Yes, Lady Funina!

Although it's only the first day for the "Young Master," he still has plenty of work to do.

In Melo Petersburg, there is no one who is idle. "He who does not work shall not eat" is the rule of Melo Petersburg. If you want to have enough to eat, you have to work.

The young master's job is very simple: sheet metal stamping. Almost all the work is done by machines. All he has to do is place the sheet metal into the machine's slot and press the switch.

To put it bluntly, anyone could do this job. After all, the people imprisoned in Mero Petersburg are criminals, and their quality varies greatly. If you ask them for a skilled job, they might not be able to do it. They are only assigned jobs like operating a sewing machine.

D'Artagnan didn't care that he, the dignified Executor of the Fools, had been assigned to such a low-skilled job.

On the contrary, he did his job very well and quickly finished the tasks assigned by the foreman before going to rest.

Work at Mero Petersburg usually takes place in the morning, while the afternoon is the prisoners' rest and lookout time. [Young Master] D'Artagnan thought he would be closely watched after entering, but to his surprise, he did not feel any gazes.

No one warned him where he should go, where he shouldn't go, or that he shouldn't even think about running away.

All indications suggest that he is no different from other criminals here. As long as he is within the prisoners' area of ​​activity, he can go wherever he wants, and no one will care about him.

Therefore, taking advantage of the free time in the afternoon, [Young Master] quickly explored the entire Petersburg in Melo and gained a general understanding of the surrounding buildings.

However, he didn't seem satisfied; his brow was furrowed, and he muttered to himself with one hand on his chest:

"I heard... someone calling me..."

------

"You mean the young master hasn't shown any abnormalities these past few days?" Richard sat in the Duke's office in Mello Petersburg, and sitting opposite him was the owner of the office—'Duke' Leosley.

"At least I didn't see anything unusual about him. The only thing worth noting is that this guy is a good puncher and is invincible in the boxing arena."

That is why Mr. D'Artagnan has become a 'rich man' in Melo Petersburg, and he no longer needs to go to work every day.

The "licenses" he earned from boxing alone were enough for him to live a comfortable life in Mero Petersburg.

Leosley picked up his teacup and, finding it empty, stood up and asked, "Would you like another cup?"

"This is troublesome." Richard nodded.

As the boiling water overflowed the rim of the cup again, Leosley continued, "But I think that for the Fools' Enforcers, normality itself is abnormal, wouldn't you say, Mr. Richard?"

“He’s considered normal among the Fools’ Executors,” Richard said in defense of D'Artagnan, then couldn’t help but laugh himself, “But I think you have a point.”

"May I ask, why would someone like you... pay so much attention to an executive officer of Winter?" Leosley said, raising his hand to signal Richard not to answer him immediately. "Of course, if it involves any important secrets, please skip my question."

"It doesn't involve any secrets, but I feel... he's related to prophecy."

"Isn't this a secret? I feel like I've heard something incredible." Leosley clicked his tongue. Although he had already guessed that something that could make Richard so concerned must be something important, he never expected it to involve that prophecy.

But why would a Winter Solstice person be related to Fontaine's prophecy?

Leosley didn't ask any more questions. Knowing this much was enough; asking any more would only affect his sleep quality.

But precisely because of this, Leosley couldn't help but ask, "Is this really not a lie to get me to take this to heart?"

After all, Clarinde's experience gave Leosley reason to suspect that it was all a conspiracy by Richard to get him to do his best to monitor Datalia.

In Leosley's mind, Richard was even better at ordering people around than those capitalists.

“I have no reason to lie to you, Leosley. If you don’t believe me, I can reveal more information to you…”

"Stop, stop, stop here. I understand. I'll keep an eye on his movements and make sure to notify you immediately if anything happens."

“Then I’ll leave it to the Duke,” Richard said with a smile.

Seeing Richard's smile made Leosley feel uncomfortable. "Just call me Leosley. It feels weird coming from your mouth the word 'Duke'."

"If he wants to leave, you don't need to stop him. Just let me know when he leaves."

Before leaving, Richard gave Leosley a final piece of advice, and upon hearing this, Leosley felt that Richard had lost his mind.

He's expected to monitor the prisoners, yet also turn a blind eye to their escape attempts—isn't that just making things incredibly difficult for him?

But since Richard had said so, he would just do as he was told.

Several more days and nights passed, and Richard, who was working, suddenly received a notification from the Petersburg authorities.

— [Prince] Dadalia has disappeared.

The disappearance of Datalia did not attract any attention from the outside world, and even within Mero Petersburg, there was no reaction to his disappearance, as if... there had never been a Fool's Enforcer named Datalia in Mero Petersburg.

After receiving the message, Richard did not take any action. Instead, he closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before going to Funina's office to ask for a short leave of absence.

After taking leave, Richard went alone to the ruins where Vashe had obtained the Primal Fetal Water. At the pool containing the Primal Fetal Water, Richard put his hand into this water, which was deadly to all the people of Fontaine.

I carefully felt the subtle changes in the amniotic fluid.

After a long while, Richard took his hand out of the pool. He could clearly feel that the fetal water in the pool had begun to become active, and the level of activity was slowly increasing.

Richard then visited other original primordial seawater sealing nodes in Fontainebleau. After examining them, he concluded that the primordial seawater in the ruins was not an isolated case, and that the primordial seawater at each node had become unusually active.

This indicates that the problem is not with a specific part of the amniotic fluid, but rather with a change in the source of the amniotic fluid.

Considering the disappearance of "Young Master" D'Artagnan, Richard can be fairly certain that the other party has already arrived at the Primordial Embryo Sea's alternate dimension.

However, Richard still has no clue how to enter the primordial womb water alien space.

Of course, none of that matters. What matters is that since the primordial ocean water did indeed show some unusual activity, it means that Richard's astrology was not wrong, and that the other party was indeed related to the doomsday prophecy, and that the relationship was very close.

The most urgent task now is not to follow in D'Artagnan's footsteps and go to another dimension, but to hurry back and inform Navia and the local government of White Song Town so that the local residents can evacuate from that toilet-like terrain as soon as possible.

Given the current activity level of the primordial seawater, it is highly likely that it will break through the seal and erupt directly after a period of time.

At that time, a large amount of primordial fetal seawater will flow into the sea, causing the concentration of fetal seawater in the seawater to soar to a level that can dissolve the Fontaine people. Furthermore, due to the eruption of primordial fetal seawater, the sea level will rise and submerge farmland and villages, and those Fontaine people who come into contact with the seawater will dissolve in the fetal seawater.

Especially in areas with terrain like Baisong Town, it was definitely the first place to be affected by the disaster!

Upon returning to Mo Mang Palace, Richard immediately made arrangements for the matter. Fortunately, the emergency deployment of personnel in the region still fell within the jurisdiction of the city hall.

After informing Navelette, the entire city hall began to operate like a sophisticated machine.

Although the efficiency of the various administrative departments of the Mo Mang Palace has been criticized, its ability to unleash tremendous energy is truly remarkable in times of crisis.

Under Richard's overall planning, Baisong Town quickly received the order from Momang Palace.

However, things did not go as smoothly as expected. During the execution of the order, the officials of Baisong Town encountered a few minor troubles.

"What? You want us to leave Baisong Town? Are you kidding me? I haven't even started my work for today!"

"An order from Mo Mang Palace? Then go find someone from Mo Mang Palace. Let whoever wants to leave go. I'm not leaving."

"What are those officials sitting in Fontaine planning to do? They want us to leave Baisong Town. Where will we live after that?"

"Don't worry, the city hall has already made arrangements. We've also prepared temporary accommodations for you in the mountains near Baisong Town..." an official from Baisong Town tried to explain.

However, only a small number of Baisong Town residents listened to the officials' explanation, while the vast majority of Baisong Town residents expressed:

"Why would I stay in a tent when I have a home? What's the point?"

Just when the officials were at a loss and the situation was gradually deadlocked, Navia, the current owner of the Rose Society, stepped forward.

"Listen to me, everyone. Mo Mang Palace is not making fun of you. There is a real reason why we are temporarily moving to the top of the mountain to live."

Navia's appearance surprised the residents of Baisong Town, and their words softened as they became less aggressive towards the town's officials.

Clearly, the Rose Society enjoys high prestige in Baisong Town. Although Miss Navia has only recently taken over the Rose Society, she already holds a significant position in the hearts of the residents of Baisong Town.

Now that she has spoken up, many residents who were initially indifferent to the relocation issue have become hesitant.

After all, Navia said that, so could something really have happened?

"Navia, can you tell us why we're being relocated?" an elderly woman in the crowd asked tremblingly. She was so old that she really didn't want to leave this land unless absolutely necessary.

"That's right. According to the latest research findings from Mo Mang Palace, the sea level has been fluctuating recently, and there may be a new round of rising water levels. This rise in water levels is very likely to affect Baisong Town."

"Therefore, for safety reasons, the Mo Mang Palace wants everyone to stay on the mountain for a while. Whether they will return depends on the situation after the flood," Navia explained.

"Then...what about our home?"

"If you have any valuables, please keep them with you. If they are not that important, please leave them in Baisong Town for the time being," the official replied at the opportune moment.

"If anyone has any heavy items or difficulties, please feel free to come to the Rose Association. During this period, the Rose Association will provide services to everyone free of charge."

"The tents provided by Mo Mang Palace are also free to live in, and necessary living supplies will be provided continuously to ensure the normal life of all residents as much as possible. Of course, all of these are free."

With the addition of Navia and the Rose Society, the mobilization speed was significantly faster. Although many people still did not intend to follow the main force to the temporary refuge camp set up on the mountain, most of the residents of Baisong Town had already moved to the temporary camp.

A personnel transfer of this scale is bound to encounter various problems, which undoubtedly requires a huge amount of effort and resources. For this reason, the Mo Mang Palace has specially mobilized the emergency reserve fund. The emergency reserve fund was also used once before when the Fontaine Academy of Sciences bombing occurred.

It is foreseeable that if the expected 'flood' does not occur, then someone will have to be held responsible, and that person will naturally be Richard, the one who proposed the plan.

At that point, not only will Richard have to resign, but he will also likely face imprisonment. Even Frynn will face questioning from the Momon Palace, and Navelette, the highest judge who approved the plan, will have to provide a reasonable explanation for the matter.

However, all of this is based on the premise that the 'flood' will not erupt. But according to Richard's estimate, an eruption is inevitable, within a week to a month.

However, Richard's certainty did not mean that everyone thought so. As time went by, doubts began to emerge and gradually grew. Some people even left the refuge camp and returned to Baisong Town.

Despite the efforts of local officials and members of the Rose Society to maintain order and persuade residents who had already returned to Baisong Town to come back, the primordial seawater erupted.

On this day, all the people living in Fontaine felt the earth tremble. However, the tremor came quickly and went quickly, and the ground stopped shaking in just a few breaths.

Before the surprise and doubt on people's faces had faded, shouts came from afar.

"It's flooded... Baisong Town is really flooded... People who are submerged in the water... have all dissolved!"

The sound came from afar and grew closer. The owner seemed to be running, and spoke intermittently, but one could still sense the panic in their words.

Watching the disheveled man stumble and run towards the camp, having lost one of his shoes, the people in the camp looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding what had happened.

"Did he just say that Baisong Town was flooded?"

"It seems he did say that, but he also seemed to say that people who are submerged in water are dissolved."

"Can a person be dissolved by seawater?"

"I don't know? Wasn't there a case a while ago? I think it was about people being dissolved by seawater or something."

Although the people present did not know what had happened, they all felt a sense of relief upon seeing the man's disheveled appearance.

—Luckily, I didn't go back.

Shortly after the earthquake, the Rose Association and the local government launched a joint rescue operation, and the Mo Mang Palace also promptly dispatched rescue equipment to Baisong Town to rescue the surviving victims.

These people happened to be in higher ground when the earthquake struck, so when the floodwaters rose, they had enough time to climb to higher ground and barely survived.

In contrast, the other residents who remained in Baisong Town were not so lucky. After the flood, they were inevitably exposed to highly concentrated fetal seawater, which dissolved into water in an instant.

This scene was witnessed by the survivors on the rooftop. Their faces showed obvious fear, and they avoided the seawater at all costs. They will probably suffer from severe hydrophobia for a long time to come.

When they saw the rescuers arrive, they shouted for help while reminding the rescuers to be careful not to touch the seawater.

Even with prior warning, some rescuers still accidentally touched the fetal water, which dissolved on the spot. This scene was witnessed by the residents of Baisong Town who came to the rescue.

The thought that popped into their minds was: what would have happened if Mo Mang Palace and Ci Mei hadn't urgently notified them of the relocation?

As soon as the thought crossed their minds, many people dared not think any further. The residents who had been harboring resentment vanished without a trace the moment the dissolution occurred before their eyes, replaced by waves of fear and gratitude towards the local officials of Mo Mang Palace.

Navia arrived in Baisong Town with her two followers. Looking at the city now enveloped by the seawater, she was shocked and felt a deeper gratitude towards the man.

The girl murmured, "Now I really owe Mr. Richard a huge favor."

If Richard hadn't acted decisively and informed Navia to assist the Mo Mang Palace in relocating Bai Song Town, the number of Bai Song Town residents standing on the shore would have been at least half less than it is now, and Navia herself might have perished in this natural disaster.

Without a doubt, Mr. Richard, the Permanent Secretary of the City Hall and the proposer of the relocation plan, will be the savior of all the residents of Baisong Town.

He is also the benefactor of all the small human settlements in the downstream region of Fontainebleau.

After all, besides Baisong Town, Fontaine also has many other human settlements of varying sizes living in low-lying areas that are extremely vulnerable to flooding.

Richard did not overlook these people either, and made reasonable arrangements for them as well.

After this battle, all doubts about Richard disappeared, whether in official circles or among the general public; all that could be heard were songs of praise and admiration.

However, Richard himself did not react much to this matter. For him, there was nothing to boast about, and as for achievements, they were of no use to him at the moment.

Richard now wants to know how Nadalia entered the primordial womb. These days, apart from dealing with the relocation, Richard has been thinking about this question.

Am I really going to have to burrow into those exposed fetal sea pools like an eel?

However, Richard had previously reached into the pools to touch them. Although nothing was visible on the surface, those fetal sea pools were actually very shallow, at most a few meters deep, with hard stone walls below. If one simply dived in, it would be impossible to reach the interior of the fetal sea.

Just as Richard was at a loss about how to enter the alternate dimension inside the primordial womb, the rescue operation following the previous disaster also came to a temporary end.

As time passed, the rising seawater gradually receded, and the seawater concentration gradually returned to normal. Now, when the people of Fontainebleau come into contact with seawater, they are not dissolved, but their skin turns red and they feel slightly excited.

After the disaster was over, it was time to reward those who had contributed. As the one who proposed the relocation plan, Richard was undoubtedly the biggest contributor to the rescue operation.

Without Richard's foresight, the losses suffered by Fontaine would have been incalculable. Therefore, the Palace of Moman decided to award Richard the title of 'Duke' and Fontaine the highest honor in recognition of his contributions to the rescue operation.

The awarding ceremony will take place at the Opiclie Opera House, where Lady Frinina, the goddess of water, will personally place the medal, symbolizing Fontaine's highest honor, on Richard's chest.