One of Jinzhou's Own

Under the moonlight, Jinhsi gently stroked Ling An's head.

The night was cool, with only her palm carrying a faint trace of warmth.

She was not tall, and she strained to stand on tiptoe.

It made her rather adorable.

Ling An blushed for a moment.

This time, he really did.

Although Jinhsi's gesture had a tremendous impact on him, he was not undone by this unexpected move.

He began to ponder the meaning of his existence.

Of course, it was definitely not to let Jinhsi pet him a little longer or anything.

Absolutely not.

Ling An began to realize how special he was to Jinzhou, to Huanglong, and even to all of Solaris.

It suddenly struck him that he seemed to have been underestimating his own importance all along.

Most Tacet Discords had no self-awareness.

Whether they even possessed emotions remained a major subject of research at the Huaxu Academy.

And now, he, a fully self-aware Tacet Discord-a Crownless-had suddenly popped up.

Right into Jinhsi's sight.

All Ling An needed to do was wander around Jinzhou City every day, but as its magistrate, Jinhsi had far more to consider.

Put simply, he was a force she could win over;

on a deeper level, because Tacet Discords could grow by devouring one another, he had the potential to reach at least the Tacet Discord class, or even become a Threnodian.

At least, after his battle with Scar, Ling An was now only half a step away from the Tacet Discord class.

He was certain that Jinhsi, who had been watching him from the shadows all along, could not possibly be unaware of this.

He was no fool, nor was he so conceited that he thought he was some chosen one every beautiful woman he met would throw herself at.

For all its turmoil and complications, this world always revolved around interests.

That was especially true for those in power.

After all, the Threnodian representing war alone had brought countless years of bloodshed to Jinzhou.

What if, one day, he could become a Threnodian too?

Right now was the perfect opportunity to invest in him.

Without a doubt, Jinhsi had recognized that opportunity with her keen eye and seized it.

Ling An raised his eyes to meet hers.

He said quietly, "I've never intended to stand against you or Rover."

"As for Jinzhou..."

Standing high above the ground, he gazed out over the entire city.

Jinzhou was quiet and tranquil at night, a picture of peace.

An image suddenly flashed through his mind: a Tacet Discord Tide breaking through the city gates.

Tacet Discords howled and slaughtered, while civilians fled, wounded and dying.

Yangyang, Chixia, Jianxin, and Danjin fought bloody battles to protect the people of Jinzhou City.

If that day truly came, they might be injured too, or even laid to rest forever.

Ling An did not want to see that happen.

If he had previously treated this like a game, everything he had seen and heard during his time in Jinzhou had undoubtedly begun to draw him into life here.

He had witnessed so much firsthand-

gentle Yangyang, lively Chixia, innocent Danjin, kindhearted Jianxin, and...

those soldiers who held firm on the front lines, spilling their blood and giving their lives.

He had met many people here during this time, and would soon meet even more.

Perhaps all of this had been part of Jinhsi's expectations as well.

She had let him experience these things before meeting him.

Yet, surprisingly, Ling An did not dislike the feeling.

For a fleeting moment, he seemed to see the fortunes of Jinzhou and its countless citizens resting on this girl's slender shoulders.

So he said firmly, "This is a good place. I'm more than willing to do my part."

At his words, a flicker of delight passed through Jinhsi's eyes.

She stood quietly before Ling An and held out her hand. "Jinzhou welcomes you, and it's honored to have you become one of its own, Ling An!"

Ling An extended his hand as well, clasping her petite palm.

He declared, "After finally making it here, how could I not write a verse that's mine alone!"

A fierce wind suddenly rose, and Ling An stood atop the building.

He was as steadfast as a cornerstone that could never be moved.

"Um..."

Amid that solemn atmosphere, Ling An suddenly spoke with hesitation.

Looking at Jinhsi's puzzled eyes, he asked softly, "What you said about keeping a cat... does that still stand?"

Jinhsi froze blankly in place at his words.

The boomerang had come back around, and a barely noticeable blush crept onto her cheeks.

Ling An had left her completely immobilized for a full three seconds.

Then she smiled. "If you don't mind, I could ask my mentor. I think she said something similar before."

Your mentor?

Wouldn't that be...

Changli!

Ling An nodded firmly. "All right. Sorry for the trouble."

That was just the kind of person he was: he could never stay serious for more than three seconds.

High on the platform, two distinctly different laughs drifted away on the wind.

The next day.

Outside Rover's residence, Chixia paced anxiously back and forth.

As a Patroller, she had received an order first thing that morning.

Apparently, the order had come from the Border Fortress, passing through layer after layer before reaching her hands-

the magistrate had ordered her to take Ling An to sit the Patroller assessment.

Chixia had been stunned when she first received it.

She had asked repeatedly, confirming that the order was genuine.

But even now, she still felt as though her world had been turned upside down.

Ling An was a cat!

When had Jinzhou ever let a cat become a Patroller?

But since Magistrate Jinhsi had issued the order herself, no one could question it.

So Chixia had hurried to the residence, afraid of holding things up.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ling An's languid figure slowly approaching.

She immediately stepped forward to question him, her voice full of suspicion. "Ling An, what did you do?"

Ling An yawned.

What had he done?

Nothing more than a long, private heart-to-heart with Jinhsi last night, with moonlight and a beautiful woman making an exquisite scene.

Of course, Jinhsi had promised to give him a legitimate identity.

That identity was, naturally, a Patroller of Jinzhou City.

But at the same time, in the interest of fairness, Jinhsi would only give him an opportunity. He would have to earn it himself.

He glanced at Chixia, ignoring the disbelief on her face.

What was so shocking about making a kitty a Patroller?

It was perfectly reasonable, okay?

The free-roaming cats in Jinzhou City wandered around every day. They might know its nooks and crannies far better than the average Patroller did.

Faced with Chixia's lack of worldly experience, Ling An decided not to hold it against her.

He had thought Jinhsi might give him some sort of Gestapo position, but a Patroller would do too.

Looked like he still couldn't measure up to Tide Sis.

Oh well. Tide Sis was one of his mounts too, anyway-no offense intended.

He would not fuss over it.

Ling An leaped into the arms of his other mount.

Chixia, let's go.

With Chixia looking utterly resigned to her fate, the two of them headed toward Jinzhou City's Training Camp.

For certain reasons, Jinhsi had simplified his assessment.

There would be no written exam; he would proceed straight to the interview.

Meanwhile, at the Training Camp, Instructor Yan Yan stared at the notice he had received, sitting alone in a daze for a long time.