Rover asked curiously, "What's different about it?"
Changli turned her head slightly to glance at Lucian, who was busy taking photos with his terminal. "Perhaps... it's because the companions on this journey bring a sense of peace."
Lucian tapped a few tis on his terminal, and the devices of the two won beside him chid simultaneously.
Normally, new posts on the Jinya Forum didn't trigger notifications—only posts from soone you followed would prompt an alert.
[Title: Arrived at the Highest City of Mt. Firmant—Hongzhen!]
[Content: [Image][Image][Image]…]
[Editor: —Master Jinhsi's Dog]
...
[Patrol Officer Chixia: Wow! So this is Hongzhen in Mt. Firmant? I've never been there before—it's so beautiful!]
[—Master Jinhsi's Dog replied: When we return to Jinzhou, I'll take you there.]
[—Patrol Officer Chixia replied: Yay! Lucian's the best!]
...
[Jinhsi: Teacher went to Mt. Firmant to look for you today. Have you t up yet?]
[—Master Jinhsi's Dog replied: We did. She even said she wants to marry .]
[—Jinhsi replied: (⊙_⊙) ?]
...
[Unknown User: Tsk tsk tsk.]
[—Master Jinhsi's Dog replied: Are you okay? If you're free, go eat so lon.]
...
[Accepting Art Commissions: Silver-clad and jade-branched… Such a sight. I'd love to see it in person and paint it…]
[—Master Jinhsi's Dog replied: Get your white stockings ready—I'll bring you there right away!]
[—Accepting Art Commissions replied: Th-this… Mr. Lucian… Please stop…]
...
[Cloudpeak Dragon Beard Candy: I wonder if there are any bandits in Mt. Firmant…]
[—Master Jinhsi's Dog replied: You must be the Jinzhou Murderer, right? Though you only kill bad people.]
...
Just as Lucian was engrossed in the forum, Abby suddenly popped up.
"There's, there's, there's—"
Lucian put away his terminal and asked curiously, "Abby, are you pregnant? Who's the father?"
Abby stomped his foot in frustration. "What? No!"
"What I an is, there's a Tacet Discord nearby!"
His furry little finger pointed toward a cave not far away. "Over there!..."
But before he could finish, an even more complex scent of frequencies drifted into his nose.
"No, no… There's sothing even stranger—Tacet Discord, humans, and…"
"A very chaotic scent… Very familiar…"
Rover stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Why would there be Tacet Discords in Mt. Firmant?"
Lucian pondered for a mont. "This morning, I took care of a Lightcrusher on the southern side of Mt. Firmant. According to the field guide, it's a unique howling-type Tacet Discord native to the mountain…"
"Could these Tacet Discords be ancient remnants preserved due to Mt. Firmant's stagnation?"
Changli took the lead and stepped forward. "That direction aligns with our destination. Let's hurry and check it out."
The group quickly entered the cave and found a man holding a pistol, engaged in combat with several Tacet Discords.
Seeing this, Rover rushed forward and swiftly dispatched the small fry with a few punches and kicks.
The man, relieved, collapsed weakly into a nearby snowdrift. "Thank goodness—"
Lucian crouched beside him. "Are you alright?"
The man appeared severely injured and ntally exhausted.
When he looked up at the group, his eyes widened in recognition. "You're… Intelligence Officer Lucian, Rover? And… Counselor Changli?"
Lucian found the man's uniform sowhat familiar, though he couldn't place it imdiately. He raised an eyebrow. "You know us?"
The man gasped for breath, his condition clearly dire. His words ca out haltingly. "The Magistrate's personally appointed intelligence officer… the heroes who fought the Threnodian… and who resolved the temporal turbulence in Mt. Firmant alongside the Magistrate… It's all over Jinzhou…"
"...If not for you all this ti, I'd really be done for…"
But after his mont of despair, he forced himself to stand. "I can't die here… Soone's waiting for
to return…"
"I finally… finally found it… After searching for so long… Ugh—"
Before he could steady himself, he clutched his stomach and collapsed again in pain.
Lucian's expression darkened. "Your injuries are severe. You shouldn't move recklessly."
A soft green glow emanated from his palm. Though he had expended much of his energy healing Jiao-Jiao earlier that morning, the man's wounds were trivial in comparison, requiring little effort to nd.
The man looked at his hands in amazent. "I… I feel much better… Thank you… Thank you, Intelligence Officer Lucian!"
He clasped his hands together in gratitude, but before his relief could settle, Changli interjected with a stern expression.
"Though Mt. Firmant has been freed from crisis, the mountain isn't fully open yet. Explorers conducting surveys must register in advance and enter with the Midnight Rangers."
"Why did you co here alone?"
Changli's tone was severe, clearly displeased with the man's unauthorized intrusion into restricted areas.
This was understandable—Changli, Jinhsi, and the others were still wrapping up matters on Mt. Firmant. To ensure the safety of Jinzhou's citizens, many zones remained off-limits.
For this man to barge into a "forbidden area" showed blatant disregard for both rules and his own life.
The man stamred, "I… I just heard the legends of Mt. Firmant… So I wanted to search for them…"
Lucian mused silently. Legends of Mt. Firmant?
Could he also be here for the tales of "immortality"?
And earlier, he had muttered, "Found it, found it…"
The man continued, "Actually, I've only been on the mountain for half a day… It was smooth sailing before, but on my way back, I ran into Tacet Discords…"
"I need to return quickly… Fuling is waiting for …"
With that, the man stumbled out of the cave, his steps unsteady from exhaustion.
The three remaining exchanged glances.
Lucian rubbed his chin, pondering the man's words. "Clearly, he's hiding sothing."
"My guess is it's related to the 'immortality' legend. After all, these past few days, the most common story in Hongzhen has been about 'immortality.'"
"Also, his condition doesn't seem like he's only been here for half a day…"
"My Healing Art can't nd ntal fatigue, but even after treating his injuries, he's still in this state. That ans he's been in these deep mountains for a long ti."
Changli nodded in agreent. "I share Lucian's view. He ntioned soone waiting for him—let's follow and see."
The group trailed the man back to Hongzhen.
Lucian noticed Youning still in the sa spot as earlier. Upon closer inspection, he realized her uniform bore similarities to the man's, though with slight differences. Could he also be from the Pioneer Association?
"Youning."
Youning turned at the sound of her na, her face flushing slightly. "Ah… Intelligence Officer Lucian, Rover, Counselor Changli…"
"Is there sothing you need from ?"
Lucian spoke gently. "No need to be nervous. That man who just ran past here—the one who tripped—is he your colleague?"
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