Just as Flandre Scarlet finished the laborious task of checking and verifying the massive mountain of supplies alongside Talulah, she stepped out into the crisp air of the mobile module to find a scene of quiet, post-arrival interaction.
Nearby, Alina was engaged in a soft, polite conversation with Sakuya Izayoi, who stood as poised and attentive as if she were in the halls of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Not far from them, Remilia was chatting with Yelena, the two of them seemingly finding a mutual respect in the biting cold of the Ursus tundra. As for Eirin Yagokoro, she was already fully immersed in her professional element; using her status as a master physician, she was locked in a heated, highly technical medical discussion with the specialists from Rhodes Island. Ibuki Suika and Yukari Yakumo, however, had already vanished, having wandered off to explore the various corners and secrets of the mobile city.
Upon seeing Flandre and Talulah return from their logistics work, Remilia gave her sister a firm, acknowledging nod.
"Rest first," Remilia said, her voice carrying the quiet authority of an elder sister. "We will talk about everything else after you've had a proper sleep."
It was only then, as the tension of the long journey finally began to dissipate, that Flandre realized the sky beyond the module's protective barriers was beginning to pale with the first light of dawn. The weight of exhaustion suddenly hit her, and she couldn't help but let out a long, unrestrained yawn.
Alina walked over to the group, her expression filled with a gentle, hospitable warmth. She mentioned that she had already prepared a dedicated place for them to rest, and then she led the small group toward a sturdy, modest building. As they reached the entrance, she offered a small, apologetic smile.
"The Reunion Movement's conditions are currently limited, so we don't have luxury villas like the ones you saw in Lungmen," Alina explained. "We only have these collective apartments. However, considering Flandre mentioned that you would need a spacious enough area for your group... the entire second floor of this two-story building has been cleared out exclusively for your use."
The upper floor of this small two-story building contained about a dozen individual rooms. At the far left and right ends of the central corridor were two hot water rooms, which were essential in this climate. Further out were the public restrooms designed for the entire floor. Indeed, these collective dormitories were built for utility and did not feature private bathrooms.
But for the Infected who called this place home, this was already considered an excellent, high-standard setup. It was a place where they could truly shelter from the wind and the freezing rain, and the hot water rooms provided a steady supply of warmth twenty-four hours a day. Furthermore, since the mobile module was a relatively recent establishment, there were plenty of job opportunities available both inside the city limits and in the surrounding territories. As long as a person didn't slack off, there was absolutely no lack of ways to earn money. Moreover, the Reunion Movement employed a full real-name registration system, and families with the elderly, the weak, the sick, or the disabled received extra food subsidies from the Movement. Saying this was a paradise for the Ursus Infected was not an exaggeration in the slightest.
Remilia and the others were well aware of the current struggles of the Reunion Movement, so they did not refuse or complain about such a seemingly simple environment. Only Ibuki Suika returned to the group later that day with a look of profound, genuine regret written all over her face. The reason was simple: there was not a single place in the entire city that sold alcohol.
"The Reunion Movement currently has a strict prohibition on alcohol, and the reason is very simple: brewing alcohol consumes a large amount of grain," Alina explained seriously to the disappointed Oni. "Our grain supply is currently very tight, only just enough for everyone's daily consumption. If we were to encounter a sudden Catastrophe or if our transport lines were cut for even half a month, there would be a serious shortage of food in the city. Under these critical circumstances, we had to stop the production of alcohol entirely. If Miss Ibuki Suika truly wants to drink, I can commission the transport team to bring some back for you next time."
Ibuki Suika waved her hand dismissively after hearing this. She stated that she wouldn't be staying in the city for more than two days before heading off toward Higashi, so she didn't want to trouble Alina with such a request.
"Is that so? That's truly a pity," Alina replied. She then asked the others if they had any other needs. But they all politely declined. Eirin Yagokoro and the others understood perfectly well that the Reunion Movement could not possibly provide the specialized equipment or rare materials they might require; rather than making everyone feel awkward by asking for things that weren't there, it was better to simply say they had everything they needed.
When the group finally woke up and gathered again, it was already well into the afternoon. Flandre only learned after waking that Aya Shameimaru had returned from her long-range scouting mission. However, her situation was not optimistic.
Aya's entire body was wreathed in a swirling, black aura that felt almost like a physical curse. Fortunately, both Yukari Yakumo and Eirin Yagokoro had been on the scene at the moment of her arrival. Yukari Yakumo had immediately utilized her boundary manipulation ability to physically separate that malevolent black aura from Aya Shameimaru's body. Eirin Yagokoro then administered several specialized pills to stabilize her condition and mend her internal injuries. The mass of extracted black aura was then carefully placed into a small, sealed gourd, intended for slow, methodical research later.
After all, Aya Shameimaru's individual strength was considerable, and her flight speed was arguably the fastest in their group. To be able to actually injure her, the opponent must have been something truly extraordinary. When Flandre finally woke and arrived, the scout was still unconscious.
The Reunion Movement, having received news of the incident, immediately sent a high-level delegation to visit. Flandre, led by Remilia, arrived just as the Reunion group was being met. After inquiring about the cause of such a strange and terrifying injury, Buldrokkas'tee—the Patriot—uttered one heavy, grim world:
"Demons."
"Demons? How evil are they?" Flandre asked, her curiosity piqued.
Buldrokkas'tee looked around the room with a gaze that carried the weight of centuries. He looked toward his daughter, Yelena. "Take the others and leave this place first."
Yelena didn't quite understand the sudden need for such secrecy, but she recognized the absolute gravity in her father's voice. She led the other Reunion members away from the area without a word. Buldrokkas'tee then turned his gaze toward the Rhodes Island doctor who had come to help care for Aya Shameimaru.
"You should also step out first," he commanded. "You cannot hear these things."
The doctor, codenamed Acupuncturist, expressed immediate confusion and frustration. But Buldrokkas'tee simply shook his head and offered no further explanation, insisting that he also leave the room. Just as the doctor was about to argue his case as a medical professional, Logos arrived at the door.
"Come out, Acupuncturist," Logos said calmly. "If it really is that thing, you indeed shouldn't be listening."
Acupuncturist shook his head and walked out the door with a look of pure helplessness. He felt it was somewhat ridiculous that, as a doctor, he was forbidden from learning the cause of his patient's illness. But seeing that even Logos—an elite of Rhodes Island—backed the decision, he could only comply. Once everyone else had cleared the room, Logos waved his hand, letting a magical veil descend to envelop the space.
"The veil can isolate all sound," Logos stated. "No one outside will know anything that happens inside."
Seeing that the people on Terra took this matter with such extreme, almost religious seriousness, Yukari Yakumo, who had been leaning against a wall with a look of relative indifference, slightly raised her eyebrows. Her interest was now officially captured.
Buldrokkas'tee thanked Logos before he began to describe the nature of the Demons to the Gensokyo group. As they listened to his account, the travelers were surprised, but they also felt a surge of curiosity about this strange life form. It was the first time they had encountered a life form that 'infect' others in direct correlation with human cognition—becoming more powerful and more concrete as more people knew about them.
Furthermore, Buldrokkas'tee explained that Demons would contaminate and erode their enemies, and those who were fully eroded would eventually lose themselves and become one of the Demons. Even an incomplete erosion would cause the victim's mental state to become severely abnormal and fractured. These were the commander's exact, unvarnished words.
Finally, he stated the real reason why he was willing to tell the Gensokyo group about such a closely guarded secret. It was because he had seen with his own eyes that while the lingering aura of the Demons indeed remained on Aya Shameimaru, not a single trace of the Demons' actual power or contamination was left.
In other words, in the short hour or two between Aya's return and the Reunion leaders arriving, Flandre's family and friends had already completely resolved and purged the demonic erosion from her body.
In his long experience, this was a situation that simply should not exist. After all, he was likely the only person in the room who truly knew just how terrifying the power of the Demons was. The most elite forces of all Ursus were deployed to the frozen north, constantly being consumed in an endless, grinding battle with these creatures. Those soldiers who were eroded by the Demons didn't even get the chance to return home or say goodbye. To avoid the risk of contamination from the Demons' power spreading to the heart of the empire, they would be handled collectively, executed if necessary, and then burned to ashes.