"Is this truly Chernobog? It feels far more deserted than I imagined," Amiya thought to herself, scanning her surroundings as the Rhodes Island party moved forward.
There were no horrific scenes of destruction here, but the sheer desolation—where birds unhurriedly nested along the main streets—made it hard to believe they were walking through a major mobile city.
"It is only natural," a voice called out as a maiden clad in dark attire stepped forward to meet them. Jeanne offered a warm greeting to the travelers. "Even though our people have shown nothing but goodwill toward the inhabitants, a deep-seated suspicion like theirs won't just vanish overnight."
Looking at Amiya, who had arrived with only a small escort, Jeanne couldn't help but marvel at the young Cautus's immense trust. She had honestly believed that Reunion wouldn't lay a finger on them.
"Big Sis Jeanne!" Amiya called out excitedly, her long ears perking up with joy.
Jeanne's presence meant they were finally going to see the Doctor. Dr. Kal'tsit had been incredibly tight-lipped, sending them all the way here without even revealing where the Doctor was being kept.
The rest of the Rhodes Island elite guards studied Jeanne with intense curiosity. Having heard numerous tales from their peers, they had long wished to meet the legendary maiden who stood at the heart of Reunion's victories.
"Long time no see!" Jeanne waved, glancing over the faces in the crowd. She found that she didn't recognize most of them, realizing they must be new recruits gathered during her absence.
It was rather impressive how Rhodes Island had managed to gather so many capable souls in such a short span of time. Perhaps Kal'tsit's long life had granted her some unique methods for finding talent.
As Jeanne exchanged pleasantries, she suddenly felt a few peculiar gazes fixed upon her from within the ranks. It felt as though someone was trying to pierce right through her secrets.
Following the source, she noted a stern-faced Vouivre lady, alongside a figure possessing a massive pair of horns... a Sarkaz? Why did that individual look so familiar?
Noticing Jeanne's gaze, the horned woman merely offered a faint, polite smile and a small nod, choosing to remain perfectly silent.
What is going on here? Jeanne felt a bit dazed. Then, a memory clicked, and she realized the woman's true background. A Confessarius? Rhodes Island actually has the courage to harbor a Confessarius within their ranks?
"Big Sis Jeanne, is there something wrong with Shining?" Amiya asked, noticing the lingering focus on her companion.
"Her name is Shining?" Jeanne furrowed her brow, unable to recall any personal dealings with the woman. The only Confessarius who had left a permanent mark on her memory was a man.
"She belongs to the Confessarius lineage, doesn't she? You all genuinely dare to keep her close?" Jeanne couldn't quite fathom their line of thinking. Why would they keep a member of a group known for such deep-seated betrayal by their side?
"Big Sis Jeanne, I don't know all the details, but Shining is definitely not an enemy. Dr. Kal'tsit personally verified her character," Amiya explained softly, sensing that Jeanne might harbor a bit of prejudice toward that particular faction.
In truth, it wasn't prejudice. Every single encounter Jeanne had ever experienced with a Confessarius had been on a bloody field of battle; she had simply never seen one who didn't fight against Theresa.
"Very well, let us head inside. I shall take you to meet our future star employee!" Jeanne chuckled, leading the party toward the most well-guarded facility in Chernobog.
Upon their arrival at the facility, Jeanne found Talulah already waiting by the entrance. Since Jeanne had promised to unveil the city's greatest secret to her, the Draco leader had cleared her busy schedule to attend.
The Rhodes Island operators stared at Talulah with even greater fascination than they had shown toward Jeanne. After all, everyone had seen that famous photograph making the rounds outside the city walls.
The legendary shot, which outsiders had dubbed "The Fiery Oration," was widely believed to be the result of some secret Reunion technical trick. But having learned the true nature of what had transpired in the clouds, the operators could only marvel in hushed silence.
"So this is the place housing the secret you mentioned?" Talulah asked, exchanging a brief nod with Amiya before turning to Jeanne, her eyes scanning the building with genuine curiosity.
"Yes, right through here," Jeanne confirmed. She led the small group through the entrance of a facility that, from the outside, appeared no different from a standard research laboratory.
As they walked through the corridors, the travelers studied their surroundings with growing surprise. The inner design of this place was far too advanced to be a common laboratory; the equipment lining the walls was incredibly sophisticated.
There were even experimental devices that would have been deemed priceless treasures in Columbia years ago. The stern-faced Vouivre lady, who seemed to hail from Columbia, recognized the markings immediately.
Gear manufactured by Rhine Lab? the Vouivre mused silently, her eyes locking onto a specific insignia.
However, a faint trace of dried blood in an obscure corner caused her gaze to harden, a flicker of deep concern crossing her face.
"You're finally here!"
Before the group could reach the chamber housing the artifact, they encountered another figure waiting near the doorway. The newcomers instantly recognized her.
"Crownslayer? I assumed you were working alongside Skullshatterer to manage the citizens," Talulah noted, surprised to see her subordinate here.
"I took some time off and asked Skullshatterer to cover my duties. This place holds a massive connection to my past, and to his. When I heard you all were coming, I decided to wait here," Crownslayer explained.
Jeanne noticed a small object peeking out from Crownslayer's coat pocket. It looked like an old identification badge she had recovered from the facility—something that clearly held immense sentimental value.
Jeanne's guess was entirely correct. It was a mundane identification tag, bearing the photograph of a smiling, red hair man. It belonged to Ilia, Crownslayer's late father.
"So, you're the one who always tags along beside Kal'tsit?" Crownslayer's gaze turned sharp as she looked at Amiya. But before the young Cautus could even offer a response, the Lupo girl looked away, her interest instantly evaporating.
"She shares a rather bitter history with Kal'tsit, please don't take it to heart," Jeanne whispered quickly to Amiya, sensing Crownslayer's foul mood.
"It's fine, I can tell she doesn't bear any real malice," Amiya replied gently. Crownslayer looked as though she wanted to retort, but Talulah smoothly stepped in to quiet her down.
"She is our guest, and she isn't Kal'tsit. Calm yourself," Talulah chided gently. She was well aware of the Lupo's deep-seated grudge against the ancient lynx. During their last encounter, Crownslayer had bristled like an angry Feline.
That particular meeting had ended with Kal'tsit thoroughly dismantling Crownslayer's arguments, leaving the girl so demoralized she had locked herself in her quarters for days.
"Understood," Crownslayer murmured, turning to lead the way into the chamber she had been eyeing for hours.
"What on earth is this?" Talulah muttered, her eyes falling upon the massive structure resting in the center of the room. Was this truly the foundation of Chernobog's secrets?
"This artifact is known as the Sarcophagus," Jeanne explained. "The previous ruler, Boris, unearthed it from an ancient ruin years ago. The entirety of Chernobog's current energy network is sustained by this single device."
Jeanne's simple explanation left Talulah thoroughly stunned. How could a device of that size generate enough power to sustain an entire mobile city? What kind of science could possibly explain such a phenomenon?
"I don't know exactly what the original research team discovered beneath its hull. They unearthed secrets they refused to share with the authorities, which led to their complete silence. The only surviving members of that original team are Kal'tsit and Skullshatterer's father."
"He's dead," Crownslayer interjected, her voice flat.
Jeanne looked at her in surprise. Had Sergei genuinely been slain by his own son?
"We only learned the details recently. A few months back, the city ruler demanded that Sergei use the device to fashion a weapon of mass destruction. Skullshatterer's father chose death over compliance, and Boris had him tortured to the end. He was the very last researcher to perish under Boris's hand."
Crownslayer's expression was incredibly tangled. The man she had spent years loathing, the father Skullshatterer had cursed countless times in his heart, had actually died a hero's death before their return. It was a bizarre twist of fate.
A man who had once betrayed his colleagues had ultimately chosen to hold the line, sacrificing his life to protect the secrets of the past. Crownslayer truly didn't know how to judge Sergei anymore.
"This must be the device they were trying to weaponize," Crownslayer murmured, her fingers brushing against the metallic surface of the Sarcophagus. On the other side, Jeanne was already working to bypass the incredibly intricate security locks.
"What about his daughter? The white-haired Ursus girl named Misha?" Jeanne recalled the young maiden she had crossed paths with previously—the one she had accidentally kicked during a skirmish.
"We don't know. It seems she was sent away from the city before the chaos started. Skullshatterer is currently searching for any traces of her whereabouts."
As the group conversed, the Rhodes Island operators remained respectfully quiet, listening intently from the side. They had no place to interject, especially since the entire history directly involved a central figure of their own organization—Dr. Kal'tsit.