Isabelle took away the injured and unconscious Chen Kong.
Chen Xing successfully captured Vivian.
This brief 'farce' ultimately ended in the defeat of the Protagonist Group.
At the same time, the scene shifts to the Bridge of Gears and Brass.
"You can have the person returned to you."
Chen Xing's gaze swept over Tiandao and the members of the Fifth Squad beside him, and he said calmly, "But your Steam Branch needs to agree to one condition of mine."
"You say."
"You must withdraw the warrant for my brother's arrest."
"No problem."
Without any hesitation, Tiandao readily agreed to Chen Xing's 'conditions'.
The moment the deal was struck, Chen Xing pushed Vivian toward the side of Tiandao as if discarding something insignificant.
He then decisively turned and left.
Her clean and efficient movements made it seem as if her appearance today was solely to help her younger brother, Chen Kong, clean up his messes, without any other intentions.
After watching Chen Xing leave, Tiandao looked at Vivian beside him. Instead of having his team put her back in the prison van, he pointed to his own vehicle and said, "Get in."
Vivian nodded and obediently sat in the passenger seat of the Tiandao Path.
As the Steam Car drove onto the Bridge of Gears and Brass, Tiandao, in the driver's seat, suddenly broke the silence inside the carriage.
"Your friends have sacrificed a lot for you."
He turned to look at Vivian, his eyes filled with inquiry. "So, you've still decided to do it?"
Vivian remained silent for a moment, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
It seems like they're struggling with something.
But this wavering didn't last long. When she looked up at the Tiandao, her tone had regained its usual firmness.
"Someone has to do something. I'm the first, but I'll never be the last."
"Yeah?"
Tiandao turned his head to look out the window.
The bridge spanning the Brass Council and the Upper City of the Steam Capital City now rests amidst a churning Sea of Steam.
It's like a dividing line, separating heaven above from hell below.
The rusty pipes crisscrossing the Lower City and the low-lying shacks crammed together form a stark contrast to the bustling and modern Upper City.
Such a stark contrast coexists in this Steam Capital.
"Although I don't want to say anything, I don't think you can change anything by yourself."
"But it's still somewhat useful, isn't it?"
Vivian lowered her head, her voice slightly hoarse.
After a moment of contemplation, Tiandao suddenly smiled.
"Perhaps, after all, those who have seen the light can no longer bear the darkness."
After saying that, Tiandao fell silent again, and the carriage fell silent once more.
What does Vivian need to do?
What is the 'light' that the Tiandao Dao speaks of?
Dimensional Audience have been watching since Season 2 already have the answer in their hearts.
There's nothing to it but two words—fairness.
Why is the Rust Iron District in the Lower City considered hell?
It's simply because the people there have never tasted the flavor of 'fairness'.
Their sweat will be easily plundered, and their efforts will not be rewarded in the slightest.
In such a desperate environment, even the most diligent and kind-hearted person will gradually wither and become distorted.
What Vivian wanted to do was to show the people of the Lower City the possibility of obtaining fairness.
But how can she do that?
How can we make those who have long been numb believe that fairness can be fought for?
Vivian's answer was that she would use the ' Twelve Brass Council ' live broadcast to the entire Steam Capital.
He personally tore away the veil of hypocrisy from the Upper City and planted a seed in the hearts of the people in the Lower City.
A seed called 'resistance'.
Even if this seed doesn't show results in the short term.
But Vivian believed that once the seed was planted, it would eventually take root and sprout.
Although that wasn't her initial motivation.
But in terms of the outcome, she was indeed prepared to do so.
Just as Vivian was lost in thought, the Tiandao suddenly spoke.
" Miss Knight, don't let revenge blind you."
Vivian looked up abruptly, her face filled with astonishment, clearly not expecting him to say such a thing.
The Tiandao Dao wore a smile, but its tone carried a deeper meaning.
" Vice Captain Yu has been trying to prove your innocence, but I know very well that he can't do it."
"Because there was no slander involved in the whole thing from beginning to end, the person who stole the Church's Holy Relic was none other than you, Vivian Howard."
"You, along with Bishop Cleve and Saintess Euphemia, tricked everyone."
At this point, Tiandao suddenly sighed.
"It has to be said that hatred is a strange thing; it can turn a person into someone they never imagined they would be."
"Am I right? The Miss Knight who is determined to take revenge on the Church and is willing to risk her own life."
boom!
The words of the Tiandao were like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in the hearts of the Dimensional Audience.
"Holy crap?! Did I hear that right? Vivian orchestrated this whole thing?"
"Hey! You heard me right! Captain Shui Mo is confirmed!"
'No wonder something felt off. We've all been fooled by her?'
'That doesn't make sense. If Vivian and the bishop are in cahoots, why would they want to kill her, and why would Vivian willingly accept her fate?'
'Perhaps Vivian made some kind of deal with them, or perhaps she deceived them?'
My head is so itchy, I feel like my brain is growing out.
Just as the Dimensional Audience were analyzing the astonishing thoughts contained within this,
After a long silence, Vivian, sitting in the carriage, spoke in a hoarse voice.
When was it discovered?
Tiandao smiled and said, "From the moment you voluntarily told Old Jack your location."
"An Upper City knight wouldn't so easily trust a lower-city bar owner he's only met a few times, even if he just helped you."
Vivian gazed at the Sea of Steam outside the car window and let out a long sigh.
"Then why did you tell me back then that Old Jack betrayed everyone?"
"Because I found acting alongside you quite interesting, and besides, didn't you enjoy it too?"
"He portrayed a simple and innocent knight of justice with remarkable skill."
At this point, Tiandao slowly revealed the whole truth.
Let's sort out what has happened during this period.
" The Church's Holy Relic is lost, but they only sent you to search for something so important in the Lower City."
"Why? Because they are certain that you will find it as long as you go there."
"And then there's the video the Church showed me not long ago."
A cold glint flashed in Tiandao's black-rimmed glasses.
"Who else knows better than a thief who hides things where they are?"
Upon hearing this, Vivian slowly raised her head.
In an instant, the justice and determination she once had in her eyes vanished completely, replaced by an obsession and distortion of revenge.
This dramatic transformation left her Dimensional Audience, who had always trusted her, utterly astonished.
"You are very clever and perceptive, Mr. Shui Mo."
Vivian's voice carried an eerie calm.
"But so what? Everything I've planned is about to be completed."
"At that time, I will not only make those who framed my father pay the price, but the name of the Clockwork Knight will also become an eternal legend in the Steam Capital, even if this justice is false."
Tiandao simply shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
"That's true. Nobody cares about the process; everyone just believes the results they see."
Just after Tiandao finished speaking, their vehicle stopped in front of a magnificent tower.
The tower's top pierces the clouds, and the gear patterns on the wall reliefs gleam coldly in the sunlight.
This is the power center of the Steam Capital — the Brass Tower.
Tiandao opened the car door and turned to the side, making a 'please' gesture.
"Let's go, Miss Knight, I'm looking forward to your performance."
Vivian stepped out of the car, her eyes burning with the flames of revenge.
At this moment, she no longer resembled a knight of justice; she was clearly an avenger who had come from hell.
Many people in the Steam Capital wear masks, Vivian is no exception.
Because what she cared about was never justice.
All she cared about was her father William's 'justice'.
She wanted to seek justice for her father.
Even if it might cause a violent upheaval in the Steam Capital, Vivian was willing to do it.
Because she was willing to pay any price to avenge her father.
Even if the price includes herself.
The only thing she hadn't expected was that she would run into Chen Kong and the others.
And everything they sacrificed for themselves.
But things had come to this point, and there was no turning back.
PS: Progress of four chapters a day (2/7), another day of burning the midnight oil, strongly requesting monthly votes!
[37 chapters owed from last month's monthly votes and Alliance Leader requests]
[Repaid: 24]