On the other side in Lungmen, Jeanne had just returned to her room and, much like Talulah, flopped onto her bed, intending to think about absolutely nothing. Her expression suggested an overworked CPU—an overload that required deep rest to replenish her spent brain cells.
"Tu-ru-lu-lu-lu-lu! Tu-ru-lu-lu-lu!"
Suddenly, Jeanne heard an incredibly "brainwashing" ringtone. She felt a surge in her DNA, a deep-seated instinct that made her want to look around for a phone.
Following the sound, she pulled a phone from her pocket that looked and felt incredibly sturdy. It was the kind of device that could crack a skull open while remaining perfectly unscathed—essentially a handheld weapon.
"Moshi moshi... ah, no. Talulah, you made it back to the village that fast? You certainly don't dawdle! I thought I wouldn't get a call from you until next week at the earliest."
It was proof that some subconscious habits are hard to break. Even as a Saint, Jeanne couldn't change that reality. Hearing that hypnotic ringtone had triggered her dormant DNA; she had nearly blurted out something strange, and she wasn't even sure if Talulah would have understood the reference.
"Eh? It actually went through! It seems that shop owner wasn't lying; this thing really can reach Lungmen..."
Jeanne couldn't tell if the other side had even heard her. They didn't seem to have any intention of acknowledging her words yet, as a chorus of voices excitedly discussed the fact that the communicator actually worked.
Perhaps due to the distance, there was a significant signal delay. Otherwise, the group on the other end wouldn't be busy debating among themselves while ignoring her voice.
"Hey! Jeanne, can you hear me? It's Talulah! I'm back in the village today. I just finished setting up the communicator and wanted to see if it worked..."
Well, it seemed the lag between them was quite substantial! The conversation was a struggle, with both sides talking over each other, unable to hear real-time responses.
However, it wasn't a dealbreaker. If a device could extend your voice across such a vast distance, what was a little delay? This was, after all, just a civilian model. If it were truly seamless, why would the nations of Terra still rely on messengers to carry news? Stability was the priority. A device like this would likely quit during extreme weather, let alone serve as a primary communication tool.
Jeanne didn't try to interject further, opting instead to wait for Talulah to catch up to her last sentence. If they kept talking simultaneously, everything would turn into a mess.
"Ah, right! I've returned safely. To be honest, it felt quite miraculous. I didn't run into anyone trying to hinder us the whole way; even those black bugs have vanished."
Talulah, on the other end, finally seemed to have heard Jeanne's voice. She repeated her confirmation, clearly in a good mood after hearing Jeanne.
Jeanne couldn't see it, but hearing her familiar voice brought smiles to FrostNova and Alina as well. It seemed she was doing well in Lungmen.
"By the way, how have these past few days in Lungmen been for you? Ursus customs are very different from the Yan Empire's. Are you having trouble adjusting to the lifestyle of a different country?"
Talulah was worried about Jeanne's well-being. Although Lungmen was Yan's most open city, its style and social conduct were worlds apart from Ursus. Talulah worried if Jeanne was suffering from homesickness, or if the food in Lungmen didn't suit her.
Talulah spoke from experience. When she was first abducted to Ursus by Kashchey, she couldn't stand the freezing winters or anything else about the place. It had taken her a long time to adjust to the different day-night cycles and the brutal environment. She wondered if Jeanne was facing the same struggle.
"I don't have any problems on my end. Don't you know me by now? I can live well just about anywhere. You don't need to worry about me adjusting."
Jeanne's answer put Talulah at ease; her adaptability was indeed impressive. Jeanne then told her about staying with Penguin Logistics and Exusiai—the little sister of Lemuen.
Hearing about Exusiai's miraculous antics, Talulah's assessment was that she was a "super-enhanced" version of her sister; they were truly related. However, Exusiai was much rowdier; at least Lemuen was usually quiet, only occasionally acting out like the stories Jeanne told.
"By the way, Talulah. I've had a few dealings with your sister over the past few days. The blue-haired Lung, Ch'en Huijie, right?"
The moment Jeanne mentioned her, Talulah's tail shot straight up. She listened with intense nervousness to what Jeanne would say next, completely unaware that the tip of her tail had caught fire.
FrostNova watched the flames on Talulah's tail silently, resisting the urge to stomp out the fire that threatened to ignite the wooden house. Instead, she subtly used her Originium Arts. The room, which had grown sweltering due to Talulah's flames, suddenly became much more refreshing.
"How is she? What kind of work is she doing? Would you say she's gotten thinner or gained weight? Does she have someone she likes now..."
Talulah blurted out a mountain of questions she had suppressed for years, her heart filled with anticipation. Perhaps it was because she hadn't heard news of her sister for so long, but Talulah was visibly tense; her eyes darted around and her breathing grew shallow.
Still, if Ch'en was living in Lungmen, her life should at least be comfortable. Whether it was her biological father's family or Wei Yenwu, they wouldn't let her fall into extreme poverty.
"She's doing well. She's grown up a lot compared to your memories; she's not as timid as she was as a little girl. Your sister has actually become a Senior Superintendent in the Lungmen Guard Department. She's living a decent life..."
Jeanne described Ch'en's life in Lungmen. Talulah was delighted to hear of her sister's growth. It seemed she didn't have to worry about that once-timid girl being bullied all these years.
However, the fact that the little girl who once dreamed of being a wandering hero had grown up to be a cop made Talulah wonder what Ch'en's expression would be if she looked back on her childhood dreams.
FrostNova and Alina watched Talulah, whose tail was practically twisting into a pretzel. They weren't sure whether to tell her to be rational or just let her enjoy the moment. Hearing Talulah's soft laughter, the two shared a glance and decided not to interrupt her.
But at that moment, Jeanne was in a state of inner conflict. She didn't know if she should tell Talulah the bad news now and ruin her good mood.
"Jeanne? Did you find something wrong with Huijie?"
Talulah, in her excitement, noticed Jeanne had gone silent. Knowing Jeanne, she immediately realized something was wrong—something likely involving Huijie.
"Um... how should I put this. You need to stay calm when you hear this. Although I'm not entirely certain yet, your sister may have been infected with Oripathy."
The moment she heard Ch'en was infected, Talulah, who had been sitting, bolted upright. The air in the room grew scorching. Even though she was an Infected herself, she could not remain calm when it came to her sister.
"Do you think... anyone else knows about Huijie being infected with Oripathy?"