Yes, Lady Funina!

After tossing the newspaper aside, Funina noticed that her left white glove was stained with cheap ink, which made her already bad mood even worse because of the contents of the newspaper.

The claims that the water god was sidelined or that the organization was divided are utter nonsense!

Seeing the sullen Funina standing to the side, Clarind blinked and said, "Lady Funina, there's no need to get angry with these tabloids. After all, the newspapers that produce them are illegal workshops. These second-rate newspapers can only rely on exaggerated claims to attract attention and increase sales."

Claude paused for a moment, then added, "At least anyone with eyes can see that these are all fake. How could the Mo Mang Palace possibly be internally divided?"

"Clorind, why did you only mention the internal division? The previous water god seems to have been sidelined?" Furina gave Clorind a death stare.

Clorind had a few beads of sweat on her forehead. Although she didn’t want to admit it, the unscrupulous reporter who wrote the article was really lucky; by sheer chance, part of it was true.

Of course, there are some things that, even if they are true, cannot be said directly.

Therefore, under pressure from Frynn, Clarind ultimately had no choice but to choose a white lie, saying, "That's obviously false information too."

Furness stared at Clorind for a while, but didn't say anything more.

It is clear that Funina herself is well aware of whether she has been sidelined or not.

'But how can that be considered a power grab? At most, it just shows that I know how to appoint people to positions of authority and am willing to delegate power!' Funina thought.

Can you call being sidelined when you delegate authority?

Do you even understand what it means to leave professional tasks to professionals?

Normally... Richard usually respects his own opinions, okay?

Thinking of this, Fulina suddenly recalled the scene from not long ago when Richard was reporting his work to her alone in the office, and her subordinate was talking to her boss.

Okay, but it doesn't seem very respectful.

Funina quickly shook her head, as if doing so would shake off those embarrassing images.

To distract herself, Funina quickly picked up another newspaper and started reading. Soon, she pointed to a section of the newspaper with some surprise and said to Clorind, "Clorind, there seems to be some rumor about you in there?"

"My rumors?" Clorind asked in confusion. Why was she involved in this?

Shouldn't the current public discourse in Fontaine be focused on reform-related topics? How come there's news about her?

It must be that Fulina misread it. After all, she's not like the big star Fulina, who is a household name in Fontaine. Although she is the strongest dueling agent in Fontaine and enjoys a certain degree of fame, this fame has been declining steadily since she became Fulina's secretary. Nowadays, there is basically no news about her in the market.

Thinking this, Clarinde's gaze fell on the column that Frinna had pointed to.

The column's title was as sensational as ever—"Shocking! The purple roses in the dueling arena may have become the private property of high-ranking officials."

Upon seeing the headline, Clarind couldn't help but gasp, then continued reading.

"According to reliable sources, the mystery surrounding the retirement of Ms. Clarinde, the strongest dueling agent who has gradually faded from public view recently, may have more to it than meets the eye..."

"This most famous and mysterious dueling agent in Fontaine is very likely because she was targeted and pursued by a prominent figure in Fontaine's upper class, and then gradually disappeared from people's sight..."

"Now that Ms. Clorinde has become Lady Frinna's secretary, such a huge change in status from dueling agent to the secretary of the Water Goddess makes me suspect that there might be something fishy going on..."

"Whether Ms. Clarinde's position as her secretary was deliberately arranged by the powerful figure behind her, I have no idea..."

Upon seeing this, Clarinde felt breathless. She looked up at Frynn and said to her, word by word, "This is slander! This is blatant slander!"

“Yes, I know.” Funina nodded. “Just like the ‘water god being sidelined’ story, it’s all fake news!”

Clarinde couldn't think of any rebuttal for a moment, since, in some ways, the two seemed to be essentially the same.

Although the situation described above differs from the facts, the outcome does not seem to be wrong.

It's not right, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.

'These editors are so good at guessing, why don't they go to the astrology association to make a name for themselves, instead of becoming unscrupulous reporters...' Clarinde couldn't help but mutter to herself.

“Clorind, I think we have to take action!” Frynn said in a deep voice to her secretary, her fingers interlaced on the table.

Claude had a bad feeling, and she quickly asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"Naturally, we will use legal means to protect our legitimate rights and interests!"

"what do you mean……"

Furina patted the newspaper in her hand, her clear eyes revealing an unprecedented determination. She said in an unquestionable tone, "I will personally take these rumor-mongers to the Opikley Opera House!"

"You can't do this, Lady Frinna!" Clarinde almost jumped up after hearing Frinna's words.

If you take them to court, and it turns out that it really happened, then you're completely finished.

No, it's not even necessary to find out the results. Just finding some clues will trigger an unprecedented media storm throughout Fontainebleau.

"Why?" Furina was startled by Clond's strong reaction. Seeing how intense Clond's reaction was, she herself became somewhat insecure.

“Because…because if you do that, you’ll be playing right into the hands of these rumor-mongers,” Claude said quickly. “For them, what they should be worried about is never your lawsuit, but the newspaper’s sales.”

"Besides, even if you really bring them down, what then? It'll just be a light fine of some Mora, then they'll have to stay in Mello Petersburg for a few days, and when they get out, they can go back to work."

"Perhaps because you sued them, these tabloids have become more popular and their sales have increased significantly. Once these people are released, they might become even more brazen!" Clarind's words were not entirely alarmist. In fact, it is very difficult to completely ban these kinds of tabloids without proper documentation.

After all, the production cost was extremely low. All that was needed was some cheap paper and an old printer to produce these kinds of substandard newspapers continuously.

The entry barrier is ridiculously low!

After hearing Clorind's explanation, Funina was no longer as confident as before, because she felt that what Clorind said made a lot of sense, and that she had oversimplified the problem.

"If that's the case, what should we do? We can't just stand by and watch them spread rumors, can we?" Funina asked.

“I’m sorry, Lady Frinna, I can’t answer your question, but I know someone who can,” Clarinde said without hesitation.

"You mean Richard? Isn't he very busy lately? Is it really okay to bother him with something like this?" Funina hesitated. Besides, if she couldn't even handle something like this and had to bother Richard, wouldn't that just show that she, the Water Goddess, was incompetent and had been sidelined by Richard?

Claude noticed Frynn's hesitation and knew that the other woman was actually tempted, but was just too proud to agree directly.

Therefore, Clarind volunteered, displaying an attitude of utmost loyalty and determination to share Frinina's burdens.

"Lady Funina, please allow me to discuss this matter with Richard alone!"

Furina was very touched, feeling that Clarinde had really grown up and become so considerate, no longer the secretary who always embarrassed her.

Unaware that while helping her with her worries, Clarinde had also thoughtfully placed a vibrant hat on her head.

"I'm counting on you, Clarind!"

……

"Richard, we're in big trouble!"

Upon hearing Clarinde's words, Richard nearly coughed up the tea he had just drunk.

What do you mean we've been caught doing something wrong? It's like we're having an affair.

Or is it that Clorind is no longer satisfied with just a mini-game and wants to add some role-playing elements?

Seeing that Richard's gaze was becoming increasingly strange, Clarinde hurriedly tried to explain... but it was too late.

Clarinde's body went limp instantly, like a giant ball of cotton, sinking into Richard's arms.

"No, don't...stop." Clarin managed to finish her sentence, but when she realized that Richard didn't seem to be going to stop, her heart was in turmoil. This was an office, and someone could come in at any moment.

No, just thinking about it made Clorinde feel terrible; her previously limp body suddenly tensed up.

Clarin pressed down on Richard's mischievous hand through his clothes, and said breathlessly, "It really is important. You...you should read the newspaper first."

After hearing what Claudia said, Richard glanced at the newspaper in Claudia's hand.

The headline read, "The Water God is suspected of being sidelined; reforms at Mo Mang Palace may signal internal division!"

Richard said he was not surprised by this, and that there was no need to put something that everyone knew about in the newspaper.

“And, there is another…” Clorind took out another tabloid, which had the same headline she had seen before: “Shocking! The purple rose in the dueling arena may have become the private property of a high-ranking official.”

“A forbidden lover…” Richard thought for a moment, then deliberately leaned close to Clorinde’s ear and whispered, gently biting her earlobe, “Clorinde, do you think you are?”

Clarinde was almost brought to tears by Richard's bullying (in every sense of the word). She bit her lip hard, her voice sounding like it was being squeezed out from between her teeth, as if she was deliberately suppressing something. She said in a distorted tone, "N-no, that's not true!"

"Oh? Then tell me, what is our relationship? My dear Ms. Clorind."

Chapter 182 Who is this corrupt official at the level of Executive Secretary-General?

What should my relationship with Richard be now?

This question stumped Clarinde, and she couldn't figure it out until she had to lean against the wall to walk out of Richard's office.

Fortunately, she achieved her goal this time. Richard said he would handle the rumors and there was no need to worry. However, he could not stay at Clarinde's house for the next few days.

But this is good news for Clorind... at least Clorind is quite happy and can get a good night's sleep these days.

As for why Clarinde was leaning against the wall to come out, don't misunderstand, Richard didn't do anything excessive to Clarinde. He just saw that she was carrying two heavy things on her chest and looked too tired, so he helped her lift them for a while.

For acts of kindness done on a whim, I believe that anyone with a conscience would have nothing to say about it.

Sure enough, the day after Clarin reported the matter to Richard, the gossip about Clarin and the water goddess Funina disappeared. It wasn't that Richard did anything; he didn't do anything. It was just that a bigger piece of news attracted the attention of all the people of Fontaine.

The best way to divert attention is to create a bigger and more sensational news story.

—The Fontainebleau Strike.

Fontaine has had strikes before, but they were all small-scale and limited-scale events. This strike, however, is unprecedented in its scale and number of participants, surpassing even the protests against Melousin's entry into Fontaine.

Moreover, the procession was completely legal. The nobles had specifically reported to the Mo Mang Palace before the procession and mobilized all available political forces. With the guarantees of many noble officials, the procession barely passed the Mo Mang Palace's approval.

The nobles were quite pleased with this. Wasn't Vilette the most impartial person? As long as their actions were completely legal and without fault, even Vilette couldn't stop them.

win!

The main group that made up the strike was workers, most of whom were employed by the merchant guilds of the nobility. Most of them did not quite understand why they were striking and marching, or what the purpose of the march was, but they knew that participating in the march would not only ensure that they received their wages, but also that they would receive extra bonuses.

Compared to the ordinary working class struggling to make a living, there are also some middle-class people from Fontainebleau among the strikers. This can be seen from their clothing, as comfortable and exquisite clothes are not something that the working class can afford.

They did not come for Mora, but for their so-called 'justice'. In their eyes, the reforms at the Palace of Moman were a trampling on the justice of Fontaine, even though the reforms were presided over by the Supreme Judge Navelette and the God of Justice Fucarus.

A large portion of them participated in the demonstration with the self-righteous idea that "come on, who understands justice, you or me?"

Without a doubt, this strike will go down in Fontainebleau's history, and they will become heroes for all time, at least that's what they think.

Of course, besides these people, there were also some officials from the Momo Palace. However, these officials were not acting for Mora and justice. They simply knew that this reform was very likely to cost them their jobs, so they would not let go of any opportunity to stop the reform.

If you don't resist, you'll lose your job; if you resist, you might keep your job. Anyone would know which choice to make.

Therefore, Richard decisively dismissed the staff of the Mo Mang Palace who participated in the march and strike, and this file will indirectly affect three generations of their immediate family members' participation in schooling, employment, civil service examinations, etc.

However, such fools are not many. In fact, most of the civil servants in Mo Mang Palace are quite intelligent. After all, none of those who can pass the civil service exam and work in Mo Mang Palace are fools.

Only a small number of people who got in through connections or back channels will choose to take sides at this critical juncture, because they know very well that even if they don't take sides, they won't be able to stay given the current situation.

Why not take a gamble? Maybe you'll turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.

It's a real shame that this gamble has cost him his last bicycle. Not only is he gone, but it might also affect his children's bicycles...

When the punishment results came out, the civil servants who participated in the demonstration were stunned. They were all outraged and wrote letters of protest, saying that demonstrating was the right of every citizen of Fontainebleau, and that even God could not take it away.

Richard's explanation was simple: the punishment was for unexcused absence from work, not for participating in the protest. Participating in the protest was your business, but you couldn't be absent from work without a valid reason.

After hearing Richard's explanation, the group of unemployed people became even more indignant, saying, "Even if we're absent from work, is it necessary to punish us so severely? Recording it in our files, are you trying to kill us?!"

Believe it or not, I'll expose you.

The person who said this was immediately apprehended by the guards who had been waiting nearby, and then escorted to a temporary court set up next to the Momeng Palace, where he was granted a one-month residence permit in Mero Petersburg at lightning speed.

The remaining people were shocked. They thought, "Holy crap, they even prepared the courthouse and the police force. So you planned this all along? You're ruthless!"

They scattered like birds and beasts, rushing home to try and find connections to salvage the situation.

The above measures were only taken against the 'traitors' within the Mo Mang Palace and did not actually affect the marching procession.

In fact, Richard had already thought of a way to deal with this protest, and he told Lynette's people that they could start taking action.

……

Lucas is a resident of the Grey River. Like most Grey River people, he struggles to make ends meet year-round. His jobs are sporadic and he has no fixed employment. Most of his jobs are in the gray area, meaning they don't last long and are not legitimate.

Sometimes Lucas thinks he wished he were as handsome as that man who unexpectedly became a sensation in Fontainebleau because of a wet-look photo.

In that case, even if he was born in the Ash River and had no special skills, many women would still be willing to pay for his looks.

The fact that just a few photos could drive those uptown young ladies so crazy was completely beyond Lucas's imagination.

Fortunately, he also made a lot of Mora by selling pirated photos. Although a large portion of it was taken by the gang as 'protection money', he still had a lot left after deducting those, so he didn't have to worry about food for the next few months.

Unfortunately, such opportunities are rare and hard to come by, just like his current job. All he has to do is put down his work, go to the Upper East Side to protest, and he doesn't even have to shout slogans. He just needs to follow the crowd to earn a day's wages from the residents of the Upper East Side.

This was like a windfall for Lucas; as for giving up his job, that's laughable, but that requires some effort.

As Lucas was thinking this, he noticed that the demonstration had stopped, and there seemed to be some riot ahead. In a daze, he thought he saw people rushing into the shops on the side of the road, and with the sound of glass breaking, more and more people poured into the shops.