Hearing Talulah's words, Jeanne suddenly remembered what she had done last night. It seemed that because Talulah's tail had been such a perfect canvas, she had indeed forgotten to mention those details.
But it couldn't be helped! At a time like that, how could one focus on serious business? That was creation! That was art! One must not be distracted when dealing with art!
Jeanne could only continue to blink her large eyes in silence, attempting to bluff her way through Talulah's scrutiny. Looking at the "trashy woman" before her trying to play it off, Talulah felt that if this continued, she would eventually pull all her hair out from the stress caused by Jeanne's antics.
"Fine, let's go with your plan. It's your decision to make anyway. I think I need to find somewhere to calm down in a bit... I have a sudden urge to breathe fire and start a barbecue."
At this moment, Talulah stood there with a helpless expression, staring up at the sky. Thinking about the fact that her future was tied to this person gave her the sudden feeling that her life expectancy was rapidly dropping.
She was just... weary.
When Kal'tsit saw the two return to the room, she could tell just by observing their expressions that the trade had a high probability of success. However, as she looked at Talulah—specifically her well-concealed expression—a look of nostalgia flickered in Kal'tsit's eyes.
It was just like when she first started dealing with the Doctor. Recalling her younger days, she had once made that exact same face... Kal'tsit could only lament inwardly: time truly shows no mercy.
"From your expressions, I assume you have reached a consensus on this matter. So, how did your discussion turn out?"
Once Jeanne and Talulah were seated, Kal'tsit, hoping for a positive answer, asked directly about the result. Although she could read from their faces that they had agreed, until they spoke the words, the possibility of variables remained.
It couldn't be helped; despite appearing to hold the initiative earlier, she was actually the weaker party in this trade. Given her personality, she wasn't particularly fond of these types of negotiations. If that woman (Theresa) were here, she could simply toss these troublesome matters to her. With her ability, she could likely turn an opponent into a friend using nothing but her mouth.
"Since we've returned, we naturally want to reach a deal with you. However, there are some things we need to communicate in advance."
Now, it was Jeanne sitting across from Kal'tsit who handled the talking, while Talulah remained in a "spectator eating popcorn" state, clearly intending to stay out of it. Talulah trusted Jeanne's competence; she wouldn't let the Feline lead her into a ditch. Furthermore, there were things only the creator understood, so it was better for her to just slack off on the side.
"Dr. Kal'tsit, if I'm not mistaken, your friend is likely a Sarkaz?"
Hearing Jeanne's question, Kal'tsit found it somewhat strange. Was there something special about the Sarkaz to Jeanne? Why did she ask so seriously?
"...Correct. The one in the most serious condition among my friends is indeed a Sarkaz. However, Babel also has many Infected of other races."
Jeanne nodded and thought for a while before saying to Kal'tsit:
"When you return, it's best to test it with a small dose first. I cannot be certain if it will have other effects on a Sarkaz."
Jeanne warned Kal'tsit solemnly. she didn't want a death on her hands because of a trade. She wasn't good at handling "doctor-patient" crises involving casualties. After all, the essence of what she was giving Kal'tsit was Holy Water! It was the best universal method for exorcising demons.
Currently, the only Sarkaz Jeanne had encountered who represented "demons" was Patriot, who traveled with them. But Jeanne couldn't be sure if the reason Patriot hadn't been "purified" was because Holy Water didn't affect Sarkaz, or simply because he was on her side. This was a matter of life and death.
If Kal'tsit bought the medicine today and splashed it directly on the Demon King Theresa, and that sister was purified into ash... what then? That was a demon bearing the title of Demon King! In legends, those are eight feet tall with green faces and long fangs—the final boss of every story who controls fire dragons and kidnaps princesses!
Wait, if this were on her set... if she thought about it carefully, the plot would be Theresa riding Talulah while clutching the Doctor, heading home to get married. Actually, that image was quite... evocative.
"I understand. I will conduct tests before using it on a Sarkaz. It will be used under the premise of guaranteed safety."
Though she didn't quite understand why Jeanne said this, Kal'tsit silently memorized the instruction.
Would Holy Water have a severe impact on Sarkaz? Even the supposedly "omniscient" Kal'tsit didn't know. Laterano was a mysterious nation, and its secrets were only held by successive leaders; she had no way of investigating deeply. In her thousands of years, she had only scratched the surface of Laterano's uniqueness, let alone a rare resource like Holy Water.
Even during the past wars between Laterano and Kazdel, she only knew that the Sankta used bullets blessed with Holy Water to shoot Sarkaz, thereby disrupting their Originium Arts.
"I wonder how much of the medicine you can provide? Our demand is quite large, and we need it to be storable for a long period."
As Kal'tsit finished speaking, she saw Jeanne struggling to calculate something. Kal'tsit figured she was calculating how much stock she could spare; it seemed they didn't have much.
On the other side, Jeanne had fallen into a state of chaos. She needed to calculate how much Holy Water she could provide while keeping the amount promised to Laterano constant. The difficulty wasn't in the manufacturing, but in the math. She was stumped by the complex calculation. In this setting, counting on her fingers felt a bit inappropriate.
Talulah, realizing exactly what was wrong with Jeanne, chose to watch coldly from the sidelines. Her heart was devoid of pity; she actually felt like laughing. Seeing Jeanne's distressed expression, Talulah couldn't help but celebrate inwardly. Who would've thought? You just messed with me yesterday, and today karma has come for you!
Talulah sat there, secretly pinching her own thigh to keep from laughing out loud.
Meanwhile, Jeanne's brain felt like a ball of yarn being batted around by a cat—a complete mess with no clear end in sight.
"Twenty liters. If you take it back and dilute it for use, it should be enough to last your side for about half a year."
Ultimately, Jeanne blurted out a number. Twenty liters wasn't a small amount; even Jeanne would need to pull a few days of "overtime" to produce it.
Hearing the answer, it was Kal'tsit's turn to freeze. This precious substance is sold by the liter? She had thought she would be lucky to get a few hundred milliliters of high purity.
It seemed she had misunderstood them. People with such generous, selfless, and pure hearts could never be the kind of "biologically disguised creatures" the Doctor talked about.
"Then I thank Miss Jeanne for the assistance provided to us. As for the data and the funds, I will organize them over the next two days and hand them over to you then."
With that, Kal'tsit took her leave to prepare the research data. Writing down everything in her head was no small task! Combined with the surgeries she had promised recently, it looked like she would be living on coffee for the next few days.
However, as she planned her time, Kal'tsit was full of drive. Her greatest hope was to finish writing as soon as possible, get the items, and return. During her absence, she wasn't sure if that Doctor had gone insane yet.