“He named this beverage Sinthe.”
Eris’s face turned cold.
“Relying on the profits from selling Sinthe, he amassed a large amount of wealth in a short time.
He then used this money to bribe and buy off Fontaine officials, both big and small, to make them his protective umbrella.”
“It is precisely because of this that the missing girls case became the largest and most heinous cold case in Fontaine.
Most of the time, there were basically no clues to follow.
He could even obtain a batch of Clockwork Meka from nobles and officials to guard his lair.”
“Two years ago, Mr.
Callas of the Spina di Rosula detected the danger of this beverage and was determined to eradicate this scourge for the people of Fontaine.
By then, he was already a prominent figure in Fontaine; even the transit lines in the Court of Fontaine were named after his donations.”
“Such an influential person declaring Sinthe as contraband would naturally impact their business,” she said, looking at Navia.
“So they took action, attempting to bribe and threaten Mr.
Callas.”
“But all ended in failure, and Mr.
Callas began to investigate the people behind them with even greater effort, successfully turning one person within the trafficking ring on the periphery of Sinthe to act as his insider.”
At this point, Eris looked at Navia, “That person is named Jacques!”
“Jacques?!” Hearing this, Navia suddenly raised her head, “Is that the person who died outside the manor that day?”
“According to the case files, it was a rainy day,” Neuvillette also spoke up, “Mr.
Callas was hosting a banquet at his manor, and he received some news midway through and left in a hurry.”
“Then, two gunshots rang out from outside the manor.
The guests went out to check and saw Mr.
Callas holding a gun, while Jacques lay dead from the bullets.”
Neuvillette said, “There are many suspicious points.
For instance, even though there were two gunshots, Mr.
Callas’s gun had only fired one bullet.
The second gun, however, was some distance away from Jacques, right next to the clothing he used for disguise…
Normally, a case with so many doubts should be investigated thoroughly, but no matter how many times we checked, we couldn’t find any other clues.
There was simply no third person at the scene.”
“In the end, the case had to be closed with Mr.
Callas shooting Jacques, but now it seems…”
“That set of clothes!” Suddenly, Navia looked at Eris and said, “That set of clothes everyone ignored!
Everyone originally thought it was a prop Jacques used to disguise himself…
But if…
if that kind of primordial seawater really exists…
combined with the rainy day…”
“Destroying the evidence, leaving no proof of death,” Eris nodded, “After all, no one would believe that a person could be dissolved by water.”
“So that’s how it was…
It was actually like this…” Navia murmured upon hearing this, “This is the truth…
But, but why!”
Her voice was choked with tears, “Why did Father insist on using a duel to prove his innocence?
Why did he refuse to give up even at the cost of his life?”
“He could have clearly waited in the Fortress of Meropide.
Even if it meant serving a few years in prison, there would ultimately be hope for his name to be cleared!”
She looked at Eris, “Lady Ei, I don’t understand…”
“I think you can go back and ask the people closest to you,” Eris reached out and patted her shoulder comfortingly, “From them, you might be able to get the answer.”
“And now, Chevreuse!”
“Please give the order!
Lady Ei!” Hearing this, Chevreuse stood up with a swish, tensed her body, and saluted.
Since things had reached this point, it was clear that she was going to take action against those parasites in the Fontaine government.
Very good, she had also been fed up with those people for a long time.
“Go interrogate Vacher.
Tell him that because the impact of the serial disappearances of young women is too significant and has brought countless dire consequences to Fontaine,” Eris said, “it is expected that the Opéra Epiclese will not be able to accommodate the crowds wishing to watch the trial.”
“Therefore, the trial will be held in a wilderness outside the city so that all people of Fontaine can witness the end of this devil who has harmed countless young women.
After the trial, he will be hanged on the spot!”
At this point, she paused before continuing, “But if Vacher is willing to confess the names of the nobles and officials who colluded with him, then the trial can return to the Opéra Epiclese.”
“…Will this work?” Hearing this, before Chevreuse could speak, Furina shook Eris’s hand and asked softly, “Changing the location for the trial or something…”
“Rest assured, he will confess,” Eris smiled upon hearing this, “He will confess more clearly than anyone else.”
After all, the Fountain of Lucine is right in front of the Opéra Epiclese.
If the trial isn’t held there, how could Vacher fulfill his long-cherished wish?
Eris didn’t believe that his relationship with those bribed nobles and officials meant more to him than Vigneire.
“After he confesses, take the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol to make the arrests,” Eris looked at Chevreuse and continued, “Throughout all of Fontaine, no matter who they are, as long as they are on the list, arrest them all.
Arrest first, try later!”
“If anyone asks for the charges, say it is for attempting to assassinate the Hydro Archon and inciting a rebellion.
It’s not like I’m framing them; the Clockwork Meka in Marcel’s hands were sold by them, and they did indeed launch an attack on me.”
At this point, Eris paused, thought for a few seconds, and then continued, “If the news leaks and someone escapes abroad, send an official letter directly in the name of the Hydro Archon to the deity of the corresponding nation, stating that this is an attempt to subvert The Seven system, and negotiate the extradition.”
At this, the hand Furina had wrapped around Eris’s arm tightened instantly; she was terrified of meeting other gods.
Eris gently patted her hand, signaling that she had everything under control and it would be fine.
Honestly, even if such a letter were sent, how many gods would actually believe it…
Who is Venti?
The Lord of the Thousand Winds, one of the oldest of The Seven.
Eris suspected that he had long known the ins and outs of the Fontaine prophecy; after all, living a long time is truly an advantage.
Zhongli is probably worried about his retirement right now; he wouldn’t care about Fontaine.
The Raiden Shogun is self-isolating, Nahida is still stuck in prison, and over in Natlan, there are no fewer monsters and demons than in Fontaine.
Mavuika can’t even take care of herself, let alone manage Fontaine.