Yes, Lady Funina!

The slightly awkward atmosphere briefly affected Paimon's appetite for desserts, so to ease the tension, she asked Richard, "Richard, how long are you planning to stay in Inazuma this time?"

Upon hearing this, both Kage and Yae no Miko looked at Richard. In fact, they were also very concerned about this matter. No matter how reluctant they were, Richard's previous attitudes had shown that he could not stay in Inazuma and would return to Fontaine sooner or later.

Previously, there hadn't been a suitable opportunity to ask, but now that Paimon has brought it up, it has become a mouthpiece for Yae no Kami and Kage.

I asked them the question they most wanted to know right now.

“If nothing unexpected happens, it should be the weekend,” Richard said. “After all, I’ve been on a mission for a long time, and if I don’t go back soon, the Mo Mang Palace will suspect that I’m on a paid vacation.”

“If that’s what you’re worried about, I can write you an official letter and send it to Mo Mang Palace. Just say…” Yae no Miko’s beautiful eyes glanced at Richard, “Mr. Richard has made a great contribution to the diplomacy between the two countries. Therefore, Inazuma can host the Fontaine delegation for a longer period of time, and all expenses during that period will be borne by Inazuma.”

As for what kind of great contribution it was... helping Inazuma find the Thor Balzeb, who had been hiding in the Pure Land of One Heart for a hundred years, wouldn't that count as a great contribution?

Who says that the "handsome man" strategy doesn't contribute to diplomacy?

Mr. Richard has given so much to Fontaine.

So much so that Yae no Miko wanted to say to Richard: "Mr. Richard, you don't want the diplomatic relations between our two countries to be affected, do you? I think you understand what to do next, right?"

In fact, if we're really going to talk about it, Fontaine should be the one who came after us!

If Richard hadn't left back then, Yae no Kamiko and Kage might have several children by now.

The afternoon passed by in this way. When Paimon walked out of the general's mansion, his belly was already round and bulging, and he looked like he might 'crash' at any moment.

"Ugh, I'm so full, I feel like I can't fly anymore," Paimon muttered, rubbing his belly.

"Who told you to eat so much?" Ying said helplessly, reaching out to hug little Paimon.

It's hard to imagine that such a little one could fit a stomach that's almost as big as her own in desserts.

Paimon comfortably leaned back into his best friend's arms, enjoying Ying's princess carry.

"It was so delicious that I couldn't resist and ate too much."

“If you’d like to eat more, I can have someone pack some more,” Richard said.

"No need, no need. It's good enough that we have something to eat. It would be too impolite to ask for more." Paimon quickly waved his hand and said.

"Uh, the way you're talking makes it sound like you're the master of the general's mansion."

“Who says the male owner isn’t a master?” Ying said with a smile.

"Oh right, I almost forgot about your relationship with Shadow and Yae no Miko." Paimon slapped his forehead.

Richard neither admitted nor denied it, but this very attitude reminded Paimon of someone.

He was a sailor named Tide. I learned about him when I was working at the Adventurers' Guild. It seemed that he, like Richard, had dated several girls in a row.

The difference is that the girls were unaware of each other's existence, but Richard made no attempt to hide it from them.

He's so openly and honestly a scumbag.

"What are your plans for the future?" Richard asked.

If possible, there were some things he wanted to entrust to Ying and Paimon to do. Compared to the mixed bag of adventurers in the Adventurers' Guild, Richard preferred to trust Ying, the top-notch worker.

Richard felt more at ease leaving some things to them.

Ying shook her head and replied in a cool voice, "I don't have any plans. I'll probably go to the Adventurers' Guild to see if there are any commissions I can accept. If all goes well, I should earn some Mora to raise funds for my journey to Sumeru."

"In that case, I do have a request that requires your help."

"You said."

Ying agreed without hesitation. After all, she was able to meet Ying this time thanks to Richard's introduction; otherwise, she didn't know how much effort and time it would have taken.

So even if Richard's request doesn't come with a reward, Ying will agree without hesitation.

Moreover, how could a big shot like Richard possibly ask someone to do a favor without paying him?

Richard took out the checkbook Ningguang had given him from his pocket, wrote down a suitable number, tore it off, and handed it to Ying.

“Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands… one, one million Mora?!” Paimon flew from Luminous’s arms to the side and looked at the numbers on the screen with Luminous.

Paimon was immediately speechless. One million Mora? This seemed to be the first time she and Ying had received such a large commission.

Richard isn't planning to get them to do something illegal or disorderly, is he? Giving them so much Mora.

"Consider this as working capital for your entrusted tasks. There will be additional compensation after the task is completed."

"So much Mora, and it's just working capital?" Paimon asked, his eyes wide.

Poverty truly limits one's imagination. Even the combined working capital given to them by that Fool's Enforcer [Young Master] didn't amount to as much as Richard gave them, did it?

"Yes, because the place I need you to go is quite special, requires a lot of preparation and involves some danger, so this amount of money is necessary. Of course, whatever is left in the end is yours, and you don't need to return it to me."

"If you run out of funds, you can let me know, and I will allocate a second tranche of working capital as appropriate..."

"No refunds for overpayments, plus additional payments for underpayments. Richard, where exactly do you want us to go?" Paimon felt that if Richard's request was too simple, it would be a waste of such a large sum of Mora.

"Yuanxia Palace".

“Yuanxia Palace? Where is that?” Paimon was a little confused. This was a place name she had never heard of before. Was the place Richard was talking about in Inazuma?

“The entrance is in the center of the Coral Palace on Sea Island. Once you get there, you should be able to ask the local priestess how to get there,” Richard said.

He originally planned to go to Yuanxia Palace himself, but unfortunately there wasn't enough time, so he had to ask Ying to handle the matter.

"What exactly are we supposed to do once we arrive?" Ying asked.

Richard's answer was unusually ambiguous. He said, "Just tell me what you saw and heard in the Yuanxia Palace."

"It's that simple?"

“It’s not simple, and it’s quite dangerous. You’ll find out when you get there. But despite the danger, with Ying’s skills, it shouldn’t be a problem. And there might be some things you want to know there,” Richard said with a smile.

"For example, some truths about this world..."

"The truth about the world?" Richard's fluorescent golden eyes flickered, unsure of what he meant.

"Anyway, you'll know when you get there. When we meet again, just remember to tell me what you saw and heard at Yuanxia Palace."

"Then how can you be sure that what I'm saying is true or false?"

“Yeah, even though we wouldn’t do that, what if Ying and I never went to that Yuanxia Palace at all, and just made up a story to fool you?” Paimon asked.

"I can't fool you, because I've been to Yuanxia Palace once, and I can tell the difference between the real and fake as soon as I hear it."

“Alright.” Paimon had nothing to say, and Ying nodded, accepting the request.

"In that case, I'll wait for your good news in Fontainebleau."

After bidding farewell to Ying and Paimon, Richard did not return directly to the Fontaine embassy with Lynette, but instead went back to the general's mansion.

Seeing Richard return, Yae no Miko asked with a smile, "Why did you come back? Did you miss me, or you missed Kage?"

No, it's not that. He just can't bear to part with Thor's Heart.

Yes, Richard came back this time for nothing other than Thor's Heart.

Didn't I promise [the lady] that I would exchange the Heart of Thor for evidence of the crimes of Kujo Takayuki and the Baguchi clan?

Now that the evidence has been confirmed, whether it's the nine acts of filial piety or the room for maneuver of the crab body, it's time for Richard to fulfill his promise.

Actually, it wouldn't be a problem even if Richard didn't keep his promise. After all, the reason why "Lady" handed over Kujo Takayuki and Bargut was because she had no choice. She couldn't fight them, and she couldn't run away, so she could only use the excuse of exchanging Thor's Heart to save face.

In fact, even the lady herself probably didn't think Richard would keep his promise, because the two were not equal in this deal.

No normal person would believe that two mere pieces of evidence are enough to win the precious heart of God.

However, for both Richard and Shadow, the Heart of God was not as precious as they had imagined. Given some special reasons, keeping it would only cause trouble, so it was better to get rid of it.

"The Heart of God of Shadow is with you, Divine Child, isn't it?" Richard asked.

"Hmm? What are you talking about? My heart, and Shadow's heart, are already tied to you." Yae no Miko couldn't resist teasing Richard at this moment.

"Ok, I know."

Faced with such sweet words, Richard readily agreed.

"Not pretending to be stupid this time?"

“I’ve never pretended to be stupid, neither to you nor to Shadow,” Richard said earnestly.

"Yes, yes, you weren't pretending to be stupid. You just chose to run away, just like Shadow." Yae no Miko said irritably.

Ying glanced at Yae no Miko, wondering why he was involved, but considering that he had indeed locked himself in the Pure Land of the Heart for over a hundred years, he did not refute Yae no Miko, but said, "Since Richard wants the Heart of God, just give it to him."

Anyway, Shadow didn't care much about the Heart of God. Since Richard wanted it, he would just give it to him. As for the reason, Shadow didn't even want to ask.

"You're spoiling that guy way too much. What if he uses your Heart of God to seduce other women?"

"Can you?" Shadow asked.

“I can’t,” Richard replied.

Shadow looked at Yae no Miko and said, "He said he can't."

"You believe everything he says?" Yae no Miko rolled her eyes at the 'indecisive' Kage.

“I really don’t know how.” Richard glanced at Yae no Miko, signaling with his eyes not to sow discord.

At the same time, he also explained to Shadow why he wanted the Heart of God, emphasizing that keeping the Heart of God would only cause trouble. Although neither Shadow nor Yae no Miko was afraid of trouble, unnecessary and meaningless trouble should be avoided if possible.

Therefore, it would be better to follow the example of the two gods of Fengyan and take the opportunity to throw away the hot potato that is the Heart of God.

Even if Richard hadn't said it, Yae no Miko understood this principle. In fact, she had already planned to 'send away' the Thunder God's Heart when she learned that the Hearts of the Wind and Rock Gods had fallen into the hands of the Fools.

So after Richard finished explaining, Yae no Miko took out the Heart of God, but instead of handing it to Richard immediately, she placed the Heart of God deep inside God's heart.

At the same time, he pressed down on Ying's hands, and then the Eightfold Divine Child spoke leisurely:

"If you want the Heart of God, then take it from the God yourself."

P.S.: There's more tonight. I've already written 2 words. I'll finish the rest after I wake up from my nap.

Chapter 147 Shadow, you've been hiding it really well!

Is this...is this appropriate?

Neither Shadow nor Richard expected Yae no Kami to pull such a stunt. Shadow raised his hand to retrieve the increasingly trapped Heart of God, but was stopped by Yae no Kami with lightning speed.

It's pointless if you take it yourself; how can I let you do it yourself?

"Divine Child, let go." Ying's fair cheeks flushed slightly, and her eyes involuntarily turned to Richard.

'You want me to let go? Why don't you break free yourself?' Yae no Miko thought to herself.

She didn't exert any force in controlling Ying's hand; if Ying had used even a little force, she could have easily broken free.

Besides, with Shadow's reaction speed, even if Yae no Miko is fast, how could Shadow not defend against it?

I don't even want to say anything more about someone's little scheme.

Seeing the two women struggling and the imprisoned God's Heart, Richard thought for a moment and then said, "Shadow, where is your [Dream of One Heart]?"

Ying didn't know what Richard wanted to do with the [Dream of One Heart], so she subconsciously took it out for Richard.

Then... the Heart of God was pushed out by the hilt of the sword of the One Heart of Dreams.

Pay attention, this is how to use 【梦想一心】 (dream together).

I gladly accept your heart of God.

Richard strolled over and took the Heart of God from the hilt of the sword without offending Ying in the slightest.

Although Richard very gentlemanly refrained from physical contact with her, Ying still felt somewhat offended.

"Richard, you're really stubborn." Even Yae no Kamiko didn't expect this kind of operation. And Kage too, the stage was all set up for you, how come you dismantled the supporting pillars of the stage?

Ying pursed her lips and said softly to the Eightfold Divine Child, "Divine Child, please excuse me for a moment."

Then the Shadow's Pure Land unfolded, and Richard was drawn into it. In the blink of an eye, only the Eightfold Divine Child remained in the vast General's Mansion.

Yae Shenzi:?

No, I even livestreamed it to you back then. Now that you're trying to take advantage of me, you're leaving me out here. Is that fair?

The Divine Child refused to believe in evil and tried to force his way into the Pure Land of One Heart, just like last time. However, the bug that allowed him to enter last time had already been fixed by the Shadow. Even though Richard had the Eightfold Divine Child forcibly attached a protective token to him, he still couldn't use it to enter the Pure Land of One Heart.

Within the Pure Land of One Heart, Shadow gave Richard a severe lesson and sparred with him on the skills he had learned from the Eightfold Divine Child.

However, those skills were indeed superb, and after only a short while, Ying was defeated.

When Ying reappeared in the main hall of the General's Mansion, she looked no different from when she first entered. However, Yae no Miko noticed that Ying's lips were much redder than before, and even slightly swollen.