Visitors from the Ming Court

Solaris was not without networks, but whether it was Stardust Academy's campus network or communication channels in other regions, the Lament imposed considerable restrictions on them.

Although interregional communication was possible, it suffered from lengthy delays. The FliChat function on terminals developed by the Deep Space Union Research Institute, however, solved that problem nicely.

Lu Guan was in Jinzhou now, yet his terminal could receive FliChat messages from Lahai-Roi. He had to admit that Solaris's tech tree had gone a little crooked.

Back to the matter at hand, the FliChat messages were from Professor Lacerta.

Lacerta: "Is Dania with you?"

Lacerta: "Huanglong has already shared information about her situation with the Deep Space Union. The committee is meeting to discuss it."

Lacerta: "But don't worry. I'll hold them off as best I can. For the next two months, take Dania and enjoy the vacation you deserve as students!"

Lacerta: "If anything comes up where Dania or you need help from the academy, don't hesitate to contact me!"

Lacerta: "Once the results of the discussion are out, I'll let you know over FliChat right away. Keep in touch!"

Lu Guan: "Got it! Thank you, Professor Lacerta!"

You're on fire, Professor Lacerta!

She's so good, I'm crying!

Lu Guan privately resolved to avoid Professor Lacerta as much as possible when he was with Dania in the future, so he wouldn't put her under any more psychological pressure.

She's been under pressure for so long. She can't take any more!

Time flew by, and the final day of the week-long surveillance arrived.

According to Changli, the people from the Ming Court would arrive today.

After lunch, Changli received a communication and left the city to meet them. Lu Guan sent Dania off for a nap and sat alone in the reception room to wait.

Bored out of his mind, he opened the system panel.

[Ding! Notice: Affection levels for the characters Jinhsi, Changli, Taoqi, Baizhi, Chixia, Sanhua, Lingyang, and Yangyang have been updated]

Lu Guan had encountered Taoqi and Lingyang while taking Dania around Jinzhou City. He had only met Taoqi in passing, while Lingyang had been unlocked when Lu Guan stopped to watch the Liondance Troupe train for a while.

[Jinhsi]

[Current affection: 21]

[Opinion of host: An interesting peer]

I'm two years older than you, okay?!

[Changli]

[Current affection: 23]

[Opinion of host: An outstanding junior]

[Taoqi]

[Current affection: 5]

[Opinion of host: The magistrate's guest]

[Baizhi]

[Current affection: 10]

[Opinion of host: Yangyang's younger male cousin]

[Chixia]

[Current affection: 12]

[Opinion of host: Yangyang's younger male cousin, a handsome guy]

Very perceptive!

[Sanhua]

[Current affection: 22]

[Opinion of host: A being similar to Lady Jinhsi]

I see! No wonder Sanhua looks at me a little differently. I must be like Rover and Jinhsi, with a clear appearance in her eyes.

[Lingyang]

[Current affection: 6]

[Opinion of host: He seems like an important person! I don't know exactly who he is, but even that magistrate's guard from the Frontier Court follows him around!]

What kind of Soviet joke is this?

[Yangyang]

[Current affection: -5]

[Opinion of host: I'm going to tell Auntie and Uncle!]

I never thought you'd go this far! Haki Yang!

Lu Guan didn't care about that, though. His parents weren't the old-fashioned, rigid sort, and Yangyang's complaint would most likely be treated by the elders as a petty squabble between youngsters.

Just as Lu Guan was thinking about how to tease the mysterious letter-writing girl next, the reception room door creaked open.

The visitor turned out to be Jinhsi. Seeing the surprise on Lu Guan's face, she smiled faintly and sat down with dignity in the seat beside him.

"What? Are you surprised to see me?"

"Not really..." Lu Guan shook his head. "I just didn't expect Changli to tell you about this after all."

"Master... was thinking of Jinzhou too." Jinhsi bowed slightly, an apologetic look on her face. "I should have been the one to report this. If you're unhappy about it, Master Lu, feel free to take it out on me."

"You two really are master and disciple..." Lu Guan spread his hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Changli said something similar to me. Do I really look that petty?"

"You jest, Master Lu..."

Jinhsi breathed a private sigh of relief. Of course she knew Lu Guan wasn't narrow-minded, but judging from the rumors from the Ming Court, he was the sort who wouldn't give in to pressure at all!

Could I withstand the power to seriously injure a Sentinel?

"I've been busy lately, and opportunities like this are rare..." Jinhsi suggested. "Why don't we continue our conversation from dinner that day?"

"Uh... you mean my experiences at the academy, Magistrate Jin?"

"Just call me Jinhsi." Jinhsi nodded expectantly, making the ribbons on her hair ornaments flutter. Her outfit was dignified and mature, yet on her it lent her a touch of girlishness.

Jinhsi was different from Carlotta. Although Jinhsi was younger, her figure and bearing suited the outfit. At most, her face and expression looked a little youthful; she didn't give the impression Carlotta did of "a child sneaking into grown-up clothes."

"My experiences at Stardust Academy..." Lu Guan chuckled. "If that's what you want to talk about, I'm wide awake now..."

Meanwhile, outside Jinzhou City, Changli had met the arrivals.

"I truly didn't expect it to be you, Director Lin..." Changli looked at the middle-aged man before her with a complicated expression. "I heard you retired from the Ministry of Divination long ago. I didn't expect you to be the one to come this time..."

"Heh... since a threnodian is involved, the Ministry of Divination naturally had to send someone." Director Lin chuckled. "But you know the situation in the Ming Court. The current director can't get away, and it wouldn't be proper for him to come here..."

"So these old bones of mine came in his place."

Two others had come with Director Lin. One wore the attire of a Pacification Bureau chiliarch: Chiliarch Zhao, who had previously escorted Lu Guan to Lahai-Roi.

Chiliarch Zhao stepped forward first and greeted Changli. "Miss Changli, it's been a long time."

"Yes, it has." Changli nodded slightly and looked at the other person. "I didn't expect both the Ministry of Divination and the Pacification Bureau to be called upon this time. And this lady is...?"

"Hello, I'm Chengxia, a Bloom Bearer of the Black Shores." The woman who called herself a "Bloom Bearer of the Black Shores" stepped forward. "The Black Shores has always been dedicated to helping the civilizations of Solaris fight the Lament."

"With Aleph-1, the Tacet Discord of Nihility, involved, the Black Shores cannot stand by. We came uninvited, so I hope you'll forgive us, Miss Changli."

Although Changli instinctively found the woman before her somewhat strange, she couldn't find any fault with her words. She could only respond politely, "Hello, Chengxia, Bloom Bearer."

In the reception room.

"...Jinhsi, you have no idea how arrogant that guy was!" Lu Guan recounted animatedly. "He kept saying I'd ruined his graduation project. I was so unfairly accused!"

"And then? What happened next?" Jinhsi asked curiously. "Did you clear things up with him in the end?"

"Then I gave him a proper dressing-down in front of the principal. His face turned bright red, and he looked just like a boiling kettle. I bet if I'd said a few more words, he'd have started letting out a piercing shriek!"

"A piercing shriek... Hahaha, how did you come up with that? Could there be a more fitting description?" Jinhsi giggled at Lu Guan's story. Having never experienced academy life, she found everything he told her fresh and interesting.

"But... he didn't actually mean to do it." Lu Guan's expression changed abruptly, and his tone turned mysterious. "There's a Sonoro at the academy called the academy dark side, and that student had fallen under its influence."

"And behind it all was the naturally evil leader of the Fractsidus, pulling the strings. Her goal was to affect my state of mind so she could lure me into the dark side and take the chance to get rid of me!"

"How evil! Why is that Fractsidus leader so wicked?"

"Fortunately, I was prepared," Lu Guan said proudly. "I saw through the 'dark side' of me she'd created using the Sonoro in time, disrupted her plan, and forced her out of the shadows."

"It must have been dangerous!"

"You bet. Right here..." Lu Guan pointed to his temple with his thumb. "Someone punched me hard, sending me flying through several walls. I nearly died!"

"Luckily, I came out on top in the end. Faced with the partners of justice, the naturally evil Fractsidus leader could only flee in panic!"