Yes, Lady Funina!

If only she had Richard's wealth, she could buy whatever intelligence she wanted, and even generously tip the waiters when dining out.

...Oh, right! There's still Richard!

"Please, lend me some money. I'll pay you back as soon as I get my salary!"

Richard remained silent as he gazed at the girl who stood before him with her hands clasped together.

You called me out just for this?

He thought Charlotte had called him out because of something important, or because she wanted to share some information with him, but it turned out to be just to borrow money.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. If something really serious had happened in Fontaine, Charlotte wouldn't need to contact him; he would know on his own.

"May I ask what happened?" Richard asked. There has to be a reason for borrowing money, right?

According to Richard, Charlotte had already been transferred to a full-time position as a reporter by Steambird Newspaper. With her monthly attendance and the frequent appearance of Charlotte's interviews in Steambird Newspaper, she should be considered to be at the middle-class income level in Fontainebleau.

Why would they suddenly ask me for money? Could something have happened to them?

Richard remembered that Charlotte's father was currently in good health and did not seem like someone who would die young; it was unlikely that he would suffer from any serious illness or disaster...

Charlotte didn't hesitate and told Richard about D'Artagnan's situation. After all, Richard wasn't in the same line of work, and given his status, he was unlikely to take it to heart.

After hearing Charlotte's description, Richard's eyes showed a strange look. If he was not mistaken, the new debt collector from the Northern Bank that Charlotte mentioned should be "Young Master" D'Artagnan, right?

Whether it's their abilities, hair color, or clothing style, everything matches up.

"Do you have any photos?" Richard asked.

“Yes, just a moment while I look for it, I remember putting it in my bag… Ah, here it is! Here you go.” Charlotte rummaged through her reporter bag and found the photo she had taken back then among countless pictures, handing it to Richard.

The person in the photo is tall and slender, dressed in gray clothes with rolled-up sleeves, revealing a slight glimpse of their abdomen, and wearing a water-attribute God's Eye on their belt.

Who else could this be but "Young Master" D'Artagnan?

It turns out that the other party had already arrived in Fontainebleau and had even taken up the job of a debt collector.

The problem is, wasn't D'Artagnan here for a vacation in Fontainebleau?

Does he take vacations by working at the Northern Bank?

Richard didn't understand, but he was deeply shocked.

Is this how they all vacation in winter? That's way too extravagant!

Is it possible that this isn't a vacation, but rather a business trip abroad?

Richard had also served in the Fools for a period of time before, but even though he had few vacations, he didn't have to work during his holidays.

Work is work, and rest is rest. What is the point of mixing work and rest together?

How to rest?

It seems that since he left the Fools, they have been getting worse day by day. I could feel it when he was still around.

How can you conduct politics while surrounded by these insects?

I heard that the "Young Master" is the youngest of all the Fools' Enforcers. Alas, what a pity that the young man has stepped into the fire pit at such a young age.

Lee realized that, apart from being a bit belligerent, Tadalia was the closest to a normal person among the Fools.

Well, perhaps that's why he ranks last among all the Fools' Enforcers.

It's normal for young people to be combative. Richard was quite combative when he was young, otherwise he wouldn't have traveled so far to Inazuma to become his apprentice.

However, after experiencing more and maturing, Richard became less combative and more inclined to resolve conflicts.

"Do you know this person?" Charlotte couldn't help but ask when she saw Richard staring at the person in the photo for a long time.

“I know him,” Richard nodded. “But he’s probably not a debt collector.”

"Wait a minute." Charlotte stopped Richard with one hand, and then took out her notebook from her bag with her other free hand.

Charlotte held a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other, looking as serious as a student in class.

After doing all this, Charlotte respectfully said, "Please speak."

Richard: ...

"He is the Executor of the Fools, codenamed 'Prince' Tartaglia."

"Fool's Enforcer? Why would an enforcer do this kind of work?"

Charlotte thought that the executors of the Fools were the kind of people who came and went without a trace, and when they did act, it was always earth-shattering. Why would such people do such a thing?

Of course, Charlotte wasn't discriminating against the debt collector profession, but... it's just weird, you know?

This strange feeling is like wearing an evening gown to a banquet but going to eat at a street food stall.

That's not right!

“Perhaps…because of passion?” Richard speculated.

"Passion? That's a bit strange." That's what she said, but Charlotte still quickly noted down the information.

"So you asked me for money just to find out about him?" Richard asked.

“Yes, I originally planned to bribe the servants in those noble households, but now it seems that I don’t need to…” Charlotte scratched her head.

Reason told her that it was best not to get involved with the Fatui, let alone be an executive officer among them. It was said that every Fatui executive had a very strange personality and was dangerous without exception.

Unless absolutely necessary, it's best to avoid getting involved with them.

"Now that we've gathered the information, shouldn't we settle the intelligence fee?" Richard asked with a smile.

"Huh? So it's a paid service? Okay..." Charlotte took out her wallet, which only had a few coins left, opened it, and then closed it again.

"That money might not be enough, could you..." Charlotte made a gesture of utter fury, "...give me a discount?"

"If there's a discount... then give me this photo." Richard waved the photo in his hand.

Richard's original plan was to shock the "Young Master" with some obscure laws of Fontainebleau once he arrived, but it seems that it's not necessary now.

Richard stared at the photo of the "Young Master" tossing around a Mora bag, against the backdrop of chaos in the Earl's mansion—this was definitely the template for a notorious bandit.

How many years should someone be sentenced for burglary that causes significant negative consequences?

Richard's eyes narrowed slightly, and his hand unconsciously touched his chin. Charlotte felt a chill when she saw Richard's action; she felt as if Richard was plotting something.

Could it be that Mr. Fool's Enforcer?

In that case... I hope that Mr. Fool's Enforcer is alright. (Praying)

"Are you still planning to continue the investigation?" Richard asked after putting the photos away.

"Um...should I continue the investigation?" Charlotte herself was a little unsure of herself.

“From the perspective of a Fontaine official, I certainly hope you can continue the investigation. But from a friend’s point of view, I hope you, Charlotte, will not continue to get involved,” Richard said earnestly.

"Although I don't know why he didn't make a move against you, judging from the photos you took, you should have already been discovered by him."

“Yes, I feel the same way. Even though we’re so far apart…” Charlotte nodded in deep agreement. Charlotte had been hoping that the other party might be bluffing, but she just happened to sense it without realizing it herself.

But when Richard said the other party was an executive officer of the Fools, this sense of luck vanished instantly; the other party must have discovered him.

“Actually, it’s not that far,” Richard said. And to take pictures with a camera when it was so obvious, if they didn’t notice, then the value of the Fools’ executives needs to be improved.

Charlotte couldn't understand why the other person had chosen to let her go after discovering her, and hadn't even asked her to delete the photos.

Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided to stop thinking about it. Charlotte was someone who listened to advice. Since Richard had said it was best not to investigate any further, it meant that the path ahead was indeed not suitable for her to explore any further.

It's not suitable to explore it again in the future.

After saying goodbye to Charlotte, Richard did not return to Mormont Palace, but went directly to the Earl's mansion with the photograph.

When Richard arrived at the Earl's mansion, all traces of the fight had already been cleaned up.

After all, the Earl's Mansion also has a reputation to maintain. Although all the noble families now know that the executor from Zhidong is sweeping through the Fontaine noble world in the form of a debt-collecting demon, they still have to maintain the proper appearances.

Although I was threatened into paying back the money, you can't say I deliberately didn't pay. There were just some problems during the negotiation, and I still paid it back in the end, didn't I? That's called credit!

The Earl is having a bad time lately because he has mortgaged a large portion of his valuable assets to the Northern Bank to pay off his debts to the Fools. If he cannot repay the loan within the stipulated time, his personal assets will shrink by more than half.

It's as if all his efforts throughout his life were wasted working for fools.

What's even more interesting is that the total amount of money he would have to pay off the loan was roughly the same as the assets he had earned over most of his life.

In other words, no matter what, he has to contribute a large amount of Mora to the Fools.

This disgusted the Earl, who cursed the Fools in his heart for their lack of martial ethics and morality, and secretly regretted why he had been so foolish as to want to cooperate with them.

It's truly like trying to get something from a tiger.

The Earl sighed and looked at Richard sitting opposite him. He still had a deep impression of Richard, the handsome and dashing Secretary-General of the City Hall, who was dressed in a suit.

A favorite of the Water Goddess Funina, the second-in-command of the City Hall, a core member of the Momang Palace civil service system, one of the leaders of the reconstruction of the Fontaine Academy of Sciences, and currently the number one person in Fontaine that cannot be offended.

The Earl recalled that he was not very familiar with this Secretary Richard and wondered what the other party's purpose was in coming to his door today.

“Mr. Richard, what brings you here today…” The Earl looked at Richard sitting in the chair opposite him and felt inexplicably uneasy.

Because Richard was sitting in the same spot where "Young Master" Tadalia had been yesterday, the Earl was somewhat sweating profusely at the sight.

"I heard that the Earl's mansion was attacked by thugs yesterday. Is that true?" Richard asked slowly and deliberately.

"Nonsense! Who would dare to cause trouble at the Earl's mansion? Mr. Richard, you may have the wrong person. The one who was attacked was not me, but Norton next door." Norton, whom the Earl was referring to, was also a Fontainebleau nobleman.

The Count dared not admit that he had been attacked, partly because of his pride, and partly because he was worried that Richard would find out something.

Although his collaborative project with the Fontaine Academy of Sciences had ended with the explosion, if the other party were to discover that he had colluded with the Fools, or even been involved in the resale of Fontaine's confidential technology, that would be a true catastrophe.

Fontaine today is not the same as it was hundreds of years ago. Ever since Navelette became the Supreme Judge, the law has been applied equally to nobles and commoners, without any ambiguity.

If the count's affair comes to light, the minimum guarantee is a 10-year residency permit in Melo Petersburg.

This was only because the count didn't actually leak the technical secrets; if he had, he probably could have lived the rest of his life in Mero Petersburg.

"Really? But isn't the background of this photo your house?" Richard didn't deny it; the Earl's denial was within his expectations.

Richard probably knew more about the other party's collaboration with the Fools than he, the person directly involved, thanks to his capable secretary, Lynette.

The count looked slightly embarrassed when he saw the photo, but his aristocratic thick skin allowed him to quickly recover. He coughed lightly and said, "Well, it seems so. May I ask Mr. Richard where this photo came from?"

This is a crucial question because the Count is unsure whether Richard has been watching him all along. If he has, then what happened to his previous collaboration with the Fools...?

Hiss, just thinking about it is a little scary. Even though the Earl's mansion has a temperature regulation system similar to that in the Mo Mang Palace, fine beads of sweat still inevitably appeared on his forehead.

I'm drenched in sweat.

“It was just a chance photo taken at your doorstep, Earl, you don’t need to overthink it,” Richard chuckled.

The count echoed this with a forced smile.

Not overthinking? How could he not overthink?

The Fools' gang only wanted money when they were demanding repayment, but Richard's case was about life and death. For nobles, nothing was more important than their title; a title was essentially a noble's second life.

If that matter comes to light, not only will he be imprisoned, but the ancestral title will also be revoked and become history. At that time, he will be a sinner to his family.

It was unclear how much intelligence Richard possessed, but the Earl was no longer as composed as before. He shifted uncomfortably in his large, fleshy rear, forcing a smile onto his greasy face as he said:

"As you know, we nobles are very concerned about our reputation, and these things are really difficult to talk about..."

"The fact that the Earl was robbed is a serious incident, and there is no need to feel embarrassed about being robbed."

"Robbed? No, Mr. Richard, I think you may have really misunderstood." The Earl hurriedly tried to explain.

"Misunderstanding? If it wasn't stolen, what happened to your face, Count?" Richard pointed to the bruises and swelling on the Count's face.

"I fell. I tripped and fell while walking."

"Count, you must be joking. How could a fall cause such serious injury? Are you making fun of me?"

"Amusement? No, no, no, Lord Richard, you misunderstand. How could I dare to amuse you..." The count's exaggerated facial expressions while speaking aggravated his wound, causing him to grimace in pain. However, he dared not show it and could only endure the pain while smiling, looking extremely strange.

She wasn't good-looking to begin with, and then she smiled like that, making her look like an alien.

"Alright, Lord Richard, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me. I did borrow a sum of Mora from the Northern Bank, but I couldn't repay it because of business failure."

In the count's account, he claimed that he had borrowed Mora from the Northern Bank and was unable to repay it. With the Northern Bank pressuring him, he resorted to dishonest means.

However, having lost the fight, he had no choice but to pay back the money. The photo in Richard's hand was the settlement photo from when Tadalia won.

"So, this is just a very ordinary debt dispute?"

“Yes, Lord Richard.” The Earl couldn’t understand why Richard, who was usually so busy with official duties, would care so much about such a trivial matter.

Could it be that they've actually discovered something?