Chapter 4: Power of Chronos, Heading to Jinzhou
"For us/humankind threatened by lamentations and Tacet Discords, the Sentinels are chroniclers as ancient as civilization itself, and beacons guiding humanity through calamities. Their true forms are rarely seen."
"I only witnessed Sentinel: Jué's true appearance once, during the current Magistrate's inauguration ceremony. Ah, in our Huanglong, the Magistrate is the Sentinel's Resonator and also the highest local administrator."
Yangyang kept explaining to the two of them.
This detailed exposition clearly revealed her meticulous and earnest personality as a top student. But for Rover, who had just woken up with complete memory loss, listening to so much was making her dizzy.
So she secretly glanced at Amon beside her.
Her eyes asking if he knew something.
"Mhm~ Just a tiny bit."
Amon gave a thumbs-up as he spoke. Of course he knew.
Sentinel: Jué, that azure dragon who mastered temporal authority, was precisely their Rover's former subordinate. The Sentinel whom Yangyang and others revered as a deity would address Rover as "Master."
In fact, the bowing, reverent posture of Sentinel: Jué they'd seen through the statue earlier already explained everything.
Rover nodded. Since Amon indicated he knew, she didn't ask further. Given their relationship where "you are me and I am you," his knowledge was essentially her own.
"Speaking of which, why is there a Sentinel statue here? What's the point of building a statue in wilderness areas haunted by Tacet Discords?"
"Hehe~ Maybe it's for warding off evil."
Amon glanced at Jué's statue again and joked.
Yangyang blinked. Though clever and quick-witted, she didn't know everything. About this statue at Memento Square, she only vaguely remembered some general details.
"Apparently, a terrifying Tacet Discord once appeared in this area, causing unimaginable heavy casualties. Just when everyone thought the stronghold would be breached, the Sentinel appeared."
"I remember the story recording that Sentinel: Jué and an unnamed hero jointly defeated that powerful Tacet Discord. Afterward, people built this Memento Square in Gorges of Spirits to commemorate it."
"Oh~ So that's how it is." x3
Three exclamations sounded simultaneously. Amon and Rover paused, then turned to look at Chixia beside them, who had been attentively listening to Teacher Yangyang's lecture just like them. So...
Sis, aren't you a local?
"Ehehe, I'm not as smart as Yangyang. This is actually my first time hearing this story too." Chixia scratched her head and said.
Yangyang offered a gentle smile, then raised her hand to point toward the path leading out of the valley: "Let's go. We're almost at the exit. The Sky Sea has fully gathered. If we don't leave soon, Tacet Discords will keep increasing."
"More is better!!" x2
Amon and Rover's eyes lit up as they spoke in unison.
Those few small-fry Tacet Discords earlier weren't nearly enough to fight. They were worried about not having suitable targets to practice their resonance abilities.
Recalling the duo's clearly unusual strength, Yangyang and Chixia suddenly felt perhaps there wasn't such urgency after all. With Amon and Rover here, they could probably break through even if a Tacet Discord tide erupted.
"Before that, we need to meet up with Baizhi. Originally, she was the one who discovered you with us, but she went off alone to investigate the surrounding area afterward." Yangyang spoke while taking out the Terminal from behind her.
After several failed attempts to make contact, the young girl couldn't help but sigh, lifting her gaze toward the ocean in the sky.
In areas where the Sky Sea appears, the local frequencies become disrupted. This is also the reason why Tacet Discords emerge on a large scale during this time, and most communication methods are affected as well.
"Baizhi?" Rover inquired about the name.
"Yes, she's our companion. Her Resonance Ability is a rare healing type. Earlier, it was Baizhi who performed some basic medical checks on you," Yangyang recalled, speaking of their reliable teammate.
"Don't worry. Even though communications are down, we already agreed beforehand to regroup at the entrance of the Gorges of Spirits if anything unexpected happened."
"Alright, in that case, let's set off quickly."
Amon and Rover nodded in agreement. The four of them then hurried toward the valley exit, using the Tacet Discords they encountered along the way to test their Resonance Abilities while also gathering some materials.
To the two of them, these minor enemies were like cutting through melons and vegetables—each falling with a single strike. But Yangyang and Chixia knew that for ordinary Resonators, these Tacet Discords required careful and cautious handling.
After clearing out a large number of them, Amon and Rover had a better understanding.
Amon: "Currently, I can only stop time for about three seconds. After that, it takes over ten seconds before I can use it again. The explosive power after time stops is enough to instantly eliminate Tacet Discords of tidal wave-level threat."
Rover: "Well, we haven't encountered any Tacet Discords above tidal wave-level yet. Also, even though time stop can't be used consecutively, we can imbue our Resonance Ability into our weapons to further increase damage."
Chixia: "You two... are just way too strong."
Yangyang: "Time stop... Is that really the power of temporal order?!"
After witnessing Amon and Rover effortlessly cutting down hordes of Tacet Discords, the two girls were already somewhat numb to shock. But upon learning about their Resonance Abilities, they realized their earlier surprise had been premature.
The power of time—isn't that the authority of Sentinel: Jué?!
So, are Amon and Rover really connected to the Sentinel?
"But... doesn't Sentinel Jué already have Magistrate as their Resonator? Aside from the Sentinel themselves, only their Resonator should be able to wield temporal power... That's how it's supposed to be, right?"
Yangyang felt her common knowledge being shattered. After all, "a single individual can only have one Resonator" was the most fundamental rule.
After a brief silence, Yangyang decided to stop overthinking it.
She was a member of Outriders, responsible for exploration, investigation, and information relay within the Midnight Rangers. The incredible nature of these two Rovers was better left for Baizhi, the researcher, to ponder later.
The young girl resolved to focus on what she could handle for now.
So after that, both Yangyang and Chixia joined the battle as well. They insisted that even though Amon and Rover were incredibly powerful, they couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
At the same time, the former helped the two activate their Terminals—the black-and-white technological gourds that had been hanging on their backs all along.
This is a multi-functional tool that provides numerous conveniences, such as deploying rapid-movement grappling hooks, sensing the environment to extract information, taking photos, positioning, and so on.
"Although your Terminal model is a style I've never seen before, its basic functions are the same, and... its compatibility seems even better than our latest model. However, all previous data appears to have been wiped clean, as if it's just been freshly initialized."
Amon glanced at it and nodded in agreement—it was indeed completely erased, not a single browser history remained.
Spotlessly clean, in a way, it was quite reassuring.
"Alright, that completes the activation of the last 'Gliding' module. Actually, there's a 'Soaring' module currently in development, said to have been passed down from a nation called 'Rinascita'."
"It allows Resonators to fly freely in the air."
"But my access is limited, and it's a high-difficulty module that requires passing an assessment to use. We'll have to wait until we return to Jinzhou City to get it. I'm confident both of you will pass."
"Mm, alright, thank you, Yangyang." x2
Amon and Rover nodded in gratitude to Yangyang. Thanks to this girl's meticulous assistance along the way, the two of them had learned so much. They couldn't help but feel she was such a wonderful girl.
"N-No need to thank me."
Yangyang quickly waved her hands, her cheeks flushing slightly.
These two mysterious Rovers before her—aside from their astonishingly powerful skills and Resonance Abilities similar to the Sentinel's—were actually... strikingly captivating in appearance as well!
With black hair and golden eyes, both possessed exquisitely magnificent faces: Amon handsome and dashing, Rover beautiful and spirited. Their identical cat's eye-like pupils were particularly mesmerizing, resembling the reflection of a setting sun on water or the radiant glow of amber.
Their neat, jet-black short hair gave off a sense of steadiness. Though their skin wasn't pale as snow, it had a warm, jade-like smoothness, complemented by an indescribable noble aura.
Simply by standing there, they seemed to draw others' gazes uncontrollably toward them. Before one realized it, the mind would go blank, until finally, their images became an indelible mark in one's memory.
Yangyang took a deep breath and struggled to avert her gaze.
For some reason, she suddenly felt her face growing warm.
"W-We're almost there! The valley exit is just ahead!"
The girl quickly pointed forward, as if changing the subject.
The narrow path carved through the mountain rocks finally revealed its end. Amon and Rover couldn't help but relax slightly as they caught sight of the azure sky and patches of flawless white clouds.
Clearly, just a little further and they would leave the coverage of the Sky Sea, no longer needing to worry about Tacet Discords suddenly spawning to attack or throw themselves at them. With this thought, the two unconsciously quickened their pace.
When Amon and Rover reached the valley mouth, their restricted vision suddenly expanded into vast openness. A world brimming with natural beauty filled their golden eyes, and beside the distant mountains, they faintly glimpsed the outline of a massive capital city.
It was an ancient-style city, fortified like an impregnable fortress.
Even from afar, one could sense its grandeur.
And this was what Yangyang had referred to earlier—Jinzhou City!
Amon and Rover's gazes were involuntarily drawn to it.
"Amon, what should we do next..."
"I understand. Our destination is decided."
No further words were needed—the two had already reached a consensus.
One was a transmigrator who had just arrived in this world, the other was a Rover who had lost all memories. Both had originally felt lost in this unfamiliar world, unsure of how to move forward.
But now, they wanted to go see Jinzhou City first!
That city would become the new starting point of their story.