Yes, Lady Funina!

After all, turning a person into water... such a thing is simply unheard of.

"I'm sorry, Lady Funina, given what has happened, I think our team-building activities may have to come to an end." Richard was also a bit of a headache at the moment.

I thought it would be a day to relax and increase my favorability with the Water God, but I inexplicably ran into this strange thing.

“This is not your fault. The most important thing now is to investigate this matter thoroughly.” Fu Ningna also became unusually serious.

Moreover, based on that person's behavior, she had some unpleasant associations.

The person... turned into water.

This fulfills the prophecy of Fontaine's destruction—in the end, everyone will dissolve into the sea, leaving only the water god weeping on his throne.

Volume 1: Chapter 32 Clarind's Intelligence

After that incident, Funina quickly returned to White Song Town with Richard, and Clarinde seemed to have resolved her matter as well. The two groups met at the entrance of White Song Town.

Looking at the disheveled and humiliated members of the heist team following behind Richard, supporting each other, Claude couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

"Some madmen who attempted to attack the gods were easily apprehended by Richard under my brilliant leadership," Funina said proudly, raising her smooth chin like a swan.

It was as if she had done all of this.

I'm no good at fighting, but I'm number one at taking credit.

Unfortunately, Frynn's performance was clearly a waste of breath; to Clarinde, her words were simply: "Aba aba attacked the gods, aba aba, and was captured by Richard."

After learning about the heist group behind Richard, Clarin looked down at Miss Shebereda, who was standing next to Funina.

At this moment, Miss Shebeleta has a crab shell on her head that is similar in size and shape to hers. Inside the crab shell, there seems to be soup, and steam is rising from it.

It looks delicious.

But isn't it a bit much to have Miss Sheberida bearing the remains of her own kind...?

Noticing Clorind's gaze, Furina quickly explained, "Miss Shebeleta is not a Heavy-Armored Crab, she just looks similar!"

“Yes, Lady Frinna, you don’t need to explain so much to me…” Clorinde felt that Frinna’s explanation only made things stranger.

Seeing that Clarinde's gaze was becoming increasingly strange, Furina quickly changed the subject, saying, "Because something very serious happened, the original activities have been temporarily suspended. However, considering that you were busy before, Clarinde, I specially brought back the crab soup that Richard made. We can try it together later..."

After a pause, Funina added, "It tastes very good."

Clarind nodded in agreement, her gaze finally settling on Richard, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Richard shook his head and said to the bewildered older woman, "The situation is complicated and can't be explained in a short time. In short, let's arrange for someone to take these members of the treasure-hunting gang back for interrogation first, and then we'll talk about it slowly."

After Richard finished speaking, Funina added, "To avoid causing panic, I think this matter should be kept secret. Both the investigation and the trial should be conducted in secrecy... Secretary Richard, what do you think?"

“You’re absolutely right, let’s do it that way, Lady Funina.” Richard thought about it and realized that this was indeed the safest approach, so there was no need to object.

With Richard's consent, Funina clearly felt more confident.

Clearly, neither of the two parties involved realized that their words and actions seemed inconsistent with their identities.

It's as if the two have switched roles, as if Richard is the executive minister who makes the final decisions, while Furnessa is the permanent secretary who makes recommendations...

However, considering the actual situation, Claurind felt there was no problem.

Reasonable!

Soon, under Clorind's arrangement, the special patrol team secretly took over the criminals who attacked the gods, and at the same time, the three returned to their office in the Mo Mang Palace.

Unlike usual, a crab shell pot was placed in the middle of the long desk that is usually used for meetings, and tableware, as well as some staple food and side dishes, were placed in front of the three people.

"The person turned into water?" Clarind scooped up a bowl of seafood soup with a spoon.

“That’s right, Richard and I were watching from the side.” Funina picked up a piece of potato and crab meat.

“Because it happened so suddenly, no evidence was left at the scene. The other party’s methods were very strange and decisive.” Richard added based on Funina’s description, and then picked up a piece of bread and dipped it in the soup.

"By the way, can I ask why we're talking about this kind of thing while we're eating? It's not only against table manners, but discussing such terrifying things at the table can also make people lose their appetite!" Funina complained.

“In Liyue, many things are decided over the dinner table,” Richard said after thinking for a moment.

Claudia added from the side, "And wasn't it you, Frynn, who started it first?"

"Ah, so it was me who started it? Cough cough, let's eat first, let's eat first." To cover up her embarrassment, Funina hurriedly ate two more bowls of seafood soup and a piece of soft white bread.

It seems that at least the Water God's appetite has not been affected.

"Phew, I haven't eaten this much in a long time. I feel like I'm stuffed."

After dinner, Funina sat gracefully on the sofa, stroking her little belly with her hand.

"Oh no, I ate so much, will I gain weight? Should I do another set of exercises tonight...?"

Claude and Richard, on the other hand, obviously didn't have Frynn's troubles. Claude never deliberately controlled her diet to lose weight, and Richard was always restrained in his eating, only eating until he was seven or eight tenths full, no matter how delicious the food was.

I maintain a good habit of going to bed early and waking up early, getting a full 8 hours of sleep every day. I drink a glass of warm milk before bed and fall asleep immediately once I get into bed. I never leave fatigue and stress for the next day. I am very self-disciplined.

After they finished their meal, they got back to business.

“We still have too little information about this matter. My suggestion is to wait for the Special Patrol’s investigation results. What do you think, Clarin?” Richard said.

“I agree, but I also have some information to share with you,” Clarinde said.

“In fact, I had heard of the drink ‘Les’ before this incident, and it was also related to my visit to Navia.”

Upon hearing this, Funina, who was sitting in her office chair, straightened her back and looked directly at Klorind, asking, "You mean 'Les' is related to Navia, the young lady of the Rose Society?"

“Yes, but it’s not what you think. Perhaps Rose… Navia is also a victim of this,” Clarind replied.

“A victim? Could it be related to Navia’s father? I remember Navia’s father, Cares, was involved in the ‘serial disappearances of girls’ case and eventually died in the dueling arena…” Richard recalled.

“Yes, I was the duel agent who fought against Kares back then,” Clarind said.

In Fontainebleau, all suspects have an opportunity to "defend their reputation" before going to court: they can challenge an official duel representative to a duel. Winning the duel exempts them from trial; losing means they still have to appear in court.

Kares died in this duel to 'defend honor,' but what does that have to do with what's happening today?

PS: A summary will be provided at the fifth update.

In addition, PY wrote "You think you're worthy of being an idol?"

Book 1: Chapter 33 A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.

"According to our investigation, a beverage called 'Les' became popular in Baisong Town many years ago. This was quickly discovered by Carles, who used the power of the Rose Society to block it."

"Because it was just an incident and didn't seem to be directly related to the 'serial disappearances of girls,' the investigators at the time didn't pursue the matter further."

"In retrospect, this may have foreshadowed Kares' involvement in the 'serial disappearances of young girls'..."

Richard understood what Clarinde meant and asked, "You mean, you think Kares might have been framed? And the one who framed Kares is very likely the killer of the 'serial girl disappearances' case?"

After a moment's hesitation, Claudia nodded and offered her explanation.

"As a duel proxy, I have experienced countless battles and taken the lives of countless dishonorables."

"I've seen all sorts of people's yearning for life—some fervent, some resolute, some frantic, some twisted…so I can tell at a glance what kind of person is seeking life and what kind is seeking death." (Brick)

"On the day of the duel, Mr. Carles never intended to survive it from the very beginning."

After thinking for a moment, Funina asked, "Could it be that he was worried that if he confessed, the reputation of the Rose Society would be greatly affected, so he decided to die in the dueling arena?"

“That doesn’t make sense. Even if Kares dies in the dueling arena, it won’t solve anything. If I were Kares, the best choice when wrongly accused would be to actively seek evidence to clear my name, not to seek death.”

Richard believed that someone who could build Rosewood from scratch to that level couldn't possibly be unaware of this, unless someone was forcing him to make this choice.

As for what kind of threat could make a man abandon the reputation he has upheld his entire life, the answer is already quite obvious.

He had a daughter.

"And don't you think the characteristic of 'people turning into water' is closely related to the 'serial disappearances of young girls'?" Ling

"The girl has turned to water, how can she be found?" Uncle

Funina agreed with Richard, "But right now we don't even have anyone to suspect..."

"Let's see if the members of the treasure-hunting group know anything. But I don't have high hopes. I guess the leader of the treasure-hunting group, who has already turned into water, is the only one who knows anything. Otherwise, there's no reason to just turn him into water and not touch the other members."

The trail has most likely gone cold. Putting yourself in Richard's shoes, if he were the murderer, what he would do now is erase all the evidence, lie low in the shadows, and wait for the storm to pass before making a comeback.

“There’s something else, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the fact that people turn into water coincides with Fontaine’s prophecy of the end times: ‘In the end, everyone will dissolve into the sea.’” Richard mentioned this seemingly casually, while secretly observing Funina’s expression.

However, Funina was not surprised. She had already thought of this and immediately nodded, saying, "Although I hate to say it, the prophecy of the end of the world is indeed coming true little by little. Perhaps in the near future, everyone will dissolve into the sea."

"But that's precisely why we need to figure this out even more. This is no longer just a simple case of a missing person and an attack. There must be some connection between 'Les,' 'the serial disappearances of girls,' and 'the leader of the treasure-stealing gang who turned into water' that we don't yet understand!"

"Furina said firmly, seemingly determined to figure out the connection between the three," she said.

However, Richard had to pour cold water on his superior's idea, saying, "Lady Furnessa, although I also think what you said makes a lot of sense, you are the Minister of Administration and should be responsible to the City Hall first. As for the investigation, it would be better to let the Tribunal handle it."

“But besides being the Minister of State, I am also the Water Goddess of Fontaine. How can I ignore this situation?! I am also a victim of this incident!” Funina argued with Richard, her almond-shaped eyes wide.

"There's an old saying in Liyue: 'A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.' Literally, it means that a wise man should stay away from dangerous places. Obviously, before we figure out how to turn people into water, it's best if you don't get too involved in this matter."

“I am the Water Goddess! How can a god be like an ordinary person?” Funina still did not intend to give up.

“But similarly, there’s no evidence to prove that gods can’t be turned into water. What do you think, Clarind?” Richard asked for Clarind’s opinion.

"I think……"

“Clorind, you need to understand whose private secretary you are.” Furnessa narrowed her almond-shaped eyes slightly.

"I think Lady Funina is absolutely right..."

Furina smiled with satisfaction, and glanced triumphantly at Richard. See? Even Clarinde said so.

Richard remained unmoved, before Clarinde could finish speaking.

"But Secretary Richard's statement is also correct."

Furina's smile froze. She looked at Clorind, wondering what she meant.

You're a fence-sitter, aren't you!

Furina felt that if Clorind didn't give her a satisfactory explanation today, this matter wouldn't be over!

"This concerns a prophecy of world destruction, so it is naturally something that cannot be taken too seriously. Lady Funina is also of paramount importance to Fontaine, and no mistakes can be tolerated."

"So?" Funina crossed her arms, wanting to hear what Clarinde was planning to do.

“I will take charge of following up on this matter,” Claurind said.

As a dueling agent, she is naturally very familiar with the Inquisition. Similarly, her current identity as Funina's personal secretary can also be seen as representing 'divine attention' in a way.

With her as Funina's eyes, Funina's safety can be guaranteed, and the progress of the case can be ensured, so that it will not be delayed for some inexplicable reason.

It's safe to say there's no one more suitable than Clarinde, so...

You think so too, don't you, Secretary Richard?

Claude suspected that from the very beginning, Richard wanted her to be in charge of following up on this matter, and all the previous words were a prelude to this purpose.

He understood the demands of everyone present, and naturally, he could use those demands to achieve the situation he desired.

Both he and Funina had been clearly arranged by him from the very beginning.

Richard met Claurind's gaze with a smile. If you think so, then so be it.

Richard was still amazed by Claurind's comprehension ability. It was amazing that she could understand how to cooperate with you with just a glance or a gesture!

Faced with Clarinde's impeccable explanation, Furnessa naturally had no other opinions.

"Alright, let's do it this way. After all—a wise man doesn't stand under a crumbling wall."

"Yes, Lady Funina. No matter the circumstances, a gentleman should not stand under a crumbling wall."

Volume 1: Chapter 34 The Refugee Issue

The large-scale series of quests involving 'Les', 'The Serial Disappearances of Girls', and 'The Treasure Thief Boss Who Turned into Water' is currently being pushed forward by Claurind.

However, judging from the interrogation, just as Richard had expected, all the members of the treasure-hunting gang knew nothing. The interrogators used every means at their disposal and finally confirmed that these guys really did not know anything.

They don't produce 'L's'; they're just 'L's' porters.

Meanwhile, the investigation into 'Les' in Baisong Town has hit a bottleneck, with all the 'Les' sales points that investigators found disappearing overnight.

Like rats in the sewers, knowing they can't stand the light, they hide in dark corners, waiting for night to fall.

The progress of the event came to a standstill, with no more useful clues to be found, as if these clues had dissolved into the boundless water.

But no matter what, life goes on. The city hall's work will not be reduced because the investigation has stalled. Besides, the case was never under the jurisdiction of the city hall; the court has always been in charge of the investigation.

Clarinde only played a supervisory role, occasionally checking on the progress of the case and reporting back to Funina.