Lucian fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then said thoughtfully, "In the tale of, there was no intervention by an entity like the Sentinel. Yet Mt. Firmament is now the Sentinel's domain—could the current complexities within the mountain be related to this?"
Changli gave Lucian an approving glance. "You're quite sharp."
"You must understand, the temporal currents of Mt. Firmament stem from the Sentinel's power over Time. Time may stagnate, reverse, or shift—stars may move, millennia may pass in an instant—all of it is but a flower blooming and withering in the palm of the Sentinel's hand."
"If Fractsidus has indeed trapped the Sentinel, weakening it or even causing its powers to spiral out of control, thereby triggering temporal chaos… then Mt. Firmament would become a deadlock, a game with no way out."
Lucian hesitated before speaking again. "Then…"
Though it had been said before that Fractsidus had imprisoned Jué, Lucian never truly believed they were capable of such a feat.
But if Jué itself had encountered problems, and Fractsidus intervened on top of that… then it was hard to say. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs novel-fire.ɴet
If that were truly the case, their journey to Mt. Firmament would likely be fraught with peril.
Noticing his hesitation, Changli's lips curled into a faint, meaningful smile. "What, are you afraid?"
Lucian scoffed. "Afraid? Since when does Lucian fear anything?"
"I, Lucian, fear neither heaven nor earth!"
Rover chimed in, "Lucian only fears me smacking the back of his head."
Lucian: "...That's true."
Rover turned her gaze toward the distant Loong's Ridge. "Such a deadlock, yet here we are, walking right into it."
Changli replied, "Time only governs the length of one's lifespan."
"Since our honored guest has chosen to enter the game, the 'Guide' naturally must accompany her."
"Jinhsi… has indeed been delayed within Mt. Firmament for far too long."
A game—it truly was a game.
Lucian couldn't shake the feeling that even before stepping foot into Mt. Firmament, he was already a piece on the board.
Every step of their journey so far seemed to have been pushed forward by some unseen hand.
The only one Lucian could think of was Fractsidus.
Ever since Fractsidus claimed to have imprisoned the Sentinel, the entirety of Jinzhou had been set into motion—"a single tug affecting the whole body."
Even the great battle at Norfall Barrens had been stirred up by Fractsidus' machinations.
Now, as they headed to Mt. Firmament, was Fractsidus already watching them from the shadows?
Lucian couldn't say for sure, but the feeling was deeply unsettling.
Rover spoke up, "Sanhua said Jinhsi's condition isn't good."
Changli let out a light laugh, her words carrying a double meaning. "Nothing escapes her eyes."
"Before Jinhsi left for Mt. Firmament, her body began exhibiting draconic scales, and her Resonance abilities have been steadily weakening."
"Such signs indicate that the Sentinel's condition is dire."
"That is precisely why I must act as the 'Guide' and lead you into the mountain."
"In this game at Mt. Firmament… you may be indispensable."
"As for you, Mr. Lucian—"
Lucian raised an eyebrow. "Me?"
Changli smiled. "Mr. Lucian, you are not of this world—yet the strength you've displayed has earned our attention."
That Changli knew he wasn't from this world didn't surprise Lucian.
To Jinzhou, Lucian was an uncontrollable variable—a piece not on the board.
"However, your actions thus far have proven that you would never side with organizations like Fractsidus."
"And given your relationship with Rover… we trust her, so naturally, we have no reason not to trust you."
"Otherwise, we would not have allowed you to accompany us on this journey to Mt. Firmament."
"And for our enemies, the fact that you are aligned with us… is far from good news."
Lucian fell into thought.
Earlier, Jinhsi had also seemed to be testing him—even going so far as to appoint him as an Intelligence Officer.
After all, when it came to intelligence, there was no room for error.
A single piece of faulty information could lead to irreversible consequences.
After a long period of observation, Jinzhou had likely temporarily lowered its guard toward him.
Moreover, by leveraging his relationship with Rover to keep him by her side, they were not only using a powerful combatant to protect an important individual—but also using Rover to anchor Lucian, ensuring he wouldn't entertain other ideas.
But Lucian didn't believe Jinzhou hadn't considered the possibility of him convincing Rover to defect together.
Yet they still allowed it. He suspected this was because of their absolute confidence in Rover's loyalty once she learned the truth of her origins.
They likely believed that, upon discovering her identity, Rover would never turn against Jinzhou.
Not that Lucian could be blamed for thinking so pragmatically—in this world, the only people he truly cared about were Rover…
…and Chixia, Jianxin, and the others.
In short, he couldn't care less about Jinzhou or Fractsidus' schemes. All he cared about were those who had walked alongside him.
Changli continued, "To be frank, I previously instructed Sanhua that if you came to City Hall to inquire about Jinhsi's whereabouts, she should tell you the truth."
Rover also recalled this. Ever since she awoke with no memories, she had largely remained indifferent to Jinzhou's affairs.
The only thing she truly cared about was her own origins—it was only after learning that assisting the Magistrate could provide clues to her identity that she began involving herself in these matters.
Still, she had wondered if Jinzhou was using this to manipulate her.
But as the journey progressed, Jinzhou's repeated gestures of goodwill gradually eased her suspicions.
And with Lucian by her side, she no longer felt alone in this world.
Seeing the thoughtful expressions on both their faces, Changli simply smiled without interrupting.
After a moment, Rover asked, "About my identity…"
Changli held her umbrella aloft, catching a few droplets of rain in her outstretched palm.
"From what I know, the Sentinel is closely tied to you—and Fractsidus has always been fixated on you… though now, it seems they've also taken notice of Lucian, this unpredictable variable."
"Before the battle with the Threnodian, Fractsidus exhausted every means to sway you. I believe their goal was to interfere with your judgment and decisions."
"—Which means your involvement could disrupt their plans."
"Especially in this journey to Mt. Firmament."
Rover murmured, "Ever since I awoke, every faction has taken an interest in me."
Changli explained, "The Grand Library records that after the Sentinel descended, one individual visited Mt. Firmament and left unharmed days later, untouched by the temporal currents—"
"At the same time, that visitor was also described in the texts as 'the one who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sentinel's Jué.'"
"And now, someone strikingly similar to that person stands before me."
Rover: "That person… is me?"
Changli: "Is it you? Who else could it be?"
Lucian suddenly raised a hand. "Hold on—I just realized, if we enter Mt. Firmament and come back out, won't we have aged decades in a single night?"
Changli's eyes curved with amusement. "Indeed. That's precisely why we're making this journey—to put an end to these unstable temporal currents…"
Lucian tightened his grip on Rover's hand. "Rover, if I come out covered in wrinkles… you won't disdain me, right?"