Yes, Lady Funina!

Now… Vilette looked at Fryna, who was chatting enthusiastically with Ningguang. He could clearly see that Fryna was different from before. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what was different, but it was as if Fryna was dancing in shackles before, and now it was as if half of the shackles had been loosened, making her seem much lighter.

That's actually quite good.

“I have official business to attend to later. Since you and Ms. Funina are here, I probably don’t need to keep you company,” Navelette said to Richard.

Although Navelette was quite curious about how Richard would handle his relationships with various women, including Funina, he was a disciplined dragon, and when there was work to be done, he would naturally prioritize his work.

Moreover, Navelette felt that her presence might hinder Frynn and Ningguang's performance.

"You're leaving already?" Richard asked, seeing that Villette wasn't joking and genuinely intended to go back to work.

No, foreign dignitaries are here. Is it appropriate for you, the highest judge of Fontainebleau, to just leave your guests here and walk away?

Navelette felt this was perfectly appropriate. He had done all the proper etiquette and struck all the right poses. Now that Funina and Richard were there, he could naturally make a graceful exit.

Moreover, he knew perfectly well that Ningguang wasn't there for him at all, but for Richard. So, leaving Richard here would only make him, the host, seem even more 'hospitable', right?

The host and guests all had a good time.

"You... good luck." After saying that, Navelette stood up and bid farewell to Funina and Ningguang.

Navelette left, but his departure did not cause any dissatisfaction among anyone. Ningguang did not feel that he had neglected her. After all, even if Navelette was gone, wasn't the water goddess Funina still here?

Even if Funina leaves, Richard is still there.

“Ms. Furnessa, I have two friends who might be coming later,” Ningguang said.

"The friend you're talking about, is it a celestial being from Liyue?" Furyn's eyes lit up.

“Yes.” Ningguang nodded.

Funina had long wanted to meet the technical talent Richard had mentioned, so she naturally had no reason to refuse and readily agreed.

In the short time they were chatting, it was lunchtime. Funina had done her research and knew that people in Liyue liked to conduct business or build relationships over meals.

So he took Richard and Ningguang directly to the dining room in the Mo Mang Palace, which was specially used to entertain foreign guests.

The private room was spacious and luxuriously decorated, but this luxury was relative. At least Ningguang's original Qunyu Pavilion was no worse than this, and even a bit better.

But that's all in the past. With the Jade Pavilion crashing down on the Vortex Demon God Oser, despite Richard's help, less than one-tenth of the buildings remained, with only the foundation intact. The rest were shattered even more completely than the Fontaine Academy of Sciences.

After things stabilized in Liyue, Ningguang began the restoration work on the Jade Pavilion. It is currently in the bidding stage, and it will be some time before the full-scale reconstruction work begins.

Shortly after Funina and the others arrived at the private room, Shen He, who had received Ningguang's message, also arrived at the dining location. Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun, not wanting to let Shen He go, naturally followed.

As soon as he entered, Shen He fixed his gaze on Richard. His heart, which had been bound by a red rope, began to beat. Time seemed to have turned back, and long-lost, unfamiliar emotions gradually emerged, as if something deep in his destiny was beginning to loosen.

Twenty years later, Shen He finally felt the emotion called 'jubilation' once again.

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun noticed her disciple's emotional fluctuations. She sighed inwardly. Sure enough, under the binding of the red rope, only Richard could cause her disciple to have emotional fluctuations.

In fact, True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng had considered other ways to avoid the fate of "Lonely Star Calamity" and tried various methods to reduce the side effects of the Red String Binding the Soul, but all of them failed.

While it's heartbreaking to see a cabbage grow legs and run to a pig to beg for its attention, the same goes for Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhen Jun. At least there's someone who can move his disciple's heart. Otherwise, if things continued like this, Shen He would eventually lose his last bit of humanity and become a truly beautiful sculpture.

When Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun saw Richard looking at him, he said, "Why are you looking at me? Go look at Shen He."

His tone was so resentful that anyone who didn't know better would think Richard had started a relationship with her and then abandoned her.

But in reality, it was Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun who was jealous of Richard's position in Shen He's heart. She had raised Shen He for twenty years, but he was not as good as a hands-off manager.

I'm so angry!

"Long time no see." Richard nodded to Shen He.

"Long time no see. Back then... thank you." Shen He nodded, her cool and beautiful face still showing little emotion, but Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun, who knew her well, could see that Shen He's facial features had softened a lot, and even her tone had become more lively.

"No need to be so polite. How have you been these past few years?"

"My master treats me very well, but I miss you a little."

Fulina glanced at Richard, then at the guest who had come from afar. Listening to their conversation, even if she were slow to realize, she would sense that something was amiss.

Could there be something going on between these two? A sense of crisis suddenly arose in Fu Ningna's heart, and she couldn't help but scrutinize Shen He closely.

First, there's their hair. Both of theirs are white, except the other's is gray-white while hers is a beautiful milky white. In terms of hair, they each have their own merits, but Funina feels that she has the better hair.

Then there's her face... well, very delicate, but expressionless, like a delicate porcelain doll. Her temperament is also that of an ice queen, just like Clorinde's. Their figures are similar, though Clorinde's is a bit more voluptuous.

However, unlike Clorind, who only seemed difficult to get along with, this person in front of me was clearly difficult to get along with in a real sense; it was almost impossible to detect any emotional fluctuations from him...

'Whoa, she looked at me with such a cold gaze... Is she going to hit me?' Fu Ningna was startled by Shen He's emotionless eyes, thinking that her scrutinizing gaze had angered him.

However, Shen He nodded politely to Fu Ningna as a greeting.

'Phew...what a scare.' The little voice inside Funina wiped away the cold sweat, but on the surface she remained elegant and proper, though her eyes dared not be as unrestrained as before.

Judging from the brief exchange just now, Funina has realized that she is not good at dealing with this cold beauty.

“Richard, aren’t you going to introduce these two friends to me?” Funina said, seemingly reminding Richard, but actually telling everyone present that this was her territory.

Well... even though she was a little intimidated by Shen He's gaze, this was still her territory.

If you want to steal a man, go somewhere else. Just don't try to steal him from her, or she'll send people to kick you out.

Richard was unaware of Funina's inner thoughts. He acted as a mediator between the two sides, briefly introducing Funina to Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun and Shenhe.

This was originally Ningguang's job, but since there were no outsiders present, and everyone there shared a common acquaintance, Richard, Richard naturally became the link connecting everyone present.

Volume 1: Chapter 116 How Did He Grow So Big on a Vegetarian Diet? (6K)

Thanks to Richard's explanation, Funina finally understood the relationship between Shen He and Richard. It turned out they were just savior and rescued. She had thought it was something more...

Wait, wouldn't that make things even worse?

Frynn had learned about Liyue's culture and history and knew that there was an old saying there.

I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, except to offer myself to you...

Could it be that Ms. Shen He in front of me thinks the same way?

However, the key issue now is not what Shen He thinks, but what Richard thinks.

If Shen He really offered himself to Richard, would Richard agree?

Looking at Shen He, who had a graceful figure and outstanding looks, Fu Ningna thought that, in terms of appearance alone, few men could resist such a beautiful woman.

If he agrees, will Richard go to Liyue, or will he stay in Fontaine and have Shen He come over?

He'll probably stay in Fontainebleau, since Richard's career is all there, and he promised to help him resolve the prophecy crisis, having signed a contract with him.

But what if Richard really gets together with Shen He...?

The thought of Richard possibly being with another woman, or even going far away and never seeing him again, made Fulina feel a pang of sadness, and her mood plummeted uncontrollably, even the ahoge on her head drooped.

Before the opposing team even launched their attack, Funinga's team was already in complete disarray.

"Funina, Lady Funina?"

Richard's voice pulled Funina out of her reverie. She instinctively thought Richard was going to submit his resignation and go back to Liyue with Shen He, so she directly said, "I disagree!"

Richard slowly typed a question mark, not understanding what Funina disagreed with. "Lady Funina, what are you talking about? What do you disagree with?"

"I..." Fu Ningna realized that everything just now was just her imagination, and the situation in reality had not developed to that extent. She had overreacted.

Funina tried to smooth things over, saying, "What I meant was that it would have been incredibly impolite of me not to clarify everyone's dining preferences and any dietary restrictions..."

The explanation was far-fetched, but apart from Shen He, who was naive, everyone present was a person with high emotional intelligence and good communication skills, so they did not expose Fu Ningna's slacking off.

As for Shen He, he focused all his attention on Richard from the moment he entered the room. Whether Fu Ningna was distracted or what she said was irrelevant to her.

The crane didn't care.

“There are no dietary restrictions. As the saying goes, guests should follow the host’s lead. Ms. Funina can arrange it as she sees fit,” Ningguang replied with a smile.

"Whatever." Xianyun was actually quite curious about the food in Fengdan, but she wouldn't say it directly.

"And what about Miss Shen He? Does Miss Shen He have any favorite dishes? I can tell the kitchen to prepare them." Funina looked at Shen He and noticed that Shen He was staring at Richard, so she quickly asked.

Stop looking at him. Even if you keep looking, I will not agree to let him go.

Hmm, it gives me the feeling of a villainous second female lead trying to break up a couple.

"Me?" Shen He heard Fu Ningna asking him, and after thinking for a moment, he gave her her usual diet: "Qingxin, Liuli Baihe, Liuli Dai... these are what I usually eat."

"..." Even if Funina had never been to Liyue, she knew that these terms were the names of medicinal herbs from Liyue.

So Shen He usually eats vegetarian food?

Looking at Shen He's lewd figure, which was similar to that of Klorinde, Fu Ningna said, "You're telling her that this is the kind of figure you can get by eating vegetarian food?"

So you really eat grass and produce milk?

Seeing that Funina was silent, Shen He assumed that the food he had mentioned might not be available in Fontaine, so he very considerately imitated Ningguang's tone and said, "If not, just make normal arrangements. Actually, I'm not picky."

Shen He paused here, glanced at Richard, and said, "Whatever Richard eats, I'll eat too."

"Are you trying to play the husband-wife role here?" Funina almost lost her temper again. She glared at Richard 'fiercely'. Although she said 'fiercely', Funina's delicate little face couldn't actually be fierce. Instead, she had a cute but fierce look.

It's like a three-month-old puppy seeing another puppy eyeing its bone and then tattling to its owner in a cute but fierce way.

When Richard saw that Funina was looking at him with a 'fierce' expression, he thought for a moment and replied, "Lady Funina should know what I like to eat."

That's natural. During the weekdays, Funina basically eats lunch and has afternoon tea with Richard every day, so of course she knows Richard's preferences.

Even when she was busy with work, she was the one who took charge of ordering food for Richard on several occasions!

As for why a permanent secretary-general is busier than an executive minister... that's not important!

Moreover, after Richard said that, Funina wondered if she could interpret it this way: Shen He listens to Richard, while Richard listens to her. Wouldn't it be immediately clear who has more merit now?

win!

Thinking of this, Funina's mood immediately improved, and a hint of pride appeared in her eyes as she looked at Shen He. She excitedly called over a servant to inform the kitchen to add a few dishes that Richard liked.

Originally, Mo Mang Palace had rules. The dishes used to entertain foreign guests were arranged in advance and were fixed and particular. It was impossible for you to add whatever you wanted. After all, Mo Mang Palace was not a restaurant where you could order whatever you wanted.

But unfortunately, it was Funina who said these words, the water goddess of Fontaine. As long as it doesn't cause a major accident or violate Fontaine's laws, Funina's words are basically equivalent to a divine oracle... no, this is a divine oracle.

Obviously, adding a few dishes wouldn't cause a major accident, nor would it violate Fontaine's laws, so the servants quickly went to inform the kitchen.

Ningguang had witnessed the entire little incident. With her ability to judge people and her discerning eye, Funina's little schemes were completely exposed to her.

This water god is just as adorable as the rumors say.

By this point, Ningguang was fairly certain that, just as she had expected, Funina harbored unusual feelings for Richard—and those feelings were similar to her own.

—Everyone wants to turn "Mr." into "Mr."

After getting to know each other a bit, although Funina felt a strong sense of crisis due to the sudden appearance of a rival, she did not forget the purpose of her trip.

“Lady Ningguang, I’ve heard that Jade Pavilion can float in the sky and overlook the entire Liyue Harbor. Is that true?” Frynn asked.

"It's true, but the Jade Pavilion hasn't been rebuilt yet due to the disaster a while ago. Once it's rebuilt, I'll definitely invite Ms. Funina to come up for a visit." Ningguang assumed that Funina was just curious about her Jade Pavilion, so she promised to take her up for a drive once the Jade Pavilion was rebuilt.

“That would be wonderful, but I’m curious how such a large building as the Jade Pavilion flies up into the sky. Of course, if it’s inconvenient to answer, then never mind,” said Funina.

"There's nothing inconvenient to answer. The reason why the Jade Pavilion can float is actually due to a type of stone that is unique to Liyue, called Floating Stone, which has the ability to support objects and float in the air. The palace is built on the foundation of Floating Stone, and its ability is controlled by immortal magic. This is the secret of the Jade Pavilion."

Ningguang didn't hide anything. In fact, these things could be found out with a little investigation, or even without an investigation, because there were knowledgeable people around Funnina. Ningguang didn't believe that Funnina hadn't asked Richard.

Judging from the fact that Funina didn't show any surprise, she clearly already knew.

The method of making the Jade Pavilion soar into the sky was never the difficult part. The real difficulty was whether there was enough money to collect the Floating Life Stones and how to obtain the immortal techniques to control them.

As a special type of stone from the Liyue region, Floating Stone is never sold to outsiders. Even if people from other countries manage to obtain it, they will only get some scraps.

Currently, Ningguang controls most of the major production areas of floating stones, forming a de facto monopoly. Only a small portion of the floating stone deposits are in the hands of others. Of course, Ningguang does not intend to profit from floating stones, but rather to use them all to expand the Qunyu Pavilion.

After all, apart from Ningguang, no one would have the time to build such an aerial spectacle.

It is well known that spectacular sights can lead to the downfall of a nation.

This is why Ningguang is able to support such a massive project without affecting the normal operation of its subsidiaries, and continues to expand steadily every year.

Ningguang wondered why Funinga wanted to know this.

However, Funina gave the answer in the next second, "Then, Ms. Ningguang, do you think that with the full strength of Fontaine, it is possible to build a sky city large enough to accommodate all the people of Fontaine within three years?"

"Hmm?" Even someone as composed as Ningguang was taken aback by Funina's words.

To build a sky city large enough to house all the people of Fontainebleau? And in three years?!

While Ningguang aspires to shroud the entire Teyvat in the shadow of the Jade Pavilion, she never considered the idea of ​​covering the entire country within three years.

While Fontaine's national strength certainly far surpasses Ningguang's resources, this kind of thing can't be accomplished simply by brute force. Many practical issues are involved, such as whether there are enough Life Stones, how to solve the problems of food, drink, shelter, and transportation after the people are sent up, and whether the people of Fontaine are willing to go to heaven...

These problems are so serious that even if Fontaine had thirty years, let alone three years, it might not be able to resolve them all properly. And if any one of them goes wrong, it could be an unbearable burden for Fontaine.