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

High-end corpses often only require a simple soak... Ahem, ahem.

Lacking the necessary experimental equipment, Lofan simply processed the four corpses. After instructing No. 1, the "Slice," to go shopping, his consciousness returned to the Aquabus.

The moment Lofan's consciousness reconnected, he heard concerned voices: "What's wrong with him?" "Does he always act like this?" "Should we call a doctor?"

Lofan didn't rush to explain. Instead, he stood up, stretched languidly, and his joints popped and cracked loudly.

Wow, you've taken 'less talk, less action' to a whole new level! You haven't moved an inch. No wonder they call you an Artificial Idiot.

This function's flaws are too severe. I need to upgrade it as soon as possible.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Monsieur Henry, I wanted to ask you something earlier, but no matter how I tried, you wouldn't respond. I was worried about you," Vinani said, turning around quickly, relief evident in her voice.

"But they told me not to worry, saying it's perfectly normal."

"Um, I know this might be a bit rude, but... Monsieur Henry, do you think you need to see a doctor?"

"I happen to know a very skilled physician who specializes in mental health. I'm sure he could be of great help to you."

Lofan scratched his head, utterly bewildered by Vinani's words.

Why is she beating around the bush just to insult me? And doing it so politely!

However, judging by her earnest expression, Lofan sensed she didn't mean it that way.

Having briefly experienced the world through Melusine's eyes, Lofan suddenly remembered something and asked, "Miss Vinani, what was your first impression of me when you saw me earlier?"

Vinani hesitated for a moment before answering, "Cool as hell?"

Lofan: "???"

Realizing Lofan didn't understand, Vinani quickly explained, "Monsieur Henry, from a Melusine's perspective, our perception of beauty is the opposite of yours."

"So you need to interpret my words in reverse. 'Cool as hell' roughly translates to 'you look like a corpse,' or something like that."

Lofan: "..."

"Does that make sense, Monsieur Henry?" Vinani asked, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Lofan quietly replied, "I understand now."

"Your explanation is truly 'tai ku la'!"

Vinani: "?!"

In that instant, Vinani's brain nearly short-circuited.

The other Maison Gardiennage officers had witnessed Lofan's teasing of Vinani and couldn't resist joining in with their own playful banter.

"Alright, alright, young ones," Captain Elton said, clapping his hands to get their attention. "We've arrived." Only then did they realize their long journey had finally come to an end, and they began disembarking from the Aquabus one by one.

"Hey, Brother Henry, hold up a minute."

Just as Lofan was about to step off the Aquabus, Captain Elton stopped him.

"What's up, Captain?" Lofan asked.

Captain Elton glanced at Vinani, who was still puzzling over whether Lofan's earlier remark had been a compliment or an insult. He leaned in close to Lofan's ear and whispered, "Don't take it too hard, kid. Vinani's different from us. I can tell she doesn't mean you any harm."

"After all, she's from the Marechaussee Phantom. She probably just lacks experience interacting with ordinary people."

Hearing this explanation, Lofan couldn't help but find the situation rather amusing.

"Captain Elton, do I strike you as the petty type?"

"Relax, I was just teasing her."

"She's a special envoy! How could I overstep my bounds?"

Captain Elton wasn't buying it. "Heh, give me a break. If you're already acting like this with Vinani, a special envoy, how would you behave with an ordinary Melusine? You'd probably try to get your hands on her!"

Lofan nodded. Well, I already did. Not bad at all.

"Alright, go explain yourself to her. Don't delay the investigation."

Feeling the captain's overly heavy pat on his shoulder, Lofan had no choice but to turn back to Vinani.

"Still thinking about what I said earlier?"

Vinani snapped out of her daze at Lofan's voice, her expression still puzzled. "Is Monsieur Henry angry?"

"Why would I be angry?" Lofan asked.

"But didn't Monsieur Henry's words imply that my explanation wasn't clear enough?" Vinani's bewildered gaze met Lofan's innocent expression.

Recalling their earlier exchange, Lofan couldn't resist reaching out and placing his hand on her head.

"Holy shit, you son of a bitch, you actually went for it!" Captain Elton, who had been watching the heartwarming scene with an indulgent smile, suddenly slammed his fist against his thigh. His face instantly turned green, though it was unclear whether from pain or from witnessing Lofan's audacious act.

"Wait a minute... I was the one who brought this up first. Does that make me an accomplice?!" Captain Elton froze, the realization hitting him like a bolt of lightning.

"Oh, Neuvillette be praised! I saw nothing here today!" Eager to avoid further association with Lofan, Captain Elton promptly turned and fled the scene.

"Monsieur Henry, what do you think you're doing?"

"Ahem, ahem. It's just a human social etiquette."

Faced with Vinani's annoyed gaze, Lofan coughed awkwardly twice and withdrew his hand.

"You're lying! Humans don't have any such etiquette."

"That gesture is clearly how elders show care to children. Are you treating me like a kid?"

"Let me tell you, I'm old enough to be your great-great-great-grandmother!"

"Well, you never know. Maybe she lived a particularly long life..."

Under Vinani's increasingly fierce glare, Lofan quickly spoke up.

"Let's get back to what we were talking about before."

"I'm human, remember? What I said earlier was definitely a compliment."

"But the look in your eyes didn't seem like it at all."

"That's because you looked really cool when you said that."

"Oh, thank you... wait a minute!"

Lofan took a deep breath. He'd been insulted again, and he'd even thanked her for it.

Damn it! Are you playing sneaky tricks with me?!

"Has anyone ever told you to be a little more tactful when you speak?"

Vinani's expression immediately brightened with smugness at Lofan's words.

"They've always told me that my greatest strength is my blunt honesty!"

Great, Lofan thought. She's being subtly mocked, and she doesn't even realize it. But I have no proof.

"Anyway, I didn't mean anything by what I said earlier."

Yeah, just wanted to tease you a little.

"We should get going. We don't want to keep the others waiting."

Don't waste my time!

This was the advanced art of conversation—welcome to the adult world.

"Understood, Monsieur Henry."

Vinani sensed that they had indeed lingered too long and followed Lofan off the Aquabus.

As she disembarked, she thought she glimpsed several figures scurrying away nearby. But upon closer inspection, she saw only a group of Maison Gardiennage officers chatting some distance away.

Turning to Lofan, Vinani suddenly remembered something and spoke again.

"By the way, you looked even more cool when you were talking earlier."

Lofan: "..."

-

Meanwhile, Navia arrived at the Spina di Rosula's camp for the women and children of Fleuve Cendre.

With mostly good news coming from Fontaine, the camp was in high spirits.

Navia's arrival sparked a wave of cheers, and grateful eyes turned toward her.

Feeling unworthy of their gratitude, Navia knew she had done little to earn it. They owed their current safety to Lofan, the man who had shouldered all the blame and died in disgrace.

A pang of sadness welled up in her heart, but she quickly composed herself.

At that moment, a woman with an anxious expression pushed through the crowd to reach Navia, her voice trembling as she urgently inquired about her loved ones.

When Navia assured her they were safe, the woman visibly relaxed, a smile spreading across her face.

As for Lofan's fate, everyone tacitly avoided the topic. Initially, they had refused to believe the news, but the overwhelming evidence had forced them to accept it.

Soon after Navia announced plans to relocate them to a new homeland and reunite them with their families, the camp erupted into joyful activity as everyone hurried back to pack their belongings.

"Sister Navia."

Suddenly, Navia felt a tug on the hem of her skirt. When she looked down, she froze in shock.

The girl standing before her was one of the "pawns" from that day—the very one Navia had sacrificed in her ruthless pursuit of victory.

Back then, Navia's heart had been numb. Even committing such a betrayal had stirred little emotion within her.

But now, seeing the victims in person, Navia was overwhelmed by a profound sense of guilt.

She finally understood why Lofan had only shown her photographs instead of surveillance footage. The photos had been taken when the women and children were first brought here, indicating that Lofan had been planning his grand finale since then—perhaps even earlier.

"Miss Navia..."

Sensing her distress, Melus and Silver exchanged concerned glances.

"I'm fine," Navia said, wiping the moisture from the corner of her eye and forcing a smile that looked little better than crying.

"What's wrong, Sister Navia? Do you need something?"

"Sister Navia, why didn't Monsieur Grett come back to see us this time?"

The question plunged Navia's heart into renewed sorrow, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Monsieur Grett is working on something very important now. It might take a long time."

"Ah, will he ever come back?" The child's face crumpled with anxiety.

"He will," Navia assured, patting the child's head. "If he doesn't, I'll find him myself and drag him back here."

With the evacuation arrangements finalized, Navia, Melus, and Silver finally felt a sense of relief.

"Miss Navia, security along the evacuation routes has been organized," Melus reported.

"Thank you all for your hard work," Navia replied.

"Once this is over, we can all return to our peaceful lives," Silver added.

Melus and Silver nodded in agreement.

Of course, those who had uncovered the truth would continue to spread Lofan's ideals to wider audiences. They weren't sure if they would ever witness the utopian future he envisioned, but they remained committed to working towards that beautiful vision.

"The Fontaine delegation has arrived, but they don't seem to be heading here," Melus reported. "It appears this incident isn't just another scheme by the nobles after all."

Hearing this, Navia felt reassured.

To be honest, she had become overly cautious, seeing danger in every shadow. The nobles' past actions had been so depraved that without Lofan's infiltration and ability to turn the tide at every turn, it was uncertain how many survivors there would have been. This forced her to remain doubly vigilant.

"Since they've come to Poisson specifically to focus on this case, let's make things a little easier for them."

"Melus, compile the Spina di Rosula's investigation results on Sinthe. Then we'll go pay them a visit."

"Yes, Miss Navia!"

Melus quickly compiled the intelligence, which turned out to be quite substantial.

This was precisely why Lofan had felt comfortable burning the police investigation report. Not only had his own lead gone cold, but the Spina di Rosula's investigation appeared to be far more thorough.

Lofan had no doubt that Navia would assist. After all, the crime had occurred in Poisson, the Spina di Rosula's stronghold. If the town's security couldn't be maintained, managing the organization would become significantly more difficult.

With the intelligence in hand, Navia and her companions hurried toward the Poisson Garrison.

"Oh, Miss Navia, you're back!"

Shortly after returning to Poisson, Navia encountered a familiar figure.

"Uncle Marcel, it's been a while."

Seeing Navia's expression soften, Marcel chuckled warmly. Though he hadn't been able to lend her money during her previous troubles, the Confrerie of Cabriere had been instrumental in supporting the Spina di Rosula's operations over the years, and Marcel was an old friend of her father, Callas. Naturally, Navia treated him with respect.

"I heard you've been doing some remarkable things in Fontaine, Miss Navia," Marcel said cheerfully. "Just like your father, Monsieur Callas—you're truly capable!"

Suddenly, Marcel seemed to remember something and added apologetically, "Ah, my apologies, Miss Navia. I didn't mean to bring up your father so casually."

"It's alright, Uncle Marcel," Navia replied, shaking her head. "I've come to terms with his passing."

She continued firmly, "Besides, I'm determined to uncover the true culprit behind the Serial Young Girl Kidnapping Case and clear my father's name!"

Whether it was her imagination or not, Navia suddenly sensed a fleeting, malevolent gaze directed at her as she spoke those words. But the moment passed in an instant.