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ArabicArknights: The Scarlet Devil of Terra — Chapter 21
Chapter 21: News of Talulah
Alina’s voice filtered through the communicator, recounting the whirlwind of activity that had consumed the camp since the newcomers arrived.
When she had gone to receive them that morning, she specifically noted the absence of a certain young Cautus named Amiya among their ranks. Upon stepping into the Reunion Movement’s territory, the Rhodes Island delegation had been visibly taken aback by the brutal, unforgiving environment. Yet, both Talulah and Kal’tsit were unapologetic workaholics; after a brief, tense exchange of pleasantries, the two leaders had immediately plunged into the logistics of survival.
The bulk of the day had been dominated by Rhodes Island’s medical Operators, who systematically classified and triaged the Infected within the camp. Even as Alina spoke, the grueling process was still underway. The casual, precise medical terminology the Operators threw around left the hardened Ursus guerrillas—brutes who only understood the absolute basics of battlefield first aid—staring in mute awe at what true, systematic knowledge looked like.
“I have things to do here, so I’m hanging up. Let’s talk later,” Alina said, her voice fading as someone called her name in the background. The line went dead.
Flandre lowered the device. She spent a few more minutes watching a line of worker ants finish dragging a crumb into their newly excavated home. Standing up, she stretched her arms toward the gray sky, suddenly remembering her promise to Ch’en. With a light leap, she took to the air, flying in a wobbly, unhurried trajectory toward the city limits.
Meanwhile, Ch’en Hui-chieh and her escort had ground to a halt at their designated meeting point. Ch’en paced relentlessly across the pavement, her boots clicking in a rapid, agitated rhythm. There was no sign of the blonde girl anywhere.
“Ch’en, stop pacing. You’re making me dizzy,” Madam Fumizuki said, reaching out to gently pull the younger woman back by the sleeve.
“Damn it, didn’t she say she would find me? Why hasn’t she shown up yet!” Ch’en snapped, her anxiety bleeding into rare, crude frustration.
“Exactly! Flandre said she would find you, but Flandre never said she’d appear right in front of your nose the second you stepped out the door!”
A cheerful voice drifted over the cold wind. To the absolute shock of the L.G.D. officers and the Chief Executive’s entourage, a blonde girl had materialized just a few paces away from the crowd, entirely bypassing their perimeter.
“Protect the Chief Executive!”
The Shadow Guards moved on pure instinct. Dark cloaks flared as they instantly collapsed their formation, forming a tight, lethal wall of steel and Arts around Wei Yenwu.
“No need to be so nervous. If Flandre wanted to hurt someone, Flandre definitely wouldn’t give a warning first!”
Flandre giggled. She deliberately took one step forward. The Shadow Guards immediately shifted, their weapons rising in high alert. Seeing this, Flandre took a step back. The guards marginally relaxed their stances. Eyes sparkling with amusement, she stepped forward again. She was thoroughly enjoying herself, treating Lungmen’s most elite, terrifying assassins like a set of reactive wind-up toys.
Wei Yenwu’s eye twitched as he watched the girl play with his shadow detail.
“Step aside,” he ordered.
With a single command from Wei Yenwu, the Shadow Guards melted back into the periphery, leaving Flandre pouting over the loss of her new toys.
“Are you Wei Yenwu?”
In the blink of an eye, Flandre bypassed the remaining distance, appearing directly in front of the Chief Executive. The sudden, impossible movement made the blood of the Shadow Guards run cold.
Wei Yenwu, however, did not flinch. He looked down at the diminutive vampire, reached out, and gently patted her head.
“You must be the good friend Talulah mentioned. Flandre Scarlet.”
“Waaah! Flandre isn’t a child anymore, you can’t just pat Flandre’s head!” She batted his hand away, pouting as she took two steps back. Then, a mischievous light entered her red eyes. She pinched the edges of her skirt, mimicking the refined, haughty tone of her older sister.
“Greetings, Chief Executive Wei Yenwu. I am Flandre Scarlet. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time!”
Watching the girl’s utterly disjointed, theatrical performance, Wei Yenwu’s eye twitched a second time.
“I am indeed Wei Yenwu. This open road is too desolate a place to host a guest. Please, join me in the car.” He gestured toward the heavily armored luxury vehicle idling nearby.
“Chief Executive!” A Shadow Guard stepped forward, his voice tight with concern at the prospect of letting this dangerous, unpredictable anomaly ride in the same confined space as Lungmen’s ruler.
“It is fine. Please,” Wei Yenwu repeated, pointing to the open car door.
Once Flandre hopped into the plush interior, the motorcade turned around and headed back into the heart of Lungmen.
As the sleek vehicles handled the bustling city streets, sharp-eyed pedestrians caught glimpses of bright blonde hair sitting beside the Chief Executive. In a city that thrived on information, the gossip spread like wildfire.
“Blonde, young, and the Chief Executive and his wife rushed out of the city just to pick her up… Could it be that Governor Wei has a secret love child from his past, and she’s finally come knocking?” a merchant whispered to his neighbor.
“Uh, then why would Madam Fumizuki go along with him to get her?”
“That’s exactly why the secret is out! Think about it. The Chief Executive and his wife haven’t had children for all these years…”
“Hiss… that actually makes sense!”
Wei Yenwu remained blissfully unaware that within the hour, the streets of Lungmen had already concocted a sprawling soap opera about his life: because Madam Fumizuki could not conceive, he had secretly kept a lover outside the city. Now that the lover had met a tragic end, her orphaned heir had come to Lungmen seeking her father, and the gracious Madam Fumizuki, taking pity on the girl, had accepted her as a stepchild.
There were variations of the tale, but the core drama remained the same. Fortunately, Wei Yenwu was entirely unconcerned with the whispers of the masses.
The group now sat in a private, heavily secured reception hall deep within the Chief Executive’s mansion. The scent of premium tea filled the air, though the atmosphere was incredibly tense.
“Miss Flandre, can you tell us about Talulah now?” Wei Yenwu asked, taking a slow sip of his tea.
Flandre nodded, kicking her legs back and forth over the edge of her oversized chair. “Of course. Before Flandre left, Talulah was really worried about whether you all had forgotten her. She was actually quite uneasy about Flandre coming here at all. Flandre didn’t expect you to still care so much for her. That’s wonderful! But regarding Talulah’s situation, Flandre doesn’t know absolutely everything…”
She began to recount her experiences, detailing what she knew of Talulah and the harsh realities of the Reunion Movement.
“What? Talulah… she became an Infected?” Ch’en’s voice cracked, her throat suddenly bone-dry.
The revelation struck a deeply personal chord. Not long ago, due to a disastrous accident, Ch’en and Superintendent Nine had both contracted Oripathy. It was a closely guarded secret, known only to a select few. The severity of the infection had forced Nine to resign from her position and leave the L.G.D. entirely. Hearing that her childhood sister shared the same cursed fate felt like a physical blow.
“Sister Alina said becoming an Infected was Talulah’s own choice,” Flandre explained, tilting her head. “She deliberately turned herself into an Infected so she could fight against someone named Kashchey.”
Wei Yenwu’s expression darkened slightly. He had heard the fragmented rumors of the Black Snake’s demise.
“Then why doesn’t she come back to Lungmen? Does she have any idea how much we miss her?” Ch’en demanded, her hands gripping her knees.
“Because she is the leader of the Reunion Movement! If she leaves, what happens to Reunion? What happens to all the Infected she saved?”
Flandre’s simple, matter-of-fact logic left Ch’en completely speechless. Ch’en was an intensely responsible person. She knew exactly how the Infected were treated across Terra, and she knew the oppression in the Ursus Empire was a meat grinder of unmatched cruelty. She could vividly imagine the crushing weight resting on Talulah’s shoulders.
“Then can you tell us about the current state of the Reunion Movement? As far as I know, the Ursus tundra is not exactly a hospitable place for the Infected to survive,” Madam Fumizuki asked softly, her eyes full of maternal concern.
Flandre obliged, painting a picture of the frozen camps and the desperate struggle for warmth and medicine.
Wei Yenwu listened in quiet shock as Flandre casually revealed the command structure. Talulah was the absolute spiritual and operational leader of Reunion, guiding its general direction. And standing beside her, serving as the military vanguard, was Patriot—Buldrokkas’tee—and his legendary Shieldguards.
The name of Patriot was a heavy one, echoing far beyond the borders of Ursus. He was the last pure-blooded Wendigo on Terra, a towering figure of military myth.
“What kind of person is this Patriot?” Wei Yenwu asked, leaning forward. He had read countless intelligence dossiers on the Wendigo, but he wanted the unfiltered perspective of someone who had stood in the same room as the behemoth.
“The Old Stubborn? He’s exactly like his name—old and stubborn!” Flandre huffed, crossing her arms. “He insists on his own views and won’t turn back until he smashes his head into a wall. He’s a super troublesome, difficult guy! When Flandre first arrived at Reunion, he pointed his big halberd at Flandre and said something like, ‘Vampire. Untrustworthy.’ He even looked like he was going to hit Flandre! If Talulah hadn’t insisted on keeping me around, Flandre probably wouldn’t have stayed in that freezing place.”
Flandre’s tone was full of childish grievance, clearly holding a grudge against the Wendigo. However, Wei Yenwu’s political mind immediately dissected the underlying truth. Buldrokkas’tee, a veteran of countless wars and a man of uncompromising principles, had initially rejected Flandre’s presence—yet he had ultimately yielded to Talulah’s command.
This meant Talulah’s authority within the Reunion Movement was absolute. To overrule a man Flandre accurately dubbed an ‘Old Stubborn’ required a terrifying amount of respect and power.
After answering a few more questions about Alina, Flandre noticed Ch’en shifting in her seat, looking utterly drained and ready to leave. A sly smile crept onto the vampire’s face.
“Speaking of which, Flandre has a letter here,” she announced loudly, patting her pocket. “Sister Talulah said that if Chief Executive Wei Yenwu didn’t agree to let Flandre stay in Lungmen, Flandre should go find a person named Ch’en Hui-chieh. Talulah said this Ch’en was her childhood sister and would definitely find a way to hide Flandre. But since the Chief Executive already agreed to let Flandre stay, this letter probably isn’t of much use anymore…”
“Where is the letter?!” Ch’en shot out of her chair, lunging forward to grab Flandre’s arm.
Flandre deliberately widened her eyes, putting on a flawless mask of innocent confusion. “Who are you?”
“I am Ch’en Hui-chieh,” Old Ch’en ground out through clenched teeth.
If this brat had just mentioned she was connected to Talulah from the start, or brought out this letter an hour ago, Ch’en wouldn’t have spent the entire morning agonizing on the pavement!
“Ah? Flandre doesn’t believe you!” Flandre leaned back, eyeing Ch’en with exaggerated suspicion.
The sheer audacity of the expression made Ch’en’s vision swim with dark spots of rage. She whipped her head toward Wei Yenwu and Fumizuki, silently begging them to verify her identity before she strangled the messenger.
“Ch’en is indeed the Ch’en Hui-chieh you spoke of. That letter is very important to her. Please, give it to her,” Wei Yenwu said, his voice calm.
Unlike the highly emotional Ch’en, Wei Yenwu had spent the last hour observing the girl. He had already concluded that this seemingly harmless, childish blonde was incredibly cunning. She had undoubtedly deduced Ch’en’s identity the moment they met on the street, yet she had deliberately withheld the letter until this exact moment just to watch Ch’en squirm.
Wei Yenwu mentally reviewed the contents of Talulah’s message to him, which had described Flandre as ‘honest and very obedient.’ He took another sip of tea. Honest and obedient, my eye.
Flandre slowly, agonizingly drew the envelope from her dress.
The second it was free, Ch’en snatched it from her grasp. Her hands trembled as she tore open the seal. As her eyes darted across the familiar handwriting, the tough, uncompromising facade of the L.G.D. officer crumbled. Hot tears spilled over her eyelashes, tracing silent paths down her cheeks.
She read the final line, folded the paper, and looked up at Wei Yenwu. Her eyes were red, but her jaw was set like iron.
“Chief Executive. I am requesting a long leave of absence.”
“Denied,” Wei Yenwu answered instantly, his tone flat.
“I must go!” Ch’en insisted, stepping forward, her hand resting near the hilt of her sword.
“I said denied, so it is denied. If you dare attempt to leave this city, I will have the Shadow Guards break your legs and drag you back.” Wei Yenwu’s voice remained perfectly conversational, as if he were discussing the weather, but the absolute, chilling authority in his eyes brooked no defiance.
“You—!” Ch’en glared at him, a furious fire igniting in her chest.
“I know exactly what you want to do, and it is not permitted. The Shadow Guards will monitor your movements closely during this period. They will not give you a single opportunity to slip away,” Wei Yenwu stated expressionlessly.
“But Talulah, she…” Ch’en’s voice broke, a wave of deep grievance washing over her.
“No buts. I will send my own people to establish contact with Talulah. If she lacks funds, I have them. If she lacks supplies, Lungmen has plenty. Sending logistics is far more useful to her survival than you running off into the tundra with a sword.”
Wei Yenwu paused, letting the harsh reality of his words sink in. He knew the art of leadership—after delivering a brutal strike, one must offer a lifeline.
“If you truly wish to see her, then remain in Lungmen and do your duty obediently. Once the situation in the north has stabilized and secure smuggling routes are opened… it is not impossible that I might send you over as an envoy.”