"So this is the real Jinhsi. Even more beautiful than I imagined."
He stared at the silver-haired girl's holographic projection, transfixed. It was only a hologram, and it was already stunning.
Beside him, the female Rover put the pieces together. Yangyang had mentioned it not long ago: the Sentinel Jué had a Resonator named Jinhsi, and she also served as Jinzhou's Magistrate.
The highest authority in the city.
She hadn't expected someone so young.
The city-wide projection began to speak.
"Everyone, with the Moon-Chasing Festival approaching, Jinzhou welcomes visitors from all corners. The celebrations promise to be a joyous occasion, and I look forward to them as much as any of you. However, there is something I wish to ask of Jinzhou's people. Among the travelers who have come to our city, there are two guests of great importance, not only to me, but to Jinzhou and to all of Huanglong."
As she spoke, her hands, folded neatly at her waist, tightened ever so slightly. Even through a projection, the anticipation in her eyes was unmistakable.
"We have been awaiting them for some time. These two guests will likely feel lost and confused upon waking. Should they choose to remain within Jinzhou's borders, I would humbly invite them to meet with me in the city. I cannot promise to answer every question they may have, but if they are willing, I would like to offer whatever assistance I can, along with certain privileges to ease their way. This invitation carries no obligation. It is a request, nothing more. They are free to choose any course of action they wish. And so, I ask all soldiers and citizens of Jinzhou: should the opportunity arise, please extend our guests your courtesy and care."
The hologram faded with Jinhsi's gentle, snow-soft smile, and the transmission ended. Yangyang, Baizhi, and Chixia exchanged loaded glances, then turned in unison toward the two Rovers.
"Gee, I wonder who these two important guests could be. Such a mystery."
"Heh. Don't think there's much left to guess."
"No, there isn't. But for the Magistrate to speak so respectfully, almost like she was addressing superiors... Rovers, your identities are far from ordinary."
She blinked, then propped her hands on her hips with a little spark of pride.
He shrugged, his gaze lingering on the space where Jinhsi's projection had vanished. Something was clicking into place.
"So that's how it is."
"Hm? What do you mean? Did you figure something out?"
"A little. Yangyang, doesn't the timing strike you as too convenient? The Etheric Sea was jamming all Pangu Terminal communications until moments ago. But the instant we dealt with the Crownless and the tide receded, Jinhsi's broadcast came through."
Four pairs of eyes went wide.
He was right. Calling it coincidence was a stretch.
They'd barely recovered from the signal blackout when the Magistrate's message arrived, and while she'd kept it veiled, her invitation all but named the two Rovers directly. It was as though she'd known exactly when the Crownless would fall. It almost made you wonder if she'd been watching the whole time.
"What?! The Magistrate's been nearby this whole time?!" Chixia whipped her head around, scanning the treeline. She'd only seen a leader of that rank a handful of times.
"If it were anyone else, I'd assume they were watching from somewhere close." He glanced at the female Rover. "But since it's this particular Magistrate, there's another explanation."
She caught on in a heartbeat.
"You mean... the Sentinel?!"
"Bingo." He snapped his fingers. "If we're talking about Jué, who can see the future, then pinpoint timing is a given. Jué sensed our arrival, and the Magistrate happens to be the Sentinel's Resonator."
"So it was the Sentinel who contacted Jinhsi and told her to invite us to Jinzhou. The one who wants to see us isn't the Magistrate at all. It's the Sentinel!"
Her golden eyes widened with the thrill of realization.
At the same time, she recalled the Sentinel's statue she and Rover had seen at Memento Square. It had been carved to resemble the Sentinel's true form, but at the end of the day, it was still a pile of stone. Yet somehow, through that statue, the two of them had Resonated directly with Jué and glimpsed the Sentinel's true body.
That shouldn't have been possible. There was only one explanation.
"Jué used her Foresight to see that we'd appear in Jinzhou at this exact moment. So long ago, she left her own Frequency embedded in Memento Square. The moment we passed by, it would Resonate with us and confirm we'd arrived."
He nodded and gave her a thumbs-up.
Though one detail was off. Jué had foreseen the female Rover's arrival today, but she'd had no idea he would be here too. That was why the Sentinel had been so startled.
And why Jinhsi had needed to hastily revise her broadcast.
One honored guest had become two.
"I... my head is spinning..." Chixia scratched at her red hair, eyes glazed. She had the distinct sensation of something itching behind her skull. New brain cells, maybe, trying to grow in.
Yangyang and Baizhi were still reeling. The Magistrate seeking someone out and the Sentinel seeking someone out were two entirely different things. Jinhsi's status was extraordinary, but she was still human. Jué, on the other hand...
Jué was the being they revered as a god.
And as the Sentinel's Resonator, Jinhsi's attitude could, in a sense, be taken as a reflection of Jué's own.
If Jinhsi treated the two Rovers with such deference...
Did that mean the Sentinel felt the same?
Then...
What in the world were these two Rovers, to command that kind of respect from a god?
"Seriously, who are you people?!"
Even Baizhi, cool and clinical as ever, felt her heart hammering in her chest. The female Rover spread her hands in a helpless shrug, as if to say: I have amnesia. Don't look at me.
But while she'd lost her memories, he hadn't.
A smile of quiet amusement crossed the dark-haired boy's face.
"Well, let's see. Jinzhou was a city we helped create alongside the Sentinel, once upon a time. And Jué calls us her Arbiters. So... you tell me."
"Wh... WHAT?!" Four voices collided at once.
Not just the other three. Even the female Rover's eyes went round, her expression screaming: Wait, we're THAT important?!
Yangyang, Baizhi, and Chixia were trembling. They couldn't tell if he was joking or dead serious. His expression looked playful enough, but when they considered everything the two Rovers had done, and how closely their abilities mirrored the godlike figure of Huanglong's creation myth...
It didn't seem impossible at all.
"Are you... are you being serious?"
"Heh. Does it matter either way?"
"Of course it matters! If it's true..."
"Then we're still friends, aren't we?"
He looked at the three of them with a quiet smile. The female Rover wore the same expression. Whatever they were, whatever titles they'd once held, they already considered Yangyang, Baizhi, and Chixia friends. Because even when these three had known nothing about who the Rovers were, they'd helped them without hesitation or reservation.
After a beat of stunned silence, the tension broke. Smiles bloomed across all three faces, bright with relief.
"...Yeah. You're right."
"No matter what, we're already friends."
"Come on. We need to reach the city before dark."
The five of them set off toward Jinzhou, cutting through the occasional Tacet Discord along the way while the two Rovers soaked up more about the world from their three companions.
But not far behind them, perched on the branch of a tall tree, a figure in red and white swung one long, stocking-clad leg idly back and forth. Her eyes were alight with excitement as she watched the two dark-haired figures walking ahead.
"I was a little annoyed when the Tethys System sent me that emergency dispatch out of nowhere. But..." A grin split her face. "Coming here was absolutely worth it. I've finally found you. My dear... Seeds of Destiny."
She produced two small wooden carvings, each sculpted to near-completion. Only the faces remained blank.
Working from what she'd observed of the two Rovers, she carved their likenesses into the wood.
Then she gazed at the finished figurines.
And laughed.
It was not a healthy laugh.