"Jinhsi might be in trouble. I need to go to Mt. Firmament to find her and the Sentinel."
Sanhua nodded slightly. "You are someone Magistrate trusts and has entrusted with this task. I have no right to stop you."
"However, the path to Mt. Firmament is shrouded in mystery. You'll need a 'Guide' to accompany you to reach it. As for the specifics… I'm not entirely sure myself."
Lucian frowned. "A Guide?"
"Back at Panhua Restaurant, I overheard diners saying that many have tried to find Mt. Firmament, but all ended up lost in the sea fog..."
Rover asked, "Where can we find this Guide?"
Sanhua pondered. "Right now… she's probably at the ferry near Whining Aix's Mire. I'll send her a message shortly."
"You can head to the ferry to meet her. Given her status, she should know more about the current situation at Mt. Firmament than I do."
Lucian was puzzled. "Is her status very high?"
Sanhua didn't know much about Mt. Firmament, yet she claimed this 'Guide' would understand the situation better due to her status.
That implied this 'Guide' held a higher position than Sanhua and that Sanhua was quite familiar with her.
Sanhua played the role of the cryptic speaker. "You'll understand once you meet her."
"I trust Magistrate's judgment."
"In her absence, I'll do my best to manage affairs at City Hall."
As she spoke, a trace of worry flickered across Sanhua's face.
"Did you notice something?" Lucian inquired.
Sanhua sighed. "In Magistrate's last communication, I noticed she seemed weaker than usual, as if she was forcing herself to appear energetic while hiding her exhaustion."
Lucian: "Her last communication? When was that?"
The last time Lucian had seen any updates about Magistrate was on the forum yesterday, but text alone couldn't reveal much.
Sanhua: "Just yesterday."
"But Magistrate's current situation… doesn't seem very optimistic."
"I see…" Lucian grew concerned.
After all, he was currently reporting intel to Jinhsi and earning a million Shell Credits every month.
If something happened to Jinhsi, he'd lose this cushy job!
Just kidding—though that was part of it, it wasn't the main reason.
As Jinhsi's friend, he naturally wanted to help her.
Plus, Magistrate was a Resonator. Building a good relationship with her came with rewards!
Not to mention Jinhsi was so beautiful…
Ahem—it definitely wasn't because Lucian was attracted to her. It was purely friendship. That's all.
Abby darted excitedly between Rover and Lucian's Tacet Marks, having the time of his life.
After a moment of thought, he mused, "Speaking of which, that weird scent from Mt. Firmament actually smells pretty good, but it doesn't seem edible..."
Lucian sighed. "Poor Abby…"
Abby's expression darkened. Whenever Lucian said something like that, he knew he was about to be roasted.
"How am I poor now?"
Lucian: "Normal people like us analyze things from multiple angles."
"But Abby can only think about whether something is 'edible' or not. Isn't that pitiable?"
"Though I get it. After all, Abby's a Remnant."
Abby crossed his arms indignantly. "You know I'm a Remnant!"
"As the saying goes: 'Man is iron, rice is steel—skip a meal, and weakness you'll feel.'"
"That applies to me too!"
Rover remarked dryly, "Abby seems a bit more cultured than Chixia."
Lucian: "If we're just comparing their obsession with food, Chixia's probably just as bad."
Sanhua, listening from the side, asked curiously, "Is this the little thing Baizhi mentioned, the one that's always inside you?"
Rover nodded slightly. "This is mine and Lucian's child."
Rover was staking her claim.
Sanhua: "?"
How could a human and a human produce a Remnant?
Clearly, she shared the same confusion as Chixia.
However, she did notice that Rover and Lucian had an exceptionally close relationship.
Perhaps it was because Lucian had been by Rover's side all this time.
Magistrate had once said that with Lucian as a capable assistant, Rover's burden would lighten considerably.
It seemed Jinhsi truly had an eye for talent.
"Time is of the essence. Rover, Lucian—take care on your journey to Mt. Firmament."
"I've sent the ferry's coordinates to your terminals. Whatever the outcome, Sanhua thanks you in advance."
Lucian grinned cheekily. "No need for thanks. Just marry me."
"Ow—!"
Rover pinched Lucian's ear and dragged him out of City Hall.
Sanhua watched the two bicker as they left, shaking her head slightly before adjusting her sunglasses and returning to her desk to continue her work.
...
Outside City Hall, Abby stretched lazily, his stomach growling.
"Ugh… so hungry…"
"Lucian, do you have any more of those… whatchamacallit… Eye-Popping Pills?"
Lucian spread his hands. "Nope. We'll have to gather materials on the way out of the city before I can make more."
Rover was speechless. "Didn't you just eat?"
Abby scratched his cheek. "It's not that I'm hungry, exactly. I just get sleepy easily."
"Seems like I can only digest the frequencies I've absorbed while sleeping. Otherwise, it feels stuck."
"But that pill you gave me yesterday let me digest while awake and kept me energized."
Abby stretched again, rubbing his heterochromatic eyes drowsily.
"Anyway, if there's no pill, I'm gonna go to sleep…"
Lucian nodded. "Then sleep. By the time you wake up, we should have the materials ready."
Abby: "Well, if you guys are in danger, I'll wake up instinctively—just like before."
"Unless, of course, nothing poses even the slightest threat to you."
"Then there'd be no reason to wake… me…"
Before he could finish, Abby sank into Rover's Tacet Mark.
Lucian and Rover exchanged glances.
"What do you think about this Guide?"
Rover asked.
She was curious about Mt. Firmament.
Something told her this trip would reveal a lot about her identity.
Lucian shook his head slightly. "Not sure. All I know is her status is higher than Sanhua's."
"If Jinhsi went to Mt. Firmament, she must've gotten there through this Guide too."
"We'll find out once we get there."
Rover nodded. "In that case, let's head to the ferry first. This Guide should know a lot about Mt. Firmament."
...