"Silver..." Melus's helpless voice rang out.
Silver was still too young; he would even be amused by such a lame joke.
"Cough...my apologies, Demoiselle." Silver said, then reverted to his expressionless demeanor.
Lin Qiu also apologized, "My apologies, Miss Navia. Your esteemed name is known from Ireland to Cathay, how could I not recognize you?"
"I hope you're not angry."
Lin Qiu said, handing Navia a folding stool prepared for guests.
"Hahahaha, it's fine." Navia laughed freely.
She smoothed her skirt and sat down, not being particular.
He didn't know where Ireland and Cathay were, but from the sentence, these two places should be very far apart, right?
Lin Qiu felt a sense of incongruity watching Navia sit on the folding stool.
It felt like seeing a cosplayer who had changed into their costume.
With exquisite makeup, contact lenses, and a wig, ready to attend a comic convention.
But then they were caught by their parents and dragged back to their hometown, left to sit on a stool in a daze.
At this moment, the crowd, which had been dispersed, began to gather again because of Navia's arrival.
This wasn't because Navia was so beautiful... well, perhaps that was one reason.
The main reason was Navia's identity as the boss of Spina di Rosula.
Although Spina di Rosula's reputation was great now, its honor was not so good.
Having grown accustomed to the whispers of the surrounding people, Navia directly ignored them.
"Mr. Lin Qiu, right?"
Navia had been nearby since just now and had heard Xie Ni and Lin Qiu's conversation.
So she knew Lin Qiu's name.
"Just call me Lin Qiu." Lin Qiu said.
"Alright, Lin Qiu, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Navia Caspar, the boss of Spina di Rosula. Just call me Navia." Navia was also not formal.
"Deputy Silver."
Silver introduced himself with a cold expression.
If he hadn't failed to hold back his laughter earlier, Lin Qiu would have truly thought he was emotionless.
"I'm Melus, pleased to meet you." Melus bowed, removing his hat, appearing amiable and elegant.
Navia looked at the increasing crowd around them, and their discussions reached her ears.
"Is that the current president of Spina di Rosula?"
"They say she's the murderer's daughter."
"You mean the Affair of Unrighteousness, Callas, right? I used to think he was a good person, I never expected..."
"Yes, on the surface, he helped residents and built waterways, but secretly, he actually..."
"It's a good thing such a hypocrite received judgment!"
Navia bit her lip tightly.
Regarding her father, she still couldn't completely ignore it.
Moreover, Navia herself was an emotional person.
Lin Qiu also noticed the unnaturalness in Navia's expression, even though she was trying her best to control it.
"I'm closing up shop. If there's something to discuss, why don't we move to another place?" Lin Qiu suggested.
"Is that so?" Navia said, trying to maintain a lady-like smile:
"Thank you."
Navia also knew that Lin Qiu was considering her feelings.
After all, he had just let her sit down, so why would he suddenly ask to change locations now?
Lin Qiu's thoughtfulness brought a slight relief to Navia's tense expression.
The smile on her face became much more natural.
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Lin Qiu." Melus bowed slightly.
Silver silently packed Lin Qiu's belongings and followed behind them.
The four of them stood up and left the chattering crowd.
This time, Lin Qiu didn't get to have a good meal.
Navia didn't take him to a restaurant but instead led him to Spina di Rosula's secret base.
This was Spina di Rosula's territory, so naturally, no one would be chattering here.
Moreover, Navia's willingness to bring Lin Qiu here clearly indicated that she was already somewhat inclined to trust him.
"Here, we can communicate freely. Not even Fontaine will know the content of our conversation."
Navia said with a hint of pride.
Spina di Rosula was, after all, a civilian organization, and building a base under Fontaine's nose was somewhat difficult.
But she had done it, didn't that show how capable she was?
"Oh, right, I remember you said you hadn't had breakfast yet. Let's talk while we eat." Navia said, beckoning.
Silver came over at the opportune moment and said, "Eggs, sugar, Almond, I brought them all."
"Let me show you my skills. My macarons are absolutely divine, not something just anyone gets to taste."
"Thank you."
Lin Qiu smiled slightly at the scene before him. This was indeed the best.
However... Navia, dressed so beautifully, whisking egg whites here...
It truly gave off a feeling of both elegance and domesticity.
"Come, have a taste, my confident creation."
Navia handed a macaron to Lin Qiu, with a cup of black tea already brewed beside it.
The macaron also had a cute cat's head drawn on it.
Lin Qiu didn't appreciate it, biting off half of the cat's head in one go.
He praised, "It's really delicious."
"Alright, then let's get down to business."
Navia sat upright and said, "I want you to tell me about my father's matter."
Lin Qiu guessed that this was most likely Navia's purpose in seeking him out.
But he really wanted to say:
My dear Demoiselle, have you perhaps misunderstood the meaning of fortune-telling?
fortune-telling only predicts what might happen in the future, whether an event is auspicious or inauspicious.
You're asking someone to tell you what happened to a person who died several years ago?
Is this not somewhat unreasonable?
If this request were made to a proper fortune teller, they would at least curse, if not use a string of expletives.
Fortunately, Lin Qiu was not a proper fortune teller, and he actually knew about this matter.
"Regarding your father, Callas, he is innocent." Lin Qiu stated with certainty.
Navia 'whooshed' to her feet, the Fontaine girl stood at attention!
She had inquired everywhere, from Fontaine to the common folk, to clear her father's name.
But only Lin Qiu so confidently stated that her father was innocent.
Even Neuvillette only felt that there was something suspicious about the case.
She hadn't held much hope initially, as she had consulted fortune tellers and diviners before.
They couldn't predict anything and even thought she was causing trouble.
It was just that Navia refused to give up any possible opportunity.
That's why she came to Lin Qiu with the idea of giving it a try.
"Can... can you tell me what you know?"
Navia no longer had her previous composure; her tone became cautious.
She seemed afraid of losing the only clue, so she quickly added.
"As for the reward, I will give it!"
Lin Qiu didn't address the reward but instead asked:
"Can you promise me that you absolutely will not act impulsively and immediately?"
The reason Lin Qiu didn't directly reveal Vacher's identity was because the current Navia was not strong enough to confront Vacher.
If it was just about killing Vacher, that wouldn't be difficult.
But what Navia wanted was to clear her father's name, which required refuting Vacher in court.
However, the evidence of Vacher's crime was still unknown, somewhere in the deep sea.
Only Freminet and Traveler would likely be able to find and explore such a place.
If Navia were to send people to search on a large scale now, how could it be concealed from Vacher's eyes?
It would only alert the enemy.
And even if Vacher was an idiot and still couldn't discover it, it would be useless anyway.
Because the sea contained both monsters and collection machines.
Ordinary people simply couldn't operate for long periods underwater, let alone search for a factory whose location was unknown.
Seeing Lin Qiu's attitude, Navia also realized that the mastermind was not simple.
She calmed down and said, "I promise."
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Character Voice · Lin Qiu: About Navia
"She's truly a strong, brave, and vibrant girl! Most importantly, the boss is incredibly generous!"