Order of the Deep.
"There are only two days left until the official Seat election, right? Who are you voting for?"
"It has to be Seat Phoebe! Seat Phoebe is the people's choice!"
"That's right, that's right. Whether it was actively handing the lantern to the Laureate in the Mirror Heaven, or later organizing everyone to take refuge in the vault, or even receiving power from the Sentinel and going to the Dark Tide to defeat the Threnodian…"
"Seat Phoebe is too legendary! We adore you, Seat Phoebe!"
The low whispers of several priests could not escape Noah's ears.
He had originally wanted to hand over the Civilization Casket discreetly, but he suddenly changed his mind.
Since he was going to give it, he would give it openly and grandly, right in front of the entire Order!
"Excuse me."
Inserting himself into the conversation of those priests, Noah spoke in a clear voice:
"Please trouble yourselves to notify the several bishops in the Order, as well as Priestess Phoebe. The Sentinel left behind an important object and asked me to deliver it to the Order."
"Ah, Laureate, oh oh, alright, please wait a moment!"
A few minutes later.
Upon learning that the Sentinel had bestowed a holy relic, the entire upper ranks of the Order of the Deep were shocked. They all came running and solemnly invited Noah into an elegant reception room.
"Lord Laureate, may I ask…" Lude felt sweat forming on his palms. "May I ask what holy relic the Sentinel has bestowed?"
Noah's gaze swept over everyone in the reception room. There was the Order's Main Seat, there were priests, and even more deacons. At this moment they all stared at him expectantly.
Without any deliberate suspense, Noah flipped his wrist. An exquisite casket appeared in the center of his palm.
Everyone's eyes widened in unison. Their gazes locked tightly onto Noah's hand.
It was an irregular polyhedral structure. The outer shell was a translucent deep-sea blue liquid metal. The edges were softened like flowing water. The surface was etched with spiral patterns, wave patterns, and other symbols representing the evolution of civilization. Three ring-shaped light tracks on the top added an air of inviolable nobility.
"This object is called the Civilization Casket. It records the origin and birth of Rinascita's civilization. It is both a carrier of civilization's memory and a seed of future hope."
After the words fell, everyone could not help but suck in a cold breath. The gazes they directed at the Civilization Casket grew even hotter.
No one questioned Noah's words. After all, this was the Laureate who had heard the heavenly voice, the savior of Rinascita. His words were authority itself.
Something bestowed by the Sentinel, a carrier of civilization's memory—how precious it was!
"Lord Laureate."
A sharp-eyed Main Seat raised a hand:
"Why is it empty inside?"
"Good question!"
Noah cast an approving gaze and gave his answer:
"According to the Sentinel, the past of Rinascita has already closed its curtain, so the inside is empty. As for the future…"
He weighed the Civilization Casket in his hand and said nothing more, yet it made every Main Seat's eyes turn red.
Whoever obtained the Civilization Casket would control the future of Rinascita.
This was no mere Civilization Casket. This was clearly the imperial jade seal bestowed by the Sentinel.
So then, who was the true owner of this imperial jade seal? Who was the greatest beneficiary of this version? It was so hard to guess!
"Phoebe, step forward."
"M… me?"
Phoebe felt as if a little progress jingle was ringing in her ears.
Crossing the crowd, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Phoebe tremblingly raised both arms and received the Civilization Casket that Noah handed over. Her movements were as solemn as if she were holding up a falling sun.
Her gaze was fixed tightly on the casket in her hands. Even her breathing unconsciously grew heavier. An excited flush rose on her face.
A high wind passed through the hall, as if the Sentinel was giving Its approval. Behind her were passionate cheers, and in her palms rested the weight of an entire civilization.
Mandate of Heaven, Phoebe Chibi.
Win! Win! Win!
Noah smiled faintly:
"The future of Rinascita is in your hands from now on."
Phoebe nodded rapidly, trying hard to restrain the joy in her heart. Her facial expression was tightly controlled, otherwise she would laugh out loud immediately:
"I… I am ready!"
From now on, the food that must be eaten every day in the Order would be changed from Green Laurel Salad to Pizza Tropicale.
This was the order of Seat Phoebe.
...
Trattoria Margherita.
"Puff-Puff Baa-Baa ice cream so delicious it awakens Resonance power, extra-large cup… why…"
Covering her slightly rounded stomach, Galbrena looked at the one-meter-tall extra-large cup of ice cream in front of her. Her eyes were full of despair for life:
"Why is the cup so big?!"
"Just this little food is enough to stump you?"
Chimera circled around Galbrena's side and sneered disdainfully:
"Practice more if your skills are lacking."
"We don't say 'practice more if your skills are lacking.' We say 'diligence can make up for clumsiness.'"
Casually sitting down opposite Galbrena, Noah waved his hand as a greeting:
"I just came out of the Order. I originally wanted to take care of a late lunch. I didn't expect you were still here."
"Oh?"
Seeing Noah, a light of salvation seemed to light up in Galbrena's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation she pushed the ice cream in front of her forward:
"Eat this of mine. I only took a bit from one side. The other side is for you."
"This…"
Looking at the enormous cup of ice cream in front of him, Noah's eyelid twitched.
Using ice cream as a meal was something he had never tried before.
He did not refuse Galbrena's invitation. While helping the other party finish the food, he also chatted with her about the matters of the Dark Tide Heaven.
Through mutual exchange, they quickly finished talking about most of each other's previous experiences.
[Limited Banner "In the Ashes" and "Twins of Light and Shadow" have opened.]
Galbrena's original Resonance ability had been a very powerful innate fire, yet it had been polluted and changed after being swallowed by the Dark Tide when she was a child.
But now, because of the extreme Overclocking in Heaven, her Resonance ability had completely returned. That was why she had been able to burn through the Dark Tide pillar.
In terms of strength, it was already not weak. So then, should he pull or not?
This question made Noah conflicted.
Right now his Sun-Moon team was under temporary account suspension because of excessive Overclocking. Two of his six-chain characters were suddenly gone, leaving him very insecure.
After careful consideration, he decided—not to pull.
The 2.0 characters were already tears of the era. He was going to save resources for the big DPS of 3.0.
In Wuthering Waves, the most important things were changing faces and forgetting one's roots.
"About joining the Black Shores that I mentioned before, are you still considering it?"
"Mm..."
Galbrena pondered for a moment and gave her answer:
"The Black Shores… forget it. For your sake, I'll give it a try. I'll say the ugly words first—if I'm not satisfied with the place, I can leave at any time."
"Alright."
Noah smiled and stretched out his hand:
"Welcome to the Black Shores."
Although the Black Shores belonged to the Rover, if he had a need, the Black Shores would still fully assist him.
Rounding it up, the Black Shores was roughly equivalent to his. What's more, he and the Black Shores were originally walking the same path. Naturally, the more strong people the better.
...
Time passed leisurely. Dusk fell onto the mountain tops. Today's repair work in Rinascita also reached its end.
"The air outside is still fresher."
Cartethyia stretched her waist and let out a long, comfortable breath. She issued an invitation to Noah beside her:
"Laureate, I'm preparing to go take a look at the Order. Do you want to come with me?"
"No need. A lot of new Tacet Discords have refreshed in Rinascita. I'm going to farm Tacet Discords. Tomorrow morning I'll pick you up and take you to the Black Shores to continue treatment."
"Then…"
Cartethyia quickly walked a few steps forward. Her slender jade fingers crossed behind her back. The figure of the girl bathed in the fiery red sunset was dazzling, the lines of her pretty face soft.
She turned around, showed a smile, and winked at Noah. The beauty was heart-stirring:
"Remember to come find me tomorrow, okay?"