Chapter 588 - 578: Sound Source Pollution 30

Those people, tormented by noise sickness, were a bit crazed, but for the most part, they hadn’t completely lost their minds.

When they didn’t find what they were looking for on the pair, they simply let them go.

Back in the car, all the extra luggage made the interior suddenly feel incredibly cramped.

However, Barry Wallace was too dejected from the recent incident to care.

As the car started up, they left the Azure Vista Complex.

"Were any of those people just now people who’ve awakened a talent, like me?" Barry Wallace suddenly asked.

"No. The odds of awakening naturally are extremely low, and the process is very dangerous. You must have seen it on the news—those people who burn to death from a high fever? They all failed the awakening process."

Having just profited from the exchange, Moira was exceptionally patient with her explanation.

’Hugh’s divination was right, after all. This kid really is our lucky star. He barely did anything and already handed us such a great gift.’

Though they weren’t sure what "it" was yet, they knew that anything capable of driving so many people into a frenzy had to be extraordinary.

"Isn’t there a safer way to awaken?" Barry Wallace asked again.

He looked at the two people in the front seats. In the rearview mirror, Moira could see a faint plea in his eyes.

"Of course, there are safer methods. Using an Awakening Potion or an Awakening Stone works. But those potions are extremely rare; the average person can’t afford them at all."

Though Moira could now harvest tens of thousands of Awakening Potions a day without batting an eye, it was still a drop in the bucket for the whole of Caelus.

Besides, even on an interstellar scale, Awakening Potions and Awakening Stones were considered scarce commodities.

Moira still remembered how she’d been beside herself with excitement when she first obtained an Awakening Stone.

Hearing Moira describe Awakening Potions and Awakening Stones as something so precious, Barry Wallace instantly abandoned any hope of getting one from the pair.

For one, he didn’t think this otherworldly woman would be carrying Awakening Potions around. For another, even if she were, he had nothing to offer in trade.

As evening fell, the streets began to empty.

Just then, Moira noticed someone on the dim street. They were carrying a bulging bag on their back and furtively heading in a specific direction.

What caught Moira’s attention wasn’t the person’s furtive behavior, but the energy they were emitting—it was another person with an awakened talent.

Since nightfall, the number of noise sickness patients—who acted as if they’d suddenly awakened some hyper-aggressive gene—had started to decrease, while the number of people with awakened talents was on the rise.

’This is the fifth one so far.’

"Walt, do you know how many people live in the City of Portmire?" Moira asked suddenly.

Hearing this, Barry Wallace thought for a moment and said, "The permanent population is about a hundred million. If you count tourists, it’s even more. Why do you ask?"

Moira didn’t answer Barry Wallace’s question. She turned to Hugh beside her and said, "Let’s follow and take a look."

As soon as she spoke, Hugh decisively turned the car around and gave chase in the direction the person had gone.

They had already driven all over the City of Portmire, mapping out every known route.

So even if they lost their target, they could quickly pick up the trail again using their maps combined with Moira’s Spiritual Tracking.

The group followed the trail out of the City of Portmire, finally arriving at an abandoned tunnel.

The location was remote, yet bustling with activity.

The activity wasn’t auditory; in fact, everyone there was remarkably quiet. But there was a large crowd—at least a hundred people.

’If the awakening ratio is one in ten thousand, then probably every Awakener in the entire City of Portmire is here.’

To avoid tipping them off, they kept their distance. Instead, Moira used her spiritual power to scout the area.

"It’s a marketplace."

Moira announced her conclusion after a period of scouting.

"We can trade those headphones here," Moira said.

’They’re useless to us anyway, and we don’t need them. Might as well trade them off.’

"Alright." With that, Hugh turned the car around and headed for the air-raid shelter.

Once they were near the air-raid shelter, Moira got out alone. After all, she had Instant Teleportation, and since she had sealed the entrance, no one else could get in.

Moira took two Space Buttons and used Instant Teleportation to get inside the shelter. As quickly as she could, she emptied the contents of the Space Buttons and began stuffing them with the headphones from the shelter.

Even after filling both storage spaces to the brim, there were still a lot of noise-canceling headphones left over.

’Oh well. I’ll just leave these for now.’

Before leaving, Moira checked the food. ’Good, nothing’s damaged. Even the cake I ordered is perfectly fine.’

Since the cakes had a short shelf life, Moira went ahead and flash-froze them, then used her ice ability to create a giant freezer.

The air-raid shelter was now practically an icehouse.

Back in the car, the group returned to the tunnel.

Moira took out the backpack they had bought earlier. Hugh smoothly took it and slung it over his shoulder.

The backpack was stuffed full and was by no means light, but Hugh shouldered it without a change in expression, causing Barry, who was watching from behind, to exclaim in shock.

"Can I ask... is that strength natural, or did you get it after awakening?"

"After awakening a talent, your physical attributes also improve. The degree of improvement depends on the talent. Beyond that, it’s also possible to awaken through physical training."

As they reached the tunnel entrance, a group of people blocked their path.

From them, they learned that there was an entrance fee.

Of course, the "fee" wasn’t actual money.

One of them produced thirty white feathers and said, "You have to infuse your talent into these feathers. Once you’ve filled ten of them, you can enter."

’Interesting. Feathers that can store the energy of a talent.’

’If I remember correctly, this talent is called Angel’s Wings.’

Moira and Hugh filled their ten feathers with ease. Barry, having only just awakened his talent, fumbled a bit.

So, after wasting a little time, he finally managed to fill his ten feathers.

The thirty originally white feathers now glowed in three different colors—silver, blue, and gray—and were quite beautiful to look at.