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 'guests,' can you?"
As Wriothesley's gaze settled on Dottore, his smile widened.
"Oh, another heavyweight criminal. If we added up all your cris, even executing you ten tis over wouldn't be enough punishnt."
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 mont.
"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 rely minor misunderstandings."
"Fontaine prides itself on being a land of justice, so I'm confident they'll clear my na."
"Ha ha ha, Monsieur Dottore, every new inmate claims their innocence. It seems even you are no exception."
Hearing this, Dottore rely smiled, offering no further response.
Wriothesley shifted his gaze from Dottore back to Neuvillette standing before him.
"I assu he hasn't undergone Judgnt yet?"
Neuvillette didn't deny Wriothesley's statent. 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 arrangents myself."
"Well, whose fault is it for building such a massive new prison?"
"By the way, this new prison doesn't have a na 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 na suitable for a prison."
"Let's just call it Fortress of ropide," Neuvillette replied.
"After all, the original Fortress of ropide is still subrged in Primordial Sea Water, and you won't be able to return there anyti soon. Moreover, the na 'Fortress of ropide' 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 ropide 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 sothing like that... Well, it seems you still need more exposure to ordinary people," Wriothesley said, shaking his head. "Alright, follow ."
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 ropide.
"I won't interrupt your bonding ti. 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 improvent.
"Monsieur Dottore, if you wish to leave this place unhard, 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 arrangents 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 mbers of that mysterious organization several years ago and collaborated with No. 1," Neuvillette stated.
Dottore imdiately offered an explanation. "Regarding this matter, I have no knowledge. I don't understand why that mysterious organization would fra . Perhaps they wanted to divert attention."
"Monsieur Neuvillette, as you know, the Fatui's reputation isn't exactly stellar. Many people often bla 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 cris 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 ticulous 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 ntioned 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 '' was responsible?"
Although Dottore couldn't recall any plans being carried out in Fontaine by the Pri or any of his Segnts, the detailed intelligence on the mysterious organization left even him uncertain. Could soone have deliberately concealed their actions?
While such a possibility seed remote, given their regular mory exchanges, one couldn't rule it out entirely. After all, each Segnt had its own unique motivations, and since they were all Dottore, deliberately withholding such mories wasn't entirely impossible.
Soon, Dottore had formulated a partial hypothesis in his mind.
One of their "segnts" had conceived the idea of breaking away from the Pri and striking out on their own. To achieve this, they sought cooperation with a mysterious organization, hoping to find a thod to achieve complete autonomy from the Pri.
Based on the events that had transpired in Fontaine, if the numbered mbers of this mysterious organization were also similar to segnts, then they likely possessed a relatively mature technology. Therefore, collaborating with them seed highly plausible.
How dare you keep such a golden opportunity to yourself, leaving your brothers to take the bla!
Dottore felt a surge of anger.
The desire to exist independently from the Pri was a sentint shared by nearly all the fragnts, to varying degrees. None of them accepted the notion that they were disposable resources. They had long grown weary of the Pri's tyrannical nature. However, the Pri could eliminate them with a re thought, leaving them no choice but to obey.
To think you would hoard such a ga-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 Pri was responsible for this incident, as the Pri's movents were generally transparent.
However, if another segnt 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 ti 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 segnts wasn't enough. He needed a more precise result.
Otherwise, if soone tattled to the Pri, he would be utterly finished.
Wait, if Neuvillette intervened, his sheer power would crush any resistance from the other segnts. Only the Pri 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 segnts and the Pri, I could systematically investigate each one until I find the culprit.
With this plan in mind, Dottore impatiently urged another segnt to hurry.
[ What's the situation on your end? Why haven't you arrived yet? Where are you? ]
Dottore sent a barrage of ssages before finally receiving a reply.
[ Don't rush . 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 co? ]
[ After careful study of Fontaine's lusine, 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 soone else handle it. ]
As soon as Dottore finished speaking, the reply ca much faster this ti.
[ No! ]
[ You should have said so sooner! I've already postponed my research. Give two days, and I'll be there imdiately. ]
Sensing the urgency in the other's tone, Dottore pressed further.
[ Hurry. If you're not here in two days, I'll find soone 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 bla.
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 rely one of many 'segnts.' It's possible that another '' 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 sowhat 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 n then began to discuss the matter at length...
Two days later, in the afternoon, another of Dottore's "segnts" secretly entered Fontaine by sea, docking his ship at the agreed-upon location.
This segnt appeared much more mature, roughly in his early forties.
After waiting for so ti 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 mont. ]
Hearing the reply, Dottore decided to wait a little longer.
Perhaps the other segnt was currently imrsed 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 mont, Dottore suddenly sensed an overwhelmingly terrifying aura.
His heart leaped in alarm. Before he could react, an imnsely powerful force slamd him to the ground.
The other Fatui soldiers fared even worse; the re 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 plumting to rock bottom.
[ What's going on? Why are there people lying in ambush at the location you gave ? ]
Dottore attempted to communicate telepathically with the other segnt, but he quickly discovered that this thod was no longer functioning properly.
The Sealing Array enveloping this place seed 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-mont ambush triggered by his exposure, but rather a ticulously 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 ti to ponder. First, he compressed the Sealing Array to a radius of a few ters, then escorted Dottore to the new Fortress of ropide.
During the journey, Dottore's attempts to negotiate with Neuvillette or contact his other "segnts" and the Pri proved futile.
Finally, as Dottore sat on the cold prison bench and saw another version of himself appear beside Neuvillette, all his confusion vanished...
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