Old Wen pondered for a moment and said, "In that case, let's evacuate the tourists first."
Jiyan nodded slightly. "Then, Mr. Lucian and Rover, please take a rest for now. We'll handle the evacuation since you're our guests."
Lucian immediately looked pleased. "Jiyan, I see great potential in you for a promotion. I'll make sure to praise you emphatically in front of Jinhsi."
Jiyan: "..."
After the group dispersed, Lucian and Rover went to a restaurant in Taoyuan Vale for a meal. At some point, Jiao-Jiao had also joined them.
Jiao-Jiao sat down with slight dissatisfaction. "You guys went out to have fun without inviting me?"
Rover explained earnestly, "We saw you were still asleep earlier and didn't want to disturb your royal dragon slumber."
Jiao-Jiao: "?"
When it came to food, Abby would never miss out. The group feasted heartily.
However, just as Lucian was about to pay, his hand suddenly paused. He then mused, "Rover, do you think someone of our status should really be paying for ourselves?"
Rover's expression turned serious. "You make a good point. So, who should foot the bill?"
Lucian thought for a moment. He was Jinhsi's intelligence officer and a guest advisor of the Black Shores.
Given that he would eventually settle in Jinzhou after helping Rover recover her memories, Jinzhou would essentially become his second home. Naturally, he couldn't send the bill there.
Lucian's expression brightened as he turned to the restaurant owner. "Please send the bill to the Black Shores!"
The owner fell silent for a moment. "I can do that, but... where exactly are the Black Shores?"
The group at the table also fell silent—none of them knew where the Black Shores were located either.
Abby guessed, "Wouldn't Lollo Warehouse know? They claim they can deliver anywhere."
Jiao-Jiao, however, shook her head. "The Black Shores is Huanglong's most mysterious organization for a reason. There's no way Lollo Warehouse would know."
Lucian hesitated. "Then how about sending the bill to the Fractsidus?"
Rover: "...If you send the bill to the Fractsidus, they might just bring it back to beat you up with it."
Jiao-Jiao sighed. "Let me handle it."
Under the expectant gazes of Rover and Lucian, Jiao-Jiao took the bill, blew on it lightly, and it vanished into thin air.
Lucian blinked in confusion. "That's it?"
Jiao-Jiao lifted her chin proudly. "Of course. Have you forgotten who I am?"
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Black Shores...
A small black robot stared intently at the stock market, snickering. "Kukuku... Time to short-sell."
Just then, a white bill suddenly materialized and plastered itself onto its face.
"?"
The black robot froze, then squinted at the bill. "Yuechuan Spicy Meat Noodles... Red Oil Hand-Torn Chicken... Jinzhou Stew... Star Crisps... Champion Spicy Pot... Total: 120,000 Shell Credits..."
The black robot fell silent for a moment before erupting in fury. "WHICH BASTARD SENT THIS BILL TO ME, KU-MONEY?!"
"I'M FILING A COMPLAINT! A COMPLAINT!"
Abby patted his full belly contentedly. "Food you get for free really does taste the best!"
Lucian let out a satisfied burp. "As the great heroes of Jinzhou, it's only right that we spend money where it truly matters, no?"
"But I don't think we should just keep milking the Black Shores. Let's send some bills to the Fractsidus next time."
"Consider it interest for Phrolova trying to kill me."
"As the saying goes, 'Enjoy the blessings, let others shoulder the hardships.'"
Rover nodded slightly. "As long as you don't mind being hunted down by the Fractsidus, it's fine."
Abby shrugged. "The Black Shores and Fractsidus are probably going to cry tears of gratitude."
Lucian sighed. "What can I say? This is just the kind of warm-hearted person Lucian is."
Just then, Jiyan approached. "Everyone, the tourists have been evacuated. Let's go investigate the cause of the Gulpuff disturbance."
Lucian quickly waved him over. "Perfect timing, Jiyan! Order whatever you want—the Fractsidus are paying!"
Jiyan: "?"
Elsewhere...
A Fractsidus disciple bowed respectfully. "Lady Phrolova..."
Phrolova gazed distantly toward Jinzhou, her expression blank. "What is it?"
The disciple hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "There's... a bill here..."
Phrolova: "?"
She took the bill from the disciple and scanned the long list of dishes: "..."
"Hmph... Lucian..."
For some reason, out of all the enemies the Fractsidus had, Phrolova's first thought was Lucian's name.
She crumpled the bill into shreds. "Pay it."
The disciple behind her was stunned but didn't dare argue. "...Understood."
Having stuffed themselves once again, the group heard Jiyan's terminal chime.
Mortefi's live projection popped up.
"Everyone's here? What a coincidence."
Rover nodded slightly. "We all participated in the Riverside Games."
Mortefi sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Then I'm afraid I have to rain on your parade. The competition... will likely be suspended."
Jiyan quickly asked, "Did the monitoring results come in?"
Mortefi nodded. "As you requested, I checked the waterway surveillance data. There were indeed abnormal fluctuations detected near the northern upstream area."
Jiyan frowned. "Why didn't the nearby beacons pick it up?"
Mortefi mused, "The beacons are functioning normally. As for why they didn't detect this anomaly... I'll double-check."
Lucian tilted his head. "But what does an anomaly so far away have to do with the Gulpuff?"
Mortefi explained, "There's a phenomenon called 'animal premonition.' Before disasters strike, animals are often the first to sense the signs and flee."
"These Gulpuff remnants are the same—they're highly sensitive to frequency fluctuations. They must've detected the anomaly, which caused them to lose control."
"Jiyan must've realized this too, which is why he asked me to collect the waterway data, right?"
Jiyan nodded. "Exactly."
"The timing of this fluctuation is what bothers me... Why now, during the Riverside Games?"
Mortefi speculated, "Perhaps the Games' vibrations resonated with the upstream frequencies?"
Rover's expression turned serious. "In that case, let's head upstream and investigate directly."
Mortefi nodded. "Stay safe, everyone."
When the group arrived upstream, they found several remnants gathered around a Tacet Field, performing strange movements—almost like a ritual dance.
[Option 1: This is street dance! Join them and dance along! Reward: Talent 'Lone Trainee']
[Option 2: Reject mysticism, embrace science! Eliminate all remnants. Reward: 10,000 Points]