Chapter 146: The Southern Pointer
"Himeko, would you like a shrimp dumpling?" Rovel calmly used his chopsticks to lift a delicate, translucent dumpling from the bamboo steamer and place it into Himeko's bowl.
"I'm surprised you're still in the mood to eat!" Himeko shot a glare at him, her patience wearing thin. She had explicitly asked him and Fu Hua, the class monitor, to come help her. Instead, Rovel had spent the last two days dragging Kiana and the others on a culinary tour of Guangzhou, hopping from one famous restaurant to another!
They had eaten their way through nearly half the city, yet they were no closer to finding a single clue.
"It's not just me. Class Monitor Fu Hua is eating, too," Rovel pointed out, gesturing with his chin toward Fu Hua, who was gracefully performing a tea ceremony at the side of the table.
Fu Hua rose, her movements fluid and precise. She poured a fragrant, amber liquid into a small cup, filling it halfway before setting it before Himeko. "Teacher Himeko," she said, her voice a soothing balm, "the records concerning Jiuyou date back five thousand years. The world has changed drastically in that time. There is no need to rush."
"You two..." Himeko pinched the bridge of her nose, a headache beginning to form. She knew, logically, that they were right. Searching blindly like this made finding Jiuyou an almost impossible task. Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were surely aware of the local legends; they might have already dispatched their own teams to investigate.
But she just couldn't let go of that tiny sliver of hope. What if they were the ones to find it? What if this was their only chance?
"Alright, Himeko," Rovel said, his tone casual but firm. "I already have a clue. Finish your morning tea in peace, and I'll take you to Jiuyou afterward."
The way he said it, so matter-of-factly, sounded less like a new announcement and more like he was placating a fussy child.
"..." Himeko was certain Rovel was joking, but she knew continuing their current frantic search was no longer an option. Mei and Bronya had already started to notice something was amiss, their worried glances becoming more frequent. Himeko didn't want to alarm her students, so with a resigned sigh, she settled down and finally turned her attention to the food.
She picked up the shrimp dumpling. The skin was perfectly steamed, and the filling was plump and pink. Reluctantly, she took a bite. A wave of savory, delicate flavor washed over her palate. "Mhm... it really is good," she admitted, her tense shoulders relaxing just a fraction.
By the time they finished their leisurely morning tea, the clock on the wall read eleven.
"Let's go. We're heading to Jiuyou," Rovel announced, calling out to a melancholic Himeko who was staring out the window.
"?" A large, slow-forming question mark materialized in Himeko's mind. She turned, sizing Rovel up with a look of deep disbelief. "You're not joking?"
"Of course not." A faint, confident smile tugged at the corner of Rovel's mouth. "I've really found a clue to Jiuyou's location."
This time, it wasn't just Himeko who was stunned. Everyone else at the table stared at him, their expressions a mixture of shock and bewilderment.
'You were clearly just eating, drinking, and having fun with us,'they all thought.'How are you so ridiculously capable?'
Rovel rented a car, and soon they were driving south, the cityscape giving way to coastal roads as they headed toward the South China Sea.
"Classmate Ruobai," Fu Hua began, her tone as formal as ever, "how... did you determine Jiuyou's location?" She quickly added, as if afraid of sounding accusatory, "I do not mean to doubt you. I simply wish to confirm."
Her question voiced what everyone, especially Himeko, was desperate to know. If they reached their destination only for Rovel to admit it was all a prank, Himeko was fairly certain she would commit murder.
"In the legends of Ji Lin, there's more than just the Stigmata," Rovel said, his eyes on the road. "There's something else we've all overlooked."
With a subtle shimmer of digital light, a magnificent, ancient longsword materialized in his hand. He held it up for them to see.
"This is..." Fu Hua's eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief and recognition warring within them. Although she had forgotten so much, a deep, instinctual memory of this object remained lodged in her mind. But... why was it in Rovel's hands? She was certain that most of the Xuanyuan Swords...
Fu Hua's brow furrowed in pain as her train of thought fractured, the memory dissolving into static once again.
"Ooh, Class Monitor, what is it? Tell us! The suspense is killing me..." Kiana urged, leaning forward from the back seat.
"The Xuanyuan Sword!" Himeko breathed, revealing the answer. She had never seen it in person, but with Rovel's hint about Ji Lin, she immediately pieced it together. "The legendary sword... but why do you have it?" she asked, her gaze fixed on the blade.
"Could it be..." Kiana gasped, a shocking theory forming in her mind. She pointed a dramatic finger at Rovel. "You're a descendant of the Yellow Emperor?!"
"..." A collective silence fell over the car.
"Kiana, should I be glad you didn't just declare 'I am the Yellow Emperor'?" Rovel shot her a dry look in the rearview mirror. "Allow me to remind you, I am a Descender. I'm not from this world."
"Ugh... Hmph! I just forgot for a moment!" Kiana huffed, crossing her arms and sinking back into her seat like a pouting child.
"I came across this sword by chance," Rovel continued his explanation. "It's a Divine Key, but one that hasn't been activated. I've tried countless times but could never find a way to awaken it... until this morning. I felt the blade begin to tremble slightly, as if it were pointing south."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "However, one thing is certain. While this is a Xuanyuan Sword, it isn't the one Ji Lin used."
"You mean... there's more than one?" Himeko asked, frowning.
"Yes. Himeko, do you remember the strongest A-Rank Valkyrie who died during the Second Honkai War?"
"Cheng Lixue?" Himeko remembered the name and the file well. A legendary figure.
"Correct. The weapon she wielded was an activated 'Xuanyuan Sword'that was named'Water of Serenity'."
As Rovel spoke, a hazy silhouette flickered through the depths of Fu Hua's memory. It felt like a very important person, someone she knew intimately, but... she couldn't recall their face. The harder she tried, the more it slipped away.
"Class Monitor, are you okay?" Mei asked, her voice laced with concern as she noticed Fu Hua's suddenly pale complexion.
"I'm fine..." Fu Hua forced a weak smile, gently shaking her head. "Just a bit of motion sickness."
"We're here," Rovel announced, pulling the car to a stop. They had arrived at a bustling port.
The moment he cut the engine, the hum from the Xuanyuan Sword in his lap became more distinct, the vibration much stronger than before.
"Is Jiuyou in the deep sea?" Himeko murmured, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "That would make sense. No wonder we spent so long searching the low-lying areas of Nanwu without finding a thing."
"We're being followed," Bronya stated suddenly, her voice flat and devoid of emotion.
Everyone turned to her.
"That car behind us," she said, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at a black sedan parked a short distance away. "It was at the morning tea shop at 07:44. At 08:12, it disappeared from the Bronya's line of sight. It has been tailing us since we left the city."
"Could it be a coincidence? Maybe they're just here to see the ocean, too?" Kiana asked, blinking innocently.
Bronya didn't reply, her gaze shifting to Rovel.
Rovel met her gaze, a silent question passing between them. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod towards Bronya herself, a silent query: 'Them?'Bronya gave a single, sharp nod in return.'It's people from Anti-Entropy.'
Though the two had never established any formal secret code, moments of perfect, unspoken understanding like this were becoming common. For now, it seemed neither Theresa nor Himeko had discovered Bronya's past as a member of Anti-Entropy. To avoid unnecessary complications, Bronya had no intention of explaining herself. But one thing was certain: she had never betrayed St. Freya Academy.
"Let's ignore them for now," Himeko decided, her commander persona taking over. "They can't possibly follow us into the deep sea. Still, I'll need to trouble the resident troops of the Nanwu Branch to come for support... At this distance, it'll take them at least four hours to get here with the right equipment." They didn't have any deep-sea diving gear with them, so they had no choice but to seek help from the local Valkyrie unit.
"I already notified Ai-chan in advance," Rovel said, a lazy smile spreading across his face. "I had her help contact them this morning, which is why I let you all enjoy your morning tea in peace. I specifically asked her to keep it a secret from you." He turned to Himeko, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Well? Am I thoughtful enough for you?"
"..." A faint blush crept up Himeko's cheeks, surprising her. She quickly turned her head away to hide it. This brat... he was actually damnably handsome when he was being this competent.
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