Yes, Lady Funina!

Ugh... I can't take it anymore, just thinking about it makes me feel so good.

It seems like some strange attribute has been awakened?

— Fukaros's devilish personality has kicked in.

Richard felt that Fukaros's gaze was a little strange, but he didn't think much of it. He had no idea that Fukaros, who appeared so divine on the surface, was actually thinking about how to handcuff him.

Even Clarinde hasn't tried this kind of game before... and if she were to try it, she'd probably be the one who gets handcuffed.

What "Investigator Series"?

Meanwhile, Lynette added to Richard's side, "In fact, the protection money Richard collected from those corrupt officials was all used for Fontaine's charitable cause."

After a pause, Lynette added, "It's genuine charity work."

After all, Fontaine offers significant tax breaks for charitable projects, and many companies and chambers of commerce use the guise of charity to legally avoid taxes.

However, anything not prohibited by law is permissible. Lynette didn't want to delve too deeply into these matters. Ultimately, although she was doing this for profit, it did help some people in need to some extent.

Richard's philanthropic projects are different; they are genuine philanthropy, not like those companies and chambers of commerce that legally evade taxes. All funds, except for maintaining basic operations, are invested in charitable projects.

This includes, but is not limited to, adopting orphans, sponsoring schooling, disaster relief, and social public construction, among which the most famous is the Fontainebleau cruise ship project.

The public generally believes that the cruise ship project was initiated by the Mo Mang Palace, with the Rose Association undertaking the main construction work and funding. However, few people know that there is a mysterious financial backer behind them who also participated in this public construction project through investment.

Upon hearing this, Fukaros's gaze towards Richard took on a different meaning. Now she was certain that Richard truly had no ulterior motives and was simply trying to help the Prophet accumulate legal compensation energy.

Isn't this a bit too selfless? Or is it that all the virtues of your dragon race are so noble?

Richard waved his hand and said, "Villet is an exception, and I... am also an exception. However, I did this not because I have a selfless character, but because I have much bigger ambitions, which Mora is not worth mentioning."

For many in Teyvat, Mora is indispensable, and they can never have too much.

But for someone at Richard's level, Mora is really... just so-so.

It would be best if they had it, but it wouldn't really matter if they didn't. After all, with their abilities, obtaining Mora would be far easier for them than for ordinary people.

After hearing Richard's words, Fukaros nodded in deep agreement. The scheme was quite ambitious, and both she and Funina had been implicated.

Moreover, according to what she knew, besides herself and Funina, Richard had found them quite a few sisters, including even the Thunder God, who was also one of the Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm.

Although both are second-generation gods, the thunder god Balzeb is different from the water god Fukaros.

The former lived in the same era as the first-generation water goddess Egolia and both experienced the war between the demon gods. The latter, however, was chosen by the first-generation water goddess Egolia, who foresaw her impending death and designated Fucarus to succeed her as the goddess.

Although they are both gods, there are still differences. For example, Fucarus is good at governing, while Balzebu is good at fighting. The former can bring peace to the world, while the latter can win people's hearts...

Horizontal scroll: Each with its own characteristics

Pay attention, this is important!

As for Richard's other female confidantes, Fukaros had no objections. In fact, if anyone had an objection, it wouldn't be her place. If anyone had to say, it would be the two women next door, Inazuma and his wife, who came first.

Strictly speaking, they actually hijacked the deal.

However, when it comes to matters of the heart, there's no such thing as first come, first served; it's simply a matter of who survives.

Richard was greedy; he wanted to keep everyone here, and in fact, he did have the means to do so.

At least Fukaros didn't have any major objections, as long as he was good to her and good to Funinna.

As for whether Funina would accept... Fucaros thought of the way Funina looked at Richard and knew that the guy was beyond saving.

What could Fukaros do? He could only say to Richard, "You certainly have grand ambitions."

"Thank you for the compliment."

“I wasn’t praising you!” Fukalos rolled her eyes at Richard, then decided to ignore him.

He immediately gave the order to leave, saying, "There's nothing more for you here. You can go back downstairs now."

Although the reform of the separation of powers was said to divide the Mo Mang Palace into three parts, in reality, everyone still worked in the Mo Mang Palace.

However, since they were on different floors, the division of authority and responsibilities became more distinct.

The Congress where Fukalos works has legislative power, the Trial Court where Navelette works has judicial power, and the City Hall where Richard (crossed out) Funina works has executive power.

They maintain their respective authority while also checking and balancing each other to maintain a balance.

As is well known, triangles are stable.

The three departments are located on different floors, which is arranged according to the number of people in each department and their daily commute.

The City Hall, which has the most staff and frequently receives guests, occupies the largest and most well-equipped lower office area of ​​the Moman Palace. The Tribunal, which has relatively fewer staff but also needs to receive guests, is located in the middle office area. Newly established departments like Fukalos, which have fewer staff and do not usually receive petitions, are located in the upper office area of ​​the Moman Palace.

Actually, there are many drawbacks to doing this, but given the current conditions, this is the only option for now. Once Fontaine recovers, perhaps the three departments will be separated, and each department will have its own office building similar to the Mo Mang Palace.

Since Fukaros had already offered him tea and asked him to leave, Richard couldn't possibly insist on staying. He had his own things to do, no less than Fukaros'.

Of course, he kept in mind all the debts Fukaros owed today, and he might ask Fukaros for them back someday.

After all, it would be somewhat difficult for Clorind to handle the situation alone, and we also have to consider whether Clorind could bear the burden.

While that kind of thing can be very pleasurable, it should be done in moderation.

The amount was clearly too much for Clarinde, and too little for Richard.

It can only be said that people's physical constitutions are indeed different.

"I'll see you out," Lynette said, getting up as Richard prepared to leave.

Fukalos didn't say anything when she heard this, but just rolled her eyes at Richard again.

No, Lynette gave it to me, why are you rolling your eyes at me? Richard couldn't quite figure out what was going on in Fauci's little head, but he secretly made a note in his notebook.

You like rolling your eyes, huh? Fine, fine, I'll let you roll your eyes as much as you want later.

It has to be said that since he started eating meat, Richard's thinking has gradually become more unrestrained, and his knowledge about physiology has increased day by day.

He said he could make Fukaros roll her eyes, and he really could make her roll her eyes, without the slightest hint of ambiguity.

As they approached the elevator, Lynette suddenly asked, "How was the taste, Lord Fucaros?"

Chapter 185 A Scene of Massive Double Standards

The taste of Fukaros...it's really good!

However, Richard certainly couldn't say that in front of Lynette, so he only said ambiguously, "It depends on the perspective. At least I think that Fukaros, like Funina, has an interesting soul."

“Not only does she have an interesting soul, but she also has a beautiful… no, an absolutely gorgeous appearance, right?” Lynette said.

The jealousy was almost palpable. If Funina had been ahead of the pack, Lynette wouldn't have been so jealous, but Fukaros was clearly a latecomer!

Moreover, the time they spent together was only about one or two months, but the progress they made had already surpassed her efforts of several years.

It was obviously me first...

And according to Lynette's observation, it seems that Clorinde has also made progress, and after going around once, she seems to be the slowest.

Previously, she was Richard's secretary, which gave her an advantage in meeting him. Now that she has become the executive secretary-general of Fucaros, and their offices are on different floors, the opportunities to meet are even fewer. They might not even be able to meet once a day.

Even a cool and aloof beauty like Lynette couldn't help but feel a little anxious under these circumstances.

If only I had built up my alcohol tolerance earlier, I would have loved to take such a good opportunity last time...

Lynette looked at Richard with a mixture of regret and resentment, as if to say that Richard was fickle and that new people were replacing the old.

Faced with the cat's resentful little eyes, even Richard, with his heart of iron, couldn't resist, not to mention that Richard's heart was soft to begin with... at least that's how it is with beautiful girls.

“You don’t need to belittle yourself, Lynette. Your soul is just as interesting, and as for your appearance… I like it very much.” Richard paused, as if emphasizing something, “especially those ears.”

Upon hearing Richard's words, Lynette instinctively covered her fluffy cat ears, which had been folded into airplane ears, with her hands.

There was a time when Lynette hated her ears because they had caused her a lot of disdain and even led her to a crisis.

Fortunately, just when things were about to take a turn for the worse, Richard stepped in and successfully rescued her from the evil and perverse nobles, entrusting her to the care of "Father".

Richard himself may not have known it, but the night he opened the cage and rescued her from the nobleman, she was already his cat.

Richard liked her ears, Lynette knew that, and that was why she didn't continue to hate the cat ears that had brought her so much misfortune.

However, even though she knew it, Lynette would still feel shy and her ears would burn whenever Richard said it to her in person, no matter how many times.

'Perhaps this is proof that I like you?' Lynette thought.

After Richard said that, Lynette's jealousy had long since vanished into thin air.

Cats are prone to jealousy, but they are also quite easy to appease.

A simple compliment can make someone happy for a long time.

Soon the elevator arrived. Richard stepped inside and gestured to Lynette that she could stop there and didn't need to come down with him.

Lynette stood in front of the elevator, watching Richard leave, just like a newlywed wife seeing her husband off to work.

Fukaros appeared beside Lynette at some point, looking at her with a resentful gaze. She had just heard Lynette asking Richard how she tasted.

As the executive secretary-general, I have a bit of a rebellious streak. I don't know if I learned it from Richard or if all executive secretaries-general are like that.

“Stop looking, he’s gone. If you really miss him, we can have lunch with Funina from now on,” Fukalos said.

She was doing this not only for Lynette, but also for herself. After all, Lynette wanted to be with Richard, and so did she, Fukaros.

That kind of intimacy that comes from the soul is something that ordinary feelings can't compare to.

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble?" Lynette was very tempted.

Fukalos casually waved his hand: "It's just a matter of going up and down the stairs. Besides, the cafeteria downstairs has a wider variety of dishes to choose from. At least our department's employees often eat there."

Of course, this was just an excuse. After all, both Fukaros and Lynette were fundamentally different from ordinary civil servants. There was no such thing as having to go to the cafeteria to get food. Instead, there were dedicated staff who would deliver their meals to their offices or private lounges.

The claim of having a wide variety of dishes is really just an excuse to get people to go down and eat together.

"Speaking of which... when did you arrive near the office?" Fukalos asked casually.

“Not long,” Lynette said with a light smile.

"How long will it take?" Fukalos persisted, launching a tickling attack on Lynette.

Lynette was somewhat at a loss for words and worried about being seen by others. After all, it was rather improper for the newly appointed Speaker of the National Assembly, the Water Goddess Fukaros, and the Permanent Secretary of the National Assembly, Lynette, to be fooling around in public.

"Just... just when you were 'threatening' Richard."

"But I heard everything!" Fukaros said, her cheeks slightly flushed, a little embarrassed and annoyed.

“Even if I hadn’t heard anything at the door, the marks on your lips would have been enough to tell the whole story,” Lynette replied honestly.

After all, no one had ever tasted Fukaros's little mouth before, so it was naturally very tender. A slight suck would turn it bright red. In addition, Lynette had been spending time with Fukaros day and night these past few days, so it was easy for her to notice something amiss. It was impossible to hide it from her.

Fukalos immediately covered her mouth. Is it really, really red?

Linnie nodded. "It's really red. You can tell you two kissed very hard."

Sour...

After Richard came downstairs, Funina immediately came up to him, her eyes full of anticipation, and asked, "How is it? Does Fucaros have any news about that despicable, cunning, and despicable corrupt official?"

Fu Ningna used several adjectives in a row, which shows that she was under a lot of pressure.

If Richard hadn't been certain that Funina was unaware that he was actually the despicable, cunning, and despicable corrupt official the other party was referring to, he would have seriously suspected that Funina was pretending to be ignorant while cursing him.

To prevent that from happening, Richard didn't intend to keep it from Funina. After all, even Fukaros had told her. If he didn't tell Funina, she would probably be heartbroken for a long time, the kind of heartbreak that would be impossible to soothe.

So when asked by Funina, Richard nodded and said, "Yes."

“No, no… eh?” Funina didn’t have much hope, because if Fukaros knew any clues, there was no reason why he wouldn’t have mentioned it when he was meeting with Navelette.

But judging from Richard's tone, it seems there really is one?! Then why didn't they mention it during the previous meeting?

“The despicable, cunning, and despicable corrupt official you speak of is me, Lady Funina,” Richard said earnestly.

"Huh? Huh!!!" Funina's eyes widened suddenly. She raised her hand to signal Richard to wait a moment, as she was thinking.

The high-ranking corrupt official mentioned at the meeting who sheltered countless corrupt officials was actually Richard?!

How... how is this possible?

Funina looked at Richard, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't connect Richard with that corrupt official.

After all, Richard's private life is practically nonexistent. At most, he eats a little better, but how much can he eat? He also has half of the wealth of the richest man in Liyue. The interest generated in just one day is enough to cover Richard's extravagant lifestyle for a year.

Moreover, according to the final statistics, it's hard to say whether the amount of money those officials embezzled was more than what Ningguang earned in a month!

How could Richard possibly care about such a small amount of money? And why would he risk being arrested to protect criminals for a mere morra?

Funina didn't understand, but she knew Richard must have had his reasons for doing so.