After resting for the night, the group prepared to set off for Flower Village the next morning.
Originally, Remilia intended for everyone to fly there, but Flandre suggested that since they were here, they should experience the local transportation.
After all, apart from the group from Scarlet Devil Mansion, the others hadn't really ridden in vehicles on Terra.
Flandre also enthusiastically mentioned that vehicles on Terra were different from those on Earth; there was no smell of gasoline inside. It was much more comfortable to ride in.
Everyone thought about it and agreed.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since they were here and not in any particular rush, and although they had ridden in a car for a short while yesterday, driving in the city versus outside the city were two different things. They were also very curious to see the infrastructure of Terra.
After some coordination, the two drivers from yesterday arrived with their vehicles.
After the group boarded the vehicles again, they drove out of the city.
Just before leaving the city, Swire called.
"Flandre, since you're going to Flower Village now, will you be back for the New Year?"
"The New Year!" Flandre realized it was only a few days away. She couldn't help but look at Remilia.
"Oh, is the New Year coming up here soon?" Remilia said, a bit dazed.
As a Western vampire, she had no concept of the New Year before arriving in Gensokyo. As for Christmas Eve? Vampires didn't celebrate that either.
However, after arriving in Gensokyo, they followed the local customs (mainly because there wasn't much going on in Gensokyo, and people needed an excuse to gather and hold a banquet; festivals were a good reason, and they couldn't just stir up incidents on purpose just to have a party and then end up getting hit by Reimu's Yin-Yang Orbs), so they had participated in a few festival gatherings. Naturally, they knew that for these Easterners, the New Year was a rather large and grand festival.
"It's not far anyway, so coming back for a trip won't have any impact," Patchouli spoke this time.
Building a teleportation array wasn't something that could be done overnight. Moreover, some materials needed help from the locals to gather. Fortunately, both the Governor of Lungmen and Swire had the financial resources and capability. Therefore, maintaining a good relationship was essential.
After Patchouli finished speaking, Remilia nodded, agreeing with this.
Flandre relayed the news to Swire, stating that they would return to hang out for two days on the day before the New Year.
"That's great. Have fun at Flower Village. As for where to stay, how about the previous place? If you think it's okay, I'll book it for you now—including the rooms next door, to ensure you, your sister, and your other friends can stay comfortably. The day before the New Year, I'll send someone to pick you up so you can come back to Lungmen for the New Year," Swire replied happily.
"Sounds good."
After the agreement was made, Flandre and her group left Lungmen by car.
After they left, over at the Governor-General's Office, Wei Yenwu summoned Chen Huijie.
"Little Ch'en, how did you all get so drunk last night?"
Hearing Wei Yenwu's words, Sister Ch'en blushed, which was rare for her.
After she finished explaining, Fumizuki, who was beside her, was surprised. "You mean that woman named Hoshiguma Yuugi got all three of you drunk by herself?"
Although she didn't want to admit it, it was a fact, so Sister Ch'en nodded.
"Then do you know the identities of those people?" Lady Fumizuki continued to ask.
"I heard Flandre's introductions. These two are her sister and the Head Maid of their household, this one is her good friend Komeiji Koishi and her sister Komeiji Satori. As for these, they are Kazami Yuuka, Fujiwara no Mokou, Junko, and Hecatia."
At this moment, on Fumizuki's desk, there was surveillance footage from the restaurant, from which the situation in the lobby could be clearly seen. Sister Ch'en pointed to the people who passed through the lobby and entered the private room, introducing them one by one.
"Hmm, are they all from Higashi?" Fumizuki asked, a bit unsure.
After all, these names sounded very Higashi. People from other places generally wouldn't pick names like that.
"The tone of their conversation indeed feels very Higashi. Hmm, just like when Hoshiguma first arrived." Sister Ch'en nodded, answering Fumizuki's question.
Fumizuki nodded in understanding. Although it was a bit strange, if they were from Higashi, she didn't feel much pressure. After all, no one understood Higashi better than she did.
As for this whole group that suddenly appeared, Fumizuki didn't feel surprised. Flandre had long since raised her threshold for shock.
As for them running off to Flower Village in the middle of winter, she couldn't control what others wanted to do, nor did she care to. She just needed to confirm that Flandre had no intention of leaving Lungmen.
Fortunately, she had received the answer she wanted in their previous contact. Flandre was indeed an honest child; although she didn't say it explicitly, her willingness to stay in Lungmen was clear in her words.
As for whether it was possible that she said that on purpose to stabilize things here and might leave at any time, that didn't really matter. After all, the house they lived in was a fixed asset that had been purchased, so it didn't matter who lived there.
Besides, if Flandre really wanted to leave, Lungmen couldn't force her to stay. On the contrary, if they were to stay, Lungmen would need to do more—for example, adding them to the household registry.
Because Remilia and her group, like Flandre when she first arrived, were undocumented individuals who couldn't produce anything. If they wanted to stay long-term, they definitely needed a household registration, otherwise, things like opening bank accounts would be impossible to do later.
Furthermore, because of Flandre's previous influence, after a bunch of her family and friends suddenly arrived, Wei Yenwu had to help bear the external pressure. Since Flandre was already so strong, what about the people around her? Were there similar powerhouses? Would they pose a threat to the local residents... and so on.
Therefore, it was simple for Flandre's group to leave, but if they stayed, Wei Yenwu had a lot to consider.
Fumizuki asked Sister Ch'en for her opinion on those people again.
"Hmm, I can't really say. To be accurate, those people are more elusive than they look. Even Hoshiguma Yuugi, who seems the most forthright on the surface, speaks without giving anything away. After a meal last night, apart from the fact that she is called Hoshiguma Yuugi and has a good friend named Ibuki Suika over in Higashi, I didn't gain any more useful information."
Sister Ch'en felt a bit discouraged when recalling last night's dinner. She had participated, firstly, because she wanted to meet Remilia, the all-powerful sister Flandre spoke of, and secondly, because so many mysterious people had appeared around Flandre, and as a member of Lungmen, she needed to see for herself and make her own judgment.
But as it turned out, although this group of people looked young and beautiful, they were all more cunning than the last. After the whole thing, she had barely gained any useful intelligence other than their names.