"I've thought it over carefully—someone as outstanding as Mr. Lucian is destined for greater things."
"As the saying goes, 'The sea is vast for fish to leap, the sky is high for birds to fly.' Only a suitable position can fully showcase Mr. Lucian's talents."
"How about it, Mr. Lucian? Would you like to become my exclusive intelligence officer?"
Lucian was utterly lost in the praise from the beautiful girl, until Rover pinched his waist:
"Don't get too carried away…"
Lucian burst into laughter. "The Magistrate is truly the Magistrate—your judgment is impeccable!"
"About this intelligence officer position…"
Jinhsi: "Mr. Lucian won't need to go out of his way to gather information. Simply sharing what you encounter on your journey will suffice."
Lucian, puzzled: "That simple?"
Jinhsi's eyes curved into a smile. "Exactly that simple. Since you'll be my exclusive intelligence officer, the compensation should naturally be higher—how about one million Shell Credits a month?"
Wasn't this basically free money?
Sure, his innate ability, Don't Bully the Young and Poor, could earn him 2.59 million Shell Credits a month.
But no one would ever complain about having too much money!
Especially when it was a request from a beautiful girl. As someone with a broad heart, Lucian had even less reason to refuse!
Jinhsi: "The members of Black Shores should still be within Jinzhou's borders, keeping a close watch on you all."
"It was also thanks to their behind-the-scenes coordination that we were able to meet smoothly."
Jinhsi then took out a photo of a black flower. "This black flower is their emblem. All members of Black Shores wear it."
The flower wasn't purely black—each of its petals bore a cross-shaped white accent at the center.
Seeing this, Lucian recalled something.
Encore indeed had such a black flower pinned to her ankle, while Aalto's was positioned just below his shoulder.
So they were undoubtedly members of Black Shores.
Lucian scoffed. "Wearing your emblem openly isn't exactly mysterious, is it?"
Jinhsi chuckled lightly. "The fact that they can conceal their identities despite such bold behavior only proves how extraordinary their methods are."
"You can keep this photo. Before Jué's return, perhaps you could start by investigating Black Shores."
Rover took the photo but suddenly froze the next moment.
Lucian waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Rover?"
A few seconds later, Rover shook her head as if snapping out of it.
"Rover, what's wrong?"
Hesitating, Rover replied, "I saw… an image of myself wearing the black flower…"
Lucian gasped. "Nani!? You're part of Black Shores too? My plan to absorb them is completely ruined…"
Jinhsi laughed. "You're still thinking about that plan?"
She turned to Rover. "As I suspected, your past must be deeply intertwined with this organization."
"Right now, your every move could be under close surveillance by Fractsidus' overseers."
"If you can locate Black Shores' members, you'll gain another ally for yourself."
Lucian: "That's easy! I have Encore's contact info!"
Jinhsi nodded. "That's good. However, the Black Shores members within Jinzhou might not be limited to just those two."
"I will also do everything in my power to retrieve Jué and share everything we know with you."
"This is our promise."
The two left City Hall.
Chixia and Yangyang had been waiting for a while.
As they approached, they saw Yangyang in the middle of a call with Baizhi.
"...I understand. I can sense it too—the restless unease hidden within the wind's whispers."
"Jinzhou… may be on the verge of upheaval." Yangyang's voice was laced with concern.
Lucian looked up at the cloudless sky in confusion. The weather was perfect, the sunlight warm against his skin.
"Is it going to rain sunshine or something?"
Chixia: "Not that kind of upheaval!"
Baizhi's holographic image spoke: "The Academy has recently detected frequent anomalies in the Tacet Fields. Everyone must exercise caution if leaving the city."
Rover: "Thanks for the warning. How's the research going?"
Baizhi, as if not hearing Rover's question, continued robotically: "Ensure your terminal communications remain active. Always wear the protective equipment provided by the Academy as instructed."
"Remember to drink plenty of water daily. I must return to my experiments now. Take care, everyone."
Lucian: "Researcher Baizhi has spoken—drinking water really does work!"
Rover frowned. "Was that a live call? Or just an automated response…"
Chixia shrugged. "Eh, that's just how she is. Her way of showing concern is a bit… twisted, but I think it's kinda cute?"
Lucian: "So cute I almost got dissected. Truly killed me with cuteness!"
Chixia laughed awkwardly. "Well, when she's not doing research, she's pretty normal…"
"Ah, forget that! Tell us what you found out earlier!"
After a brief pause, Rover omitted the details about Jué's disappearance and summarized what had happened in the Grand Library.
Chixia stomped her foot. "...Those Fractsidus people are truly despicable!"
Jué had instructed Rover to head to Norfall Barrens to find Jiyan—was there some special connection between Jiyan and Jué?
Rover voiced her question.
Chixia: "Special connection? I wouldn't know… but I've heard that General Jiyan used to be a military doctor."
Yangyang pondered. "Hmm… If we're talking about a special connection between them, we'd have to touch upon a piece of Jinzhou's history."
"I once heard a storyteller near the theater recount it …"
[The current Magistrate was chosen by the Sentinel, Jué, as the ruler of the state. Among past Magistrates, a select few were direct Resonators of Jué.]
[After the previous Magistrate stepped down, Jué went a long time without selecting a successor.]
[Today's tale begins with the 'Battle Beneath the Crescent '…]
[The Mounds of Norfall, where endless sands stretch, littered with the bones of swords, beneath a sky heavy as a shroud.] Thɪs chapter is updated by novel·fıre·net
[Though Jinzhou sought to reclaim it, the battle remained at a stalemate.]
[The detestable Overthax, capable of absorbing the frequency of 'weapons' to amplify its power, wielded the terrifying ability to transform the remnants of the dead into Tacet Discords…]
[The one who broke this deadlock—was Geshu Lin, the former General of the Midnight Rangers.]
[Twin moons hung in the sky, a sign of calamity. General Geshu Lin pointed his sword at the blood moon, vowing to slay the ghosts and gods.]
[They say General Geshu Lin's blade burned with black flames, reducing all remnants to ashes as he cut through the battlefield like a force of nature—victory seemed within reach…]