["They say General Geshu Lin's sword burned with black flames, reducing all Threnodians to ashes as he cut through the battlefield like a force of nature, with victory seemingly within grasp..."]
["Yet at that very moment, the Norfall Barrens were struck by a Retroact Rain.'"]
["The heavens poured, a hundred ghosts wailed in the night, turning the mortal realm into purgatory, burying loyal bones beneath crimson sand."]
["General Geshu Lin issued his final command, ordering all soldiers to hold their ground and fight to the death."]
["As for himself, he did not hesitate to scorch his own body in flames, engaging the Overthax in a life-or-death battle... To this day, his whereabouts remain unknown."]
["After General Geshu Lin's disappearance, the soldiers stained the battlefield with their blood, struggling to hold on."]
["But before one wave could settle, another arose—soldiers looked out only to see an endless, unkillable tide of Tacet Discords."]
["As they watched their comrades fall one after another, just as all hope seemed lost, a dragon's roar shattered the silence."]
["A young man took up the banner of the Sentinel, leading the Midnight Rangers in breaking through the encirclement, preserving what little remained of Jinzhou's fighting strength and preventing total annihilation."]
["The Norfall Barrens had already been overrun by countless Tacet Discords, so the young man led the surviving Midnight Rangers in retreating to the Desorock Highland, holding the line so fiercely that the tide of Tacet Discords could advance no further toward Jinzhou City."]
["After this battle, the young man who summoned wind and dragons swiftly rose to fame, achieving repeated military merits, and was chosen by Jué as the new General of the Garrison."]
["As for General Geshu Lin, due to that fateful order that led to heavy casualties among the Midnight Rangers, he became a general of mixed legacy in the history of the Sentinel..."]
["Though this battle left Jinzhou severely weakened, the long-dormant Sentinel finally, in the subsequent events, selected a candidate for Magistrate..."]
["The people all believed that under the guidance of the Sentinel and the Magistrate, Jinzhou would surely reverse its fortunes and march toward a new dawn..."]
Yangyang told the story in the manner of a storyteller, and everyone was captivated by it.
Chixia: "So there was a story like this..."
Lucian rubbed his chin: "It seems that General Jiyan awakened as a Resonator at that time..."
"Truly fortunate—otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable..."
After all, the Desorock Highland was mostly occupied by logistical units, whose combat strength paled in comparison to the frontline Midnight Rangers.
If the Midnight Rangers had been completely wiped out in the Norfall Barrens and the Tacet Discord tide had surged south, could the logistical units have stopped them?
Lucian thought it unlikely. And if the Desorock Highland had fallen, the next target would have been Jinzhou City...
Lucian believed Jiyan's decision was absolutely correct. Faced with an unexpected tide of Tacet Discords, the original plan to reclaim the Norfall Barrens had failed, and with General Geshu Lin missing, the army was left leaderless.
It was indeed the right call to retreat to the stronghold and hold the line, regrouping for the future rather than making a futile last stand.
One could only say that General Geshu Lin had underestimated the numbers and strength of the Tacet Discords. Fortunately, Jiyan awakened his Resonance abilities, preventing the tragedy from escalating further.
Rover asked: "Why did Jué choose Jinhsi as Magistrate?"
Yangyang guessed: "Perhaps the Sentinel has its own criteria for selection?"
"Or maybe the difference between gods and humans lies precisely in this 'unknowability'—their standards are always beyond mortal comprehension."
Chixia giggled: "Yeah! So even if Jué one day picks me as Magistrate, I wouldn't be surprised!"
Lucian placed a hand on her forehead. Chixia blinked: "What are you doing?"
Lucian frowned: "No fever... So why the nonsense?"
Chixia fumed: "What, I can't be Magistrate?! You're looking down on me!"
Lucian: "Then answer me—what's eighteen plus nine?"
Chixia froze: "Eighteen plus nine..."
She lowered her head, counting on her fingers: "Eighteen plus nine... eighteen... nineteen..."
Yangyang covered her mouth, stifling a laugh: "Alright, stop teasing her."
Chixia whimpered, clutching her head: "So being a Magistrate is this hard..."
Yangyang: "..."
Rover: "..."
Lucian whispered to Rover: "Is there still hope for her?"
Rover: "Bury her. She's beyond saving."
Unable to bear it, Lucian defended Chixia: "Chixia's knowledge may seem lacking, but in reality, it's not much higher."
Rover: "Are you trying to help her or finish her off?"
Returning to the earlier topic, Lucian pondered: "Jinhsi must have been quite young when she was appointed Magistrate, right? Did Jué not consult people's opinions when selecting her?"
Yangyang: "I understand what you mean."
"To be chosen as Magistrate while still a teenager... It's hard to imagine what Jinhsi must have felt at that time..."
Lucian was stunned: "Wait, what? teenager!?"
Yangyang nodded slightly: "Yes, teenager."
Lucian was shocked: "Jinhsi was only thirteen or fourteen when she became Magistrate? How could she command respect... I really don't know how she endured it."
He thought back, what was he doing at thirteen or fourteen?
Hmm... Probably in middle school, still struggling with homework...
Yangyang recalled: "I remember when Jinhsi first took office, there was a lot of skepticism about her in the streets."
"Many believed that at her young age and with little experience, even if she had achievements, she couldn't fully earn people's respect."
"The fundamental reason people were willing to respect Jinhsi was still their faith in Jué..."
Chixia added: "But Jué has a sharp eye for talent. Every Magistrate in Jinzhou's history has been incredibly capable and strategic."
"Jinhsi managed to bring order to Jinzhou in such a short time—she's already proven herself!"
"If it were me, just handling all those documents would probably make my brain 'overload'..."
"What's that saying again... 'Given time... gold...'?"
Rover: "It's 'Given time, one will surely achieve greatness.'"
Lucian: "The fact that Chixia can say that means her brain is already running at maximum capacity."
Chixia flushed with embarrassment: "Hey! Lucian!"
Yangyang looked at Rover: "Did Jinhsi leave you any clues about her identity?"
Rover: "Jué instructed me to seek out Jiyan in the Norfall Barrens at a certain time."
Chixia gasped: "The Norfall Barrens!? That's an ancient battlefield..."
Yangyang also cautioned: "The Norfall Barrens are far too dangerous—they're Jinzhou's front line against the Threnodians. We should proceed with extreme caution."
Rover nodded slightly: "After Scar was captured, there are still other Fractsidus overseers lurking within Jinzhou."
Lucian speculated: "Remember that woman in red? I think she's one of the Fractsidus overseers."
Rover raised an eyebrow: "Why do you say that?"
Lucian recalled the scene: "Think about it—if she were just an ordinary Fractsidus member, would she have the authority to boss around Scar, an overseer?"