"Should we deal with the person tailing us?"
They were nearing Jinzhou's city gates when the female Rover dropped her voice, leaning close to her companion. One hand already rested on her sword, the blade nudged a fraction out of its sheath. One word from him and she'd send it flying.
He said nothing, his expression complicated.
The "mysterious plant lady" lurking behind them was masking her presence, but thanks to absorbing the Crownless Echo, both Rovers' senses had sharpened dramatically. They'd picked her up with ease.
The female Rover found the whole thing deeply suspicious. The stranger had been shadowing them for a while now, and there was something unhinged about her aura.
Hard to write that off as friendly.
But he placed his hand over hers on the hilt.
"Leave it. We're about to enter the city, and while her presence feels dangerous, there's no hostility."
"Mm, fair enough. She gets a pass for now."
She nodded. An unknown element, sure, but not worth drawing steel over. And if it did come to a fight, she had full confidence in what the two of them could handle together.
Meanwhile, he already had a theory about why this particular someone was here. Because not far from where they walked, nestled in the underbrush, that glowing blue butterfly was still there.
From the Etheric Sea to the Gorges of Spirits. From the Gorges of Spirits all the way to the gates of Jinzhou.
It had never left their side.
So...
Shorekeeper probably saw things getting dicey when we fought the Crownless and called her in for backup. Otherwise there's no reason she'd be out here.
The Sentinel Jué had Foresight, so early detection was a given. The Shorekeeper had been watching from the very start. But this one? She hadn't stumbled onto them during an afternoon stroll.
He shook his head and let it go. No reason to make contact yet. Besides... the city rising before him had seized every scrap of his attention.
"Ta-da! Welcome to Jinzhou, Rovers!"
Chixia struck a pose at the gate, arms spread wide with pride.
Both Rovers' golden eyes contracted. Before them sprawled a magnificent fortress city built against mountains and over rivers, ancient aesthetics fused seamlessly with advanced technology in a way that shouldn't have worked but did.
The city's back pressed against cliffs hundreds of meters high, yet it also straddled a great river. A ring of blue energy barriers encircled the entire perimeter, keeping Tacet Discords at bay.
The sight alone was enough to make you feel safe.
Soldiers in green uniforms stood at rigid attention by the gates, rifles in hand. Behind them lay a military encampment that radiated discipline, and beyond that... ten thousand lights, warm and alive.
With Yangyang's credentials as an Outrider, Chixia's rank as a Patroller, and Baizhi vouching for them on behalf of the Huaxu Academy, the two Rovers passed through despite their unknown identities.
What came after left them both wide-eyed.
"So this is Jinzhou. Not bad at all."
"Everyone here is smiling."
Yangyang, Chixia, and Baizhi couldn't help but feel a swell of hometown pride at the reaction.
Jinzhou was a border fortress, and soldiers were a common sight. A certain martial edge came with the territory.
But the civilians wore smiles that reached their eyes, warm and genuine, full of the easy kindness of people rooted in their community. The two atmospheres didn't clash. If anything, they complemented each other perfectly, as though this was exactly how things were supposed to be.
Add in the distinctly Jinzhou touch of stone lion statues fitted with surveillance cameras, massive floating waypoints hovering overhead, and the occasional utility Echo going about its business, and Rover felt a powerful urge to play tourist and snap photos of everything.
"Is it always this crowded?" The female Rover eyed the bustling throngs around them.
The other three nodded, estimating the foot traffic was roughly triple the usual. But that was unavoidable. Jinhsi's city-wide broadcast had sent waves of excitement through every visitor in the region. Countless outsiders had convinced themselves that they were the honored guests the Magistrate had mentioned, and come flooding in.
They were, of course, all wrong.
"Hehe, if people knew the Magistrate's guests were standing right next to us, imagine the chaos!"
"Let's go see her first. It's getting late, and we'll keep it quick. What a day this has been."
"Mmm, but what do we do after that?"
The female Rover propped one elbow in her palm, chin resting on her other hand, worry creasing her brow. Before meeting the Magistrate, she and Rover needed to confront some harsh realities.
Where were they sleeping tonight?
And how were they supposed to survive in a city with zero money?
He went quiet. Right. That was important.
He'd transmigrated without a wallet, and she didn't have a single Shell Credit to her name. They couldn't afford an inn if they wanted to.
And he remembered all too well that Jinzhou's cost of living was no joke. The city even had a notoriously ruthless merchant who'd squeezed 3,843,546,994,000 Shell Credits out of players in a single year.
Jinhsi, I'm begging you, raid Mahe's General Store.
"Um, in that case... you two could stay at my place for now. It's, um... it's pretty big." Yangyang raised her hand, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She might work in the military, but she was still a young lady from a wealthy family.
"As for money, Jinzhou has a Pioneer Association branch. You can take on commissions there. And the Whisperin Cores you've collected from all the Tacet Discords along the way are worth a decent amount, too."
"Phew, that's a relief. We'll be imposing on you for a while, Yangyang."
"It's no imposition at all. I'm happy to help."
Her smile was the kind that could heal wounds on its own.
Baizhi excused herself to return to the research institute, saying she needed to file her data from the day and arrange examinations for the two Rovers. Chixia still had patrol duty.
So Yangyang took the lead, guiding them on a tour of the city before heading toward Jinzhou City Hall, where the Magistrate could usually be found.
Along the way, they passed an endless parade of outsiders claiming to be the Magistrate's honored guests, every last one of them turned away without mercy. Strangely, none of them seemed disappointed. If anything, they were ecstatic.
Outsider A: "Yes! Lady Sanhua rejected me!"
Outsider B: "So cool! Lady Sanhua, step on me!!"
Outsider C: "Hehehe... so this is what it feels like to fall in love..."
Outsider D: "Wow! Those eyes could cut steel!"
Both Rovers stared in silence.
Suddenly, they were a lot less eager to meet the Magistrate.
They glanced at Yangyang, but for once the girl who seemed to know everything could only shake her head. She didn't know much about this "Lady Sanhua" either, only that she served as the Magistrate's most trusted personal guard.
"There are only two possibilities here," the female Rover said flatly. "Either this Sanhua is unhinged, or these visitors are."
"Ahem. We're here already. Let's take a look."
"I'll head home and get things ready. See you when you're back." Yangyang waved them off with the warm domesticity of a newlywed wife waiting at home.
An attendant led the two Rovers through Jinzhou City Hall. Perhaps it was the combination of their striking looks and unusual presence, but heads turned along every corridor they passed.
"The two guests may proceed. Lady Sanhua is inside."
"Got it, thanks."
"...But we're here to see the Magistrate."
"My apologies. Due to the sheer number of people claiming to be the honored guests today, I must first conduct a screening. Only the Magistrate's true guests will be granted an audience."
Her voice arrived before she did.
Before the Rovers could step through the door, a woman emerged. Black from head to toe, silver hair, crimson eyes, and an air that belonged to an entirely different breed of cold beauty than Baizhi's. Where Baizhi was still water, this one was a drawn blade: razor-sharp and lethally efficient.
The kind of presence that could drop you to your knees with a single look.
So the verdict was in.
There was nothing wrong with Sanhua.
The outsiders were the problem.
Absurd, but understandable. Only human. He took in Sanhua, who was even more striking in person than in-game, and kept the thought to himself.