While it was impossible for Jeanne to provide medicine to the Infected of Lungmen on a massive scale—and certainly not something she could achieve alone in such a short time—she had come up with a different solution. By mixing the Holy Water into the drinking water supply they all shared, she could, to a certain extent, alleviate the erosion of Oripathy.
At the very least, they would no longer have to live in constant terror of when they might "detonate." Even if a flare-up occurred, their physical agony would be significantly lessened.
"I truly cannot thank you enough, Miss Jeanne."
Rope was deeply moved. She hadn't expected that after she had lost such precious medicine before, Jeanne would trust her with something even more significant.
"Speaking of which... is Miss Jeanne planning to leave Lungmen?"
Rope could sense it. Jeanne's visit today was clearly intended to settle this final matter—the way a traveler says goodbye to those they've come to know before a long journey. Jeanne had mentioned before that she was only in Lungmen to handle specific business. Now that the matter was resolved, it was time to move on.
Rope knew that once they parted, there was no telling when they would meet again. For most people on Terra, a lifetime could pass without ever leaving the mobile city they were born in.
"Yeah, it's time to go. The things I needed to do in Lungmen are mostly finished. It's time to head back."
The Ursus contact who held the clues had already been squeezed for every bit of intel by Wei Yenwu's subordinates. Presumably, the investigation within Ursus had already begun. Jeanne hadn't expected Lungmen and Ursus to exchange information so readily regarding the nobility; she had originally thought she would need to pass the intel through Kashchey.
But this worked out for the better. She didn't have to stress over the logistics. Professional hands were now handling the communication.
"I see. Then I wish you a safe journey! You must be careful out there!"
Rope was genuinely worried about Jeanne's safety. On this vast land where Catastrophes were a daily occurrence, people went missing all the time. Worse than the natural disasters were the man-made ones—the number of scavenger groups and bandits roaming the wastes was staggering.
Rope wanted to give Jeanne a parting gift, but as she patted her pockets, she realized she had nothing worthy of the benefactor who had helped her so many times. After a moment of thought, Rope looked at the tool she relied on for survival—the one she had bought for a hundred Lungmen coins from an acquaintance who was "washing his hands" of the criminal life. Had that person not been retiring, he wouldn't have sold his livelihood even for three hundred coins.
"Take this as a souvenir! It's actually quite useful. Just find a sturdy rope; if you need to grab onto something, it makes things incredibly easy."
Rope detached the grappling hook from her cable and handed it to Jeanne. As for the rope itself? It was a bit too dirty, and she was too embarrassed to give it away.
"If you give this to me, what will you do?" Jeanne asked with a smile, noticing the slight look of "heartache" on the Cautus girl's face.
Taking the hook, Jeanne realized it wasn't a simple store-bought item. It was a custom piece, likely designed by someone skilled in mechanical structures. It made sense; this tool was the primary reason Rope had survived this long, swinging through the city heights.
"I can always go back to that guy and see if he'll sell me another! Ah, no... actually, with the money you gave me, I have the capital to try starting a small business."
It seemed that now that everyone was safe, Rope intended to use those Lungmen coins to change her life's path. Though Jeanne wondered exactly what kind of business one could start with a thousand coins. Looking at the girl's small frame, Jeanne worried if she could even protect her capital from predators.
"Um... 'Sister Oni' told me a couple of days ago that she'd help me figure something out. She said if anyone causes trouble, I should just go find her!"
Sister Oni? It took Jeanne a moment before she realized she meant Hoshiguma. Then again, Hoshiguma had been a gang leader once. With a "local snake" like Hoshiguma backing her up, Jeanne figured Rope's quick wits would at least keep her from losing her investment.
"In that case, I'll accept this. I look forward to seeing how much you've changed the next time we meet."
Jeanne took the hook. She was genuinely curious to see how far this rabbit could go in two years.
"By the time you come back, maybe I'll be like that old man and have my own candy shop."
It reminded her of her childhood dream: owning a shop so she could eat candy every single day. In Terra, sugar was a luxury; ordinary people might only taste it a few times a year.
Jeanne waved goodbye and walked toward the roadside where Lemuen was waiting in a vehicle.
The "Old Gentlemen" of Laterano seemed to have realized that the previous car was too high-profile. This time, they had sent a small, grayish-white van. To Jeanne, it looked exactly like an ice cream truck. In fact, several passersby were already asking Lemuen in the driver's seat how much the ice cream cost.
Oh, and the old-timers had given the car a codename: "The Revolving Thrusting Demon." They had even written it in the "Model" section of the registration.
According to Lemuen, this was typical of their naming style. Jeanne suddenly thought of a certain red-haired Liberi—apparently, her codenames were always in this style. What a resilient person. If Jeanne's own God gave her such an embarrassing nickname, she might have to ask King Solomon or Saint Martha to teach her some techniques just to go pick a fight with the Almighty.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. This car's appearance is... unique," Jeanne said, climbing in.
Lemuen was currently on the verge of a breakdown, explaining to yet another pedestrian that she was not a Sankta selling ice cream. The pedestrians always left looking half-skeptical.
"Ugh, I can't take much more of this! Is an ice cream truck really that rare in Lungmen? I've only been parked here a few minutes and you're the fifteenth person to ask!"
Lemuen gripped the steering wheel, exasperated. "And look at this drab grey color! Who paints an ice cream truck like this? Even if I gave them a scoop, would they even dare to eat it?"
"Well, in a place as big as Lungmen, you don't see many dessert trucks. If you weren't a Sankta, they probably wouldn't make the connection," Jeanne teased.
As the second vehicle gifted by Laterano, it had sacrificed aesthetics for safety. The empty spaces were filled with cast D23 steel alloy. It wasn't a van; it was an armored transport. With this thing's weight, a bomb under the chassis wouldn't even rattle the passengers.
"Let's go, let's go! When we get back, I'm finding a way to change the exterior. It's safe, sure, but those old guys don't have a single aesthetic bone in their bodies!"
Lemuen slammed the accelerator and sped away.
As for Jeanne? She had long since prepared herself. Ever since she heard that many statues in Laterano depicted angels holding firearms instead of Bibles, she had grown accustomed to it. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around the image of an angel with a gun. Is the way angels send people to heaven in this place through physical "salvation"?