Chapter 34: Music Can't Save the Fontainians

Although things had taken an unexpected turn—losing a comrade but gaining a student—Lofan considered it a minor setback.

The corpses Navia had seen earlier were, of course, all Lofan himself. While the System didn't currently support exchanging for multiple bodies, Lofan had devised a workaround.

He would discreetly eliminate his original body, then perform a series of manipulations to exchange for a new body of identical quality. By setting his identity points to zero and meticulously recreating his original features through facial customization, he created an unregistered person with the same face. This unregistered resident could then seamlessly assume his previous identity.

As for the original Grett's corpse, Lofan had hidden it elsewhere—it might still prove useful.

This method appeared wasteful, and in truth, it was. While each death earned him Points, the return was meager. A body costing 3,000 Points would only yield slightly over 1,000 upon death.

Lofan knew the adage, "You can't catch the wolf if you're reluctant to part with the cub," so he didn't hesitate to spend his Points.

Although his remaining Points were dwindling, he was confident he could earn a substantial amount soon.

Despite the addition of another student, Lofan had no intention of altering his plans. Navia's possession of a Geo Vision, combined with her prominent status, made it clear she was likely an important character in the unfolding narrative.

Next, Lofan began discussing future arrangements with Navia and devising strategies to promote Redology.

Simply resisting the persecution by Fontaine's ruling class wouldn't improve the lives of Fleuve Cendre's residents, regardless of victory or defeat.

Moreover, such belief-driven motivation wouldn't inspire widespread participation in the sweeping reforms needed. The strength of Fleuve Cendre's people alone was wholly inadequate for the task.

The people of the Upper District also suffered from the nobles' exploitation and oppression, but their lives were marginally bearable. To mobilize them, a thorough ideological awakening was essential.

With the vision of a better future taking hold and the nobles' offensive beginning to falter, these seemingly insignificant ordinary people could become the final straw that breaks the camel's back.

Of course, all of this depended on Fleuve Cendre holding its ground against the nobles' assault—or even pushing them back!

However, the mere sight of the swarming Gardemeks was enough to plunge the residents of Fleuve Cendre into despair. Although Lofan had established the Weapon Manufacturing Plant after realizing this, he still felt uncertain. Perhaps he needed to resort to unconventional methods.

Naturally, Lofan wouldn't disclose these "unconventional methods" to Navia. He simply assigned her specific tasks and left her to carry them out.

It had to be said, having a student was far better than having a comrade. Giving orders came with absolutely no psychological burden!

"Do your best to persuade the prisoners from the Fortress of Meropide," Lofan instructed. "They're all valuable talents capable of both punishment and torture. I recall many of them came from the Fontaine Research Institute. These are valuable assets—we must put them to good use."

Lofan couldn't help but chuckle. A brilliant scientist, imprisoned in the Fortress of Meropide after a single lab explosion, was now unable to regain his Fontainian citizenship, doomed to languish in the Fleuve Cendre District.

Fontaine just throws away talent like that? How extravagant!

Lofan naturally intended to take full advantage of this. These individuals could save him a considerable number of Points when exchanging for abilities.

After patiently listening to all of Lofan's instructions, Navia, before taking her leave, posed a question that had been troubling her for some time.

"Teacher, why do you use a guitar as your weapon?"

"I've seen you fight, Teacher. Surely other weapons would unleash far greater power."

"But I'm a musician," Lofan retorted. "Should I wield a violin instead?"

"Not that it's impossible," he continued, stroking his chin, "but a guitar just feels more natural in my hands."

Lofan's words left Navia utterly bewildered. She couldn't help but recall the brutal scene of him smashing a Gardemek's head with his guitar. How could someone so violent possibly be a musician? Though she grudgingly admitted his guitar playing was undeniably beautiful.

Seeing his student's confusion, how could a teacher like Lofan leave her in doubt?

With earnest sincerity, Lofan addressed Navia. "Navia, there's something you need to understand."

"Music alone cannot save the Fontainians!"

"But the guitar can awaken the hearts of those who feign sleep."

Hearing these heartfelt words, Navia nodded solemnly, feeling a glimmer of understanding dawn within her.

The next day, after settling her affairs, Navia departed the Fleuve Cendre District with Melus and Silver, heading straight for the Steam Bird newspaper office.

This was one of the tasks Lofan had entrusted to her. To ensure the safety of those under the Spina di Rosula's protection in the short term, Navia needed to leverage the media to promote the organization's positive image and portray its members as champions of the weak. By garnering widespread public attention, she hoped to disrupt the nobles' next move.

Publishing such a story would undoubtedly incur the wrath of the aristocracy, so they needed a newspaper fearless enough to defy them. The Steam Bird was the perfect choice.

When Lofan instructed Navia on this task, he mentioned that Charlotte would likely agree to help.

Although Navia didn't understand the reason behind his assessment, she trusted her teacher's judgment implicitly.

As Navia approached the Steam Bird newspaper office, she spotted Charlotte hurrying out. A surprised smile lit up Navia's face, and she quickly approached her.

"Miss Charlotte, do you have a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"You're... Miss Navia, the current President of the Spina di Rosula?!" Charlotte exclaimed. "This is wonderful! I was just about to seek you out myself. Would you grant me an exclusive interview?" Charlotte's voice trembled with excitement.

Taken aback by Charlotte's sudden role reversal, Navia paused briefly before nodding warmly. "Of course, Miss Charlotte!"