Tide Sis, the eternal GOAT

"Ahem."

Jinhsi cleared her throat, steering the strange atmosphere in the hall back on track.

By now, clever as she was, she had noticed that Tide Sis treated Ling An differently.

She looked at Scar. "One last question. Keeping [Jué] occupied, tracking the Rover, and setting an ambush in Qichi Village-you couldn't possibly have done all that alone. Unless..."

"Unless... I'm not the only Fractsidus Supervisor who came to Jinzhou, right? Hahahaha!"

Scar finished Jinhsi's sentence, confirming her suspicions.

That meant capturing Scar probably wouldn't improve the situation in Jinzhou nearly as much as they had expected.

The Sentinel's disappearance and the Threnodian's revival remained two unavoidable disasters looming over Jinzhou.

Tide Sis's arrival had undoubtedly caused enormous ripples.

Enough to warrant two Fractsidus Society Overseers gathering in Jinzhou to plot together.

The interrogation didn't seem to upset Scar in the slightest. Perhaps all he had wanted from the start was to air his views with Tide Sis present.

In short, his desire to recruit Tide Sis had never changed.

"I've answered your questions with complete sincerity. Whether you understand any of it makes no difference to me..."

With a subtle shift in his expression, he turned his gaze toward Jinhsi.

"Now, I'd like to ask you a question in return...

You've always believed that we in the Fractsidus were solely responsible for [Jué]'s disappearance. Aren't you curious about the real reason behind it?"

"How much do you know about [Jué]?" Jinhsi asked thoughtfully.

"Want to know? Come here, Madam Magistrate. I'll tell you and you alone," Scar said quietly.

"How dare you!" Sanhua snapped.

Confusion appeared on Tide Sis's face as well.

What did Scar need to tell Jinhsi in private?

Something everyone else had to be kept from hearing.

Jinhsi stepped forward to Scar's side. All they could see was his lips moving.

Then shock appeared on Jinhsi's face.

She murmured, "Impossible..."

Scar's laughter filled the hall.

He looked at Tide Sis. "Rover, we're the same kind of people-black sheep in the flock. The Fractsidus will always have a place for you."

With those final words, Scar was led away by Sanhua.

What awaited him was a seat at the same table as the Puppet Master.

In prison, of course, where they could work the sewing machines together.

In the hall, Tide Sis couldn't help asking Jinhsi, "What did Scar just tell you?"

Jinhsi's expression was grave. "I'm sorry, Rover. I can't reveal that to you yet. I must find [Jué] myself and verify it."

Tide Sis and Ling An exchanged a glance and sighed softly.

As the Magistrate, it was only natural for Jinhsi to have certain principles she insisted on upholding.

"Oh, Rover." Jinhsi suddenly stopped Tide Sis. "Before [Jué] disappeared, I was asked to pass a message on to you."

"When the downpour flows backward, awakened one, go to the Norfall Barrens and seek Jiyan, general of the Midnight Rangers."

"Jiyan?"

"That's right. [Jué] can foresee the future, so there must be a reason for this. But the time when the downpour flows backward probably isn't now."

Tide Sis nodded. "Then I'll go when the time comes."

With everything here settled, Ling An and Tide Sis had no reason to stay any longer.

Ling An transformed back into a cat and slipped naturally into Tide Sis's arms.

The two headed out of the Huanglan Library.

Just then, Jinhsi's voice came from behind them. "I'm sorry, Rover. About clues to your identity... have you ever heard of an organization called the Black Shores?"

The Black Shores?

Ling An's interest was piqued.

"They're one of the most mysterious organizations in the world today. On the day you awakened, Rover, members of the Black Shores contacted me to ask about you."

"They know about my identity?" Tide Sis asked in confusion.

Jinhsi handed her a photograph of a Black Flower. "Their members are still somewhere in Jinzhou. This Black Flower is their identifying token. They seem to have a habit of wearing one."

Tide Sis took the photograph and fell silent for a moment.

Ling An looked at her curiously. Tide Sis seemed to have remembered something.

"Before [Jué] returns, you could try finding members of the Black Shores to learn more," Jinhsi explained.

Ling An watched Tide Sis put away the photograph.

He understood that this was probably the key to unlocking the next part of the story.

After exchanging glances with the others, Ling An and Tide Sis left the Huanglan Library.

"Having fun?" Tide Sis suddenly asked as they walked through Jinzhou City.

"What do you mean, having fun?" Ling An asked uncertainly.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for me at home?"

"I was worried about you!" Ling An declared with righteous conviction.

Tide Sis suddenly smiled. "Forget it. At least nothing went wrong."

Then she asked Ling An, "What did Scar tell Jinhsi?"

Caught off guard by her sudden question, Ling An hesitated. "How would I know what those two were whispering about...?"

"Oh? Then what were you eavesdropping on when you sidled up so close?"

Ling An blushed.

So Tide Sis had seen right through his little maneuver earlier.

It was all that bad habit he had picked up last time.

Having such sharp ears wasn't always a good thing.

He lay across Tide Sis's shoulder and whispered, "The Sentinel prophesied an inevitable battle with Magistrate Jinhsi, and that battle will determine Jinzhou's survival and future course."

"Aha, so you did eavesdrop!" Tide Sis exclaimed.

Ling An waved his paws frantically, conceding defeat.

"As a guide to civilization, the Sentinel should work in tandem with the Magistrate. Why would they fight?"

Tide Sis posed a question Ling An himself wanted answered.

But for now, there was no answer.

Tide Sis looked at the photograph of the Black Flower Jinhsi had given her. "Perhaps our first priority should be finding someone from the Black Shores and asking them."

Ling An promptly nodded in agreement.

The Black Shores.

Though he wasn't familiar with the organization, he knew its members.

The suave Aalto, the adorable Encore...

And Miss Camellya, who had quite a taste for stirring up trouble for fun.

Ling An was already getting impatient.

As for everything Scar had said would happen after Dreamless awakened, all Ling An could do for now was take things one step at a time.

There was no doubt that the Threnodian's power was immense.

Far beyond anything he could currently contend with.

But he believed that if that day truly came, many people would be standing behind him.

His time living in Jinzhou had gradually taught him to believe in having companions.

That was all bonds really were.

At least the reassurance of having an overpowered protagonist like Tide Sis around put his mind somewhat at ease.

Stick with the protagonist, and you'd reap the rewards. Ling An now understood that principle all too well.

Hadn't even Scar been unable to last a single exchange against Tide Sis?

How did that saying go again?

Tide Sis, the eternal GOAT.