"So, you are heading outside the city for those clues?"
Rover nodded her head with exasperation.
"These puzzles are really a headache to understand. Thankfully, we managed to solve half of the things at the Academy. But still, to understand what the Mangosteen fruit represents in the puzzle and to understand why my dream showed the direction outside the city, I will need to head outside with Yangyang."
"Haha! You don't like how you need to move so much for a simple conversation with the Magistrate, huh?"
She just sighed again as we continued walking along the route heading towards our new home.
"Seriously. While I appreciate the clues given to me, what with how there is an old record in the Academy's archives about a woman who had the same circumstances and resonance abilities like mine during the time of Jinzhou's founding, or how I learned about the children's epidemic that this city faced two decades ago. I would still have preferred to know what exactly the Magistrate is trying to say in simple words instead of this roundabout way."
"Hm. I guess you are right. But, based on your words, you seem to know why she did what she did, yes?"
"....Yeah. It's for operational security. To keep whatever this information leads to out of the hands of those who would seek to use it against the city or for some other reason."
I smiled at her words.
Her perception and ability to understand things is truly unparalleled. If she is this good at perceiving things now, I wonder how she would have been if she had not lost her memories.
Shaking my head to get rid of those thoughts, I continued leading her down the road until we came to the secluded sector of the city where our new house is situated.
"....Ok. I admit. While this is out of the way and inconvenient in many ways, it's really beautiful."
I felt pride bloom in my heart at those words.
While the house was pretty good when I negotiated with Mr. Xin a few hours ago, it still had some flaws and disrepair.
Thankfully, it only took me a few hours to get the wood, stone, and other materials with my abilities and money, allowing me to repair it rather quickly and restore it to its former glory.
As we walked in, I pointed to the rooms situated to the east of the house.
"Those are our rooms-"
"Dibs on the room facing the central plaza!"
She shot forward at full speed after calling out, making me chuckle at her childish act.
Thankfully, I had a hunch that she would claim that room as hers, so I took the room beside hers.
"Hey! Don't take too long in there! We still need to get some dinner!"
"Fine!"
Truly, how can a person be so mature and serious most of the time and then act so childish when they are alone?
Shaking my head with amusement, I headed to the kitchen.
'Let's see if I still got my cooking skills after all this time.'
—————————————————————-
Rover soaked in the bathtub, letting the stress from the day leave her body as she relaxed for the first time since she woke up.
She knew that if it were someone else in her place, they would have long since broken down after the messy two days she had.
Waking up as an amnesiac who knew literally nothing about herself, then realizing that she only remembers how to fight.
Her mysterious Terminal and clothing that had different designs compared to Jinzhou.
The way things felt familiar yet strange all the time.
It was truly a frustrating experience for the woman.
She felt like a kite without a string, floating in the air aimlessly, drifting with the wind.
Thankfully, she met people whom she now calls friends.
Yangyang, Chixia, and Robbie.
Especially Robbie, who shared similar circumstances with her as a stranger in this world, unaware of its workings or customs. The only difference was that he was not an amnesiac like her and was someone from a different world altogether.
From the very first moment they met, she had felt a sort of kinship with the man due to their shared circumstances. A feeling that only increased as time went on and she saw just how effectively they fought as a team.
With him, there was no need for her to communicate her plans or actions during a fight, mainly because he seemed to have a lot of experience in terms of fighting as a team. It also helped that his Telepathic connection allows them to share ideas and thoughts during a fight.
Aside from this, in the past two days, she also realized that he was a very mysterious man who liked to hide his emotions behind false cheer.
And it really was false cheer.
His teasing of Chixia was real, as was his laughter and warmth that practically radiated off of him when he was with them.
However, she also saw how his smile turned fake when he was alone. She knew that his cheery expressions were fake when she called him through the terminal in the afternoon while she was busy with the clues.
When Robbie moves away from the group, his emotions turn dark. That is what she realized in the past two days.
She tried to ask about it. She promised him an ear should he want to talk about it.
But he only deflected the topic with a melancholic smile.
And Rover did not know what to do about it.
She might have only known him for two days now, but she really does care about him, just like she cares about Yangyang and Chixia.
And it hurt her to be unable to help him in any way.
Shaking her head to get rid of those thoughts, she got out of the bath and wrapped herself up in the towel that they bought for themselves while heading home.
However, just as she prepared to head out, she suddenly realized a problem.
She did not have any spare clothing.
Last night, she slept in the robes provided for her by the motel while her clothes dried overnight. But now, she did not have those robes, and she had already set the washer and put her clothes in there.
'Shit! I hope this room has some old clothes or at least a robe in there somewhere. If not, I'll have to ask Robbie for help.'
With embarrassment and exasperation in her heart, she walked out, only to do a double-take at the fresh set of clothes laid out on her bed.
They were a simple black hoodie and pants. Not exactly her size, maybe one or two sizes more than hers, given that he must have bought them on guesswork alone, but they would still work.
She did not even have to guess who got those clothes.
Warmth filled her heart at the thoughtful nature of her friend.
'I have to thank him for this. I guess I'll treat him to breakfast tomorrow.'
Putting on the hoodie and pants while tying up her hair in a ponytail, she headed outside, only to feel her stomach grumble as an intoxicating smell wafted across the house.
Robbie walked out of the kitchen with a tray.
He gave her an appreciative look before nodding with a smile.
"Looks pretty good. Come, let's eat before your stomach protests again and wakes up half the city."
Rover wished for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
'Its over! All the respect I gained through my efforts went down the drain just like that! Damn you! Stomach! Damn you for betraying me like this!'
With embarrassment once again dominating her mind and flushed cheeks, she silently sat down across Robbie as he put down the bowls.
It was a rather simple dish. Stir-fried noodles with chicken soup and chilli oil, and soy sauce for condiments.
"I thought making something in theme with the culture of this city would be nice for our first, proper, homecooking, so I went with what we call Chinese food in my world."
Rover nodded and took the bowl and chopsticks, mimicking Robbie's way of eating.
However, the moment she bit into the noodles, her eyes widened in surprise.
Then, she started devouring the food with gusto, making Robbie give her a wry look.
"Girl, no need to be so exaggerated. It's just stir-fried noodles and chicken soup."
"But its really good!"
"Really? Then, you better make it count. We only had enough ingredients for one portion. We'll have to look into restocking the fridge tomorrow."
Those words made Rover stop shoving the food down her throat and start savoring the taste slowly lest it all disappear in a moment and she is left with a food regret.
Watching her actions, Robbie could not help but chuckle again.
'If she is so happy with my cooking, I can't imagine what her reaction would have been to someone truly talented in cooking or even a proper chef from back home.'
"So, what are our plans for tomorrow?"
Rover talked as she continued eating.
"We are heading outside the city. Towards the Norfall Barrens. The clues seem to lead to that location. Yangyang also said that she will show me a place to get a new weapon."
Robbie looked intrigued at those words.
"That's good. Your sword is already on the verge of breaking as it is, and I heard that there are specialized facilities in this city where you can craft some seriously powerful weapons, provided you get your own materials."
"That's the plan. Although I don't know where to find said materials."
Robbie held a thoughtful look.
"That's fine. I think that girl, Koko, for the Pharmacy, or Mortefi might know something about that. If I get the info on the location, I'll share the map with you tomorrow."
Rove gave him a confused look.
"You are not coming with us?"
Robbie smiled at her question.
"I will. But I will be joining you guys later by either teleporting to the nearest Beacon or the traditional way. I have something else to do first."
"What?"
Robbie took out the white crystals from his terminal, making Rover give him a surprised look.
"The Astrites?"
"Yeah. I can't supress my curiosity any longer. So, I will use these at the Nexus first thing in the morning and see what I get. Then, I'll join you girls later on."
"Alright."
With the serious conversations out of the way, the two talked about mundane things while they ate.
Once they were done, Rover insisted on doing the dishes, saying that Robbie had cooked for them, so it was only right for her to do the dishes instead.
That night, for the first time in two days, Rover truly felt safe and happy, allowing her a night of peaceful sleep.
Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Robbie, who dreamed of a certain motel with various doors, with one of them marked by an inverted pyramid.
A nightmare that he only escaped after struggling against his past for a long while.