Mu Yang politely declined the Knave's invitation to have dinner together.
If he had agreed to this meal, it definitely wouldn't have been enjoyable.
Who knows how many people would be sizing him up at the dinner table?
Besides, the Knave was probably just being polite.
Eh, you actually want to eat?!
After walking out of the Bouffes d'Été mansion, Mu Yang was in a good mood.
Although Arlecchino, as a bearer of a Pyro Vision, was not very warm and was even somewhat cold.
It was quite interesting to occasionally tease such an expressionless person.
Looking at the way she saw him off, although she didn't show it on her face, one could sense some dejection.
Clearly, she had lost this intelligence battle.
Originally, the Knave thought that at worst they would exchange information. In the end, Mu Yang clearly needed nothing at all.
That calm and confident appearance, as if everything was completely under his control.
After becoming [Father] and taking over the House of the Hearth, this was the first time Arlecchino had felt defeat.
And she didn't know that Mu Yang had simply wanted this exact effect when he met her...
The Bouffes d'Été mansion is located in the Vasari Corridor. From here, it is not far to the Hotel Debord.
It was now dinner time. The people coming and going were all well-dressed "upper-class individuals."
Mu Yang went inside, chose a seat, and sat down. He ordered a few signature dishes.
Western food portions are ultimately a bit small. If Paimon were here, she would probably order several more servings.
After finishing his meal, Mu Yang was about to leave to find a place to sleep. At the corner, he ran into a person with a strange outfit.
If viewed with the naked eye, one might need to look carefully to recognize them. But Mu Yang did not need to.
This was Charlotte in disguise. Clearly, Charlotte had also recognized him.
Charlotte made a "shh" gesture, wanting Mu Yang not to greet her.
After all, she was holding "Monsieur Verite." Even if Mu Yang hadn't seen through the disguise, he might still remember her camera.
If they started chatting here, her plan for tonight would be ruined.
Mu Yang sensibly walked around her and exited the Hotel Debord. He then walked forward, went down the stairs, and rested on a bench at the entrance of the Steambird Newspaper office.
Before long, Charlotte came out of the Hotel Debord. Looking at her satisfied expression, it seemed someone would be on the headlines again tomorrow.
Fontaine's famous Steambird newspaper has many reporters. They each have their own specialties. Some focus on entertainment gossip, some are skilled at capturing street rumors, and some concentrate on reporting government affairs news...
However, among all the reporters, the most memorable is this Charlotte, who seems to have endless energy.
Upholding the principle of "the closer you get, the more real the report," Charlotte frequently appears on the streets and alleys of the Court of Fontaine, above and below the city, on mountain peaks and in the deep sea.
She captures the "truth" of one matter after another into the lens of her camera and records it into articles. Finally, she compiles them and presents the "truth" of these matters on the newspaper.
Sometimes, for the sake of so-called "truth," she can go undercover for two or three months...
And after the "truth" is officially published, some people clap and cheer, some blush with embarrassment, some grit their teeth in anger...
Some even use every possible means, just to make a report related to themselves disappear. Or directly make Charlotte disappear.
For this reason, the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Miss Euphrasie, has had to repeatedly use the excuse of "field reporting" to send Charlotte out of the Court of Fontaine. Only after the Court of Justice or the Special Patrol Team has handled the matters does she recall Charlotte.
For example, the previous Summoning King Grand Prix. It was because people from a shady food processing factory in the Court of Fontaine wanted to retaliate against her. That was why Charlotte went abroad to report on the card game competition.
But whether it was the toil of the job itself or external attacks and threats, none of them have erased even half of the conviction in Charlotte's heart.
She still rushes about nonstop with her partner "Monsieur Verite," only to fulfill the duty of a "reporter" and seek those dust-covered "truths" waiting to be wiped clean.
Today was the same. It was just unknown whose sleep the "truth" tonight would disturb.
Charlotte still greeted Mu Yang with a face full of smiles. The two people encountered one after another were truly one ice and one fire.
It was just that this ice and fire seemed somewhat reversed. Regarding this point, Mu Yang also couldn't figure it out.
Why does Charlotte possess a Cryo Vision? Her parents are harmonious and respect their daughter's choices.
Charlotte likes taking photos and also likes the job of a reporter. Even she herself said that she wanted to have an Anemo Vision. That way she could ride the wind and capture images all over the world.
This kind of dedication to her hobby and work really suits an Anemo Vision. Aren't Faruzan, Sucrose, Cloud Retainer, Jean, and the others all like this?
Could it be that Visions can be assigned wrongly?
Mu Yang also returned the greeting.
"Are you in Fontaine for tourism, Mu Yang?" Charlotte saw that Mu Yang was empty-handed and dressed casually.
Mu Yang didn't hide it and said he was here for business. He then pretended to talk about the matter in Chenyu Vale.
After listening, Charlotte suddenly understood. "So Miss Lingyuan is your friend! It seems we really do have fate."
Indeed. It was precisely because Lingyuan caused problems with the tea that Charlotte went undercover and took down that inferior shady food processing factory.
Afterward, the newspaper feared retaliation against her, so they sent her abroad to report on the Summoning King Grand Prix. And that competition was exactly the one funded by Mu Yang.
Everything had actually formed a perfect closed loop.
The more the two chatted, the more congenial they became. Charlotte also gave Mu Yang advice for his business based on her understanding of Fontaine.
Only when the night had grown late did the two bid farewell.
Before leaving, Charlotte mysteriously told Mu Yang to wait and see the Steambird Newspaper for the next two days. It was related to the [truth] she had photographed in the hotel earlier.
Watching her departing back, Mu Yang sighed, "What an energetic girl."
In the following few days, Mu Yang continued to wander around the Court of Fontaine. He also read Charlotte's report.
It involved a multi-angle romantic entanglement of a famous stage actor. It was highlighted by its magical and melodramatic nature.
After strolling for a few days, Mu Yang suddenly felt that something was wrong.
The starting points of Fontaine's characters were all too high. If he came with this kind of identity, he really wouldn't be able to encounter many people.
The characters who appear in the main storyline— Furina, Neuvillette, and Wriothesley—represent Fontaine's highest authority. A foreign small merchant basically wouldn't even qualify to meet them.
Sigewinne spends most of her time staying in the Fortress of Meropide. Clorinde is the strongest Duel Agent. She serves as Furina's guard when the latter goes out, and in her spare time stays home maintaining her weapons.
Navia should still be busy dealing with Spina di Rosula matters at this moment. Her father's issue hasn't been resolved yet...
Looking at it this way, among the people who appear in the main storyline, it seems he had only met the Knave and the others, plus Charlotte...
"If this continues, it won't do. It looks like the Fontaine plot needs a big shake-up." "This time, I have to take the initiative."
Mu Yang thought of the voice of [Master] Rene he had heard earlier. "Why not try multi-line narrative?"