Black Shores
Three days later.
Lu Guan and his group landed on the Black Shores Archipelago.
"... those chosen by Him..."
Please follow my directions... to...
"Wait a minute..." Lu Guan stopped the blue butterfly fluttering in front of him, "Why can't we say it over the FliChat? Why do we have to use this method to convey our thoughts?"
The butterfly landed on Lu Guan's fingertip, tilted its head, and the azure echo energy condensed into a question mark above its head.
The voice of the Shorekeeper echoed in his mind once more.
"I'm sorry... because she said before... that using this method of communication would make her seem more mysterious..."
"Uh...?" Lu Guan's lips twitched. Was this really something Rover would say? It was quite different from what he remembered.
Weren't the Rover before amnesia always enduring pressure?
In fact, this is just Lu Guan being too presumptuous.
Even those Rover who haven't lost their previous memories wouldn't necessarily be the dull and brooding type that Lu Guan imagined; otherwise, so many people wouldn't have such a deep attachment to them.
Besides... do you think Sister Piao studied at the Stardust Academy for nothing? Don't forget who taught Augusta, the "little devil" the academy teachers called her!
"Let's leave that aside for now..." Lu Guan at Dania beside him, "... Dania, what do you plan to do?"
When Aalto saw the butterfly resting on Lu Guan's hand, she immediately understood and patted her chest, saying, "Young Master Lu, don't worry, the Shorekeeper have already made arrangements for Miss Dania."
"There's an intern Bloom Bearer position on the Black Shores: flexible working hours, direct conversion to a full-time position after graduating from the Stardust Academy, enjoying elite Bloom Bearer benefits, and no requirement to be based permanently on the Black Shores afterward..."
Lu Guan understood Aalto's meaning in just 0.01 seconds, and asked in a flattering tone, "Wow, such good intern benefits, the recruitment requirements must be very high!"
"That's natural." Aalto smiled smugly and looked at Dania. "The only requirement is that you must be Threnodian Resonator."
Dania asked with surprise and doubt, "Is this really how I'm being treated? Isn't it a bit too good?"
"That's not quite right." Aalto shook her head. "Miss Dania, I must clarify one point: this is merely the job description and requirements; it's not a position specifically created for you. Please don't overthink it."
Everyone knows about this "Radish Pit" area, but we can't say it outright, because that would make our Black Shores seem too shady!
It's worth noting that the word "darkness" sounds like "black shore" in Chinese, and the Black Shores, situated on a huge black rock, is indeed quite "black shore."
"Ahem..." Lu Guan's expression was somewhat strained. "Yaya, don't worry about these details. The key is you. Are you willing to join Black Shores?"
"I don't really care," Dania said, looking at Lu Guan. "But if joining Black Shores can help me better master my abilities and help you, then I'm willing to join..."
"That's natural. Our Black Shores boasts the most advanced Resonator technology and medical expertise in all of Solaris," Aalto explained. "I'm confident that Miss Dania will successfully master the power she received from Aleph-1 here."
In fact, ever since Dania's Resonance Source shifted to Lu Guan, she has been unable to draw power from Aleph-1...
However, Lu Guan is quite capable! After gaining Dania's resonance ability, he naturally resonated with Aleph-1. Although he doesn't use this power most of the time, he completely transfers it to Dania after harmlessly processing it on his side...
In other words, in "Aleph--"'s eyes, Lu Guan is a greedy vampire. Although he can sense Lu Guan's location through resonance, the key is that he can't beat him! Right now, there's still an unhealable red sword mark right in the center of his big eyeball.
Dania, led by Aalto, went to find the HR manager Monica, to complete her onboarding procedures, while Lu Guan, alone, followed the guidance of the Shorekeeper, Butterfly, to the greenhouse.
On the top shelf of the greenhouse stood a uniquely designed piano, but the Shorekeeper usually resided there in the game was nowhere to be seen; the piano bench was empty, subtly conveying a sense of melancholy...
"The place is quite elegant... but where are you?"
The Shorekeeper did not answer; instead, she remotely controlled a butterfly to land on the piano keys, and the piano began to play on its own.
"Ta-da~ Ta-da~ Ta-da~"
As the beautiful piano music began, Lu Guan only needed to hear the first four notes to understand which piece the Shorekeeper was playing...
The Shorekeeper's voice echoed in Lu Guan's mind at that moment, "Please do not resist... immerse your mind in the music..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Guan slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself on a beach, surrounded by the sound of waves crashing on the sand. A blue-haired girl wearing a headscarf was standing in front of him, smiling at him.
Welcome to the Black Shores... the Son of the World...
Holy crap, box!
Lu Guan responded with a smile, "I've heard so much about you... the Second Instance..."
The smile on the Shorekeeper's face froze. This was the second time Lu Guan had exposed her identity... The first time on the FliChat wasn't enough, so the second time he had to open the box right in front of her, huh!
"Let's get straight to the point..." The Shorekeeper sighed inwardly, realizing that he was indeed not good at interpersonal communication.
"Hmm... I suppose you summoned me here alone because it must be something very important, right?" Lu Guan nodded; he could still distinguish between what was important and what was urgent.
While I may indulge in abstract thinking in my daily life, it's best to be more serious when discussing matters of life and death for Solaris with others.
"... The planet's will has already contacted me," the Shorekeeper explained. "It's hard to imagine that He would one day personally intervene to find an agent to save the world."
"I need to correct something..." Lu Guan shook his head, "I am not her agent; our relationship is merely one of cooperation."
"She provides me with strength and convenience, and I help Solaris solve the ' Desolation,' it's that simple."
The Shorekeeper's eyes revealed a hint of confusion. Using her computing power, she could discern a significant sense of guilt in Lu Guan's words by reading his facial expressions...
Yet his words carried an unquestionable air.
Although the Shorekeeper, an echoing creature, didn't understand why Lu Guan was being insincere, she still said, "Regarding the ' Desolation,' the Tethys System currently has no relevant information... I hope you can provide some assistance to Black Shores."
Lu Guan slapped his forehead. Although he knew that the "human-machine" attribute of the Shorekeeper only temporarily disappeared when they were around the Rover, wasn't this way of speaking a bit too blunt?
It's as if you're trying to engage in a battle of wits with her, and just as you're about to seize the initiative, she chooses the approach most frequently used in the comments—getting straight to the point.
The Shorekeeper tilted his head and looked at Lu Guan, asking, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Little Shore An, what I'm saying is, chatting isn't like this... Shouldn't you first chat with me until we click, and then take the opportunity to make your request, so I can easily agree to it?"
The Shorekeeper asked in confusion, "Is that so? But the will of the world tells me that if I ask you for it, you will definitely give it to me."
The calculation results also show that directly requesting "Desolation" data is the simplest, most direct, and fastest method.
"Alright..." Lu Guan scratched the back of his head and handed her the wooden piece he had obtained from "Cai Xukun" earlier. "This is the remnant after I exorcised the ' Desolation.' I hope it will be useful to you."
"... Thank you." The Shorekeeper smiled as he accepted the wooden piece, looking at Lu Guan. "Once Tethys's deductions yield results, I will share them with you as soon as possible..."
"That's secondary," Lu Guan shook his head. "I need to ask you some questions now, and I hope you can answer them truthfully."
The blue-haired girl nodded. "A problem...? Sure."
"Regarding the World Will... she previously said she didn't want me to bring her up, so why did she take the initiative to contact you?"
The Shorekeeper replied, "I don't know either... In fact, since the founding of Black Shores, this is the first time I've known that the planetary will of Solaris possesses its own consciousness."
"Oh... He once told me that there is a close connection between you and Him. Why don't you just ask Him directly?"
"... Alright, next question: Do you know when the ' Tuner of the Stars ' will return?"
The Shorekeeper shook his head. "The first case tells me... wait for further notice."
"Wait for further notice...?" Lu Guan's lips twitched. This sounded exactly like the usual excuses used by officials in Huanglong's department to shirk responsibility.