"Monsieur Neuvillette, all the nearby seawater samples have been collected."
Hearing the report, Neuvillette nodded to the Melusine, who then wobbled away.
Neuvillette glanced at the bottles arranged before him, each containing seawater from a different location. Having failed to trace Clorinde's whereabouts, he had no choice but to once again taste the water, hoping to glean clues from its memories about her escape route and current location.
His gaze fell upon the first bottle.
"Water of Life?"
Neuvillette frowned at the label.
Shouldn't this be labeled with a designation or coordinates?
Despite his lingering doubts, time was of the essence. Neuvillette uncorked the bottle and drained its contents in one gulp.
As the liquid flowed down his throat, a searing, burning sensation erupted in his mouth.
This was no seawater—it was clearly liquor, and not just any liquor, but Snezhnayan Firewater!
In an instant, the eighteen traditional methods of Firewater brewing flashed through Neuvillette's mind.
He couldn't fathom how they had done it. Before the liquid touched his lips, he hadn't detected the slightest unusual scent.
As the fiery spice filled his mouth, Neuvillette's expression darkened slightly.
So even the Marechaussee Phantoms have been infiltrated by the Cult of No. 6, he realized. This confirms it—the Cult Leader must be connected to that mysterious organization.
Their seemingly laughable actions had merely been a ploy to lower their guard, and he had fallen right into their trap. He had underestimated the Cult, believing them to be mere followers of No. 6, and hadn't allocated sufficient resources to investigate them.
Part of the reason for this was the sudden surge in Fontaine's crime rate during that period. He simply couldn't spare the manpower. Even Clorinde had only become available due to Furina's imprisonment; otherwise, manpower would have been even more strained.
Seizing this moment of complacency, the cult had infiltrated every domain of Fontaine. Now, Neuvillette had no idea how many Cult of No. 6 members were lurking among his own ranks.
Neuvillette swallowed the Firewater in his mouth. The alcohol's sting on his palate was far less painful than the turmoil in his heart. The rain poured down harder, and he knew it would complicate everyone's search efforts, but he couldn't control his emotions.
He was truly at a loss for how to handle Fontaine's current predicament.
Though his power was immense, he couldn't identify the Six hiding among the crowd. Meanwhile, the Six was constantly watching his every move, ready to strike from the shadows at any moment—just as they were now.
Neuvillette knew most of the water here was likely contaminated, yet he had no choice but to continue his experiments.
Without identifying the traitors within, even if he ordered everyone to collect seawater again, the outcome would likely be the same.
After all, it was impossible for everyone to be compromised. The Six must have simply mixed contaminated water into the surrounding seawater, attempting to thwart his efforts to trace Clorinde's whereabouts.
Neuvillette would never let them succeed. Even if they poisoned the water directly, it would have no effect on him.
Neuvillette began examining the bottles, discovering that none of the labels were properly marked. He was left with no choice but to randomly select bottles to taste.
He picked up a bottle labeled "Mellow Black Tea," opened it, and drained its contents in one gulp. The vision that followed showed two children on a beach, competing to see who could pee the fastest and farthest.
Next, he grabbed a bottle labeled "Refreshing Jelly," took a sip, and immediately spat everything out.
The liquid was no longer a liquid at all, but rather the corpse of a Hydro Slime.
His gaze then fell upon a bottle labeled "Life's Many Flavors." After taking a sip, he immediately detected its complex blend of tastes—the liquid had clearly been seasoned with copious amounts of salt, sugar, vinegar, chili peppers, and more.
What puzzled Neuvillette was how the liquid remained crystal clear despite these additives.
He casually picked up a bottle labeled "Chicken Soup is Served!" and drained it in one gulp.
"Chicken Soup is Served!"
"This chicken soup is utterly delicious! Monsieur Neuvillette should have the first sip!"
"I'm going to die, but don't think you'll survive either!"
The malevolent voice echoed in Neuvillette's mind, making his head throb.
He then picked up a bottle labeled "Gotham Nightmare" and drained it in one gulp...
Neuvillette could never have imagined that the first liquid he drank would be relatively normal. As the contents of subsequent bottles grew increasingly abstract, a headache began to throb behind his eyes, yet he forced himself to continue sampling.
With each sip, Neuvillette's alarm deepened.
The vast majority of these waters were tainted, revealing severe internal problems within the Marechaussee Phantoms—problems he had completely failed to detect before.
Neuvillette finally understood why Arlecchino had resorted to such drastic measures. Clearly, the Fatui's internal state was no better than his own.
He shook his head. While he could now grasp Arlecchino's motives, the people of Fontaine demanded accountability. He could not simply let her actions go unpunished.
Shaking his head again, he reminded himself that the immediate priority was to locate Clorinde's whereabouts as quickly as possible.
During his recent tasting, Neuvillette had already pinpointed Clorinde's escape route. Now, he only needed to continue tracing her using the memories left in the seawater.
As for the internal issues of the Marechaussee Phantoms, Neuvillette genuinely lacked the time to address them. He would have to postpone those concerns until after finding Clorinde.
Just as Neuvillette was preparing to follow the memories he had gleaned to search for Clorinde, a Melusine rushed over, her face etched with urgency.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, there are signs of Cult of No. 6 activity in the nearest town."
Hearing this news, Neuvillette took a deep breath, finding himself torn between two dilemmas once again.
Should he trust that Clorinde could shake off No. 2's pursuit and prioritize dealing with the Cult of No. 6? Or should he believe the town's law enforcement forces were capable of disrupting the cult's operation?
Ultimately, Neuvillette chose to head toward the town.
He had already made a grave error with Arlecchino's case. This time, he couldn't allow the town's citizens to face a threat to their lives.
As for Clorinde, all he could do now was pray she could hold out a little longer.
Once he swiftly resolved the Cult of No. 6 situation, he would resume his search for Clorinde immediately.
To Neuvillette's surprise, dealing with the Cult of No. 6 took far longer than he anticipated—several days, in fact.
The cult seemed to be deliberately tying him down, constantly staging incidents across Fontaine to keep him from focusing on their main operation.
Neuvillette had no choice. Even though he knew it was a trap, he had to walk right into it. After all, the lives of countless Fontaine citizens were in their hands.
Midway through his efforts, Neuvillette sent someone to ask Navia for assistance in locating Clorinde. She readily agreed. With Navia's help, Neuvillette felt slightly more at ease.
As Neuvillette continued to pursue the scattered cult members, he noticed a large crowd gathered in an open square. Frowning, he ordered a Melusine to approach the crowd and warn them to return home for their own safety.
With Cult of No. 6 members still active in the city, such a large gathering was far too dangerous.
However, the Melusine returned shortly after, looking dejected. She had failed to persuade them to leave.
"Monsieur Neuvillette," she reported, "it seems today is the agreed-upon date for Lady Furina's battle against the Fatui Harbinger Tartaglia. They're broadcasting the fight live, and no one wants to miss it."
Hearing this, Neuvillette paused, slightly taken aback.
Has it already been today?
Neuvillette shook his head and personally stepped forward to urge the crowd to return home.
Faced with Neuvillette's persuasion, many realized the gravity of the situation and retreated to their homes.
However, roughly half the crowd stubbornly refused to leave. After all, they had been eagerly anticipating the battle between the Hydro Archon Furina and Childe Tartaglia for ages.
Besides, they reasoned, aren't the Cult of No. 6 just a bunch of clowns? With Neuvillette personally overseeing the situation, how could we possibly be in danger?
Fueled by these thoughts, the crowd completely dismissed Neuvillette's warnings.
Neuvillette could only sigh softly before ordering the Maison Gardiennage officers to forcibly disperse the crowd.
This was something the old Neuvillette would never have done. He had fulfilled his responsibility by warning them, and the decision to order the officers to forcibly disperse them stemmed from his own instincts.
Forced to leave by the Maison Gardiennage, many departed seething with resentment, some even muttering insults under their breath. Though Neuvillette overheard their curses, he remained inwardly calm.
After resolving this matter, Neuvillette led his officers to continue searching for the escaped Cult of No. 6 members. Yet, as they pressed on, a nagging unease crept into his heart.
It's as if I've overlooked something crucial.
-
Meanwhile, inside the Fortress of Meropide:
"Lady Furina, please hurry to the place I mentioned earlier and take temporary refuge."
"It's the same location as our last Mutual Aid Network gathering. You still remember it, right?"
"Make sure no one sees you on the way. It would be difficult to explain."
"Mm-hmm, I understand all that."
Hearing the girl's urging, Furina nodded, then looked at her with a hint of concern.
"But Emily, I heard that Tartaglia guy previously broke the seal on Osial, the Overlord of the Vortex, in Liyue. He's clearly a war maniac who doesn't hold back."
"Are you sure you'll be okay fighting him later?"
"Please be careful and don't get hurt."
Emily smiled and nodded reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Lady Furina. I will."
"I specially prepared this cake for you, Lady Furina. I hope it makes the wait less boring."
As soon as Furina heard about the cake, her face lit up with joy.
"Emily, you're the best!"
Furina eagerly accepted the box containing the cake.
Just then, the commotion outside seemed to intensify significantly.
"It looks like it's about to start, Lady Furina. You should hurry over."
"Alright."
Furina nodded nervously and started toward the door.
Halfway there, she stopped again, turned back to Emily, and gave her an earnest warning.
"Emily, promise me you won't push yourself too hard!"
"If you can't beat that warmonger, just concede immediately. Don't try to tough it out."
"You can always come up with another reason later. Once I regain my power, dealing with stagehands like him will be a breeze!"
Emily chuckled softly. "Alright, I understand."
"Honestly, Lady Furina, why do you have so little faith in me?"
"I'm strong too, you know. I can go toe-to-toe with the Warden!"
Furina: "?"
Seeing Furina's puzzled expression, Emily smiled and explained, "Basically, my strength is about equal to the Duke's."
"Ah, I see," Furina nodded. "Emily, it's not that I don't trust you, but Tartaglia is a Harbinger of the Fatui, after all. Even though he's last-ranked, and even though he seems a bit dim-witted, and even though Neuvillette defeated him in a fraction of a second and he has not won a fight, his strength is still far beyond that of ordinary people. Emily, you must be careful."
Noticing the girl seemed to underestimate the danger, Furina quickly explained the risks involved.
"Lady Furina, hearing you say all this just makes me feel even less worried," the girl replied.
"Of course, if you were to say these things in front of Monsieur Tartaglia, I imagine my situation would become much more precarious," she added.
Furina smiled awkwardly before saying, "Just don't be careless. If things go south, surrender immediately. Don't worry about my reputation."
"Understood, Lady Furina. I'll keep your warning close to my heart," the girl said, her tone becoming slightly more serious.
"Let's hurry, Lady Furina," she urged. "If we don't leave now, the cake will get cold and won't taste as good."
"Then I'll be off."
Hearing the girl's reminder, Furina realized it was indeed getting late. As she strode toward the door, she reiterated her warning: "Don't push yourself too hard!"
"Yes, yes, yes," the girl replied, her tone somewhat dismissive, but there was no time for further chatter.
Satisfied with the girl's assurance, Furina quickened her pace and swiftly left the room.
As Furina's figure disappeared through the doorway, the girl's smile grew even brighter.
"The final moment has finally arrived."
"I'm getting a little impatient, aren't I?"