The Ursus powerhouse walking beside the three of them observed Jeanne closely. He constantly felt that he had seen this person somewhere before, but he rejected the thought the next second. He had indeed seen photos of Jeanne, and he could naturally see that this unfamiliar officer shared many similarities in facial structure with her—in fact, their face shapes were identical!
Naturally, he suspected that the officer before him was a fake, and her true identity was the very target he had previously ordered to be assassinated.
Yet, these two... aside from the similar face shape and hair color, there was simply no way to view them as the same person. The gap between them was far too wide.
Unlike the Jeanne in the photo who showed a gentle smile, this officer beside him, though equally petite, possessed an aura that was far greater than his own—and he was a man over two meters tall! Though this officer had maintained a cold face and hadn't said a word since meeting him, every step she took made the Ursus man's heart tremble.
At this moment, he was terrified that if his next step didn't suit this ancestor's whims, she would follow up with a punch that would embed him into the wall. Her presence was far too overwhelming; those icy eyes stared straight ahead without moving, like a great dragon returning to its cave, inspecting its hoard to see if a single coin was missing.
I'm clearly the manager of this company, so why do I have this illusion that she is the owner?
The Ursus man cautiously glanced at Jeanne out of the corner of his eye, but this peeking didn't seem to catch her attention at all; her eyes remained fixed forward.
"Ahaha, this officer appears to be a new face! I wonder where you were previously employed?"
This man's question immediately drew the attention of Ch'en and Hoshiguma, who were pretending to chat quietly. Although they continued their conversation, they kept a sharp eye on Jeanne's side. They were worried that Jeanne, being unfamiliar with the current state of Lungmen, might let something slip. This fellow was clearly trying to get close with the intention of testing them.
If this guy was truly a spy, they might really "startle the snake." Whether he and his subordinates chose to resist to the death or find a scapegoat, neither would be a good outcome.
"Ah, I haven't been here very long. I was serving in the military in Victoria before this."
Jeanne tried her best to make herself more like the "Alter" version of Artoria from her impressions. This persona was completely different from her usually lively self.
This approach made the Ursus man believe his intuition even more; this person was definitely not a scout under the Ursus Emperor whom he was hunting. She was indeed a soldier. Judging by this cold temperament and no-nonsense personality, she was clearly the type of stubborn, death-set soldier—likely the kind in the army who was exceptionally good at fighting. Though her arms looked slender, this young girl gave off a feeling of being filled with power. What race was she? A Vouivre with particularly indistinct racial characteristics?
"Victoria, eh? I've been there several times myself. I mainly went to Londinium to handle some business. To this day, I still reminisce about the flavor of the local specialties there."
He intentionally tested whether she had actually been to Victoria, using misleading words to bait her. He had indeed been to Londinium twice, but the food there was merely something to try for the sake of novelty. As for the food in high-end restaurants, a small figure like him didn't have the status to taste it.
"It's just so-so, really. Dealing with potatoes from morning till night. As a tourist, trying it for the novelty is alright, but for someone looking for convenience, it's just those few dishes all day long."
Jeanne's tone at this moment was like someone who had lived in Victoria for years and had enough of the day-in, day-out routine of fish and chips, complaining to someone unfamiliar with the place.
Ch'en, eavesdropping on the conversation, was reminded of her own days studying at the Victoria Guard Academy when she ate cheap fish and chips every day to save money. That was one of the reasons she had been in such a hurry to come back. One must realize that whether it was her time at the academy or her study abroad period, she had never asked anyone for money; even her tuition was earned by working part-time during vacations.
"Haha, that's understandable! Then, did you retire from the Victorian military because the food was too poor?"
At this moment, he sounded like someone curious about Jeanne's past, indirectly probing her situation in Victoria to see if there were any issues with her identity. It must be said, this fellow was far too suspicious. His personality didn't feel like a typical Ursus at all; instead, he felt more like a pure-blooded Vulpo.
"I reported my superior after discovering he was embezzling. In the end, I saw the scene of that commander colluding with other officials. In a fit of rage, I beat up all the officers and resigned. With nowhere to go, I came to Lungmen to find a friend and make a living."
As Jeanne spoke, she let out a slightly depressed sigh. She looked exactly like a soldier persecuted by unscrupulous superiors, someone who wanted to do something right but was forced out by a line of parasites. These words earned her the deep sympathy of the Ursus giant; a man like him naturally admired soldiers with such heroic spirit. If this weren't Lungmen, he would have wanted to recruit this upright soldier to Ursus.
"Is the garden here really this big? We've been walking for so long and haven't reached the office building. Has your company expanded?" Ch'en asked with a frown. When she had been here before, she hadn't noticed the garden was this large! It was big enough to fit another office building. Could this company really afford to be this extravagant?
One had to understand that in a place like Lungmen where land was worth its weight in gold, building such a massive garden was terrifyingly luxurious. With this much space, wouldn't it be better to build a lab or a warehouse?
"You might not know, but our company's investor is a high-ranking noble. They just wanted a large garden in Lungmen so they could come here to escape the cold and enjoy themselves in the winter."
As he spoke, his eyes revealed a mixture of envy and jealousy. A noble could turn this precious land into their personal garden simply because they liked it.
While listening to his story, Jeanne stomped her foot on the ground several times. At that moment, Jeanne seemed to feel something strange about the soil here—an indescribable anomaly.
"Officer, is there a problem? Are you allergic to a certain type of flower and feeling unwell?"
The man, who had been ranting about the extravagant lives of the wicked Ursus nobles, saw Jeanne frowning and stomping her foot and was quite concerned about her physical condition. He looked terrified that Jeanne might faint right there; if that happened, he wouldn't be able to clear his name even if he jumped into the Yellow River. His company might even suffer from bad rumors because of it.
"It's nothing. Perhaps I really do have a bad reaction to some kind of pollen. We should hurry into the office building!"
Jeanne had no choice but to explain, quickening her pace toward the building. Ch'en and Hoshiguma hurried over to support her, acting as if Jeanne truly had a serious adverse reaction.
Seeing this, the manager naturally didn't dare to neglect the three of them. He could only lead them into the building at a light jog, while his mind pondered Jeanne's condition for a long time. After this series of tests, the other party really did seem to be a soldier from Victoria. Given the current environment in Victoria, it wasn't impossible for such a figure to be forced out.
What he didn't notice were two inconspicuous small holes in the ground where Jeanne had just stomped. However, thinking that the ground was soil rather than cement, he might have just assumed it was some insignificant insect.
As Jeanne's group of three entered the building, they were met by a magnificent, golden hall. Rather than a tech company, it looked more like someone's private manor!
Jeanne seemed to have recovered, but as she looked at the internal decorations, her cold expression became somewhat unnatural. She remembered Kashchey's mention of looking for a "Golden Manglerbeast."
In this room, there were paintings and sculptures of these Golden Manglerbeast everywhere; it was impossible to tell which one was the true entrance to the secret room.
Jeanne felt she had thought the noble was too foolish. This fellow had clearly hidden the entrance to the secret room within the forest; now, even with a clue, it wouldn't be a simple matter.