Jeanne had heard about what happened between Lemuen and Mostima from the Sankta herself, so she understood why Mostima was merely standing there, unwilling to go inside and face her.
As Jeanne had said, Lemuen didn't hold a grudge; in fact, she felt embarrassed that her actions had led to Mostima becoming a Fallen Sankta, believing she had ruined her friend's life.
"I'm well aware of that, but I still intend to wait a while before we talk. What about you? I remember you came to Lungmen to settle some business, right? Is there anything you need us to do?"
Mostima still didn't want to bring up the history between her and Lemuen. Instead, she inquired about Jeanne's purpose for being here, using the topic to steer the conversation away from herself.
Seeing this, Jeanne didn't push the matter further. She had no reason to force her way into their private business. However, thinking about her goal for coming here, Jeanne felt confident. With the help of her all-powerful Revelation, finding clues for this matter shouldn't be a problem.
"No issues for the time being. This kind of thing isn't very difficult for me, but the specifics will depend on how things play out."
Under the current circumstances, Jeanne didn't dare to speak too confidently. What if her Revelation suffered another "bug" and she couldn't connect to the "server"? Jeanne was now quite skeptical after the ability had glitched twice in such a short time; or rather, she lacked confidence in whether she would encounter a loophole while using it.
"Alright then. But if you're looking for some inside information on Lungmen, you can come to me or ask around at Penguin Logistics. Our boss has quite a few connections in this city."
Speaking of Penguin Logistics, Mostima suddenly remembered something. The Emperor had contacted her earlier today, asking her to go to the Guard Department to pay the fines and bail Exusiai and the others out.
Mostima didn't know what to say about that. During her time in Lungmen, she had picked them up from the station no fewer than ten times. Were those girls actually planning to live there?
She also admired the Emperor's spirit; the monthly fines these girls racked up were almost more than the profits they brought in. Combined with the way they entered the LGD more skillfully than they entered their own homes, only Penguin Logistics would be willing to keep them as employees. Any other boss would have probably abandoned the company and fled Lungmen overnight.
Normally, Mostima didn't handle the task of bailing people out of the LGD, but the Emperor had sent "that person" out on an assignment recently, so she was temporarily managing these affairs.
"On that note, if your schedule isn't too urgent, why don't you two go to the Guard Department and pick up Exusiai? You just need to swipe a card for the fine; it's not much of a hassle."
Mostima saw that Jeanne didn't have any plans for immediate, high-intensity work, so she figured she'd let Jeanne take Lemuen to fetch her little sister. It would also be a surprise for Exusiai. Given Exusiai's habit of only writing home once every few months, she probably didn't even know her sister had recovered her health, let alone that she was in Lungmen.
"Good idea. There's nothing else to do today anyway, so it's a perfect time for them to meet. She always brings up her little sister."
Jeanne saw no problem with Mostima's suggestion. It was a good chance to familiarize themselves with the local environment. It might even come in handy if she ever needed to "borrow" some documents from them later. After all, when looking for someone on another person's turf, she might need to sneak into the LGD for records or classified files. Disguising herself in a uniform to pose as a police officer wasn't out of the question.
"Then it's settled. You can take your own car or one from Penguin Logistics. Just mention Penguin Logistics when you get to the station; the officers there are familiar with how we do things. I'll take my leave first."
As her voice trailed off, Jeanne felt as if Mostima had activated some kind of ability. However, Jeanne was unaffected; she simply watched as Mostima walked away and disappeared into the night.
Mostima herself didn't seem to realize this; she likely thought her ability had worked on Jeanne, making it appear as though she had vanished in an instant.
However, the time-affecting ability was naturally sensed by Fiammetta inside the room. A moment later, she and Lemuen pushed open the door and looked out, only to see Jeanne standing there alone with a set of car keys in her hand.
"The flow of time just shifted. Did Mostima come by? A blue-haired Fallen Sankta with Sarkaz traits?" Fiammetta asked.
"An ability involving time... it feels very similar to when that creature used it. Is this the power Mostima obtained from it?" Lemuen wondered. Before the accident, Mostima didn't have this ability. Lemuen could only guess based on the creature's nature that this was the power Mostima had taken from it.
"You mean Mostima? she just gave me these car keys and left that way. If you run, you might still catch her," Jeanne said, pointing in the direction Mostima had vanished while jingling the keys.
"Forget it, let her go. She probably isn't mentally prepared to face you yet. Anyway, she said she won't be leaving Lungmen recently, so you two will have a chance to meet sooner or later," Fiammetta said, patting Lemuen on the shoulder to comfort her. Regarding the issue between these two, she really couldn't think of a better solution.
"By the way, why did she give you the keys to her car?" Fiammetta asked, a bit puzzled. It wasn't like Jeanne lacked transport. Besides, wasn't that the car Penguin Logistics assigned to her?
"Exusiai got locked up again. She asked us to go pick her up. Since Lemuen hasn't seen her little sister in a long time, I agreed to help out," Jeanne explained while shaking the keys.
"Fair enough. Three people in the back seat of your car would be a bit of a squeeze. Alright, go see your little sister. I'll go try to talk some sense into Mostima for you."
As she spoke, Fiammetta pulled out two mobile phones and handed them to the pair.
"My phone number is saved in here. As long as you're in Lungmen and not in some remote corner, you can reach me. If anything happens, just call. I'll be there whenever you need me."
Meanwhile, Mostima was walking down a deserted street, seemingly talking to herself—or something else.
"So, you're saying my ability had absolutely no effect on that Saint just now?"
Nothing responded to her words, yet a somewhat embarrassed expression crossed her face.
"So she was just standing there watching me leave? I feel a bit awkward now. Good thing I didn't say anything cool before I 'vanished,' otherwise I'd be too embarrassed to see her again."
Imagining Jeanne standing there watching her "cool" departure, Mostima could only respond with a bitter smile.
"But after getting close to her, the negative side-effects of your power really did vanish completely. Just like that day."
What Mostima didn't notice was that on a distant rooftop, a figure wearing a black bamboo hat had stopped to watch her quietly for a while. Finally, the figure glanced once more in Jeanne's direction before vanishing like a plume of mist—as if he had never been there at all.