Yes, Lady Funina!

However, her patience had indeed run out, and she couldn't delay any longer. If she dragged it out any longer, the Knights might discover something was amiss, and the Water God might be stalling for time to recover his strength.

"Richard, when you betrayed Her Majesty the Queen, did you ever imagine this day would come? Now, does the person you're groveling to still have the power to protect you?"

From the woman's perspective, Funina was like a harmless little white rabbit, with no strength whatsoever.

The woman didn't think much of it, assuming that Frynn had exhausted her divine power while dealing with the Abyss Order and helping Dvalin get rid of the poisonous blood.

On the contrary, after hearing the lady's words, Funina looked at the lady with a strange look in her almond-shaped eyes. So the saying "big breasts, no brains" is true!

She's protecting Richard? It's more like the other way around!

After this trip to Mondstadt, she had only seen a small part of Richard's abilities, and her own experience as the Executive Secretary far exceeded her expectations.

Betrayal of the Winter Queen... plus his behavior during the last visit of the Yae no Kami, and now we also have to count Mondstadt, where he grew up.

He might have been to Nata, Sumeru, and Liyue, but he just didn't know it.

Fu Ningna increasingly felt that her executive secretary-general had far too many secrets, but fortunately, she also had quite a few secrets, so they were even.

“I need to correct one point: I have never betrayed Queen Winter. My relationship with her was merely one of cooperation. Wherever I go is my own business. Besides, even Queen Winter didn’t hold my departure against me, so why are you in such a hurry?” Richard said calmly.

"Ha, don't take the Queen's mercy for granted!" After saying this, the lady waved her hand, and the ice elements in the air condensed into several ice spikes, which shot fiercely towards Richard.

However, just as it was about to hit Richard, and Wendy and Frynn hiding behind him, the ice spike suddenly turned into specks of light.

This strange situation is happening again. The lady frowned. Could it be that the weakness shown by the water god was all an act, and that she actually still had strength left?

"Thinking about it carefully, it seems that among the many executives of the Fatui, only a handful have witnessed my strength, and you don't seem to be among them."

"That explains why you had such a big misunderstanding about me."

Richard shook his head, and before the woman could react, her feet were covered in solid ice.

'The Empress's authority?!' The lady was horrified.

“No, it is my authority,” Richard corrected, as if he could sense what the lady was thinking.

Before the woman could reply, the ice completely covered her, leaving behind an ice sculpture of a beautiful woman.

The ice covering the woman was so pure and transparent that her delicate face could be seen through the surface.

To prevent the lady's eyes from getting dry, he even thoughtfully left a little space so she could blink.

But she doesn't seem to appreciate it?

The woman, frozen in ice, was trying to break through the ice seal with blazing fire, but to no avail.

The raging fire, determined to consume everything, seemed unable to penetrate the thin layer of ice before them.

The two are not even in the same league!

P.S.: Please stop scolding me! There's one more chapter. I've been busy with my internship lately, but I'll update more frequently once I get back in the next few days. o(ini)o

Volume 1: Chapter 57 Furina's Troubles

The soldiers of the Fools present were thrown into a brief panic when they saw their superior being subdued by Richard in an instant.

"Madam, how did she get frozen into an ice sculpture?"

"The enemy is much stronger than we expected. My advice is to retreat."

"What about the lady?"

"It's alright. Even if Lady is gone, there will be an even more powerful executive to take her place!"

"..."

With the first one backing down, the remaining Fools, though not leaving, did not take any further action.

They awaited orders from the highest-ranking officer of the Fools, besides the executor [Lady], who happened to be the debt collector who had previously reported Richard and the others' whereabouts to the lady.

"Lord Richard, this is a misunderstanding. The lady has no intention of being your enemy!"

The debtor was the first to raise his hands to show that he had no hostile intentions.

"You have no intention of being my enemy?" Richard looked at the ice sculpture that was constantly flaming up. Who would believe you if you said that?

"Uh..." The debt collector saw his boss still trying to break Richard's seal, and a wry smile appeared on his face behind the mask.

Madam, even if you manage to break through this thin layer of ice, is this the only method Richard knows?

The woman beneath the ice seemed to realize her current predicament and gradually stopped her futile efforts.

However, it was clear from the other party's eyes that this executive officer had not given up the fight, or at least not completely given up.

However, given the current situation, it seems that whether she gives up or not, it has already lost its meaning.

Richard didn't intend to keep this executive officer permanently in Mondstadt; after all, he was his former colleague, albeit a bit foolish, arrogant, and haughty...

In short, to some extent, he and the Ice Queen should be considered to be on the same side, so there's no reason for him to weaken his ally's strength.

Of course, if the other party causes him trouble, that's another matter. But with the lady's current strength, to be honest, it's not even a problem for Richard.

She got up and killed him in one move. What else is there to say?

In a way, Richard stole the Lady's spotlight. Even without Richard's involvement, Dvalin's rescue would have been highly likely, and Wendy's Heart of God would have ended up in the Lady's hands through a half-hearted act.

With his intervention, the process has only been accelerated, and the Heart of God in Wendy's possession will eventually end up in the hands of the Fatui.

It was merely a way of repaying a favor, allowing the servant Arecino to gain the credit for seizing the Heart of God.

"Don't worry, I won't take her life. After we leave, this seal will weaken over time."

"Judging from the strength of her struggle, she should be able to make it to dinner if nothing unexpected happens?" Richard estimated slightly.

There are still two or three hours until dinner time, so I'll leave that to you, Madam, to make your move in the form of an ice sculpture.

This is a minor punishment to serve as a warning; otherwise, given the lady's behavior, she would have suffered a great loss sooner or later.

After all, not everyone is as kind as Richard.

"As for the Heart of the Wind God, I will entrust it to another executor so that she can hand it over to the Winter Queen. You don't need to worry about it."

"I see. Thank you for your generosity, Lord Richard."

Upon hearing Richard's words, the debt collector breathed a sigh of relief, as long as the lady was alright.

Although the lady appears rather fierce and can become unusually irritable from time to time, she is considered one of the more approachable among the many executives of the Fools.

If something were to happen to the lady, he wouldn't know which executive he would be reassigned to.

If you're unlucky enough to fall into the hands of that scoundrel, things could get really...

The debt collector shuddered; just thinking about it filled the working class with despair.

"So, could you please make way?" Richard asked with a smile, looking at the crowd of fools who had completely blocked the area.

And all the fools who came into his sight involuntarily took a step back.

There was no way around it; the lady's past experience was still fresh in everyone's mind. Only someone out of their mind would think of confronting this powerful figure head-on, especially since, judging from the tone he had just spoken, it seemed that he had a close relationship with one of their other executives.

Rounding it off, we're practically family now.

Haha, so it turns out the flood washed away the Dragon King Temple!

With this in mind, the Fools retreated like a tide. In no time, apart from the Fools who remained to wait for the Lady to thaw, there were no more Fools to be seen at Star-Picking Cliff.

Upon seeing this, Funina strode out from behind Richard with great pride, accompanied by Mr. Barbatos, who was also a god.

"Thank you for your valiant protection. This Heart of God is a reward for the brave." Wendy playfully performed an ancient Mondstadt noble salute for Richard and presented him with the Heart of God.

Richard took the Heart of God and casually put it in his pocket. "Thank you for your praise."

He then turned his gaze to Funina.

"You...you don't want my Heart of God too, do you?" Fulina's face stiffened under Richard's gaze. Where would she get the Heart of God?

"No need for that. I have no use for two Hearts of God, but I believe you will give me something better, right?"

When Funina heard that Richard had no intention of taking her Heart of God, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, what troubled her was where she could find a better gift than the Heart of God as a reward for Richard.

Surely I wouldn't just give myself away?

Why not make a small cake yourself? There's an old saying in Liyue: "A gift of a goose feather from a thousand miles away is light in weight but heavy in sentiment."

The little cakes she made herself, the Water Goddess, should be comparable to that seemingly useless Heart of God, right?

Funina had never come into contact with the Heart of God, so she naturally did not know its effects, but just from the name she could feel its extraordinary nature. And how easy would it be to find something more precious than the Heart of God?

Initially happy to be out of trouble, Funina became troubled again after hearing Richard's words.

But life goes on, and there's still some time before we return to Fontainebleau. We just need to come up with a suitable reward during this time!

“Paimon, tell me… what could be more precious than the Heart of God?” Since she couldn’t think of anything herself, she decided to listen to other people’s ideas.

Because of their shared history of fighting side by side, and because Paimon seemed to have a lot of clever ideas, he naturally became the person the Water God consulted.

“There probably isn’t anything more precious than the Heart of God, is there? That’s a testament to God! But for me personally, Luminous is much more precious than the Heart of God. I think in Luminous’s heart, I am more precious than the Heart of God!” Paimon replied after thinking for a moment.

“But according to Fontaine’s laws, I can’t give you two to Richard!” Funina even considered becoming a human trafficker.

Paimon:?

P.S.: Arrived home. Three chapters tomorrow! (Can't keep the author's 1cm shorter length!)

Volume 1: Chapter 58 Starting with those around him

"There are many things more important than the Heart of God, aren't there?" Ying replied after hearing Funina's question.

"For example?" Funina hoped that Ying could give a different answer.

"Relatives, friends, and the like..." Ying gave a similar answer to Paimon.

"Take me for example, if I could use the Heart of God to find my brother, I would definitely be willing."

"Alright, alright, I'll keep an eye on your brother. Although I don't have much of an impression of him, that should be a good thing. At least it shows that he's a law-abiding and good person, if your brother really did travel in Fontainebleau."

"Really... isn't there anything that isn't human?" Funina muttered to herself as she left, intending to ask someone else.

"Luminous, if I were ever captured by bad guys and they demanded your Heart of God in exchange, would you give it to them?" Paimon asked the Traveler.

"Maybe... maybe?"

"Why use a question?!" Paimon's angry stomping came from behind Funina.

The scene shifts to Wendy, where Frynn finds her on a public bench in the square in front of the Cathedral of the West.

At this moment, Wendy was holding a bottle of cider that looked very expensive in her arms as if she were holding a great treasure, with two wine glasses next to her.

When Wendy saw Furna arrive, she greeted her cheerfully, "Good morning, Ms. Furna. Would you like some cider?"

"No, thank you." Looking at Wendy, who was carrying a wine bottle in one hand and two wine glasses in the other, Furna suddenly didn't really want to ask him about the Heart of God anymore.

It's unreliable, it doesn't seem reliable at all.

"Why are you drinking on a park bench?" Funina asked curiously.

“Because the Cathedral of the West doesn’t allow me to drink inside!” Wendy replied matter-of-factly.

Thanks to Richard, Wendy was able to get her hands on such good cider, a rare occurrence for her. Instead of her usual boisterous drinking from the bottle, she wanted to add a touch of ceremony and even brought a wine glass to the church to experience the atmosphere of a high-end cocktail party.

Unfortunately, the nuns at West Wind Cathedral didn't seem to think so, and they ruthlessly kicked him out of the church.

Wendy remembered what the nun had said to him: "This is Lord Barbatos's chapel. How disrespectful you are to Lord Barbatos! If you want to drink, go to a tavern or your own home!"

Wendy felt wronged; wasn't this his home?

Faced with Wendy's accusations, Furnessa was speechless. It was the first time she had ever seen a god driven out of the church by his own people. Surprisingly, she could understand the nun's behavior and felt no sympathy for this unreliable wind god.

"So, Ms. Funina, what did you want to ask me?" Wendy carefully placed her beloved cider aside, revealing a rare serious side, her delicate face bearing a benevolent smile like that of a deity.

In fact, when Wendy gets serious, she's quite like a deity.

"I want to ask... what is more important to you than the heart of God?"

Wendy didn't answer, but just gave a creepy smile and picked up the cider she had just put down.

He said nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything.

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more!" Funina, her face full of exasperation, raised her hand to stop Wendy from speaking. She shouldn't have had any expectations of this guy in the first place.

"Haha, in short, everyone has a different opinion about the Eye of God. Some people see it as hope, while others discard it like trash. Just like the stories told by bards, there are always people who like it and people who don't. The most important thing is what Richard thinks."

"If I knew what he was thinking, would I be so conflicted now?" Funina said wistfully, then suddenly realized something and looked at Wendy.

When did I mention Richard?

"Did I just mention Richard?" Wendy winked at Furness, feigning ignorance.