Throughout the journey, Ch'en's mind had been filled with past memories. Her heart was in turmoil; she wanted to rush to Forest Road as quickly as possible, yet simultaneously hoped to slow down, wishing to receive definitive news while she was still driving.
However, to her surprise, the first person she saw upon arriving at Forest Road wasn't Jeanne, whom she wanted to meet, but a large, pink-haired rat. Lin Yuxia was waiting outside, as if she had known Ch'en was coming and had been expecting her.
"Why are you waiting for me here?" Ch'en asked Lin Yuxia in a cold tone upon seeing her, treating her like a stranger she had only met a few times.
"That's the question I should be asking you. Storming into our shop in an L.G.D. uniform—I thought you were going to burn bridges now that you've crossed the river."
Lin Yuxia's tone was no better; facing a Senior Superintendent who drove recklessly to her family's shop, Lin Yuxia naturally wouldn't back down. Because Lin Yuxia's personality clashed with Ch'en's to begin with, combined with their past history, it was considered calm behavior that they didn't fight immediately upon meeting. Even those who knew their relationship didn't understand how these two, who had known each other for over ten years and were very familiar with one another, could act like this. To put it bluntly, their attitude toward strangers was better than toward each other. At least with strangers, they wouldn't make things so awkward.
"I'm only here to find someone. What, am I scaring you by showing up?" Ch'en Huijie was in no mood to waste words with Lin Yuxia; she had more important things to do than argue with her.
"I know that; someone tipped me off earlier," Lin Yuxia replied, not intending to move aside, still sitting on the stone bench looking at Ch'en. Before Ch'en drove here, Swire had already warned her and sent a message. "I am actually curious, though, what secret that person holds that made you run all the way here to find her. But you can just wait right here until she comes out."
Lin Yuxia spoke in a careless tone, seemingly uninterested in the secret Jeanne held that caused Ch'en so much distress, yet a hint of curiosity could be detected in her eyes. On the other hand, a frantic Ch'en wanted nothing more than to grab her blade, knock her out, and break in. However, she knew that wasn't realistic, so she could only sit on the other side and stare blankly at Lin Yuxia.
There was another thing that felt wrong to Ch'en: the environment was too quiet. The pedestrians and old men playing chess that should have been around were nowhere to be seen. Ch'en was unaware that in the inconspicuous corners of this street, a group of soldiers wearing Black Raincoats were hidden, closely monitoring every insignificant thing happening nearby. Wei Yenwu would never let Ch'en face such danger alone; he knew very well that if the worst-case scenario happened, it was unknown how much fighting spirit Ch'en would have left. To protect the successor he had meticulously nurtured, Wei Yenwu sent his subordinates to clear the area with Lin Yuxia beforehand upon learning Jeanne was on the Rat King's turf. Under this protection, the Black Cloaks couldn't guarantee capturing Jeanne, but they could guarantee the safety of Ch'en Huijie and Lin Yuxia. Furthermore, if they acted in coordination with the Rat King's abilities, they might even try to take Jeanne back for interrogation.
Ch'en knew absolutely nothing about this. She was unaware a team was by her side; this time, she had come to meet the challenge with her dual blades, intending to solve it alone.
The two women glared at each other without uttering a single word. They sat there like wooden statues, not a single expression on their faces.
Fortunately, Jeanne's conversation with the Rat King inside didn't take as long as imagined. Their voices sounded as loud as firecrackers on the quiet street. The moment Ch'en heard Jeanne's voice, she looked toward the entrance of the candy shop, five parts joy mixed with five parts nervousness, waiting for that moment that was incredibly important to her.
The instant Jeanne stepped out, she saw the dragon and the rat sitting face to face, surrounded by a "keep away" aura. Furthermore... what caught Jeanne's attention more was that the surroundings were too quiet. The pedestrians strolling around and the old men playing chess were all gone. This could barely be explained by the Rat King taking this meeting very seriously, but what was with the gazes surrounding her? They had even brought an L.G.D. officer.
Jeanne walked down the street holding the bag of candy the Rat King had gifted her, surveying the extremely tense atmosphere, preparing herself for a potential conflict. Although Jeanne didn't know who was spying on her, she was certain they were a formidable group. Combined with the Rat King, who held the tactical advantage, Jeanne felt it would be somewhat difficult to leave easily. After all, the Rat King was different from other casters; his Originium Arts involved manipulating and using sand. For someone like her, whose magic resistance was maximized, the sand also brought physical damage that couldn't be completely ignored. Combined with these elite soldiers, it would take some time for Jeanne to escape safely. Or, she could just summon the dragon, but she didn't know if the Dragon-Slaying Blade would work on these dragons...
While Jeanne was walking and lost in thought, Ch'en, unable to sit still any longer, stood up and walked toward Jeanne. One was too eager, causing her to move too fast, and the other was distracted and didn't notice someone walking toward her; the two almost collided.
"I apologize, Miss Jeanne." "Ah, it's fine, fine, it was my fault for not watching where I was going."
Fortunately, they stopped themselves just before colliding. Otherwise, it would have been quite embarrassing for the two of them to run into each other on such a wide road in front of everyone.
At that moment, Ch'en, who still hadn't figured out how to introduce herself, stood there pondering for a moment before looking at Jeanne with intense eyes.
"We have met before. I am Ch'en Huijie from the L.G.D. Regarding someone... I would like to inquire about her. Her name is... Talulah."
After struggling for a moment, Ch'en decided to be direct. She knew her personality was straightforward and she wasn't suited for beating around the bush. This single sentence caused the surrounding gazes to become heavy. Ch'en's words were already bringing the dagger out of the bag; she was telling her they already knew her secret. Next, it was up to Jeanne to see how she would respond to this. At that moment, everyone around tightened their nerves; even the Rat King, sensing the atmosphere, slightly raised his cane. Lin Yuxia, who was sitting opposite Ch'en, finally understood what was wrong with Ch'en today, and why she was so anxious.
As for Jeanne, she didn't expect that she had only been here for two days, and Lungmen's intelligence network had already dug up her connection to Talulah? This was a bit too powerful, wasn't it?
Jeanne looked at Ch'en, whose eyes showed tension, and revealed a relatively gentle smile, causing Ch'en to relax her anxiety slightly.
"I truly didn't expect you to be aware of such a confidential matter. I am quite curious how you know the name Talulah; did I expose something?"
Jeanne didn't answer directly, but instead answered Ch'en's question with a question. Although there was nothing valuable in her words, Jeanne still confirmed to Ch'en that she was related to Talulah.
"You really know her? Then where is she right now? How is she doing? How much do you know about her current situation?" Ch'en, hearing Jeanne imply she knew Talulah, couldn't wait to ask about her sister's situation.
"How is she? One could say she is doing quite well? Do you trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I was sent by her... for revenge?"