Yes, Lady Funina!

If you could put that kind of effort into building a beautiful Fontaine... well, never mind. At least the damage from eating desserts at the reception is manageable.

The delegation soon arrived in Mondstadt and was greeted by Jyn Gunnhildr, the acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, before proceeding to the Great Hall.

Meanwhile, Fu Ningna's request was also approved by the troupe leader. The small private room next to the auditorium had been transformed into a dessert shop, with all kinds of exquisitely shaped desserts on display.

Inside the auditorium, well-dressed people clinked glasses and drank, making the juice in their hands seem like fine wine.

However, none of them showed overly obvious smiles, because Mondstadt's current situation probably didn't allow them to smile too broadly.

A so-called free city-state is not free at certain times.

This also indirectly confirms the statement that 'freedom is not unlimited freedom,' but fortunately, Funina has a wealth of experience in dealing with this kind of situation.

She easily became the focus of attention at the banquet. In fact, even if she hadn't performed so well, she would still have been the focus of the entire banquet.

The status of a god is so revered for humans in Teyvat that they can forgive any behavior that is not too outrageous.

Li realized that Funina didn't need to go to such lengths to prepare a dessert shop. She could have simply used the first plan, magically producing desserts from her hat and enjoying them in front of everyone.

It's unlikely that anyone will stand up and criticize it; in fact, some might even praise this "free" behavior, believing that it shows Funina's respect for the "spirit of freedom" they admire, truly embodying the principle of "when in Rome, do as the Romans do."

As Richard was drinking Sunset Juice and discussing Claire's recent performance with Captain Jean, he noticed Frynn giving him a wink.

Richard glanced at his watch and realized that about an hour had passed since the reception began.

If you think about it, this time of day is usually close to the end of the afternoon tea time at Funina.

Richard then excused himself from his duties and went to Funina's side, saying in a clear voice, "Lady Funina, Mr. Macaron in the reception room has something to ask you."

Richard also politely greeted the high-society figures present, and most of the Mondstadt executives present clearly recognized Richard and returned the greeting with friendly smiles.

Some unsuspecting officials generously stated that since Lady Funina had matters to attend to, she should go ahead and not worry about them.

Perhaps in their view, matters requiring divine intervention must be of great importance?

Volume 1: Chapter 41 The Reporter Who Was Caught

Funina responded to Mr. Macaron's request very quickly, and returned to the auditorium in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Meanwhile, Furnessa said to Richard, who was dealing with the Mond officials on her behalf, "Secretary Richard, Ms. Brownie has important documents that require your approval."

She's not the kind of boss who enjoys the good life while neglecting her subordinates!

Then, Funina skillfully took over the topics offered by the officials and seamlessly integrated herself into the discussion about art.

While Funina might not be particularly adept at politics and economics, she is certainly a natural at art.

No one understands art better than Funina!

Richard almost lost his composure when he heard "Ms. Brownie," but fortunately, he reacted quickly and covered up his discomfort with a light cough, then subtly wiped the corner of his lips with his hand.

After noticing this action, Funina subconsciously wiped her lips and, sure enough, touched Mr. Macaron's remains.

Hmm, I'd better wipe it off quickly while no one's looking.

Fu Ningna pursed her rosy lips imperceptibly, then took a sip of sweet and sour sunset juice to calm her nerves.

The scene shifts, and Richard walks out of the auditorium, heading towards the 'dessert shop,' only to unexpectedly spot a familiar face at the entrance.

“I’ve already said, I’m not a suspicious person. I’m Charlotte, an intern reporter for Steambird Newspaper. This is my press pass.”

The young woman, dressed in a pure white off-the-shoulder evening gown and wearing a gold retro monocle over her left eye, is confronting the knight on duty.

"Excuse me, what's going on here?" Richard asked as he stepped forward.

He recognized the reporter, Charlotte, as the one who had interviewed Funina during her roadside speech and had stirred up Funina's ambition with just a few words.

He is a very dangerous journalist.

However, she seems to have encountered some trouble at this moment?

The knights on duty recognized Richard; he was a friend of their leader, Jean. It was said that someone had even seen him shopping with Jean and little Cleo, and the scene was unusually harmonious, like a family of three.

Now, the other party is a high-ranking official from Fontaine, on a diplomatic visit to Mondstadt. Regardless of their identity, they are clearly someone he cannot afford to offend.

So before Charlotte could speak, the knight on duty explained to Richard, "Mr. Richard, while on duty I saw this lady loitering back and forth in front of the temporary discussion room that was specially granted to Fontaine, which seemed very suspicious, so I went up to ask her a routine question..."

"Secretary-General Richard, I am Charlotte, a reporter from the Fontaine Steambird Newspaper. I am definitely not a suspicious person!" Charlotte was very excited to finally see an important figure she recognized.

The knight on duty asked with a puzzled look, "Mr. Richard, do you know this lady?"

Richard glanced at Charlotte, who was looking at him expectantly, and nodded, saying, "Yes, I know her. Thank you for your hard work, sir."

“It is my duty! Since you know each other, I will continue my patrol.” The knight stood with his legs together and back straight, giving Richard a standard knightly salute.

After the patrolman left, Richard turned his attention to the reporter.

It was at this moment that Richard realized that the reporter seemed to have put a lot of effort into her attire in order to sneak into the auditorium.

Wearing a pure white, long, form-fitting evening gown, her pink hair was styled into an exquisite updo, adorned with a milky white flower hair accessory, making her look pure and refined.

Charlotte's evening gown was simple and elegant in design, but it didn't seem to fit her very well; it was a bit too tight. The edges of the strapless dress were digging into her flesh, creating a shallow cleavage around her beautiful upper body. Combined with her slender waist, it could be said that it brought out her best features to the fullest.

This made her look fresh and elegant, with a youthful charm, quite different from the reporter's previous attire.

“Tell me about it, Miss Charlotte. I don’t recall your name being on the list of reporters accompanying the journalists submitted by the Steambird newspaper,” Richard asked with a smile.

Charlotte's pretty face stiffened. She had intended to use the excuse of being a reporter accompanying Richard to get away with it, thinking that a big shot like Richard shouldn't be able to remember all the people in the group.

But now it seems her plan has failed...

"I came at my own expense," Charlotte sighed and confessed honestly.

As an intern reporter, she had not yet established herself at Steambird Newspaper. Although she had won a great victory with Funina last time, it was not enough to earn her this precious opportunity to follow up.

It's obvious to anyone with eyes that this is the first time the water goddess Frynn has traveled abroad, and her destination is Mondstadt, which was recently hit by a disaster. Just hearing about it makes you feel that this trip to Mondstadt will uncover a lot of explosive news.

Charlotte always trusted her news sense and naturally didn't want to miss such a rare opportunity. So she paid for the fastest ship ticket to Mondstadt herself, then asked a senior colleague at the newspaper stationed in Mondstadt to help her with some connections out of her own pocket. Surprisingly, she managed to sneak in.

How should I put it? She is indeed a born journalist.

"So instead of seizing the opportunity to dig up news in the auditorium, what are you doing outside?" Richard asked Charlotte, looking directly into her eyes without commenting on her actions.

Charlotte, after all, was just an intern reporter, and naturally couldn't withstand Richard's pressure. She looked away and changed the subject, saying, "I just came out for some fresh air..."

"Breathable?" Richard looked around with a half-smile at the airtight corridor without a single window. Even the auditorium had better ventilation than this.

Seeing Charlotte's stubbornness, Richard raised a finger and said, "It seems I need to remind you, Miss Charlotte, that what you are doing is illegal."

"Illegal...illegal?" Charlotte's almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief.

How did she break the law? Sure, she used some methods to sneak in, but they were all within the rules. How could that be considered illegal?

"Yes, Article 6 of Chapter 3 of the Fontaine Diplomatic Relations Law clearly stipulates that any suspicious person who intends to obtain diplomatic secrets has the right to be held legally accountable in accordance with the law."

"Stealing diplomatic secrets? I didn't..."

Before Charlotte could even offer an explanation, Richard pointed to the sign on the door behind her: 'Fontaine Diplomatic Intelligence Discussion and Analysis Room'.

Seemingly worried that Charlotte might try to argue, he raised his voice slightly: "The soundproofing in this discussion room isn't very good, is it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a reply came from inside the door: "Yes, Secretary Richard."

Charlotte: ...

Volume 1: Chapter 42 This secret, I'll eat you for the rest of my life!

"So you want to go in and take a look?" Richard asked the beautifully dressed reporter with a smile.

"Can I...?" Charlotte hadn't expected such a good thing to happen.

“Of course…no.” Richard wouldn’t be so crazy as to invite Charlotte to the ‘dessert shop’ for desserts.

He could also see how passionate this reporter was about journalism.

Even though Richard had already said she had broken the law, he still didn't give up on making a big splash.

“G…” Charlotte’s mood visibly dropped. What bad luck! Not only did she break the law without knowing it, but she also failed to get the news.

Isn't this a complete loss?

"I think you should be more worried about yourself, Miss Reporter," Richard reminded her.

"Hey, you're right, so could you help me find a lawyer? I've already spent all my savings since I started working in Mondstadt, and I really don't have any money left to hire a lawyer."

Charlotte's original idea was that if she could uncover a big news story in Mondstadt, she could then get reimbursed by the editor-in-chief for all her activities in Mondstadt.

Now things are really messed up. Forget about reimbursement, not only will there be an extra expense to hire a lawyer, but you'll also be making headlines—"Shocking! Steambird Newspaper intern reporter attempts to steal classified information and affect diplomatic relations between the two countries."

In this situation, even the editor-in-chief of Ou Fu would probably have a hard time protecting himself.

"Judging from your expression, it seems you're already aware of your situation?" Richard's lips curled into a smile, like a villain.

“I understand…” Charlotte lowered her head resignedly, but a second later, a sudden inspiration struck her.

Normally, a big shot like Richard wouldn't bother talking nonsense with a mere intern reporter; he'd just have me arrested.

He could have even asked that knight on duty to do it, but he didn't. Does that mean...?

Charlotte looked up and glanced tentatively at Richard, only to find him looking at her with a half-smile.

As expected! Skirt

"It seems you've truly come to terms with the current situation, Miss Charlotte, reporter."⑦

Richard proved Charlotte's earlier guess right; he indeed had no intention of arresting the unfortunate intern reporter outright. 4

Even if he had perfectly valid reasons. 8

After all, who said that Furness opening an intelligence agency just so she could secretly eat desserts wasn't a secret? ③

If this secret were to leak out, it would be a major event that could affect diplomatic relations between the two countries!

Sometimes the value of a secret lies not in the secret itself, but in the impact its disclosure can have.

“This is clearly not a good place to talk. Come find me after the banquet to discuss what you need to do. This is my private address in Mondstadt.” Richard took out a notebook from his pocket, wrote a note on the spot, tore it off, and handed it to Charlotte.

Charlotte hesitated for a moment before taking the note, simultaneously placing one hand on her chest and pulling down her collar to conceal her beautiful figure.

The girl said warily, "Let's make this clear beforehand: if you ask me to do anything... anything that goes against my principles, I won't do it. If that happens, you might as well arrest me now."

Charlotte's reaction was understandable. After all, from her perspective, Richard, a powerful figure, had something on her while handing her his private address. This series of actions made it hard not to have some suspicions.

Charlotte wasn't bragging, but she was very aware of the allure of her beauty to the opposite sex.

As a journalist, she was also very aware of the dark side of this world. Some seemingly glamorous big shots have no idea what kind of shady dealings they might be doing in private.

Maybe Richard is that kind of guy. He saw that she had been caught red-handed, so he wanted to take this opportunity to make her submit to someone else, or else arrest her and ruin her reputation.

Once she compromises, she will be treated like a caged bird and locked in a lavishly decorated apartment. At that point, forget about being a reporter; she will even have difficulty gaining freedom. Every day, she will only be able to do what Richard wants her to do, like a puppet being manipulated at will, changing into different clothes every day and posing in various shameful positions...

In a moment, the reporter considered many, many possibilities, each pointing to a situation that made her legs go weak, and could even lead to someone's death.

She even hallucinated, hearing Richard whisper in her ear, "This secret... I'll eat you for the rest of my life!"

That kind of thing... absolutely not!

In comparison, going to jail is actually a better option!

After Charlotte finished speaking, her bright, emerald-like eyes were fixed on Richard, and she secretly made up her mind that if Richard was really as she thought, she would never compromise.

Even if it means mutual destruction! Once she leaves Mero-Petersburg, she will expose his ugly face to the world!

...It didn't seem so ugly after all, Charlotte then noticed Richard's handsome appearance.

To be honest, no matter who you are, you might not feel any ill will towards Richard at first glance, because he is just too good-looking.

Even Charlotte had to admit that the other woman was quite attractive, and if things really progressed as she expected, it was hard to say who would be getting the better deal...

Wait, what am I thinking?! Charlotte was shocked by her own thoughts.

It's hard to say who benefits from whom; there's simply no such possibility!

She will not compromise!

"Things that violate principles... that's hard to define, since everyone's principles are different, and principles are things that can change."

“Miss Charlotte, could you give me an example?” Richard asked with amusement.

He could obviously tell that Charlotte had misunderstood something, but because he found it very amusing, he mischievously didn't explain immediately.

After all, he is such a cunning and ruthless guy.

“An example…an example is…” Charlotte blushed, how could she possibly say such a thing!

Or you might as well just go to jail!

Seeing that the innocent Charlotte was already losing her composure, Richard decided to stop while he was ahead. He said, "Don't worry, I won't make any unreasonable demands. We'll discuss the details when we meet tonight. You also have the right to refuse."