Chapter 64: The Journey That Has Yet to End

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The colossal [Storm Forbidden Zone]
At this very moment.
Was cleaved in two by Su Wen with a single sword stroke.
And then.
The dazzling constellations could no longer be bound by the darkness.
Spilling forth from the northern sky.
Merging into the Pacific sea breeze.
And scattering across every single tombstone in the cemetery.

[Because you saved the Samoa Islands during the South Pacific 'Storm Sacrifice' incident]
[The probability of an abyss distortion occurring at the 'Storm Cliff' ruins within the coming year has decreased to 0.13%]
[The Border Gate linking to the Deep Abyss remains unopened.]
[The Marine Department of the Lorenzriel Academy of Natural Sciences 'sacrificed in despair', the crisis is resolved.]
[Respected Chief Player]
[You have successfully altered the timeline.]

It was not until he saw this text.
That Su Wen truly relaxed.
He leaned back into his computer chair.
At this moment, the sky over the coastal city outside his window had already grown completely dark.
Glancing upward slightly, he could catch a glimpse of faint starlight.
The stars seen from a city in Jiangnan could probably never compare to the clear and pristine night skies beyond the Pacific sea cliffs.
However.
That future was no longer distant.
Because just a little over ten days from now.
Su Wen would board a flight at the Binhai New City Airport and follow the Night Watchers to the Samoa Islands.

Inside the computer screen.
With the danger averted.
Phyllis gazed at the gradually fading, pale-blue shimmering figure outside the house.
She could finally no longer suppress the emotions within her heart.
She pushed open the door and rushed out, then choked back her tears and said resolutely:
"Father, I do not blame you.
I will continue to perfect your research."

Hearing these words.
Anthony Elino's figure grew increasingly ethereal amidst the lingering glow of the lamp.
But his constantly dissolving hand finally came to rest gently upon the young girl's head.
Helping her smooth down the strands of hair blown wild by the ocean breeze:
"Child.
Do not treat these things as a sacred mission.
Do not leave regrets for others the way I did."

And then.
This ocean circulation theoretical scientist, destined to be admired by future generations, truly departed this world.
The sound of the Silver Sea's tides rose.
Carrying the will of the deceased back into the embrace of this universe.
Beneath the warm, lingering glow of the lamplight.
They were not alone.

[Because Phyllis Elino has decided to continue the research]
[Future timeline: 'Orbital Navigation Project' available participation nodes increased by the 'Psionic Circulation' node; 'Stellar Cluster Gravitational Springboard Event' success probability +46%]

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The young girl stared blankly as that figure vanished.
Su Wen chose not to say any words of comfort to her at this moment.
Sometimes.
Language is too noisy, and also too pale.
Silence is the best choice.

He looked out into the distance.
Following the dissolution of the Storm Forbidden Zone.
The warships commanded by Colonel Ulysses were already gradually sailing toward this place.
In the distance.
The streetlamps along both sides of the dual-lane road extending outward from the Marine Island Research Institute cast a very faint light.
As if, aside from the starlight overhead and the clouds that seemed within touching distance, there were only detached houses with glowing windows scattered harmoniously across the Samoa Islands.

Half an hour passed.
He walked over to the roadside and casually picked some glazier's grass that had not yet fully withered in the autumn air.
And then.
Walked back to the Marine Island Cemetery.
He placed a stalk of glazier's grass before Anthony's black tombstone.
Meanwhile.
Phyllis managed to barely compose her emotions and asked him:
"Kevin, are you truly nothing more than a detective?"
"Peeling back the layers of the departed past to seek the truth.
I suppose that is precisely what a detective is meant to accomplish."
He replied calmly.

And then.
Su Wen handed the remaining flowers to the young girl:
"Glazier's grass, do you know its other alias?"
Phyllis hesitated for a moment.
She did not have much expertise in botany.
Had Captain Adrian of the [Forest Warden Cult] or the global traveler Nelson been here right now.
They probably would have been able to answer immediately.
Su Wen did not wait for her reply.
Two seconds later.
He calmly provided the answer:
"Glazier's grass, a plant of the borage family.
It has another much more widely circulated name:
[Forget-Me-Not] (Myosotis alpestris F. W. Schmidt).
To remember rather than to drown in everything that has happened today.
I hope you can understand this."

Phyllis raised her head.
She caught sight of Su Wen's handsome profile and his deep, calm pupils that resembled the deep sea.
Then she nodded gently.

Not far away.
The motorcade belonging to Lorenzriel and the US Federal Navy was already driving toward them.
The blue-gray canopy of heaven served as a backdrop for the headlights of off-road vehicles forming a trail like sparks of fire, gradually illuminating the solemn coast of Marine Island.
Sydney and Nild were driving the off-road vehicles, moving the fastest.
They charged at the very forefront.

And then.
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Accompanied by the cessation of the massive engine roar.
Sydney approached him.
And said earnestly:
"Kevin, this incident was a dereliction of duty on the part of us Pacific realm peacekeepers, yet it forced you to bear the risk. I am sorry."
"There was no time left.
Even without Phyllis, they would have used the relics of the previous Storm Watcher, Anthony, to forcefully enact a sacrifice and summon a natural disaster.
Leaving it until now.
Was merely to increase their bargaining chips.
By then.
This island and everyone upon it would have been torn apart by the storm.
Do you know?
In the choice between death and despair, only an extremely small minority will choose a decision that appears almost certainly fatal."
He said with a smile.
"As it happens, compared to death, I probably loathe despair even more."
"What a absolute madman!"
Nelson stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace:
"Brother, it's really good that you're alive."
He continued, asking:
"Is there any way you'd like to celebrate?"
"Find a pub. I want to drink a glass of pale ale."

A night passed.
In the early morning, the Samoa Islands were slightly blurred within the morning mist.
Su Wen, Nelson, and Sydney sat unkempt upon the high ridge of the cliff.
Beside them sat several empty beer bottles.
The morning sun, slowly rising from the edge of the distant sea level, gently illuminated everything.
At the same time.
From his vantage point overlooking the city's hills, Su Wen was finally able to catch a glimpse of the full panoramic view of the Marine Island Cemetery.
There stood rows upon rows of black tombstones.
And within the white monument at the center of the cemetery, only a single sentence remained inscribed:
[What to witness
What is to be redeemed
All have taken root with the sea breeze]

Nelson gazed at the scenery before him.
As a renowned photographer and traveler, he felt a multitude of inexplicable emotions welling up within him, along with plenty of material he wished to record in his travel journal.
He reached out to pick up the beer bottle by his side to make a toast.
Only upon lifting it did he realize the bottle had long since been empty.
He could only shrug and ask with a smile:
"Kevin, what are your plans for next?"
Hearing this question.
Su Wen thought of the ruin exploration he was about to experience in reality.
He gazed into the distance and said:
"I am going to check out the Storm Cliff ruins."

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