As the group of five moved out of the Gorges of Spirits, fighting the stray TDs that they came across and helping Rover upgrade her Databank level, the Terminals of the four girls flashed.
"Oh! The signal's back!"
As they pulled out their Terminals, a hologram materialized in front of them, showing a young girl with long white hair and silver eyes. Her clothing looked regal yet attractive at the same time, while her posture conveyed authority.
Robbie eyed the four girls by his side and then looked at the girl with a suspicious look.
'Come to think of it, why is the fashion here so bizarre and revealing? Is it common for this world to wear this kind of stuff? Will I be considered too conservative for wearing my usual gear?'
'And what is their cloth made from anyway? It makes sense that my stuff was unharmed during all the combat since I keep a Telekinetic barrier active around my body all the time, but what about Rover's clothes? And even Yangyagn and Chixia's clothing, for that matter? I am sure I saw them get hit many times during the fights, but I don't see a scratch on their clothes.'
'I really need to sit down in that library Baizhi promised me in exchange for a medical exam and answering a few questions about my world at that Academy of hers.'
"My fellow soldiers and citizens, I apologize for any inconvenience caused. I am Jinhsi, the Magistrate of Jinzhou."
Robbie raised an eyebrow at those words from the hologram. He had not expected the ruler of Jinzhou to be such a young girl.
'I did not expect Jinzhou and its so-called Sentinel to be so desperate that they put a young girl in charge of the city. Or is she some kind of prodigy? Given how different this world is, maybe I should put aside my bias and learn more about their culture before saying anything?'
"As the Moon-Chasing Festival approaches, our city welcomes visitors from around the world. The festivities are highly anticipated by our people, and I, too, share in this joyful sentiment."
Her face dulled a bit as a seriousness took hold.
"Jinzhou has always been a crucial defense against the Tacet Discord Outbreaks, safeguarding Huanglong. We have a heavy responsibility on our shoulders with no room for retreat or failure."
"It is the dedication of our warriors, along with the diligence of our citizens, that has allowed us to thrive in peace and prosperity."
"Despite the challenges of Tacet Discords, we remain steadfast and hospitable to visitors, upholding our enduring traditions."
"With that in mind, I have a favor to ask."
The group remained silent as Magistrate Jinhsi took a deep breath and spoke seriously.
"Among our many visitors, there is one visitor that holds utmost importance to me, the City of Jinzhou, and the entirety of Huanglong."
She suddenly took a respectful posture with two fingers raised to her chest and her head bowed in deference.
"We have awaited your arrival for a long time."
"Given the circumstances, you may be feeling bewildered at this time. You should have noticed strange happenings related to you."
Robbie turned to look at Rover with a suspicious look.
'Bewildered? Definitely. She does not have any memories for Christ's sake! Of course, she is bewildered. And strange things happening? That is a check as well. According to Yangyang, the things that happened today while traveling with Rover have never happened throughout their lifetimes, or any other time in history, period.'
Robbie closed his eyes and thought back to everything that happened that day aside from his arrival in this world.
Strange moments of TDs. sudden convergence of the Etheric Sea, the moment Rover woke up. Elite-Class TDs appearing out of thin air in an area known for its lack of TDs. A Tacet Field suddenly manifests and activates without a Dormant timeframe, according to Yangyang. And then there was that fight with the Crownless.
'Yup. No matter how I see, Rover must be the special visitor this girl is looking for.'
"If you plan to stay in Jinzhou for some time, I would be more than delighted to personally meet you in the City Hall."
"While I cannot guarantee to provide all the answers you need, I will do my best to assist you and provide necessary permissions, if applicable."
The girl in the image smiled and continued speaking.
"This is only my personal request. You can decide your course of action in any way you see fit. Therefore, I request the people and soldiers of Jinzhou to assist this esteemed visitor when the opportunity arises."
With that, the hologram faded, leaving the girls speechless for a minute before Chixia gave Rover an excited look.
"Why do I get the feeling....?"
Baizhi nodded at the looks Yangyang and Chixia gave her.
"This person our Magistrate was talking about..."
"Yup. It's most likely Rover."
Robbie straight up confirmed it with a grin as Rover gave the group a bewildered look.
"I am sure about that. Besides, what does she even mean by any of that speech?"
Robbie shrugged and put his arm around her shoulders with a grin.
"I guess we will find out eh? We gotta meet the Majistrate anyway to claim that reward that Baizhi talked about, so why not ask her directly?"
Rover smiled at those words and nodded.
"Alright. Let's get going then."
"Don't forget about the physical examination that we talked about, Rover. And that interview and thorough medical tests we agreed about, Robert."
".....Why do I feel like a lab rat under your gaze?"
Baizhi did not respond and only stared intently at Robbie, making him shudder a bit and subtly placing Rover between himself and the scientist, much to the amnesiac woman's amusement.
Soon, the group arrived at the city of Jinzhou.
Looking at the beautiful border city, Rover could not help but be taken aback by the beauty of the place. Even Robbie stood still, admiring the city.
"I'll admit, this is much better than what I was imagining."
Raising his hands in the air and closing his eyes, Robbie took a deep breath and exhaled happily.
"It feels alive for lack of a better term."
"Yeah. It is truly beautiful."
Chixia grinned at Robbie and Rover's words.
"Right!? Jinzhou is the beacon of civilization this side of the continent, and we have a lot of specialities, like the festival, the plays, the music, the food, and so much more!"
"Hahaha! Alright then. I'll take your word for it."
Rover smiled warmly as Robbie patted Chixia's head again, making the redhead pout in depression.
"Can you stop treating me like a kid already?"
"Nope."
"..Bully."
"Yup."
"I hate you."
"Love you too."
Chixia stomped angrily before moving forward, sulking as the group moved towards the Resonance Nexus.
As soon as the group reached the tower that stood at the very center of the city and stood taller than any other building with its top nearly reaching the City Hall's height that sat atop a cliff, Chixia once again fiddled with Rover's terminal and connected it to the Nexus by placing it in the indent provided at the base of the Nexus Tower.
Once she was done registering, she motioned Rover to move forward.
"Alright, your terminal is registered. Now it only needs your biometrics to issue you an official ID."
Rover nodded and moved forward, placing her palm on the holographic panel, which scanned her fingerprints as well as frequency while a beam of light scanned her retina.
Once done, her terminal beeped and now showed an official Jinzhou ID.
Robbie watched the entire process and sighed deeply.
"Damn! Is it that easy to get an ID if you have a Terminal? Lucky you, Rover. I have to go through the good old bureaucracy to get my ID, unlike you."
"That's what you get for being a meanie!"
Chixia blew a raspberry at Robbie's grumbling, making the man pull her cheeks again, which made the girl flail in protest again.
Watching the entire interaction, Rover could not help but feel warm.
Ever since she woke up with no memories of who she was or what she was doing in that place, she had been panicking on the inside, unable to think of anything else aside from surviving and finding out who she was.
However, in the short few hours she spent with these people, she had already come to regard them as close friends.
Yangyang's motherly attitude and love for talking about anything that she asks about.
Chixia's fiery and bubbly personality.
Baizhi's professional and cold guise hid a warm heart underneath.
And Robbie, another anomaly like herself who literally came from another world.
Honestly, Rover could not help but feel connected with all of them, especially to Robbie, who she felt to be a kindred spirit given their shared circumstances.
Soon, the group walked to the so-called best restaurant in Jinzhou under Chixia's recommendations while Baizhi returned to the Academy so that she could get things ready for the physical tests.
"Alright! Like I promised! This meal is on me! But within reason!!"
Chixia spotted the mischievous look on Robbie and hurriedly added the last part, which made the man shake his head in disappointment, while the redhead felt like she dodged a bullet somehow.
Yangyang ordered a dish called 'Fluffy Wuthercake' while Chixia ordered a Champion Hotpot for the others to share.
Watching the boiling base in the pot, Chixia grinned mischeviously as Robbie dipped the meat in with his chopsticks and took a bite, but was dissapointed when the expected reaction did not happen.
Robbie gave her an amused look and talked to her telepathically.
"Did you think I can't handle this level of spice? This is nothing compared to the Sichuan Hotpot that I frequently had back home."
Chixia jumped when she heard his voice in her words, nearly toppling the entire table, before catching herself and glaring at Robbie.
"Don't do that! You really startled me there!"
"Heh, alright."
"Where are you two planning to stay tonight?"
Robbie motioned towards Rover as he answered Yangyagn's question.
"Rover already looked up a motel nearby on her Terminal. For tonight, we will stay there. As for money, we did collect a lot of stuff from that Tacet Field and during our walk here, so I guess we will pawn off that stuff for some money until we get our reward from the City Hall."
The two girls nodded at his words before Yangyagn gave them a serious look.
"Robbie, remember what I said about that Astrite? Don't waste those, alright?"
Robbie nodded his head at that warning.
"I remember. That's why I gave my Astrite to Rover for safekeeping in her Terminal space along with the other materials I collected."
"Good. Like I said, Astrite is a very rare resource that occasionally forms in Tacet Fields or manifests after a particularly powerful TD is killed. Given its potential, there will be no shortage of people who will try anything to get their hands on it should they know you have it with you."
Robbie nodded seriously at her words.
From what he learned from Yangyang, the strange white crystal was apparently a rare material that can be used in many ways. However, its primary use was to sacrifice its frequencies to a Resonance Nexus in exchange for random materials, weapons, or even things from other worlds.
The Academy and many other scientific groups theorize that the Astrites are the crystallized form of frequencies from other planes of reality or distant planets manifested through the special nature of TDs and the spatial anomalies generated by a Tacet Field.
It is because of this that the girls were not that surprised when Robbie claimed to be from another world.
When they already have crystallized frequencies from another world, what is there to be surprised about when a person shows up from another world?
After their meal, the girls separated and headed towards their own homes while Rover and Robbie booked two rooms at the Motel.
Falling into bed after washing up, Robbie could not help but think back to everything that happened during the day as he slowly fell asleep.
For the first time in countless years, he slept without the whispers of the Hiss trying to gain control of his mind, and he could not be more grateful for the fact.
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Jinhsi: Click here for image