Checking In at the Summit of Mt. Firmament and Turning the Pressure Around
A black wind suddenly swirled outwards from inside the bronze door, and as the third knock landed, the chocolate wrapper in Dania's hand was sucked onto the crack in the door, making a rustling sound.
Zhou Yu took the opportunity to remove the wrapping paper and stuff it into Dania's palm.
"Release your garbage! Don't get fined by Mt. Firmament Scenic Area!"
Dania stuffed the wrapping paper into her coat pocket, obediently following instructions, her gaze still fixed on the bronze door.
The bronze door, half-buried in the vines, slid open to both sides, and the sound of gears dragging came from behind it, revealing a stone staircase sloping upwards. The sides of the staircase were engraved with old-fashioned runes, and the black lines flowed along the gaps, giving it a damp, dark appearance.
Chisaki raised the tablet slightly, and the red light on the screen jumped up one bar after another.
"The endpoint coordinates coincide with the Mt. Firmament. The echo channel is actively guiding us up the mountain. There is only one heat source reaction, and this energy waveform seems to be close to the resonance with the Sentinel."
Qiu Yuan stood by the door, first tapping the first step with his sword sheath, then holding his bamboo-scabbard longsword horizontally in front of him.
An echo returned from the mountainside, the stone steps resounding hollowly, the sound deep and lingering.
"The road is passable, but there are traces of the Fractsidus inside. There aren't many of them; they were probably blocked by the Tacet Discord Elephant Tide ahead."
Sigelica nearly bumped into Linnai's guitar bag. Her shoes slipped on the wet, slippery stone steps, and she instinctively switched her shield to her left hand and pressed it against the holster.
Linnai dodged to the side with lightning speed.
"What kind of pose is that? It doesn't look like Sunspeakers at all; it looks like someone trying to grab the last number at a hot pot restaurant."
"Shut up, the mountain road is too slippery."
Zhou Yu freed one hand to take out anti-slip stickers from the canvas bag, picked up Dania again, and then patted the anti-slip stickers onto the soles of her shoes.
"The second rule for safety on business trips is that mountain roads are slippery, and employees must not be allowed to slip and cause non-combat casualties, as the subsequent medical bills can be very troublesome."
The sound of bells mingled with the wind in the passage. Chisa walked at the front, her sword not fully drawn. Halfway there, she suddenly reached out and stopped them. Three black runes split open in the stone wall in front of her, pointing straight at the group.
The low, hoarse voice of the Fractsidus emanated from the black talisman.
"Since the Cradle has already been taken along, Ling Yin will also be brought back."
Dania's fingers tightened as she leaned on Zhou Yu's shoulder, her fingertips pinching small creases through the fabric.
Zhou Yu nuzzled the top of her head and turned her head away.
"Don't listen to this trashy advertising. Let's take some photos at the top of the mountain first, and then we'll eat some hot buns."
He wrote a line of text in the blank space with a ballpoint pen, then took out an old post road pass and pasted it next to the black talisman on the stone wall.
"You've illegally blocked the public passageway. Clear the obstruction within three seconds."
Three black runes flowed down the stone wall, forming a pool of black mud. The red seal lit up, and the original traces instantly disappeared.
Chisaki labeled this section as a sample of administrative text suppressing rune contaminants, stared at the tablet, and then quietly shortened the notes, leaving only the word "valid".
Aimis shivered from the cold. The wind and snow at the end of the stone steps rushed into the passage. She took out the last two hot buns from her breakfast bag, handed one to Dania, and kept the other to warm her hands.
The sunlight was bleakened by the wind and snow. As the group stepped out of the bronze gate, the stone platform Mt. Firmament cracked into several layers. Golden temporal power surged outward from the fracture, forming a chaotic flow of energy.
Her long, silvery-white hair was whipped up by the air currents, Jinhsi hovered in mid-air between the wind and snow and the golden light. The golden dragon tail pattern on her moon-white outer garment was glowing, and a huge phantom of the Sentinel appeared behind her. The power of time flowed back from her wrist to her heart, and every inch of light carried a distinct sense of oppression.
Three of the temporary battle markers Changli were broken. On the edge of the mountain peak, there were still traces of blood and broken arrows from the Patrol Department on the ground.
Qiu Yuan's expression tightened as he glanced at the stone platform.
"You're a quarter of an hour too late. She's already started burning her life force and suppressing her pulse."
A surge of anger rose within Sigelica, and she held her shield up in front of her.
"She's only sixteen, isn't there anyone in Jinzhou who can advise her against it?"
Jinhsi slowly opened her eyes, and in the wind and snow, her gaze passed over the stone platform and finally landed on them.
"You all really shouldn't have come here. If the flow of energy gets out of control, the people of Jinzhou will be swept up in the chaotic tides of time. We owe the Lord of the Sentinel a debt of gratitude, and it's time to repay it now."
Dania's breath hitched.
Looking at that gentle yet resolute expression, she gazed at the girl in mid-air and recalled the scene of the day the Lahai-Roi Defense Line breached. Then she dismounted from Zhou Yu's back, grabbed Zhou Yu's hand tightly with her fingers.
"Xiao Yu, is she going to become light too?"
Zhou Yu pulled her half a step behind him, patted the back of her hand, and then took out a red plastic megaphone from the canvas bag.
A crackling sound of electricity pierced the wind and snow as the horn switch was pushed up.
"Hey, you there, Magistrate, stop for a second."
The golden power of time was shaken slightly by the loudspeaker, the light patterns on Jinhsi's chest flared wildly, and the tail of the illusory figure of the Sentinel changed its original curve in the clouds.
She looked down at the edge of the stone platform.
A man in a white vest and floral shorts stood in the wind and snow, followed by an orange-haired girl carrying a shield, a black-haired girl holding a tablet, a pink-haired idol carrying a breakfast bag, a blonde girl carrying a guitar, and a white-haired guard with a long sword at his waist.
This group was completely out of place amidst the tragic scene at Mt. Firmament; some people were even tearing the skin off hot steamed buns for the pink-haired girl.
Jinhsi's lips moved slightly as she prepared to continue gathering the power of time.
Zhou Yu had already unfolded the voucher that Changli had signed; the paper rustled in the wind.
"We are the Mt. Firmament expedition team, hired by Councilor Changli at public expense. You are now protected property. Our employer has clearly requested that you escort the Prime Minister to complete the second resonance and ensure the safe return of all personnel to Jinzhou."
Her breathing became erratic again; Jinhsi was somewhat dazed by the word "assets."
"Sir, how can the safety of the common people be measured by a contract?"
"Yes, you can."
Zhou Yu pulled another piece of paper out of the bag. The title read "Employee Personal Safety Responsibility Agreement," and the red stamp was neatly affixed.
"Look at clause three: during the entrusted task period, core personnel must not engage in high-risk self-harming behaviors without authorization. Your actions of burning out your lifespan without approval are considered a serious violation of safety production requirements."
Sigelica's eyelids twitched as she listened nearby.
"You rascal, when did you start treating even the Prime Minister like an employee?"
"Right when Changli signed the agreement."
Zhou Yu turned the paper to the last page and continued reading aloud into the air.
"Article 5 of this clause states that if the protected personnel fail the mission due to their personal tragic tendencies, the client shall be responsible for travel expenses, food expenses, high-altitude allowance, compensation for mental distress, and compensation for the delay in receiving hot pot."
Linnai almost burst out laughing, clutching her guitar bag.
The golden light behind Jinhsi began to sway, and the temporal power that was originally pressing down on the mountain was deflected by her emotions. The dragon shadow in the wind and snow also paused for a moment.
She tried to maintain a dignified demeanor.
"But if I retreat, the pulse will surely burst through the mountain's belly."
Three branches were displayed on the screen, Chisaki turned the tablet towards Zhou Yu.
"There are three pressure relief points in the mountain's tributary. As long as we open the old-style sluice gates, the pressure will drop to a controllable level. The only trade-off is that the hot spring area on the mountainside will have to close for two days."
Zhou Yu raised the megaphone a little higher.
"Did you hear that? The solution is for the hot springs to close for two days. It's not your place to burn yourself into some limited-edition souvenir."
Jinhsi's expression finally betrayed a hint of something.
"What limited edition souvenir?"
"Even if you want to die, you have to go back to Jinzhou first to complete the approval process, settle all travel expenses, food expenses, and high-altitude allowance, and sign a voluntary waiver of follow-up services confirmation. After all, Changli still has to pay a penalty for breach of contract. Can you really bear to let her work overtime until dawn?"
The golden scales of the illusory figure of the Sentinel dimmed one by one in the wind and snow.
Jinhsi looked down at the responsibility statement that was rattling in the wind, then glanced at Dania behind Zhou Yu. The pink-haired girl was holding a hot steamed bun, her eyes red-rimmed, and she was taking a small bite of the bun.
That tragic spirit was completely extinguished by the steam from the hot buns and the loudspeaker.
The golden light receded, and the turbulent flow of time spread outwards from the mountaintop, gradually weakening. Jinhsi landed on the stone platform, her shoes touching the snow, and her body swayed involuntarily.
Deflecting a wisp of residual golden light, Chisa took half a step forward, her scabbard flashing out horizontally.
Zhou Yu handed over the letter of responsibility, and then casually stuffed a still-warm steamed bun into Jinhsi.
"You eat first, then we'll go open the sluice gate."
Jinhsi she held the steamed bun, her fingertips recoiling from the heat.
A fourth tap came from the crack in the center of the stone platform, just then.
A soaked black talisman was stuck to Jinhsi's feet. A black wind swirled upwards, and four characters slowly seeped from the talisman's surface.
"Ling Yin, take it back."