Neuvillette secretly transported Dottore to the new prison. Although news of this would eventually reach Snezhnaya, they hoped to delay it as long as possible.
"Tsk tsk, Neuvillette," Wriothesley remarked as he saw Neuvillette escorting Dottore in. "Even with the new prison, you still can't resist sending me 'guests,' can you?"
As Wriothesley's gaze settled on Dottore, his smile widened.
"Oh, another heavyweight criminal. If we added up all your crimes, even executing you ten times over wouldn't be enough punishment."
Dottore remained unfazed by Wriothesley's words. He knew Fontaine wouldn't dare execute him outright unless they were truly prepared to go to war with Snezhnaya. Given Fontaine's precarious situation due to the Prophecy, they wouldn't be foolish enough to provoke another enemy at this critical moment.
"Monsieur Wriothesley, you jest. Perhaps I've made a few minor missteps in the past..."
"But those were all matters in other nations. My issues with Fontaine are merely minor misunderstandings."
"Fontaine prides itself on being a land of justice, so I'm confident they'll clear my name."
"Ha ha ha, Monsieur Dottore, every new inmate claims their innocence. It seems even you are no exception."
Hearing this, Dottore merely smiled, offering no further response.
Wriothesley shifted his gaze from Dottore back to Neuvillette standing before him.
"I assume he hasn't undergone Judgment yet?"
Neuvillette didn't deny Wriothesley's statement. Instead, he replied, "This matter requires strict confidentiality. Please arrange for him to be placed in a particularly secluded cell."
"This isn't like you at all, Neuvillette."
"Though I must admit, I rather enjoy this change of pace. After all, I've never been one to strictly adhere to rules."
Wriothesley paused, then continued, "There are plenty of secluded spots here. I'll handle the arrangements myself."
"Well, whose fault is it for building such a massive new prison?"
"By the way, this new prison doesn't have a name yet. Neuvillette, do you have any ideas?"
"Recently, one of my subordinates suggested calling it Arkham Asylum. I thought it sounded awful and rejected the proposal. I have no idea what he was thinking—it's clearly not a name suitable for a prison."
"Let's just call it Fortress of Meropide," Neuvillette replied.
"After all, the original Fortress of Meropide is still submerged in Primordial Sea Water, and you won't be able to return there anytime soon. Moreover, the name 'Fortress of Meropide' would give the residents of the new prison a stronger sense of belonging."
"That joke isn't funny at all," Wriothesley said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Even though people joke that life in the Fortress of Meropide is better than outside, who would actually choose to stay in this prison if they had a real chance to leave?"
"My apologies," Neuvillette said, his tone slightly apologetic after hearing Wriothesley's words.
"There's no need to apologize for something like that... Well, it seems you still need more exposure to ordinary people," Wriothesley said, shaking his head. "Alright, follow me."
Wriothesley then led them to a secluded cell, encountering virtually no one along the way, demonstrating his thorough familiarity with the newly established Fortress of Meropide.
"I won't interrupt your bonding time. I'll get back to work now," Wriothesley said, thoughtfully closing the door behind him before strolling away.
After Wriothesley left, Neuvillette turned his full attention back to Dottore.
He had observed Dottore taking a vial of potion from his pocket and drinking it earlier, but had chosen not to intervene.
Following the potion's consumption, Dottore's breathing steadied significantly, and his injuries showed marked improvement.
"Monsieur Dottore, if you wish to leave this place unharmed, you must provide a detailed account of your collaboration with that mysterious organization."
"Monsieur Neuvillette, I've told you repeatedly: I have no connection to that mysterious organization, let alone any cooperative arrangements with them," Dottore protested, spreading his hands in feigned innocence. "My core research lies outside Fontaine, so I haven't invested much effort here."
"However, our investigation has revealed that you contacted members of that mysterious organization several years ago and collaborated with No. 1," Neuvillette stated.
Dottore immediately offered an explanation. "Regarding this matter, I have no knowledge. I don't understand why that mysterious organization would frame me. Perhaps they wanted to divert attention."
"Monsieur Neuvillette, as you know, the Fatui's reputation isn't exactly stellar. Many people often blame us for their own wrongdoings, even when we're entirely innocent."
"We don't deny that the Fatui has committed many wrongs in the past."
"But crimes not ours should not be falsely pinned on us."
"Wouldn't you agree, Monsieur Neuvillette?"
Neuvillette nodded. He hadn't expected Dottore to admit guilt so easily. He then produced the evidence they had gathered during their investigation.
The evidence was comprehensive, covering every angle in meticulous detail. Had Dottore not known he was innocent, he might have been convinced of its authenticity.
The evidence primarily concerned secrets unknown to the public. According to Neuvillette, these findings were discovered during a raid on one of the mysterious organization's major strongholds.
Neuvillette further mentioned that it was while searching for the organization's hideouts that he stumbled upon Dottore's two secret laboratories—a truly piercing revelation.
"After reviewing this evidence, Monsieur Dottore, do you have anything to say?"
"But I genuinely have no connection to this matter."
"Perhaps another 'me' was responsible?"
Although Dottore couldn't recall any plans being carried out in Fontaine by the Prime or any of his Segments, the detailed intelligence on the mysterious organization left even him uncertain. Could someone have deliberately concealed their actions?
While such a possibility seemed remote, given their regular memory exchanges, one couldn't rule it out entirely. After all, each Segment had its own unique motivations, and since they were all Dottore, deliberately withholding such memories wasn't entirely impossible.
Soon, Dottore had formulated a partial hypothesis in his mind.
One of their "segments" had conceived the idea of breaking away from the Prime and striking out on their own. To achieve this, they sought cooperation with a mysterious organization, hoping to find a method to achieve complete autonomy from the Prime.
Based on the events that had transpired in Fontaine, if the numbered members of this mysterious organization were also similar to segments, then they likely possessed a relatively mature technology. Therefore, collaborating with them seemed highly plausible.
How dare you keep such a golden opportunity to yourself, leaving your brothers to take the blame!
Dottore felt a surge of anger.
The desire to exist independently from the Prime was a sentiment shared by nearly all the fragments, to varying degrees. None of them accepted the notion that they were disposable resources. They had long grown weary of the Prime's tyrannical nature. However, the Prime could eliminate them with a mere thought, leaving them no choice but to obey.
To think you would hoard such a game-changing opportunity for yourself! If I hadn't taken the fall for you, I'd still be kept in the dark!
By this point, Dottore had largely ruled out the possibility that the Prime was responsible for this incident, as the Prime's movements were generally transparent.
However, if another segment had acted, he needed to determine which one.
Dottore fell into deep thought, but even after a long while, he couldn't pinpoint the culprit.
The clues were too scarce, and the descriptions lacked detail.
Since they were all versions of Dottore from different time periods, their appearances varied only slightly. The only ones he could definitively eliminate were the very old and the very young, whose appearances deviated significantly from the description.
But eliminating just two segments wasn't enough. He needed a more precise result.
Otherwise, if someone tattled to the Prime, he would be utterly finished.
Wait, if Neuvillette intervened, his sheer power would crush any resistance from the other segments. Only the Prime could potentially hold his own against Neuvillette for a few rounds.
So, if I could enlist Neuvillette's help, then sever the connection between the segments and the Prime, I could systematically investigate each one until I find the culprit.
With this plan in mind, Dottore impatiently urged another segment to hurry.
[ What's the situation on your end? Why haven't you arrived yet? Where are you? ]
Dottore sent a barrage of messages before finally receiving a reply.
[ Don't rush me. I have crucial research to complete here myself. Handle things on your own for now. ]
What a guy. Dottore thought, surprised. I was wondering how far away he was from Fontaine, and he hasn't even left yet.
Still, no one in the world understood him better than himself.
Dottore naturally knew exactly how to get his other self to cooperate.
[ Are you absolutely sure you won't come? ]
[ After careful study of Fontaine's Melusine, I've discovered their flesh is the ideal harmonizing material. It can effectively reduce rejection reactions between two different bodies, achieving a relatively perfect fusion. ]
[ If you're truly too busy, I'll just have someone else handle it. ]
As soon as Dottore finished speaking, the reply came much faster this time.
[ No! ]
[ You should have said so sooner! I've already postponed my research. Give me two days, and I'll be there immediately. ]
Sensing the urgency in the other's tone, Dottore pressed further.
[ Hurry. If you're not here in two days, I'll find someone else. ]
[ I'll be there within two days for sure. Don't tell anyone else. When I arrive, I'll share all my latest research results with you. ]
Seeing how smoothly things were progressing, Dottore felt reassured.
Originally, he had planned to implicate as many people as possible, but now he needed to revise his strategy.
There was no way he would take the fall alone; everyone would share the blame.
As for persuading Neuvillette, he saw it as a trivial task.
Dottore turned to Neuvillette and said, "Monsieur Neuvillette, though I wasn't involved in this incident, I'm willing to cooperate with your investigation.
"I'm merely one of many 'segments.' It's possible that another 'me' has secretly colluded with that mysterious organization, concealing their dealings from us.
"I'll attempt to summon them to Fontaine to clarify this misunderstanding in person."
Hearing Dottore's words, Neuvillette found himself somewhat puzzled by the man's true intentions.
Still, since Dottore had offered his cooperation, Neuvillette wouldn't let this rare opportunity slip through his fingers.
The two men then began to discuss the matter at length...
Two days later, in the afternoon, another of Dottore's "segments" secretly entered Fontaine by sea, docking his ship at the agreed-upon location.
This segment appeared much more mature, roughly in his early forties.
After waiting for some time without seeing the other's silhouette, Dottore frowned and inquired:
[ Where are you? ]
[ I've already arrived. When will you be here? ]
[ Almost there, almost there. I'll be there in a moment. ]
Hearing the reply, Dottore decided to wait a little longer.
Perhaps the other segment was currently immersed in the most critical part of his research, hence the delay.
"Set up camp and rest," Dottore ordered the Fatui soldiers behind him.
At that very moment, Dottore suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly terrifying aura.
His heart leaped in alarm. Before he could react, an immensely powerful force slammed him to the ground.
The other Fatui soldiers fared even worse; the mere residual force of the attack left them completely incapable of resistance.
Simultaneously, a colossal Sealing Array materialized, completely enveloping the area.
Pinned face-down on the ground, Dottore watched Neuvillette slowly approach from the distance, his spirits plummeting to rock bottom.
[ What's going on? Why are there people lying in ambush at the location you gave me? ]
Dottore attempted to communicate telepathically with the other segment, but he quickly discovered that this method was no longer functioning properly.
The Sealing Array enveloping this place seemed to be blocking all communication. Dottore found himself completely cut off from everyone.
The thoroughness of their preparations suggested this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment ambush triggered by his exposure, but rather a meticulously planned operation.
Even telepathic communication had been intercepted, as if his enemies knew his secrets intimately.
Dottore was utterly bewildered, but Neuvillette gave him no time to ponder. First, he compressed the Sealing Array to a radius of a few meters, then escorted Dottore to the new Fortress of Meropide.
During the journey, Dottore's attempts to negotiate with Neuvillette or contact his other "segments" and the Prime proved futile.
Finally, as Dottore sat on the cold prison bench and saw another version of himself appear beside Neuvillette, all his confusion vanished...