"Let me read your fortune, boss!"
"You look like a wealthy man. Wouldn't it be a shame not to know the date of your death?"
"Read my ass, you damn beggar! Get the hell away from me!"
A swift kick left a dusty shoe print on the man's clothes.
But that wasn't the end of it.
"Goddammit! I was in a good mood today, why'd I have to run into this jinx?!"
Hearing this, the crowd on the street, who had also been harassed by the man, finally erupted.
"Beat him up!"
"Yeah, beat him up!"
The man had provoked public outrage.
Seeing the crowd closing in, he stumbled backward, holding his hands up defensively. "Easy, easy, bosses!" he pleaded.
"Hey, hitting people is against the law!"
"Tell you what, I'll read your death dates for free this time, as an apology!"
"Fuck! You're still running your mouth? You damn beggar, you really won't shed a tear until you see your own coffin!"
Hearing this, the crowd completely lost it. They swarmed the man and began beating him mercilessly.
"Don't hit me, don't hit me..."
"Help! Murder! They're killing me!"
Despite the violence erupting on the street, no other pedestrians stepped in to stop it. Many simply gathered around to watch the spectacle, not even bothering to call the Millelith. Some even wore expressions of clear satisfaction, likely those who had been harassed by the man earlier.
After all, imagine strolling down the street when someone suddenly runs up and asks if you want to know when you'll die. It's beyond unlucky.
One look at the man's tattered clothes made it obvious he was no otherworldly master—just a common street swindler.
Honestly, claiming to be the reincarnation of Rex Lapis needing a bit of Mora to reclaim his scattered power would have been more believable.
Zhongli witnessed the scene and furrowed his brow slightly, but he showed no intention of intervening.
Hu Tao, however, couldn't hold back. Her personality simply wouldn't allow her to condone such violence.
Besides, she felt a strange sense of kinship with the man. After all, when she went door-to-door promoting her business, people often looked at her with the same disdain they'd show a beggar.
If they weren't afraid of getting beaten, Hu Tao suspected quite a few would have tried to chase her away.
Of course, Hu Tao didn't believe the man's claims were real. Not even the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor possessed the ability to see how much time a person had left.
Judging by his tattered clothes, Hu Tao guessed the man was starving and trying to swindle some money for food.
While his methods weren't ideal, it was understandable for someone on the brink of survival to stray from the right path. He wasn't asking for much; all he needed was a gentle nudge back in the right direction.
In contrast, the actions of those beating him on the street out of sheer frustration were far more excessive.
Just as Hu Tao was about to step in and rescue the man, a thunderous shout erupted from the crowd.
"Stop hitting him!"
The shout was so powerful it instantly sent the attackers stumbling back two steps, revealing the man clutching his head, blood seeping between his fingers.
Realizing they had been startled, the men's faces darkened, but they ultimately refrained from attacking again.
They had acted in a fit of rage earlier. Now, after landing a few blows and venting their frustration, they had calmed down. If they went too far and the Millelith arrived, they'd be in serious trouble.
"You damn beggar! This was just a warning. Don't let us see you again, or we'll beat you every time!"
After spitting out this threat, the men prepared to leave before the Millelith arrived. But just then, the beggar suddenly raised a finger and pointed at one of them.
"You! Yes, you! I'm telling you, you're about to die!"
"You son of a bitch! Are you really asking for it?!"
The man who had been pointed at flew into a rage and lunged forward.
Seeing the murderous look on his attacker's face, the beggar's expression changed instantly, and he turned to flee.
But he was quickly caught and tackled to the ground.
The attacker raised his fist high, poised to smash it down on the beggar, when suddenly, an expression of extreme agony contorted his face. He clutched his chest and collapsed weakly to the ground. After twitching twice, he went still.
"He's dead!"
The onlookers, who had been watching the spectacle, stumbled back three steps, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared at the fallen man.
In a flash, a crimson figure appeared beside the body, immediately checking the man's condition.
"He's really dead?!"
Hu Tao felt a jolt of shock after confirming the man had stopped breathing. She then looked up at the beggar, who was now standing and dusting himself off. Her small eyes began to gleam brighter and brighter!
Talent! This is true talent!
With someone like this at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, how could our business not soar?!
Hearing Hu Tao's words, the surrounding crowd immediately retreated another five steps. The men who had been beating the beggar were so terrified their legs trembled, and they nearly wet themselves.
"You killed him!"
Even though the man had indeed stopped breathing just as the beggar had predicted, the crowd refused to believe he had simply foreseen it. They were convinced he was a wolf in sheep's clothing who had secretly dealt a fatal blow.
After all, the dead man wasn't old—he looked to be in his thirties and was quite sturdy. How could he have just dropped dead for no reason?
"Don't—don't frame an innocent man!" the beggar stammered, panicking at the accusation. "I didn't do anything! What does this have to do with me?!"
"Look, everyone! He's stuttering! He must have a guilty conscience! He definitely did it!"
"I didn't!"
The idea of predicting someone's death was so absurd that, by comparison, murder seemed far more likely. Most of the onlookers immediately accepted this explanation.
"Murderer! Hand him over to the Millelith!"
"Killing someone in broad daylight! What a heinous crime!"
"They only hit you a few times, and you killed him for it? You're truly vicious!"
"The Millelith are here!" someone shouted.
Soon, a squad of Millelith soldiers hurried over.
"Heard there was a brawl here?" the Millelith Captain asked.
"It was a brawl," someone from the crowd replied, "but now it's escalated to murder in broad daylight!"
Hearing this, the Millelith Captain's expression turned grim. He glanced at the pale-faced beggar, who was still desperately trying to explain himself to the crowd, and then at the lifeless body lying nearby. The Captain raised his hand.
"Arrest him!" he commanded. "For the safety of others, if he resists, kill him on the spot."
"Yes, sir!"
The Millelith soldiers quickly surrounded the beggar, their Millelith spears practically poking his nose. The man immediately threw his hands up, surrendering.
"No, I really didn't kill him!" he pleaded. "Ouch! Masters of the Millelith, be gentle! You're going to break my arm!"
"Stay still!"
"Take him away!" the Captain ordered with another wave of his hand. The beggar was swiftly escorted away.
Just then, Hu Tao stepped before the Millelith Captain.
"That man's death had nothing to do with him," she said calmly. "I saw it with my own eyes. The man simply collapsed on his own."
She added, "He's a new consultant I've personally selected for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Until you uncover the truth, you'd best treat him well."
"Director Hu Tao..."
The Millelith Captain cupped his fists at Hu Tao, his brow furrowing instantly. Her account completely contradicted the other witnesses' testimonies.
Of course, he didn't believe that Hu Tao, the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, would shield a criminal. He suspected there was more to the case than met the eye, so he said to her, "Very well, Director Hu. The Millelith will investigate this matter thoroughly and uncover the truth for everyone."
With that, the Millelith Captain signaled for the body on the ground to be carried away.
Just then, Hu Tao suddenly pointed at the men who had been ganging up on the young man earlier. "Those were the ones who started a public brawl right here on the street."
The men, who had been about to flee, froze stiff at her accusation.
"Arrest them," the Captain commanded. "Take them to Liyue Prison."
"Yes, sir!"
The Millelith quickly apprehended the dejected men and escorted them away.
"Consultant Zhongli, I feel my luck is finally turning!" Hu Tao exclaimed, returning to Zhongli's side. She immediately started pulling him toward Liyue Prison.
"Hurry, hurry! I absolutely must recruit this talent today!"
"I have a hunch," Hu Tao declared. "This person is destined to be the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's God of Wealth!"
"We need to hurry! We can't let anyone else snatch him up!"
Zhongli shook his head helplessly but followed Hu Tao willingly. The young man's appearance had piqued his interest as well...
-
"I have a basic understanding of the situation now."
Neuvillette looked at Furina and Focalors with some surprise. To be honest, their performance had exceeded his expectations.
While Fontaine was currently in chaos, it was because too many incidents were erupting across the nation at once, throwing them into the deep end.
In reality, Fontaine's operations had run relatively smoothly before this. This was partly due to Furina and Focalors possessing the necessary talents, and partly because their sense of responsibility wouldn't allow them to handle matters carelessly.
To give a simple example: if Neuvillette spent five minutes on an official task, Furina and Focalors would need half an hour to achieve a similar result.
Yet, even if it took them half an hour—or even required them to work overtime—neither Furina nor Focalors ever handled their duties carelessly.
Neuvillette's mood lifted considerably. At least he wasn't shouldering the burden of Fontaine alone.
He hadn't expected to accidentally test their limits this way. Now, he could assign them appropriate workloads without worrying they would half-ass their tasks.
Poor Furina and Focalors, still unaware they were now in Neuvillette's sights, looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"I have already devised a solution," Neuvillette announced. "Leave the rest to me."
Upon hearing his words, Furina and Focalors felt a wave of complete relief.
Fontaine was saved!
"Neuvillette, what exactly is your plan?" Furina asked curiously.
Neuvillette didn't hide anything and explained directly.
"Since the Cult of the Dragon is committing nefarious deeds in my name, I will issue a public announcement across all of Fontaine, ordering them to surrender to the Maison Gardiennage in every city."
"Many members of the Cult of the Dragon have already committed serious crimes. They will never agree to surrender. But once they defy my public announcement, their internal cohesion will shatter completely. The Cult of the Dragon will no longer be a threat."
Hearing Neuvillette's plan, Furina's and Focalors' eyes lit up. This could actually work!
"That's a great idea!"
"Neuvillette, leave this to us! We'll handle it!"
Furina and Focalors clenched their fists, their anger flaring as they recalled the frustrations and humiliations they had endured at the hands of the Cult.
This time, they would exact their revenge personally!
Neuvillette hadn't considered that angle. Seeing Furina and Focalors eagerly volunteer to help, his eyes softened with even greater satisfaction.
They had truly grown so much recently.
"Very well. I leave this matter in your hands."
Overjoyed by Neuvillette's words, Furina and Focalors quickly hurried out of the Palais Mermonia.
After watching them leave, Neuvillette departed from the Palais Mermonia as well.
While a backlog of tasks awaited, Furina and Focalors had already dealt with the most pressing matters. The remaining items could wait a little longer.
Neuvillette decided to visit Ron first. Ron had paid a steep price to conceal his movements, and Neuvillette wouldn't do anything to alienate such a valuable Fontainian.
Some time passed. Neuvillette's order for the Cult of the Dragon members to surrender quickly spread throughout Fontaine. Many who held grudges against the Cult eagerly awaited the spectacle, gloating in anticipation. No one believed the Cult would be foolish enough to actually turn themselves in.
Yet, by the next morning, Maison Gardiennage stations across Fontaine were surrounded—by members of the Cult of the Dragon.
Seeing such a massive crowd, the Maison Gardiennage officers' hands trembled slightly on their weapons. They shouted, demanding to know the crowd's intentions, only to be met with the reply that they were here to surrender. The officers were utterly dumbfounded.
Soon after, Neuvillette stared blankly at the document before him: a list of the Cult of the Dragon members who had surrendered. The pages were densely packed with names
Wait, they actually surrendered?!
This was supposed to be just the first step of the plan. Neuvillette had intended to wait until the Cult of the Dragon's cohesion crumbled before carefully plotting the second and third steps, ultimately eradicating this cancerous tumor from Fontaine in one fell swoop.
But now, after executing only the first step, the entire Cult had surrendered. When had his words become so powerful?!
The surrender list even included several names with long records of heinous crimes—individuals who would be sent straight to the gallows even after turning themselves in. Had these people gone mad, or did they simply not value their lives, willingly sacrificing themselves over a single sentence from him?!