No, this tea is very bitter.
These six words made Noah burst out laughing.
No way, sis—are you messing with me?
If he'd known Jinhsi would say that, he wouldn't have racked his brains for adjectives.
Picking up the teapot, he poured Jinhsi two more cups of bitter tea and joked:
"Messing with me, huh? Penalty—two cups."
Jinhsi didn't refuse, downing the bitter tea in her hand in one go. She reached for the two new cups Noah had poured, but he stopped her:
"Just kidding—you're really drinking it! You can stomach something this bitter."
Watching Noah take away the two cups of bitter tea, Jinhsi let out a long sigh:
"This tea is very bitter, just like Jinzhou—born on a sheer cliff ten thousand ren high, enduring the biting cold winds on the precipice day after day. One careless moment means falling to pieces."
"Yet in this place teeming with desperate straits, it blooms proudly against the snow."
"Though bitter in taste, it nourishes blood and yin, tonifies the kidneys and essence, invigorates blood and promotes menstruation—with excellent effects..."
Before Jinhsi could finish, the two cups of tea in front of Noah were already empty:
"Send me some of these tea leaves later. Also, don't speak in riddles—just say what you mean directly."
"Alright. Jinzhou is about to face a major crisis. I hope you can leave Jinzhou."
"You're being too straightforward."
Noah glanced at Jinhsi.
What major crisis—it was just the Threnodian about to cause trouble, right?
In the game plot, you weren't this dejected. On the contrary, the Jinhsi in the game confidently declared she would protect Jinzhou herself.
But thinking carefully, it wasn't incomprehensible. The Jinhsi in the game was at full strength—even if the Tacet Discord wave broke through the front lines, she was still guarding Jinzhou City.
The current Jinhsi had once overclocked to the point of nearly dying, and probably hadn't fully recovered her physical condition even now.
According to the plot, the Threnodian Ovathrax on Jinzhou's side had been severely injured a thousand years ago and hadn't revived yet.
Even if the Threnodian revived—so what? Big deal? Just find Rover.
Thinking this, Noah suddenly froze completely.
It seemed... just now, Jinhsi had told him they hadn't found Rover. He had been focused on the dragon scales on Jinhsi's hands and nearly overlooked this critical issue.
This... Noah really wanted to tell himself that not finding Rover was a very serious matter, but in reality, his heart didn't fluctuate much.
In this Solaris-3 where the plot was almost entirely derailed, anything happening wasn't strange.
"Jinzhou is on Huanglong's front line, always confronting the Threnodian Ovathrax. Since the Battle Beneath the Crescent, the Threnodian has rarely launched attacks."
Jinhsi continued on her own:
"But, as you saw yesterday, the Tacet Discord waves are growing more intense wave after wave."
"I speculate that besides the overseer Scar, there's another Fractsidus overseer causing trouble within Jinzhou's borders. They want to trigger a catastrophe to guide the Threnodian's awakening."
"Even so, I believe Jinzhou can resolve this with its own strength, but I'm worried you'll get involved."
Having said this much, Jinhsi sincerely voiced her request:
"Though you're a hero in everyone's eyes, I don't want to make demands of you on that basis. What you've already done for Jinzhou is enough for us to be grateful."
"The people of Jinzhou are my subjects—it is naturally my duty to protect them."
"So, I want to ask you to temporarily leave Jinzhou and visit the capital as a guest. Once the incident subsides, Jinzhou will always welcome your return."
Jinhsi's meaning was simple: she worried that when the great calamity arrived, the people of Jinzhou might place expectations on Noah.
And those expectations might pressure Noah. If Noah made any mistake, it could lead to "collapsing the house."
Even a minor error could be infinitely magnified under the public's gaze.
Conversely, if Noah left Jinzhou before the great battle, the people naturally wouldn't hold expectations for him.
Once the incident subsided and Noah returned to Jinzhou, he would still be the hero in everyone's eyes.
This plan was indeed considered from Noah's perspective. To let Noah leave with peace of mind, Jinhsi even said Jinzhou should be protected by her.
"I refuse."
Noah tugged at the corner of his mouth, casually refusing, his brain spinning rapidly.
This Jinzhou faced a very different situation from the game.
Scar was killed prematurely, so Jinhsi knew much less intelligence—she probably didn't even know where the Sentinel was now.
At this moment, Jinhsi seemed to only think a slightly larger Tacet Discord wave was coming—at most a few Overlord Class Tacet Discords. She had no idea what Jinzhou would face next.
Jinhsi being confused was fine, but he—who knew the plot—couldn't be confused.
Hearing Noah's answer, Jinhsi showed no surprise, only an extra touch of emotion in her eyes:
"If you're willing to fight for Jinzhou, I'm very grateful."
"Maybe I'll help a little—don't expect too much."
Issuing a verbal "disclaimer," Noah suddenly asked:
"Have you applied to the capital for usage rights to the Disruptor?"
"How did you know? I did send someone to the capital the day before yesterday to request some practical aid—this was per the Sentinel's previous instructions."
Catching the word "Sentinel," Noah's thoughts leaped quickly. He asked again:
"Did the Sentinel ever mention anything to you about a 'Rover'? Like telling the Rover to go to Norfall Barrens to find the Threnodian?"
As Noah's words fell, a trace of confusion appeared in Jinhsi's expression. She thought carefully for a moment, then shook her head:
"No. To be honest, Jinzhou's Sentinel is currently missing. If I find Her, I can ask about Rover's whereabouts for you."
Hearing this, Noah felt a toothache coming on.
Jué, oh Jué—how do you manage being a Sentinel? Your Resonator is gone.
As a professional account booster, he of course knew Jué's current location.
Wasn't she trapped in the Mianloong Chamber on Mt. Firmament? Those complicated puzzles—he could do them blindfolded.
But he couldn't tell Jinhsi.
If Jinhsi knew the Sentinel's location and what the Sentinel was about to do, she would definitely fight Jué, attempting a second Resonance.
But without Rover present, Jinhsi was guaranteed dead.
Don't think that in the plot when Jinhsi fights Jué, Rover is just a bystander.
Without Rover there, Jinhsi could only fight desperately, get killed by the Sentinel—with the chance of awakening second Resonance less than one in ten thousand.
With Rover present, the Sentinel could go easy, go through the motions, then directly ask Rover for permission to transfer the power of time sequence.
So—still need to find Rover.
This wasn't just preparation for the later Mt. Firmament arc, but also for upcoming tasks. Some things only Rover could do.
But...
Jinzhou's forces couldn't find Rover, the Sentinel hadn't prophesied about Rover, and Noah himself couldn't find Rover.
So where exactly was Rover? Who could possibly know Rover's whereabouts?
A flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in Noah's mind.
To find Rover—ask Black Shores! Even if the whole world couldn't find Rover, Black Shores' Shorekeeper absolutely couldn't fail to find Rover.
With this thought, Noah regained his spirits:
"Jinhsi, do you know about Black Shores?"
"Yes, Black Shores is the most mysterious organization on Solaris-3, possessing a system capable of predicting Lament patterns."
Jinhsi nodded and explained:
"Black Shores once helped us analyze the relationship between lunar phases and Threnodians, providing us with a great deal of assistance. Why do you ask?"
"I hope you can help me find three people—they should be in Jinzhou City now."
Noah took paper and pen from the table, quickly drawing three crude cartoon characters, writing names below each.
Jinhsi took Noah's drawing, her brows immediately furrowing tightly.
This twin-tailed one—seems like a woman? Name: Camellya.
This middle-parted hair—should be a man? Name: Aalto.
The last very cartoonish one—probably a girl, name: Encore.
Though names alone were enough to find people, the drawing was truly too abstract.
Jinhsi awkwardly set down the portrait:
"Um... I know a very skilled painter. How about I introduce you?"