On the wide road, an ox cart loaded with towering goods galloped madly. A simple farmer swayed along with the goods on the cart.
"Hey, hey, hey! Uncle, stop quickly."
Noah blocked the ox cart and waved for the farmer to get down:
"Driving like this is too dangerous. If you fall, how worried your family would be."
"It's fine, it's fine." The farmer smiled honestly and waved his hand: "My parents starved to death twenty years ago during the famine. No one to worry."
One sentence left Noah choking, unsure how to respond. He turned his head and whispered to Yangyang:
"Does Jinzhou have famines too?"
"Whenever there's drought or flood, crop yields per mu drop sharply. The people of Jinzhou can only tighten their belts. But since the Magistrate took office, everyone rarely goes hungry."
Hearing this, Noah scratched the back of his head, recalling the worldview of Wuthering Waves—almost every character cherished food deeply.
Pushing aside miscellaneous thoughts, Noah continued asking the farmer:
"Then you still can't—uh, drive dangerously. Doesn't your wife worry?"
"It's fine, it's fine." The farmer waved again: "She's gone too."
"What about your children?"
"Gone too."
Noah hesitated to speak. Looking at the honest smile on the farmer's face, his words became cautious:
"Then... after going through so many tragedies, why do you still seem so happy?"
"Look forward." The farmer was not good with words, gesturing as he spoke: "Move forward."
Look forward, move forward—could that escape the dampness brought by the past?
Noah didn't understand. He climbed onto the ox cart.
From his backpack, he pulled out rope to securely tie the swaying goods and laid a thick cloth over the uneven pile.
He got down, making an inviting gesture: "Drive slowly. The temporary base is that way."
The farmer smiled honestly and nodded. The ox cart slowly started. The goods still swayed as the figure gradually faded into the distance.
[Daily Quest:
Noah lowered his gaze, exhaling heavily, and asked Yangyang beside him:
"Were all the houses in Taoyuan Vale destroyed by the heavy rain?"
"Not just the houses—their fields too." Yangyang sighed softly:
"The damp furniture on that cart and that old ox might be all the uncle has left."
At these words, Noah's fists clenched and unclenched, clenched again and unclenched once more.
"What can we do for the villagers?"
"The Magistrate will arrange for them properly. All we can do is encourage them."
Encouragement... so ethereal. Fortunately, when he climbed onto the cart earlier, he had secretly slipped in 20,000 Shell Credits.
This was the third villager from Taoyuan Vale Noah had encountered. The first two each had their own tragedies, and he had secretly given each 20,000 Shell Credits too.
He finally understood what the quest description meant by "their world has no light."
If it were him facing this—never mind, better not imagine it.
Putting aside his thoughts, another figure suddenly appeared before him.
"Sir, you're going the wrong way."
Noah stopped the elderly man heading toward Taoyuan Vale, kindly advising:
"The temporary base is that direction. You're going the opposite way."
"No mistake. I'm going back."
The elderly man's dark face was unsmiling. He slightly sidestepped, bypassing Noah, and hunched forward toward Taoyuan Vale.
"Sir, I've seen you before." Yangyang quickly approached:
"You were just sent to the temporary base by the rescue soldiers. Why are you suddenly coming back?"
The elderly man stopped and finally explained: "My son is still in the house."
At this, both Yangyang and Noah were stunned.
The houses in Taoyuan Vale were either collapsed or flooded—how could anyone still be inside? Unless the elderly man's son...
Noah whispered to Yangyang: "Didn't they say there were no casualties in Taoyuan Vale?"
"I sensed with Aero. Indeed no casualties. The rescue roster didn't miss any names."
For a moment, even Yangyang felt unsure.
"Sir, how about we go with you and help search?"
"No need. My son is already dead. You won't find him."
The elderly man waved his hand. His previously stern expression suddenly turned desolate:
"He was also a Midnight Ranger. He sacrificed himself five days ago in the campaign to protect his comrades."
"I only have one photo of him, in that collapsed house."
"His comrades said—just one more minute, and the Tacet Discord wave would have dissipated. He could have lived... It's fine. He died honorably defending Jinzhou. I'm proud of him."
Five days ago, Tacet Discord wave, sacrifice, just one minute short.
Catching the keywords and understanding their meaning, Noah fell silent. His throat felt blocked.
He lowered his head, murmuring weakly:
"I'm sorry, sir."
If in the Sonoro Spere, he had been faster—just a little faster, even one minute...
Hearing the apology, the elderly man's face stiffened. He wiped his dim eyes. His expression suddenly lit up with joy as he tremblingly pointed:
"You... you're the hero who saved Jinzhou twice and repelled the Threnodian—Noah!"
"...It's me."
He had saved almost all of Jinzhou's people but not the elderly man's son. How unfair that was to him.
Noah felt awkward, biting his teeth and standing in place, even preparing for the elderly man to vent his anger.
The next moment, those calloused hands suddenly grasped Noah tightly. Light seemed to appear in the old eyes:
"Oh my, my son Liu Changsheng often mentioned you in our last communication. He admired you so much."
"He said you cleared Tacet Discords in the camp he was responsible for. He wanted to place you safely in the rear, but you bravely charged to the front lines."
"Then you taught him to fight well, win battles, and bring all the soldiers back whole. He said he remembered it all..."
The elderly man rambled on. Noah's pupils suddenly contracted, as if struck by a heavy hammer. His mind buzzed, his heart aching beyond words.
The elderly man's son was that frontline officer!
So his name was Liu Changsheng.
A name meaning long life, yet he died protecting others.
Doubled guilt overwhelmed Noah. He was thrown into disarray, unsure what to do.
Finally, Noah took a deep breath, forcing a calm smile:
"I knew your son. He was the real hero. That's what I personally told Comrade Changsheng when I saw him."
"Oh, that stinky boy was naughty since young—how could he be a hero?" The elderly man quickly waved but beamed with pride.
"Enough talk, hero of Jinzhou. This old man rambles on forever. I still need to find my son's photo. Goodbye."
Noah nodded, forcing a smile and waving: "Goodbye, sir."
[Daily Quest:
Watching the elderly man's back depart, Noah stood in place, trembling uncontrollably.
He suddenly understood why Rover would restart time and time again to save everyone.
Witnessing a life that could have been saved in crisis perish before one's eyes was such bone-eroding, heart-piercing pain.
He would rather endure the elderly man's angry curses or blows than be praised with that hero-worshipping gaze. Perhaps the former could slightly ease the shame in his heart now.
"Um..." Yangyang cautiously approached, lightly biting her lip, her tone concerned:
"This isn't your fault, Noah. Without you, far more would have died. Please don't take it too hard. You've already done very well..."
"Maybe you're right, Yangyang, but... I feel really bad right now."
Noah's breathing grew rapid. A trace of scarlet appeared in his eyes.
"But if... I could have been faster—just one minute, only one minute..."
Despite wearing the Serenity Bracelet that restricted Resonance abilities, he heard the frequencies in his body thirstily stirring.
A craving for battle climbed into his heart, eroding his rationality, urging him to remove the shackle, draw his blade, and vent all suppression with primal impulse.
This feeling was unprecedentedly clear, hard to control.
He had thought his condition had recovered, but he was gravely mistaken!
"You're shaking? Noah, are you stimulated? Don't get agitated..."
Before Yangyang finished, Noah strode away, fleeing quickly.
"Sorry, I need to be alone."
"Eh—"
In an instant, Yangyang panicked, feeling as if she had done something wrong.
She hesitated whether to chase when a Taoyuan Vale girl called her:
"Hello, disaster relief comrade. My cart was damaged by water. It means a lot to me. Can you help repair it?"