Yes, Lady Funina!

Of course, there might be more than just these three. Richard couldn't help but touch the mark on his right hand. Besides Funina, the one who was hiding, Fukaros, could also be considered one.

Although they have never actually met in person.

“Without a doubt, I am a perfectly healthy, normal man, whether in terms of sexual orientation or anything else, and I hope the three ladies will keep that in mind,” Richard emphasized.

"Never play with fire, or you will bear the consequences."

Upon hearing this, Lynette twitched her cat ears sullenly and brushed her hair behind her ears with her hand.

She wanted to play with fire, but instead of succeeding, she was knocked out by a glass of red wine. This was a disgrace, and Lynette decided that she would definitely work on her alcohol tolerance when she got back, so that at least she wouldn't be knocked out by just one glass.

G, wait a minute, why do I have to drink alcohol?

Lynette fell into deep thought, realizing that she seemed to have fallen into a certain cognitive trap.

"Alright, that concludes the Q&A session. It's time to get back to work," Richard said, clapping his hands as he saw that the misunderstanding had been mostly cleared up.

"Lady Frynn, the Liyue embassy has submitted an application to conduct cultural exchange activities with Fontaine. The delegation will be led by Tianquan, one of the Liyue Seven Stars, and it is said that there will be a Celestial accompanying them."

“And the immortal who accompanied us is also an acquaintance of mine. She is quite knowledgeable about mechanisms. I remember that you, Lady Funina, were very interested in the technology of the Jade Pavilion, right? We can take this opportunity to have a good exchange,” Richard said.

"So fast? But the funding..." Funinga didn't expect Liyue to arrive so quickly.

It hasn't been that long since the chaos caused by the demon gods in Yunlai Sea, has it? The situation in Liyue has already stabilized?

"Lady Furna, there's no need to worry about funding. Since it's a cultural exchange, technology is also a form of culture. We can have a good discussion with Liyue about anti-gravity technology."

"Although Fontaine's anti-gravity technology is not yet mature, it is still very valuable in terms of the technology itself. In addition, I have some influence in Liyue, so I believe that Liyue would be very happy to conduct technical discussions and cooperation with us."

Richard knew that woman well; she had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He only needed to reason with her and appeal to her emotions to easily... cough cough, to easily get her to help. Referring to the successful cases of Qunyu Pavilion, he should be able to offer some feasible suggestions to Fengdan.

As for the fees, we can discuss them in detail later.

At that moment, far away in the Jueyun Mountains of Liyue, the True Lord Liuyun suddenly sneezed. She looked at her disciple, who was packing his luggage in the bedroom, and said, "Shenhe, there's no need to prepare so many clothes. We're just going there for an exchange visit, not to settle down..."

P.S.: Went to the dental hospital, hence the late update...

Volume 1: Chapter 113 Shen He & Xian Yun

The morning glow stretches across the sky, its golden rays tracing a magnificent arc across the fish-scale-like clouds.

Even though it was only early morning, the docks of Liyue Harbor were already bustling with activity. More than a month had passed, and time seemed to have healed the wounds of the Emperor's departure. The resilient and hardworking people of Liyue had regained their former vitality.

Today marks the departure of the Liyue Cultural Exchange Delegation to Fontaine. As this is a friendly visit on behalf of Liyue and Fontaine, representing an exchange between nations, the delegation is traveling at a very high level.

This can be considered the first major move by Liyue since the great changes it suffered. Everyone in Liyue attaches great importance to this matter. Not only is Ningguang, the most prestigious of the seven stars in Liyue, leading the team, but even the immortals are on the list of those accompanying them.

"Sigh, if it weren't for Shen He, I wouldn't have traveled all this way to Fengdan to find that guy. I'd rather use that time to study mechanical arts. To be honest, I've always been introverted, and I probably won't be of much help to you during this exchange visit," said True Monarch Liuyun Jiefeng, standing beside Ningguang.

At this moment, she was in human form. To avoid any unnecessary trouble, she used the pseudonym "Xianyun" in the travel entourage list for this trip.

It's not really a pseudonym, since True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng has decided to use this name when he travels in the world from now on.

Since the Emperor's passing, immortals will become a thing of the past in Liyue. The Liyue of today is Liyue of humans. This is the Emperor's choice, and the immortals should follow it.

Other immortals can remain detached from worldly affairs, but Xianyun cannot. With Shenhe and Ganyu around, it's difficult for her to stay out of the world.

After all, Shen He wasn't a real immortal, and Xianyun knew it wasn't realistic to expect Shen He to live with him in the secluded deep forest of Jueyun.

In particular, because Shen He was born with the fate of "Lonely Star Calamity", the immortals used the Red Rope Soul Binding Method to ensure her safe growth and prevent harm to innocent people. While binding the fierceness and murderous aura on her body, it also inevitably imprisoned her human emotions.

With this side effect, Shen He became less and less human, and daily trivialities were less and less likely to stir up any waves in her heart. Things that ordinary people valued were nothing but fleeting clouds to her.

As Shen He grew older, she became more and more like a beautiful sculpture devoid of emotions and desires.

Xianyun knew that to alleviate and change this situation, Shenhe had to be exposed to human society. But that wasn't enough; they also had to find someone who could sway her emotions.

Xianyun clearly knew who this person was. Over the years, the only people who could leave a mark on Shenhe's life, besides her master, were the man who saved her life back then.

Sure enough, upon hearing that she was going to find that man, Shen He packed her luggage overnight, putting all the clothes that Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun had made for her over the years into her suitcase, clearly indicating that she was not going to return after leaving home.

Do you think that the True Lord Liuyun Borrows the Wind wants to visit his old friend in Fontainebleau?

He poked it because he was afraid that his apprentice, whom he had raised for nearly twenty years, would run off with someone else!

She raised Shen He with great difficulty; if she were to let him escape without her noticing, wouldn't she suffer a huge loss?

The most crucial point is that the person who abducted Shen He was none other than that guy who acted as a hands-off manager back then.

This is like giving a fruit farmer a seed that you found by chance. The farmer works hard and takes good care of it, and finally grows the seed into a big tree. As a result, the peaches on the tree ripen. The person who gave the seed to the farmer doesn't want to pay a penny and just wants to pick the peaches. Do you think that's appropriate?

Of course, reality differs from the metaphor, because peaches are not given to someone voluntarily, but Shen He would.

Ugh, I'm even angrier now!

“You flatter us, True Lord. Your willingness to come with us to Fengdan is already the greatest support we can receive. Liyue’s rapid stabilization is inseparable from the help of all the immortals,” Ningguang said sincerely.

The fact that Lord Liuyun could participate in Liyue's visit to Fontaine is more symbolic than practical. Regardless of his motives, his participation alone sends a clear message to the outside world.

While the Immortal and the Seven Stars may not have reconciled, this at least shows that there is no irreconcilable conflict between them, and that they are capable of sitting down and having a calm and peaceful discussion.

In this way, the rumors of discord within Liyue will naturally be dispelled, and it will be difficult for those with ulterior motives to use this as a pretext.

"Call me 'This Immortal'... no, just call me Xianyun. I'll use that name in Liyue Harbor from now on." Xianyun corrected her speech impediment. If she still used "This Immortal" as her self-reference, everyone would know she was an immortal. What would be the point of using a pseudonym then?

"Then Immortal Xianyun can just call me Ningguang." Out of courtesy, Ningguang also asked Xianyun to address her by her given name.

However, Xianyun looked at him strangely and said, puzzled, "Haven't I always called you that?"

Even Ningguang, a woman of such composure, was taken aback by Xianyun's words. But upon closer reflection, it seemed to be true; these immortals always addressed the Seven Stars of Liyue by their given names.

That makes sense. In fact, the status of the immortals in Liyue is similar to, or even more transcendent than, that of the Seven Stars of Liyue. After all, the immortals actually followed the Emperor to conquer the world back then, unlike the Seven Stars who are replaced generation after generation.

They are like the immortals who remain forever, while the Seven Stars come and go.

"That makes me seem a bit distant," Ningguang said with a wry smile.

"It's alright, I... don't mind at all." Xianyun had a good impression of Ningguang. Although her overall impression of the Seven Stars wasn't very good, she acknowledged Ningguang's contributions to Liyue.

In particular, the fact that the other party did not hesitate to destroy the Qunyu Pavilion, which had been built after many years of hard work, made the immortals, including Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun, admire them. It was this action that made the immortals temporarily recognize the current Seven Stars.

"Miss Shen He, please come this way. Lady Ningguang has already arranged a guest room for you. Just leave your luggage here; our staff will take good care of it..."

Just as Xianyun and Ningguang were chatting, Shenhe arrived at the dock. The staff member in charge of receiving them kept wiping the cold sweat from his brow as he gave directions to the beautiful, naive fairy.

Of course, if it were just a simple matter of giving directions, the staff wouldn't be sweating. In fact, when they went to pick up Shen He, a group of Qianyan soldiers had already gathered around him.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that Shen He committed a crime, but rather that someone provoked him.

A group of thugs and hooligans who frequented the docks set their sights on Shen He, who was beautiful and seemed innocent and easy to fool. They also noticed that Shen He's clothes and appearance made her look like a wealthy person, so they had evil intentions. They wanted both money and some benefits.

When Qianyan Army arrived, these thugs were already unconscious, lying on the ground, their fate unknown. They were probably suffering from at least a level three concussion.

According to eyewitnesses, this ethereal woman took down several strong, adult men in the blink of an eye and slammed their heads against the ground three times each!

At this point, the eyewitness couldn't help but admire those thugs. Despite their usual bullying of the weak and fear of the strong, they remained stubbornly silent even when their heads were being slammed against the ground.

The sound was incredibly crisp.

Fortunately, Shen He was quite sensible, and with the instructions of True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng, he didn't use his full strength; otherwise, even the hardest head would have been cracked open.

Although the other party was at fault first, Shen He still had to go to Qianyan Army to give a statement. Fortunately, the staff who came to pick her up arrived in time. Upon hearing that she was a guest from Tianquan Star, they expedited the processing of her statement and the case was settled in a short time.

While those thugs were unconscious, they were sentenced to three years in prison for attempted robbery. However, due to their physical condition, they could receive medical treatment first and serve their sentences after they woke up.

"I can handle my own luggage," Shen He said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

This is truly devoid of any emotion; the speaker is cold and aloof, giving the impression of an empty shell, like a puppet.

Fortunately, it was broad daylight. If we encountered someone like this at night, no matter how good-looking they were, they would still be somewhat...unpleasant.

After all, a beautiful woman isn't necessarily a fairy; she could also be a female ghost.

"Well... alright." Seeing that Shen He had said that, the staff member in charge of reception did not insist any further and prepared to lead him onto the ship.

However, just as Shen He was carrying his luggage and boarding the ship, the staff who had boarded the ship earlier could clearly feel the entire ship sinking a bit.

At first, she thought it was caused by the wind and waves at sea, but then she looked at the calm sea and the slight indentation that Shen He's luggage had made on the ship's deck, and she couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun finally noticed the situation on his disciple's side. He gracefully approached Shen He and, looking at the luggage in the other's hands, fell into deep thought.

I told you not to bring so much luggage, are you planning to split up the family?

With the discerning eyes of the True Lord of Clouds and Wind, how could he not see that Shen He had used a method similar to expanding a cave, allowing the small luggage bag to expand and hold more things?

Unlike Linnie Linette's magic pocket, Shenhe's has more space, but it also has a drawback: the weight of the items stored inside will not be reduced; on the contrary, it will be concentrated in the overall luggage.

However, this drawback is no problem for Shen He. There's nothing she can do about it; she's strong, and this weight isn't even enough for her to lift with one hand.

"This must be Miss Shen He. Seeing is believing. I've heard Xianyun mention you many times. Once you're settled, why don't you come to my room for a chat?" Ningguang had come with Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun and had heard of Shen He before.

She knew that the other person was going to Fontaine with the same goal as her: Richard.

Actually, Shenhe met Richard earlier than Ningguang. Richard had entrusted Shenhe to Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun and met Ningguang on his way back to Liyue Harbor. In a sense, without Shenhe, Richard might not have been able to meet Ningguang.

After all, Ningguang was a traveling merchant at the time, and her main business was to travel unpredictably. If Richard had arrived late or early, he might not have met Ningguang, and even if he had, he might have missed her.

Maybe this is fate.

Shen He glanced at Ning Guang, then at her master. She had heard her master mention that the person before her was the current ruler of Liyue. After thinking for a moment, Shen He nodded in agreement, replying with a brief but firm "Okay."

Shen He accepted Ning Guang's invitation not because of her power, but because Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhen Jun had mentioned that Ning Guang seemed to have some connection with Richard. Shen He wanted to learn more about his savior before meeting Richard, so he accepted the invitation directly after seeing that Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhen Jun had no objections.

As for why Ningguang invited Shenhe to talk, it's even simpler. Through her conversation with Xianyun, she learned that the child in front of her was entrusted to Xianyun by Richard years ago. He has a close relationship with Richard, and given his determination to travel a long distance to Fontaine, he is very likely a potential rival in love.

Since they are rivals in love, it's only right to get to know them well, because knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory.

Besides, they might not even be enemies; they could even join forces if necessary...

However, based on Ningguang's observations and the other party's previous performance in Liyue Harbor, Shen He may indeed have some kind of flaw in his personality, no, it should be said that he is unique.

The True Lord of Flowing Water and Die Mountain once commented on Shen He, saying that she had extraordinary talent, but her personality was unique. She was naive, ignorant of the ways of the world, unable to distinguish between the common and the trivial, and unaware of social hierarchy...

But one thing is certain: since the other party is a disciple of the immortals, he is definitely not a bad person. Therefore, Ningguang attributed it to his long isolation from the world, his lack of understanding of the secular world, and his pure heart, which made him seem somewhat different from ordinary people.

Ningguang also has her own methods for dealing with this kind of person. But when it comes to methods, there's really no need for so many methods in human interaction. It's simply about exchanging sincerity for sincerity.

For a disciple of the immortals like Shen He, she can tell at a glance who is good to her and who is bad to her. Don't be fooled by her indifferent nature; the more indifferent she is, the more she can sense the kindness and malice of others.

The insincere social interactions between adults won't work on her.

In response, True Lord Liuyun said, "My disciple is like me, introverted and not good at speaking. Please bear with him, Ningguang."

Ningguang smiled and agreed, but she was a little puzzled. Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun was so talkative, and even though there was some initial misunderstanding between them, they still had a lot to talk about. Why did he always say that he was indifferent by nature, reserved in his emotions, and did not like socializing?

Volume 1: Chapter 114 Funina: What nonsense is this?

The cultural visit of Liyue to Fontaine is a very important event for Fontaine, and Momo Palace has sent a sufficiently influential figure to receive them on an equal footing.

That person is... Navelette.

After all, it's not always possible to rely on Frynn, and this time the Liyue side has sent both Tianquan Star and immortals, so it's most appropriate for Fontaine's highest judge to step in.

Although it was called a reception, in reality it was just a meeting between the two sides, exchanging pleasantries, and then discussing the pre-arranged procedures at a banquet in a perfunctory manner. Afterwards, they accepted interviews with media reporters, saying that they were very happy to promote friendly cultural exchanges between the two countries, and so on.

There were no unexpected events during the process, and everything went quite smoothly, but it was also quite boring.

Fortunately, both Ningguang and Navelette had long been used to such boring and tedious social engagements, after all, ZZ was inherently such a boring thing.

This kind of boring thing will happen again when Ningguang and the others are about to leave; otherwise, it is 'free time'.

Since it's under the guise of cultural exchange, it's impossible that they're just coming to Fontaineble for a show. This delegation from Liyue includes top talents from many fields, such as music, cuisine, literature, and traditional Liyue drama...

Various competitions will also be held, with the motto being "friendship first, competition second." But in reality, who would want to let the other side ride on their head?

Moreover, this is a matter of face for both countries, so it's easy to imagine how intense the atmosphere will be on the field.

Of course, none of this has anything to do with Funina for now. Even if she goes to the competition, she will be a judge, not a contestant, because that would be too unfair.

What Frynn cares about now is the Jade Pavilion, the possibility of Fontaine avoiding the prophecy crisis, and the master of Celestial technology from Liyue that Richard mentioned.

"Richard, when do you think would be a good time for us to visit them?" Funina asked.

She didn't feel that just because she was a water goddess, she had to be visited by others.

Since she needed their help, she naturally had to show the appropriate attitude. Funina understood the principle of treating people with respect.

"Lady Furina can decide for herself, and why 'we'?" Richard looked at the newspaper, which already reported on the exchange delegation from Liyue.

The person arrived in the morning, the special edition of the newspaper was published at noon, and Richard read it in the afternoon.

It has to be said that Steambird Newspaper is much more efficient than Momang Palace. After all, Momang Palace's official report is still in the drafting stage, and it will probably be at least tomorrow before the official report is released.

“Of course it’s us! You’re not planning to skip it, are you? Didn’t you say you’d introduce your friends to me?” Funina leaned closer to Richard, pushed the newspaper down from his hand, and looked at his face as she spoke.

She realized that ever since they became familiar with each other, this guy had been paying less and less attention to her. Even his address of "Lady Funina" sounded rather casual. Now he even dared to respond to her while reading the newspaper.

However, despite noticing this, she really couldn't do anything about it. After all, it was a seller's market, and she wasn't the one in charge in this office, especially since it was Funina asking Richard for help.