"What do you want to eat?"
"Anything is fine."
"Any dietary restrictions?"
"I don't eat fish."
"Then let's have hotpot."
At Pan Hua Restaurant, Noah held the menu and ordered Jinzhou specialties such as spicy boiled dishes, sweet and sour pork ribs, and forest-dwelling hotpot to welcome Cartethyia and wash away the dust of her journey.
In the morning, the restaurant did not have many customers. With open flames and fresh cooking, the dishes arrived quickly.
The cuisine made with Huanglong's unique spices and ingredients immediately conquered Cartethyia's taste buds.
"Delicious! So delicious."
"Haha, little girl, you have such a sweet mouth. Hero Noah, Auntie has never seen you bring any girl other than Yangyang or Chixia here before, and such a pretty one at that."
Auntie Pan Hua, speaking with a Sichuan accent, served the last dish on the table and teased Noah:
"Hero Noah, have you gotten yourself a girlfriend?"
Hearing this, Cartethyia's cheeks flushed slightly. She waved her hands in shy delight to explain:
"No, no, Auntie. My name is Cartethyia. I'm from Rinascita. I am very good friends with the Laureate for now. We're not in that kind of relationship yet."
"I see."
Her generous and graceful answer immediately won Auntie Pan Hua's favor. After chatting a bit more about how the friends of Jinzhou's hero were also her friends and offering Cartethyia discounts in the future, she left.
Who are Yangyang and Chixia? Cartethyia temporarily set that question aside. Instead, she looked at Noah with eager eyes that seemed to sparkle with brilliance.
"The Laureate is really so popular in Jinzhou. That's amazing."
"It's alright. It's mainly because everyone in Jinzhou is very warm and welcoming."
Noah pushed the sweet and sour pork ribs toward Cartethyia and chatted while eating:
"It's rare for you to come to Jinzhou. Whether it's Mt. Firmament, the Lightless Forest, or Norfall Barrens, I'll definitely take you around to see the sights."
"No, no, I didn't come here to play."
After swallowing the delicious food in her mouth, Cartethyia stated her purpose:
"On the Sentinel's behalf, I came to visit the situation of Jinzhou's Sentinel. Also, I wanted to meet the true Sentinel Resonator of Jinzhou myself."
As she spoke, Cartethyia became eager to try:
"If there's a chance, I also want to fight the true Sentinel Resonator to see who is stronger."
"Meeting is no problem, but fighting is better skipped."
Noah subconsciously wanted to dissuade Cartethyia, but he suddenly heard Jinhsi's voice from behind:
"That's a good point. Blades and swords have no eyes, and it would be inevitable for a guest to suffer some physical pain, which would be unbecoming of Jinzhou's hospitality."
Accompanied by a light breeze, a moon-white figure sat down beside Noah.
What a graceful (beautiful) woman. Cartethyia and Jinhsi met each other's gaze and both secretly marveled in their hearts.
Suppressing her thoughts for now, Jinhsi smiled gracefully at Cartethyia and Noah:
"Noah, won't you introduce us?"
Noah? Such an affectionate way to address him!
Across the table, Cartethyia's expression froze for a moment. Her chopsticks nearly slipped from her grasp. After regaining her composure, a trace of hostility unconsciously appeared in her gaze toward Jinhsi.
"Xixi, this is Cartethyia, the dual Sentinel Resonator of the Sentinel Threnodian from Rinascita. Little Cart, this is the Magistrate of Jinzhou, who is also the Sentinel Resonator of Jinzhou."
Little Cart? Such an affectionate way to address her!
So this is the person that Noah carried while flying across most of Rinascita.
Jinhsi's brows furrowed imperceptibly for a moment before quickly smoothing out. She politely extended her hand toward the exquisitely beautiful Cartethyia across from her:
"So you are the Sentinel Resonator from Rinascita. My apologies for not recognizing you earlier."
"I have finally met the Sentinel Resonator of Huanglong's Jinzhou. I have long heard of you."
Cartethyia extended her hand and shook Jinhsi's. Sparks seemed to fly as their gazes met:
"As the dual Sentinel Resonator, I have always looked forward to exchanging blows with the true Sentinel Resonator. I wonder if the Magistrate would be willing to accept this heartfelt invitation?"
A challenge? This woman is issuing a challenge right in front of Noah?
Jinhsi felt secretly indignant inside, but she nodded on the surface:
"Since we are both Sentinel Resonators, it would truly be difficult to refuse such an invitation."
"No. You two don't need to fight. The outcome is already clear."
Noah glanced at the two women's hands that had not yet let go. They immediately separated their hands obediently. Noah then seriously analyzed:
"Xixi possesses the power of Time and has undergone a second Resonance. If it's just an ordinary spar, Little Cart's chances of winning aren't high."
Seeing Noah standing on her side, Jinhsi's brows immediately filled with joy. She smiled at Noah, then looked at Cartethyia across from her. Her gaze shifted from gentle to slightly triumphant:
"Noah is absolutely right. I also cannot bully a guest from afar. How about this? I won't use the power of Time."
"Then I won't use the powers of Fusion and Separation either."
Cartethyia gripped her chopsticks tightly and said stubbornly:
"This way, it will be fair."
"That still won't work. The outcome remains clear."
Noah shook his head again:
"Little Cart has rich combat experience, while Xixi is slightly lacking in that regard. Looking only at weapons and Resonance abilities, Xixi's chances of winning aren't high."
"Haha, then according to the Laureate, you're directly declaring me the winner."
As soon as she finished speaking, Cartethyia burst into laughter. Her previous hostility dissipated. She proactively arranged bowls and chopsticks for Jinhsi, her words carrying a victor's modesty:
"In that case, there really is no need to fight anymore."
"Indeed." Jinhsi nodded calmly and indifferently:
"With powers, I win. Without powers, you win. One win and one loss like this can be considered even."
To Noah, these were normal words, but to Cartethyia they carried the implication that Jinhsi was deliberately letting her win.
Her previously relaxed brows rose slightly again.
"How about this? Since the Magistrate let me have one, I'll also let the Magistrate have one. I won't use Resonance abilities or weapons. How about it?"
"Then I won't either."
The air seemed to fill with the smoke of gunpowder. The two women glanced at each other, then simultaneously looked toward Noah:
"Noah (Laureate), you say—who wins?"
"Hmm?"
Sensing the fire in both women's tones, Noah frowned.
The next second, both women quickly adjusted their expressions and returned to calm.
"Without powers, without Resonance abilities, and without weapons, it really is hard to say who would win or lose. Do you two really want to fight?"
"Fight!" *2.
...
An open area in the suburbs.
Jinhsi with bare hands, Cartethyia with empty fists.
"Please." Jinhsi nodded slightly and saluted with a fist first, her gaze focused and resolute.
"Laureate, cheer for me, okay?" Cartethyia gave Noah a confident smile. Her figure flashed and she charged toward Jinhsi, bringing a gust of strong wind.
What a cunning fellow, trying to curry favor with Noah at a time like this. Jinhsi raised her hand to firmly block Cartethyia's punch, slightly startled inside.
Such great strength.
Having gauged Cartethyia's power, Jinhsi immediately changed her tactics. She used softness to overcome hardness, skillfully neutralizing Cartethyia's attacks. Her occasional counterattacks were also like hidden needles in cotton.
The two women's figures intertwined, making it hard to determine a winner for a while. Their footwork was intricate and orderly, flashing and shifting like flowing clouds and water. Their movements had a unique beauty that was very pleasing to the eye.
"So women's fights can look this good."
Noah deeply understood why Earth had women's fighting competitions. It was indeed different from men's duels.
If it were him fighting Leviathan, every move would be aimed at killing the opponent.
While he was pondering, Noah looked up and saw a moon-white figure rapidly enlarging in front of him. He quickly reached out to catch the soft figure.
"Noah, her strength is too great. My hand hurts so much."
Jinhsi took the opportunity to lean into Noah's arms. Her gaze imperceptibly glanced at Cartethyia with satisfaction before she pitifully raised her hand.
In this kind of contest without powers, weapons, or abilities, winning held no meaning. It was better to use the chance to get closer to Noah. The books she read were not for nothing.
As expected, Noah quickly switched to Verina's role, held Jinhsi's hand, and infused healing Resonance energy:
"Oh dear, how is it this serious? Your hand is all red. It was just a spar. No need to go so hard. Does it feel better now?"
Listening to Noah's slightly doting reprimand, Jinhsi held back the urge to giggle and turned to show Cartethyia a victor's smile.
Xixi, win!
"Thank you, Noah. I feel much better."
"That's good."
Shifting his gaze from Jinhsi to Cartethyia, the latter had clearly won but didn't look very happy. On the other hand, Jinhsi was somewhat giggling.
No big issue. Noah didn't think too much about it and instead said:
"Little Cart, the spar is over. In the afternoon, I'll take you to meet the Sentinel to complete the task. As for tonight…"
Noah pondered for a moment. He had originally thought about the impropriety of unrelated men and women living together and considered arranging a hotel for Cartethyia.
But on second thought, even Jinhsi had stayed at his place. It wouldn't be a problem for Cartethyia to stay there either. In terms of accommodation, his guest rooms were no worse than a hotel.
"If you don't mind, you can stay at my place during this time."
As soon as the words fell, Jinhsi stopped giggling.
The smile transferred to Cartethyia's face.