Yes, Lady Funina!

Who would have thought that she, a goddess of justice, would one day break the law?

"Ugh, am I not suited to be a minister of state..." Furnessa cried out in despair after her Waterloo.

Although Richard wanted to correct him, saying that falling from the peak is what makes a Waterloo, but Lord Water God, you never even got up, you've just been sliding...

However, the Water God had the idea of ​​resigning, and it wouldn't be in Richard's own interest to really quit.

To be honest, ever since Richard saw through Funina's outwardly strong but inwardly weak nature, his plan shifted from 'self-preservation' to 'offense'.

It's like how Cao Mengde initially only wanted to become an official, but then he discovered that the Han Dynasty was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, so he decided to start his own business.

Richard also had some other ulterior motives.

Just as a soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier, if Richard can control the Water God, he will have the same power over the Water God.

He takes care of things the water god wouldn't dare to do, and he does things the water god wouldn't dare to do. He's going to climb up step by step like this, until he reaches the highest... cough cough.

“Lady Furina, there’s no need to be so pessimistic. In fact, using illegal means to circumvent the law is the worst possible strategy. Actually, I didn’t promise those club presidents anything; I just gave them some hints within the rules,” Richard said with a smile.

"A hint?" Funina was stunned, somewhat unable to follow Richard's train of thought.

"I was just telling them that there were other reasons behind your shutting down that newspaper. To ensure the truthfulness and fairness of the news, it would be best not to jump to conclusions. If the results turned out to be the opposite of what was reported, the consequences would be unbearable for them."

"In fact, this is the second point I want to make to you: when you can cause the other party more losses than they gain, you will have some bargaining power."

"But isn't this just turning an immediate death sentence into a suspended death sentence?" The hope that had just glimmered in Funina's eyes dimmed again.

It's just delaying the time of death. Wait, maybe she can just resign, and then maybe they won't hold her responsible? Fu Ningna thought naively.

She truly deserves to be called the Water Goddess; she is indeed one of a kind among Scorpion Fathers.

Richard saw that Funina was about to back down, and he said with a hint of disappointment, "It's not just a delay, it also gives us room to struggle. Sometimes all it takes is a little space to turn a bad thing into a good thing."

"You mean we can still be saved?" Funina's eyes lit up as she asked excitedly.

“It’s not us, it’s you.” Richard implied that even if you were gone, I wouldn’t be gone, since the responsibility would fall on you. He had warned you about this before, and as a seasoned veteran, he had long since washed his hands of any responsibility.

At most, he would receive a minor internal punishment from the city hall, and the matter would be over after he punished himself with three drinks.

Suddenly, Funina had a flash of inspiration and grabbed Richard's hand, saying in the most devout tone, "Lord Richard, please teach me."

The clever Furina didn't try to save her, but instead taught her. This not only made her appear elegant, but also preserved her dignity—at least that's what she thought.

It was already shameful enough that the dignified water god had fallen to such a state, and now that the other party had even seen him crying, face was no longer important.

The current Fulina is like a girl who has been "developed," and no matter what you do to her in the future, it won't arouse much resistance.

"No problem, no problem. In fact, Lady Funina, all we need to do is find a suitable reason to seize the property, and all the problems will be solved."

Richard put this on and a look of shame on his face.

“I must apologize to you. Due to negligence, I did not attach relevant information to the reason for the seizure. Because it was an emergency operation, the Shadow Court did not have time to 'carefully' look at it. So now I need to rewrite a report and put it into the archives.”

“How could the Shadow Chaser’s Pavilion be so thick… Oh~” After realizing what was happening, Funina looked like she understood.

She forced a smile and replied with a serious expression, "Secretary-General Richard, this is a very serious mistake. However, the city hall has indeed been quite busy lately, and oversights are inevitable. This will not be repeated."

"Thank you for your understanding, Lady Funina." Richard bowed slightly to show his respect, earnestly thanking Funina for her magnanimity.

Watching the two of them sing and dance in unison, Lynette suddenly felt that this water god was quite suited for this line of work; they were both natural-born actors.

"Have you thought of a reason yet?" Funina asked impatiently.

"Of course, Lady Funina, there is no such thing as innate love or hate in the world, and no one would slander the gods of their own homeland for no reason. The fact that the newspaper is targeting you like this is obviously not a coincidence; there must be a deeper reason behind it."

"Now all we need to do is find this reason, and all the problems will be solved..."

Volume 1: Chapter 6 Kujo Sara's Weakness

"That's true, but how easy is it to do all that in a short time?" Funina sighed, her self-awareness was very clear at this moment.

How could you possibly uncover the shady dealings behind this in just one or two days?

Moreover, the fact that the other party dared to do this means that they have powerful forces supporting them. Perhaps by the time they find clues, the other party will have already taken care of everything.

It's simply impossible to leave behind enough evidence.

“Lady Funina, please don’t underestimate the City Hall’s intelligence network.” Richard took out a bill from his pocket and placed it in front of Funina.

“This is…” Funina had a vague idea of ​​what was going on, but the happiness had come so suddenly that she was still a little hesitant to believe it.

"As I said, Lady Funina, you only need to trust me." Richard seized the opportunity to cultivate Funina's trust.

Actually, Richard doesn't even need to say that now; Funina's trust in him is already at its maximum.

What was Richard's behavior in her eyes?

To turn the tide and save the collapsing edifice!

He is a pillar of the state!

“This should be the president’s private ledger, which records in detail the transactions with various foreign forces. On the one hand, it’s for bookkeeping, and on the other hand, it’s to prevent those forces from going back on their word later,” Richard defined this fabricated ledger.

Would the newspaper editor-in-chief have such an account book?

It may or may not, but that doesn't matter.

Because regardless of whether it exists or not, the fact that the other party colluded with foreign forces is an established fact. For a politician, filling in the process based on the outcome is an extremely easy thing.

Although there are definitely procedural problems, that's not important.

Richard's task is to revitalize the entire incident in a 'reasonable and legal' manner, rather than pursuing procedural justice.

No one will delve into this matter, except for Zhu Yingting, because Zhu Yingting's stance is on the side of the Water God.

Foreign forces colluding with the newspaper wouldn't, because there's no need to go to such lengths for a mere pawn.

The outcome was already predetermined the day the newspaper was shut down and Richard learned of its shady dealings.

Richard's choice to forge the bills was actually a last resort, because he couldn't very well tell Lady Funina, "Hehe, I switched sides from the Winter Fools and can check the Northern Bank's statements at any time."

How do you say "to have it both ways"? It means to have it both ways.

If that's really the case, Richard will probably become "Li Mou".

One private room in Mero Petersburg!

"In that case, all I need to do is hand over this ledger to the Shadow Chasing Court, and the closure of the newspaper will seem perfectly reasonable?" Funina asked.

"Not only that, you'll also gain another achievement—eliminating a major hidden danger for Fontaine and thwarting the evil forces' conspiracy as soon as you took office," said Richard, the writer for the evil forces.

Funina's eyes lit up, but she was a reasonable and good god and boss, and knew that all of this was brought about by Richard.

"Richard, this is clearly your achievement. It's not right to attribute it to me, is it?"

"The Minister of State and the Secretary General share the same fate; we are one, Lady Funina. Your success is my success. Moreover, you clearly need this credit more than I do," Richard said sincerely.

There was one more thing he didn't say: without your 'brilliant' leadership, he wouldn't have had the opportunity to make this contribution, would he?

If Funina had been a little more cautious, listened to advice a little more, and done her homework before taking office, she wouldn't have ended up in such a passive situation.

Of course, Fu Ningna had no idea that Richard was two-faced. On the contrary, she thought he was a good subordinate who cared about his boss, and said with great emotion, "Then the reward that should be given must be given."

"The fact that Lady Funina doesn't hold my previous dereliction of duty against me is already the greatest reward for me," Richard said with a smile, appearing poised and composed.

What a good secretary and a good minister!

If data could be used to show Funina's current level of affection for Richard, then a notification of 'affection +1' would be popping up above her head like crazy.

Soon the 'evidence' was handed over to the Shadow Court. To ensure the safety of this lifeline, Funina specially sent Clorinde to the Shadow Court with the ledger.

This strongest dueling agent, and also Frynn's bodyguard, may not seem like much in the city hall on a regular basis, but in terms of strength, she is definitely one of the top in Fontaine. With her around, there will definitely be no accidents with the ledger.

After receiving the ledger, Zhu Yingting immediately set off for the Northern Bank to verify its authenticity.

The outcome is self-evident: after the crimes were confirmed, the newspaper's editor-in-chief was permanently exiled to Mero Petersburg for serious offenses such as defamation, manipulating public opinion, and colluding with foreign forces to endanger the security of Fontainebleau.

Because the evidence was too overwhelming, and he confessed and accepted the punishment, he was sent to Mero Petersburg without even going to court.

The only thing that Fulina regrets is that she ultimately failed to get the newspaper editor-in-chief to tell her who the bastard who spread rumors about her was.

Hmph, little blackie, don't let me, Funina, catch you!

Richard, oh no, Richard, also took this opportunity to smear the newspaper editor-in-chief a few more times, shifting some of the mess he left behind onto him.

Since you're not getting out of here anyway, why don't you help me settle the accounts? The organization will remember your contribution!

In retrospect, Richard settled the score, gained Funina's trust, and also recognized her true nature as "all bark and no bite".

Funina was also complacent because she had survived the ordeal and gained credit for nothing. She didn't even consider that she was a water goddess and what use was this credit to her.

Politicians seek achievements to prove their worth, but the very existence of the Water God is Fontaine's greatest value, requiring no further proof.

At most, it will earn the praise and goodwill of the people of Fontainebleau and gain some empty fame.

And you know what? Fu Ningna falls for that.

In the end, Furness rewarded Richard by taking him to watch a trial in the VIP section of the Opéra Garnier Opera House.

Perhaps in Furina's view, there is no better reward than watching a dramatic trial.

Richard, who was sitting at the highest point, thought so too.

It's not that he actually enjoys the farce offstage, but rather that his position is theoretically the closest to the Cardinal of Decree and Judgment, aside from Navilette.

Richard looked up at the massive machine, and even without activating his elemental vision, he could feel the immense power emanating from it.

Richard wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he had a feeling that there was something hidden behind that mass of energy.

But these are not things Richard should be thinking about right now; his primary task is to win over Funina.

Although he has gained Funina's trust, he is still a long way from taming her.

Richard needed an obedient minister, not a naive one.

Therefore, during the taming process, Richard will also use his own methods to train this water god, so that at least the same low-level mistakes as before will not happen again.

Well, having experienced a peak match like Zhi Dong, looking back at Fontaine, I feel like I'm just frying fish.

This feeling was amplified to its maximum when facing Funina.

Fufu, you've been sold out and you're still helping them count the money! (Sighs)

At the same time, Inazuma also received the news.

Although the specifics were unknown, Inazuma's spies in Fontaine had received some information.

Compared to the superficial information, Inazuma clearly had much more detailed information than the average person in Fontaine, including Furina's embarrassing situation at the press conference.

When Kujo Sara heard his subordinate's report, he was also full of question marks.

Is that water god of Fontaine really that unreliable?

How could you make such a basic mistake?

In comparison, our own general is far superior; he truly lives up to his title!

Kujo Sara was extremely grateful that she served Mitakenami no Kami no Ogosho, as her shogun was clearly incapable of making such a basic mistake.

Yae no Miko noticed the changes in Kujo Sara's expression and could guess some of her inner thoughts.

'This child probably thinks that Shadow is any better than the Water God Fukaros, right?' Yae no Miko felt a headache coming on when she thought of that guy hiding in the Pure Land of One Heart.

Everyone thought that she, the Eightfold Palace Master, controlled half of the country and was all-powerful, with her power rivaling that of the General's Mansion. But they didn't know that if this family didn't have her, it would fall apart!

Out of fear of losing it, he handed everything over to the puppet, found a place to hide, and pursued the so-called eternity.

This behavior is even more childish than Funina's!

“I have lost, Lord Yae-no-miya.” Kujo Sara did not deny it, but said it openly and honestly.

So there really are such unreliable gods in the world!

Having been deeply influenced by the teachings of Inazuma to respect the gods and be loyal to the emperor, Kujo Sara viewed the gods as symbols of power, wisdom, and nobility.

Making the previous judgment was actually reasonable. Only someone like Yae no Miko, who frequently came into contact with the gods and was a member of the Narukami family, would know exactly what kind of people the so-called gods were.

“Since you’ve lost, then the bet…” Yae no Miko blinked her beautiful eyes; she was about to start collecting her spoils.

"I'll accept the consequences of my bet." Kujo Sara thought it was just a matter of changing some clothes and taking a few photos.

Furthermore, according to Yae no Miko's promise, these photos would not be circulated, so Kujo Sara naturally didn't care.

"Ya...Yae-no-miya-sama?" Kujo Sara looked at the wardrobe full of 'strange clothes' and then looked at the fox beside her with a look of horror.

The pink-haired fox smiled slightly and said, "Miko outfit, samurai outfit, secretary outfit, defeated general's outfit... wear whichever you like, Lady Kujo Sara~"

'I don't like any of them!' Kujo Sara thought to herself.