"Oh. Looks like you really have managed to anger a woman. And this woman is certainly no ordinary woman."
Feeling the grinding teeth and fiery rage of Changli in the chat group, Phrolova couldn't help but gloat as she reminded Scar, who was standing beside her.
"Tch. Was I wrong? How could that little brat, the Magistrate of Jinzhou, possibly outmaneuver the likes of you and me? That damned Huanglong Phoenix woman is indeed an incredibly troublesome existence."
Scar felt a bit guilty at this moment, though he also wanted to drag Phrolova into the same boat.
In truth, it wasn't that he feared Changli's raw power, but rather her methods… which he had now truly witnessed firsthand.
From start to finish, she hadn't even shown her face once, yet every action taken by him, Phrolova, the Rover, and the Jinzhou Magistrate Jinhsi…
It was as if they were all just pieces on that woman's chessboard, never deviating even a hair's breadth from the intended course.
Furthermore, it was clear that she hadn't just been planning for that moment; she had likely poured even more energy into dealing with the Threnodians and the Sentinel later on.
So, from beginning to end, it seemed that neither he nor Phrolova, the two Overseers of the Fractsidus, had really been taken all that seriously by her.
The more he thought about it, the colder Scar felt… he even vaguely harbored the idea of leaving Jinzhou immediately.
"Don't drag me into this. After all, I didn't call her an 'old hag'. If she really decides to scheme against you, you'll have to pray for your own luck… The cards she holds in her hand right now are even more numerous than what was shown in the video."
Phrolova immediately and ruthlessly cut ties with Scar. On one hand, she naturally didn't want to go up against a woman like Changli and be targeted by her in every conceivable way.
On the other hand, she fundamentally disapproved of Scar's way of… bringing up a girl's age.
Because when it came to age… thinking of this, Phrolova clenched her fists, feeling an urge to give Scar a couple of hits.
( Translator-kun: How old is Phrolova? 100+ years old? )
—
[ At this moment, the video also showed Scar being locked up in the Jinzhou prison…
And Jinhsi was still deep in thought about what Scar had said.
Rover: "What did Scar say to you?"
Jinhsi: "I apologize, Rover… What Scar said regarding Jue concerns the lifeblood of Jinzhou, and I cannot reveal it to you just yet."
Jinhsi: "Whether it was a smokescreen to sow discord or… I must find Jue and confirm it myself."
Rover: "How important is Jue to Jinzhou?"
Jinhsi: "Jue is the Sentinel of Jinzhou, bearing the responsibility of assisting the Magistrate in governance."
Jinhsi: "Although the final decision-making power still rests with the Magistrate, if I were to act on my own judgment without Jue, I cannot guarantee that my decisions would be sound."
What followed was a discussion between the Rover and Jinhsi about their views on the Sentinels… and the recognition of Jinhsi's abilities.
Because in the Rover's eyes, the fact that Jinhsi had made it this far… clearly spoke to her own undeniable capability.
How could all of Jinhsi's hard work be dismissed just because of Jue's existence?
Later, Jinhsi persuaded the Rover to head to the Norfall Barrens to meet with Jiyan and resolve the Threnodian issue there together.
And… she brought up the Black Shores faction, telling the Rover everything she knew.
After the Rover departed, Jinhsi entrusted Sanhua with the task, saying she had necessary reasons to leave Jinzhou for a time… and temporarily placed Jinzhou in Sanhua's hands.
Sanhua: "Magistrate… no matter what decision you make, I will always be here whenever you need me."
After speaking these words with utmost seriousness, Sanhua turned and retreated.
When Jinhsi was left alone, her terminal suddenly signaled.
After linking the terminal, she spoke in a tone one might use with an elder: "The interrogation and the meeting have both concluded."
"The audience Scar needed was only the Magistrate of Jinzhou and that important guest. Since his purpose is known, we might as well let him have his way."
A mature and charming voice came through the communication.
Jinhsi: "That Rover understood all the intentions you and I entrusted to the token. As a strategist, you should also meet him out of courtesy."
Jinhsi: "Such a cumbersome and cryptic method… I fear only that Rover has the patience for it."
When she said this, it was clear that even on Jinhsi's own little face… she felt the whole affair was far too convoluted.
And this was even with her being a participant who knew almost everything.
"Do not let it be seen through the hidden, do not let it be revealed through the subtle. That Rover understands. Besides… a game of wits against an unknown opponent is all the more interesting."
The voice came through again, sounding as if she were enjoying it.
"As long as he follows the path Jue indicated, we will meet eventually."
"So… regarding Jue, what did Scar tell you?"
Jinhsi: "…Jue prophesied that a battle between It and me is inevitable. This battle will directly determine the future of Jinzhou."
"That really is… unexpected, yet you don't seem very surprised?"
In the end, the two finalized the strategies for dealing with Jue moving forward, and thus the Jinzhou Frontier incident came to a close… ]
[ .....]
〜Exposure Chat Group〜
Jinzhou Resident: "The Magistrate and the Sentinel must fight? How is this possible… Magistrate, is this true? ⦍WorriedJinhsi.jpeg⦎"
Jinhsi: "Everyone, rest assured, that matter has already passed… The battle between the Sentinel and me will no longer happen. ⦍EarnestJinhsi.jpeg⦎"
Jinzhou Resident: "Whew. That is truly wonderful, that's good then… that's good. "
[ Ding! Congratulations to Magistrate Jinhsi for receiving a reward from the video exposure—one exclusive ✦✦✦ Silver Treasure Chest! ]
[ Ding! Congratulations to Scar for receiving a reward from the video exposure—one exclusive ✦✦✦✦ Gold Treasure Chest! ]
Ciaccona: "Two more exclusive treasure chests? I wonder what's inside? ⦍CuriousJinhsi.jpeg⦎"
Chat Group Crowd: "Wait, why is the Magistrate's only a Silver Treasure Chest, while that guy from the Fractsidus gets a Gold one? ⦍IndifferentJinhsi.jpeg⦎"
Carlotta: "These are exclusive treasure chests… Is a Gold Treasure Chest really guaranteed to be better than a Silver one?"
Scar: "Hahahahaha. Heaven really is helping me… Go ahead and be jealous. ⦍SmirksJinhsi.jpeg⦎"
.....
Seeing Scar's current expression, everyone in the chat group was naturally very annoyed, but for the moment, they truly couldn't do anything about him.
—