Undoubtedly, Marcel had no talent for this kind of research. Even with Jacob's notes, his method of trying to bring his lover back was the ridiculously simple "brute force" approach, dissolving innocent girls into water, hoping to glean some secrets from it.
If Mobius were to comment—this fool's actions weren't research at all; it was simply murder, like a human pouring hot water into an anthill to satisfy their curiosity.
However, Marcel stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
Yes—why hadn't he sought the Hydro Archon's help?
If it were the omnipotent Archon, there would surely be a way, right?
But it seemed to be too late.
Because of his experience at the Palais Mermonia, he held a deep prejudice against those glamorous people, including the absurd Hydro Archon, who had become a target of Marcel's hatred. He hadn't even considered seeking her help.
And now, having committed so many heinous acts, he seemed to be trapped in a situation with no way out.
Was it his fault?
No… it wasn't his fault!
From the moment Vacher became Marcel, this wicked man had lost the chance to turn back, and—he didn't want to turn back.
After all, if he turned back, wouldn't it mean that everything he had done all these years was wrong?
Clank.
While Marcel was conflicted, a sudden sound startled everyone present.
It was the floodgate!
The dilapidated floodgate was slowly closing, and the culprit was Virgil, standing outside the gate in a heavy diving suit.
"Thank you all for revealing the secret of Pneuma." He smiled, his "benevolent" face revealing a sick sense of triumph.
"What are you talking about?"
"Hmm? Isn't it obvious? You fools, you've been tricked."
"I'm not some ruin exploration expert, haha."
"I followed you simply because I wanted to know the formula for Pneuma."
"And now, I've got what I want—you're no longer useful!"
Virgil's words stunned Marcel—This… this isn't right!
Shouldn't he be the one turning on them and getting rid of them? How did this guy beat him to it?
… No, this guy is also a bad guy!
It was like a certain someone going all out in a fight, only to discover that the opponent was actually a teammate. Although these two weren't exactly teammates, and they both wanted to kill each other, being bad guys on the same side was still somewhat awkward.
"You're just going to trap us here?" Fairy Ely asked, not panicking, her innocent blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.
—According to Dummy, this person should be even more wicked.
Like a certain someone, tricking a certain blonde idiot and an unidentified flying object into being his pathfinders, nearly getting them killed, then leaving with the Pneuma data.
But… that was it?
"Hmph, it seems you're not satisfied! Alright, alright! Haha, of course I won't just trap you here."
"After all, if you get out, those cops will be on my tail again."
"So, please stay here forever!"
Virgil sneered, pulling out an emerald green ore from his bag.
"…Primordial Crystal?!"
Navia and Marcel's eyes widened in shock.
People in Fontaine were more or less aware of this thing—after all, the old Akademiya site in the sky had been sent there by this thing. Its power was self-evident.
But Primordial Crystals were supposed to be strictly controlled, especially this processed one…
"Hehe, as expected of the leader of the Spina di Rosula and the president of the Chambre de Commerce de Calabre, you have good eyes."
Virgil smiled maliciously, quite pleased—normally, shady people like them wouldn't have access to such high-end goods stored in the Akademiya.
But where there were people, there was society, and the bureaucracy within the Akademiya was also quite deep-rooted. By chance, he had obtained this from a Fontaine researcher named "Nack."
He had been wondering how to deal with this dangerous object. After all, Primordial Crystals were infamous. Someone like him could at best use it as a trap, perhaps to get rid of those pesky cops.
Unexpectedly, he had encountered this opportunity, and it came in handy.
"Now, experience its power firsthand."
"So long, everyone—no… we probably won't see each other again, hahaha."
The specially processed Primordial Crystal had a delayed detonation, and Virgil naturally wasn't going to foolishly stay here. He immediately ran away,
Leaving Navia and the others trapped behind the closing floodgate.
"Hehe, the leader of the Spina di Rosula is nothing more… Pneuma… Pneuma, hehehe, I'm going to be rich!" Virgil ran excitedly along the waterway.
"Eh—really?"
"Hmph, of course! Once I master the production of Pneuma, I'll become the richest man in Fontaine's underworld! Then, I'll just bribe those annoying nobles, acquire some security automatons, complete the deal with that Nack, and I'll be the king of Fontaine's underworld! Hahaha."
Virgil replied instinctively, quite smug, but then he froze… Where did that voice come from?
He looked towards the source of the voice and saw a girl with blue and white hair and heterochromatic eyes smiling at him. She even waved:
"Hi~"
"Hydro… Archon!" Like a strangled duck, Virgil struggled to utter these words as he looked at the face known to everyone in Fontaine.
Unfortunately, he wasn't one of Furina's admirers and had no fondness for the absurd Hydro Archon.
But even so, he couldn't escape the fear mortals held for gods.
Especially since he was a criminal—and she was the God of Justice.
"Y-you… you stay away!"
"I have a Primordial Crystal! If you come any closer, I'll blow you up!" Lacking the confidence of a true villain, Mr. Virgil could only try to scare her with the remaining Primordial Crystal.
"Mmm… so scary~ Alright, alright, you can go, I'll let you off~"
[Furina] rested her chin in her hand, looking at the Primordial Crystal with a hint of appraisal, then feigned fear and waved her hand dismissively, making way for him.
At this moment, it was Virgil's turn to be stunned.
Huh?
It actually worked?
Honestly, he had just been grasping at straws. Thinking about it, threatening a god with a Primordial Crystal was incredibly foolish. Just recalling it made Virgil tremble, but although he suspected there might be a trick, looking at [Furina] smiling at him, driven by fear, he gritted his teeth and ran past her.
… Nothing happened!
Haha, nothing happened!
Really, nothing happened!
That absurd Hydro Archon actually let me go!
Although somewhat unbelievable, Virgil was both surprised and mocking.
… Strange.
Were these three things here before?
While feeling relieved, Virgil noticed three strange, doll-like figures blocking his path, fiddling with some device.
He was certain he hadn't seen them before.
Feeling a sense of danger, Virgil held his breath, carefully trying to avoid them—although they didn't seem threatening.
But the next moment, the three little things turned their heads simultaneously.
Their watery blue forms made it difficult to discern their expressions, but the moment he was stared at, Virgil seemed to see a red glint.
"Ah… oh… ow, ow, ow!"
A scream like that of Tom Cat echoed in the air.
"Eek… that looks painful."
The blue and white-haired girl, approaching from behind, looked at Virgil, surrounded by the three bullies, and his bruised and swollen face, feeling a twinge of sympathy.
"…You're the one who did this!" [Furina Qiao]—Furina retorted, then looked at the three Oceanid bullies and couldn't help but say, "What are these things… they look quite cute."
Cute, very cute!
Furina, approaching them, wanted to pick one up, and then—a red glint flashed in Mamere's eyes.
Whack!
"Ow!"
Furina, hit in the face by a water bullet, cried out, then exclaimed indignantly, "Why?!"
She just wanted to hug the cute little thing!
"Mmm, they don't like strangers—probably." This explanation dissatisfied Furina, and after some thought, she realized something and was stunned.
Wait, he was using her body!
She was the stranger?!
… Fine, fine, after all, these three little things were created by this bad guy. Furina gritted her teeth and silently accepted this reality.
Then, she looked at Virgil, who was covered in bruises, and asked, puzzled, "Why did you bring this guy into Navia's team?"
"Mmm, I happened to see him at the plaza and wanted to see what would happen when two bad guys teamed up. After all… it takes a thief to catch a thief."
"But he did bring me an unexpected surprise." The blue and white-haired girl said, stroking her chin.
If his attitude towards Marcel was to bring him to justice, catching him red-handed, and perhaps helping Neuvillette find those hidden threats within the Gardes and the Steambird,
Then, for this small-time crook, Virgil, it was just a matter of convenience—he hadn't expected to find traces of Primordial Crystals.
Heterochromatic, divine eyes stared at the Primordial Crystal on the ground. [Furina] picked it up with interest:
"So this is a Primordial Crystal?"
Seeing it in the game and seeing it in reality were completely different experiences.
He could sense the immense power within it, and its unstable nature.
"…Can't you just throw that thing away?" Furina said, slightly scared of the Primordial Crystal.
As the Hydro Archon for five hundred years, she naturally had a deeper understanding of this thing. Those countless accidents… had practically given her PTSD.
Just seeing it nearby made her nervous, afraid that it would explode.
"Don't worry, it won't explode."
"I'm more interested in its origin than the Primordial Crystal itself." Jiang Qiao shook his head slightly, a strange tone in his voice.
Nack, a senior researcher from the Fontaine Akademiya—in the Akademiya storyline, he had successfully demonstrated the potential of humanoid apes. He had originally planned to have the special operations team arrest those two troublesome humanoids.
Unexpectedly, he was now connected to another evildoer, Virgil.
Well, whatever.
Jiang Qiao glanced at the rather quiet chat group. In the mission module, there was a mission he had overlooked before:
[Furina Eliminates Three Evils]
[Please assist the God of Justice in eliminating the humanoid apes within Fontaine to uphold the name of justice. The number must be at least three.]
[Mission Reward: 100 points]
Well, it wasn't that he hadn't noticed it. Virgil was actually one of his targets, but Jiang Qiao was rather casual about these things and hadn't actively pursued completing missions for rewards.
"Alright, things seem to be getting lively inside." [Furina] said, sensing something through the water vapor, shifting her attention from Nack.
Although Focalors had stripped all divine power from this body, there was one thing that couldn't be changed: [Focalors]'s true nature was that of an Oceanid.
And as her vessel, Furina was no exception.
Perhaps the power of an Archon could protect her from dissolving in water like other Fontaine citizens, but changing the essence of life was something even an Archon couldn't do. If they could—Fontaine wouldn't be facing this prophetic crisis.
And this essence allowed [Furina]'s body, even without a Gnosis or Archon power, to retain the characteristics of an Oceanid.
A strong affinity for the Hydro element… combined with a will capable of warping reality.
The result was that even without using the powers he had brought with him, [Furina] still possessed considerable strength.
The three Oceanid bullies, the Seafood Trio, were born from this power.
It was worth noting that when Jiang Qiao created the Seafood Trio, that old coot in Celestia seemed to have some ulterior motives and forcefully sent over a Vision… but since Jiang Qiao didn't like it, he simply dismantled it and used it for his own purposes.
After all, a Vision was just an organ for storing and wielding elemental power. That kind of thing was meaningless to both Jiang Qiao and [Furina].
And the core research area where Navia was located had indeed become quite lively.
Although Virgil's actions had stunned Marcel, with the combined efforts of Navia, a Vision holder, and Fairy Ely, the expert trap disabler, neither the floodgate nor the Primordial Crystal posed much of a problem.
What truly cornered Marcel was the notebook he and Venier had shared.
Reading it to the end, the name revealed was—Marcel.
"This name is the same as Mr. Marcel's. Is it a coincidence?"
"It must be, after all, the age doesn't match!" Lumine and Fairy Ely chimed in, although their voices sounded almost identical.
"Stop it, I trust Uncle Marcel. How could Uncle Marcel be that kind of scum?" Navia said righteously, her trust unwavering—making Marcel, who was about to reveal his true colors, feel a twinge of guilt.
I didn't expect that old dog Callas's daughter to trust me so much!
But the next moment—
"Uncle Marcel has always taken care of me since I was young. How could he be the kind of person who would harm his lover, kill his benefactor, and be worse than a beast?"
"Uncle Marcel, Uncle Marcel, you look a bit pale, are you alright?" The rose-like girl taunted him sarcastically, then looked at him with concern, her tone filled with mockery.
Marcel had a deadpan expression. If he couldn't understand the hidden meaning at this point, he would have lived all these years in vain.
"You're quite sharp-tongued, Navia."
"Just like your damned father, like a piece of gum I can't get rid of, annoying."
"Hmm? I thought you would continue pretending… but you're the only one who has no right to talk about my father, Marcel—no, Vacher."
"Hehe… since you already know, there's nothing more to say."
"Yes, I am the culprit behind the serial disappearances—the Vacher mentioned in the notes you saw." Vacher's face contorted in madness as he roared,
"But I must correct you! I didn't kill Venier! It was you, it was all of you, it was everyone in Fontaine! You're all responsible! It was your indifference that caused all of this!"
"Those girls who were dissolved, it was because of you! Are you happy now?! They're all gone, just like my Venier!"
He pointed at everyone present.
"You're just making excuses, inflicting your pain and misfortune on others." Fairy Ely sighed.
"Ah, indeed, that must be it."
"But what does it matter?"
"Why can they enjoy their families while I'm separated from my Venier? Why?!"
"Do you even remember that you were once an adventurer?" Navia asked, furious yet also feeling a sense of sorrow.
Although Marcel was undoubtedly deceitful, he had been a part of her childhood.
"Adventurer… Heh, to hell with an adventurer's destiny! I'd rather be the one dissolved in the water! It should have been me! It should have been me!"
"But I'm not from Fontaine, I can't dissolve! I can't dissolve!"
Just like in the courtroom, Marcel frantically drank the primordial waters of the Primordial Sea, spilling it everywhere.
"If I can't dissolve, then I can only turn Venier back into a human!"
"I want to turn Venier back into a human, I just want her back by my side! What crime have I committed?!"
With a flick of his sleeve, numbed by the primordial water, Vacher briefly ignored the pain in his body.
"I won't admit it!"
"You have no right, no right to accuse me!"
"You're insane."
"Heh… hehe, as long as Venier can return to my side, what does it matter if I'm insane?"
"After getting rid of you, I can continue my experiments. One day, I will definitely bring Venier back!"
"Security automatons, eliminate them!"
"With these pieces of scrap metal?"
Facing Navia's mockery, Vacher, retreating behind the security automatons, having witnessed their combat abilities, wasn't confident in defeating them, but he snorted:
"Hmph, these alone are indeed not enough… but…"
Clank
He opened a valve on the wall.
The next moment—the previously calm primordial waters of the Primordial Sea suddenly surged.
"This primordial spring is being held back by this pressure valve. Now, the water level will rise, and this entire ruin will be submerged by the primordial water."
"You're insane! The Belo Plain is right outside! The Palais Mermonia will also be affected!"
"So what?! Let them die! Those damned Gardes, those greedy nobles! They're ten, no, nine times more disgusting than Snezhnaya's fat cats! People like them deserve to die!"
"As for you, stop worrying about others and worry about yourselves!"
"Primordial waters of the Primordial Sea, drown everything!" Vacher spread his arms, his expression crazed and excited.
In the past, he had resented his inability to dissolve in water. Now, facing the surging primordial water, this guarantee of his safety had become a source of pride.
The iridescent water surged like erupting lava. He looked at Navia with a sinister smile, "Navia, there's no Callas to protect you this time."
"Dissolve in the primordial water and become a part of my experiment!"
Dissolve! Dissolve!
As Vacher stared intently at Navia, anticipating her dissolution… the blue and white-haired girl suddenly appeared in front of her.
At this moment, the surging primordial water froze, as if its throat had been choked.