Ragunna.
"Ohhhh, yeah~!"
White light flashed. The Montelli trio and Phoebe returned inside Averardo Vault. Ciaccona shouted excitedly:
"Teleportation is so convenient! We're back in Ragunna in an instant."
Zani shook her head helplessly and muttered under her breath: "Time to go back to work again."
Phoebe looked around the surroundings and spoke with apology:
"Everyone from the Order is downstairs in the vault. Sorry, I'll take my leave first and go join them."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
Carlotta shifted her gaze away from Noah and swept it toward the two girls still left in the room:
"Sister, Zani, you two go help me sort out the current situation of the vault first. I still have something to say to Tall Chestnut."
"Okay."
"Got it."
After Ciaccona and Zani left the room, Noah asked in confusion:
"Is something the matter, Little Potato?"
"Nothing much."
Carlotta lightly tapped her toes, raised her arms, slipped them around Noah's waist, and pressed her palms against his spine. She tightened her arms as if she had finally found the missing piece of a puzzle that belonged home.
She tilted her head up. A pair of brilliant eyes carried a smile. The vibration from her chest passed through the ribs pressed together:
"I just wanted to hug you, because… you are my treasure."
Warm breath wrapped in a faint fragrance carried the blunt words of affection. The one who blushed first, however, was herself.
Noah tried to pull away experimentally, but that only made Carlotta's hands tighten harder. His Adam's apple rolled slightly as he teased:
"Your courage really keeps growing. You start hugging and clinging at the drop of a hat."
"Because I discovered that some people won't give you even a single chance if you don't work hard to get closer. I want to hold on to you tightly."
A long, long time ago, in that candlelit restaurant, she had already wanted to confess her feelings.
Why did she still give up back then?
After learning about the heavy burden of saving the world that he carried, she suddenly felt that Noah was actually separated from her by a very distant gap—so far that she could hardly climb it. That feeling had to be hidden away.
Only after personally experiencing the pressure of carrying the fate of every person in Rinascita in the Mirror Heaven did she understand just how suffocating that thing was.
In the face of extreme pressure, living beings would abandon the instinct to reproduce and reject anything that brought no benefit to themselves. It was not that he had no feelings—he had simply been restraining himself all along.
"I finally understand the pressure on your shoulders now. You're tired, aren't you?"
Their eyes met. Those brilliant eyes seemed to hide endless affection he could not see. The two faces drew closer and closer:
"I hope I can become a safe harbor where you can rest easy. No matter when or where, you can always come to me and rest."
"You're underage."
Noah stretched out a finger and pressed it against Carlotta's chin, stopping her from leaning in with "ill intentions":
"I don't date children."
"..."
Carlotta fell silent. Her delicate face flushed even redder. But Noah's next sentence delivered another massive critical hit:
"Little Potato, aren't you tired from standing on tiptoe the whole time?"
That little face instantly turned red enough to drip blood. Even the roots of her ears were thoroughly dyed crimson. Carlotta finally loosened her hands and gritted her teeth:
"I think you want to witness a new wave!"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare." Noah smiled. "I still have to send the others back to Ragunna. See you later."
White light flickered. Noah left in an instant. The large room suddenly became cold and quiet.
"Wanting to reach you really is hard work… But I won't give up."
Carlotta let out a soft sigh. Her gaze stayed on the spot where Noah had left as she murmured to herself:
"You… never stop stumbling forward. Your steps are always in a hurry."
"Sigh~"
"What kind of ending is worthy of all the hardships and difficulties of your journey?"
She hoped that ending would have a place for her.
...
"Why did you take so long to come back?"
At Three Heroes' Crest, Iuno crossed her arms over her chest. Her gaze was unfriendly:
"You bastard, how do you know so many girls who are willing to risk their lives for you?"
As she spoke, she secretly pointed toward Roccia in the distance. Shock appeared on her face and her voice dropped:
"You won't even spare a little girl that small!"
"Are you going to slander me again?" Noah raised an eyebrow. His right hand made a writing motion. "Do you want to be written as 'guilty' again?"
At those words, Iuno's expression shifted slightly. Two faint patches of crimson climbed onto her cheeks. She lowered her head and mumbled:
"No… I didn't."
"Where's Augusta?"
"She's still busy rebuilding the lower levels of Septimont. She already left with Lupa a while ago. I deliberately stayed behind just to wait for you."
The topic shifted. Iuno turned her head away and crossed her arms again. Her blue ponytail swayed:
"I also went to help. This time I took such a big risk to come save you in Heaven. Remember that you owe me a meal."
"Huh?" Noah looked puzzled. "Wasn't the risk I took even greater?"
"Whatever, whatever. I owe you a meal. You're not allowed to skip it when the time comes!"
Leaving those words behind, Iuno turned and hurried away.
"Next is…"
Everyone remaining on Three Heroes' Crest eagerly raised their hands.
Brant: "Send me and Roccia to Trattoria Margherita. After we eat, the troupe members will join the work of repairing Ragunna."
Galbrena: "Chimera says it's a bit hot and wants to go to Trattoria Margherita to eat some Puff-Puff Baa-Baa ice cream that tastes so good it awakens Resonance power."
Chimera: "I did not."
Cantarella: "Just send me to Porto-Veno Castle. You can send them first. I'm not in a hurry."
"Alright, then I'll send you first!"
Having learned a lesson from Carlotta, Noah waved a large hand and teleported Cantarella together with the returning trio.
White light flashed. Everyone arrived together at Porto-Veno Castle.
"Ah this…"
Looking at Noah and the three people beside him, Cantarella could not help but freeze for a moment. She quickly searched for a reason to keep them:
"Since you're already here, why not sit down at my place and rest a little. How about it?"
"No, no." Brant shook his head like a rattle drum. "Everyone in the troupe is still waiting for me."
"That's right, that's right." Roccia nodded like a pounding garlic. "The captain and first mate can't be late for too long."
"Goodbye, Cantarella."
Noah waved at Cantarella. White light flickered under his feet and he disappeared with everyone in an instant.
"These guys."
Cantarella tightened her grip on the umbrella handle and suddenly let out a long, deflated sigh:
"Forget it. The Fisalia family still has a lot of things waiting for me. It's not time to enjoy myself yet."
...
After sending the others away one by one, only Cartethyia remained. Without another word, Noah directly took Cartethyia to the Black Shores for a physical check.
Most of the Bloom Bearers were still staying in Rinascita, so the vast Black Shores felt somewhat empty now. Only a few technical consultants walked around the Modulation Hall from time to time.
Outside the medical office, in the corridor.
"That's basically how things went. The disaster in Rinascita is already over. You can let the Bloom Bearers all come back."
After briefly explaining the events to Shorekeeper's projection on the terminal, Noah sincerely expressed his thanks:
"In short, on behalf of Rinascita, thank you for the Black Shores' help."
"This is what we should do. If we really have to say something, it should be me thanking you for saving the civilization of Rinascita."
Shorekeeper's gaze lowered slightly:
"Regarding the Third Resonance of Cartethyia that you mentioned, this is something unprecedented. I will personally follow up and observe Cartethyia's recovery."
"Additionally—according to the data provided by Sentinel Imperator, you Overclocked twice in Ragunna."
"If possible, I hope you can also cooperate with us for a full examination. Your health is also a part that the Black Shores values extremely highly."
"Alright."
After answering, Noah cut off the communication with Shorekeeper and turned to walk into the room.
What met his eyes was Cartethyia lying inside the medical pod. Physician Mo beside her gave a reminder:
"She is currently undergoing a full-frequency examination. For now everything looks normal. It's just that she consumed too much Resonance power and is a bit depleted. You can chat with her."
Noah nodded and walked closer to the medical pod:
"Little Ca, can you tell me how you… uh… how you came back to life?"
"What 'came back to life'… I never died in the first place."
Cartethyia puffed out her cheeks and spoke:
"But I still have to thank that friend of yours named Phrolova. She corrected the fused frequencies inside my body through frequency modulation. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to rush to Septimont."
As if remembering something, she pulled out an exquisite casket from behind her:
"Right, Laureate, this is the Civilization Casket I said I would show you yesterday. Help me choose the most suitable person to own it."
"If it's someone you choose, I think the Sentinel will also approve."
"Right, the Sentinel!"
Cartethyia slapped her forehead and instantly remembered that extremely important existence:
"The Sentinel is actually not dead. It left a frequency in the hunting grounds of Septimont. You'll have to trouble yourself to help reshape Its body. Quick, quick, frequencies exposed outside are very fragile."
Don't turn Final Lie's fake death into Final Lie's real death.
At those words, Noah's expression changed.
He had almost forgotten about Old Horse.
Reshaping Old Horse's body meant—
The character Encore was going to Overclock again.