As we headed towards the exit of the Gourges of Spirits, as this place is called, I could not help but feel both excited to look at what an alien world would look like while also dreading what awaits me out there.
All my life, it was about power. Ever since I was one of the countless other orphans in America, fighting for resources and a better life every step of the way, it had always been my dream.
To keep chasing power. To become someone so powerful that nobody else would ever take me lightly again. So that nobody would ever look down on me, so that I would never lose anything ever again.
I chased the concept of power for so long and so successfully that I eventually caught the eye of some truly powerful people right after graduating from university at the age of 18.
I was scouted into the Federal Bureau of Control, and my view on power changed completely.
I realized that the power I had been chasing for so long meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. When faced with the things that lurk behind the curtains that we call reality, the power I sought meant nothing.
So, I changed my definition of power and started chasing again.
Within one year, I was promoted from a Private to a Sergeant and awakened my Paranatural abilities after becoming an Astralnaut. Trained professionals who traverse the Astral Plane to further humanity's understanding of the Paranatural.
Within three more years, I was promoted to Warrent Officer.
Five years after joining, I was a First Lieutenant.
Seven years after joining, I was a Colonel.
Throughout my career, I handled countless Altered World Events, or AWE as they are called, and hunted down many a organiation that used Altered Items for their own ends.
I fought many agents, both domestic and international, who sought to use the Paranatural to harm my homeland.
There were many close calls where I lost my life and many in which my decisions led to the death of my men.
All for the greater good. All for the sake of protecting my people and their normal lives.
Yet, slowly, I started to realize that power was not everything.
My people mattered to me. My friends at the FBC, like Dr. Casper Darling, Tommasi, Ahti the janitor, and even Dr. Raya Underhill. There were so many that I called my friends and my unit, who were my brothers and sisters on the battlefield.
I slowly realized that power without purpose was of no use.
I think, somewhere along the lines, I started to care more about chasing the power for the sake of protecting what I hold dear than simply because I wanted to be at the top and never lose anything.
But everything came to an end on that damend day when the foolish former director, Zachariah Trench, opened the doorway for the Hiss to invade the Oldest House.
I lost so much that day. My friends, my unit, my everything.
My Unit fought the corruption to the end despite not having paranatural abilities of their own. They held the line as much as they could, buying time for the personnel of the FBC to make it into safe rooms.
When it became clear that they could no longer hold back the Hiss corruption and would become its thralls, they chose to end their lives rather than become its puppets.
I could not have been prouder of them, and neither could I have been more devastated to find their corpses in Central Research.
Under the leadership of Head of Operations, Brigadier General Helen Marshall, we held the line for days before help arrived in an unexpected way.
A new director who took up the Service Weapon. Jesse Faden.
Many things happened after that. Many things that I cherish to this day as precious memories that I hold of my dear friends and the brave young woman who I came to see as a dear friend in the short few days we spent fighting the Hiss.
The same woman I caused immense pain to by choosing to sacrifice myself in Slidescape-36, holding back the Hiss and most of its influence with my power, while she went off to fight her brother.
And now, after who knows how many years, I found myself here. In an alien world.
'Casper would have been bouncing off the walls at the sheer possibilities of this place, and we would have been forced to pull Raya out of her labs lest she spend days cooped up in there, studying the plant life of this world.'
I had gained so much in my time at the FBC, yet lost just as much by the end.
But now, I have been given another chance at life. In a world where I have to start from scratch again. A world where I know nobody and have nothing.
A clean slate, as it were.
And honestly, I could not help but feel a little bit excited and melancholic at the same time.
Those who are gone cannot be brought back (or rather, should not be brought back). But I can at least honor their memory by living this new life to the fullest in their stead.
Glancing at the three girls guiding my way, I could not help but smile a bit.
'Maybe even find new friends along the way. Right? Old girl?'
I felt a weak sense of acceptance and happiness in my mind, originating from my only companion in that void that is Slidescape-36 before she fell dormant again.
Jesse called her Polaris, and I think the name fits. I always called her Hadron before I met that courageous girl.
If it was my will and spite, along with my powers that protected my mind from the Hiss, then it was Polaris who preserved my physical body from harm during the countless years we were stranged in that void.
She had always been my companion ever since the FBC brought back her anchor from the Slidescape, and I accidentally touched it during the escort detail that my unit and I handled for the artifact.
She is also the reason why Jesse trusted me so readily and allowed me to accompany her on her journey, because the girl was the original recipient of most of Polaris's power and attention.
Unfortunately, our relentless fight against the Hiss in the Slidescape has weakened her to an extreme degree.
Now, she can only stay active and share her emotions with me for a few brief moments before falling into slumber again. A shame, really. I would have loved to hear her thoughts on this interesting world we found ourselves in.
Soon, we arrived at a strange black pillar that shone with light.
"Oh! A Resonance Beacon. Come, Rover, Robbie. Let's get you registered."
Chixia did not even give Rover and I the chance to reply before dragging us there.
The moment we reached the device, I instantly realized what I was standing upon.
Ignorant of my surprise, Yangyang patiently explained what we were seeing.
"This is a Resonance Beacon. They are devices set up by an organization called the Black Shores. Their main function is to monitor for The Lament and other disasters, but they can also be used for other purposes."
Chixia excitedly tapped away at Rover's Terminal screen while interfacing it with the so-called Resonance Beacon.
"What Yangyang is referring to is that you can use the Resonance Beacon to heal minor injuries through its healing frequencies and teleport to another Resonance Beacon or Resonance Nexus, which you have registered your terminal with."
I see. So I was right.
This is a Control Point.
From what I know, people across history on Earth have given them many names. Dragon Roads, Leylines, Heilige Linien, many are the names given to it in many myths and legends.
What the FBC knew was that this network of energies ran across the entire planet and could be used as a source of unlimited energy in the form of Power Cors, which were first created by Dr. Ash, as well as stabilizing the local space, protecting it from interference from Paranatural phenomena and transdimensional interference.
For a director chosen by The Board, these Control Points also functioned as a way for enhancing Objects of Powers, or OOP, as well as strengthening the Director's body and abilities.
Later on, Jesse and I discovered that these Control Points could serve another purpose. Teleportation to another Control Point.
But there is one caveat to this teleportation.
Rover looked at the Beacon with surprise and then looked at Yangyang with confusion.
"If we can teleport around with these beacons, why even bother with going to Jinzhou on foot like you talked about earlier? Why not just teleport to it? Why doesn't everyone just teleport to wherever they want?"
"Because there are a few rules to this Teleportation."
"First, only humans and small-scale objects, like weapons, clothing, and, at maximum, a crate the size of a human, can teleport."
"The second one is that you need to be registered at the Beacon or Nexus where you want to teleport to. Without registration, you cannot go anywhere. And from what I can see, you are not registered to any beacons right now. Which means that we would have to leave you behind if we teleported to Jinzhou. This brings us to the third point."
"We are simply not strong enough."
I nodded at Chixia's words while Rover looked surprised.
There it is. The biggest problem with Control Points, or Resonance Beacons, as they call them here.
To travel through the Control Points, a person needs to meet a certain criterion. They need to be physically strong, mentally stable, and have very powerful Paranatural energies in their body.
I am assuming, in this world, the Paranatural energies would be replaced by Resonance energy affinities or Fortes, as they call it, from what Yangyang spoke about, which means that only Resonators, and highly powerful ones at that, can use the teleportation ability of these things.
It is the reason why only Jesse and I were able to teleport around in the Oldest House after discovering this function. From what we found after a few rounds of testing, this seems to be a basic rule of the Leylines.
There was simply no one else in the Bureau's history who was strong enough to achieve these feats. Well, anyone except Northmoor, but he does not count. That is why nobody discovered this ability until Jesse Faden came along, and with her arrival, Polaris's true power, which boosted my own abilities to the same level as Jesse's.
"What do you mean by that? Chixia?"
Chixia smiled at Rover's question, showing that she did not care about not being strong enough to be acknowledged by the Leylines.
"You see, Resonators are not all the same. Some are strong, with powerful Resonance abilities and energies. These people who are beyond a certain threshold can easily use the Resonance Beacons and Nexus to move around. The courts of Mingting are full of such people. Even in Jinzhou, we have a lot of people who are that strong, like General Jiyan and others."
"But for the vast majority? They are not at the level to be able to use the Resonance Beacon's power in such a way and can only use its healing abilities at most. Not because the Black Shores designed it like that, but because our bodies are simply not strong enough to initiate a teleportation through our innate energy levels."
Rover looked very surprised at the information before asking Chixia gently.
"Then, why are you adding me to the registration? Maybe I am not strong enough as well?"
"Are you kidding? The way you helped us take down that Elite-Class TD, and even before that with the other TDs, there is no way you are at the same level as us."
Yangyang nodded.
"Not to mention that I can sense your frequencies. Trust me, Rover. You are very strong."
"...I see."
"There! Done!"
Chixia threw Rover's terminal at the girl, who caught it with ease.
Chixia did her thing, where she scratched her head awkwardly with a nervous giggle as she stared at me.
"Sorry, Robbie. I forgot that you don't have a terminal. I guess you will have to wait until we can help you get qualified for an ID at Jinzhou and then buy you a Termina before you can teleport around like Rover."
I shook my head at her words while patting her head like a child, much to her chagrin.
"Hey! What gives!?"
"Don't worry, I don't exactly need a Terminal to use the Leylines in such a way."
Chixia smacked away my head with annoyance but still watched curiously, along with Yangyang mouthing 'Leylines' in confusion. Rover simply watched curiously as I made my way to the Beacon.
Instead of accessing this strange device, I closed my eyes and reached deep into the ground with my power.
When it comes to the Paranatural, concepts like distance and regular physics cease to make sense, so it was no surprise that I instantly felt the Leylines as if they were right there on the surface, when in reality, others would not find them even if they dug to the center of this planet physically at this exact location.
Paranatural energies and objects are illogical like that.
With a practiced ease that came with my experience at the Oldest House, I connected my Paranatural Energies with the Leylines and sensed along its veins of energy, merging my consciousness, my very identity, with it.
Instantly, I felt the familiar tug, the familiar anchor that would now forever connect me to the planet as a whole.
"I am done. Once we get to Jinzhou, I should be able to do the same over there and teleport between there and here even without a terminal."
Seeing the doubtful look on Chixia's face, I could not help but tease the girl again.
Pulling her cheeks, I put on a fake, annoyed look.
"What? Don't believe me?"
"Hwey!! Nwot fweir!!"
Rover and Yangyang chuckled as the excitable girl flailed her arms in protest.
Honestly, looking at her excitable personality, I can't help but feel like teasing the girl. It felt like teasing a child, which did wonders for my mental state.
After that short break, we soon arrived at the entrance to the Gorge, where Chixia gave me a mischievous look.
"Alright, girls! Let's go down! Rover, use your Terminal's glider function to carefreely and easily glide down while a certain someone has to work extra hard to do the same under his own power."
"Very funny. Ma Xiaofang."
Instantly, she pouted.
"Come on! Can you let it go already? That name does not sound heroic or cool at all! Call me Chixia! Chi.Xi.A! It's not that difficult!"
I chuckled at her words, but fell silent when she took on a serious look along with Yangyang.
"Hey, Yangyang. You see that?"
"Mm. A Tacet Field. But when did it form? It wasn't there when we got here a few hours ago."
"I don't know, but I see Baizhi down there."
The two girls looked at each other and nodded before jumping from the cliff, followed by Rover.
I watched as the girls jumped down from the cliff, their terminals manifesting what they call 'Echos' to help them glide down gently.
Honestly, I don't know if I should be excited about the differences between our worlds or terrified about the similarities that I can spot in every corner.
Control Points and Resonance Beacons. Resonators and Parautilitarians. Powers that operate on Resonance, frequencies, and esoteric energies. Monsters from beyond this dimension invading this one with unknown purposes. Thresholds, transdimensional spaces that invade our dimension, just like the Tacet Fields and Sonoro Spheres, connect this dimension with some unknown ones, according to Yangyang.
The similarities are honestly terrifying. What if, someday, OOPs started manifesting in this world? Wouldn't that mean that this world works nearly identically to my old world?
Shaking my head to get rid of those depressing thoughts, I jumped from the cliff and slowly descended with my Telekinesis, landing gently by the girls' side.
"Baizhi! Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to meet us at the top? What are you doing in a newly formed and dormant Tacet Field like this?"
The woman called Baizhi did not reply and simply walked towards Rover.
Suddenly, a strange white creature manifested around the woman and circled Rover, pushing my combat instincts to the edge as my body unconsciously shifted into a subtle martial arts stance, ready to pounce at any moment.
It was only because I remembered Yangyang's words about how Baizhi had some kind of analysis and healing Echo with her that I held back from attacking then and there.
'This woman needs to learn how to behave around others and not give off the impression of an attacker with her every move. Jumpy people like me will one day end her life if she doesn't fix this habit of hers.'
"Hm. It seems you are alright. Yangyang was quite worried when she found you in that river and asked for medical advice through the Terminal."
"Um, thanks? I'm Rover."
"Rover, Huh? I am Baizhi."
Chixia grinned with her arms behind her head.
"You should have seen her, Baizhi. She whooped ass up there with these Elite-Class TDs- Oh! Right! Introductions. This is Robbie. He was the source of that second streak of light."
She motioned towards me as Baizhi turned with a suspicious expression, which turned into a curious and intrigued look when she heard that I was the source of the streak of light. (which I still don't know how it happened since the last thing I remember is holding back the Hiss's latest attempt at trying to corrupt my mind again for who knows how many times)
Somehow, she gives me the same vibe as Dr. Carla Vaughn, Casper's assistant. Cold, emotionless, and strictly professional.
I nodded at Chixia's introduction.
"I'm Robert Graham. You can call me Robbie."
"Nice to meet you, Robert. Now, let's get moving. This is not the place for talks."
Just as we turned around to move out, I felt a sudden wave of energy as black spikes rose from the Tacet Field.
For some reason, Chixia, Yangyang, and Baizhi held their heads and screamed out in agony.
'Some kind of a mental attack? I don't feel any Telepathic interference-Hold On!'
I concentrated and shifted my mental perception from energies to Resonance frequencies, and sure enough, I felt the same kind of pain as the girls were probably feeling. Thankfully, this pain was not even worth mentioning compared to the pain I endured at the hands of the Hiss in Slidescape-36.
With a deep breath, I pushed out my Paranatural Energy, forming a barrier around the girls and isolating them from the invading frequency.
They stopped screaming instantly and nearly fell to their knees, panting from exhaustion.
Unfortunately, we did not even have the time to look at the girls for any damage.
One second, Rover and I were still looking at the girls, worried about their condition, the next moment, a strange, tall, humanoid Tacet Discord materialized behind Rover.
Rover must have been quite the fighter before she lost her memories, because she did not even hesitate for a fraction of a second before her sword flew from its sheath, clashing with the creature's claw, producing a powerful shockwave that nearly blasted the girls into the air if not for my Telekinetic hold on them.
Recognizing the danger for what it is, I swiftly moved the girls out of the Tacet Field with my power, feeling confused when they suddenly disappeared the moment they crossed the boundary of the Tacet Field.
'Some kind of a barrier? Or is this really like a Threshold? Whatever. I am sure they are alright on the other side, given that I can still sense their frequencies. Right now, they are in no state to fight. So it falls to Rover and I to take care of the enemy.'
The creature mockingly walked towards us after the clash pushed it back, as if it were the hunter, not the hunted.
Such arrogance cannot go unpunished.
While I don't have my Rifle and my tactical gear, I am still trained in CQC and mixed martial arts, just like every other agent in FBC. Combined with my powers, I should still be able to do some damage to this thing.
Rover and I exchanged a look, a look between fellow warriors, and came to a silent agreement.
The beast moved forward with speeds that produced shockwaves with its moments alone, pulling back its left arm to deliver a devastating punch full of Havoc energy.
However, its punch would meet its match as I threw a similar punch, with my fist filled with Paranatural energies honed through countless battles against the Paranatural and terrorists that used the Paranatural to their advantage.
A shockwave formed around us when our fists collided due to the sheer power behind both our attacks, while the energies within our fists fought for dominance.
I felt my bones creak in protest while the white plating on the TD's fist cracked, sending fragments flying everywhere. Its roar of pain felt like music to my ears.
'Hurts like a bitch, eh? Bastard? There's more where that came from!'
Unfortunately for the beast, it was not facing me alone.
Taking advantage of its current position, just like we silently agreed, Rover quickly circled around the creature and lunged forward with her sword, aiming to run the beast through with her weapon.
The beast must have sensed the incoming attack since it disengaged and jumped away with a flip, landing to our right.
Rover pivoted with precise movements and bled off the energy as she came to a halt beside me.
This time, she took the lead and once again moved with extreme speed, rushing the TD with a flurry of blade strikes, forcing it to defend itself with its arms raised.
I took the opertunity and boosted my body with Paranatural energies, shooting forward like a meteor and reaching into the guard of the creature.
Before it could react, I delivered three punches with all my power, backing it.
The noise of something shattering filled the air as its abdomen's protective armor shattered under my punches, leaking purple liquid onto the ground.
However, it was not so easily felled.
With an enraged roar, it jumped away from us again and hunched over, gathering all of its Havoc energy into itself.
Its dark cape-like structure behind its body evaporated into dark flames as wings erupted out of it, allowing it to take flight. The injury on its arms, sustained under Rover's continuous blade strikes and our clash of fists, along with the shattered abdominal plates, completely recovered with its transformation.
"Tch! Wish I had my gear with me. C4 would come in real handy in this kind of situation."
Rover ignored my muttering and narrowed her eyes.
The beast roared in challenge and glee as a lance materialized in its hand.
With a twirl of the lance, it swooped down on us like a bird of prey with increased speed, intending to turn us into kebabs with its lance.
But just as I prepared to raise a barrier around us, Rover raised her sword and struck precisely at the beast's incoming lance sweep, pushing it back with the Spectro energy she charged into her sword.
Taking advantage of the opening she provided, I wasted no time and got hold of its lance.
'First step in any hostile unit neutralization, disarm them.'
I put all my power into my arm and chopped down at the lance with instantaneous results.
The lance, which was held with one hand by me and the other end in the beast's hand, shattered under my power, disarming the creature.
However, the problem here is that we do not know if it can regenerate the lance as well. A thought that Rover seems to share as well, given her moment I could spot from the corner of my eye.
With a coordinated effort, I rushed behind the stunned beast and wrapped my arms around its torso, locking down its arms, while also using Telekinesis to push down on the beast, restricting its movements as much as possible.
Damned thing is resilient, I'll give it that. It was actively trying to resist my Telekinesis, something that hasn't happened yet with any other TD we fought along the way.
Rover took the chance and pushed all of her Spectro energy into her blade.
With a clean swing, the beast did not even have the chance to scream before its head was separated from its torso, making it disperse into frequencies and converge again, becoming a strange golden hologram.
'This must be its Echo based on what Yangyang said.'
With the death of the creature, whatever barrier was keeping this place invisible and intangible to the outside world fell away, revealing Chixia, Yangyang, and Baizhi, who were staring at us with worry.
"Rover! Robbie! Are you two alright!?"
I grinned before placing my hand on her head again.
"Don't worry. I am made of sterner stuff. Things like these? I used to fight them all the time back home."
Unlike what I expected, she did not swat away my arm and only nodded with relief, and expression that Yangyang also shared while Baizhi was busy doing her thing, having her strange Echo circle Rover and I in some kind of impromptu MRI scan or something.
Were they that worried about us?
'How kind. How cute!'
Somehow, Chixia must have sensed my rising mischief at her cute actions since she quickly moved to Rover and started to check over her instead, which meant I missed the opportunity to pull on her cheeks.
'Oh well. I'll get plenty of opportunities at a later time, right?'
Rover smiled at the worry that the girls showed.
"I am fine as well. We took care of that Tacet Discord rather easily."
"....You say you took down that thing easily?"
Baizhi muttered as she stared with wide eyes at the Echo.
With the way the other two widened their eyes as well, they must have felt the remnant frequencies in the Echo.
Rover raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Is it really that hard? Robbie and I took care of it easily, though."
"...Rover, that Echo is giving off frequencies on par with what was detected in the TD Outbreak three years ago. I feel like its frequency is similar to that Threnodian incident back then."
"...What's a Threnodian?"
Baizhi sighed and pinched her nose bridge while Yangyang and Chixia just gave amused looks at my question.
"What? It's a valid question!"
Yangyagn gently spoke at my defensive protest.
"Robbie, remember what I said about the class system for the TDs?"
"Yeah?"
"If we are to put it in the class system, it would be an Overlord-Class TD. A completely different league compared to Elite-Class, which are already hard things to deal with for regular Resonators."
She gave an uncertain look at the Echo.
"I am not certain Chixia, Baizhi, and I combined would be able to take that thing down, at least, not without sustaining injuries or Overclocking."
Rover and I shared a bewildered look at those words.
Sure, that thing was strong and gave us quite the challenge, but that was nowhere near the top of the food chain as far as I am concerned. Not even in the top 20, in fact.
Chixia chuckled while staring at my face. I must have been making quite the face if she burst out like that.
"Don't think too much about it. At least Jinzhou gained another source for Tacetite and other materials with this Tacet Field cleared, right? Baizhi?"
Baizhi nodded at Chixia's words.
"True. The city will reward both of you handsomely for clearing a Tacet Field like this and helping the city gain another source of Tacetite, the material used to manufacture Anti-TD weapons like ours."
I shrugged at her words.
"Sounds good to me."
Rover nodded in affirmation at my words as Chixia continued to circle the Echo with curiosity and excitement.
"Hey! Rover! Which one of you delivered the final blow?"
"That would be Rover. She beheaded it while I held it down."
Chixia grinned as she ran over and dragged Rover toward the Echo.
"Then absorb it into your Terminal already! I want to see what skill you will get from an Overlord-Class Echo! Also, since you guys were the ones to defeat it, you have the right to name this new type of TD."
"Then, let's call it 'Crownless'."
The girls raised an eyebrow at my words before shrugging and accepting it.
The reason why I went with that name is because that's what I've been hearing on a loop within that TD's mind from the very beginning of the fight.
I don't know the significance of that word or if it was some kind of a ritual, just like the Rule of 3 was back home, among other things, or if the TD was simply repeating what it heard somewhere before. But I think it fits as the name for this TD.
Yangyang smiled as she too walked towards the two girls who were standing near the Echo with Baizhi and I following her.
"You remember what I talked about earlier? Right? Just hold out your terminal and activate the Databank function. It will automatically absorb the Echo."
I watched with curiosity as Rover held up the terminal like Yangang talked about back in the Gorge when I inquired about Echos, among other things. (honestly, she does love to speak a lot about these things, doesn't she? Maybe I should call her Yapyap to tease her?)
Unfortunately, there was no reaction from Rover's terminal.
"Hm. It says I am at level 0."
"Huh? That's strange. If you are strong enough to defeat such a powerful TD, you should at least be at Level 50."
Chixia shrugged.
"Oh well, guess you will have to start small and then make your way up to that level. It's just too bad that this kind of powerful Echo would go to waste since only those who delivered the last strike can absorb the Echos, not to mention how rare it is for Echos to form in the first place."
I patted Chixia on the head, inciting irritation within the girl.
"Wow, you really know how to console someone, Chixia. Reminding Rover of everything that she is missing because of things not in her control."
"Hey! I did not mean it like that!"
She turned to Rover with an apologetic look, which made Rover give her an amused smirk.
"Anyways, we should go. It is not safe here."
At Baizhi's words, we turned around and prepared to leave, but Rover's right arm was suddenly pulled back by some strange force.
For a split second, I felt a strange frequency from within her. One that felt significantly similar to the beast that we just fought, but purer in a way, without the darkness I could sense from the beast.
'Hungry.....I'm Starving...'
I felt a chill go down my spine as those words echoed in my mind through my Telepathic link.
Then, before we could react, we watched with shock as the Echo was absorbed into Rover's Tacet Mark. Given her similarly shocked look, I don't think she intended to do that either.
As the silence stretched in the area, I just shrugged since the abnormal has kind of become the common around Rover at this point, from what I observed so far.
"Welp, that happened. Let's get going, yeah? Before the sky suddenly splits open and we are forced to fight Cthulu or something."
".....What's a Cthulu?"
I chuckled at Baizhi's words.
"Long story. I'll tell you girls later."
With that, we departed for Jinzhou, my very first destination in this new life.
Yet, despite the jovial attitude, I felt worried.
What was that voice I heard through my Telepathy? It said it was Hungry? And given the way Rover's arm moved on its own, is the source of that voice living inside her like the fragment of Polaris lives inside me?
If so, what is the goal of that entity? Is it benevolent? Malevolent? Does it seek to help Rover? Or harm her? Or take over her body for its own needs?
I need to see if I can convince Rover to undergo a Telepathic scan again. Things like these cannot be left to their own devices. I learned that lesson firsthand back home.
With those thoughts swirling in my mind, we continued walking towards the city.
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Rover: Click for image
Yangyang: Click for image
Chixia: Click for image
Baizhi: Click for image
Robert Graham (Robbie): Click for image
Crownless (Overlord-Class): Click for image
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