Fontaine's Grand Stage: Come If You Dare! (Genshin Impact)

Lofan gazed at Vinani with curiosity. Though he had seen Melusines on the streets of Fontaine before, this was his first time interacting with one.

His first impression of her was one of pure, endearing naivety. As she spoke, she waved her tiny hands, her appearance radiating innocent charm.

If he hadn't known she was from the Marechaussee Phantom, most people would never associate her with law enforcement, likely mistaking her for a mascot.

Lofan's thoughts drifted from the Melusine to the Aranara. Compared to the latter, Melusines seemed much closer to humans in appearance and behavior.

"Monsieur, is there something dirty on my face? You've been staring at me."

Hearing her soft, childlike voice, Lofan snapped out of his reverie and apologized sheepishly. "No, I was just curious."

"I've heard Melusines have a unique way of seeing the world, perceiving things differently from ordinary people. I'm curious, what does the world look like through your eyes?" Lofan asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't really answer that," Vinani replied. "I can't show you the world as I see it."

"But I can explain it a little," she continued, gesturing animatedly as if trying to paint a picture for Lofan. "It seems that what we perceive as beautiful might actually be terrible for you."

"I see," Lofan nodded, scrolling through the System's exchange list.

He remembered the options to exchange for different body types and races. However, if he didn't invest points in those categories, the default body would always be human, with the only difference being nationality.

Wait a minute... why doesn't the System categorize people by skin color? Could it be that people from different nations on the Teyvat Continent have subtle physiological differences?

Come to think of it, Khaenri'ahns do live quite long lives. But that might be due to their curse. Perhaps that's something worth investigating further.

Lofan mentally noted the matter for later and refocused on the System interface.

He could indeed exchange Points for a Melusine body, but the required amount was quite steep.

After confirming the Melusine race for a 3,000-Point body, adding an additional identity to join the team became impossible. He would need to spend 9,000 Points to exchange for the next-tier body, a cost far too exorbitant.

Lofan abandoned his temporary idea of giving Vinani a teammate.

"Thank you, I understand," he said.

"With Miss Vinani on the case, I'm confident we'll catch the culprit quickly!" Captain Elton exclaimed.

"Heh heh heh, Miss Vinani, allow me to introduce you," the captain continued.

"This is my junior brother Henry, the team's deputy captain."

"Don't let his youthful appearance fool you—this kid's sharp as a tack. When he first joined the Maison Gardiennage, he kept a low profile, but recently he's cracked several long-shelved cases in quick succession."

Captain Elton chuckled, clapping Lofan on the shoulder as he cheerfully introduced him to Vinani.

"Pleased to meet you, Monsieur Henry," she replied.

Vinani nodded and shook hands with Lofan.

Lofan found the handshake surprisingly soft and fuzzy, a rather peculiar sensation.

After Captain Elton introduced everyone, the team boarded the Aquabus together.

The wait on the ship was tedious. Lofan declined invitations to chat, settling into a corner of the Aquabus, leaning against the railing with his eyes closed, ostensibly resting. In reality, his consciousness had already detached from his body.

After issuing final instructions to his body—to remain still and silent—Lofan transferred his consciousness into his second body with a flicker of concern, knowing the System's Artificial Idiot was managing it.

Lofan's second body was located in a small, sparsely equipped laboratory. The man, appearing to be in his early thirties and mature, wore a white lab coat.

A cluttered table nearby held an array of beakers and vials filled with various liquids, among which Sinthe's distinctive pale blue liquid stood out prominently.

Having previously instructed this body to cease all activity, Lofan returned to find no abnormalities and nodded in satisfaction.

The laboratory was indeed rather rudimentary, mainly due to limited funds that forced them to cut corners everywhere.

While Lofan could have used Points to improve it, he considered such extravagance wasteful.

But that was no longer a problem. Lofan just happened to have another research project he wanted to pursue.

He quickly allocated the Points for the new body, and a young man materialized before him. Lofan showed no surprise.

The youth's eyes brimmed with "wisdom," though he was merely a Fontainian with no particular background.

Lofan extended his hand and commanded, "Give me the money."

Upon hearing Lofan's command, the man immediately handed over the pouch overflowing with Mora.

Lofan hefted the pouch, nodding in deep satisfaction. The reassuring weight of the Mora was deeply satisfying.

"Alright, go find somewhere you like and kill yourself."

The man nodded blankly at this second command but remained motionless, his gaze fixed on Lofan.

Lofan facepalmed. Good grief, this AI-controlled body really lives up to its name: Artificial Idiot.

"Forget it. Just go drop dead in that corner."

Lofan pointed to a corner, and this time, the man finally reacted.

He slowly walked to the designated spot, lay down on the ground, and quickly fell still.

"Next..."

Lofan conjured two more bodies: one from Inazuma and another from Sumeru. He had considered acquiring a Khaenri'ahn body as well, but the point cost seemed too steep for the marginal benefit.

After a moment's thought, Lofan summoned another body. This time, a pink-haired Melusine materialized before him.

Charmed by her adorable appearance, Lofan couldn't resist reaching out to pat her head. The texture felt surprisingly pleasant.

Right, might as well test out a Melusine's unique vision to avoid slipping up in front of Vinani later.

With that thought, Lofan's gaze suddenly turned vacant, and the Melusine "came to life."

"Indeed, a truly peculiar sensation."

Ordinary objects appeared with only slight color variations, but when Lofan looked at the three corpses, he felt as if he were viewing art!

Absolutely absurd.

"Besides the heightened perception of the Hydro Element and the abnormally active mental energy, hmm, that's something I need to keep in mind."

After experiencing what it felt like to be a Melusine, Lofan returned to his original body.

"Alright, you can go lie down over there too."

As he watched the Melusine waddle toward the corner, Lofan stroked his chin in contemplation.

He had built this laboratory primarily to study Sinthe. He had already discovered that Sinthe's mental effects stemmed from an elemental force rather than a chemical substance. It was undeniably a fantastical world, but fortunately, the Skills he had acquired from the System had been modified to keep up with the times.

The corpses were for investigating whether Fontainians' physical structures differed significantly from those of other nations. Sinthe might have been specifically tailored for Fontainians, while his interest in the Melusine was purely for gaining a deeper understanding of the species.

Still, since so many corpses had already accumulated, it would be best not to waste them.

"Alright, from today onward, this body will be designated No. 1 [Specimen]!"

Lofan couldn't help but chuckle. Against the backdrop of the four nearby corpses, his smile looked all the more sinister.

-

"What exactly happened here?"

Navia, Melus, and Silver had arrived in the forest near Poisson, the site where the Marechaussee Hunters had taken their own lives, overwhelmed by unspeakable terror.

The Marechaussee Hunters were the nobles' black-gloved enforcers, specialists in handling their dirty work. Their hands were stained with the blood of countless victims, and their hearts were as cold as steel. How could such hardened killers be driven to suicide by mere fear?

Yet neither Navia nor anyone else who knew of the incident could fathom what had transpired. Every trace of evidence seemed to have been meticulously erased. Even if faint clues remained, the full day that had passed in the forest would have obliterated them beyond recognition.

Navia refused to believe in mere coincidence. The moment she learned of the incident, she had pieced together why the Marechaussee Hunters had met their end in this place. What followed was boundless fury toward Relf.

How could he be so depraved, sparing neither women nor children?

Navia shuddered to imagine what horrors would have unfolded if the Marechaussee Hunters had stormed the nearly defenseless camp.

Were the other nobles truly ignorant of this atrocity? Or had they simply turned a blind eye, allowing it to happen?

Navia dared not dwell on the thought, fearing that deeper reflection might lead her down a path contrary to Lofan's expectations. Yet the suppressed anger within her burned hotter than ever.

Unbeknownst to Navia, the Pyro Element Vision hanging at her waist was emitting a faint glow. Melus and Silver, preoccupied with searching for clues elsewhere, were too far away to notice.

"Teacher... you're behind this, aren't you?" Navia muttered.

Though she lacked concrete evidence and couldn't fathom how Lofan had accomplished it, Navia refused to believe in mere coincidence. Their debt to him was immeasurable.

As these thoughts swirled, Navia instinctively touched the Pyro Element Vision at her waist. Its warmth startled her.

Before she could ponder further, Melus and Silver hurried over from the opposite direction.

"Miss Navia, something terrible has happened!"

"There have been consecutive murders in Poisson, and both victims were Maison Gardiennage officers."

"News of this has already reached Fontaine. Enforcement officers from the capital will likely arrive soon."

While the incident seemed unrelated to them, past experiences had eroded their trust in Fontaine's authorities. They feared this might be another scheme targeting them.

After all, it never hurt to be cautious.

The incident had occurred in Poisson, their primary reason for returning was to relocate all the women and children left behind to their new Homeland. Passing through the forest had merely been a detour.

Upon hearing the news, Navia's expression turned grave.

The trio hastened toward Poisson, with Navia pressing them for details along the way.

"It seems the culprit infiltrated the Maison Gardiennage to eliminate any leads from the Sinthe investigation," one of them explained.

"During the break-in, an officer discovered him. Despite knowing the intruder possessed a Vision, the officer risked his life to stop him, ultimately sacrificing himself heroically."

Navia felt sincere admiration for the Maison Gardiennage officer she had never met.

However, when she learned that the incident was related to Sinthe, a puzzled look crossed her face.

Was such drastic action truly necessary?

Even if caught, Sinthe would have faced a minor charge of trafficking contraband. Now, he was implicated in the murder of a Maison Gardiennage officer—a crime infinitely more serious.

Could Sinthe's secret be far more dangerous than anyone had anticipated? So dangerous that someone would resort to such extreme measures to destroy the investigation results?

-

At that moment, President Marcel of the Confrerie of Cabriere was utterly bewildered.

He had indeed sold Sinthe, but when had he sent someone to the police station to destroy the investigation results? He had no recollection of it whatsoever!

It was clearly a setup, but was the perpetrator insane to use such extreme measures?

Worse still, he couldn't go to the police to explain himself. What would that look like—a confession?!

The thought made Marcel want to vomit.

Now, his only hope was that the Fontainians arriving in Poisson weren't incompetent fools and would actually manage to pin the blame on him.

"Damn it, why now of all times?"

Marcel paced anxiously. He didn't care about money; it held no interest for him.

He had developed Sinthe solely to fund his research. Having made enough money, he could easily withdraw and lay low for years, even decades. Once the storm passed, he could resume his business if funds ran low.

But he had already scouted his next target: the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Poisson.

Just as he was about to make his move, someone had saddled him with this massive frame-up. He nearly coughed up blood in fury!

Marcel hesitated, torn between temporarily halting his plans and pressing forward regardless.

After much deliberation, Marcel finally decided to stick to his original plan.

He'd heard that the wealthy merchant's daughter would soon be heading to Sumeru to study and gain prestige, leaving him with little time.

Might as well go for it! he thought. Those fools will never figure anything out anyway.

After all, how can someone just vanish into thin air? Heh heh heh.

Wait for me, Vigneire. I swear I'll see you again!

Wait for me...