After bidding farewell to Navia and Lofan, the trio retreated to a secluded spot to discuss their observations.
"That man named Grett is highly suspicious," Lynette said. "He might be connected to that mysterious organization."
Lyney turned to Charlotte with a solemn expression, Lynette nodding in agreement beside him.
"The Fatui's intelligence reports made no mention of anyone like him in Fleuve Cendre," Lyney said.
"Isn't it a bit rash to immediately suspect Navia's teacher?" Charlotte countered, giving Lyney a slightly displeased look. "You were suspicious of Navia herself earlier."
During their brief encounter, she had detected nothing amiss about Lofan. "Besides, you've seen the situation here for yourselves. It's far better than the Fatui's reports described, isn't it?"
Having previously investigated Fleuve Cendre, Charlotte could clearly sense the profound changes that had taken place. Food remained scarce, and many still went hungry, but the faces of the residents now bore something Charlotte had never seen before: hope for the future.
Lyney remained noncommittal. He suspected that Lofan's meticulous management of the area served his own hidden purposes, a conclusion drawn from analyzing past cases and relying on his own intuition. However, unwilling to antagonize Charlotte without conclusive evidence, he refrained from elaborating further.
"It's just a hunch," Lyney said, "but we don't have many leads right now. We can't afford to overlook any possibility."
"Better safe than sorry," Charlotte agreed, nodding after listening to Lyney's words. "You're right. It's best to be cautious."
"Where should we start investigating next?" Charlotte asked.
Lyney casually pointed to a spot on the map. "Alright, let's start there."
With their target decided, the trio began exploring Fleuve Cendre.
However, Lyney didn't expect much success from this approach. After a while, he suggested they split up to cover more ground efficiently.
With Charlotte's approval, Lyney instructed Lynette to leave Fleuve Cendre and leverage the Fatui's intelligence network to conduct a thorough investigation into Lofan's background.
Lofan's apparent identity was surprisingly straightforward, and Lyney soon received the investigation report from Lynette.
The seemingly flawless report, however, contained a detail that stunned Lyney: before the Fleuve Cendre area's regulatory reforms were enacted, Lofan had been living entirely alone...
Just as Fontaine was descending into chaos, something utterly unexpected occurred.
Navia, Melus, Silver, and all the others who had distinguished themselves in the earlier conflict against the Court of Justice left Fleuve Cendre. They dragged crudely assembled wooden carts piled high with countless lifeless bodies, setting off on their journey.
The citizens who had been clamoring against the Court of Justice rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. But the oppressive atmosphere of grief quickly silenced them, even their footsteps grew lighter as they approached.
Many wanted to urge the group to turn back, fearing the Court of Justice would seize this perfect opportunity to arrest and secretly dispose of them all.
Yet when they saw the numb, vacant expressions on the faces of the travelers, the words of warning caught in their throats.
There was no anguished weeping, no furious cursing—only silent tears that stirred the crowd's deepest sorrow and empathy.
In the end, countless citizens quietly flanked the procession, watching them fade into the distance before slipping ahead to repeat their silent vigil, acting as silent guardians.
Even the torrential rain pouring from the sky couldn't wash away the suffocating grief that permeated the air.
When the Court of Justice received the news, they were utterly stunned.
Many members of the group now marching openly through the streets of Fontaine were already on the Court's special watch list. This was due to the detailed accounts provided by Roggs, the man who had miraculously survived the disaster, along with other survivors of that fateful day.
After learning the full extent of what had transpired, nobles from Marquis Relf's faction and those from rival factions alike recognized Fleuve Cendre as a force to be reckoned with. They had planned to wait for the current turmoil to subside before making their move against the region.
Yet now, these very individuals—soon to be wanted criminals—were brazenly parading through Fontaine's main thoroughfares in broad daylight.
The Court of Justice dared not act on its own and immediately contacted their superiors.
In the end, all the nobles chose to observe from the sidelines. The fallout from the Crimson Sea incident had been too severe, and any further action against Fleuve Cendre at this moment risked reigniting public outrage.
Marquis Relf was no exception. Though he desperately wanted to eliminate the threat once and for all, he immediately abandoned his plans upon receiving news that the citizens of Fontaine had spontaneously organized to protect those he targeted.
At that moment, an uninvited guest barged into his home.
"How did you get in here?!" Marquis Relf panicked when he saw the young man with a clown mask suddenly materialize before him.
"That's unimportant," Lofan replied, chuckling. "What matters is whether you enjoyed the gift I sent you earlier, Monsieur Relf."
Lofan naturally wouldn't explain that he had simply set his respawn point within Marquis Relf's mansion. Instead, he smiled at the man's utter terror.
If Lofan hadn't brought it up, Marquis Relf might have maintained his composure. But the mere mention of the "gift" nearly made him burst into profanity.
"You lunatic! What do you want?!" Marquis Relf finally swallowed his rage, terrified that Lofan might impulsively pull out a bomb and blow them both to smithereens.
"Why do you ask, Monsieur Relf?" Lofan tilted his head, his clown mask gleaming ominously.
"Didn't I tell you before? I simply couldn't bear to see those filthy vermin from Fleuve Cendre still crawling around in this world."
"Was it necessary to make such a spectacle of it?!"
"Otherwise, Monsieur Relf might have missed the little gift I prepared for you."
"Do you even realize how much I've lost trying to erase the mess you made?!"
"Why would I care?"
Hearing Lofan's nonchalant tone, Marquis Relf took several deep breaths to regain his composure.
"What do you want from me this time?!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Lofan watched Marquis Relf's reaction with amusement as he revealed his purpose. "Those underground ants have crawled right up to your doorstep. Shouldn't Marquis Relf honor our original agreement and take action?"