The small boat was steadily hoisted onto the deck.
Supported by two Bloom Bearers, Noah stepped onto the solid deck of this Black Shores frigate.
A smell mixed with machine oil and sea breeze hit him in the face, giving him the fleeting illusion of having stepped into some high-tech factory.
The deck was unusually busy.
People in classic silver-gray uniforms or black combat suits hurried about; no one paid too much attention to the extra person that was him.
This efficient indifference actually made Noah relax a little.
Soon, a serious woman with more complicated epaulets walked over quickly.
Lia immediately saluted and addressed her as “Commander.”
“Rover wishes to see you.”
This Commander was concise and to the point.
Her gaze swept over Noah, calm and rippleless, yet carrying an undeniable authority.
Rover wants to see me?!
Noah’s heart skipped a beat.
A mix of nervousness and excitement instantly surged up.
This was Solaris’s living legend, the savior, the protagonist of the game!
But immediately afterward, a sense of guilt rose up.
He had been spouting nonsense in front of the Black Shores people earlier, and he was still carrying a shady Villain System on him.
“Hug the thigh!
Confess and be lenient!
Rover is kind and friendly – maybe she can cover for me!
This broken system, better to get rid of it!”
Noah shouted inwardly.
[Detected host’s wavering will.
Prompt: Rover and the Black Shores she leads have the core tenet of safeguarding the continuation of civilization.
It is a highly elite technocratic authoritarian organization composed entirely of elites.
Assessment of host’s current value: no special talents, no identity background, no significant contributions.
Survival probability after leaving the system is below 1%.]
The system’s cold prompt sounded at the right time, like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.
“…Shit!”
Noah cursed inwardly.
The system’s words were unpleasant, but they were indeed facts.
He was now a person with nothing, no talents, no background, no connections.
His only reliance was still this trash system.
Without the system, he would probably be unable to take a single step in this unfamiliar world.
Even if the golden finger was trash, it was still a lifesaving straw.
“Fine, you’re ruthless.
For now, I’ll stick with you!”
Noah thought resentfully.
Upon hearing this, the system seemed to let out an extremely human-like light snort, then fell silent.
Noah resignedly followed the Commander across the busy deck and entered the bridge.
Warm air instantly wrapped around him, making his frozen limbs and bones let out a comfortable groan.
His gaze was immediately drawn to the few people beside the holographic platform in the center of the bridge.
More accurately, it was firmly locked onto the figure surrounded in the middle.
Neat black short hair, calm and gentle golden pupils adorned with familiar red eyeshadow, wearing a signature large bow at the back of her head.
She was wearing the classic black backless tactical suit from the game plus black stockings and knee-high boots… It was exactly the Rover from the game!
However, at this moment she had a silver-gray uniform coat draped over her, lacking some of the battlefield sharpness and gaining a bit more steadiness from being in a command position.
It was Rover, and it was female Rover!
Noah’s heart beat two extra times uncontrollably.
Compared to male Rover, the female Rover in the game was indeed considered by many players including Noah to be more emotional and approachable.
The “confess and be lenient” thought he had just suppressed showed signs of reviving again.
At this time, Rover raised her head and saw them.
She waved her hand, signaling the officers beside her to disperse.
The frigate’s Commander stepped forward and reported a few sentences in a low voice.
Her gaze swept over Noah with some deep meaning, then she saluted and left.
In the blink of an eye, the huge bridge was left with only Noah and Rover.
Facing this overwhelmingly powerful existence, even knowing that the other party was known for being gentle and kind, Noah still felt an invisible pressure and unconsciously lowered his head.
“Don’t be nervous.
Come sit.”
Rover’s voice was gentle, carrying a power that could soothe people’s hearts.
She pointed to a chair beside her.
Noah sat down as instructed, took a deep breath, and recounted the story he had fabricated earlier a person from Chongzhou, Huanglong, who accidentally entered a Sonoro Sphere, ended up on the snowfield, killed Fractsidus in self-defense, and encountered the Black Shores reconnaissance squad all as smoothly as possible.
His tone carried just the right amount of lingering fear and relief at surviving the disaster.
Rover listened quietly, occasionally nodding slightly.
The gentleness on her face never changed, and she even interjected a few comforting words from time to time, like an older sister caring for a junior.
“…So, we plan to contact Huanglong and arrange a ship to send you home.” Rover finally said.
Here it comes!
The key test!
Noah’s mind raced.
An expression of gratitude mixed with confusion appeared on his face at the right time: “Thank you very much, Rover.
It’s just that…”
He seemed to suddenly remember something and asked with some unease, “May I ask, what is today’s specific date?
I lost my sense of time inside the Sonoro Sphere…”
Rover reported a specific date.
Noah’s pupils suddenly shrank, and his body trembled almost imperceptibly.
Then he slowly lowered his head, his shoulders slightly shaking.
“What’s wrong?” Rover’s voice carried concern.
Noah raised his head, his eyes slightly red, his voice a bit hoarse, trembling with disbelief: “One hundred years… unexpectedly… a whole hundred years have passed…”
He paused at just the right moment, allowing the emotions of shock and sadness to spread, before continuing: “The day I fell into the Sonoro Sphere… from now, it’s been exactly one hundred years…”
He chose “one hundred years” after quick calculation.
Huanglong had been founded for a thousand years, and Jinzhou had been established for a hundred years.
This time span was enough to completely zero out the social connections of a missing person, perfectly explaining his unregistered status, and could also render a sense of tragic being abandoned by the era.
It had to be said, before transmigrating, Noah worked in consulting.
What he wasn’t good at was fabricating lies to fool people; the ability to boast without a script came to him easily, and his acting skills were indeed first-class.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, a trace of surprise and pity also flashed in Rover’s golden pupils.
She was silent for a moment, clearly digesting this information, and also seemed to be judging its authenticity.
Finally, she gently sighed, her tone even gentler: “I understand… Time has passed, things have changed.
Returning to a hometown that has long become unfamiliar is indeed difficult.”
“Then, what are your plans now?
Or, is there anything I can help you with?”
Success!
Noah was overjoyed in his heart, but the sadness on his face grew thicker, even carrying a trace of appropriate helplessness and confusion: “I… I don’t know either.
My hometown… no longer has a place for me.”
“I’m just an insignificant Resonator, with low power, alone with no one to rely on… Besides here, where else can I go?”
He threw the question back.
He knew that in front of Rover who had lived for an unknown number of years, he absolutely could not have even the slightest flaw.
At this moment, he chose to advance by retreating and absolutely could not appear too eager.
Rover looked at him, the pity in her gaze deepening.
She thought for a moment and finally nodded: “Since you have nowhere to go, why not stay with Black Shores for now.
Recover your body first, and we can discuss other matters later at length.
Black Shores is not purely a charitable organization, but it will not stand by and do nothing for those in distress.”
“I will greet the main island side and arrange a temporary residence for you.”
Done!
He had initially hugged the thigh!
Seeing how gentle and considerate Rover was, he almost wanted to call her mom.
But in the end, Noah still held back, after all, he was still not one of the Midnight Rangers.