"But you've reminded me of something..."
"Saffron stamens are one of the symbols of Januspolis... If we want to recreate its memories, we'd better start with something that survived from those days..."
"And... when we first met Aya, we put some in the porridge we made for her... She loved it."
"I see." Trianne looked at Tine in admiration. "Three birds with one stone!"
"But... that depends on whether Oloronis is willing to help us," Tine stressed.
"That... could be a problem," Tribbie said uneasily.
If Yan Huan and Mimi had still been here, things might have been different. But after the body's self-destruction, Mimi had stopped appearing too.
Oloronis wasn't particularly fond of humans now. Besides, the three experts here were the very people who had taken the Core Flame of its beloved Janus all those years ago.
"We can only try," Tribbie muttered. "If we really hit a dead end..."
"In our current state, I doubt we could do anything to Oloronis. We'll think of another way then..."
"When the time comes, leave it to Trianne!" Trianne planted her hands on her hips, brimming with confidence. "Trianne's the best at looking pitiful!"
Tribbie nodded and said to the other two:
"Anyway, let's find the saffron stamens first. Hopefully the temple still has some stored away, and Nikadori's soldiers haven't destroyed it."
"Hmm... I remember ripe saffron stamens were sealed in jars..."
"Let's look around as we go."
Tribbie pushed open the doors to the inner sanctuary. The moment she stepped inside, she saw Aglaea's figure. Like a ghost, Aglaea spoke with grim resolve:
"Only a dead end lies ahead. Turn back, my teachers."
"What... Aya!" Tribbie's eyes widened. Trianne and Tine stared too.
The next instant, the apparition vanished as though it had never been there.
The silent