So Cute It Nearly Killed Me!

"I gave it some careful thought. Someone as outstanding as you, Mr. Lu Li, was never destined to be confined to this."

"As the saying goes, the vast sea lets fish leap freely, and the boundless sky lets birds soar. Only a suitable job could bring out all your talents, Mr. Lu Li."

"How about becoming my personal intelligence officer?"

Lu Li was utterly lost in the beautiful girl's praise. Seeing this, A Piao pinched his waist:

"Don't let it go to your head..."

Lu Li laughed heartily. "You really are the Magistrate! What an eye for talent!"

"About this intelligence officer position..."

Jinhsi said, "You won't need to go out of your way to gather anything, Mr. Lu Li. Just share what you see and learn on your travels with me."

Lu Li asked, puzzled, "It's that simple?"

Jinhsi's eyes crinkled with a smile. "It's that simple. As my personal intelligence officer, you naturally deserve higher pay. How does a million Shell Credits a month sound?"

"Deal!"

How was this any different from getting money for free?

Although his talent, "Never underestimate a poor youth," could earn him 2.59 million Shell Credits a month.

Nobody would ever complain about having too much money!

Besides, it was a request from a beautiful girl. As someone with love to spare, Lu Li had even less reason to refuse!

Jinhsi said, "The members of the Black Shores should still be within Jinzhou's borders, keeping you under observation."

"It was also thanks to their work behind the scenes that we were able to meet so smoothly."

As she spoke, Jinhsi took out a photograph of a black flower. "This Black Flower is their token. Members of the Black Shores all wear one."

The Black Flower was not entirely black. A white, cross-shaped marking adorned the center of each petal.

Seeing it jogged Lu Li's memory.

Encore did indeed have a Black Flower like this fastened at her ankle, while Aalto's was positioned just below his shoulder.

It seemed they were undoubtedly members of the Black Shores.

Lu Li quipped, "Wearing your token out in the open isn't exactly mysterious, is it?"

Jinhsi chuckled. "Being able to conceal their identities despite such a conspicuous practice is another testament to their extraordinary methods."

"You can keep this photograph. Before Jué returns, I suggest you try starting with the Black Shores."

A Piao took the photograph, but a moment later, she suddenly froze.

Lu Li waved a hand in front of her eyes. "A Piao?"

A few seconds later, A Piao shook her head.

"A Piao, what's wrong?"

A Piao hesitated before saying, "I saw... an image of myself wearing a Black Flower..."

Lu Li exclaimed in shock, "Nani?! You're with the Black Shores too? Looks like my plan to take over the Black Shores is completely ruined..."

Jinhsi laughed. "You're still thinking about that plan?"

She turned to A Piao and said, "As I thought, your past must be deeply intertwined with this organization."

"Right now, your every move may be under close surveillance by the Overseer of the Fractsidus."

"If you can find members of the Black Shores, you'll have another source of support."

Lu Li said, "That's easy. I have Encore's contact details!"

Jinhsi nodded. "That's good. However, those two may not be the only members of the Black Shores within Jinzhou's borders."

"I will also find Jué as soon as possible and tell you everything we know."

"That is our promise."

The two left the Frontier.

Chixia and Yangyang had already been waiting for quite some time.

As they approached, they saw Yangyang speaking with Bai Zhi over a call.

"...I understand. I can feel it too... an uneasy restlessness lurks within the Flow carried by the wind."

"Jinzhou... may be facing a change in the weather," Yangyang said worriedly.

Puzzled, Lu Li looked up at the cloudless sky. The weather was lovely, and the sunlight felt warm against his skin.

"Is there going to be a sunshower?"

Chixia said, "Not that kind of change!"

Bai Zhi's holographic image said, "The Research Institute has frequently detected unusual activity in the Tacet Fields lately. If you plan to leave the city, please be careful."

A Piao said, "Thanks for the warning. Has your research been going well lately?"

As though she had not heard A Piao, Bai Zhi continued on her own. "Make sure your Terminal communications remain available at all times, and wear the protective equipment provided by the Research Institute according to the prescribed standards."

"Remember to drink plenty of water every day. I'll return to my experiments now. Take care, everyone."

Lu Li said, "Researcher Bai Zhi has confirmed it. Drinking more water really does help!"

A Piao asked in confusion, "Is this a live call? It isn't an automatic reply, is it...?"

Chixia was used to it. "Oh, that's just how she is! Her way of showing concern is a little twisted, but I think it's pretty cute."

Lu Li said, "So cute she nearly sliced me up for samples. Her cuteness really could kill me!"

Chixia gave an awkward laugh. "She's pretty normal when she isn't doing research..."

"Oh, never mind all that! Hurry up and tell us what you found out!"

After a little thought, A Piao left out the information about Jué's disappearance and briefly recounted what had happened earlier inside the Huanglan Compendium.

Chixia stamped her foot. "...Those Fractsidus people are absolutely despicable!"

Jué had told A Piao to go to the Norfall Barrens and find Jiyan. Could there be some special connection between Jiyan and Jué?

A Piao voiced her question.

Chixia said, "A special connection? I don't know about that... but I heard General Jiyan used to be a military doctor."

Yangyang said thoughtfully, "Hmm... actually, to talk about a special connection between them, we would have to bring up a chapter of Jinzhou's history."

"I once heard a storyteller near the theater tell it like this..."

[The current Magistrate is the ruler of Jinzhou chosen by the Sentinel Jué. Among the Magistrates throughout history, a select few were themselves Resonators of the Sentinel.]

[But after the previous Magistrate stepped down, Jué did not choose a successor for a long time.]

[Today's tale must begin with the Curved Blade Campaign...]

[At the Norfall Tomb, flat sands stretched without end, shattered swords littered the wilds, and the sky hung heavy as a shroud.]

[Though Jinzhou sought to reclaim the land, its prolonged offensive could not prevail.]

[The loathsome Faceless Calamity could absorb the frequencies of "weapons" to strengthen himself, and possessed the terrifying ability to transform the Echoes of the dead into Remnants...]

[The one who broke this stalemate was none other than Goshu Lin, the former general of the Midnight Rangers.]

[Twin Moons in the Sky heralded a great calamity. General Goshu pointed his sword at the Blood Moon and swore to slay gods and demons.]

[They say General Goshu's sword burned with black flames, incinerating every Echo until nothing remained. He swept across the battlefield as though no one could stand against him, and victory seemed within reach...]