Jeanne had originally assumed that Alina's endless, gentle reminders for her to remain safe represented the absolute peak of everyone's fussing, but she never expected that Alina was merely the beginning of it all. An even greater line of people was waiting for her further down the road.
Ever since word spread that Jeanne was preparing to make a trip to Kazdel, everyone who spoke with her implicitly dropped traces of profound anxiety regarding her safety, repeatedly telling her that she absolutely must exercise caution, and that simply returning home alive was enough.
Even FrostNova went out of her way to express her worry, despite pretending that she was merely passing by when she ran into Jeanne and casually struck up a conversation. Yet, Jeanne consistently harbored the feeling that this Cautus rabbit had been waiting in that exact spot specifically just to exchange a single word with her. This suspicion was thoroughly verified by the group of Yetis trailing near her, though Jeanne couldn't help but wonder what kind of tragic fate awaited them afterward.
After all, the moment those Yetis exposed the truth, the incredibly gentle smile painted across FrostNova's face became entirely impossible to conceal. Witnessing that distinctly temperatureless smile, it was safe to assume that a thoroughly magnificent future awaited those Yetis once they returned to their training grounds. In her heart, Jeanne silently recited a prayer for the Yetis, though considering they had already been thoroughly broken in by their big sister countless times, they had likely grown accustomed to it by now.
"Seriously, is all of this actually necessary? Why is every single one of you coming over to pay me a visit one after another? It's giving me the distinct impression that my days are numbered and I'm about to depart from this mortal world forever!"
Right after bidding farewell to FrostNova, Jeanne caught sight of yet another person who had made a special trip just to find her, causing her to finally unleash the question she had suppressed deep within her heart for days.
I know perfectly well that my destination is Kazdel, and I know that the region is exceptionally chaotic! But why does the vibe you are all giving me make it feel like I'm heading straight to Hell instead of Kazdel?!
After enduring wave after wave of people arriving to check on her over the past few days, Jeanne truly felt a sense of déjà vu—as though her destination were indeed the underworld, where she would be forced to engage in a brutal struggle against countless vicious demons.
"Eh? Have there really been that many people coming to visit you? That's completely understandable, though! You must have caught wind of what my homeland looks like in the eyes of the public; to everyone else, that region is probably deemed vastly more wretched than even Ursus!"
Upon hearing Jeanne complain so relentlessly, the individual who had arrived to see her offered a slightly embarrassed smile, subsequently attempting to explain the logic behind everyone's behavior.
"In truth, I came here intending to provide you with a few specific locations where you might successfully recruit mercenaries. As you already know, I used to scratch out a living as a mercenary in Kazdel, so I still maintain a fairly thorough understanding of those areas."
The person who had sought Jeanne out was none other than Mudrock. Upon hearing that Jeanne was bound for her homeland—a place that currently amounted to little more than a living nightmare in her own mind—she had immediately come over to provide intelligence that might prove useful during the journey.
After all, within the entire ranks of Reunion, if one were to query who possessed the most relevant, up-to-date understanding of the current Kazdel, Mudrock easily surpassed Patriot in specific areas. This was solely because she had personally operated there as a mercenary. While Patriot's intelligence was undeniably valuable, the old gentleman had ultimately been away from his homeland for far too long; a massive portion of his knowledge had lagged behind for years, meaning it genuinely lacked the real-time accuracy of Mudrock's insights. This was precisely why Patriot had strictly restricted himself to outlining the general temperaments of the figures she might encounter and the overarching environment, completely refraining from diving into specific details out of fear that he might inadvertently mislead Jeanne.
"This is a map of Kazdel. The locations I've highlighted are all spots where mercenaries regularly accept commissions. However, you must absolutely avoid these specific red markings—the groups operating there specialize in slaughtering foreign employers..."
Mudrock fished out a massive, sprawling map from somewhere within her person. It was densely blanketed in an array of multicolored markings and symbols; Jeanne felt her head spin merely taking a single glance at it.
This was clearly the exact map Mudrock had relied upon during her years as a mercenary, and it had evidently seen extensive use over nearly a decade. Faint, scattered bloodstains were still visible across the surface, alongside what appeared to be the lingering aroma of battlefield smoke and fire. As for those dark red markings scattered across the layout... Jeanne noted that the hue didn't resemble standard red ink at all; it looked strikingly as though it had been smeared using Mudrock's own fresh blood, leaving her to wonder what terrifying ordeals the girl had actually endured.
"These particular mercenary warbands possess relatively decent track records for credibility. Even though you might not find any use for this map during your visit to Babel this time, you should still hold onto it just in case!"
Having delivered this massive wave of information, Mudrock placed the map—which had accompanied her through nearly ten years of survival—into Jeanne's hands with absolute solemnity, hoping the experience she had amassed over the years could offer a fraction of assistance to her operations.
Yet, what Jeanne failed to comprehend was that for a mercenary in Kazdel, an intelligence chart mapping out mercenary factions and regional distributions was an invaluable existence entirely comparable to their own lives! Every single annotation recorded on that surface represented a survival experience, and a mercenary would absolutely never hand their personal map over to another individual, no matter how close or intimate their relationship might be. Mudrock had chosen to surrender this item to Jeanne solely because she had no intention of returning; at the very least, she harbored no plans to cast a glance back at her homeland anytime soon, so she simply opted to pass the object to Jeanne.
Even though Jeanne didn't fully comprehend what this map truly signified to Mudrock, noting how exceptionally well-preserved the aged chart was made it clear how much value her friend placed on it.
"Thank you immensely. I will ensure this map is preserved with the utmost care. When I return, I will absolutely return it safely into your hands!"
Jeanne offered her heartfelt gratitude to Mudrock. She truly hadn't expected her prospective journey to cause such widespread anxiety among everyone; it seemed as though she was the only one who didn't view it as a massive ordeal. In Jeanne's eyes, this was merely a standard long-distance trip; even if the destination was Kazdel, how much peril could there actually be? Perhaps this operation might even yield some sort of unexpected harvest!
This distinct sensation had abruptly bloomed within Jeanne's heart upon waking up this morning. The omnipotent Revelation nestled inside her mind informed her that this endeavor would deliver a pleasant surprise. Yet, Jeanne couldn't quite fathom what could possibly count as a pleasant surprise for her at this stage. Could she perhaps acquire some sort of mystical artifact? Something capable of transforming Laterano's angels into authentic, genuine angels?
After all, the things capable of delivering a genuine surprise to Jeanne had become exceptionally scarce. Aside from a medication capable of completely curing Oripathy, there wasn't much else she particularly required. Consequently, rather than absorbing the surrounding anxieties regarding her safety during this deployment, Jeanne's heart was occupied solely by anticipation—anticipation regarding the exact nature of the harvest she was about to secure.
Seeing Jeanne accept her personal map, Mudrock proceeded to detail a few highly peculiar contact methods. These belonged to mercenary friends she had known in the past, the sort of individuals who would willingly provide assistance out of respect for her name.
"I am not entirely certain what business the people at Babel have with you, but the absolute law of the Sarkaz dictates that if you wish to secure assistance, you must put forth corresponding effort. Mercenaries, on the other hand, recognize nothing but coin, making them highly efficient tools to deploy under the right circumstances."
Mudrock was well aware that the forces at Babel were constantly plagued by a severe shortage of troops—to the extent that they occasionally had to seek out mercenaries just to replenish their combat capabilities. An organization of that nature placed immense emphasis on the strategic deployment of personnel. She could guess that Jeanne definitely harbored a specific purpose for this journey; otherwise, this individual who usually loathed embarking on long trips would absolutely never run off to such a distant place by herself to achieve something. If the other party lacked the available manpower to assist Jeanne, she could utilize her own methods to establish contact with these old acquaintances for hire, which would be vastly safer than attempting to locate random individuals on short notice.
"Those friends of yours are remarkably warm-hearted."
Once Mudrock departed, Kal'tsit, who had been silently observing the exchange from a secluded corner for quite some time, stepped out into the open, offering praise regarding Jeanne's relationship with these individuals. She had caught word that this specific Sarkaz squad hadn't integrated into the ranks here for very long, yet their leader was actually willing to surrender a map comparable to a mercenary's very life to Jeanne. This was indeed a phenomenally rare sight.
"Dr. Kal'tsit? Exactly how long have you been standing there watching?"
Catching sight of the emerging Kal'tsit, Jeanne realized the doctor had been present for a fair while. I hope she didn't overhear those people speaking ill of Kazdel, she thought. After all, the doctor was technically a noble of Kazdel; hearing them declare that her homeland wasn't a pleasant destination might not sit entirely well with her, right?
"I have been here since that Cautus stated Kazdel wasn't any sort of pleasant destination," Kal'tsit replied with a simple shrug, though no trace of displeasure could be detected in her tone.
"Uh... I am truly sorry about that, FrostNova didn't mean it that way..."
"She spoke the absolute truth; Kazdel is indeed by no means a pleasant place." Before Jeanne could even finish her apology, Kal'tsit calmly initiated a critique of the nation she belonged to.
"That land has endured continuous warfare for generations. War breeds absolute poverty among the populace, poverty fosters rampant violence, and violence subsequently plunges the people into even deeper cycles of poverty... The entirety of Kazdel has already transformed into a living purgatory."
As she uttered those words, a distinct trace of sorrow flickered deep within Kal'tsit's eyes. It was impossible to discern whether she was sorrowing for the citizens of Kazdel, or lamenting the fact that the nation had failed to experience even a fraction of change.