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Pretending that he had finished handling a commission, Shao Yun collected his reward from Katheryne and returned to the Spina di Rosula base at Fleuve Cendre to rest.
The moment he entered the room, Shao Yun immediately changed out of Dutch van der Linde's "Gang Leader" outfit and switched back into his own "Gunslinger" outfit.
Since he wasn't accompanying Lumine on a shopping trip, Shao Yun still preferred wearing this set. There was no other reason—its buff that reduced Core Health, Core Stamina, and Deadeye consumption by sixty percent was simply far too practical!
Just then, the system suddenly popped up a question.
[How do you feel after doing all this?]
Shao Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of intoxication appearing on his face as he slowly spoke. "I don't really know. I just feel that sense of controlling everything, of leading everyone."
"And that feeling of satisfaction when countless followers behind you look at you with awe. I even feel like, if I wanted to, I could lead them straight into a bank robbery in the very next second."
After listening to Shao Yun's description, the system immediately offered a vivid metaphor.
[Like a king conferring knighthood?]
Seeing this line, Shao Yun couldn't help but smile knowingly—he instantly understood whose famous words the system was borrowing.
"That's right. It's exactly what that old man once said by the campfire. Don't let his usual lazy, gluttonous appearance fool you—his judgment of people is actually incredibly accurate."
Then Shao Yun shook his head and denied it. "But you misjudged me this time. I don't want to be any kind of king. You know my biggest dream is to open a ranch."
Setting aside whether Shao Yun wanted to be a so-called "king," the system predicted the consequences of his actions.
[You have triggered a massive wave of public opinion. Next, Fontaine may see a large-scale debate surrounding the 'death penalty.']
Hearing this, Shao Yun appeared completely indifferent. He casually waved his hand, responding with clear boredom.
"I don't care. What matters is that Marcel—or this guy Vacher—was tortured to death by me! The victims' families are happy, and so am I."
After saying that, a trace of coldness appeared on Shao Yun's face as he continued. "As for those who stayed behind to cover the retreat, they were never going to escape judgment anyway."
"And through judging them, you can even obtain a certain amount of Indemnitium Energy. I imagine even Furina would be grateful to me for that. Everyone wins!"
After hearing Shao Yun's words, the system became noticeably wary.
[I can feel that you are enjoying the pleasure this brings.]
Faced with the system's suspicion, Shao Yun flatly denied it. "I'm not enjoying anything!"
"It's just that damned Vacher didn't check the almanac before launching his attack! If Lumine hadn't even gotten a scratch, I wouldn't have bothered with him at all!"
Just then, the system suddenly posed a thought-provoking question.
[Then why did you leave behind the name Dutch van der Linde? Do you crave fame?]
Shao Yun shook his head blankly, muttering to himself, "To be honest, I really don't know why I did that. I don't even understand why I left that name behind."
After a brief silence, the system gave its assessment.
[Within two days, the name Dutch van der Linde will likely spread through Fontaine like a flood—perhaps even across all of Teyvat.]
However, Shao Yun remained unusually calm and replied lightly. "As long as I don't put on Dutch van der Linde's clothes again, no matter how loud that name gets, it won't matter."
Then the system spoke a line filled with philosophy.
[Once a person tastes the joy brought by power and fame, they won't stop. That pleasure is even more terrifying than drugs.]
Hearing this, Shao Yun casually picked at his ear and said impatiently, "Say whatever you want. To me, it's all just meaningless talk."
"Instead of pretending to be some grand philosopher, you'd be better off helping me plan a Fontaine travel guide."
Seeing Shao Yun's attitude, the system did not respond directly. Instead, it deftly changed the subject.
[Setting that aside, your wife and kid are almost home.]
…
At the instant the system vanished, the door slowly opened.
Lumine and Paimon walked in, both wearing troubled expressions.
Shao Yun adopted the posture of someone who had been waiting a long time and asked with a smile, "Lumine? You're finally back?"
However, Lumine did not respond to his greeting. Her gaze first settled on Shao Yun, and after exchanging a look with Paimon beside her, she asked seriously, "Shao Yun, the one who abducted Vacher this morning… was that you?"
Hearing this question, Shao Yun froze for a moment before putting on a look of complete ignorance, widening his eyes as he asked back, "What? Vacher was abducted?!"
Lumine stared intently at Shao Yun's expression, trying to find even the slightest flaw.
But Shao Yun's acting was simply too flawless. Left with no choice, she asked again in confusion, "Vacher was taken away. You really don't know anything about this at all?"
Shao Yun deliberately rolled his eyes in mock annoyance and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Fontaine's security is really that bad now? Looks like the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt are worth more and more—at least Acting Grand Master Jean didn't let the 'Raptor' escape."
After saying that, he shook his head lightly, as if deeply dissatisfied with Fontaine's public security.
…
At the same time, in Mondstadt.
"Ah-choo!"
"Acting Grand Master Jean, did you catch a cold?"
"It's nothing, Noelle. My nose just feels a bit itchy."
"An itchy nose… could it be dust in the office…?"
"No, Noelle. The room is very clean. It's probably someone talking about me—Barbatos is reminding me."
…
Seeing Shao Yun mock Fontaine's security so casually, most of Lumine's suspicions instantly dissipated.
She sighed helplessly and muttered, "Alright… it looks like you really don't know anything about it."
At that, Shao Yun pretended to grow interested and asked with obvious curiosity, "So what exactly happened? Tell me about it."
…
Time rewound to not long ago at the Opera Epiclese.
Due to the security cordon, Lumine and Paimon had not gone outside.
Only after "Dutch van der Linde," played by Shao Yun, had left did they learn that the victims' families of the serial disappearance cases had abducted Vacher under the leadership of a mysterious figure.
At that time, Charlotte had been fully focused on organizing reports from the courtroom scene, along with first-hand information from the prison break incident.
Just over ten minutes earlier, Charlotte had originally been compiling the trial report.
But unexpectedly, today turned into a two-for-one—under the help of a mysterious man, the victims' families abducted "Vacher" and openly criticized Fontaine's laws.
This could no longer be described as sensational. Ever since Neuvillette became Chief Justice, in the past three to four hundred years, no one had ever criticized Fontaine's legal system so openly!
Charlotte herself had been present during "Shao Yun's" prison break and had taken many photographs, providing abundant material.
"My Archon, this news is way too explosive!" Charlotte could barely suppress her excitement, her voice trembling slightly.
She knew very well that this bombshell would cause a massive uproar and become the hottest topic in all of Fontaine.
Seeing Charlotte grinning at photos and manuscripts with complete absorption, Paimon felt a bit awkward.
She cleared her throat and said, "Charlotte, so you were here too? As expected—wherever something explosive happens, you always show up."
Charlotte looked up at the sound, saw Lumine and Paimon standing there, quickly put away her materials, and greeted them with a smile.
"So, it's Lumine and Paimon! What a coincidence—you two are here as well!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Charlotte's reporter instincts kicked in.
She flashed a sly, bright smile and continued, "I'm starting to suspect you two have some kind of special constitution."
"Wherever you go, eye-catching major news is guaranteed to happen!"
Hearing Charlotte's vivid analogy, Paimon immediately looked embarrassed.
She replied hesitantly, "Ah… well… when you put it that way, it does kind of make sense… but it still feels a bit weird to hear…"
Realizing she might have gotten carried away, Charlotte coughed lightly to cover the awkwardness and quickly explained, "Ah, sorry about that. I just got a little too excited."
"You have to understand—within just one short week, so many shocking stories broke one after another. I'm practically boiling with excitement."
"First, Monsieur Tacitus defeated the strongest Duelist Champion, Miss Clorinde, by striking second in a duel. And now, a mysterious gunman injured both the strongest Duelist Champion Clorinde and Special Training Unit Captain Chevreuse!"
"It feels like a storm is about to sweep across Fontaine!"
Seeing Charlotte grow more and more excited, Lumine felt a bit worried and kindly reminded her, "Charlotte, you shouldn't fabricate stories just to attract attention."
Hearing this, Charlotte froze for a moment, then thumped her chest confidently and promised, "Oh, don't worry! I know what I'm doing."
"My reporting follows verification as restraint, truth as duty, independence as priority, supervision as responsibility, conscience as principle, and relevance and interest as its essence."
"So, there's no way I'd ever ruin my own reputation! I worked hard to win the 'La Verite Prize,' after all—how could I smash my own signboard?"
Just then, as if recalling something, Charlotte added thoughtfully, "But that said, there really are some unethical tabloids out there. They'll do anything for attention."
"They've already painted Clorinde as a complete failure!"
"Even worse, some low-grade tabloids over in Fleuve Cendre are calling her a flashy fraud—strong on the outside, weak on the inside! That's just outrageous!"
Hearing this, Paimon immediately put her hands on her hips, her little face flushed red with anger. "Hmph! How can they write such false reports?! Clorinde is obviously super strong! This is infuriating!"
Charlotte shook her head lightly. "I'll fight those baseless reports to the end."
"But you two should also spend some time comforting Clorinde. Her injuries this time are really serious."
Hearing Charlotte suggest comforting Clorinde, Paimon looked utterly confused and asked, "Comfort her? What do you mean?"
Charlotte was equally surprised and asked back, "Huh? Shouldn't you?"
"I saw you all laughing and having dinner together a couple of days ago. You seemed pretty close."
"When a friend suffers a setback or gets hurt, offering some warmth and comfort is only natural, isn't it?"
Only then did Paimon realize Charlotte was talking about the dinner they had shared with Clorinde four days ago. Her mouth dropped open in surprise.
"Huh? Charlotte, how did you know we ate with Clorinde?"
Charlotte blinked playfully and smiled slyly. "Hehe, Hotel Debord is really close to the Steambird office."
"On payday a couple of days ago, I went there for a nice meal. Just as I was about to leave, I happened to see you all come in."
"I was planning to interview you after you finished eating, but then… the assassin incident happened."
Upon learning Charlotte had also been present during that incident, Lumine quickly asked, "Then Charlotte, did you write an article about what happened that day too?"
Charlotte nodded without hesitation and replied matter-of-factly, "Of course! Don't tell me you never buy the daily Steambird? Big events like that are always front-page news."
She looked at Lumine and Paimon with mild surprise.
The two exchanged glances—neither of them had ever formed the habit of buying newspapers.
After a moment, Lumine shrugged helplessly, crossed her arms, and muttered softly, "Looks like we'll need to buy fewer detective novels and spend more money on the Steambird from now on."
Beside her, Paimon nodded vigorously in agreement. "Yeah, yeah! If we don't read the news more, we're going to miss a lot of important stuff!"
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