Following his gaze, Luo Shu's eyes fell upon a golden-haired girl with a warm smile.
She wore a white long-sleeved sweater paired with light blue denim jeans, her golden locks cascading down her back. Though dressed simply, the girl carried herself with the poise of a fashion model.
In stark contrast, the two figures behind her appeared rather jarring.
Clad in full-length white robes adorned with silver ornaments, their faces painted with red and white pigments, they sported either bull horns or feather headdresses – the complete ensemble of ethnic minority attire.
A fashionable girl accompanied by two followers from ethnic minorities... The sight was certainly turning heads.
And that appearance... FGO's Joan of Arc?
Reincarnation of Joan? This is literally her!
As Luo Shu silently complained...
Joan of Arc, who had already entered the room, came skipping over excitedly, calling out:
"Lacus!"
"Just as I thought! You really are in this building!!"
Seeing her approach, Lacus rose with a smile and embraced her:
"Long time no see, Joan."
"Indeed, it's been ages – a year? No, nearly two... We've only corresponded by letter."
Joan seemed genuinely delighted to reunite with her old friend.
Observing this, Kirika Tachibana nearby appeared somewhat displeased:
"Straight to Lacus, as if I don't exist, is it?"
Joan blinked at this, studying Kirika with curiosity.
Kirika raised an eyebrow, then said in surprise: "I don't believe my appearance has undergone any transformation, has it?"
"The changes are minimal, but Kirika... have you grown taller?"
Joan moved beside Kirika, comparing their heights with visible interest before noting the several centimetres difference:
"About 5cm taller, strange... Last time you were 3cm shorter than me..."
"Why do you remember my height so precisely..." Kirika grimaced. Was it so odd for someone in their twenties to grow?
With a knowing smile, Joan remarked:
"Because your height shouldn't normally be like this. Did you use some special method?"
"..."
Kirika fell silent, offering no rebuttal.
She had indeed employed certain means to adjust her height proportions!
Luo Shu couldn't help stealing a glance at Joan.
'These are the kind of embarrassing secrets only old friends would know... Though now I know too...'
Seeing Kirika thoroughly defeated, Joan wisely changed subjects, turning to Meer and Siegel:
"Good to see you again, Meer. And Mr Siegel – you're looking as youthful as ever."
Siegel nodded courteously, addressing her as "Saintess" before retreating into silence, evidently experienced in navigating female-dominated gatherings.
Meer, however, seemed surprised by Joan's greeting:
"So you found this place through intuition again?"
"Indeed, by instinct, though only after entering the building."
Pondering Meer's question, Joan explained: "Wasn't it said before that this place would serve as the American headquarters? Though it was just wasteland back then, I remember the exact location clearly."
"So finding this place wasn't a problem for me. It was locating all of you that required some extra sensing."
"No wonder..." Meer nodded in sudden understanding, then took out her phone to send a message: "I'll call back the team sent to greet you then."
"Hmm?" Joan of Arc blinked, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Meer, you actually sent people to meet me?"
"Indeed, though it seems there was some miscommunication."
As she spoke, Meer glanced at the tribespeople standing at a respectful distance, not interrupting Joan's reunion:
"So which one of you messed up the communications equipment?"
Hearing this, a dishevelled man wearing bullhorn ornaments said gravely:
"Bard, did you forget something?"
"Senior Obagiu, I checked six times before leaving!" The man called Bard, adorned with feather accessories, sounded genuinely puzzled.
Hearing this, the man addressed as Obagiu fell silent before replying quietly:
"Then check once more."
Bard instinctively patted his pockets containing various items. Soon, he went quiet.
His expression of sheer embarrassment suggested that if not for the open space, he'd have hidden in a corner.
"I thought I'd packed everything..." Bard said weakly.
"Then where is it?" Obagiu immediately understood Bard was indeed at fault.
In response, Bard silently produced a palm-sized black square stone from his white robe, resembling a small tablet.
Seeing this, Obagiu fell silent.
Meanwhile, Meer studied the stone curiously:
"What's that?"
Joan explained for Meer, who'd never visited the Patch Tribe's ancestral lands:
"The Patch Tribe's sacred grounds have a powerful spiritual magnetic field. External technology like mobile phones or induction cookers doesn't work there."
"To maintain internal communications, one generation of elders developed spirit-infused stones to provide messaging services within the ancestral lands. Functionally, that stone is the Patch Tribe's version of a mobile phone."
"However, it only works in areas with strong Spiritual Power fields. Outside, unless it's a heavily spiritual location, it's unusable."
So you were told to bring a communicator, and you got one that only works on a local network?
No wonder we lost contact - it was your doing all along...
Under everyone's collective gaze, Bard bowed deeply in apology:
"I sincerely apologise!"
"I'll take full responsibility. Upon returning, I'll request resignation from my position as Tenth Priest..."
That might be overdoing it...
The group exchanged awkward looks as the remorseful priest's words hung over them, and Obagiu stepped forward to comfort his junior.
"Bard's memory has always been poor due to his Spirit Art cultivation, but his combat abilities remain reliable."
Joan hastily defended her guard's honour before turning her gaze towards Luo Shu and addressing Lacus: "So, this must be Mr Luo Shu?"
"My apologies, but Lacus, could you lend him to me for a while?"