Cloud Ridge Valley.
"The Etheric Sea has fully formed—it's very dangerous here."
Yangyang looked up at the tidal-wave-like clouds in the sky, her voice unconsciously growing grave. She reached out and patted Noah's shoulder:
"Noah, whatever you're looking for, we have to leave Cloud Ridge Valley now. Otherwise, once the Tacet Field forms, massive numbers of Tacet Discords will appear here."
Hearing this, Noah—who had been lost in thought and even looked somewhat panicked—instinctively refused: "No."
"Why not? Noah, we've already walked through Cloud Ridge Valley three times. You can't keep going back."
Chixia grew anxious, spreading her arms to block Noah's path:
"With the Tacet Field about to form, no matter how important the thing you lost is—can it really be more important than your life?"
"Yes! It's even more important than my life!"
That was Rover—the core character of Wuthering Waves.
If Rover couldn't be found, no one knew what the future of this world would become.
After all, whether Huanglong or Rinascita, they were merely civilizations freshly rebuilt after the apocalyptic Lament.
If the Lament descended upon Solaris-3 again, these new civilizations would be paper drums—unable to withstand a single blow.
Noah irritably scratched his hair, unable to immediately make the two girls recognize Rover's importance.
In their eyes, the so-called Rover was probably just an ordinary passerby. But only he knew—without Rover, everyone on Solaris-3 would perish.
"You two can leave first if you want—I'm not going. I must find Rover."
"Noah! You idiot—you're infuriating me!"
Chixia stomped her foot hard, anger already showing on her face. She turned, grabbed Yangyang, and her tone cooled:
"Since you're dead set on searching for someone who may not even exist anymore—and are willing to risk your life for it—then search all you want. Yangyang, let's go!"
The wind in Cloud Ridge Valley seemed to grow stronger—strong enough that the red-haired girl could barely keep her eyes open.
She had only been thinking of Noah's safety—how could he be so stubborn, refusing to listen to advice at all?
Invisible grievance blew into her heart, blurring the girl's vision.
"Chixia…"
Yangyang stared blankly at Chixia, momentarily speechless as she was pulled outward by Chixia's force.
Jinzhou fallen, the red-clothed freak, and the Tacet Field soon to form in Cloud Ridge Valley…
All these things weighed like mountains even on her, an outsider—how much heavier must they be for Chixia, born and raised in Jinzhou?
Though Chixia appeared cheerful on the surface, the pain in her heart surely far exceeded Yangyang's. Noah's stubbornness at this moment had torn open a crack in that pressure.
Thinking this, Yangyang gently shook her head, feeling a tightness in her chest.
She looked back and saw Noah walking away with his back to them, his figure growing smaller until he vanished around a corner.
Yangyang unconsciously clenched her fists. For a moment, she wanted to harden her heart and truly leave Noah to his fate.
But in the end, she softened. Glancing at Chixia, whose eyes brimmed with tears, she decided to wait a few minutes before suggesting they go back for Noah.
By then, Chixia should have calmed down, right?
As for Noah walking alone in Cloud Ridge Valley—if he remained stubborn, then—they'd knock him out and carry him away.
On the other side, Noah's mood was also extremely frustrated.
"My attitude toward Chixia and Yangyang just now—was it a bit much? But Rover absolutely must be found."
Even if he possessed Rover's combat power, what good would defeating Scar in Jinzhou do?
Without Rover helping Jinhsi achieve secondary resonance, the gravely injured Sentinel protagonist couldn't restore Jinzhou's temporal order—and Jinzhou would still be doomed!
Realizing this crucial link, Noah felt his vision darken. His urgency to find Rover grew even stronger.
"With the Tacet Field about to form, Rover should have awakened by now—but where exactly has he gone?"
"Without Rover, how can I be a carry? Who will save Jinzhou—or even Solaris-3?"
"Argh—this is driving me crazy!"
Noah stopped, looking up at the sea-like clouds gathering high in the sky.
In the next moment—would a black-clothed, black-haired Rover descend from the Etheric Sea above, to be picked up by him?
Clearly, this beautiful dream would not come true.
"Rover—Rover—"
No longer caring about dignity, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Rover!"
The echo of his shout reverberated between the clouds and valley, startling rolling stones, causing landslides and rockfalls—like thunder.
Wrong.
Noah suddenly felt a chill.
The echo of his casual shout couldn't possibly cause such massive disturbance—so there was only one possibility—
The Tacet Field had fully formed.
Then, following the plot, the powerful Overlord-class Tacet Discord about to appear was—the Crownless.
Bad—Yangyang and the others are in danger!
At this thought, Noah turned and sprinted back toward the direction Yangyang had left.
Endless self-reproach surged in his heart. He clearly knew the plot—how could he have let Yangyang and Chixia leave alone just now?
He'd truly lost his head searching for Rover.
On the other side of Cloud Ridge Valley.
Yangyang also began working on Chixia's mindset:
"Chixia, I think—we can't just leave Noah in Cloud Ridge Valley after all…"
"I understand what you mean, Yangyang." Chixia unconsciously wiped the corner of her eye and rallied:
"We'll go back and persuade him one last time. If he still won't listen, then we really won't care anymore."
Hearing this, Yangyang nodded and smiled. She naturally knew Chixia was just being stubborn:
"Okay… ah!"
A brief, sharp frequency suddenly rang out of nowhere. Intense headache instantly overwhelmed the two girls, forcing them to clutch their heads to ease the pain.
The Cloud Ridge Valley Tacet Field had fully formed.
Yangyang's heartbeat raced, adrenaline surged, her Tacet Mark faintly glowing. Through the surrounding airflow, she clearly sensed:
Danger! Danger! Danger!
Enduring the headache, she gripped her swift blade with both hands, forcing her eyes open to perceive the direction of the threat.
Closer—closer still—incredible speed.
She finally caught the source of the danger in her vision: a humanoid Tacet Discord clad in heavy armor, like a walking war fortress, exuding chilling pressure.
Overlord-class Tacet Discord—Crownless.
In a few blinks, the Crownless was already upon them. Yangyang could clearly see those eyes burning with purple flame—and the fist carrying the force of ten thousand jun.
She wanted to draw her sword to meet the blow, but affected by the earlier sharp frequency, her draw was a fraction slower.
And that fractional delay meant she would have to take this terrifying punch with her flesh and blood.
Clang!
Sparks flew. The sound of metal clashing rang throughout the surroundings.
A figure stood before Yangyang, blocking the Crownless's strike a step ahead of her.
"Noah!" Yangyang cried out the newcomer's name in surprise.
Noah slashed diagonally with his sword, repelling the Crownless. He felt a powerful force transmit through his arm, numbing his tiger's mouth.
He glanced back at the unharmed Yangyang and Chixia, finally breathing a sigh of relief with a hurried smile:
"Sorry—did I make it in time?"
"You idiot—you arrived right on time!"
Chixia responded excitedly, freed from the headache. All previous unhappiness cast aside, she drew her guns from her waist.
"Now's not the time for talk—let's take down this Tacet Discord together." Yangyang nodded, her gaze fixed tightly on the Crownless in the distance.