Compared to Noah's peaceful times, the situation Xiangli Yao faced was much more severe.
Along the way, he witnessed his former close friend repeatedly stumbling and failing on the path to pursuing dreams, gradually becoming extreme and lost amid repeated setbacks.
The Pascal here once obsessively dreamed of personally observing the mysterious and unpredictable Waveworn Phenomenon up close, and now, this space had actually derived a real Waveworn scene due to his obsession reaching extreme madness.
Darkness, thick as asphalt.
It tightly enveloped the entire Sonoro Sphere space. That chaotic aggregate formed from countless obsessive thoughts wildly intertwining and colliding was born under the Waveworn Phenomenon.
It devoured obsessions, it twisted obsessions, and as it grew stronger, it set its sights on the outside world, wanting to twist more wishes into obsessions.
The three wishes that Noah had previously assisted in fulfilling were precisely what it wanted to taint and twist.
But its evil deeds had only just begun when Xiangli Yao noticed the clues.
In the dark Sonoro Sphere space, the chaotic aggregate launched fierce attacks against the intruder Xiangli Yao, with Whisperin constantly echoing:
"I didn't fail..."
"It's not my fault..."
"Science no longer exists..."
Countless voices of Pascal overlapped layer upon layer in the dark space, like surging waves, pressing down on Xiangli Yao wave after wave, making it hard for him to breathe.
"...My close friend, Pascal, is already dead."
Lightning flickered on Xiangli Yao's prosthetic arm, struggling somewhat under the dense attacks of the obsession aggregate.
"But no matter how extreme or intense his wish was, he never truly triggered a Waveworn Phenomenon."
"Until the very end of his life, he remained the purest explorer!"
"I won't allow anyone to twist his wish, make it obsessive, and let his lingering regrets live forever in pain!"
Xiangli Yao panted, his expression turning ruthless as he pushed his prosthetic arm's power to the maximum. Countless tiny purple cubes rapidly generated and condensed under his control:
"Damn thing, how dare you hurt my close friend like this—"
"Xiangli Yao, don't go bald—let me handle it, Celestial Court—"
A sharp shout interrupted Xiangli Yao's words. He turned in shock, his eyes reflecting a figure with dragon horns—it was Noah!
Noah threw out his camera, his figure like lightning as he quickly stood beside Xiangli Yao, hooking an arm around Xiangli Yao's neck, grinning at the lens with a scissor hand pose:
"—Radiance!"
White light and the camera's flash burst simultaneously, like a sword slicing through darkness. A photo slowly printed out.
In the photo, two men had their arms around each other's shoulders, with a terrifying chaotic creation pierced by white light behind them—overall giving a grand epic feel.
Retrieving the camera, Noah lightly patted the dust on Xiangli Yao's back:
"How about it—didn't come too late, right? Shame this thing doesn't drop an Echo."
"Um..."
Xiangli Yao was somewhat stunned, then smiled bitterly.
The obsession aggregate that had beaten him back step by step couldn't even withstand one move from Noah.
"As expected of the Jinzhou hero—no empty reputation."
"No need for pleasantries."
Noah pointed to the distant exit of this Sonoro Sphere space:
"The matter's resolved. Let's go—we're leaving here."
Because the obsession aggregate was directly and barbarically blasted, unlike the original plot, Pascal's final obsession illusion did not appear.
"Um."
Xiangli Yao nodded and walked toward the exit, appearing somewhat silent overall.
"Noah."
Xiangli Yao suddenly spoke, his voice low.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"Do you mind listening to a story?"
"...If you want to say it, go ahead. Maybe saying it out will make you feel better."
After another long silence, Xiangli Yao slowly began:
"Pascal, my former close friend—I once researched Waveworn Phenomena with him. For some reasons, I didn't persist."
"For quite a while, I didn't see him again. Later, I learned he had been persisting with that failed experiment—researching Tacet Fields, researching Waveworn Phenomena."
"His team disbanded, he left the research institute, stole equipment, vanished without trace... Later, he contacted me, sending a summary of Tacet Field frequency characteristics."
"Upon receiving that information, I immediately traced his whereabouts. Finally... when I found him, he had just been swallowed by the occurring Waveworn Phenomenon."
"That was the last time I saw my close friend. At that time, he excitedly shouted, saying... he succeeded."
Noah listened silently, nodding occasionally without interrupting.
"For a time, I thought the success he meant was successfully triggering a Waveworn Phenomenon. I couldn't believe it, because that would undoubtedly be artificially creating the Lament."
Xiangli Yao took a deep breath and continued:
"Later, I deeply studied the frequency characteristics he sent, combined with his notes, and then realized—my close friend succeeded in predicting the occurrence locations of Tacet Fields."
"He didn't trigger Waveworn Phenomena; on the contrary, he was a hero who kept striving to save the world. It's just that when he rushed to the predicted location, the Waveworn Phenomenon happened to occur."
"His dream came true; he made scientific achievements surpassing mine. The Pascal Spectrum inspired the whole world, even shocking the mysterious technical consultant from Black Shores."
At this point, Xiangli Yao clenched his fist tightly, lowering his head with a bitter smile:
"But he's already dead. He'll never know just how remarkable an achievement he made."
"No, he already knows."
Noah placed his hand on Xiangli Yao's shoulder and said solemnly:
"Look up."
At these words, Xiangli Yao raised his head, his pupils contracting sharply.
Countless Sonoro Spheres condensed into points of light, converging into a familiar human shape.
Pascal!
What one thinks of day and night will surely echo back.
Because of Xiangli Yao's narration, it once again stirred this Sonoro Sphere space's obsession. The lingering regrets left by Pascal, who was swallowed by the Waveworn Phenomenon, gathered here.
The light and shadow converged by Sonoro Sphere gradually solidified, finally clearly forming Pascal's figure. His whole body trembled:
"I heard it, Xiangli Yao! My theory really survived... great."
Tears continuously flowed from Pascal's illusory eyes, turning into Sonoro Sphere energy and disappearing upon falling. He cried and laughed, overwhelmed with joy and sorrow:
"But the prototype, Xiangli Yao—my prototype that could predict Tacet Fields is destroyed."
"No problem!"
Xiangli Yao's breathing grew heavy. Looking at Pascal's constantly flickering figure, almost about to dissipate in the next moment, he urgently spoke:
"The prototype—leave it to me to continue researching for you!"
"—Entrust it to you, my close friend!"
Pascal finally nodded, completely resolving his obsession. His illusory figure turned into points of light and dissipated.
Whew—
Xiangli Yao tilted his head back, deeply inhaling, his eyes slightly red. It took a long while before he spoke:
"Now, the fourth wish is fulfilled too."
"Perhaps, at the same time, a fifth one was fulfilled."
Noah glanced sideways at Xiangli Yao, thoughtful.
The passing of his close friend had always been a knot deep in Xiangli Yao's heart; now, that knot was finally untied.
The two walked shoulder to shoulder, getting closer and closer to the Sonoro Sphere space's exit.
"Logically, when you, Noah, violently destroyed that twisted obsession aggregate, Pascal's lingering regrets should have disappeared along with it."
Calming his inner fluctuations, Xiangli Yao slowly reviewed the recent scene, unable to help feeling puzzled:
"So, Pascal shouldn't have appeared after I finished telling the story. This is something science can't explain."
"For things science can't explain, leave it to love."
As soon as Noah said this, he hurriedly explained:
"The love here isn't romantic love—don't misunderstand."
"Um, I understand. Pascal's pursuit and quest for knowledge in science was second to none."
Xiangli Yao nodded, pointing to the Sonoro Sphere space exit ahead:
"After you."
"Why so polite—together."
The two smiled at each other, stepping forward together and exiting the Sonoro Sphere space.
The sky spun.
The earth turned.
Outside, the sky over Jinzhou had gradually darkened. In the deepening dusk of Taoyuan Vale, lights from thousands of homes had lit up everywhere, looking incredibly harmonious.
"To avoid issues, I still need to check the assistant robot Patty."
Xiangli Yao returned to the Moontree Lodge, and when he came out, he held a brand-new camera in his hand:
"This camera is for you."
Noah didn't rush to accept it but asked:
"What's the difference between this camera and mine?"
"Moontree Lodge employee benefit—just say if you want it or not."
"Yes! Of course I want it!"
A camera specially given by a genius researcher—at the very least, its quality absolutely crushes those from souvenir shops.
Noah snatched the camera and slung his arm around Xiangli Yao's:
"Let's go! Forget about your assistant robot—we're heading down the mountain. Today, I must bring you to celebrate the festival together!"
"Hey hey hey, I still need to handle the holographic projection for the dragon dance."
"Why bother with projections? I'll directly conjure a real Sentinel for you—not bragging, as realistic as it gets!"
At the foot of the mountain, lanterns for the Moonlit Fair swayed into vermilion dots in the dusk. The sound of gongs mixed with the hawking at candy painting stalls drifted over the stone steps.
Two figures descended the mountain, blending into the bustling township.
[Event Quest "Moonlit Wishes" completed.]
[Obtained character—Xiangli Yao.]