After finishing their overti, Flandre Scarlet and her group leisurely returned ho to start preparing dinner. No major events occurred over the following week; the fireworks factory explosion on New Year's Day didn't dampen the festive atmosphere and bustle of Lungn's New Year celebrations. Flandre, anwhile, had a wonderful ti playing around for a while.
Then, she received news that Dropper had gone missing. Or rather, after successfully recovering from his injuries, he chose to leave without saying goodbye.
Upon receiving the news, Flandre called Beatrice to check in and then imdiately gave chase. She had encountered Dropper several tis, so there was no way he could evade her tracking, no matter which way he went. Before Dropper could even step out of Lungn, Flandre had already flown right in front of him.
Seeing Flandre, Dropper nodded sowhat awkwardly. "Uh, would you believe if I said I just ca out for a stroll?"
"I've already told on you to Alina. Get ready for a lecture!" Flandre said. She had contacted Alina just as she was chasing him down.
Alina knew that with Dropper's abilities, he could never escape Flandre's pursuit, so she didn't panic. Instead, after finishing the tasks at hand, she got up to find the Rhodes Island captain, Logos. Although the Spring Festival had passed in Yan and spring was beginning, Ursus was still a world of ice and snow.
Seeing Alina's arrival, Logos initially thought soone in the Reunion Movent had suffered an oripathy outbreak and needed help, but after hearing the news, he was sowhat speechless and helpless. He couldn't even bla anyone for this situation. He could understand Dropper's desire to return; after all, the man's dical ethics and character were trustworthy. And he could also understand Flandre's reporting of the incident. Because Dropper's departure would make her look bad and might make others think Flandre and Lungn hadn't taken good care of him.
"Has he been found?" Logos asked after a few seconds of silence.
Alina nodded. "As a Blood Demon and having t Dropper several tis, Flandre has long since morized his scent. Dropper wants to run, but it's absolutely impossible for him to escape her hands."
Logos nodded, in full agreent with Alina's words. Rhodes Island had once collaborated closely with a special intelligence team called Rose Riverbank, which had quite a few Blood Demon mbers. He had seen what those people were capable of; their captures never failed. Flandre, also being a Blood Demon and in an environnt she was more familiar with, would have no trouble finding Dropper.
"How about this: please tell Dropper that if he truly wishes to return, he should co with the Lungn rchant caravan heading here," Logos composed his words carefully. "After all, the mountains in Ursus are still blocked by heavy snow. Even if he's prepared, he'll likely fail to arrive and could easily get lost in the snowfields again. Furthermore, the Reunion Movent isn't particularly short-handed right now. As the person in Lungn who best understands the needs of the Infected, he would be more useful assisting Governor Wei in ordering dical resources than trying to sneak back alone."
The ssage was soon sent to Flandre, who relayed it to Dropper word for word. After hearing it, Dropper nodded to Flandre with so sha. "I'm sorry, I was wrong."
Flandre didn't look angry; instead, she crossed her arms and stared at Dropper with a crimson gaze. "There's a saying : 'There is no greater virtue than correcting one's mistakes.' Flandre is a little angry with you because you tried to sneak away, which clearly shows you still don't trust Flandre. Therefore, Flandre must give you a little punishnt. Do you plead guilty?"
Dropper nodded. "No problem. You can punish however you like, Miss Flandre."
The mont he finished speaking, he felt his world spin. When he ca to his senses, he realized he was floating upside down in the air. Flandre nodded with satisfaction, then turned and slowly flew back toward the city of Lungn. And he followed behind, floating along in that upside-down posture.
Soon, many people noticed the strange sight. Dropper finally understood: Flandre's punishnt was social death. He could only cover his face with his hands and follow her, flying for over an hour until they reached the entrance of the Guard Departnt. Along the way, he witnessed the Yan people's love for a spectacle. Since Flandre was a household "celebrity," her leading an upside-down man through the city drew a large crowd of curious onlookers and reporters.
When she reached the entrance, Ch'en Huijie walked out. Seeing a calm Flandre and the pale, upside-down Dropper, she waved her hand. "Alright everyone, disperse!"
"Flandre, I think this punishnt has gone on long enough," Ch'en said. Flandre hooked her finger, and Dropper spun around before standing on the ground once more.
"Mr. Dropper, why did you have to do this?" Ch'en spoke with a mix of helplessness and amusent. Dropper indicated that if he had known it would turn out like this, he wouldn't have run at all. He had lost all the dignity he'd built up over his life.
"We know about your situation, and we've arranged a place for you to stay at the Lungn Guesthouse," Ch'en said seriously. "Wei Yenwu has authorized a list of items for purchase, and we want your help selecting the most suitable dical resources."
When Dropper saw the list, he was shocked by Lungn's imnse wealth. So items were top-tier products from corporations that even Rhodes Island couldn't obtain. He spent a full day and night researching with Flandre acting as a "mobile phone" to consult with the Reunion Movent on their specific needs. Finally, he submitted a formal list to Wei Yenwu.
Wei handed the requirents to a clear-headed mber of the Schwire Family who had remained neutral during the family's earlier troubles.
anwhile, Flandre spent her days at the Governor's Mansion. Since she had nothing else to do, she started by splitting into four people to play mahjong in the garden. Lady Fumizuki was curious. "All four are you. Won't you cheat by knowing everyone else's tiles?"
The Flandres shook their heads. "We can block each other out. Besides, mahjong is heavily based on luck. Sotis, even if you know soone is building a big hand, you just have to watch them win."
This piqued Fumizuki's interest. "This style isn't Yan mahjong! It's more like the competitive style from Higashi."
"Exactly, we're playing the more complex Higashi mahjong!" Flandre replied.
Soon, Fumizuki invited two other noble ladies to join. For Flandre, playing with others was just as fun as playing against herself. Over the course of the month, she felt like she might have gained a bit of weight from eating well and staying warm without any real exercise.
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