Yes, Lady Funina!

"Wait a minute..."

After speaking, Lynette used her wind elemental power to create a small vortex around her. The cyan wind elemental power swirled around her diving suit, as if it were strengthening something. After a while, the wind elemental power dissipated, and Lynette's speaking speed returned to normal.

“Alright, we can go now.” With that, Lynette took the lead and walked briskly into the depths of the ruins.

It's as if the wind elemental force just now really helped.

Soon the two arrived at the depths of the ruins. Along the way, they found some footprints in the corridor. Although the footprints were messy, they were all clearly the work of one person. Some were new, some were old, and the most recent footprints must have been left a few days ago.

A few days ago was the day the incident occurred at the Fontaine Academy of Sciences. Perhaps that person thought it was time for 'Les' to reappear in everyone's sight, so he came here to collect the original fetal seawater to make Les.

"Is there any virgin seawater here?" Lynette asked Richard. Because she was wearing a thick diving suit, the suit not only protected her from the dangerous virgin seawater but also reduced her ability to observe her surroundings.

"Yes." Richard could already sense the composition of the primordial fetal seawater in the air.

Richard followed his instincts and walked forward. After a few steps, he discovered a small spring, inside which was the primordial seawater he was looking for.

Besides the fetal water, Richard discovered that this was also a small room with a desk, stools, a simple cot, and bookshelves filled with documents. In addition, there were some storage boxes piled up in the corner, the contents of which were unknown.

The room was filled with traces of people having lived there, but most of these traces were from a long time ago; even the desk was covered with a thick layer of dust.

Judging from the experimental equipment on the desk, this used to be a simple laboratory, but it is now abandoned and used only as a source of raw materials for fetal seawater.

Lynette picked up an experimental notebook and turned the pages with some difficulty.

"[Experiment No. 16 aims to verify and break through Jacob Ingord's conclusions on the primordial cephalic region...]"

"[The experiment failed. No one surfaced from the primordial sea of ​​conception. Girls number 22, 23, and 24 were dissolved.]"

Lynette read the contents aloud expressionlessly, but the pages, wrinkled from her grip, betrayed her anger.

Even Richard, who was standing to the side, fell silent upon hearing what Lynette was reading. Each cold, impersonal number could very well represent the life of a vibrant young girl, and behind each missing girl could be the shattering of a family.

The guy who conducted this evil human experimentation is, unsurprisingly, the culprit behind the series of missing girls.

Richard then looked at the contents of the other notebooks on the table, and without exception, he saw that familiar name in every single one of them—'Vasha'.

Vasher, who disappeared more than a decade ago, has now been found here. Richard also discovered that the experimental vessels were labeled with markings such as "In Preparation", "Completed", and "Sample", and there were even fruit-flavored L'Oreal.

Without a doubt, the culprit behind the series of missing girls is also the mastermind behind the creation of 'Les'.

As for 'Vashe', he should have changed his identity and is now living in Fontaine under another identity. In fact, because of 'Les', he may be doing quite well.

This is really...

Richard's face was grim. This time, not only for his own sake, but also for the lives of these innocent victims, he had to bring them to justice.

“These boxes are full of women’s products, and they’re categorized with labels.” Lynette put down her lab notes and went back to the storage boxes, where she noticed this.

The sheer number of boxes means that the number of murdered girls is far greater than the number of girls who have been registered in the serial disappearance cases!

“Collect them all as evidence. I will use my power to temporarily seal this place. Although I don’t know how much Primal Fetal Seawater Vashes took from here last time, as long as the source is sealed, unless the other party has other sources of Primal Fetal Seawater, it should be difficult for them to produce ‘Les’ again.”

Li realized that the other party probably didn't have any other places to obtain primordial fetal seawater. According to his investigation, primordial fetal seawater mostly exists in the seabed where ordinary humans cannot reach. It would be difficult to find another place like this where ordinary people can access primordial fetal seawater.

However, Richard did not adopt the strategy of waiting passively for the criminal named Vasher to come to him, as that would be too slow, and it was uncertain whether there would be any more innocent victims this time.

He planned to first seal the place to prevent it from using the primordial fetal water, and then use a trick to alert it and throw it into disarray. Once a flaw appeared, Richard would personally arrest it.

As for how to alert the enemy... that's the key.

It should be noted that the official 'culprit' in the serial disappearances of young girls is none other than the former president of the Rose of Thorns Society—Kares, and based on the evidence in his possession, there is no doubt that Kares is innocent.

The person who was capable of framing the leader of a major power must have had extremely close ties with that organization; at the very least, they must have been very familiar with the Rose Thorn Society.

According to known intelligence, Carles had been fighting against the 'Les' trafficking gang before his death in the Honor Duel.

Given his abilities, Vashe wouldn't go to such lengths to ruin Carles's reputation. After all, doing so would not only fail to resolve their conflict but would also exacerbate it, prompting the Rose Society to focus all its efforts on dealing with the 'Les' sales gang.

Therefore, Richard speculated that it was highly likely that Carles possessed some crucial evidence, which led him to finally decide to break ties with the Rose Society. Although what happened at the time is unknown, and whether a full-blown conflict erupted in private, it no longer matters, because the result is already in: Vasher won.

The name of "Injustice Kares" spread throughout Fontaine, and the Rose Society suffered a heavy blow as a result. It has not yet recovered, and its forces have retreated to White Song Town to lick their wounds.

"Take a look at this." Lynette handed Richard another notebook, which looked like a diary and was quite old.

After reading the above, Richard finally understood why Vasher was so determined to use young girls for human experimentation.

It turns out that Vasher's lover, [Veneer], was also a victim of the Primal Embryo Seawater. It seems that she accidentally touched the Primal Embryo Seawater during her adventure and then dissolved in front of Vasher. Vasher wanted to find a way to bring his dissolved lover back through experiments.

The diary also states that Vashe himself tried various methods of using the Primal Fetal Water, such as touching, ingesting, and applying it externally, in an attempt to follow his lover to the afterlife. However, because Vashe was not a Fontaineese but a Winterborn, the Primal Fetal Water had no effect on him, and all attempts ended in failure.

Perhaps it was precisely because he could not follow his lover into the afterlife that he conceived the idea of ​​finding a way to bring her back.

This led to a series of tragedies that followed.

'Les' is a byproduct of human research, used to collect funds for research while also infiltrating Fontaine to cover up his criminal activities.

Over a decade, coupled with the highly profitable illegal beverage 'Less,' it was certainly enough for an unknown adventurer to build a massive black market operation in Fontainebleau.

In addition to Vacher's diary, Lynette also found the diary of Vacher's lover, Vinier, and an investigation report about Carles.

The former diary only recorded some sweet daily moments of romance, which seemed to have no connection with the current situation, while the latter corroborated Richard's previous speculation.

—Kares was indeed wronged.

This report details the change in the Vashe gang's attitude towards Kares, and proves that Kares did indeed possess some crucial evidence, forcing them to kill to silence him while also being hesitant to act against Navia.

The rest is much easier. Richard's task now is to find the current owner of the Rose of the Thorns, Navia, Carles' daughter, and ask her about the crucial clues her father found back then.

You should know that Miss Navia has been trying to exonerate her father in recent years, and the report that Richard has now is enough to make her lower her guard and cooperate with him.

Hmm, perhaps contacting Navia could be left to Clorind. This would be a good opportunity for the two to clear up their misunderstandings and put Clorind's mind at ease.

Oh, Clorind, Clorind, you owe me so much, how will you ever repay me?

Richard was already thinking about how to use the other party after this incident was over.

After gathering most of the evidence, Richard and Lynette returned to Fontaine.

Before leaving, Lynette specifically asked, "With so much virgin fetal water, aren't you going to take some with you?"

She knew that the original fetal seawater was actually beneficial to Richard, as it could enhance his strength.

Richard, however, was unconcerned. His current power was more than enough, and the improvement brought by the Primal Embryo Seawater was merely a drop in the ocean. Without going to the alien space that nurtured the Primal Embryo Seawater, he would ultimately be unable to achieve a qualitative improvement.

Not to mention that countless young girls may have dissolved in the primordial seawater here. Although Richard is not a germaphobe, he does not want to be indirectly tainted by the sins here.

When the murderer is brought to justice and the souls of all the innocent girls who have died are finally at peace, Richard... will not drink this primordial seawater.

It's too salty, it doesn't taste good at all.

Upon returning to Fontaine, Richard immediately sought out Clarinde, who was at the time accompanying Frynn to a theatrical performance.

When Funina saw Richard, her eyes lit up. Then she sniffed and looked curious: "You smell salty. Did you just come back from the beach?"

Richard looked at Funina with surprise. "You can smell that too?"

"Yes, Lady Funina."

"It's not work time now, so there's no need to use honorifics."

“Okay, Fryna, Lynette and I did just come back from the beach.”

"You should still call me Lady Funina!"

Faced with Funina's sudden change of expression, Richard's forehead creased with a few black lines. What exactly do you want?

Meanwhile, Funina crossed her arms, looking very angry.

She wasn't angry because Richard and Lynette went on a date alone... well, maybe a little bit.

But Funina felt that she was probably more angry because Richard went to play outside Fontainebleau without her. That's right! That's exactly it!

Richard temporarily ignored the sour Furness and turned his gaze to Clarinde beside him.

"Clorind, there's something I need you to do."

"Me?" Clorind pointed to herself, not expecting that she would be involved.

She didn't even use any resignation tricks, so why is she in the news again?

Why don't you check what time it is? Today is the weekend! A public holiday in Fontainebleau!

I'm so angry and cold! What did you promise me back then?! Is this how you give me a two-day weekend?!

Clarinde was very angry, the kind of anger that couldn't be appeased.

Richard didn't intend to coax her. "Help me contact Navia. I have some evidence on hand regarding Mr. Carles. Don't you have a misunderstanding with her? This is a good opportunity to clear it up."

“Okay, I’ll get going right away,” Clarinde said obediently, her anger subsiding.

Volume 1: Chapter 79 Funina: As expected of me~

"You mean the killer in the serial disappearances of girls isn't actually Kares of the Rose Society, but someone else—an adventurer who disappeared over a decade ago, and the mastermind behind the sale of the illegal beverage 'Les'?"

Fu Ningna was overwhelmed by the amount of information she received, and she felt a little dizzy. How could Richard know so much in just one morning?

What on earth did he do with Lynette?!

“Yes, Lady Furina. Linette and I found the place where ‘Les’ was produced. There we found a series of documents that can be called decisive evidence. The missing girls were dissolved by Vashes using the primordial seawater, just like our previous treasure-hunting leader, who turned into water.”

"Wait a minute, what is primordial fetal water? Why do I feel like you know a lot of things I don't? What did you all do this weekend while I was away?" Funina gestured for Richard to wait a moment so she could sort out her thoughts.

The information flooded in all at once, to the point that Funina couldn't tell who the murderer was, who Vashe was, or what the primordial fetal seawater was.

"It's too complicated to explain now. Let's find a quiet place first, and then I'll explain it to you all when Clorind comes back."

Soon, Clorind led a skeptical Navia and her two little followers to a lounge in the Moman Palace.

Lynette also entered the meeting room carrying a magic bag full of evidence.

By this time, she had already put the bulky diving suit back home, taken a quick shower, and changed back into her professional secretary attire.

"Miss Navia, please have some tea." Linette placed the tea in front of everyone, then found a seat for herself.

“Mr. Richard, do you really have direct evidence that my father was wronged? I... I don’t mean to doubt you, I mean I…” Navia obviously didn’t care about the red tea anymore, she just wanted to know if what Richard said was true.

It concerned her father, and it was the answer she had been searching for all these years. Now, someone suddenly told her that the answer had been found, and Navia's first reaction was disbelief.

“Yes, Miss Navia, please don’t rush. Let me explain slowly. And to find the mastermind behind this, we need your cooperation and that of the Rose Society behind you…” Richard reassured her.

"Cooperate, catch the murderer, no problem, Mr. Richard. As long as you can prove what you're saying is true, I'll do whatever you ask," the stunningly beautiful young lady in her luxurious attire said earnestly.

Oh? Really, it's okay to do anything?

Richard didn't have any of those dirty thoughts; he just wanted to argue a bit.

However, Richard ultimately refrained from asking her if he could do a math problem, since Navia seemed genuinely anxious, and the current atmosphere wasn't really suitable for jokes.

Richard slowly recounted the information he had gathered from the ruins to Navia, while Lynette distributed the evidence she had collected from the ruins to everyone present for their review.

Although Fulina didn't know what had happened, she examined the evidence quite carefully, especially when she saw the notebook that recorded human experiments, she let out a gasp.

"Outrageous, absolutely outrageous! I can't imagine that such a horrifying thing could happen in a 'just' country." Clearly, Funina was also shocked by what she had read.

Vasher, who has taken the lives of dozens or even hundreds of people, is clearly guilty of countless crimes, not to mention the countless families indirectly harmed by the 'Les' he created.

It is truly a major scourge in Fontainebleau, and the damage it has caused to the city is immeasurable.

“Father…” Navia, after forcing back her tears and reading through all the evidence, finally couldn’t help but sob softly.

“Young Miss…” The follower behind her named Myles hesitated, as if he had something to say.

"Does Mr. Miles know something?" Richard asked immediately, realizing this.

As a long-time subordinate of Kares and one of the core members Kares left for Navia, this old man clearly knew a lot of inside information.

“Yes, Mr. Richard.” Miles did not deny it; at this point, there was no need to hide it any longer.

Everyone present was trustworthy. Whether it was Clarinde, the water goddess Funina, or Richard and his secretary Lynette, none of them could be infiltrated by the 'Les' gang.

Navia, her eyes also brimming with tears and slightly red, looked at Miles and said in a thick nasal voice, "So you do know something, Miles."

“Actually, the boss knew about the connection between ‘Les’ and the ‘serial disappearances of girls’ a long time ago,” Myles said.

"Then why doesn't he just say it directly?" Funina asked, puzzled.

“Because he only knows that the two are connected, but he doesn’t know who the mastermind is. Once he reveals it, Navia will probably be in danger. For a father, what could be more important than his daughter’s safety?” Richard said.

“Mr. Richard is right. At the time, the boss was wary of the other party’s ability to turn people into water, and he also knew that if he acted rashly, Miss, your safety would be in mortal danger.” Myles sighed, seemingly lamenting his boss’s choice.

"Even if it meant sacrificing his reputation before and after his death, Mr. Carres was truly a great father to protect his daughter."

"What about the Special Patrol Team? What about Shadow Chaser's Court? Haven't they done anything?" Funina asked again.

"Lady Funina, I'm afraid the Special Patrol Team and the Shadow Chaser's Court have been almost completely infiltrated by now. Haven't you noticed that in several raids organized by the Special Patrol Team and the Shadow Chaser's Court, all they've gained is a few boxes of 'Les' and a few petty thieves?

“Hmm…” Funina was speechless. She had clearly realized that Cares was in a truly helpless and desperate situation at that time.