The sudden surge in crime rates had overwhelmed law enforcement officials from top to bottom, pushing Fontaine's existing laws to their breaking point. Many cases were so complex that even the Justices struggled to determine appropriate verdicts.
This crisis accelerated Neuvillette's efforts to establish the new profession of "lawyer," distinct from the previous stand-in defense attorneys. Lawyers were required to possess an encyclopedic knowledge of Fontaine Law.
The former stand-in defense attorneys had functioned more like detectives, their primary task being to gather clues and identify the true perpetrators.
However, in many cases, the murderer was already obvious; the only remaining issue was determining the appropriate punishment.
The emergence of lawyers greatly eased the burden on the Justices. Without them, countless Justices would likely have resigned under the mounting pressure.
Neuvillette's policy initiative faced no opposition from the other nobles.
Ever since witnessing the broadcast, their attitude toward Neuvillette had noticeably softened.
They wouldn't dare voice any objections, even if Neuvillette sought to seize some of their authority.
Just kidding. Maybe Neuvillette is the true Hydro Archon. Who would dare impose conditions on such a being?
The sheer power Neuvillette displayed inspired deep awe among Fontaine's high command. Their clandestine schemes dwindled significantly, and their original plans to wrest more authority from him were immediately abandoned. They now diligently carried out his instructions, making this period perhaps the most unified the high command of Fontaine had ever been.
Another stroke of fortune for the Fontaine authorities was that, while a surge in crime would normally incite widespread public unease, the sheer absurdity of most cases had instead rendered them utterly implausible in the public eye. They seemed more like scripts than real-life events.
Consequently, many citizens simply treated the cases as entertainment, with some even attending the Judgment proceedings daily, eagerly recounting the day's cases as fodder for conversation. They found the spectacle endlessly amusing.
The cases proved so captivating that even newspaper sales surged dramatically, a truly paradoxical outcome.
Of course, buried amid these seemingly farcical cases remained a handful that genuinely threatened social stability...
"Open up! Water meter check!"
Captain Elton slammed open the dilapidated door, and over a dozen Maison Gardiennage officers swarmed into the room.
Staring at the utterly ransacked but empty room, Captain Elton couldn't resist slamming his fist against the wall.
Just moments ago, they had received a report: a small merchant had been robbed, and after seizing the loot, the murderer had not only killed the merchant but also his wife and children.
They had followed the murderer's trail here, only to find the place deserted.
"Pursue them! They can't have gotten far!"
"Leave two officers to investigate this place for any useful clues."
"Captain Elton, look over here!"
After assigning the remaining officers, Captain Elton prepared to lead the rest in splitting up to hunt down the murderer.
But just then, a voice called out to him.
Captain Elton immediately approached the speaker and saw a line of text scrawled on the wall:
[The Cult of No. 6 welcomes all lonely souls!]
[Believe in Six, and attain eternal life!]
[You and I can all be Six!]
Suddenly, Captain Elton's expression changed drastically when he saw the next line of text:
[Let the fireworks that follow proclaim our existence to the world!]
"Everyone, evacuate immediately!" he shouted.
At that moment, a hidden compartment sprang open in the wall.
When the officers saw what was inside, they felt their breath catch in their throats.
It was a time bomb, and the countdown had already reached five seconds!
With no possibility of all the dozen officers evacuating in such a short time, Captain Elton, thinking only of minimizing casualties, acted without hesitation. He threw himself forward, covering the bomb with his body.
In those final moments of life, images flashed through Captain Elton's mind, settling on the faces of his wife and daughter. A deep sense of regret for his shortcomings towards them flooded his heart.
Seeing Captain Elton's sacrifice, the nearest Maison Gardiennage officer was inspired. Knowing there was no escape, he abandoned his last chance of survival by lying flat on the ground and instead threw himself behind Captain Elton, acting as a second layer of protection.
The Maison Gardiennage officers who had evacuated the room watched the scene with bloodshot eyes, wishing they were the ones in that position.
Finally, the five-second countdown elapsed, but the expected explosion never came.
After another moment, Captain Elton glanced down at the bomb beneath him in confusion, only to see it flashing red incessantly.
As if struck by a sudden realization, he tore open the bomb's casing, revealing a red-flashing tube inside.
The bomb was a fake!
Amidst the anger of being tricked, Captain Elton and the Maison Gardiennage officers felt a profound sense of relief. They had narrowly escaped death.
"Those damn murderers!" several officers couldn't help but curse aloud. Captain Elton, however, was encouraged by the team's instinctive reactions, noticing their distinct difference from previous squads.
"Two officers can stay here to secure the area," he ordered. "The investigation will be handled by the Court of Justice's Gardemek. The rest of you, split up as planned to track down the murderers."
"Remember, they're likely a group of lunatics. Your lives come first!"
"Yes, sir!"
Upon hearing these words, the Maison Gardiennage officers couldn't help but cast moved glances at Captain Elton. His earlier actions had already shown them that his words weren't just empty platitudes.
The team then split up, following their assigned routes to track down the murderers.
"That's the gist of it."
"We only managed to apprehend five suspects this time. I apologize for our incompetence in letting the others escape."
Captain Elton reported the results of the operation to his superior officer. The officer's expression immediately turned grim as he listened to the account.
"Did any of the suspects confess anything?"
"No, sir. They're all stubbornly tight-lipped. Each one claims they aren't afraid to die, that physical death is their rebirth or something like that."
"Find a way to make them talk. You must understand the consequences if an organization like this takes root in Fontaine."
"Yes, sir!"
"I'll brief the higher-ups on the gravity of this situation. You're relieved from further investigation into this case. It's beyond the Maison Gardiennage's jurisdiction now."
"They only used fake time bombs this time because the organization is still in its infancy and couldn't easily acquire real explosives."
"Next time, you might not be so lucky."
Though Captain Elton felt a pang of resentment, he knew his superior's words were absolutely correct. For the sake of public safety, he nodded and replied, "Yes, I understand."
After Captain Elton left, the incident was quickly reported to Neuvillette.
Neuvillette frowned at first, then sighed softly.
Just as I feared, it's come to this.
Madness is contagious!
Before the malevolent force could even begin its retaliation, chaos had already erupted within Fontaine itself.
Fortunately, the enemy's power was still in its infancy, far from capable of openly confronting the Fontaine authorities. They could only resort to clandestine schemes.
Moreover, the demonstration of his own power last time had likely served its purpose. Many who had been harboring restless ambitions must have abandoned their treacherous thoughts after witnessing his capabilities, preventing the Cult of No. 6 from expanding too rapidly.
Even Neuvillette couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Fontaine hadn't known a moment's peace in recent times, and his workload was only increasing.
As for supplementing the Fontaine Law, to be honest, Neuvillette hadn't realized how many loopholes it contained until the recent string of cases challenging the legal system.
Consequently, he urgently summoned a group of students to Liyue for advanced studies, hoping that upon their return, they could contribute to refining and expanding Fontaine Law.
As for the current prisoners, Neuvillette was truly at a loss. The existing Fontaine Law was wholly inadequate for sentencing them, and revising the law was no quick fix. Thus, he could only temporarily detain them in the Fortress of Meropide.
Since no crimes had been established, they weren't technically criminals in the strict sense.
Wriothesley even wrote him a letter complaining that the Fortress of Meropide was overflowing with the prisoners Neuvillette had dumped on him, suggesting he build a second Fortress of Meropide.
Before long, even that second fortress would likely be filled to capacity.
Neuvillette could only ignore Wriothesley's teasing. However, the light rain that began to fall proved his composure wasn't as calm as it seemed.
Much of his agitation stemmed from the ongoing investigation into The Doctor, Dottore.
Although intelligence agents in Sumeru had yet to report back with valuable information, Neuvillette had recently ordered a widespread investigation across Fontaine to minimize the threat posed by the terrifying organization associated with No. 6. The investigation failed to uncover any secret bases belonging to the terrorist group, but it did uncover two secret Fatui laboratories.
Among the Fatui Harbingers, only Dottore had any interest in research. The construction of these secret laboratories without informing the Fontaine authorities constituted a serious breach of protocol.
If these laboratories had merely been established to study Fontaine's monsters, Neuvillette might have overlooked the transgression. However, given Dottore's notorious methods, Neuvillette considered such a possibility highly unlikely.
To avoid alerting the Fatui and potentially provoking a response, Neuvillette refrained from launching immediate raids on the laboratories. Instead, he instructed intelligence agents to maintain surveillance and report any unusual activity immediately.
Although Arlecchino's assistance had proven invaluable to Fontaine, Neuvillette had no intention of letting Dottore off easily if evidence emerged linking him to the terrorist organization.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
A Melusine entered, her arms laden with a massive stack of documents, which she struggled to carry to the desk.
Seeing her strain, Neuvillette immediately reached out to take the pile, earning a grateful look from the Melusine.
The sight of yet another mountain of paperwork to process made Neuvillette's head throb anew.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, you have a Judgment to preside over next."
"Mm, I'm aware."
Melusine's reminder only intensified his headache.
But there was no choice. As Chief Justice, he couldn't feign illness and take time off like other Justices occasionally did.
Soon, Neuvillette boarded the Aquabus and arrived at the Opera Epiclese.
"Court is now in session!"
Once all the parties were assembled and the hour had come, Neuvillette rapped his cane against the floor and announced, "Let the victim's family present the details of the case."
No sooner had the words left his lips than the two elderly plaintiffs in the accusation stand began recounting the case through streaming tears.
"...And just like that, our daughter was butchered alive by her scum of a husband!"
"They say even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of gratitude! How could you be so heartless, you animal!"
The two elderly plaintiffs hurled furious insults at the middle-aged man in the defendant's seat, their voices trembling with rage.
After hearing the details of the case, the audience erupted in shock. What an inhuman husband! they muttered, joining in the condemnation from the gallery.
These were mostly new spectators. The veteran viewers, however, remained calm and composed, waiting for the inevitable twist.
Sure enough, the man finally spoke, dropping a bombshell with his first words:
"How could I be so heartless?"
"I was married to your daughter for fifteen years, and none of the three children she bore were mine! You dare ask me how I could be so heartless?!"
Holy shit!
Even the veteran viewers were stunned. They thought they'd seen the most outrageous cases imaginable, but this one took the cake.
"Enough! You heartless bastard! Wasn't fifteen years of our daughter's devotion enough? Is blood relation all that matters?"
The two elderly people wept bitterly, but the audience gasped at their outrageous claims.
Inconceivable!
Clearly enraged, the middle-aged man threw another bombshell.
"How dare you say such things!"
"Every time I didn't want a child, you two old bastards pressured me to keep it! You knew all along the child wasn't mine and were covering for your daughter!"
"So what if we did? You couldn't even produce an heir yourself, yet you blame our daughter?"
"If it weren't for her, would your family even have three children?"
"You beastly ingrate! Not only did you fail to appreciate her, but you actually killed her!"
"Chief Justice, you must deliver justice for us!"
"If we don't see this scum sentenced to death today, we'll have no reason to live in this world any longer!"
Sigh.
Neuvillette sighed silently, feeling weary.
However, he had already decided on the appropriate Judgment.
A death sentence was clearly out of the question. Let the convict spend some time in the Fortress of Meropide, hammering away at metal scraps.