NCCnovel Chapter 696 Opicley's Guillotine
Chapter 696 Opicley's Guillotine
The hiding place of Da Huang and the others was a very ancient-looking ruin.
If Xu Ning hadn't known the general location and hadn't used the scent of wine carried by the wind element to track them, it would have been very difficult to find their hiding place.
After sharing the information he already knew with Da Huang, Xu Ning still made the decision to have the caravan return to China temporarily.
"Kong will likely be traveling with Yelan when he arrives. You two will then return to Liyue Harbor under Yelan's arrangement. As for Paimon, you and Kong can continue your journey; there's no need for you to get involved in this case."
Da Huang had finally recovered from his despondency in Xumi and was looking forward to making a name for himself in Fontainebleau, but he was forced to turn back as soon as he entered the door. He was quite frustrated, but since this matter involved lives, he had no choice but to accept Xu Ning's arrangement.
Xu Ning and Charlotte once again embarked on the waterway to Fontaine.
In Xu Ning's opinion, the fastest way to find out the reason for this matter is to go directly to the current Water God and ask him.
I believe that this water god would absolutely not want to see anything in this world that could dissolve the people of Fontainebleau.
Therefore, this could be a quick way to figure out the secrets of your own wine, although it may also carry some risks.
For example, the water god might attack itself, destroying itself, the source of the dissolution.
However, because Charlotte told him about the "serial disappearance of girls" that had lasted for more than 20 years, Xu Ning realized that there might be more than one source of people being able to dissolve in Fontaine. So, before solving these sources, he should be able to reach a peace agreement with the Water God.
On the way to Fontainebleau, at Charlotte's suggestion, Xu Ning returned to the waterway at Autumn Equinox Mountain.
As the patrol boat passed by, Xu Ning and Charlotte floated lightly onto the boat.
"Oh no, it's still Abel's shift?"
Charlotte turned her head away awkwardly before she could even stand properly, seemingly trying to appear nonchalant.
Fortunately, there was no one on this patrol boat, and Abel didn't seem to want to revisit the past.
Friendly reminder: Even if a passenger disembarks halfway through the journey, the fare already paid will not be refunded. Similarly, passengers who board halfway through the journey must pay the full fare.
Little Meloshen, clenching her two tiny fists, stood at the bow of the boat and reminded him in broken words.
Charlotte quickly pulled Mora out of her small pocket and put it into the money box at the bow of the ship, then pulled Xu Ning to sit down in the seat on the left.
“Last time we rode it, I forgot to tell you that it's best to sit on this side the first time you ride the Clementine Line. Because soon we'll see the magnificent Opiclave Opera House, the symbol of the Judgment and Verdict of Fontainebleau, right there at the highest point of the island of Irie, known as the Sanctuary of Blessing, from where you can overlook the entire city on the water…”
As soon as she sat down, Charlotte's little mouth couldn't stay still.
He began to introduce the beautiful scenery of Fontaine and the surrounding area to Xu Ning. His fast pace, wide range of topics, and gorgeous language made the little navigator, who had been ignored by Xu Ning, clench his fists tighter and tighter.
"There! There! Do you see it? That tallest building with two pillars, that's the Opizlie Opera House..."
Xu Ning turned his head to look in the direction Charlotte was pointing, and frowned immediately.
What does this building look like...?
Although we were quite far from that huge building, many details were not clearly visible.
However, this building with two pillars adjacent to the sea, along with its blade-like design with a downward curve in the middle, clearly looks like a giant guillotine.
"Is that guillotine the place where criminals are executed?" Xu Ning asked casually.
But Charlotte looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Where...? Uh, what is a guillotine?"
Is there no such thing as a guillotine here?
Ignoring Meiluxin's glare as she looked at him with a knife, Xu Ning poured some wine onto the deck, dipped his finger in it, and drew a figure with his head sticking out of the guillotine.
"That's it, the rope snapped, and the blade, propelled by inertia, fell along the groove, cleanly severing the prisoner's head..."
After Xu Ning finished speaking, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the floor dry. Then he pointed at the building in the distance and said, "Look, doesn't it look like it?"
Charlotte and Abel listened to Xu Ning's explanation, their little faces turning pale.
"How could there be such a terrible instrument of torture? In Fontainebleau, if someone is found guilty of a crime, they are not punished with death. After receiving the verdict, they are sent to Mello Petersburg, where they begin serving their sentence according to the date on the verdict..."
Charlotte's statement was quite novel to Xu Ning.
"Oh, so Fontaine has abolished the death penalty? Then what is the significance of this building?"
For the rest of the journey, perhaps because they were frightened by the gruesome scene of execution depicted by Xu Ning, Charlotte and Abel didn't say much.
After passing the opera house, the waterway straightened, and the boat's speed increased accordingly. A short while later, they arrived at Fontainebleau.
Charlotte bid farewell to Xu Ning with a heavy heart as soon as she disembarked.
"I'm on a business trip on behalf of the newspaper to deliver a prize to the writer of the 'Astrological Talk' column in Mondstadt, and I also brought her new manuscript, so I need to go back to the newspaper office to have it printed. If you don't mind, could you rest at the Grand Hotel de Bois in Nabonne? I can pay for all your accommodation and meals, I just hope I can continue to follow up on your story regarding...that incident tomorrow?"
I can't believe I can enjoy free meals and accommodation when I go abroad?
Xu Ning naturally smiled and agreed to the follow-up interview.
However, he also told Charlotte in advance not to reveal the secret of his wine until the truth about the dissolution was found.
"...Otherwise, if it leads to other serious consequences, you know who should be held responsible."
Xu Ning has great respect for the profession of journalism, especially for journalists like Charlotte who are willing to take risks to uncover the truth, but the matter of dissolving [the virus] can be a big or small issue.
Especially after Xu Ning learned about the widely circulated Fontaine prophecy from Charlotte, he could no longer treat this matter as a joke.
“All Fontaines are born with ‘sin,’ which cannot be erased no matter how the righteous nation of Fontaine tries to judge them.”
Until one day, the sea level in Fontainebleau will begin to rise, and those burdened with sins will gradually be submerged by the sea…
...In the end, everyone will dissolve into the sea, leaving only the water god weeping on his throne. Only then...will the sins of the Fontainebleau people be washed away.
After hearing the full content of the prophecy, Xu Ning couldn't help but recall the words he heard from the water god in the illusion of Cui Jue Slope.
"If you have some free time recently, you might as well come and visit me. I have a few small favors to ask you for help with."