Central-Northern Falano, Flottes. January remained cold. The sky was still overcast, with faint sunlight casting down upon the vast city’s architecture. A breeze drifted through the streets and alleys, finally converging at the enormous central plaza of the city. At the heart of this city, surrounded by countless orderly buildings, stretched a vast plaza paved with clean stone slabs that extended far and wide. Patches of greenery planted with low trees and grass dotted the area, and countless citizens came and went. On the northern edge of the plaza stood a towering cathedral, its exterior walls adorned with carvings even more intricate than those found in cathedrals of other nations. At the very center of the plaza stood a colossal bronze statue—dozens of meters tall—depicting a girl in simple garments, barefoot, smiling, long hair flowing, holding a longsword, dancing gracefully. Amid the plaza, this statue stood out the most, clearly a landmark of the city. “So... this is the so-called ‘Victory Dance’ statue? First time seeing it up close. It’s pretty spectacular…” Dorothy, dressed in a black-gray trench coat and a small ladies’ hat with her long silver-white hair tied up neatly, stood before the massive statue, gazing up in awe. Beside her, Adèle—also bundled in a windproof coat and wearing sunglasses—slowly spoke in a tone of explanation. “The Victory Dance Statue… was built by the Bourbon dynasty to commemorate their miraculous victory against Pritt's army in the Battle of the Black Forest during the War of Succession. It’s said that back when Henry, then still Duke Bourbon, got lost while marching his troops through the forest, he encountered a dancing girl. Her dance led the lost Henry and his troops safely out of the forest—straight to the rear of the Pritt army. Henry seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack, winning a decisive victory. “Afterward, Henry widely publicized this event, and with the church’s support, declared the girl a messenger sent by the Trinity to save Falano. After the Bourbon dynasty was established, all sorts of symbols and imagery of the ‘Victory Dance’ became popular throughout Falano. This statue is the largest of them all—built by ‘The Splendor King’ Charles, father of the ‘Greedy King’ Robert. During Charles’ reign, the Bourbon dynasty saw its final golden age.” While recounting the story, Adèle gestured toward the massive statue. Hearing her explanation, Dorothy nodded with interest. “So in a way... this thing is a monument to the last glory of the Bourbon dynasty? Fascinating…” As she spoke, Dorothy shifted her gaze toward another area at the base of the statue, where a large crowd had gathered. Someone had set up a small platform using wooden crates and stood atop it, while many others surrounded it. An elderly man on the platform was energetically raising his arms and shouting passionately to the crowd. “Brothers and sisters! Hear me! Falano has come through countless storms to stand where we are now. Suffering and sacrifice are the backbone of our nation’s spirit! The heroes who gave their all and fought bravely have written epic after epic for our people... “Ah… the Victory Dance! This is the dance of our nation! It is the shining light born from hardship by the martyrs of a hundred years ago! A proud testament of how we once struck a blow against the Pritt bastards! It is the unyielding glory of all Falano! Every Falano child grows up hearing the story of the divine dance that guided King Henry. This is our shared memory… “And now... someone dares to tarnish this memory! Those scheming rats hiding in Parliament seek to deny it, to deny the spirit of Falano! We cannot allow this! That scoundrel Samson and his ilk—they’re Pritt's spawn! They’re trying to destroy our country…” The frail old man shouted passionately again and again from the platform, his speech fiery and emotional. Many in the crowd were visibly angered and responded with their own cries, applause erupting intermittently. “What are they doing?” Watching the scene from afar, Dorothy asked curiously. Adèle glanced over and replied nonchalantly. “Street political speeches—they’re pretty common in Falano. People here are just... spirited. Nothing to worry about~” “Oh…” Dorothy nodded at her response. Then she glanced up at the sky, reached into her coat pocket, pulled out a pocket watch, flipped it open to check the time, and spoke again. “It’s getting late. We’ve strolled around enough—it’s time to get to business.” “My, time really flew by. Well, let’s go then.” With a soft reply, Adèle walked off with Dorothy, slowly leaving the towering Victory Dance statue behind and heading toward the plaza’s edge. After only a few steps, the two reached the plaza’s edge, where a group of plainly dressed young men had gathered at the base of a building. Upon seeing Dorothy and Adèle approaching, they quickly came over, grinning, and pulled out small trinkets and souvenirs. “Whoa there… please hold up, lovely ladies! You’re tourists, right? Interested in buying some souvenirs?” “Look here, miss! Our shop works with the church. Every souvenir you buy helps donate love to poor homeless children—won’t you show some compassion?” Chattering noisily, several souvenir-peddling youths gradually surrounded Dorothy and Adèle, seemingly unwilling to let them go without making a sale. Seeing this, Dorothy let out a soft sigh, while Adèle simply smiled and replied. “These items… actually look pretty well-made. Not bad at all. Since we’ve come all the way to Flottes, bringing back a few keepsakes wouldn’t hurt. But there are just too many things here. I can’t possibly buy them all at once, so what should I pick? What a dilemma…” After briefly scanning the goods that the young men were trying to sell, Adèle responded fluently in Falanoan, her tone laced with a hint of interest but also hesitation. Her eyes seemed to hold some kind of magic, instantly setting off the nerves of the surrounding men. “Miss, miss, buy from me! That guy over there is selling cheap fakes. Worthless junk!” “What?! You’ve got the nerve to call me fake, you phony charity fraud?!” “You all better back off—this area’s my turf!” Suddenly, the vendors began arguing among themselves. Their words grew more and more heated, eventually escalating into physical conflict. A full-blown brawl broke out, turning the scene into complete chaos. While the scuffle intensified, Adèle—the instigator—smiled subtly and led Dorothy away from the scene. As she glanced back at the crowd still fighting behind them, Dorothy remarked casually. “Feels like there are more scammers in Flottes than in Tivian…” “Heh… It’s not just scammers. Even outright robbers aren’t that rare here. The reason we haven’t run into any until now is simply because I ‘calmed down’ anyone who might’ve been interested in us. It’s not every day I get to travel with the little detective—I wouldn’t want the mood spoiled~” Adèle said with a slight lift of her sunglasses. “Seems like… at least when it comes to public safety, Pritt’s doing a bit better than Falano. Might be a cultural thing. How should I put it... Falanoans are generally more ‘impulsive and straightforward,’ more prone to just doing whatever they think of.” As they chatted, Dorothy and Adèle made their way to the roadside at the edge of the plaza, where a carriage that had been waiting for them stood. Once inside, the coachman drove the carriage into the streets, leaving the plaza behind. Not long after the New Year celebrations in Tivian, Dorothy and Adèle had departed from Pritt and arrived in Flottes, the capital of Falano. According to a letter Adèle had received earlier, a certain Mr. F was hosting a gathering in Flottes on January 18th. He had invited the remnants of the Bourbon royal line to discuss the search for the Bourbon treasure. Because the Bourbon dynasty had once deeply studied the Desire Path, Adèle hoped to find clues for her advancement among the dynasty’s remnants. She accepted the invitation and came to Falano. As a precaution, she hired Dorothy to accompany her as a bodyguard and investigator under the pretense of needing protection and assistance in the investigation. Dorothy agreed to join primarily because Adèle had helped her quite a bit in the past, and she owed her a few favors. This trip was partly to repay that debt. Another reason was that Adèle had mentioned Falano was the largest colonial empire of North Ufiga, and Flottes held a great number of First Dynasty relics looted from the region. Among the great powers on the continent, Falano had the deepest research into the First Dynasty. Dorothy hoped she might find some clues for her own advancement here. Today was their first day in Flottes. After arriving by train in the morning, they checked into their hotel and spent the day sightseeing as they waited for Mr. F’s gathering. Now, they were on their way to the agreed location. Inside the carriage, Dorothy was reading a local newspaper. Unlike newspapers from other places that focused mainly on news, Falano’s papers devoted vast sections to political discussion and reporting—debates in parliament, various political views of members, and editorials by full-time political commentators were all prominently featured. Each newspaper had a clear political leaning, and the battles between them were fierce. To Dorothy, it seemed that Falanoans were far more enthusiastic about politics than citizens of other countries. “Controversy continues over the recent statements made by Executive Consul Legoff Samson. People from all walks of life hold differing views on whether the remnants of the Bourbon era should be further purged. Supporters of Consul Samson argue that the decadent symbols of monarchy should not remain within the new republic to breed unhealthy ideologies. Meanwhile, many opponents believe that the Bourbon legacy embodies Falano’s national spirit and should not be casually discarded. Executive Consul Chevalier has also publicly stated that Samson’s remarks are inappropriate. “It is reported that statements Samson made late last year about the ‘Victory Dance’ continue to stir public reaction…” “Samson…” In the gently swaying carriage, Dorothy’s attention was caught by that name in the article. It had also come up earlier during their visit to the Victory Dance statue—mentioned by the man giving the street speech. With growing curiosity, Dorothy began flipping through various newspapers she had bought earlier, carefully piecing together the background of the controversy. This Legoff Samson was one of Falano’s Five Executive Consuls, one of the four Deputy Consuls, and the most recently elected among them. He was the youngest of the five, and a highly energetic reformist. Since taking office, Consul Samson had pushed for sweeping reforms in areas such as healthcare, education, and culture, aiming to dismantle Falano’s old systems. Each of his reform policies had been bold—like introducing mandatory secondary education. He gained significant support, but also faced tremendous resistance. As a member of the reformist faction, Samson was at odds with the conservatives in Falano’s political scene. He had apparently built his early career by criticizing and opposing the royalist party, and his latest controversy stemmed from a seemingly offhand comment he made in public. “Although the Victory Dance is considered a symbol of Flottes, at the end of the day, it’s a Bourbon artifact. It’s a symbol of the evil monarchy built through exploitation and waste. Falano doesn’t need such things to remember the Battle of the Black Forest. It should be torn down.” That one remark ignited a firestorm across Falano’s political landscape. Many critics accused Samson of trying to destroy the national spirit, and some even began investigating him for potentially being a Pritt collaborator. The nation was in an uproar, with fierce debates erupting everywhere and even leading to a wave of street protests and speeches. “What a guy. One sentence caused this much trouble. As a public figure, you’d think he’d be more careful with his words…” Dorothy mused to herself as she read the article. By now, their carriage had reached its destination. “Falling Petals Grand Hotel… This is the place. Stop here.” Adèle said as she looked out the window. Dorothy folded the newspaper and instructed the corpse marionette coachman to bring the carriage to a halt in front of the tall building. “I’ll go up by myself. The invitation didn’t mention bringing a guest.” Sitting across from her, Adèle addressed Dorothy directly, who responded calmly. “Go on. It’s fine. In the name of Akasha, I’ll be watching over you.” “Of course you will, little detective~” Smiling, Adèle replied, then opened the door and stepped out. Standing below the tall hotel, she looked up, took a light breath, and quickly made her way forward. After climbing a flight of steps, she entered the lobby and headed to the front desk. “Excuse me, where is the Numbered Hall?” “Right this way, esteemed miss.” Before the hotel staff at the desk could respond, a voice cut in. Adèle turned toward it and saw a mysterious man standing there, dressed in a black cloak, top hat, and half-mask. “I’ve been waiting for you for quite some time, dear guest from afar. Please, allow me to guide you.”