"I understand the situation. Rest assured, Miss Navia, I will report on this inhumane atrocity as soon as possible."
Charlotte's heart burned with fury as she examined the grueso photos Navia had handed her.
Under the guise of protecting the Fleuve Cendre residents, they had secretly created far more victims than the serial suicide case had claid.
From that mont on, Charlotte vowed that no matter the threats she faced, she would expose their vile deeds to the people of Fontaine!
"Miss Charlotte, thank you so much. If you encounter any difficulties, please don't hesitate to contact the Spina di Rosula for help!" Navia knew all too well the imnse danger Charlotte was placing herself in by pursuing this story.
"Yes, I will, Miss Navia," Charlotte replied.
Charlotte's current escape plan involved seeking refuge with the Fatui. The Spina di Rosula was already facing its own challenges, and she couldn't burden them further. To spare Navia's worry, she told a well-intentioned lie.
"As for the compensation..." Navia's face flushed with visible embarrassnt.
"The Spina di Rosula's funds are rather limited at the mont. This al is all I can offer you, Miss Charlotte."
"That's perfectly fine, Miss Navia," Charlotte replied quickly, waving her hand.
"Actually, I also wanted to ask you about sothing." After Navia patiently answered all of Charlotte's questions, she asked with a hint of curiosity, "Miss Charlotte, are you also investigating the serial suicide case?"
Charlotte didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes, because a family mber was involved, and I want to uncover the truth."
"I was completely lost before, but now I suspect the perpetrator might be involved in this incident as well."
"So, Miss Navia, I might need to bother you again in the future. I hope you won't find too troubleso!"
"Not at all! Miss Charlotte, you've done the Spina di Rosula and the Fleuve Cendre such a great service. From now on, feel free to reach out whenever you need anything. If I know the answer, I'll be sure to tell you!"
Navia and Charlotte enjoyed a lively conversation before Navia paid the bill. They bid farewell outside Hotel Debord.
Soon after, an article titled "Do the Lives of Fleuve Cendre Residents Not Matter?" appeared in The Steam Bird, imdiately driving public opinion in Fontaine to a fever pitch. The subsequent funeral procession in Fleuve Cendre completely ignited the controversy.
"Everyone stay close and don't fall behind," Lofan instructed, personally leading the procession. He had recruited dozens of young people with strong voices for the ceremony.
"Alright, everyone, cry!"
At Lofan's command, the procession erupted in a deafening, heart-wrenching chorus of wails. Because innocent lives had genuinely been lost, the cries were raw, cathartic, and utterly devoid of affectation, leaving all who heard them teary-eyed.
Lofan didn't cry. Instead, he took his guitar from his back and, channeling the power of Music Master, began to play a mournful funeral song.
With this ability, there's no song in the world I can't play on the guitar!
While Lofan wasn't unskilled with other instrunts, Fontaine, as the birthplace of the guitar, held a special significance for the instrunt among its people.
The Funeral Song even had a rhythmic beat—how utterly cool was that?!
Fueled by the music, the funeral procession erupted into even more heart-wrenching sobs, overwheld by inconsolable grief.
Feeling the atmosphere had reached its peak, Lofan led the group from the entrance of Fleuve Cendre onto the main streets of Fontaine, imdiately drawing countless curious gazes.
Without Charlotte's recent article, most onlookers would have been baffled. But after reading her report, they recognized the mourners' distinctive attire as belonging to the Fleuve Cendre Faction and imdiately connected the bodies to the innocent victims of the recent incident.
When they saw the grueso wounds on the corpses and the pitiful state of the deceased, a wave of righteous fury surged through the crowd.
While many Fontainians looked down upon or even loathed the residents of Fleuve Cendre, branding them as foul-slling beggars and vicious criminals—a perception largely shaped by official propaganda—this prejudice couldn't entirely be blad on the common people who also struggled at the bottom of society.
Though so twisted individuals in Fleuve Cendre might indeed prey on the even weaker, wielding blades against their own, such behavior didn't represent the majority.
Witnessing the scene, the crowd's pent-up emotions overwheld years of ingrained prejudice. The natural target for their collective outrage was the Maison Gardiennage.
Countless people who had previously dismissed Fleuve Cendre now turned their attention to this squalid, shadowy corner of the city. The Maison Gardiennage suddenly faced an unprecedented wave of public scrutiny.
Compounding their troubles was the unresolved serial suicide case. With both old grudges and fresh outrage converging, the Maison Gardiennage was on the verge of buckling.
Inside the garrison, the Captain, finally recovered from his nightmarish month of unpaid work, glared fiercely at his silent officers before roaring:
"All of you who went causing trouble in Fleuve Cendre yesterday, step forward now!"
As his words echoed, several officers erged from the ranks, their faces as pale as death.
"Well, well, well, quite a few of you," the Captain sneered, both amused and infuriated by the number of his subordinates willing to co forward. "Get out. You're no longer mbers of the Maison Gardiennage. Report to the Opera Epiclese imdiately. I'm sure you'll all enjoy the als at the Fortress of ropide."
"Captain, we're being frad! We didn't do anything!"
The Garrison Captain's chilling declaration sent a wave of panic through the Maison Gardiennage officers.
They had indeed brought Gardeks to Fleuve Cendre to provoke trouble and curry favor with the nobles, but they knew their limits. They would never have slaughtered the residents.
Besides, they had barely entered Fleuve Cendre when so maniac had destroyed all their Gardeks. Who the hell had done that?
They had considered retaliating against the man, but only against him personally, and they hadn't even started planning yet!
They were being frad!
"Hmph, tell that to Chief Justice Neuvillette yourself."
"Confess honestly, and maybe you'll get a lighter sentence."
"Don't even think about escaping. As forr Maison Gardiennage officers, you know what our brothers are capable of."
"Oh, and after you leave the Fortress of ropide, you'll spend the rest of your lives as the very Fleuve Cendre residents you despise."
"Use what's left of your lives to atone for your cris."
As they watched the Garrison Captain and his n march away, the officers felt a growing chill creep into their bones...
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