"This flower..."
Paimon: "There's no harm in telling you. The Anemo Archon gave it to us. No matter where we are, crushing it will instantly alert the four Archons—Anemo, Geo, Electro, and Dendro—and they'll rush here!"
Lumine: "Make your decision. Either return Chu Xi to me, or face the wrath of four gods!"
Chu Xi hadn't expected Lumine to play this card. She seemed to have underestimated Lumine's feelings for Chu Xi, or perhaps her hatred for the Doctor.
Looking into Lumine's resolute eyes, Chu Xi knew she wasn't bluffing.
What should I do now?
Really return Chu Xi's body to Lumine and then turn on her?
No, no, no—that's too low-level, too predictable.
"Oh? If you think it's worth it, be my guest."
Chu Xi turned and continued walking without looking back, but her nonchalant demeanor hid a keen awareness of Lumine's movements.
Lumine's eyes burned with hatred as she gazed at the flower in her hand, a flash of determination crossing her face.
Just as Lumine was about to crush the flower, Chu Xi suddenly darted back with blinding speed, seizing Lumine's hand.
"Alright, that's enough. I understand your resolve now. This body... it's yours."
Chu Xi couldn't actually let Lumine summon the four Gods. If they came, regardless of what happened to the Doctor, her carefully laid plans would be completely derailed.
Imagine if the four Gods stormed Zapolyarny Palace demanding the Doctor's head—the storyline would completely deviate... Though it was already veering off course...
Especially Zhongli. He might even take Chu Xi back to Liyue for the Adepti to "discipline" her. Where would the fun be in that?
She couldn't exactly stage another grand spectacle in Liyue, could she? That would be utterly unfair.
Lumine: "How do I know you're not lying?!"
Chu Xi: "I've given you my word. I won't go back on it."
With that, Chu Xi promptly fainted.
Lumine and Paimon rushed forward to catch her.
Paimon: "Do you think the Doctor's really gone?"
Lumine: "Yeah."
Though the Doctor was a despicable figure, Lumine felt he wouldn't lie about something like this.
Lumine's intuition proved correct—the Doctor had indeed departed.
"Chu Xi, Chu Xi, are you alright?" Lumine and Paimon called out, but Chu Xi remained unresponsive, seemingly in a deep slumber.
Paimon: "Lumine, what should we do? What if the Doctor did something to her..."
Lumine: "Paimon, let's get Chu Xi back to the Serenitea Pot and let her rest."
The two immediately retrieved the Serenitea Pot and carried Chu Xi to a room inside...
-
Inside the Opera House, Lumine and Paimon had returned. With Chu Xi's situation temporarily resolved, they still needed to address Navia's matter—they had promised to help her uncover the true culprit behind the Serial Missing Persons Case.
Upon seeing Lumine and Paimon, Navia whispered, "Traveler, Paimon, you're here? How did it go?"
Lumine recounted everything that had happened outside.
Navia exclaimed, "So the Doctor actually returned Chu Xi?! You truly live up to your reputation, partner!"
Paimon asked, "How far has the trial progressed?"
Navia replied, "Neuvillette has imprisoned all the Fontaine nobles, led by Shivak, who violated Fontaine Law, in the Fortress of Meropide. They face life sentences without parole, and their families will suffer corresponding punishments. The Maison Gardiennage still needs to gather more evidence—this case is exceptionally severe. Lady Furina's guard, Fidelle, is supervising the investigation."
"It's currently a recess. The Maison Gardiennage is summoning Marcel. Since you're here, let's leave now."
Lumine nodded in agreement, following Navia onto the platform where the accusers stood. Melus and Silver joined them.
Paimon leaned close to Navia's ear and whispered, "Navia, we suspect Marcel is behind this, but we don't have any conclusive evidence yet..."
Before Navia could reply, a reassuring voice came from behind them.
"Don't worry, I have the evidence right here. I must thank Mr. Melus for his assistance."
Melus: "It's I who should thank you, Miss Fidelle, for all your hard work on my master's case."
Fidelle: "You're welcome."
"Fidelle, are you here to help us accuse Marcel?" Paimon asked excitedly.
Fidelle: "I'm sorry, I need to stay close to Lady Furina. But I've already obtained the decisive evidence. Now, all we need to do is present it to Marcel, and he'll have no room for excuses."
Fidelle handed the evidence to Lumine. As Lumine took it, Fidelle said:
"The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale is a creation of the gods. For five centuries, it has never delivered a single wrongful Judgment. Traveler, you can trust the gods and the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale more."
Lumine nodded thoughtfully, meeting Fidelle's earnest gaze.
Navia: "Regardless, thank you, Fidelle."
Fidelle gave a slight nod before leaving the platform and moving behind Furina. She leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
Fidelle was recounting the incident between Lumine and the Doctor by the fountain. After listening, Furina leaned closer to Fidelle's ear and asked:
"Are you saying the Traveler possesses a treasure capable of summoning four Gods at once?!"
"Yes, Lady Furina."
"Hiss..."
Furina subtly glanced at Lumine, but when she sensed someone watching her, she returned the gaze with a puzzled expression.
Upon meeting those eyes—the very eyes that had haunted her nightmares so many times—Furina stiffly averted her gaze.
"Lady Furina, are you alright?"
"Cough cough, n-nothing. I'm just a little thirsty."
"I'll fetch you some water right away."
"No, no need. Just stay behind me, it'll be over soon."
Furina clutched Fidelle's hand tightly, afraid to let her go.
-
Marcel was quickly escorted inside the Opera House and placed in the dock for the accused.
Faced with Navia's accusations, he feigned ignorance, acting as if he knew nothing of the matter, until Lumine presented the decisive evidence.
Paimon: "Your hideout has been exposed! The notebooks, the Primordial Sea water, the dissolved girls' clothing... we know everything! What more can you possibly deny?!"
"You're Vacher! To bring your dissolved lover Vigneire back to your side, you've been relentlessly conducting human experiments on young women. You even forged the identity of 'Marcel' and destroyed all traces of Vacher."
Furina: "So that's it... Even in operas, villains are rarely this ruthless..."
Navia: "You've been so fixated on your lost love that you never noticed how we've changed—how we've grown!"
Melus: "And that's why you failed to understand the Boss's expectations for the Young Miss."
Silver: "Or our unwavering resolve."
Faced with these ironclad truths, Marcel suddenly burst into laughter.