Yes, Lady Funina!

Clorinde noticed Navia's gaze as well. Faced with the girl's complicated look, Clorinde didn't know what to say, but she couldn't just leave.

The situation suddenly became tense.

Perhaps because Navia saw the water goddess Funyna present, or perhaps because she didn't want to see Clarind, after a brief standoff, Navia turned her gaze away and left with her two attendants.

Clarin wanted to chase after him to explain, but she had official duties to attend to. (Xiao)

Richard, however, was very understanding and said, "Since you want to go, then go ahead. I'm here with Funina."

Funina, who knew the inside story, waved her hand generously and said, "Go ahead. You were just doing your duty back then. It's best to make things clear. Richard and I will go to our destination first. Come find us when you've finished your business."

“But…” Clorind hesitated.

"There's no 'buts' about it. I'm the Water Goddess, I don't need your protection. I'll take good care of Richard as well," Funina assured, patting her chest. It was clear she was very confident in her abilities.

This confidence baffled Richard. In his perception, Funina was as weak as an ordinary person, and there was a faint aura of curse surrounding her.

Could it be a disguise? Used to deceive others?

Richard thought uncertainly.

"Don't worry, I'll try my best not to cause Lady Funina any trouble," Richard said after seeing Clarin's gaze.

Having received Richard's assurance, Claude was visibly much more at ease.

This wasn't to say she suspected Richard of causing trouble, but rather because in her mind, Furness was the one who needed protection, while Richard's strength, though never revealed to her, was undeniable.

Her intuition, acting as a duel proxy, told her that her opponent was very strong; she couldn't discern exactly how strong, but they were highly likely stronger than herself.

The opponent's every move possessed an inexplicable harmony, something many masters couldn't achieve, signifying Richard's profound control over his body. Ling

In the words of Liyue martial arts novels, every movement follows a set pattern, subtly aligning with the principles of heaven and earth, achieving a state of harmony between humanity and nature. (Ling)

"In that case, I'll be back soon." With that, Clarinde chased after Navia in the direction she had gone.

The reason she was so eager to stop Navia was because she had recently received some bad news and had been looking for an opportunity to explain things to Navia.

But it was clear that the young lady of the Rose Society had been avoiding Claurind. In addition, Claurind had recently become Frinna's private secretary and had many things to familiarize herself with and handle, so she had even less time to look for her.

Since she happened to run into them today, she naturally couldn't let it go easily. It concerned Navia's safety, so she definitely had to make things clear with them.

After Clarinde left, only Richard and Funina remained for the team building activity. It was supposed to be a simple inspection, and it was the weekend, so it was unlikely that there would be many people.

Even Lynette took the day off to visit her brother Linnie and his magic assistant, Famini, at the Hearth House.

Originally, Lynette was supposed to be Richard's magic assistant, but since she later became Richard's chief personal secretary, the job fell to Femini...

Despite being alone with a man, Funina didn't feel nervous at all. On the contrary, she felt much more relaxed than before because she was away from the sight of others.

"Richard, look over there, there's a heavily armored crab, it's the same form as Miss Shebeleida..."

"Hmm, the armored crab does taste quite good. Funina, are you very interested in it?"

"?"

PS: Thank you all for the generous donations! The author bows in gratitude (or 2). Also, please consider following my story!

I plan to make a small push for the click rankings early Monday morning, and I'll release five chapters then.

Volume 1: Chapter 28 Feeding and the Unexpected Treasure-Hunting Team

Funina held up a large crab claw in her fair little hand. The crab claw was fully cooked and served with seasonings. It smelled delicious and looked quite appealing.

Shouldn't outdoor excursions be about friendly interaction with animals in nature? Why have they turned out this way?

Funina took a bite of the crab meat. It was smooth and tender, with a sweet and fresh taste. Moreover, because the crab claws were large enough, the meat inside was very plump and firm. One bite brought a sense of satisfaction.

Mmm, so delicious!

How am I supposed to face Miss Shebeleda after this?!

Fortunately, the members of the Lonely Hearts Salon all appear in the form of pure water illusions. They are essentially water and only have an outward connection with real-world races.

Otherwise, it would be too inappropriate for Furina to just think about the members of the Lonehearts Salon she had just summoned and then drool over them...

My good friend will cry.

"Would you like another crab leg?" Richard controlled the heat, and when it was almost cooked, he skillfully sprinkled on cumin and other seasonings. Before long, another crab leg was grilled.

Upon hearing this, Funina quickly finished processing the crab claws in her hands, then mumbled through her bulging lips, "Give me one, give me one."

Looking at Funina's adorable appearance, one might think that the food at Mo Mang Palace is usually terrible.

In fact, the food at Mo Mang Palace is considered one of the best in Fontainebleau, especially the afternoon tea desserts. Every week, different pastry chefs from Fontainebleau are invited to prepare the desserts to ensure a variety of delicious options.

It can be said that over the past five hundred years, Funina has tasted all kinds of delicacies, and her threshold for gourmet food is frighteningly high.

Yet this very same discerning gourmet is now sitting by the fire, unladylike, holding up a crab claw and asking for another one.

On the one hand, it's clear that Richard's cooking skills are indeed quite good; on the other hand, it's probably because of this novel picnic experience that Funinna had a great appetite.

"I feel like even if you didn't become the secretary-general, you could easily make a living in Fontainebleau by opening a restaurant," Funina exclaimed sincerely.

When she first saw Richard kill the armored crab in no time, start a fire, and set out the seasonings as if he were about to barbecue it, she didn't quite believe in his cooking skills.

After all, look at this, the secretary-general of the Mo Mang Palace is also so skilled in cooking. He uses the simplest ingredients and seasonings to cook dishes that even the water goddess Funina praised.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, Funina contradicted herself.

"However, you should still be the secretary-general. After all, chefs are easy to find, but an excellent secretary-general is hard to come by."

She thought back to her days working at the city hall; without Richard's help, she probably would have caused a huge mess on her own.

And it is highly likely that he will not even be able to get past the initial hurdle of taking office, and in the end he will have to step down in disgrace, leaving Villette to handle his affairs.

The phrase "handling funeral arrangements" sounds strange and is considered very unlucky.

"Thank you for the compliment, would you like another one?" Richard grilled another crab leg.

"Okay... never mind, I see you haven't eaten much yet, I'll leave this one for you. By the way, we're friends now, so we don't need to use honorifics anymore."

Fulina was about to agree immediately, but then she remembered that Richard had been grilling crab legs since earlier and hadn't eaten much at all.

She herself had been eating the whole time without doing anything, which made Funina feel very embarrassed.

"Respectful titles are necessary. In the workplace, such titles help to define hierarchical boundaries and clarify individual responsibilities. This standardized way of addressing people helps organizations operate more orderly and efficiently." Richard didn't forget to give his boss a lesson at this point.

“But as you said, that’s a term used in the workplace. We’re on break now, so just call me Funina,” Funina said, waving her finished crab leg.

Seeing that Richard still wanted to say something, she pointed at him with the crab leg in her hand as if it were a conductor's baton, and then spoke.

"No arguing allowed, this is an order!"

Richard had no choice but to give up, and replied with a smile, "Yes, Lady Funina!"

"Remove the 'adult' part!"

"Yes, Lady Funina!"

"..."

Richard and Funina quickly devoured the crab claws and legs. Richard then removed the crab's shell to use as a pot, discarding inedible parts such as the intestines, stomach, gills, and heart.

Add the water sphere formed by condensed elemental energy to the pot, along with the ingredients collected by the water's edge, and the preliminary preparations for a pot of seafood soup are quickly completed. The next step is to wait patiently for a period of steaming and cooking.

He and Funina will be able to enjoy delicious crab soup.

Richard's smooth and effortless maneuver left Funina, who was standing to the side, completely stunned. If she had such wilderness survival skills, even if she lost her status as the water god in the future, she could still thrive in Teyvat, right?

Just as Funina was lost in thought, Richard suddenly spoke up: "How long are you sneaky guys going to hide in the bushes?"

Fu Ningna was startled and quickly looked around. There was someone nearby.

Suddenly, a group of treasure hunters emerged from the bushes not far away, each carrying a box, seemingly transporting some kind of cargo.

The problem is... when did the treasure-hunting gang become so honest, actually doing work like porters?

If they were to actually do their jobs honestly, they wouldn't be called a treasure-hunting gang.

Judging from the current situation, the box in the other party's hands is either stolen goods or dangerous and prohibited items.

But no matter which one it is, now that we've seen it, we can't just ignore it, especially... in front of Funina.

Richard also had another intention: he wanted to test whether Funina was pretending to be weak or was truly as helpless as he had observed.

Volume 1: Chapter 29 Furina is panicking

"What should we do, boss? The woman next to that man looks a lot like our Fontaine Water Goddess, Lady Funina!" one of the henchmen whispered to his boss.

The leader seemed a bit confused at this moment. He thought it was just two young lovers having a picnic in the countryside, who happened to be blocking their way to their camp.

With important matters to attend to, and adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble, he was prepared to sneak away with his underlings through the bushes.

Unexpectedly, the man's words exposed his true intentions. He was just about to teach the couple a lesson and make them understand that they shouldn't meddle in things they shouldn't, when he discovered that the enemy he was facing was actually their water god.

Damn it, how is this any different from a hero going out on an adventure to challenge the Demon King, only to find that the first monster he encounters on the roadside is the Demon King himself?

And why would the Water God be picnicking with a man? Could it be...? Impossible, absolutely impossible, that's the Water God!

Clearly, although the leader of this treasure-hunting group has become a member of a treasure-hunting group, he is still essentially a Fontaineian.

As a household name in Fontainebleau, Fulina is the spiritual anchor for every Fontainebleau resident. However, she was recently spotted having a picnic alone with an exceptionally handsome man in the wild.

Their behavior was very intimate; even to an outsider like him, the two seemed exceptionally well-matched…

No, I don't approve of this marriage!

The leader of the treasure-hunting gang seemed to be having trouble accepting the revelation of his idol's relationship. His already unattractive face became even more ferocious, making him look extremely vicious and terrifying.

At least that's how it seemed to Funina. She subtly took two steps back, getting a little closer to Richard.

This action further aroused the leader of the treasure-hunting gang, making him even more certain that the Water Goddess was indeed on a date with her boyfriend by the river.

In a fit of extreme rage, the leader of the treasure-hunting gang chose to...

He forced a smile, rubbed his hands together, and said, "My lords, we were just passing by. We didn't see anything, and we didn't do anything wrong. You see..."

The leader of the treasure-hunting gang wasn't stupid. If he had insisted on fighting when the difference in strength between the two sides was too great, he wouldn't be in his current position.

As everyone knows, those who can't distinguish between friend and foe and prefer to act recklessly in the martial arts world are often the ones who die the fastest.

He was able to become the leader of the treasure-hunting gang in Baisong Town because he was flexible and knew who he could mess with and who he couldn't.

So when faced with Furnessa and Richard, he simply chose to back down, attempting to get away with it.

As for whether he likes idols or not... haha, he's not some bookworm from the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences.

Having struggled in society for so many years, he's shameless enough to disregard his reputation, let alone being a big star!

Although Furina suspected that the group of thieves was up to no good, she was outnumbered and Clarinde wasn't around, so a direct confrontation would be too reckless...

So Frynn conveyed a message to Richard with her eyes, roughly meaning: Richard, why don't we wait for Clarinde to return before dealing with this group of treasure hunters?

Richard received the message and nodded to Funina to indicate that he understood.

Seeing Richard nod, Funina assumed he understood her meaning and breathed a slight sigh of relief. If a fight had really broken out, she wouldn't have been able to protect Richard, let alone herself.

Her previous confidence in front of Clorind was all an act; she had no chance against a group of thugs who looked vicious.

I should have kept my distance from Clarinde, but who knew something like this would happen during a picnic? The odds are so low!

Funina cursed her bad luck, pondering how to start the conversation in a way that would maintain her dignity as a water goddess without provoking the other party into a desperate situation.

Then Richard spoke up, "Lady Funina said that as long as you obediently surrender and cooperate with our investigation, you will be released after we determine there are no problems."

No? When did I say that?

Upon hearing Richard's words, Funina's delicate face visibly tensed, and she was about to retort, but remembering her public persona, she changed her words at the last second.

"That's right! That's exactly what I mean. I advise you not to take any drastic actions. Out of consideration for your being citizens of Fontainebleau, I may refrain from intervening. But if you remain obstinate, don't blame me, a god, for being too ruthless."

Furnessa puffed out her chest, which was practically nonexistent, and pronounced judgment on the members of the treasure-hunting gang in a tone as if she were judging a criminal in a courtroom.

However, Funina's inner thoughts were clearly not as strong as she appeared on the surface.

'Oh no, oh no, are they really going to fight? Waaah, Richard, why did he suddenly speak up? Didn't I just give him a signal with my eyes?'

'Such a smart person normally, how come he can't read people's eyes at crucial moments!' Ling

'If the heist group has problems, notify the special patrol team and let the professionals handle it. What are our city hall clerks doing meddling in?'

Funina panicked, saying that she was in the wild and about to be surrounded by a group of treasure hunters. She was powerless and had no way to fight back. What should she do?

in a hurry!

PS: Three more chapters to come.

Volume 1: Chapter 30 Why didn't you say so sooner if you were so amazing!