Yes, Lady Funina!

Xianyun was immediately gratified after hearing this, and the corners of his mouth, which was covered in green lipstick, curled up. "Tell me, it's not bragging, but in the art of mechanisms, if I consider myself second, no one dares to claim to be first."

However, Shen He's question wasn't about the intricacies of mechanical arts; rather, he pointed to the exquisite, almost artistic, drawing and said:

"Master, may I take this painting with me?"

I was so stupid, so stupid! Just knowing that Shen He, who usually had no interest in mechanical arts, mentioned mechanical arts in front of her for the first time and even compared them with Fontaine's mechanical technology, she should have known that Shen He didn't like mechanical arts, but rather the person in the photo.

Despite realizing that she had fallen for Shen He's provocation, Xianyun couldn't muster any anger.

The fact that Shen He has shown signs of gaining 'humanity' and is able to use reverse psychology means that he is no longer moving towards becoming 'inhuman'.

Shen He, who used to look like an exquisite doll, now also has his own 'desires'.

Xianyun felt both gratified and somewhat bittersweet about this situation.

He was gratified that his disciple had finally found a way to overcome the side effects of the Red Rope Soul Binding Technique, but he was also bittersweet because the antidote for the side effects was Richard, and Richard's status in his disciple's heart was clearly no lower than his own.

You should know that you've been raising Shen He for over twenty years, while Richard has only known him for a short time.

It's been less than half a year at most. Ever since Richard entrusted Shen He to him, this guy has never come back to see him again. But even so, his silly apprentice still misses him dearly. Now he has even traveled thousands of miles to Fontaine to see him. Xianyun couldn't have been more jealous.

Thinking of this, Xianyun couldn't help but glare at Richard. The idea that a mother-in-law finds her son-in-law more and more pleasing to the eye is just nonsense.

Richard couldn't stand Xianyun at all. They used to be friends, but now... they weren't close at all!

Richard felt wronged when Xianyun glared at him for no reason. "No, you did such an outrageous thing (referring to the mechanical drawing), and you still glared at me? That doesn't make sense, okay?"

But Richard was always a magnanimous person, and besides, he had a vague idea of ​​Xianyun's thoughts, so he didn't hold it against him and changed the subject to something else: "The True Lord of Anti-Gravity Technology should have seen enough, right?"

"Yes, Fengdan's research over the years has indeed been on the right track. Although it's clear that there were some setbacks along the way, they were quickly brought back. That explosion was obviously a step too big. The worst thing in researching this kind of thing is to be impatient and impetuous."

After discussing his views on anti-gravity technology, Xianyun finally gave a reply to Funina's request.

"I'm sorry, I might not be the right person for research on anti-gravity technology."

Richard was not surprised by the result. Antigravity technology is based on mortals' thinking about flight and levitation, but for immortals like Xianyun who are born with the ability to ride the wind, levitation is instinct, and they don't think too much about it.

Therefore, regarding anti-gravity technology, Xianyun can only offer some basic suggestions based on the principle of immortals flying, which are not applicable to Fengdan Baby's physique.

In this light, it might be better to assign a more reliable project leader and let the people of Fontainebleau research the technology on their own. Perhaps the technology will mature faster that way.

"Yes, that's what I was thinking too, but please ask True Lord not to tell Funina about this directly. Just say... you have some ideas, but you still need time to verify them. You don't need to specify how long it will take. Just leave her with something to look forward to."

Volume 1: Chapter 129 Inazuma's Letter

"What do you mean?" Xianyun looked at Richard, reached out and adjusted her red-rimmed glasses, the light reflected from the lenses obscuring her eyes.

"Are you asking me to lie?"

"What are you saying, True Lord? Sometimes helping to cover up doesn't necessarily mean lying."

"Why does this sound so familiar?" Xianyun remembered that when Richard handed Shen He over to him more than 20 years ago, the sentence structure he used was similar to what he was saying now.

"You flatter me, True Lord. Helping to take care of them doesn't mean you have to adopt them."

The format is the same, only the content has changed.

"It's really just the same old thing in a new guise," Xianyun glared at Richard with annoyance and said, "Give me a reason to help you."

"Um……"

"Let me tell you in advance, having a reason doesn't mean I have to help you." Xianyun's main principle is not to suffer a loss, and she retorted with the same sentence structure.

Richard: ...

Xianyun was quite pleased with Richard's speechless expression and wasn't going to listen to the reasons Richard had just made up. Instead, he turned to Shen He and asked, "Shen He, tell me, should I help Richard?"

To be honest, Richard's request was nothing more than a matter of raising one's hand or making one's mouth for Xianyun. Rather than having Richard owe him a favor, Xianyun chose to pass the favor on to his apprentice.

Now let's see if Richard will still have the nerve to pretend to be stupid and deaf.

Richard hoped that he could temporarily fool the water god with polite phrases like "I'll definitely do it next time."

Although he didn't know why Richard wanted him to fool his boss, he must have had his reasons, and those reasons weren't for Richard himself, but for the Water God.

From the very first meeting, Xianyun could sense Funina's urgency, as if something was chasing her from behind, making her unwilling to let go of any possibility.

Xianyun couldn't understand what could make a god of a nation so anxious, even resorting to seeking help from him, a Liyue immortal, in desperation. Furthermore, Xianyun had a hunch that Richard's decision to stay in Fontaine was related to what Fryna was anxious about. Even if it wasn't the same thing, the two should be closely connected.

Of course, Xianyun had no intention of digging deeper. Although she had a strong curiosity, she would never let that curiosity go to the wrong place.

All she had to do was make Richard owe her a favor; the rest was none of her business, nor did she want to.

"Thank you, Master." Shen He was just slow to understand emotions, but he wasn't stupid. He could naturally perceive Xian Yun's good intentions, so he didn't refuse the other party's kindness.

However, Xianyun was not happy about his apprentice's thanks; on the contrary, he was somewhat displeased, feeling that such a gesture made them seem distant.

They had been inseparable for over twenty years, with Xianyun taking great care of Shenhe, and in return, Shenhe had served Xianyun for over twenty years.

"Hmph, why are there so many thank yous between master and disciple?"

——————

More than a week and a half has passed since the Liyue delegation's visit, and the cultural exchange activities between the two places are gradually coming to an end. The photography competition that made Richard "famous" has also determined the final winner.

The photograph "The Cat Stealing Fish" by renowned Fontaine artist, Ms. Funina de Fontaine, won the runner-up prize in this photography competition.

The reason for not winning the championship is quite simple—the audience.

Richard's handsome photos were certainly a hit in Fontainebleau, but the audience was too narrow, targeting only women. However, men also have the right to vote.

While Richard's photos are loved by many women, they inevitably offend another group: the partners of many women—men.

Think about it: when you're shopping with your girlfriend or crush, and she sees a man who's even more handsome than you and expresses her admiration for him (votes), how would you feel?

Even knowing they could never cross paths, they still felt uneasy. In this situation, they didn't even want to continue walking around the venue, let alone vote.

The reason she was able to win second place is largely because the photographer of this set of photos was Funina.

If it were Funina herself who photographed the cats, and given the wider audience, she might actually have a chance to compete for the championship.

"Congratulations to Miss Charlotte for winning the photography competition." As the host announced the winner, the photo frame that had been covered by a cloth behind her was immediately unveiled.

Charlotte Brontë's award-winning work, "The Girl Next Door is Growing Up," was revealed. This series of photographs is taken from the perspective of a woman in a foreign land who is searching for her benefactor, and focuses on the cultural landscape she sees during her first few days in Fontainebleau.

This not only aligns with the theme of this friendly cultural exchange between the two countries, but also achieves a harmonious blend of culture and sports.

Yes, it's a true success story of both arts and sports. The most eye-catching photo in this set is the one of the Liyue woman holding up a giant anchor that looks to weigh several tons with one hand.

Everyone who saw the photo was amazed by the photographer's ingenuity in capturing such an exaggerated scene as if it were real.

No one believed it was true, after all, in the simple values ​​of the Fontainebleau people, a giant anchor weighing several tons was clearly beyond human capability.

Special effects, it has to be special effects!

Even a judge from Liyue composed a couplet for the title of this photo: "A girl next door has grown up, with strength to uproot mountains and a spirit to overshadow the world."

Lifting a giant anchor with one hand—that's truly a display of strength that can uproot mountains and awe the world.

However, what the audience didn't know was that this was not special effects, nor was it a misaligned shot; it was real. The beautiful white-haired woman in the scene was actually lifting a multi-ton anchor right in front of Charlotte.

She even seemed to have plenty of energy left, and looked extremely relaxed. If it weren't for the dull sound and the vibration from under her feet when the anchor was placed on the ground, Charlotte would have thought that the other person was holding a fake.

Sigh, Clarinde... no, Frynn didn't lose unjustly.

Charlotte happily pulled Shen He onto the stage to receive the championship prize for this competition—a custom-made championship lens and Fontaine's latest commemorative camera.

However, Charlotte already had her own camera, a custom-made commemorative camera by her father, named "Mr. Wen Hengting," so Charlotte gave it to her model, Ms. Shen He.

Incidentally, the special decorations on Mr. Wen Hengting's body were designed by Qianzhi.

"Ms. Charlotte, is there anything you would like to share with everyone about defeating Lady Furina to win the crown of this competition?" The host held the microphone to Charlotte's lips.

Charlotte, as a reporter, seemed completely at ease when facing the host's questions, as if she were at home.

"First of all, I must thank Ms. Shen He who came all the way from Liyue for agreeing to be my model. Secondly, I don't think I defeated Lady Funinna. There are many things I can learn from Lady Funinna's shooting techniques..." Charlotte went on and on, spouting technical jargon like it was free, leaving the host on stage and the audience below completely bewildered.

They didn't even realize that Charlotte had unknowingly led the conversation astray, and were too busy trying to figure out what Charlotte meant by the technical terms she was using.

Shen He listened quietly to the camera Charlotte had given her, offering no opinion and showing no expression whatsoever.

Although Shen He showed no expression, her mind was already racing, and she was thinking about how to emulate the sage (Claurind) and make Richard her model.

Actually, the phonograph machine was nothing new to Shen He. The immortal techniques she learned from Xianyun could achieve a similar effect, without even needing to rely on external objects.

In addition, Shinhaku was unmoved by external things, so the phonograph was no different from a roadside stone to her, until... she saw Funina's work at the venue.

Now I have to get a phonograph machine to play with.

While it's true that magical arts can capture images and even create a three-dimensional portrait, that would consume a lot of magical power and be far less convenient than pressing the shutter button on a camera.

Most importantly... magic couldn't preserve Richard's image.

The phonograph was able to capture Richard's image because Richard's authority and power were contained during the photo taking, and the phonograph used magic to capture the image. Even though Richard had restrained his power, he still couldn't capture a detailed image. Either it was so blurry that you could only vaguely make out that it was a person, or it was just a ball of light that looked like a small sun in the elemental vision.

After Charlotte received her award, Clarinde went on stage in place of Frynn to receive the corresponding trophy and gifts.

In a sense, this is indeed well-deserved.

After all, the photo was taken by Claurind, and the prize and trophy were later generously given to Claurind by Funina.

However, Clarinde didn't seem happy; she felt the trophy was too hot to handle.

However, with the end of the awards ceremony, the series of controversies caused by her mistake came to a complete end.

Just as Richard had predicted, the uproar caused by his photos in Fontainebleau gradually subsided thanks to his low-key approach.

However, outside Fontaine, in Inazuma, east of Liyue, Yae no Miko held the smuggled copy of "The Cat Who Stole Fish" in her hand. After confirming that the person on the cover was Richard Bencha, she finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

After framing this masterpiece, the divine child returned to his room, sat at his desk, unfolded the letter, pondered for a long time, and then began to write: "Since I have missed your company, several months have passed, and I have been long indifferent to your well wishes..."

The letter essentially said that it had been several months since they last met, and seeing his photo today, he was relieved to see that he was doing well.

After a brief reminiscing about the past and a few pleasantries, she got down to business and asked Richard when he planned to go back to Inazuma to visit, as both she and Ying missed him very much.

The letter was filled with the Queen's longing for Richard, and at the end, Yae no Miko also subtly mentioned that if Richard did not come to Inazuma soon, she would have no choice but to go to Fontaine again.

This time, however, she wouldn't be so easily dismissed by Richard's kiss.

She wants to eat meat.

Yae no Miko was also a little annoyed. Ever since she learned Richard's exact location, she had been keeping an eye on his movements.

Discovering that the other party had gone to Mondstadt and Liyue but refused to come to Inazuma, Yae no Miko felt inexplicably frustrated.

Looking at her stunningly beautiful reflection in the mirror, the palace priest couldn't help but start having wild thoughts.

She didn't doubt her own charm, but began to doubt Richard's sexual orientation. She, such a beautiful woman, was waiting for him to come and scumbag her in Inazuma, but several months had passed and he hadn't come, or even sent a letter.

With the end of the year approaching and more photos arriving from overseas, Yae no Miko began to get restless and made up her mind.

If Richard doesn't come to Inazuma soon, she'll spend the New Year in Fontaine this year!

Yae no Miko handed the letter to Kira, who was on her way to Fontaine to deliver a package to Chiori, and instructed her to personally deliver the letter to Richard.

"Don't worry, Divine Child, I will personally deliver the letter to that gentleman as soon as possible!" Qi Liangliang assured him.

The Divine Child has always been very kind to her, and now that she finally has the opportunity to help him, she will do her best.

Kira was indeed quick; in less than two days, she personally delivered Yae no Miko's letter to Richard.

And this day also happened to be the last day of the cultural exchange activities between the two countries...

"A letter from Ms. Alice?" Lynette asked calmly after seeing Kira off.

The letter was entirely pink, and the stamp in the center was in the shape of a fox's paw. Given that the way the letter arrived was not unusual at all, it was clearly not a letter from Alice.

The reason Lynette asked this was, of course, a subtle way of asking Richard who sent the letter.

“No, it was sent by the Divine Child.” Richard saw no need to hide it and opened the letter in front of Lynette.

Of course, the contents of the letter were not shown to Lynette, nor would Lynette read them. After Richard explained who the sender was, Lynette poured Richard a cup of black tea and then left the office, considerately leaving him alone.

In fact, when Richard saw the letter, he had already vaguely guessed the purpose of Yae no Miko's letter. It was because of this letter that he had to face the option that he had been avoiding all along.

—Go to Inari.

Richard closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. He carefully put the letter away, opened the drawer, and placed it next to the photograph he had received from Alice last time. (Illustration of the White Kimono, Chapter 76)

Whether to go or not, let's wait until Ningguang and the others leave before deciding.

P.S.: I had writer's block all day, sorry. There will be another chapter later to make up for yesterday's missed update. There will be extra updates in the next few days.

Volume 1: Chapter 130 What? Another business trip?

The damp sea breeze whipped up waves that crashed against the pier, and ships in Soft Light Harbour docked and departed in an orderly fashion under the guidance of automated machinery.

The Liyue government ship, which has been docked at Softlight Harbor for nearly half a month for repairs, will also depart from this mechanized port today, marking the complete end of the two-week cultural exchange event.