"Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"This report clearly bears your handwriting."
"Even you've betrayed me?!"
Wriothesley glared at the report before him, his face livid with fury, though his inner turmoil was a mix of bewilderment and shock.
When exactly did my people become so thoroughly infiltrated?
Who can I still trust?
"Duke Wriothesley, you're mistaken! Miss Emily is overwhelmed with duties—I couldn't bear to see her so burdened!"
"But rest assured, Duke, though I wrote it, the contents reflect Miss Emily's true feelings. She holds you in the highest regard, utterly loyal!"
Wriothesley let out a bitter laugh.
"Colt's excuses were at least marginally plausible. Now you can't even bother with that, can you?"
"Have I been too lenient? Have you forgotten what I'm capable of?"
"Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly. Make him reveal all his accomplices!" Wriothesley waved his hand, and two guards immediately dragged the man away, who continued to protest his innocence until he disappeared.
Wriothesley felt a headache coming on, and his apprehension toward the young woman grew stronger.
To have planted so many spies right under his nose without arousing suspicion, her true identity must be far more complex than it appeared. She might even be connected to the mysterious force that had recently emerged in Fontaine.
Wait, if there are this many traitors within the Fortress, has that thing already been tampered with?
Regardless, that thing must not fall into the wrong hands!
With this realization, Wriothesley tensed and immediately hurried to one of the Fortress of Meropide's restricted areas.
There, an unimaginably massive ship was under urgent construction.
This was the Wingalet, secretly commissioned by Wriothesley after he realized the Prophecy might be true. He hoped it would allow him to save as many lives as possible when the foretold calamity struck.
"Duke Wriothesley, you've arrived!"
The overseer greeted Wriothesley with a beaming smile.
"Immediately have the workers inspect the Wingalet's hull and eliminate any potential problems."
Though puzzled by Wriothesley's order—the ship had been recently repaired—the overseer promptly instructed his team to conduct a thorough inspection. The final report was soon delivered to Wriothesley.
"Your Grace, we've thoroughly checked everything. There are no issues."
Despite this reassurance, Wriothesley remained uneasy. He instructed the overseer to lead him to several randomly selected areas for personal inspection.
Wriothesley knew this approach could breed resentment, as it implied a lack of trust. However, given the critical importance of the ship and the extent of internal infiltration, he needed to see everything with his own eyes to feel secure.
Having found nothing amiss, Wriothesley let out a sigh of relief, reassured the crew, and distributed Credit Coupons as a reward for their recent hard work. He hoped to mitigate any negative impact his earlier actions might have had on morale. Then, he prepared to return to the Duke's Office to resume his duties.
However, halfway there, Wriothesley suddenly realized he hadn't received any updates from the Interrogation Room. Changing course, he decided to check on the situation there first.
The reason he hadn't noticed this earlier was that he was personally acquainted with the suspects. Knowing they wouldn't confess easily, he had granted the interrogators ample time. But now that the situation had grown critically dangerous, he could no longer afford to wait leisurely.
This time, he would personally take charge.
Yet before Wriothesley even reached the Interrogation Room, he heard strange noises drifting from within.
"Pair of Threes!"
"Can't follow!"
"What the hell? You can't follow a pair of threes? Do you even know how to play?!"
"You think you can follow?"
"If I could, why would I be teaching you how to play?!"
-
Though he couldn't see what was happening inside the Interrogation Room, hearing Colt's voice and the content of their conversation made Wriothesley's temples throb.
Bang!
The door was kicked open with a crash, startling everyone in the room. In their panic, Credit Coupons scattered across the floor from the table.
"What in the world are you doing?!"
Wriothesley's fury flared as he took in the scene: three men were gathered around the table playing cards. One of them was Colt, the suspect supposed to be under interrogation, while the other two were the interrogators themselves.
"D-Duke Wriothesley!"
The three men froze at the sight of Wriothesley, but one quickly recovered, launching into a righteous defense.
"Reporting, Your Grace! We're currently interrogating him!"
"Exactly! We're definitely interrogating Colt! This guy's got a mouth like a vault—we've tried everything, but he wouldn't crack!"
"But our methods aren't entirely without merit! Colt agreed to confess everything he knows if he loses at cards!"
"Do you take me for a three-year-old fool?!"
Wriothesley clenched his fists, knuckles cracking, his face twisting into a ferocious scowl. He stalked menacingly toward the trio, his aura growing increasingly menacing.
"They're right. I did mention that condition earlier."
Wriothesley halted, his gaze sweeping over the trio huddled together in mutual protection. The fury churning within him threatened to erupt.
"So, did you win?"
"Not yet, but with the Duke's cooperation, we'll soon achieve victory and make him confess everything!"
"Exactly! Within ten rounds, I'll strip him bare!"
"Enough!"
Hearing their delusional ramblings, Wriothesley closed his eyes momentarily before snapping them open. A powerful surge of Cryo Elemental Power erupted from his body.
"Brace yourselves against the cold!"
With a single, devastating punch, Wriothesley unleashed the full force of his Cryo Elemental Power. The trio didn't even have time to react before they were frozen solid, transformed into three ice sculptures. The surrounding area was instantly coated in a thick layer of impenetrable ice.
After delivering the blow, Wriothesley felt his mood lighten slightly. Of course, he had restrained his strength; these were just ordinary people, after all, and their "crimes" hardly warranted lethal force. They had merely raised his blood pressure a bit.
Wriothesley, his expression grim, immediately sought out the person in charge of the area and ordered them to handle the situation.
He then followed the supervisor to the interrogation room where the other two detainees were being questioned, only to find a similar scene unfolding.
At that moment, Wriothesley finally understood why the young woman had acted so brazenly. If even this place was under her control, how many more of her people had infiltrated his organization?
Now, Wriothesley felt he couldn't trust anyone, not even the supervisor before him, who was currently trembling with fear.
At this point, the Hydro Archon Furina could no longer remain with her. The situation had become far too dangerous!
Realizing he couldn't afford to wait any longer, Wriothesley immediately headed to the dormitory where the young woman and Furina were staying.
However, during this break time, he found only the young woman in the room, leisurely sipping red tea. Furina was nowhere to be seen.
"Miss Emily, could you tell me where Lady Furina is at the moment?" Wriothesley asked, maintaining a facade of polite conversation despite knowing she was behind everything.
"Ah, it's the Duke," she replied.
"Lady Furina has already filed for a retrial. I'm surprised you weren't aware of this."
"It seems the Duke must have been quite busy lately!"
The girl smiled gently at Wriothesley as she spoke. Her words seemed perfectly normal on the surface, but if she had orchestrated all these troubles, her remark was nothing but blatant mockery and provocation.
"A retrial?"
Wriothesley froze for a moment before a far more terrifying possibility struck him: had she also engineered the Hydro Archon Furina's imprisonment?
Having witnessed her uncanny ability to plant spies, Wriothesley mentally raised the girl's threat level several notches.
As for her taunts and provocations, he paid them no heed. He had long since grown immune to such petty tactics.
Wriothesley began pondering the girl's motives. No matter how he analyzed it, allowing the Hydro Archon Furina to return to the surface at this juncture served none of her interests.
Unless... she had already secured Furina's cooperation to bring her along when leaving the Fortress of Meropide?!
Damn it! I'm still one step behind!
After realizing the girl's initial plan had succeeded, Wriothesley's mood soured even further.
"Miss Emily, you've truly exceeded my expectations lately!" Wriothesley declared, his gaze fixed on the girl's eyes, each word carrying the weight of his imposing aura.
"Duke, what are you implying? We haven't even seen each other recently. I'm afraid I don't understand," the girl replied, her smile unwavering, while unleashing a power that rivaled Wriothesley's own.
The clash between their azure and white auras resulted in a perfect stalemate.
The girl's audacity stirred Wriothesley's fighting instincts, but he ultimately suppressed them.
He had changed. To uphold the rules of the Fortress of Meropide, he had compromised his principles.
In his former life, free from attachments, knowing the girl was the mastermind would have been enough. Even without evidence, he would have pummeled the truth out of her, blow by blow.
Wriothesley withdrew his oppressive aura, and the girl followed suit.
After one last, piercing look, Wriothesley conceded, "Very well. If Miss Emily doesn't understand, let's leave it at that."
"However, Miss Emily, I must remind you that I am adhering to the rules of this game only because I still have the patience to play along."
"Miss Emily, I hope you will act wisely, and I pray the principles of the Mutual Aid Network remain unchanged."
"Thank you for your counsel, Duke. I will consider it carefully."
Wriothesley departed. If he didn't want the Fortress of Meropide to descend into chaos again, now wasn't the right time to move against the girl.
Moreover, he hadn't anticipated that the mysterious organization's target this time was the Hydro Archon Furina. He needed to alert Neuvillette about this matter immediately. Once the girl left the Fortress of Meropide with the Hydro Archon Furina, he would launch a thorough internal investigation to root out all traitors.
Shortly after, Wriothesley returned to the Duke's Office, preparing to write a letter to Neuvillette.
But just as he was about to begin, he received a letter from Neuvillette himself.
The letter primarily inquired about the Hydro Archon Furina's condition. After a moment's deliberation, Wriothesley added a section to his original draft and sent the reply.
Wriothesley hoped the girl would heed his warning and abandon any designs on the Ark.
The indicator on the Forbidden Zone's valve was nearing its limit, leaving them with little time.
As the mysterious faction grew increasingly active, the once-steady valve indicator began to rise relentlessly. These anomalies in Fontaine seemed to foreshadow the Prophecy's impending fulfillment.
If it came to that, the Wingalet might be the Fontainians' last hope.
It was better that she left. As the Hydro Archon, Furina possessed the means to handle crises, and this departure gave Wriothesley the opportunity to complete the Wingalet's construction.
Besides, even if trouble arose, Neuvillette would be watching. If even those two couldn't handle the situation, what could a mere mortal like him do?
With these thoughts, Wriothesley's stern expression softened slightly as he brewed himself a cup of tea.
Wriothesley had never considered the possibility that Furina would willingly remain in the Fortress of Meropide. While conditions there were significantly better than on the surface, that applied mainly to the lower classes.
For someone of Furina's high status, starting over in the Fortress of Meropide from scratch would hardly be a wise choice.
Furina's application for a retrial of her case was swiftly approved, and the news spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys of Fontaine.
The public was stunned. Furina's initial conviction and imprisonment in the Fortress of Meropide had already been sensational news for Fontaine. Now, it seemed, there was a shocking twist in the tale.
Some speculated that Furina was dissatisfied with her punishment. After all, she was the Hydro Archon—why should she face the same consequences as ordinary mortals for committing a crime? Moreover, a blemish on an Archon's reputation was hardly a desirable thing. This time, they believed, Furina aimed to clear her name entirely.
Charlotte, who had already secured permission to interview Hydro Archon Furina at the Fortress of Meropide, nearly burst into tears. She had packed her bags, only to be told her trip was canceled.
Did they have any idea how much effort she had put into securing this opportunity?!
However, Charlotte quickly regained her composure. She sensed the scent of a major scoop in the latest developments!
The day of Hydro Archon Furina's retrial soon arrived. Furina finally met her legal representative—or, to use the current term, her defense attorney.
"Hello, Lady Furina. My name is Qiang the Brave. You can call me Attorney Qiang."
-
Spy-Real npc, remember they hired people from Liyue to be attorneys.