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ArabicArknights: The Scarlet Devil of Terra — Chapter 20
Chapter 20: A Letter Worth Ten Thousand Pieces of Gold
The whimsical cadence of Flandre’s voice did nothing to mask the suffocating pressure radiating from her small frame. Ch’en Hui-chieh felt a phantom chill trace her spine. The sharp refusal that had been sitting on her tongue withered and died before it could be spoken.
She knew the terrifying reality of their situation—the initiative had never belonged to the L.G.D. If she stubbornly refused and provoked this enigmatic Vampire into unleashing a bloodbath just beyond Lungmen’s borders, the guilt would haunt her to the grave. Swallowing the bitter indignation burning in her chest, Ch’en offered a stiff nod.
“Then it’s a deal. You wait outside Lungmen, and I will deliver this letter to Chief Executive Wei for you. But you cannot cause any trouble out there while you wait.”
“Of course! As long as you keep your end of the bargain, Flandre, in the name of Scarlet, will definitely not start any trouble,” the girl replied with a rhythmic, sing-song cadence, perfectly mimicking the imperious tone her older sister so often used.
Ch’en committed the name ‘Scarlet’ to memory. She quietly eased her foot onto the gas pedal, steering the vehicle smoothly toward the nomadic city.
Over an hour bled away in tense silence before the sprawling, metallic skyline of Lungmen finally breached the horizon. From their vantage point on the barren wastelands, the sheer scale of the urban leviathan was staggering. Flandre pressed her face against the glass, her crimson eyes wide with unfiltered wonder. She couldn’t even see where the steel foundations ended. How massive was it? How impossibly heavy? The very idea that a structure of this magnitude could move across the earth defied all her previous logic.
‘Is this Terra’s technology? It really is stunning,’ she mused.
Catching the Vampire’s awe in the rearview mirror, an unmistakable trace of pride softened Ch’en’s hardened expression. “This is Lungmen. The core city for Yan’s foreign trade, and the most prosperous commercial capital in the region.”
“Oh, Flandre sees! Here is the letter for Governor Wei; don’t forget it!” Flandre cheerfully dug into her bag and produced a crisp envelope, thrusting it forward.
Ch’en subtly shifted her gaze, trying to catch a glimpse of the handwriting. But Flandre was far too quick. When Talulah had penned the letter, she hadn’t been entirely certain if Wei Yenwu would even acknowledge her existence anymore, deliberately leaving her own name off the parchment. The envelope bore only a single line of elegant script: ‘To be opened personally by Chief Executive Wei Yenwu.’
“Don’t peek, Miss Officer!” Flandre giggled, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of playing dumb and teasing the stern dragon.
Ch’en watched with a darkening expression as the petite Vampire nimbly scrambled up and perched on the edge of the open car window. “How am I supposed to contact you?” Ch’en demanded.
“Oh, right!” Flandre tapped her chin, her bat wings giving a slight flutter. “Let Flandre think… I’ve got it! Reach out your hand!”
Ch’en hesitated, her brow furrowing in suspicion. “What are you going to do?” Despite her wariness, the sheer disparity in their strength compelled her to obey. She slowly extended her bare hand.
In a blur of motion too fast for the naked eye to track, Flandre leaned down and sank her fangs directly into Ch’en’s index finger. A sharp sting flared as a bead of crimson blood welled up from the puncture.
“Alright! Flandre has memorized your scent now. When you leave the city, Flandre will come find you herself.” Before Ch’en could even process the sudden assault, the Vampire launched herself into the sky, her silvery laughter echoing across the wasteland as she flew further and further away.
Ch’en instinctively yanked her hand back, clutching her bleeding finger against her chest. “That girl…!”
To an outsider, it might have looked like a mischievous child pulling a harmless prank. Ch’en knew better. In her eyes, that bite was a lethal tracker. Flandre was sending a clear, unspoken threat: she had locked onto her target. If Ch’en failed to deliver the letter, she would be trapped within Lungmen’s walls forever, because the moment she stepped out, she was dead.
If Flandre had known the grim, fatalistic narrative spinning in the officer’s head, she would have simply pouted and complained that Ch’en was exactly like Talulah—two absolute blockheads with zero sense of fun.
Restarting the engine, Ch’en drove the rest of the way in grim silence. She soon arrived at the bustling L.G.D. port checkpoints. A familiar, towering figure in green caught her eye immediately.
“Old Ch’en!” Hoshiguma called out, her voice laced with surprise as she jogged over. “Didn’t you drive out on patrol? What happened to you?” The Oni peered through the window, her gaze landing on the unconscious smuggler slumped in the passenger seat.
Ch’en pushed the door open and stepped out, her posture rigid. “My cruiser broke down. The man inside is a smuggling suspect. Have one of our brothers impound the vehicle and drag him to the interrogation rooms.” She paused, her hand instinctively brushing against the breast pocket where the letter rested. “Hoshiguma… sorry to trouble you, but take me to the Chief Executive’s Office immediately.”
Hoshiguma’s sharp eyes swept over her partner, catching the subtle tension in Ch’en’s shoulders and the faint scent of fresh blood. “Are you alright?”
“I’m perfectly fine. Let’s just go.” Ch’en reached out, giving the Oni’s sturdy shoulder a firm pat before striding toward the inner gates.
Moments later, Hoshiguma was handling a three-wheeled transport down the L.G.D.’s exclusive transit lane, carrying them away from the noisy port and toward the towering heart of Lungmen’s political power. The wind whipped past them, but the Oni’s concern remained evident.
“Old Ch’en, if something went down out there, just say it. Don’t keep it bottled up. That’s how mistakes happen.”
“What could possibly be wrong? Just focus on the road,” Ch’en deflected, leaning her head back against the seat. She closed her eyes, carefully reviewing the chaotic events of the afternoon, trying to formulate exactly how she was going to explain this to Wei Yenwu.
Deep within the opulent confines of the Chief Executive’s Office, Wei Yenwu and Madam Fumizuki were quietly discussing municipal matters when a sharp knock interrupted them. A Shadow Guard materialized in the doorway, his posture rigid.
“Madam, sir. Superintendent Ch’en is waiting outside. She requests an immediate audience.”
Wei and Fumizuki exchanged a look of deep surprise, both instinctively glancing toward the window as if checking to see if the sun had suddenly risen in the west. Ch’en Hui-chieh, willingly seeking him out without a formal summons?
“Let her in,” Wei commanded with a slow nod. He glanced at his wife. “Stay. I am sure you are just as curious as I am about why little Ch’en would come to me of her own volition.”
Fumizuki offered a graceful nod, stepping softly to stand behind his heavy mahogany desk.
The heavy doors swung open, and Ch’en was escorted inside. She stopped in the center of the room, her expression carefully neutral as she offered a curt nod. “Chief Executive Wei. Madam Fumizuki. Good afternoon.”
“There is no one else here, Ch’en. I would prefer it if you simply called me… Uncle,” Wei murmured, his gaze resting on his niece with a complicated, heavy sorrow.
Ch’en remained silent for a long, suffocating moment before getting straight to business. “Today, while apprehending a smuggler in the outer wastes, I encountered a Vampire. She claimed to have a letter for you. Due to her… nature, she found it inconvenient to enter the city limits, so she entrusted it to me.” She reached into her coat, her fingers brushing the thick paper. “She also warned me that if I failed to deliver it, she would find a way to cause a massive commotion outside our borders just to get your attention.”
Ch’en withdrew the envelope. Fumizuki and Wei shared a swift, unreadable glance before the Madam stepped forward. “Give it to me.”
Ch’en immediately shook her head, pulling her hand back. “Vampires are notoriously treacherous. I cannot rule out the possibility of a blood curse or an Originium trap sealed within the paper. We should find a secure, reinforced room. I will open it there and read the contents to you over a closed-circuit monitor.”
A faint smile touched Fumizuki’s lips, and Wei nodded approvingly. Her extreme caution proved she hadn’t been mind-controlled or coerced by the Sarkaz.
“That won’t be necessary. Hand it over,” Fumizuki insisted gently. “I highly doubt a Sarkaz would employ such a convoluted method to assassinate our Chief Executive. If they truly wanted him dead, there are a hundred more efficient ways to do it.”
Reluctantly, Ch’en surrendered the envelope. Fumizuki examined the elegant Yan characters on the front: ‘To Chief Executive Wei Yenwu, for his eyes only.’ The delicate strokes clearly belonged to a woman. She cast a sidelong, teasing glance at her husband. When exactly did he find the time to acquaint himself with a Sarkaz woman?
Under his wife’s piercing stare, Wei felt a cold sweat prickle at his scalp. What was she thinking? Don’t tell me the Vampire’s curse has already taken hold of her just from touching the paper!
With fluid grace, Fumizuki broke the seal and unfolded the parchment. Her eyes scanned the very first line.
Instantly, the elegant Madam froze. The teasing light vanished from her eyes, replaced by a shock so deep she seemed to turn to stone. She stood there, utterly motionless, the silence in the room stretching until it felt ready to snap.
“Fumizuki… Fumizuki!” Wei’s composure shattered. Panic seizing his chest, he lunged out of his chair, his hand flying toward the ceremonial longsword resting on its stand. A dangerous, lethal glint ignited in his draconic eyes.
Just as he prepared to draw the blade, Fumizuki gasped, violently pulling herself back to reality. She looked at Ch’en, who was already reaching for her own weapon in alarm, and then hurried around the desk. “Yenwu… you need to see this for yourself.”
She pressed the letter flat against the polished wood of his desk, forcing him to look down.
Wei’s eyes tracked the first sentence. The effect was instantaneous. The formidable ruler of Lungmen froze just as completely as his wife had. The silence returned, heavier this time. Slowly, with hands that visibly trembled, Wei reached up and removed his glasses.
“Where is this Vampire?” his voice was a ragged whisper. “Is she still outside the city?”
“Unc—” Ch’en stammered, entirely thrown off balance by the raw, naked vulnerability fracturing Wei Yenwu’s usual iron facade. She didn’t know how to respond.
“Give me a moment… let me just catch my breath,” Wei muttered, bracing his weight against the desk. When he finally looked up, his eyes were a storm of conflicting emotions. “Hui-chieh. Go and invite her in. No—I will go out there and meet her personally.” He pushed himself upright, already reaching for his overcoat.
“That is far too dangerous!” Ch’en protested, her instincts flaring. For the Chief Executive to personally expose himself to a Blood Fiend? The letter had to be cursed. It was the only explanation for this madness.
“Oh, little Ch’en. You haven’t read it yet, have you?” Fumizuki picked up the parchment and gently pressed it into the officer’s hands.
Ch’en, fully prepared to resist whatever dark Sarkaz magic was woven into the ink, looked down. The first line hit her like a physical blow.
‘To Uncle Wei Yenwu, greetings. It is I, Talulah…’
Talulah.
Ch’en’s eyes widened to the point of tearing. The breath vanished from her lungs. She stared in absolute disbelief at Wei, who was hurriedly buttoning his coat, and at Fumizuki, whose face was a beautiful, tragic mask of overwhelming joy and ancient sorrow.
“It’s a letter from little Ta!” Fumizuki whispered, her voice breaking. “It has been nearly twenty years since she was stolen away by Kashchey.”
Fumizuki knew better than anyone the agonizing weight that name carried. The impossible choices made two decades ago remained the deepest, most festering wound in Wei Yenwu’s soul.
Flanked by a heavily armed detachment of Shadow Guards, the three of them sped out of the Chief Executive’s Office, their convoy tearing through the streets toward the outer wastelands. Such a sudden, massive mobilization of the Governor’s personal guard sent ripples of alarm through Lungmen’s political underbelly. Unaware of the true cause, various factions scrambled to deploy informants, nervously monitoring the port’s perimeter.
Within the armored transport, Wei and Fumizuki listened intently as Ch’en recounted the exact details of her encounter.
“You are saying she extracted a single drop of blood from your finger, claiming she could track you the moment you left the city?” Wei asked, his mind dissecting the tactical implications.
Despite Ch’en’s grim interpretation of the event, Wei’s seasoned political instincts painted a different picture. The Vampire hadn’t made any overt demands or held Ch’en hostage., Talulah’s letter had explicitly introduced this terrifying messenger as a dear friend who was looking to permanently settle in Lungmen. A person seeking asylum and a quiet life wouldn’t intentionally assassinate a high-ranking L.G.D. officer.
The convoy soon ground to a halt at the desolate stretch of highway where the exchange had taken place.
“This is the exact spot,” Ch’en said, pointing to the faint tire tracks pressed into the dust.
“Then we wait here. If she gave her word, she will show herself,” Wei declared, adjusting his collar against the biting wind.
Fumizuki stepped close to his side, her voice dropping to a murmur meant only for him. “Do you recall the intelligence reports regarding the Ursus Fourth Army from a few weeks ago?”
Wei offered a grim nod. The news of a single Vampire utterly annihilating the heavily mechanized Ursus Fourth Army had sent shockwaves across the continent. It was the sole reason the Ursus Empire had grown so desperate and erratic, forcing Lungmen and Yumen to aggressively reposition their forces northward to secure Yan’s borders. At the time, they had endlessly debated the culprit’s identity. Why would Kazdel, still bleeding from its own civil war, launch a suicidal provocation against Ursus?
Now, the pieces were falling into a terrifying new alignment.
“I considered that,” Wei replied softly. “But she comes bearing goodwill from Talulah. There is no need for fear. Besides, if she truly is the monster who slaughtered the Fourth Army, and she wanted to destroy Lungmen… she wouldn’t need to resort to delivering letters to lure me out.”
Despite his logical confidence, Wei couldn’t entirely suppress the primal tension coiling in his gut. He was powerful, but he harbored no illusions about surviving a direct confrontation with an entity capable of erasing an entire Ursus army group.
Fumizuki silently agreed with his assessment. Surrounded by the cloaked vigilance of the Shadow Guards, the trio stood in the howling wasteland, waiting.
And what was the apocalyptic Vampire doing while the rulers of Lungmen braced for her arrival?
She was currently crouched in the dirt of a nearby withered forest, intensely focused on a line of worker ants relocating their colony.
Having spent centuries locked away in the Scarlet Devil Mansion by Remilia, Flandre possessed a ravenous, childlike curiosity for the outside world. While the foreign memories she had inherited provided her with a vast database of knowledge, they lacked the tactile, emotional depth of lived experience. Right now, she was happily bridging that gap, matching her inherited data with the fascinating reality of Terra’s dirt and bugs.
She had sensed Ch’en’s return—along with the powerful auras accompanying her—the moment they crossed the city limits. But the ants were currently trying to maneuver a particularly large crumb over a pebble, and she simply hadn’t seen enough yet. There was no rush. For an immortal, time was the cheapest currency.
‘Flandre, have you reached Lungmen yet?’ Alina’s gentle voice echoed through their bloodline connection.
Flandre glanced briefly toward the highway where Ch’en and the others were standing in tense anticipation. ‘Almost there!”Then what are you doing right now? I can feel through our connection that you are quite happy,’ Alina noted, amused by the waves of bubbly warmth radiating from the terrifying Vampire.’Flandre is watching ants move their house!’ she cheered, eagerly projecting the image of the struggling insects directly into Alina’s mind.
Back at the camp, Alina was rendered momentarily speechless by the sheer absurdity of it.
‘Just… remember to let me know when you actually go inside. Everyone misses you,’Alina finally replied, a fond sigh coloring her mental tone.’Understood! Oh, by the way, Sister Alina, how are things on your end? How is the integration with those Rhodes Island people going?”The operators from Rhodes Island are far more professional than we ever anticipated. Your suggestion to cooperate with them has truly saved us a massive amount of trouble,’ Alina replied, her mental voice brightening with genuine excitement at the mention of the pharmaceutical company.