After all the banter and bickering with Chixia along the way, they finally arrived at Jinzhou City.
Jinzhou was located at the northern border of Huanglong, built within a lake, surrounded by water on three sides and backed by mountains on the fourth. The climate was humid, with four distinct seasons.
It was a crucial stronghold for Huanglong a vital outpost in the fight against the tides of Tacet Discords.
Lucian gazed at the massive city of Jinzhou. He wouldn't normally describe a classical city as "high-tech," but Jinzhou truly fit the bill.
Just as the group reached the city gates, Rover suddenly sensed something.
Yangyang looked at her curiously. "Rover?"
Rover glanced around but found nothing out of the ordinary. She shook her head lightly, thinking she must have imagined it.
However, in a place none of them could see…
Perched stealthily on a large tree was a figure clad in white and red.
She murmured softly, "Ah, found you."
"My dearest…"
"Seed of Fate…"
...
The group entered Jinzhou.
"Alright! What's the plan now?" Chixia snapped her fingers. "How about treating Rover and Lucian to a meal first?"
Lucian: "Great idea!"
Since arriving in Solaris, he hadn't eaten anything yet. He was curious about the cuisine of this world.
"Business first," Rover said expressionlessly.
"..."
Baizhi: "I need to return to the Huaxu Academy first. The anomalies in Gorges of Spirit, the resurgence of Tacet Fields, the frequent Waveworn Phenomena all this information needs to be reported promptly."
Baizhi glanced at Lucian. Though she really wanted to drag him back for thorough research, considering the sheer number of incidents that needed reporting, she didn't have the energy to spare for him right now.
It wouldn't be too late to deal with him after everything was settled.
Besides, if he stuck with Rover, he wouldn't be going anywhere…
Yangyang: "Then I'll head to the Magistrate's Office to report and also handle the meeting procedures for Rover and Lucian."
"Paperwork? That's such a hassle."
"As the political center of Jinzhou and the location of the Data Bank, the Magistrate's Office is still an official institution an important one at that."
"Meeting the Magistrate isn't difficult, but there are still necessary formalities to follow."
"It'll take some time, but the process itself isn't complicated."
Chixia: "Then I'll take Rover and Lucian to register at the Nexus Tower first? And maybe show them around?"
"I agree!" Lucian raised his right hand.
Chixia grinned. "We can't just leave them waiting idly at the Magistrate's Office as soon as they arrive in Jinzhou, right?"
Lucian added, "Given the warm hospitality and considerate nature of Jinzhou's citizens, I doubt they'd make such an important guest wait, would they?"
Yangyang nodded slightly in agreement. "Then once I've finished the meeting procedures, I'll trouble you, Chixia, to bring Rover and Lucian to the Magistrate's Office."
"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
Baizhi turned to Rover. "I'll notify the Resonance Medical Department at the Academy. Given the anomalies in your body, a full examination would be best."
Then she shifted her gaze to Lucian. "And you too. You're coming as well."
Lucian chuckled awkwardly. "Actually, I was joking earlier. I'm a native of Solaris! There's nothing worth researching about me…"
Baizhi crossed her arms, ignoring him clearly not buying it.
After all, she had never heard of anyone on Solaris who could command Echoes to obey them.
Rover asked, puzzled, "The Academy?"
"Regular clinics and pharmacies in Jinzhou won't be able to handle your condition."
"And your body will inevitably attract a lot of attention… as will his." Baizhi glanced at Lucian again.
Though she was deeply interested in Rover's body, this was something that had already appeared in historical records.
The moment Rover absorbed the Remnant of Crownless with her bare hands, Baizhi was practically certain even if Rover wasn't the same person described in the Chronicles of the Ages, she was undoubtedly connected in a major way.
"Alright! Enough talk. If we move fast, I might even have time to take these two around the city."
Chixia's face lit up with excitement. "Jinzhou has so much fun to offer Lion dances, heroic plays, stand up plays, martial arts tournaments… and all kinds of delicious food! If you can imagine it, you'll find it here!"
Rover nodded. "Let's go."
At that moment, another set of options triggered in Lucian's mind.
[Option 1: Sneak away quietly. Reward: 50% reduction in pain when Rover smacks the back of your head.]
[Option 2: Stick with Rover. Reward: C-grade talent Don't Bully the Young and Poor!]
[Option 3: Leave the city to find a white-haired girl and join her faction. Reward: A-Rank skill Swordsmanship.]
"Uh…"
Lucian fell into deep thought as he read the options.
First, Option 1 could be ruled out immediately. Sneaking away was out of the question. Though halving the pain sounded tempting, he still needed to raise his affinity!
As for Option 3… He had no idea where to find this white-haired girl, and the system gave no hints. An A-grade skill was very hard to pass up, but based on the information he had, it was safer to play it conservative.
In the end, Lucian chose Option 2.
[Ding! Option 2 completed.]
[Talent acquired: Don't Bully the Young and Poor! (Cannot be upgraded.)]
[Don't Bully the Young and Poor!: You earn 1 Shell Coin per second.]
Shell Coins… must be this world's currency.
The day here is also 24 hours. If I earn one Shell Coin per second… that's…
…86,400 coins a day!
Truly worthy of Don't Bully the Young and Poor!! Though I wonder what the purchasing power is like…
...
Chixia led the two to a tall, spire-like tower.
"This is the Nexus Tower."
Lucian: "Nexus Tower?"
"Hmm… how should I explain this…"
Chixia scratched her head in thought. "You can think of it as Jinzhou's largest server, a central hub something like that. I'm not entirely sure myself."
It seemed Chixia's academic prowess wasn't exactly stellar.
"Anyway, it's basically a massive navigation device, defense system, and regional information center."
"The beacons we saw along the way were all small ones. Data is shared between beacons just activate it, and the map info syncs to your terminal!"
"All you have to do is place your gourd on it."
Following her instructions, Rover and Lucian placed their gourds on the beacon. The tower emitted a blue glow, and a prompt confirmed the activation was successful.
A map system now appeared inside.
"Let's see… Jinzhou City… Tiger's Maw… Wuming Bay…"
Lucian frowned. "Why is the map so small?"
Is the entire planet of Solaris really this tiny?
Chixia explained, "Other regions have their own Nexus Tower. You'll need to activate them to unlock the corresponding maps."
"I see… Huh?"
Lucian suddenly noticed another function in the gourd.
"Jinya Forum? What's this?"