Just as Lynette had said. The trio, returning just before dawn, had barely climbed over the wall of the Hôtel Bouffes d'été when a rose made of fla silently drifted down from the sky, landing before them and burning to ash.
Only one person in all of Fontaine possessed such a divine and extravagant ability to shape fire. That was the current Snezhnayan diplomat to Fontaine and the Fourth Fatui Harbinger—"The Knave," Arlecchino.
The ssage of the burning rose was crystal clear.
The three exchanged glances. They knew they had to report imdiately.
...
In the reception room of the Hôtel Bouffes d'été, Arlecchino calmly read a newspaper. She had just finished her official duties. While her "children" were out on a secret operation, she hadn't been idle.
A soft knock ca at the door. She casually placed the newspaper on the desk and said coolly, "Enter."
The door opened, and Lyney, Lynette, and Lu Li filed in, standing nervously before the desk with their heads bowed respectfully.
"Tell , what were you doing tonight?" Arlecchino asked, sitting in her armchair and slowly crossing her legs, her voice calm and graceful.
"Reporting to 'Father,' a few days ago I received information about the remnants of the Lefebvre family. Therefore, tonight we took action to eliminate their organization," Lyney said quickly.
Arlecchino looked at Lynette, who imdiately added respectfully, "Lyney is correct. We went to destroy the remnants' base tonight. We also obtained so intelligence that needs to be verified and learned a few things."
"After the Lefebvre family was wiped out," Lynette continued, "the remaining mbers seem to have joined another person's command, working for them to produce 'L'es' and sell it on the black market, harming the ordinary people of Fontaine." She placed the evidence they had gathered on the desk before stepping back respectfully.
Arlecchino glanced at it impassively, nodded, and asked, "Was the scene cleaned up?"
"Yes, no witnesses were left alive," Lu Li reported. "On my suggestion, the factory was also completely destroyed after we left, leaving nothing but ruins."
Arlecchino nodded and began to read through the research data Lynette had provided. After a mont, she said, "In that case, your actions were justifiable, and the aftermath has been handled cleanly. I will not pursue the matter further. You may go."
"One mont, Lord 'Father'," Lyney stepped forward. "Actually, we have one more thing to report." He nodded at Lu Li.
Lu Li stepped forward, eting Arlecchino's curious gaze. "Indeed, we have one more thing to report. After obtaining this research data, it made think about the Fontaine 'prophecy' that you, Lord 'Father,' have been investigating."
Arlecchino slowly straightened her posture, her eyes fixed on Lu Li, silently prompting him to continue.
The boy went on, "So of the data here shows that an overdose of 'L'es' can be fatal to a person from Fontaine. But it's not just an overdose. If the concentration of the raw material in the 'L'es' reaches a certain limit, the person will die instantly. However, unlike a normal death, this person's body will dissolve into water and vanish."
Arlecchino beca thoughtful.
"Lord 'Father,' the prophecy says, '...in the end, Fontaine will be subrged, everyone will dissolve into the water, leaving only the Hydro Archon to weep on her throne.' The authenticity of this prophecy has been confird by diviners; it is an inevitable outco, we just don't know when it will happen," Lu Li explained eloquently. "For now, we don't know the cause of the subrgence, but dissolving into water... doesn't that fit the second part of the prophecy, 'disappearing into the water'?"
Arlecchino was montarily stunned. A cold light flickered in her crimson, X-shaped pupils.
"I can't be certain, as I have no proof, but it's hard to imagine that 'L'es,' a 'drug' that has only recently appeared and only targets the people of Fontaine, has no connection to the prophecy," Lu Li continued. "And what is that mysterious raw material? Why does it have such an effect on the people of Fontaine? If we can find that out, I believe we won't be far from the truth."
Lu Li finished his solemn statent. Arlecchino's exquisite face showed no change in expression, but her pensive look indicated she was deep in thought.
After a long pause, she spoke softly. "Whether it is true or not, Lu Li, your words have provided another possibility for consideration. At a ti when we have no leads, you have indeed lit a path for us to explore. You have done very well."
"Lyney, Lynette," Arlecchino said calmly. "It is late. You have been busy all night. You two may go and rest. As for you, Lu Li, stay behind for a mont. Your words have given an idea to try."
The magician siblings were surprised but didn't dare say more. They responded respectfully and left. After giving a reassuring gesture to a worried Lynette, Lu Li watched them go, let out a soft breath, and turned to face Arlecchino, who had now stood up.
A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple. Leaving behind... what does she want to do?
After the siblings had left, Arlecchino said coolly, "Let us continue our previous conversation, Lu Li. Do you believe our next course of action should be to target the underground forces producing 'L'es' in order to trace it back to its source—the raw material?"
Lu Li nodded. "I believe so. And, I have a small suggestion. Perhaps we could proceed on two fronts simultaneously?"
"Elaborate." Arlecchino poured herself a cup of tea from Liyue's Chenyu Vale.
"The sale of 'L'es' not only serves the corrupt and extravagant nobles of Fontaine but has also begun to endanger the lives of ordinary citizens. Both the Special Security and Surveillance Patrol of the Palais rmonia and the Spina di Rosula of the Beryl Region want to eradicate it. Therefore, why don't we cooperate with these two local forces?"
"...I recall you have a rather good relationship with that young lady of the Spina di Rosula, Navia, and the captain of the Special Patrol, Chevreuse, correct?" Arlecchino said with a faint smile.
Lu Li nodded awkwardly.
"Very well. Since all three parties have their own goals and a common enemy, a temporary cooperation is not a bad idea. We will proceed as you suggest. However, I will entrust the contact to you. Can you handle it?"
"Yes, I will take responsibility," Lu Li said gravely.
"Secondly, regarding the direction of the investigation, I also have a lead."
Arlecchino raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You have a lot of information. Tell ."
Lu Li pondered for a long while. In truth, he didn't rember everything clearly. After all, it had been eighteen years since he had transmigrated into the world of Genshin. The training he had received and the knowledge he had learned had already taken up a large portion of his brain's capacity. His mories of his past life were not perfectly clear, just the general gist. If it hadn't been for this mission jogging his mory, he would have been as clueless as a native.
But even though his mory was hazy, he still rembered so key points from the ga's main story. The producer of "L'es" was also the culprit behind the "Case of the Missing Young Won." This person was very wealthy, had old ties to Navia, and was deeply involved with the Spina di Rosula. With these conditions, he could surely deduce the answer. But he had to avoid tipping their hand. A person who had built such a large enterprise and killed without batting an eye would surely do sothing drastic if cornered.
Therefore, Lu Li thought for a mont and said, "Regarding this intelligence, Lord 'Father,' we must keep it to ourselves and not let the Spina di Rosula or the Special Patrol know, lest we alert the enemy and provoke them into so kind of desperate, retaliatory act against society."
Arlecchino's eyes flickered. Alert the enemy... so the final target has connections in both the Spina di Rosula and the Special Patrol? Retaliatory act... does he an the raw material for 'L'es' is so dangerous that the enemy might use it for mass murder if cornered?
Arlecchino rubbed her chin and nodded. "I understand. Do you... have a suspect in mind?"
"Mm... This person is definitely deeply connected to the underground criminal world and has also used their connections to open up the upper-class market, allowing them to sell 'L'es' to everyone from nobles to fishern. And based on when 'L'es' beca popular, I believe the producer is likely a rchant. Therefore, we can investigate based on that identity and rule out suspects," Lu Li said, trying his best to recall the fuzzy details from his mory.
Arlecchino nodded, silent and thoughtful.
"...We will proceed as you say, Lu Li," she decided after a long pause.
-------
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