As Isabelle took away the unconscious Chen Kong, Chen Xing successfully captured Vivian.

This brief “farce” ended with the protagonists’ failure.

At the same time, the scene switched to the Gear and Brass Bridge.

“You can have her back,” Chen Xing said, her gaze sweeping over Tendo and the members of Squad 5 beside him. “But your Steam Guild has to agree to one condition.”

“Name it.”

“You have to cancel the warrant on my brother.”

“No problem.”

Without any hesitation, Tendo readily agreed to Chen Xing’s “condition.” The moment the deal was struck, Chen Xing pushed Vivian toward Tendo as if she were discarding something insignificant, then turned and walked away decisively. Her movements were so clean and precise it was as if her appearance today was solely to clean up her brother Chen Kong’s mess, with no other motive.

After watching Chen Xing leave, Tendo looked at Vivian next to him. Instead of having his team put her back in the prison cart, he gestured to his own vehicle. “Get in.”

Vivian nodded and obediently took the passenger seat.

As the steam car drove onto the Gear and Brass Bridge, the silence in the car was suddenly broken by Tendo.

“Your friends sacrificed a lot for you.” He turned to look at Vivian, his eyes filled with scrutiny. “So, are you still going to do it?”

Vivian was silent for a moment, a hint of confusion in her eyes. She seemed to be struggling with something. But the wavering didn’t last long. When she looked up at Tendo, her voice had regained its usual firmness.

“Someone has to do something. I’m the first, but I will definitely not be the last.”

“Is that so?” Tendo turned to look out the window. The bridge, which spanned between the Brass Council and the upper district of the Steam City, was now suspended in a sea of churning steam clouds. It was like a dividing line, separating the heaven above from the hell below.

The rust-stained pipes of the lower district were tangled and crisscrossed, and the low shacks were crammed together, forming a sharp contrast with the prosperous and modern upper district. This fragmented scene, however, truly coexisted in this Steam City.

“Although I don’t want to pry, I don’t think you can change anything on your own.”

“But it will still be of some use, won’t it?” Vivian said, her head lowered, her voice slightly hoarse.

Tendo pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Maybe. After all, those who have seen the light can no longer tolerate the darkness.”

With that, Tendo fell silent, and the car was once again filled with silence.

What was Vivian going to do? And what was the “light” Tendo was talking about? For the dimensional viewers who had been watching since the second season, the answer was already clear. It was nothing but one word—fairness.

Why was the rust district of the lower city hell? It was simply because the people there had never tasted the flavor of “fairness.” Their hard work would be easily plundered, and their efforts would not bring them any rewards. In such a desperate environment, even the most diligent and kind people would gradually wither and become twisted.

And what Vivian was going to do was let the people of the lower district see the possibility of obtaining fairness.

But how could she do it? How could she make those who had long been numb believe that fairness could be fought for?

Vivian’s answer was that she was going to use the “Twelve Brass Council,” which was broadcast to the entire Steam City, to expose the hypocrisy of the upper district and plant a seed in the hearts of the lower district’s people. A seed called “resistance.” Even if this seed didn’t bear fruit in the short term, Vivian believed that once it was planted, it would eventually take root and sprout. Although this was not her original starting point, in terms of the result, she was indeed prepared to do so.

Just as Vivian was lost in thought, Tendo suddenly spoke.

“Lady Knight, don’t let revenge blind you.”

Vivian looked up sharply, her face filled with surprise. She clearly hadn’t expected him to say such a thing. Tendo smiled, but his tone was full of deeper meaning.

“Deputy Captain Yu has always wanted to prove your innocence, but I know very well that he can’t.”

“Because there was no slander from beginning to end. The one who stole the church’s sacred object was no one else but you, Vivian Howard.”

“You, along with Bishop Cleeve and Saint Euphemia, played everyone for fools.”

At this point, Tendo suddenly sighed with emotion.

“I have to say, hatred is a wonderful thing. It can turn a person into something they never thought they would be.”

“Am I right? A lady knight who is determined to take revenge on the church and is willing to bet her own life to do so.”

Boom!

Tendo’s words were like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in the hearts of the dimensional viewers.

‘What the f**k?! Did I hear that right? Vivian staged this herself?’

‘You didn’t! Captain Ink Wash confirmed it!’

‘No wonder I felt like something was off… Did she fool all of us?’

‘But that doesn’t make sense. If Vivian was in on it with the Bishop, why would they try to kill her, and why would she be willing to die?’

‘Maybe Vivian made a deal with them, or maybe she fooled them?’

‘My head feels so itchy, I feel like I’m growing a brain.’

Just as the dimensional viewers were analyzing the shocking implications, Vivian, after a long silence in the car, spoke in a hoarse voice.

“When did you find out?”

Tendo smiled. “The moment you voluntarily told Old Jack your location.”

“A knight from the upper district would never so easily trust a lower district bar owner she had only met a few times, even if he had just helped you.”

Vivian looked out at the sea of steam clouds and let out a long sigh. “Then why did you tell me that Old Jack had betrayed everyone?”

“Because playing along with your act was quite interesting, and besides, you seemed to be enjoying it at the time, too.”

“You did a perfect job of playing a pure and innocent knight of justice.”

At this point, Tendo slowly revealed the whole truth.

“Let’s review what happened during this time.”

“The church’s sacred object was stolen, but for something so important, they only sent you to the lower district to look for it.”

“Why? Because they were certain that if you went, you would definitely find it.”

“And if you combine that with the video the church showed me a while ago…” A cold light flashed in Tendo’s black-rimmed glasses. “Who would know where a stolen item is hidden better than the thief who hid it?”

Hearing this, Vivian slowly raised her head. In an instant, the righteousness and determination in her eyes completely faded, replaced by the twisted obsession of revenge. This drastic change from her former self shocked the dimensional viewers who had always trusted her. Their jaws nearly hit the floor.

“You’re very smart and perceptive, Mr. Ink Wash.” There was a strange calmness in Vivian’s voice. “But so what? Everything I’ve planned is about to be completed.”

“When it is, I will not only make those who framed my father pay, but the name of the Clockwork Knight’s justice will also become an eternal legend in the Steam City, even if this justice… is a lie.”

Tendo shrugged noncommittally. “Yes, no one ever cares about the process. People only believe the result they see.”

Just as Tendo finished speaking, their vehicle stopped in front of a magnificent tower. The top of the tower pierced the clouds, and the gear patterns on its carved walls shimmered in the sunlight. This was the center of power in the Steam City—the Brass Tower.

Tendo opened the car door and gestured, “After you, Lady 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 didn’t look like a righteous knight at all. She was clearly a vengeful spirit from hell.

Many people in the Steam City wore masks, and Vivian was no exception. She never cared about justice. All she cared about was her father William’s “justice.” She wanted to get the justice her father deserved. Even if it meant causing a huge upheaval in the entire Steam City, Vivian would not hesitate. Because as long as she could avenge her father, any price was acceptable, even if that price included herself.

The only thing she hadn’t expected was to meet Chen Kong and his friends, and all that they had sacrificed for her. But at this point, she… could no longer turn back.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep