Tacet Discord Tide? Please Queue in Accordance with "Visitor Flow Control Regulations"
Qiu Yuan dragged the last man in black to the boundary marker and finished him off with his sword sheath at the back of the neck.
The sound of an empty bronze bell echoed from the mountains, rolling up the muddy water. The broken beams of the three ruined pavilions trembled in response. Chisa stood at the front of the group, her sword flashing, the bell ringing once, the blade reflecting the gray-black mist spreading from the depths of the bamboo forest.
Chisaki pressed the tablet close to the ground, and a red line on the screen climbed up the mountain from the old post road, with an orange notification popping up next to it.
"The echo channel connects to the mountainside, and the frequency is rising. Dania's body temperature is dropping, and heat loss is accelerating. It is recommended to supplement with high-sugar and high-fat foods."
Dania was still clinging to Zhou Yu's back, half a piece of sugar cake dangling from her mouth. Hearing "high sugar, high fat," she slowly raised her head, her cheeks smeared with sugar powder. She glanced at the tablet first, then at Zhou Yu's canvas bag.
Zhou Yu tucked the digital watch back into his sleeve, reached behind him to pull out a chocolate bar, tore open the wrapper, and held it to her lips. He then unscrewed the thermos. Steam rose from the rim of the thermos, carrying hot jujube and ginger tea.
"First priority for supplies on this business trip: it's getting cold on the mountain roads, so feed the key personnel first. Sigelica, tilt the umbrella a little to the right, the sugar cake won't taste good if it gets wet."
Sigelica held her shield up like an umbrella, the water from the rim dripping onto her boots. She gritted her teeth and took half a step to the right.
"I, a dignified reserve member of the Sunspeakers Guard, am now shielding Tang Gao from the rain. Your Flamebearers' Academy's Logistics Department will be complained about sooner or later."
"Complaints should be submitted through the online process."
Zhou Yu carried Dania on his back along the bamboo ridge path. The bluestone slabs were slippery from the rain, and the bamboo on both sides of the path grew denser, with the wind seeping in through the gaps, carrying the chill of the mountains. Dania munched on a chocolate bar, her cheeks puffing out, and her legs wobbled a couple of times.
Qiu Yuan to the left front, his long sword in a bamboo sheath pressed against his palm. Every few steps, he would tap the ground with the tip of the sheath, relying on the echo to find the underground passage.
Chisa walked in front, her white dress brushing against the damp grass. When she reached the corner blocked by fallen bamboo, she stopped and pushed the knife guard aside half an inch with her thumb.
The fog pressed down on the mountain path ahead. Black lines emerged from the cracks in the rocks, entwining the bamboo roots on both sides. The sound of claws scraping the ground came from within the fog, and a Tacet Discord first poked its head out, followed by a second and a third.
Grayish-white bone armor blocked the middle of the mountain road, its purple cracks glowing. Many shadows flickered behind the bend.
Sigelica lowered the shield from her head, the base of which slammed into the mud, and the safety on her pistol clicked open.
"At least two hundred or more. The mountain road is too narrow; if the front row rushes forward, the back row will surge up, and we'll be stuck."
After listening Qiu Yuan, Qiu Yuan tilted the tip of his sword towards the back of the mist.
"Someone is following us through the bamboo grove on the right. The Fractsidus trying to push us into the herd of Tacet Discord."
Aimis, clutching her breakfast bag, huddled behind Linnai and quietly reported the inventory.
"I have epic battle themes, and also background music for escaping."
Linnai slung her guitar case over her shoulder and glanced at the Tacet Discord claws scratching the ground.
"They need a queuing system more."
Zhou Yu sighed, put Dania down from his back onto a roadside stone, and gave her a second chocolate bar.
"Sit down and eat, don't swallow the wrapper."
Dania nodded obediently, holding the chocolate in both hands, staring at the crystal cores on the Tacet Discord's chest.
"Xiao Yu, that looks like a mint."
"Peppermints don't grow claws."
Zhou Yu pulled a laminated sheet of paper from the bottom of the canvas bag. The paper had curled corners, the red stamp was still bright, and the title read "Notice on Peak Visitor Flow Restriction in Scenic Areas". He slapped the paper onto an old tree by the roadside and scribbled a few lines in the blank space below with a ballpoint pen.
"Mt. Firmament Temporary Scenic Area is overcrowded today. Units with Tacet Discord are requested to queue separately. Field teams with publicly funded inspection tickets will have priority passage."
Chisaki's tablet screen displayed a garbled image, which quickly gave way to green text.
[Cognitive layer prompt loading.]
[Target audience: The Tacet Discord movement.]
[Behavioral guidance: Waiting in line.]
The first row of Tacet Discord in the mist got stuck, their front paws halting in mid-air, their chests flashing purple light three times. The Tacet Discord behind crashed into the front row, their bone armor clanging. A moment of chaos ensued in the black mist.
A few breaths later, the foremost Tacet Discord turned around and stood on the left side of the mountain path. The second one followed closely behind its tail, and the third one squeezed to the back, its bony claws carving a crooked line in the mud.
Sigelica held up her shield, her mouth opened halfway and then closed again, finally squeezing out a sentence through clenched teeth.
"They really lined up."
The blade of the Chisa Sword was still half an inch protruding, and the bell rang twice. Seeing that the Tacet Discord had cleared the right side of the mountain path, leaving a passage for the two of them to walk side by side, she removed her fingers from the hilt of the sword.
What type of technique is this?
"Public order education."
Zhou Yu smoothed out the corners of the notice, then took Dania's hand and walked forward.
"Attention, everyone. The people queuing on the left are a bit agitated, so please don't touch them, don't feed them, and don't stare at their chests like Dania did."
As Dania was led by him, she glanced intently at the chest of the first Tacet Discord as they passed. Zhou Yu reached into the Tacet Discord's claws and pried out two pale purple resonance crystals, which fell into his palm. He casually stuffed them into the evidence compartment of his canvas bag.
"Road maintenance debris will be handed over to Changli to offset meal allowance."
Sigelica followed behind, her shield brushing against the tip of the Tacet Discord, her shoulders tense.
"When you're taking things from a monster, can't you at least respect the fact that it's still alive?"
"It's in line and, according to regulations, cannot leave its post."
Zhou Yu broke off another piece of crystal from the carapace of the second Tacet Discord. The Tacet Discord gurgled in its throat, swayed, and its front paws remained behind the line.
Linnai's shoulders trembled as she tried to suppress her laughter. Aimis raised her terminal camera and captured the Tacet Discord of the procession, Chisaki reached out and pressed down on her wrist.
"The video footage must be encrypted first; distributing it could cause an academic scandal."
The sound of breaking branches and leaves came from the right side of the bamboo forest. Three men in black from the Fractsidus rushed down the slope, the leader holding a black talisman, the surface of which ignited with a dark red flame.
"Stop the Cradle!"
The words had barely left his mouth when the red stamp on the notice pasted on the old tree lit up.
[Queue-jumping detected.]
The Tacet Discord at the very front of the line turned their heads in unison, and hundreds of purple lights fell upon the three men in black. The leader stopped in his tracks, his black talisman half-burnt and then soaked by the rain. He took a half-step back, and his companions bumped into him from behind, the three of them huddled together.
The next moment, the Tacet Discord formation exploded, its bone claws, tail spikes, and purple light all aimed at the right side of the bamboo forest. The man in black was knocked into a ditch, his screams and the sound of bamboo breaking carried far. Qiu Yuan stood in the green passage, his longsword still in its bamboo sheath, and listening to the commotion, his face twitched.
"The doctrines of the Fractsidus don't seem to mention the consequences of cutting in line."
Zhou Yu led Dania past the last Tacet Discord, casually peeled the notice off the old tree, shook off the rainwater, and stuffed it back into his bag.
"We'll give them one free social practice class."
The group crossed the bamboo-lined path, and the mist ahead dissipated. A bronze door, half-buried in vines, appeared on the mountainside. The hollow sound of a bronze bell, just like before, emanated from the crack in the door. Dania stuck the chocolate wrapper in her hand to the door, where it rustled as the black wind from inside sucked it in.
Chisaki's tablet was burning hot in her palm, and red text popped up on the screen.
[Old-style Cradle recycling channel detected.]
Deep within the bronze door, someone knocked three times through the black wind.