You're all my wings

Sanhua looked at Lu Li with a conflicted expression. "I will report your unusual traits truthfully. The Magistrate will have to decide how to proceed."

She turned back to Rover. "These are the tokens the Magistrate left for you."

"Lemme have a look!"

"Candy... a Leaf... a Black Fruit... and... is this a Sundial?"

Lu Li and A Piao stared at the tokens in bewilderment, unable to figure out what the Magistrate was playing at.

"Rover, Lu Li, could you hand me your Terminals for a moment?"

Rover put away the tokens, and the two of them handed their Terminals to her.

Sanhua performed a few operations on them.

"Your access authorizations have also been sent to every checkpoint and Beacon using your Terminal IDs. You only need to show your Terminal ID to the Gatekeeper or activate it at a Beacon."

"You should now be able to travel freely throughout Jinzhou."

Sanhua had originally intended to grant this access only to Rover, but considering Lu Li's unusual nature, she had decided to extend him some conveniences for the time being.

"Including the Frontier?" Rover asked.

They knew how much of a hassle the Frontier's procedures were.

"Yes. You may enter and leave freely, including the Frontier."

"Also, if I may ask, do you have somewhere to stay in Jinzhou?"

"If not, the Magistrate has already prepared rooms for you within the Frontier."

Lu Li raised his hand excitedly. "Me, me, me! The Frontier is my home!"

Rover smacked Lu Li on the back of the head again.

He felt he really needed to take out an insurance policy on the back of his head.

Rover declined. "That won't be necessary. We have other plans."

Although Rover didn't want to sleep out in the open either, it was better to remain cautious until they knew the other party's intentions.

Sanhua did not insist. "If you need them, simply let me know."

"I have finished conveying the Magistrate's requests. Is there anything else you would like to know?"

"Could you tell us about Magistrate Jinhsi?" Lu Li asked curiously.

"The Magistrate's original name was Xi. Upon taking office as Magistrate, she changed her name to Jinhsi."

"Of course, most people usually address the Magistrate by her title."

Sanhua's answer sounded thoroughly official.

"I want to know how old Jinhsi is this year. What's her zodiac sign? Is she married?"

Sanhua said, "..."

A Piao pulled the unhinged Lu Li behind her.

"What is the relationship between Magistrate Jinhsi and Jinzhou's Sentinel?"

When Rover had awakened at the Jade Dragon Terrace, she had encountered a statue of Jinzhou's Sentinel, Jué, which had stirred some of her memories. That was why she was curious.

"The Magistrate is known as the Dragon Maiden because she resonates with the Sentinel, Jué."

"As far as I know, the relationship between each Sentinel and their Magistrate varies. In Jinzhou, the Sentinel is something like a parental figure to the Magistrate."

"That... is merely what I have inferred from things the Magistrate has mentioned in daily life. I have only met the Sentinel a handful of times myself."

Rover considered this for a moment. There wasn't much information in that answer either.

"Have you... met me before?"

Some of her memories had awakened after she saw Jué, so she felt certain her past self had some connection to Jinzhou. As Jinhsi's bodyguard, perhaps Sanhua had met her before?

Unfortunately, Sanhua's answer left Rover a little disappointed.

"Before our first meeting at the Frontier, I had never seen you."

"If I had met you, I would not have forgotten."

Rover nodded, at a loss for words.

"A Piao, if there's nothing else you want to ask, can we leave? I'm getting hungry!"

Lu Li shook Rover's arm pleadingly. He hadn't eaten a thing since coming to this world!

Surely he couldn't eat the Rocksteady Guardian!

Rover smiled. "Then let's head out."

Yangyang and Chixia were still waiting outside, and staying here any longer wouldn't get them any more answers.

Sanhua said, "I will remain here, ready whenever you need me."

The two nodded and left.

Behind them, the Tacet Marks in Sanhua's pupils lit up again as she watched Lu Li's retreating figure.

This time, there was no stabbing pain. Instead, the sensation was rather gentle and soothing.

Yet he remained indistinct, impossible to see through.

Just then, a tightly shut door nearby suddenly opened.

A woman stepped out.

Her voice carried a hint of teasing. "My, my. What an unusual person..."

Sanhua turned and greeted her respectfully. "Lady Changli."

"Rover... is indeed very special."

Changli looked toward the pair's blurred, receding figures. "She certainly is, but I was referring to someone else."

Sanhua frowned slightly. "Mr. Lu Li..."

"Even your eyes cannot see through him. That certainly makes one curious about his little secrets..." Changli said with a smile. "You read that post too, didn't you? What an interesting person."

Sanhua did not answer.

After they left the Frontier, they found Yangyang and Chixia still waiting at the entrance.

Chixia said, "A Piao! Lu Li! You were in there forever. What, is the Magistrate a little chatterbox?"

Rover briefly recounted their conversation to Chixia and Yangyang.

Chixia said, "The Magistrate isn't in the Frontier...?"

Yangyang, meanwhile, was frowning.

Rover turned to Yangyang. "What's wrong?"

"The wind is rising. There's an unsettling, turbulent presence in it," Yangyang said, her heart fluttering with unease. "The Tacet Fields awakening one after another, the unusually powerful Remnants, the Magistrate's absence from the Frontier..."

[Ding! Options triggered!]

[Option one: Encourage Yangyang. Reward: Soothing Bell.]

[Option two: Comfort Yangyang. Reward: Wind Field Generator.]

[Option three: Mock Yangyang. Reward: The grave with the best feng shui in Jinzhou.]

Lu Li threw his arm into the air. "No matter what difficulties we face, we mustn't be afraid! Face them with a smile!"

"The best way to overcome fear is to face it! Perseverance is victory!"

"Come on! Let's go!!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to Lu Li's raised arm and shouting. While the three women were still reeling from his words, he suddenly took Yangyang's hands and held them against his chest.

"Yangyang, don't be afraid. Everything will get better. You can always trust me. You're not alone."

"Ah..." A faint blush spread across Yangyang's cheeks.

She stared at Lu Li's tender expression, momentarily dazed, but quickly came to her senses and hurriedly pulled her hands away.

"Um... I... I'm fine..." Yangyang didn't dare meet Lu Li's eyes.

[Ding! Option one completed. Item obtained: Soothing Bell.]

[Soothing Bell: When equipped on an Echo, the Echo's intimacy with you will gradually increase.]

[Ding! Option two completed. Item obtained: Wind Field Generator.]

[Wind Field Generator: Can create three wind fields in succession. Cooldown: one hour.]

By then, Chixia had also recovered. She pinched Lu Li's ear and said:

"You two-timing flirt! Didn't you confess to me and A Piao just a little while ago? Now you're trying to get your claws into Yangyang too?"

"Chixia, you've got it all wrong. You're all my wings!"

"?" Chixia grabbed Lu Li by the neck and shook him. "Wings, huh? I'll strangle you!"