They arrived at City Hall once again, but this time, they weren't there to visit the reception room deep inside.
Rover took out the instruction diagram, which displayed a top-down view of the hall, with a red circle marking the upper-left corner of the map.
Lucian looked at the vase in front of them and said, "This is simple. Based on all the tropes I'm familiar with, we just need to..."
As he spoke, Lucian gripped the vase with both hands and gave it a gentle twist.
A rumbling sound immediately echoed in their ears.
A hidden door before them flipped open, revealing its true form. On the door was an emblem of Jinzhou's Sentinel.
Rover nodded. "Let's go in."
Passing through a short corridor and entering a sensor-activated door, Lucian was surprised to find the space inside so vast.
"I never expected City Hall to look so unremarkable on the outside yet hide such a marvel within."
Looking up, they saw several lifelike dragons coiled high along the walls, their mouths gushing torrents of clear water like miniature waterfalls.
There was only one path here, winding and twisting toward the center of the space.
This solitary walkway stood alone above the water's surface, as if suspended in midair.
Upon closer inspection, they could vaguely make out strange, intricate devices hidden beneath the crystal-clear water.
Rover stated plainly, "Part of the structure is submerged... It's a mechanism that hides the path by raising and lowering the water level."
"Seems the puzzles aren't over yet. Let's check out that facility in the middle first."
Lucian grumbled, "Do they really have to solve multiple mechanisms every time they visit the Grand Library? Doesn't the Magistrate find this troublesome?"
Rover replied, "Yangyang did say the Grand Library is Jinzhou's most important repository of knowledge. A few extra security measures aren't unreasonable."
Lucian let out an exaggerated sigh. Based on their plan, they knew someone was following them, so he deliberately raised his voice:
"That may be so, but it's still a pain for us."
"Meeting the Magistrate sure is difficult... Can't she just come out and greet us herself?!"
Lucian pondered for a moment. "Is there any way to make the Magistrate come out directly...?"
After a pause, his eyes lit up. "Hey, Rover, how about we just wreck this place? That'll definitely force the Magistrate to show up!"
Rover deadpanned, "...Don't be stupid."
"Whether the Magistrate shows up or not, the Midnight Rangers definitely will."
Lucian: "...Fair point."
As they spoke, the two reached the center of the lake, where a machine resembling a musical instrument stood.
Rover read the inscription aloud:
"...With the five tones as its foundation, harmonizing all melodies,
Strike the drum to pass the sound, ring the bell to find the path."
"...When the measures are tuned and the chimes aligned, the Grand Library shall open."
Lucian blinked in confusion. "What-what-what-what-what?"
Rover smiled faintly. "Look, this control panel is structured like an instrument, but it seems to be missing five key musical notes. Without them, the melody can't be completed."
"In other words, we need to restore the missing 'sound measures' with the correct data to play the tune and open the door to the database."
Lucian stared at Rover blankly. "How do you even know about music?"
Rover paused, suddenly thoughtful. "Right... How do I know about music...?"
Lucian: "?"
Then he clapped his hands in realization. "I get it! No wonder the Magistrate wants to see you!"
Rover: "What do you get?"
Lucian declared confidently, "You must've been a singer performing for the Magistrate in the past!"
Rover: "?"
Lucian adopted a pitiful tone. "Magistrate Jinhsi, unable to listen to Rover's songs while handling official duties, grew so frustrated she threw a tantrum, crying and wailing—boo-hoo-hoo, how pitiful..."
Rover smacked the back of Lucian's head. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?! And since when would the Magistrate throw a tantrum over something like that?!"
Lucian smirked, as if seeing through everything. "That's what you don't understand—it's called gap moe!"
Rover shook her head, knowing Lucian was putting on a show for their unseen observers, so she ignored his antics. "Look over there..."
She pointed behind the musical platform. Lucian followed her gaze and spotted a small black object floating in the air.
Rover approached it, examined it briefly, and concluded:
"This sound measure's data must be one of the missing notes. Let's connect it to the platform."
The screen above the platform lit up, and a nearby mechanism unlocked.
Rover nodded. "Just as I thought—one segment of the melody on the scoreboard has been activated. That dragon drum over there should be playable now."
Lucian, hearing this, started the drum. In response, a dragon bell slowly rose from the water.
Rover stepped forward. "A dragon bell emerging from the water... 'Ring the bell to find the path.' I see."
She struck the bell with her sword, adjusting its position to the correct alignment. A shimmering blue path materialized before them.
With a satisfied nod, she said, "A new path has appeared. That means the first 'puzzle' is solved."
"Now we just need to solve the remaining ones in order."
...
After some effort...
(Well, mostly Rover's effort.)
After all, Lucian was content to laze around, completely unwilling to engage his brain—especially for puzzles involving musical theory.
Rover can handle anything anyway!
Once all the sound measures were collected, a golden path unfolded before them.
Rover and Lucian stepped onto it.
"With this, the door to the database should open."
Passing through the corridor, they entered the Grand Library—only to find it completely empty.
"So this is the Grand Library, the database said to 'hold the answers to everything'..."
"Not a soul in sight. The Magistrate doesn't seem to be here."
Rover turned to Lucian. "While we wait for her to arrive, let's see if there's any data we can investigate."
She took out her terminal to interface with the database, but before they could examine anything, a familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind.
"Thanks for leading the way, Rover."
Lucian spun around in shock. "Scar?!"
Unlike Lucian's surprise, Rover remained composed.
After all, the act had to be convincing—though it seemed Rover wasn't particularly committed to the role.
[Option 1: Screw the act! Mock Scar! Reward: "Running in Style" skill +1!]
[Option 2: Play the double agent! Tell Scar he's fallen into a trap! Reward: Jinzhou's most extravagant funeral!]
Lucian suddenly switched to an announcer's voice: "He's here! He's here! He's strutting in with unshakable confidence!"
Scar: "?"
[Ding! Reward obtained: "Running in Style" skill +1.]
Scar took a deep breath. From the bottom of his heart, he really didn't want to deal with this guy.
He opted to ignore Lucian entirely, spreading his arms boastfully:
"...What a wonderful place. All-encompassing, containing everything. It makes me want to dig through it, piece by piece... and then reduce it all to ruins."
A card suddenly appeared in Scar's hand, glowing faintly red.
In a flash, he swung it horizontally toward Rover, stopping just short of her neck.
But Lucian reacted just as quickly, drawing the Yamato and pressing it against Scar's throat in turn.
"...Hahaha." Scar let out a slightly manic laugh. "You've got quite the partner there..."
He turned his puzzled gaze to Rover, who still looked completely unruffled. "You don't seem the least bit surprised to see me, Rover."
"I wonder... why that is..."
Before he could finish, Rover and Lucian suddenly leaped backward.
A barrage of ice crystals shot toward Scar from behind, the freezing cold immobilizing him as frost spread across his entire body.