Upon hearing Talulah's account, Jeanne wasn't particularly worried about the landship. After all, such a massive vessel wasn't something a few people could completely destroy. With those unarmed officers, even if they had attempted sabotage, it couldn't have been that severe. As long as Talulah hadn't been foolish enough to lock them inside the engine room, there shouldn't be any major issues.
However, the look Jeanne gave Talulah was tinged with a distinct sense of pity.
While the fallout of the incident wasn't disastrous, the fact that this girl had actually pulled something like this was indeed classic Talulah. Although reckless, she had likely been genuinely trying to recruit those men—after all, they were experts at operating such a landship.
"You were a bit too quick to trust them this time, weren't you? I don't even have to guess to know that Patriot gave you a earful afterward."
Seeing her expression, Jeanne could tell Talulah had indeed faced some consequences. But surely, being sent here isn't her punishment? Jeanne wondered.
Talulah let out another sigh. It was exactly as Jeanne suspected: she had been severely reprimanded by Patriot. That old gentleman didn't care who you were; even if it was Talulah, the nominal leader of Reunion, who made a mistake, his scolding was merciless.
Of course, Talulah understood that he did it for her own sake, hoping she wouldn't make the same mistake again. The higher one's position, the less room there was for error. This time was fine because the damage was minimal, but they might not be so lucky next time.
"The old gentleman made me write a self-reflection and read it aloud in front of several people. Then, as punishment, I have to find the precision instruments needed for the repairs myself."
Even though the damaged instruments weren't vital—the ship could run without them—Patriot insisted. Talulah, naturally, agreed to his demand. However, those parts were rare; they weren't the kind of things you'd find in mobile cities or abandoned sectors near the tundra.
But according to Talulah, she had already handled that matter. Her reason for coming here today was actually for some private business.
"Then what are you planning to do here? Do you need my help?"
Jeanne was puzzled. What kind of private business could Talulah have that she didn't know about? Did she know someone Jeanne hadn't met? Having lived with Talulah for so long, Jeanne felt she had met almost everyone important to her.
Thinking it over, was there some hidden story here? Or was she actually planning to meet a pen pal?
After a moment of hesitation, Talulah explained with an uncertain tone:
"I don't need you to do much, but stay with me for now. To be honest, I haven't fully figured out what's going on myself. But the person I'm here to see might be... Kashchey. Another Kashchey."
With that, Talulah began telling Jeanne about her search for the replacement instruments and the things she discovered during the process.
Fortunately, the tundra had been relatively quiet lately. Even the transports for the Infected had become less frequent. Otherwise, no matter how much free time Talulah thought she had, she wouldn't have been able to pull this off. Likely, Patriot had taken over the administrative duties while she was away.
That old gentleman really has his hands full, Jeanne thought. Not only did he have to worry about his own affairs, but he was also helping Talulah with hers. Jeanne felt that when she returned, she'd have to give him a "Reunion Labor Model" award to do justice to his hard work.
According to Talulah, she had decided to return to Kashchey's former territory to look around, believing that place would have what she needed. Plus, they now had a small Originium vehicle, allowing her to travel the long distance back there.
But Talulah's reason for returning wasn't that simple. There was a more important reason buried in her heart—a lead she discovered while reminiscing about the past during her downtime. Or rather, it was something that old snake had intentionally left for her.
And when Talulah went to ask Kashchey directly, the man actually tried to play dumb! He attempted to gloss over the whole thing.
"You've lost me a bit, but I'll tag along anyway. I want to see what kind of interesting thing you're investigating."
Jeanne didn't quite grasp what this "uncertain thing" was, but she knew one thing for sure: it was going to be very interesting!
To Jeanne, this didn't seem particularly dangerous. Talulah hadn't even brought her weapons on this trip. While that might be because of the Imperial Strikers and military police in the city, it also showed her confidence.
Perhaps the relationship between these two—father and daughter in a sense—had softened slightly from the days when they were so tense they wished the other would just drop dead. Now, they could tolerate each other's existence as long as there was no immediate danger, waiting for everything to settle before deciding who lived or died.
Jeanne followed Talulah into the university. Talulah didn't hesitate for a second, walking straight toward the teaching building. It looked like she hadn't just rushed here the moment she got the info; her familiarity suggested she had scouted the situation over the past few days. Today was the day of action.
"So... the person we're looking for is a university professor? Or a student? I'm guessing a teacher is more likely than a student."
As Jeanne walked through the halls, she scanned the architecture with curiosity, looking like someone visiting for the first time. Well, she was visiting for the first time. While Jeanne admired academic settings, she had never actually toured one.
She always felt a sense of respect for places with a strong intellectual atmosphere, even if her own knowledge base wasn't exactly scholarly. She had never had the chance to study here. Or rather, having to study in a place like this would probably be torture for her! Though, even with exams, she could always rely on her universal Revelation to pass effortlessly.
"To be precise, she is indeed a university teacher. And a very famous one at that. I heard many people come just to audit her classes."
Talulah's expression was incredibly serious. Anything involving Kashchey was never a small matter in her eyes. Jeanne could feel that, despite her outward appearance as a regular student, every muscle in Talulah's body was coiled tight. If any accident occurred in the next second, Talulah was ready to strike back instantly.
Despite her claims of not caring, her reaction clearly gave her away.
"Don't walk so stiffly! Someone will notice something is wrong. This isn't the tundra; escaping from here would be a real pain..."
Seeing this, Jeanne quickly tried to soothe her. She was mainly worried Talulah might actually start a fight here.
"Hey, are you two here for Professor Fiolet's class too? You look like new faces. The classroom is just up ahead."
At that moment, a student walked over and started chatting with them, even enthusiastically introducing Professor Fiolet. It seemed the student took them for underclassmen and was taking the chance to get acquainted. After all, both Jeanne and Talulah were quite attractive; there was nothing wrong with wanting to get close to pretty "juniors."
"Thanks. We're just here to find someone. You should probably get to class."
As Jeanne exchanged pleasantries, she suddenly felt a familiar sensation. To Jeanne, who had seen Kashchey's soul, she sensed a soul incredibly similar to his.
Jeanne looked up. There, she saw a white-haired Liberi? with flawless skin, wearing a mix of red and black clothing, currently lecturing the students.
Good grief, Kashchey, you old fossil, you're really branching out!