Yes, Lady Funina!

Many truths are often spoken in the form of jokes.

Soon, Funina realized that this was not a good topic, so she asked about Richard's age instead. They hadn't seen each other for a hundred years, which meant that Richard in front of her was actually over a hundred years old.

Funina blinked her beautiful eyes, looking Richard up and down at his young and handsome face and youthful skin. You couldn't tell at all that he was an old man who was at least a hundred years old.

"how old are you?"

Lady Funina, who appears young and beautiful but is actually nearly five hundred years old, asked.

“It is very impolite to inquire about an elf’s age without permission, Lady Frinina,” Richard said with a smile.

"Is this very impolite? I'm sorry, I'm not very familiar with elven etiquette..." Furina thought it was really impolite, and actually apologized obediently.

“Just kidding, Lady Furina. When you took office, I was already living in Mondstadt with my family. But I was still young then, and I spent my days either playing with pigeons or going to the water to make friends with the fish…” Richard said with a look of reminiscence.

Funina looked on with envy. "That's wonderful. I didn't expect you to be so childlike."

Richard was taken aback. Childlike... Indeed, the pigeons warming themselves by the fire, and the fish he caught with his electric crystal, must have thought so too, right?

"Has Lady Funina never done these things?" Richard sensed the envy in her tone.

"Me? Cough, well, I am the Water Goddess of Fontaine, the Queen of the Laws of all waters, all lands, and all peoples. How could I possibly do such a thing!" Funina said, holding her head high like a proud peacock.

“However, it’s not a bad thing to occasionally enjoy the company of the people…” Funina changed the subject, glancing at Richard out of the corner of her eye to observe his reaction.

Richard chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Lady Furina, you still have work to finish. Have you forgotten the schedule that Clarinde arranged for you?"

Funina's white ahoge visibly drooped down, but suddenly stood up again when she heard the word 'itinerary'.

Oh right! And there's today's itinerary; if we don't leave now, we'll miss our train.

Sure enough, as soon as Funina turned her head, she saw Clorind walking towards her, probably to remind her of today's schedule.

Before she could even feel frustrated about not being able to "share the joy with the people," Funina had to throw herself into her busy schedule.

Watching Funina leave in a hurry, Richard thought for a moment and wrote down the itinerary in his notebook: "Invite Ms. Funina to the countryside on Sunday to experience the local conditions."

And she planned to inform Clarinde later to add this trip to Frynn's schedule for one day.

As for the location... let's choose Baisong Town. I happened to hear from some anglers at the town hall that there are several good fishing spots there. The water is deep and the fish are plentiful, making it a great place to relax.

Speaking of which, he's been in office for so long, and he doesn't think he's ever seen the water goddess truly resting.

According to Richard's understanding, even on weekends when the city hall was closed, Furness spent her time attending trials at the Opizley Opera House.

The Water God in my memory seems to be like that flowing water, never stopping, never pausing...

"Is this the power of the gods?" Richard wondered. 7

Even Richard himself has times when he doesn't want to work, wants to put everything down, and just want to rest. 4

Volume 1: Chapter 27 We're friends, right? (5K) 8

On Sunday, Furnessa inquired about the day's schedule with her agent, Mrs. Hevima, only to be told that Clarind was in charge of it.

Clarinde? Shouldn't she be on vacation right now? With this question in mind, Furness left her apartment and headed straight for the city hall.

Inside her office, Clarin and Richard were chatting face-to-face.

“Didn’t they say it was a two-day weekend?” Claudia asked.

"Office team building activities are also a form of relaxation, and participation is entirely voluntary."

"I've heard that same sales pitch from businessmen who violate Fontainebleau's labor laws."

"Really? What happened to those businessmen afterward?"

“I spent a few months in Mero Petersburg, where the Duke gave me a good talking-to, and I turned over a new leaf after that,” Claude recalled.

Those businessmen who liked to use various excuses to get their employees to work overtime were punished by the Duke in the same way in Mero Petersburg. It is said that several of them trembled at the mere mention of the word 'overtime' after they were released...

Richard was filled with respect. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Is my crime so serious?"

Clarin stroked her chin, feigning thought, and finally shook her head, saying, "I can't say for sure, but if you can give me a high score in the new employee onboarding evaluation report at the end of this quarter, perhaps... I'll drop the lawsuit?"

While the two were joking around, Funina had already pushed open the office door.

As always, the superstar wore a bright and confident expression, as if he were always on stage, the center of attention wherever he went.

"Good morning, you two. Today is not the weekend, is something important happening?" Fu Ningna had been in Mo Mang Palace for nearly five hundred years and knew the nature of these civil servants well. Weekends were always the emptier time in Mo Mang Palace.

Only the Court of Justice and its subordinate units operate continuously within the entire Mo Mang Palace, while other units are basically maintained at a low operating rate.

The main feature is a regular two-day weekend.

The city hall is the best example; no matter what happens, it's the weekend, and no one can change that.

"It is like this, Lady Funina. As the end of the quarter approaches, all regions are busy with their reporting work. However, due to some historical issues, some residents in Baisong Town have quite a few complaints about Fontaine, and the work is not progressing smoothly."

“I think if you were to personally visit Baisong Town, this situation could be greatly alleviated,” Richard said, bringing up a reason he had prepared long ago.

“I see, I understand now. Indeed, a great deity like myself is welcomed by the people wherever I go, and it is my duty to use this influence to facilitate the smooth operation of local departments.”

Furna clapped her hands, and Miss Shebeleta from Lonely Hearts Salon—a water elemental shapeshifter in the form of a heavily armored crab—timely handed over a scepter that was entirely azure blue.

She tapped the floor with her cane and said, "Let's go then. By the way, is your speech ready?"

Clarin shook her head and explained, "You don't need a speech. In fact, you just need to go to Baisong Town and let everyone there see you. There's not much work to do."

"In a way, you can see this visit as a stage to showcase your ability to connect with the people..."

"Sharing joy with the people..." Upon hearing this phrase, Funina paused, then realized something and looked at Richard, who was smiling silently to the side.

Richard, sensing Funina's gaze, spoke up at this moment: "In fact, I have already inquired with the local residents about the most popular scenic spots in Baisong Town. After finishing our business this morning, I think Lady Funina can choose a scenic viewpoint to organize a team building activity."

"Didn't you mention last time in Softport that you wanted to try out some entertainment for ordinary people?"

Richard was using work as a pretext to go on a publicly funded trip to Baisong Town, and he even dragged his boss along.

The idea that going to Baisong Town would help improve the morale of the local people is all a lie. It was just because I inadvertently revealed my desire to go out and have fun last time that they made this arrangement today.

All of this stemmed from a conversation they had last time been interrupted by a busy schedule, but even so, Richard still kept her words in mind...

Funina's daily life is not lacking in such attention. Some people even record her every word and action, and then try to please her in order to gain the attention of the Water God and thus obtain more benefits.

Because this has happened so many times in history, Funina now has a very strong sense of vigilance.

After she understood Richard's intention, her first reaction was not to be moved, but to say, "Let's do as you say. But next time, please put more effort into your work, Mr. Richard. It's no use trying to please me. I am the water god who represents fairness and justice! I can't give you the reward you want."

'After all, I'm not the real water god...' Funina thought.

Meeting Richard's surprised gaze, Funina straightened her back and said to Clorinde in the same tone, "Clorinde, please don't schedule things like this for me in the future."

After saying that, Funina probably realized that she had overreacted, so she added, "I'm sorry for being so blunt. If I offended you, I apologize."

"Lady Furina, there's no need to apologize. I admit I was inconsiderate in this matter. But I must clarify that I wasn't seeking anything in return from you. Rather, I wanted to take this opportunity to help you relax as a friend."

“Please don’t blame Miss Clarinde. I asked her to arrange it this way. After all, your daily schedule is really tight. If we didn’t do it this way, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have enough time. Besides, you really do need to inspect Baisong Town.” Richard took the responsibility upon himself and said that everything was done in accordance with the rules and there would be no additional problems.

Similarly, he has no other intentions toward Funina, at least not for now.

Clarinde, standing nearby, also looked at Frynn and said, "Lady Frynn, Secretary Richard was indeed acting out of good intentions; after all, I couldn't imagine what he could possibly gain from you..."

Previously, Clarinde had only accompanied Frynn as a bodyguard and did not have a direct understanding of Richard's control over the city hall.

It was only after she was invited to become Furnessa's private secretary that she realized how powerful the city hall official system, headed by Richard, was in controlling the entire city hall.

To put it bluntly, she felt that Furnessa was like a mascot placed in the open, while Richard was the true 'Minister of Administration' of the City Hall.

As things stand, Clarinde really can't think of anything Richard could get from Furlina.

Reputation? Richard prefers to remain behind the scenes.

His political career? His position as secretary-general has already pushed him to the limit of power. If he goes any further, Funina can't offer any help, and might even be an obstacle.

Money? Well, the Secretary General of the City Hall has a pretty high salary, and Richard, who owns a small villa in the Upper Town, doesn't seem like someone who's short of money.

Most importantly, Funina's daily expenses are basically covered by the Mo Mang Palace; Mora and the like never pass through her hands.

That's why Clarinde felt that the other person was genuinely considering Funina's feelings as a friend, which is why she helped.

Funina didn't have many friends, partly because of her status and partly because of her own personality.

However, as one of her few friends, Clarinde's words could naturally be trusted.

Moreover, Funina realized that Richard was different from those guys with ulterior motives, and she really couldn't provide what Richard wanted.

In other words, he had indeed misunderstood Richard's intentions.

The other party probably meant well, and what I just did was undoubtedly trampling on that precious kindness.

After realizing this, Funina began to deeply regret her earlier remarks, and a sense of guilt almost instantly filled the girl's heart.

“I…” Funina murmured, her lips trembling. Usually so eloquent, she didn’t know what to say at this moment.

Richard keenly sensed Funina's guilt and immediately said considerately, "It's alright, Lady Funina. I know you've had similar experiences before, which is why you're wary of people who want to get close to you. That's a good thing."

That's what he said, but Richard still looked aggrieved, as if his good intentions had been trampled on.

Richard wasn't really heartbroken, of course, but getting to this point would have been impossible without some acting skills.

It's often said that the best actors are in politics, and in some ways that's true.

Richard's 'genuine' performance went unnoticed even by Furnessa, a seasoned opera performer; his acting was so natural and exquisite that it was almost superb.

"G, don't be sad. I didn't expect you to consider me a friend either." Fu Ningna felt that given her personality and her status, few people would consider her a friend.

So she never expected that in Richard's heart, she was not his boss, but a 'friend'.

Richard stared wide-eyed at Funina in disbelief, as if questioning how her small mouth, which was 36.8°C, could utter such cold words.

"So, in your heart, I'm not a friend."

Funina hurriedly explained, "No, no, I just think that my personality is probably not very likable, right? You see, I'm too outspoken and can easily hurt people, my actions are unpredictable, and I rarely consider the consequences..."

As she spoke, Funina herself fell silent. "So I have so many flaws?"

Furna looked to Clorinde for help, and Clorinde knew that it was time to speak up and ease the tension.

"Lady Funina is right."

As soon as she said this, Claurind frowned, wondering what she had just said.

“What I mean is that Fryna didn’t mean any harm. She just didn’t expect you, Richard, to be her friend… well, to treat her as a friend.”

Furina closed her eyes in despair. She shouldn't have asked Clorind for help. She took a deep breath and prepared for a spectacular self-rescue.

But Richard spoke up as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Lady Funina, you don't need to say anything more."

Funina panicked. How could she not speak up? If she didn't, wouldn't she really become the villain who trampled on her friend's good intentions and didn't appreciate kindness?

"I only have one question for you: we're friends, right?"

Funina nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, they are friends."

Seemingly feeling that this wasn't enough to make up for the guilt in his heart, he added a special sentence: "We are not only friends in life, but also the best partners at work."

OK, your words are enough.

Richard knew when to stop. The reason he acted so aggrieved was to reinforce his image as a 'friend' in Funina's mind.

This made Funina feel that he was a friend, and not just a colleague or subordinate at work.

If something happens to him someday, the first person I'll think of won't be Qingsuan, but rather someone I'll side with out of friendship.

Richard never believed that there could be an absolutely just person in the world, because absolute justice and human beings are two completely contradictory concepts.

You can become a human being, but once you do, you will be swayed by emotions and unable to achieve absolute impartiality.

Just like a 'transparent government'.

Of course, Richard didn't think he would be caught red-handed by Funina, but to be on the safe side, Richard always tries to leave himself a way out, which is why he has moved between various factions without being wanted.

If he hadn't played the balancing act between Yae no Miko and Kage back then, he would likely be stuck in Isshin no Sokyuu by Kage now, or locked up in Narukami Taisha by Yae no Miko.

In short, everything was different from the future Richard had envisioned, which is why he ran away. If he stayed any longer, he might start to waver.

While they were thinking about these things, they had already arrived at Baisong Town.

Because of prior arrangements, Funina quickly finished meeting with officials at all levels in Baisong Town. Just as she was about to go on team building, Richard noticed a strange gaze.

"That's... the young lady of the Rose Society?" Richard looked at a girl with golden hair and wearing an elegant dress.

This young woman is now the head of the Rose Society, a renowned organization in Fontaineble. There is even a route in Fontaineble named after the previous leader of the Rose Society, 'Kares,' to highlight his contributions to Fontaineble.

However, Mr. Carles eventually ran into some problems, so much so that now the person in charge is his daughter, the girl standing not far from them, looking at Clorind with complicated eyes—Navia.