"Exactly!"
Excitement flashed in Arlan's eyes:
"As long as I find the Rover, help him defeat the Echo Crownless, and send him back to Jinzhou, the main quest will be cleared."
"I don't even have to intervene—if the plot just plays out without a hitch, I'll still collect the rewards."
The more he thought about it, the more thrilled he became; he pictured the Rover charging ahead, cutting a path through every obstacle, while he himself stayed hidden, stepping in only when absolutely necessary and reaping all the benefits.
"This wuthering waves is awesome!"
At the thought, Arlan felt indescribably delighted.
Once the Rover arrived, Scar, Ecos/Tacet Discord, even the lament—none of them would matter!
Do you have any idea how impressive the Solaris Arbiter, Astral Modulator, chief steward, Black Shores Leader, and Dread Scythe are?
After the Rover beat Scar and liberated Jinzhou, he'd be able to settle down there in peace.
The Rover would be the undisputed MVP, while he'd be the freeloader tagging along for the win.
It didn't sound great, but so what? A freeloader who still won was still a winner!
He had firmly latched onto the Rover's coattails.
With that decision, the whole world seemed to open up.
Arlan turned around and headed back toward Taoyuan Vale, a broad grin on his face as he cheerfully hummed a little tune.
Spotting a blue-hat, feather-haired girl not far off, he quickened his pace and greeted her brightly:
"Hey, Yang Yang!"
Yang Yang slowly turned; seeing who it was, her tightly knit brows relaxed a little.
"Oh, it's you, Arlan. Is something up, or are you having trouble settling in around Taoyuan Vale?"
"Nothing's wrong—I'm just happy."
He tried to suppress his grin but couldn't help bursting into laughter again.
Looking at his carefree face, Yang Yang's gaze grew complicated; she sighed softly.
"Glad you're in a good mood. I envy you. I've got things to do—see you later."
She didn't know that Jinzhou City, the Etheric Sea above Gorges of spirits, and the soon-to-appear Tacet Field were all pressing down on her like invisible mountains, making it hard to smile.
She envied Arlan's optimism, yet the plight of Jinzhou weighed heavily on her heart.
Joy and sorrow never quite align between people.
Arlan called after her:
"Yang Yang, are you still going to Gorges of spirits tomorrow?"
"Yes, with Chi Xia."
"Count me in—I'm coming too."
"No."
The Etheric Sea was about to converge, and a Tacet Field would form; Gorges of spirits would become extremely dangerous—no place for an ordinary person to barge in.
Yang Yang instinctively refused, then looked up to see a boy in white clasping his hands and bobbing them up and down.
"Please, Yang Yang, I really want to go. I'm already a Resonator—I can protect myself and won't cause trouble."
"Huh?"
The blue-hat feather-haired girl stared in shock at the Tacet Mark on the back of Arlan's right hand.
He'd been an ordinary guy that afternoon; while they'd been in a meeting he'd awakened as a Resonator?
Even Chi Xia's favorite martial-arts pulp novels wouldn't dare write something this outrageous.
"I want to test my power on a Lightwave Class Echo—please!"
Faced with his renewed plea, Yang Yang's mind was torn.
By rights, any new Resonator should be sent to Jinzhou's Huaxu Institute for an assessment of their Resonance Ability and danger level.
But Jinzhou had fallen, and the only researcher, Bai Zhi, was busy teaching others to fly drones—no time to examine a newly awakened Resonator.
A fledgling Resonator of unknown risk was better kept nearby; if his power ran wild and harmed Taoyuan Vale's villagers, it would be disastrous.
What Yang Yang didn't know was that Jian Xin had already tested Arlan's Resonance Ability.
In the end, she decided:
"Fine. Tomorrow you follow our orders exactly; don't wander off, or we may not be able to keep you safe."
"No problem. I'll find you first thing in the morning."
Having convinced Yang Yang, Arlan set the rendezvous, waved goodbye, and again cheerfully hummed a fan-made wuthering waves tune.
"My name is Verina, main job's to heal; why not use Bai Zhi? Because Bai Zhi's not leveled~"
"Hermit Echo's amazing, pick trash to complete it, fantasia variation's the special weapon~"
Halfway along, he glanced aside and spotted a red-haired figure crouched in the shadow of a wall, hugging her head. He reflexively greeted her:
"Hey, Chi—"
The words died as he realized he'd mistaken her for someone else.
Still, this was another familiar face from the game—Mortefi, the dedicated sub-DPS of Ji Yan's team.
Might as well say hello.
With that thought, Arlan smiled and walked up, casually setting a hand on Mortefi's shoulder.
"What are you doing here alone?"
"Don't touch me!"
Mortefi roared, flinging off his hand and hurling a fire dragon that lit the dim corner with surrounding light.
"Dude—"
Arlan instinctively leapt back, barely dodging the flames; the fierce glare made his eyes sting and he squinted.
The Mortefi he knew from the game wasn't this savage… He drew the weapon to smother the fire dragon and frowned.
"researcher Mortefi, what's wrong?"
But Mortefi didn't attack again; instead he clutched his head in agony, trembling as if enduring unbearable pain.
"Who am I? Who am I? Shut up—stop talking! Aaaargh!"
He slammed his head, roaring as though to drive out the mad whispers.
In his torment he wildly flung several surrounding fire-dragons, looking utterly deranged.
Only then did Arlan truly see Mortefi's state.
His hair was a mess, his face and neck scratched bloody, his forehead mottled with bruises.
His clothes were filthy—nothing like the immaculate researcher from the game.
The stark contrast made Arlan wonder if he'd mistaken someone else for him.
No—he never misidentified a Resonator; a professional farmer like him needed only the tiniest clue.
This was Mortefi, security-section researcher at Jinzhou's Huaxu Institute—how had he fallen so low?
Arlan quietly stowed the weapon and studied him, hesitating:
"Mortefi, you…"
"Young hero, stay back."
A startled voice rang out behind him; a breeze swept past his side.
It was Jian Xin.
The Young Taoist Priest dispersed the lingering flames with a wave, then unceremoniously struck the crazed Mortefi unconscious.
Cradling the unconscious man, she glanced Arlan up and down, and only when she saw he was unharmed did her delicate features relax.
"This Taoist monk felt the flare of a Resonance Ability and rushed over. Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
He shook his head, gazing at Mortefi with pity, and couldn't help asking:
"What… happened to him?"