandish, she had overreacted. She gave Noah an embarrassed smile.
"Don't be too sad. If things go smoothly, you'll be able to see Brandish again in a month or two. You should think about what you want to talk to her about and what you want to share with her when that time comes."
Hearing Noah's words, Lucy's eyes lit up, and she froze, clearly already lost in thought, imagining what she would say to Brandish.
Noah looked at Layla, who smiled and nodded at him. He smiled and nodded back, then waved goodbye and quietly left the room.
Calculating the time, Noah decided to go directly to a certain place to lie in wait. If he was lucky, he should be able to run into two people. The place he was heading to was where Roubaul, the creator of Nirvana, was compiling his historical records.
For the past two years, Noah's Thought Projection had been helping Roubaul sort through the materials related to the Nirvit tribe. Roubaul, with his new mindset, was determined to leave behind the most detailed records possible so that his people would not be quickly forgotten. He was pouring all his effort into the writing, so the progress wasn't very fast. But this was a good thing. A tribe that had once held such kind and friendly ideals should not just disappear silently; the world should know about them. Moreover, a tribe that could produce someone as strong as Roubaul must have had a deep foundation of its own and shouldn't just vanish from history.
When he arrived at Roubaul's place, the old man greeted him with a smile. "Why have you come in person this time, nabula? Isn't it usually your Thought Projection that's here helping? Don't tell me you've decided to come and help yourself?"
Having spent so much time with him, Noah knew the old man was friendly and kind, so he wasn't too formal. He rolled his eyes at him. "Isn't my projection helping the same as me helping? Besides, I'm very busy. Just my studies and research are enough to keep me occupied."
Roubaul, of course, knew about Noah's daily life. And this was a period of rapid growth for him. Asking him to come and help was just a joke. Even if Noah really did come, Roubaul wouldn't let him.
"So is there something you need, coming here in person? You usually don't."
Noah didn't answer immediately, instead looking at the busy figures outside the door. "No matter how many times I see it, it's still incredible. You created all these phantoms with personalities all by yourself. You're truly strong."
Roubaul looked at Noah's young face and smiled. "You are the most talented and hardworking person I have ever met. You will have this level of strength in no time. There's no need to be envious."
Noah then looked around the building they were in. "Did you reconstruct the house you used to live in?"
Roubaul looked at his surroundings with a nostalgic gaze. "Since I'm leaving behind the records of the Nirvit, it's only natural to recreate the architecture of that time. Looking at this environment, I feel as if I'm still 400 years in the past, living with my people."
Sensing the sadness in the old man's tone, Noah didn't continue the topic. He changed the subject. "I came here this time, for one, to ask for your guidance on some magical matters. Two, to retrieve my current Thought Projection and deploy a new one. And three, to see if I can lie in wait for someone."
Hearing this, Roubaul looked at him seriously and said with great appreciation, "Your strength has improved quite a bit again. Very good. But you said you were going to lie in wait?"
Roubaul was a little confused. Noah nodded. "That's right. Lying in wait. Because I don't know if they will come here, I'm coming to wait. If they do, that would be for the best."
"It seems the people you're waiting for are very important to you, for you to come and wait for them in advance."
"Of course. I'm also planning to search the surrounding area to see if I can find them early, though I doubt it will be that easy."
"Well then, do as you wish, nabula. I believe that what you want to do will succeed."
"Then thank you for your support."
Noah first went to retrieve his original Thought Projection and released a new one. This one was much stronger than the original and could be of greater help to Roubaul. After that, he spent his days discussing magic with Roubaul. He had some ideas that required the old man's help. Roubaul greatly admired the diligent and talented Noah, and also wanting to pass on his knowledge, he naturally held nothing back. Noah also happily discussed magic with him. During his breaks, he would go out and search, but he still didn't find the people he was looking for.
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