Charlotte took the photographs and examined them carefully. These were images of the letter's contents, with markings indicating the correct sequence.
The photographs showed clear images of the text, though so parts were stained with dark red blood, obscuring the original writing.
Despite this, the remaining content felt eerily familiar to Charlotte. After a mont's thought, she suddenly realized the connection between the photographs and the recent serial suicide case.
"Miss Charlotte, you've likely noticed the correspondence between the letter's contents and the ssages found on the victims' cloaks."
"This letter contains far more than what we've seen so far, suggesting the killer may continue their cris."
Both the Maison Gardiennage officer and Charlotte fell silent at the implications of the letter's contents.
After a long pause, Charlotte looked up at the officer and asked, "Where exactly was this letter recovered?"
"This letter was found on the... culprit... Mr. Lofan. Though it may not be of much use for solving the case, I believe Miss Charlotte should have this."
Charlotte nodded with difficulty. After thanking the security officer, she used her cara to photograph each page before leaving with heavy steps.
Upon reaching the slightly desolate main street, Charlotte took a deep breath.
"Lofan, what is the truth?"
"Which one is the real you?"
This letter had essentially confird Charlotte's first hypothesis. Lofan was indeed a pawn of the Fatui, and while not the primary culprit in the serial suicide case, he had been an accomplice.
This conclusion had always been more logical, but Charlotte had unconsciously avoided considering it.
Though there were alternative explanations—such as Lofan finding the letter or the killer accidentally seeing it on him and incorporating it into their sche—Charlotte could no longer deceive herself.
After experiencing such dramatic ups and downs, Charlotte felt her inner strength had grown. Even upon hearing about the letter's origins, she found herself accepting it quickly.
"In any case, the truth hasn't surfaced yet. We shouldn't jump to conclusions about anything."
Though facing the Fatui might be daunting, Charlotte felt no fear. Instead, it hardened her resolve.
She followed the path to the entrance of the Fleuve Cendre. Truth be told, before eting Lofan, Charlotte had already reported on the gray river, but with little success.
Many Fontainians seed to turn a blind eye to this black zone beneath their bustling city, avoiding it as if it carried so curse.
However, after Lofan's actions at the Opera Epiclese, so people would likely have to address the gray river's issues openly now.
As Charlotte gazed at the entrance, a sudden urge to retreat surfaced. But she quickly suppressed it and stepped through the entrance without hesitation.
When Charlotte returned to the Fleuve Cendre, scenes from that day began to replay in her mind.
Previously, the imnse shock to her psyche had prevented her from fully processing the events. Now, she suddenly felt she might have overlooked sothing important, her brow furrowing in concentration.
After a long while, still unable to pinpoint her oversight, Charlotte began questioning residents of the Fleuve Cendre about recent disappearances. She received only negative responses, deepening her gloom. This ant the killer targeted those in the most desperate circumstances - isolated figures whose disappearances would go unnoticed.
The difficulty of finding clues under these circumstances was overwhelming. No wonder the Maison Gardiennage had made little progress.
Perhaps I should investigate Lofan's Fatui connections at the House of the Hearth?
Just as Charlotte hesitated, she suddenly felt soone approaching her.
Her Cryo Vision flickered faintly in the dim light of Fleuve Cendre, alerting her to the presence.
When she turned and recognized the approaching figure, she relaxed her guard.
"Miss, I never expected to see you here again! Thank you so much for your help last ti!"
"That day I was so hungry I could barely see straight. I thought I'd just sleep it off. Thank you for giving several days of good als."
"It's nothing, old man. I was just doing what I could."
The man was the sa one Lofan had nearly talked into jumping to his death that day. Seeing him now, Charlotte couldn't help feeling guilty.
"Is the money enough? If not, I can give you more."
"Enough, enough! It's more than enough. That money will last over a year!"
Hearing this, Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. She realized she had no idea how desperately poor the people of Fleuve Cendre truly were.
Charlotte still rembered that the money she'd given him was roughly half a month's salary. If it were her, she might have spent it in just one or two months, and buying sothing else would have been even faster.
"Young lady, you're truly a good person. I must have been incredibly lucky to et you that day."
Seeing the old man's face filled with overwhelming gratitude, Charlotte snapped out of her thoughts, feeling slightly better. She completely failed to notice the illogical part of his words.
"Old man, even if I hadn't appeared that day, you would have certainly t soone kind-hearted."
"So no matter what kind of difficulties you face, old man, you must never give up hope for survival!"
After hearing Charlotte's words, a bewildered expression appeared on the old man's face. After regaining his composure, he looked around.
"Young lady, are you not filming today?"
"Filming?"
"Yes, a few days ago they needed to cooperate for filming. But today nobody told what to do."
"Right, it was that young man who told how to do it last ti. He's also my savior! In the Fleuve Cendre, there are so many people like . That he chose right away was truly my good fortune!"
"By the way, young lady, did that young man not co today?"
"Ah, last ti he left early to avoid disturbing our filming. I never got a chance to properly thank him... I wonder when I'll have the opportunity..."
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