Fontaine's Grand Stage: Come If You Dare! (Genshin Impact)

After identifying themselves, Lofan and his team were led into the mansion by the butler. There, they encountered a haggard, slightly overweight middle-aged man.

When he saw them, his eyes lit up with desperate hope. He rushed forward, seized Lofan's hands, and pleaded in a trembling voice, "Officer, I beg you, you must find my daughter! She's so young, she hasn't experienced so many wonderful things yet... Why... why her?!"

His face contorted with unbearable anguish. Lofan and his team could only offer him what comfort they could.

The man soon led them to the crime scene—the young girl's bedroom—to begin their investigation. Fortunately, he had preserved the scene, preventing anyone from disturbing the evidence.

Upon entering the room, they noticed scattered belongings and clothing strewn across the floor. It appeared the girl had panicked when she realized a stranger was in her room.

Before arriving, Lofan had already assessed the height of the courtyard wall. For aesthetic reasons, the wealthy merchant hadn't added many anti-climbing features. Although the wall stood approximately five meters tall, it could easily be scaled with simple tools.

Moreover, this was a magical world. Even without a Vision, countless methods existed to effortlessly bypass such barriers. The merchant prioritized hiring bodyguards for his security.

Along the way, Lofan noticed several guards posted at strategic locations throughout the estate, their defensive arrangements impressively thorough. He wondered if this level of vigilance had always been maintained.

If security had consistently been this tight, then the explanation must lie either in the culprit's extraordinary strength or the possibility that the guards had been bribed.

Lofan pondered this briefly, then shook his head.

No, no, no. The most pressing question remained: how did the culprit manage to make a living person disappear?

It was late afternoon, nearing evening—precisely when pedestrian traffic peaked. Abducting a person in broad daylight would be incredibly difficult.

Lofan had considered the possibility of secret passages, but Navia, with her Geo Elemental Power, had detected no large underground spaces. That theory was quickly dismissed.

It made sense. If finding a secret passage were this simple, the case wouldn't have remained unsolved for nearly eighteen years.

By comparing descriptions from previous incidents, the group had already determined that the culprit was the perpetrator of the Serial Disappearance Case.

Upon realizing this, Navia's mood immediately soured. This case was highly likely connected to her father's death.

She turned to Lofan, hoping he might offer a unique perspective.

"There's no trace of Elemental Power," Vinani announced. "The perpetrator didn't use any Elemental Power." This was crucial, suggesting the culprit likely didn't possess a Vision or even any elemental-imbued equipment.

"What about Pneumousia Energy?" Lofan asked.

"Monsieur Henry, you know I'm not omniscient," Vinani replied, waving her small arms in exasperation. "Detecting Pneumousia Energy requires specialized instruments..."

"Wait, the color of this liquid..." Lofan suddenly noticed something and crouched down to examine it closely.

"Hey, let me finish first, geez," Vinani grumbled softly before turning her attention to the clue Lofan had discovered.

"Miss Vinani, what do you make of this puddle on the ground?"

"It doesn't seem too bad... Could there be poison in the water?"

As she spoke, Vinani realized something was wrong with the liquid.

"Poison? Close enough. I suspect this is diluted Sinthe."

The liquid was a pale blue, so subtle that it would be easy to mistake it for ordinary water under normal lighting.

To verify his theory, Lofan dipped a finger into the liquid and, under the astonished gaze of the group, put it in his mouth.

"Wait! Let the professionals analyze it! This is too risky!" Vinani panicked, trying to stop Lofan, but it was too late.

"It's fine. This is faster."

Lofan squinted slightly, feeling the liquid's slight sting. "Just as I thought. This liquid contains Sinthe, though it's heavily diluted."

"What do you mean, 'It's fine'?! Do you realize how dangerous that was?!" Vinani's voice rose sharply, her anger surprising Lofan.

He turned to look at her, then froze. Vinani's face was contorted with a fury he had never seen before.

For a moment, Lofan was silent.

At that moment, Navia stepped forward to defuse the tension.

"Miss Vinani is right, Monsieur Henry. What you're doing is far too dangerous."

"While solving the case quickly is important, you must also take care of yourself."

At that moment, Melus and Silver chimed in, echoing the sentiment.

"Yes, Monsieur Henry."

Lofan nodded.

"I understand," he said earnestly, looking at Vinani. "It won't happen again."

Although the System's new features had largely made it unnecessary for him to consciously control his body for suicide, the underlying influence still lingered.

Lofan's promise wasn't born of Vinani's concern, but from his realization that his recent behavior had been highly abnormal. Such eccentricities could easily arouse suspicion among sharp-witted observers, potentially jeopardizing his plans.

Hearing Lofan's assurance, Vinani's expression softened as she refocused on the case.

"It seems the missing girl purchased Sinthe earlier. But that belongs to another investigation, doesn't it?"

Vinani didn't believe Sinthe was connected to the Serial Disappearance Case. Her comment served as a subtle reminder that Lofan should prioritize solving the current case and rescuing the missing girls, rather than getting distracted by other leads.

But could there truly be no connection?

The presence of Sinthe in the spilled liquid on the floor was certainly puzzling. Lofan glanced at the overturned flower vase; the liquid appeared to have leaked from it.

But using Sinthe to water flowers? That seemed far too bizarre to be true.

Lofan didn't believe in such convenient coincidences, though he couldn't yet grasp the underlying connection.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the distance.

When Captain Elton saw Henry already at the crime scene, he felt as if his savior had arrived.

"Brother Henry, you're already here! I was just wondering how to contact you."

"I feel much better knowing you're here," Elton said, visibly relieved.

"Anything you've found so far?"

Lofan shook his head slightly. "We just arrived ourselves. We haven't even finished examining the scene yet."

"Alright," Elton said, a hint of disappointment crossing his face. He quickly continued, "Any hunches? Should we use that technique?"

The Maison Gardiennage officers around them stirred with excitement. Could they witness that legendary technique again so soon?

Lofan had initially used his "special state" as an excuse, but now he felt trapped.

Reluctantly, he replied, "That state is too mentally taxing. I can't just activate it on demand."

"Now that everyone's here, let's all help search the scene."

Though slightly disappointed at not seeing the "sleeping Henry" in action, the officers immediately began investigating the crime scene.

The results of their investigation came quickly.

"Besides the liquid on the floor, there's another peculiar detail: a complete outfit of clothing submerged in it."

"Though it's possible the missing girl had a peculiar hobby, like mixing and matching clothes to see how they looked together."

After hearing the investigation report, Lofan focused his attention on the retrieved clothing and suddenly froze.

"Miss Vinani," he said, "do you think someone's hobby would extend to meticulously coordinating even their underwear, something no one sees?"

"If there were a mannequin to dress, it might make sense. But as it is, doesn't it look more like a girl was wearing these clothes when her body suddenly vanished?"

Vinani paused slightly, not because she was shocked by Lofan's audacious theory, but rather...

"Monsieur Henry, how could you entertain such an absurd idea?"

"Exactly, Deputy Captain Henry!"

"We deeply respect your deductive skills, but how could a person simply vanish?"

"Such unscientific things can't possibly happen. We must trust in science!"

Lofan: "???"

Now it was Lofan's turn to be dumbfounded.

Good grief! he thought. This world has Archons and Dragon Sovereigns, so many extraordinary powers... and you're telling me to trust in science?!

"What are you all talking about?" he blurted out.

"While this deduction might seem far-fetched, it's not entirely impossible in this world."

The moment Lofan finished speaking, everyone froze, Vinani's brow furrowing deeply.

"Monsieur Henry, you can't be serious, can you?"

"Brother Henry, are you under too much stress? Maybe you should take a break."

Lofan stared at Captain Elton in bewilderment. For a fleeting moment, he even wondered if Fontaine might be a particularly peculiar place.

His reasoning still makes sense! he thought. With the System's Skills backing him up, how can no one believe him?!

"No, think about it," Lofan insisted.

"In Mondstadt, there's Stormterror, a dragon that can blow entire houses into the sky."

"I think I read about that in some chronicle."

The others exchanged glances before turning their attention back to Lofan.

"In Liyue, there's a Geo Dragon made entirely of stone that can actually speak."

"In Inazuma, there's an island populated by spirits, and whenever a thick fog rolls in, time itself resets."

"And in Sumeru..."

As Lofan finished, the others nodded in agreement.

"The other nations sound truly fascinating!" one of them exclaimed. "So many wondrous places. I'd love to travel and see them all firsthand someday."

"Brother Henry, I never expected you knew so much! I might have to send my daughter to learn from you!"

Lofan took a deep breath and said, "So, about the recent disappearances in Fontaine..."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"How could someone just vanish into thin air?"

"We must trust in science!"

I'm done! Lofan thought.

He suspected they were deliberately feigning ignorance to mock him, but upon closer inspection, they seemed genuinely clueless.

They're truly fools!

Lofan finally understood why this case had remained unsolved for nearly eighteen years.

The entire Maison Gardiennage is staffed with Hidden threats!

And the Court of Justice and Marechaussee Phantom are no better!

"Alright, alright, Brother Henry," Captain Elton said. "You must be exhausted. Go get some rest and leave this to us for now."

Though reluctant to leave, Lofan could see the captain's concern and had no choice but to comply.

"I really do need some rest," Lofan muttered through gritted teeth as he turned away.

If he kept dragging these fools along, he'd only distance himself further from solving the case.

It seems I'll have to resort to unconventional methods.

At the very least, I need to convince these people that disappearances are possible.

Lofan couldn't understand why the bizarre events that plagued other nations were dismissed as impossible in Fontaine.

Vinani noticed Lofan's growing frustration and hesitated, ultimately deciding not to follow him.

Navia, however, exchanged a glance with Melus and Silver before hurrying after Lofan.

They quickly left the mansion and quickened their pace to catch up.

"Monsieur Henry," Navia called out.

Hearing her voice, Lofan feigned surprise at her presence and turned around with a slightly exaggerated expression.

"Miss Navia, is there something else you needed?" he asked. "If it's about Sinthe, given the circumstances, we'll have to reschedule our collaboration."

"No, actually, I wanted to tell you, Monsieur Henry, that I agree with your theory about people disappearing."

Navia recalled a peculiar detail from her father's case some time ago: a complete set of clothing had been found at the scene. Despite her efforts, she had never been able to explain it and had eventually given up. But Lofan's words today had stirred those memories anew.

Lofan felt a wave of relief at Navia's support. Thank goodness someone agrees with me, he thought. Otherwise, I'd start to wonder if I'm the one who's not normal.

"Melus, you're more familiar with this case than I am. Why don't you explain it to Monsieur Henry?" Navia suggested.

"Certainly, Miss Navia," Melus replied.

He stepped forward and recounted the case from approximately six months prior.

As Lofan listened to the suspicious details, his confidence in his own deductions grew stronger.

"Two gunshots, but only one wound," Melus pointed out. "If the deceased was truly Monsieur Callas's close friend, why would the killer need two shots?"

"Moreover," he continued, "the clothing left at the scene undoubtedly proves that a third person was present. However, they managed to vanish before the Maison Gardiennage officers arrived."

Lofan turned apologetically to Navia. "It seems there's more to this case than meets the eye. I sincerely apologize for allowing Monsieur Callas to die under the false accusation of betraying his friend."

Lofan's words deeply touched Navia, and she quickly waved her hand. "This has nothing to do with Monsieur Henry. You don't need to apologize to me."

"But I'm a member of the Maison Gardiennage," Lofan replied.

His words moved Navia even more. After a long pause, she sighed, "If only Monsieur Henry had been in charge of the case back then, things might have been different."

"I'm certain there's a connection between these two incidents," she added.

"Miss Navia, I promise to do everything in my power to catch the culprit and clear your father, Monsieur Callas's, name," Lofan vowed.

Hearing his solemn pledge, Navia nodded gravely. "With this promise, you will forever be a friend of Spina di Rosula."

"From now on, if you need any assistance with your investigations, Spina di Rosula will provide Monsieur Henry with whatever resources we can."

Lofan understood Navia's offer: she was offering the resources of the Spina di Rosula to aid in the investigation. However, he already had a better plan and believed it would be more prudent to rely on the official channels of Fontaine's Maison Gardiennage when investigating such a sensitive case.

"Thank you for your trust, Miss Navia," Lofan said. "But as I've said before, I'm a member of the Maison Gardiennage. I'll do my best to convince everyone of my reasoning."

With that, Lofan excused himself. "It's getting late, and I'm genuinely fatigued. I'll rest briefly before resuming the investigation."

"Very well. I look forward to our next collaboration."

After bidding farewell to Navia and her companions, Lofan returned to the Maison Gardiennage.

He briefly attended to the officers on duty before settling onto a sofa, finding a comfortable position, and allowing his consciousness to withdraw.

In an instant, No. 1's eyes regained their usual sharpness.

"Sinthe is likely the key," he mused. "The presence of Sinthe in the liquid at the scene can't be a coincidence."

"From what we know, Sinthe only stimulates Fontainians, while increasing Hydro Element affinity in people from other nations."

"We should attempt to purify the Sinthe."

Dressed in a white lab coat, No. 1 hurried through the significantly expanded laboratory. Soon, he had purified all the Sinthe, obtaining a single drop of vibrant azure liquid. He carefully dripped it onto a severed finger taken from a Fontainian corpse.

Then, a miraculous scene unfolded. The moment the purified Sinthe dripped onto the finger, it dissolved into a puddle of liquid before Lofan's eyes.

A faint smile curled Lofan's lips.

Just as he'd predicted.

His teammates were performing exactly as expected.

After confirming that the purified Sinthe could dissolve Fontainian bodies, No. 1's gaze returned to its vacant state, while Lofan had already returned to Fontaine.

"Don't believe people can just disappear, huh?"

"Fine, let's go big this time!"

"This is going to cost a lot of Points... Let's hope we can recoup them."

"Wait, if that person is involved, we might not just break even—we could even turn a profit!"

With this thought, a delighted smile spread across Lofan's face.