Throughout the meal, Fumizuki did not speak much to Jeanne. This was her habit; usually, there wasn't much chatter during the actual process of eating.
True to her word, this banquet was indeed just a simple meal. The spread was modest—just dumplings and a few cold appetizers, as if welcoming a family member home after a long journey.
Jeanne finally felt at ease. It seemed her worries along the way had truly been much ado about nothing; her hosts hadn't been overthinking things at all.
Even after the entire meal, Jeanne still hadn't seen City Executive Wei return. Could he really have sent himself to the hospital because of a "relapse of diabetes"?
No way, right?
Could it really be?
For such a massive dragon, could he actually be hospitalized because of a mere piece of fruit? If Kashchey found out about this, wouldn't he immediately start playing "Fruit Tycoon" in Lungmen, trying to defeat his old rival with high-sugar snacks?
"Actually, I've wanted to invite you over for dinner for a long time. I was just worried that you young people are quite busy and wouldn't have the time to come here."
After the meal, Fumizuki set out a tea set and began brewing tea, sitting down to chat with Jeanne. She looked at Jeanne with a gentle gaze, one that seemed to be reminiscing about the past, as if she were trying to catch a glimpse of someone else through Jeanne's presence.
"If anything, I should have been the one as a junior to visit you, Madam. I just never found a suitable opportunity to pay my respects," Jeanne replied politely.
In truth, she had indeed intended to visit Fumizuki. After all, the woman living here was one of the only relatives Talulah had left in this world. However, even so, Talulah didn't have many memories of Fumizuki; most of her recollections were just of that figure who used to visit her back in the day.
"It makes me happy to hear you say that. It seems little Tal still has a decent impression of me; otherwise, she wouldn't have mentioned me to you."
Seeing Jeanne's expression of familiarity, Fumizuki felt a genuine warmth in her heart. She hadn't expected that the little girl from back then would still remember her.
Come to think of it, she hadn't actually done much for her back then. At most, she had spoken to Old Wei's sister and secretly led them out of that manor. After all, the issues involved at that time were far too complex; even Fumizuki couldn't do anything more, not even bringing the child over to live with them.
Fortunately, that child was resilient and hadn't been crushed by such an environment. Seeing how both children had grown up now, Fumizuki felt she had much to be thankful for.
"She actually rarely mentions things from her childhood. She's always off on her own writing things. However, Talulah's memory of you is indeed very deep."
In fact, if Jeanne and the others hadn't seen Talulah's memories, Talulah likely wouldn't have been willing to mention anything regarding Lungmen for years—just as she remained secretive about her own sister. After all, so many years had passed, and those memories had long since blurred. Besides, they weren't exactly happy memories.
As Talulah herself put it, before meeting Jeanne and the others, she hadn't experienced many good or happy days.
"I understand. She's still unwilling to see us. I know just how conflicted she is inside. It's just that there's been no news for so many years; I've truly been worried about that child's situation."
As she spoke, a look of longing appeared in Fumizuki's eyes. That yearning seemed to stretch back to the very day she heard Talulah had been taken away. On that day, though she could understand why her husband made the decision he did, her heart had been equally filled with agony.
"Actually, over these years, I've constantly worried about whether that child was doing well, whether she was cold or hungry... I just couldn't find peace in my heart regarding these things..."
Jeanne drank her tea quietly, listening to the pain in Fumizuki's heart without interrupting. She knew the best thing to do right now was to let the woman speak. These thoughts had been suppressed for so many years that they had long since become a burden.
Madam Fumizuki had likely built a dam in her heart, forcing herself not to think about those things. But since she had watched that child grow up, how could she not think of her? Jeanne, having brought news of Talulah, was the channel for her to vent these words; the news had opened a crack in that dam.
Perhaps she hadn't said these words to anyone for years. She knew that even if she did say them, it wouldn't change anything.
"I heard from little Ch'en that the child has contracted Oripathy, is that right? I didn't expect her to be so careless. I wonder what stage her Oripathy has reached?"
After voicing her longing, Fumizuki immediately asked the sensitive question, her eyes filled with worry. Although she was someone who understood the nature of Oripathy well and wouldn't suddenly change her attitude just because someone was infected, this was still an incurable, terminal disease! Hearing that Talulah was also infected made her heart ache with worry.
She was worried not only that the child wouldn't receive treatment, but that the constant use of her Originium Arts in battle would cause the condition to deteriorate. This was, after all, the fate of most severely infected individuals who eventually passed away.
Moreover, considering the child lived in Ursus—a place extremely hostile toward the Infected—the battles she faced were likely anything but easy. What truly worried Fumizuki was the thought of one day seeing a Talulah covered in Originium crystals, beyond all help, simply waiting for death.
"She's doing alright, actually. Her Oripathy won't affect her life anymore. According to the doctors, it's possible her condition might not even flare up before she dies of old age."
Although Jeanne said this, she wasn't sure if the other woman believed her or thought she was just saying what she wanted to hear. After all, what Jeanne said sounded a bit beyond imagination. For an Infected in Ursus, how could Oripathy not affect their life?
Even during a period of activity, the feeling of those Originium crystals stirring inside your body could practically kill a person from the sheer pain!
But the reality was that if it weren't for the small patch of Originium crystals still on Talulah's arm, she would be no different from a normal person. Compared to typical Infected, the Originium in her body was like comparing a slacker to a workaholic—there was simply no contest.
Unfortunately, that patch of crystals on her arm was very difficult to remove. Since that was the spot where she had been stabbed by Originium—her original site of infection—it was incredibly stubborn.
"As long as she's okay. Please, take the trouble to remind her for me. If possible, she should try to rely on a staff for her Originium Arts. Try not to use her own body to fight."
Fumizuki seemed to believe Jeanne's words, but after a long silence, she let out a sigh, her eyes filled with countless worries. Having had no children of her own all these years, she had long since regarded Ch'en and Talulah as her own.
And now, both of her only children were infected with Oripathy... She wondered if this was simply a cruel twist of fate.
"Oripathy... it really is a terrifying thing. What makes it scary isn't just the disease itself, but the issues within the human heart. Fortunately, she has someone like you by her side."
Fumizuki looked at Jeanne with a gaze of admiration. For a "clean" non-infected person to be willing to stay by an Infected's side out of friendship—this courage alone was worthy of respect. Especially in a godforsaken place like Ursus, such a spirit was even more precious.
Had it been Fumizuki herself, she wasn't sure she would have been capable of such an act in that environment.
"It's not quite as noble as you say. I had my own reasons for leaving at the time."
Jeanne didn't feel she was particularly courageous. She had left because the circumstances forced her hand, though she would have followed Talulah regardless. Her main concern was that Talulah was simply too honest and easy to trust—she was truly worried that such a big dragon would be swindled by someone more calculating.