Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino

In the following days, Vacher was duly escorted to the Opera Epiclese for trial. With conclusive evidence, he was formally convicted. Amidst public outrage, he was taken back to a detention center prepared by the Gardes, awaiting his transfer to the Fortress of Meropide in three days.

Fontaine's highest law does not include the death penalty, so what awaited Vacher was life imprisonment without parole or commutation. However, Chevreuse had said that in the time between his conviction and his transfer, she would make him understand what it means to live a life worse than death.

And so, for those three days, Vacher was subjected to inhumane torture and beatings.

After this incident, the Poissonchantier officially collapsed, and the production line for "L'es" was completely destroyed. However, the fact that Primordial Seawater could dissolve the people of Fontaine while having no effect on people from other nations—other than enhancing their elemental perception—was noted by certain observant individuals. Some connected it to Fontaine's prophecy of doom; others remained indifferent.

In any case, the matter came to a close. The dead could not return, but the families torn apart by Vacher's actions, those who had lost their children, all received huge amounts of compensation. The funds naturally came from the confiscated assets of the Poissonchantier, and the Spina di Rosula played a significant role in distributing the money to the victims' families.

Chevreuse gained great merit for solving the major case, while the Spina di Rosula, now free from the influence of their former partners, remained the most popular local gang in Fontaine. During this time, Navia, with her charming appearance and mature, reliable style, earned the unique title of "The Soaring Yellow Rose."

As for Lu Li, he spent these few days shuttling between Chiori and Lynette.

Lynette was angry. After Lu Li had taken advantage of her, he had disappeared for days. Feeling lost and worried, her mood was naturally not good. After realizing this, Lu Li had to spend more time with the cute little cat-girl, and fortunately, his efforts paid off, and their relationship was back on track.

As for Chiori, Lu Li would occasionally visit her, either to help transport some goods or just to relax with her. Of course, if he sometimes had to stay the night, he would readily agree and diligently plow the fields and irrigate the land, thoroughly changing Chiori's shape.

Also, he wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he had a feeling that Lynette somehow knew about this. Or maybe she didn't? In any case, his relationship levels with both Lynette and Chiori were steadily rising.

He also didn't neglect honing his strength. Following the training methods in Clorinde's booklet, his mastery of elemental energy became more skillful. He also briefly activated his Pyro Delusion and began to practice the combat techniques of a Debt Collector. Both left a deep impression on him.

Activating the Pyro Delusion increased the power and range of the flames he could control, but fine control was difficult, and there was a time limit. If he exceeded it, his body would be overwhelmed, and his own life force would begin to drain. However, it was an excellent way to raise his upper limit of strength. For Lu Li, if he wanted to achieve a true transformation in his power, he needed to practice more refined elemental control, to the point of being able to shape it.

————

In the afternoon, in the training ground of the Hôtel Bouffes d'été, Lu Li summoned Pyro phantoms to attack a training dummy in a triangular formation. As the phantoms grazed the dummy, Lu Li flashed into the air and brought his blade down with a fiery slash, cleaving the dummy in two. The blade's momentum didn't slow, and the flames blazed, but under his fine control, there was no subsequent explosion.

The Debt Collector's training methods were indeed effective. In terms of combat, he was definitely stronger now than when he had first mastered Yanling: Monarch's Blaze. Back then, aside from summoning flames, he had no other techniques. Now, it was different.

"Hey, Lu Li, there's a letter for you! From the Gardes!" a "child" called out from the entrance, his jaw dropping at the sight of the devastated training ground.

Pulled from his reverie, Lu Li looked over, nodded, and quickly went to take the envelope, thanking the boy before watching him leave. He then read the letter and understood.

It was a message from Chevreuse. She had dealt with Vacher properly. Bound by her duty and the law, she hadn't killed him out of personal vengeance. However, she had turned a blind eye while her team gave him a profound lesson. On the day he was set to depart for the Fortress of Meropide, it was certain that it would be a very long time before his fingernails and bones grew back. They had either been pulled out or broken. Many of his teeth were shattered, and even his vocal cords had been destroyed to prevent him from screaming.

Although Chevreuse didn't say it explicitly, the phrase "gave him a profound lesson, he will not have the ability to write or speak" was enough for Lu Li, who had grown up in the House of the Hearth, to understand the torture Vacher had endured.

He deserved it.

Because he produced and sold "L'es," countless families were torn apart. Because of his insane human experiments, countless young women were separated from their loved ones forever. This torture was a light punishment. When the time was right, Lu Li would find a chance to make him drink the Primordial Seawater and touch the Fountain of Lucine. Then, the young women he had killed would become Pure Water Phantasms and take his soul, killing him directly in the spiritual realm. Just like in the original story.

Then, Lu Li saw the last paragraph of the letter. He paused. It was an invitation from Chevreuse... She had finished her business and wanted to invite him to dinner to express her gratitude.

Tonight? Lu Li rubbed his chin and decided to accept. But first, he had to clean up the training ground and take a shower.

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