Yes, Lady Funina!

Many true words are often said in the form of jokes.

Soon, Furninna realized that this was not a good topic, and turned to ask about Richard's age. They hadn't seen each other for a hundred years, which meant that the Richard in front of her was actually over a hundred years old?

Finina blinked her beautiful eyes and looked up and down at Richard's young and handsome face and skin full of youthful vitality. It was impossible to tell that he was an old man who was at least a hundred years old.

"how old are you?"

Lady Funina, who also looks young and beautiful but is actually almost five hundred years old, asked.

"It is very impolite to inquire about an elf's age without permission, Lady Finina." Richard said with a smile.

"Is it rude to do this? Sorry, I don't know much about the etiquette of the elves..." Furninna thought it was really impolite to do this, so she actually apologized obediently.

"It's just a joke, Lady Fininna. When you took office, I had already lived in Mondstadt with my relatives. But I was still very young at that time. Every day, I would play with pigeons and make friends with fish in the water..." Richard looked reminiscent.

Funina showed an envious expression, "That's great, I didn't expect you to be so childish."

Richard was stunned when he heard this. Childishness... It's true. Those pigeons warming themselves on the fire rack and the fish he caught with the electric crystal should feel the same way, right?

"Didn't Lady Funina do these things?" Richard could hear the envy in the other party's tone.

"Me? Well, I am the water god of Fontaine, the queen of the laws of all waters, all lands and all peoples. How could I possibly do such a thing!" Funina said with her head held high, like a proud peacock.

"But it's not wrong to have fun with the people occasionally..." Finina changed the subject and secretly glanced at Richard out of the corner of her eye, secretly observing his reaction.

Richard laughed and shook his head, saying, "Lady Fernina, you still have work to do. Did you forget the itinerary that Clorinde arranged for you?"

Finina's white fur drooped visibly, but when she heard the word "schedule", it suddenly stood up again.

Yes! We still have today's itinerary. If we don't leave now, we will miss it.

Sure enough, when Furninna turned around, she saw Clorinde walking towards her, probably to remind her of today's schedule.

Before she had time to feel frustrated about not being able to "have fun with the people", Funina had to plunge into her busy schedule.

Looking at Funina who left in a hurry, Richard thought for a moment and wrote down in his notebook the itinerary of 'inviting Ms. Funina to go to the countryside to understand the people's sentiments on Sunday'.

He planned to inform Clorinde as soon as possible to insert this trip into Funina's schedule for one day.

As for the location... let's choose Baisong Town. I happened to hear from several anglers in the city hall that there are several good fishing spots there. The water is deep, the fish are fat, and the natural resources are abundant. It is a good place to relax.

Speaking of which, even though Furninna had been in office for so long, he seemed to have never seen the water god resting.

According to Richard's understanding, even on weekends when the City Hall was closed, Funina would spend her time in the Opicolai Opera House listening to the trial.

In my impression, the Water God seems to be just like the flowing water, never stopping, never stopping...

Is this the energy of a god? Richard sighed.

Even Richard himself sometimes doesn't want to work, puts down everything he is doing, and takes a good rest.

Volume 27: Chapter 5 We are friends, right? (8K)

On Sunday, Funina asked her agent, Mrs. Hevima, about today's schedule, but was told that Clorinde was in charge of today's schedule.

Clorinde? Shouldn't she be on vacation now? With doubt in her mind, Funina went downstairs from her residence and walked straight to the town hall.

In his office, Clorinde and Richard were chatting face to face.

"Didn't you say we would have two days off a week?" asked Clorinde.

"Team building in the office can be considered a form of rest, and it is entirely up to the employees to participate voluntarily."

"I've heard this line of speech from businessmen who violated the Fontaine Labor Law."

"Really? What happened to those merchants?"

"I stayed in Meropeburg for a few months and was taught a lesson by the Duke. After I came out, I turned over a new leaf," recalled Clorinde.

Those businessmen who like to use various reasons to get their employees to work overtime for free were also punished by the Duke in the same way in Mero Petersburg. It is said that several businessmen were so scared when they heard the word "overtime"...

Richard was in awe. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Is my crime not serious enough?"

Clorinde touched her chin, pretending to think, and finally shook her head and said, "I can't say for sure, but if you can give me a high score in the new employee evaluation report at the end of this quarter, maybe... I will withdraw the lawsuit?"

While the two were joking, Funina had already pushed open the door of the office.

The big star is still the same as always, with a bright and confident expression on his face, as if he is always on the stage and is the focus wherever he goes.

"Good morning, both of you. Today is not the weekend. Did something important happen?" Funina had been in Momang Palace for nearly five hundred years. She knew the nature of these civil servants very well. The weekend was always the emptier time in Momang Palace.

In the entire Momang Palace, only the Tribunal and its subordinate units will work uninterruptedly, while other units basically maintain a low-operation state.

The main feature is a two-day weekend off on time.

Among them, the City Hall is the worst. No matter what happens, weekend is weekend and no matter who comes, it will not work.

"That's right, Lady Funina. As the quarter draws to a close, all regions are busy carrying out reporting work. However, due to some historical issues left over in Baisong Town, some local residents have some opinions about Fontaine, so the work is not going smoothly."

"I think if you go to Baisong Town for an inspection in person, this situation could be greatly alleviated." Richard brought out the reason he had prepared long ago.

"So that's how it is. I understand. Indeed, a great god like me is always welcomed by the masses wherever he goes. It is also my responsibility to use this influence to promote the smooth progress of the work of local departments."

Finina clapped her hands, and Miss Shebeleda of the Lonely Heart Salon, a water elemental in the form of a heavy-armored crab, appeared and handed over a blue scepter at the right time.

She poked the floor with her cane and said, "Let's go, then. By the way, are you ready for your speech?"

Clorinde shook her head and explained, "You don't need a speech. In fact, you just need to go around Baisong Town and let everyone in Baisong Town see you. There is not much work to do."

"In a way, you can use this visit as a stage to show your joy for the people..."

Have fun together with the people… Upon hearing this word, Furninna was stunned, then realized something and looked at Richard who was smiling and silent.

Richard, who sensed Funina's gaze, also spoke at this time: "In fact, I have already asked the local residents about the popular scenic spots in Baisong Town in advance. After finishing my work in the morning, I think Lady Funina can choose a scenic spot to organize a team building."

"Didn't you mention last time in Soft Light Harbor that you wanted to try out the civilians' entertainment methods?"

Richard went on a public-funded tour to Baisong Town under the guise of work, and even brought his boss along.

The idea that going to Baisong Town would help improve the morale of the local people was all fake. It was only because I inadvertently revealed my desire to go out and play last time that I made the arrangements for today.

And all this was just because of the last conversation that was interrupted by a busy schedule before they could finish. Even so, Richard still remembered her words in his heart...

In fact, there is no lack of such attention in Funina's daily life. Some people will even write down her every word and action, and then try to please her, just to get the attention of the Lord of Water and exchange for more benefits.

Because this kind of thing has happened too many times in history, Funina now has a deep sense of vigilance.

After she understood Richard's intention, her first reaction was not to be touched, but to say, "Let's do as you say, but next time, Mr. Richard, please put more of your mind on work. It's useless to please me. I am the water god who represents fairness and justice! I can't give you the reward you want."

'After all, I'm not the real Water God...' Furninna thought.

Facing Richard's surprised gaze, Fernina straightened her back and said to Clorinde in the same tone: "Claurinde, don't schedule things like this in my schedule in the future."

After saying that, Funina probably felt that she had overreacted, so she added: "I'm sorry that I said it so bluntly. If you feel offended, I apologize."

"Lady Furnina, you don't have to apologize. I was indeed inconsiderate on this matter. But I want to correct one thing. I am not trying to get anything in return from you. Instead, as a friend, I want to take this opportunity to let you relax."

"Don't blame Miss Clorinde. I asked her to arrange it this way. After all, your daily schedule is really tight. If you don't do this, I'm afraid you won't have enough time. Besides, Baisong Town really needs you to inspect it." Richard took the responsibility on himself and said that everything was done in accordance with the regulations and there would be no additional problems.

Similarly, he had no other plans for Funina, at least for now.

Clorinde on the side also looked at Fernina and said, "Lady Fernina, Secretary General Richard is indeed kind-hearted. After all, I can't imagine what he can get from you..."

In the past, Clorinde only accompanied Furninna as a guard officer and had no intuitive understanding of Richard's control over the City Hall.

It was not until she was invited to become Furninna's personal secretary that she realized how much control the city hall official system headed by Richard had over the entire city hall.

To be disrespectful, she felt that Funina was just a mascot put out in the open, while Richard was the real 'executive minister' of the city hall.

Anyway, as of now, Clorinde really couldn't imagine what Richard could get from Funina.

Fame? Richard is more used to hiding behind the scenes.

Career? The position of Secretary General has already brought him to the limit of power. Going further up, Funina can't help him, and may even hinder him?

Money? Well, the salary of the secretary general of the city hall is quite high, and Richard, who has a small villa in the upper city, doesn't look like someone who is short of money.

The most important thing is that Funina's daily expenses are basically covered by Momang Palace, and Mora and the like will never go through her hands.

It was precisely because of this that Clorinde felt that the other party was truly considering Furninna from a friend's perspective, which was why she helped.

Funina doesn't have many friends, partly because of her status and partly because of herself.

However, as Clorinde was one of her few friends, her words were naturally trustworthy.

Moreover, Funina also realized that Richard was different from those guys who had ulterior motives in the past, and she really could not give Richard what he wanted.

In other words, I did misunderstand Richard's intention.

I'm afraid the other party really has good intentions, and what I just did is undoubtedly trampling on this precious kindness.

After realizing this, Finina began to deeply regret what she had just said, and a feeling of guilt almost instantly filled the girl's heart.

"I..." Furninna stammered. She was always eloquent, but now she didn't know what to say.

Richard accurately sensed Furniture's guilt and immediately said considerately, "It's okay, Lady Furniture. I know you've had similar experiences before, so you're wary of people who want to get close to you. This is a good thing."

Although he said so, Richard still had a wronged look on his face, as if his kindness had been trampled upon.

Of course Richard wasn't really sad, but it would have been impossible for him to have reached this point without some acting skills.

They say that the best actors go into politics, and this is true in a way.

Richard's performance was so 'emotional' that even Funina, who had been hanging around the opera house for many years, didn't notice it. His acting skills were so natural and perfect...

"G, don't be sad. I didn't expect you to treat me as a friend." Funina felt that with her personality and her identity, few people would treat her as a friend.

So she didn't expect that in Richard's heart, her position was not a boss, but a "friend".

Richard widened his eyes and looked at Furninna in disbelief, as if questioning how her 36.8℃ little mouth could utter such cold words.

"So in your heart, I'm not a friend."

Funina hurriedly explained: "No, no, I just think that my personality should be very unpopular, right? You see, I can easily hurt others by speaking my mind, and my actions are unpredictable and I rarely consider the consequences..."

As she spoke, Funina herself fell silent. It turns out that I have so many shortcomings?

Furninna looked at Clorinde for help, and Clorinde understood that it was time to speak up to ease the atmosphere.

"Lady Furninna is right."

As soon as she said this, Clorinde frowned. What was she talking about?

"What I mean is that Funina has no ill intentions, she just didn't expect Richard that you would be her friend... er, treat her as a friend."

Furninna closed her eyes in despair. She shouldn't have asked Clorinde for help. She took a deep breath and prepared to save herself.

But just as he opened his mouth, Richard spoke.

"Lady Furninna, you don't need to say more."

Funina was anxious. How could she not say this? If she didn't say it, wouldn't she really become the kind of villain who trampled on the kindness of her friends and didn't know how to appreciate kindness?

"I just want to ask you a question, we are friends, right?"

Funina nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, we are friends."

As if this was not enough to make up for the guilt in his heart, he added: "We are not only friends in life, but also the best partners at work."

OK, your words are enough.

Richard knew when to stop. The reason why he acted so aggrieved was that he wanted to deepen his impression of "friend" in Funina's mind.

Make Funina feel that he is a friend, not just a colleague or subordinate at work.

If something happens in the future, the first person they think of won't be Qing Suan, but they will favor him for the sake of friendship.

Richard never thought that there would be absolutely fair people in the world, because absolute justice and people are two fundamentally contradictory words.

You can become a human being, but at the same time, when you become one you will be swayed by emotions and will not be able to be absolutely fair.

Just like 'transparent government'.

Of course, Richard didn't think that he would be caught by Funina, but to be on the safe side, Richard would always try his best to leave a way out for himself. This is also the reason why he was not wanted after moving around among various forces.

If he had not played a balancing act between Yae Shinko and Ying back then, he would most likely have been dragged to Isshin Pure Land by Ying, or locked up in Narukami Taisha by Yae Shinko.

In short, the future was different from what Richard had expected, which was why he ran away, because if he stayed any longer, he might even waver.

While thinking about these things, they had already arrived at Baisong Town.

Because of prior arrangements, Funina quickly met with officials at all levels in Baisong Town. When she was about to go for team building, Richard noticed a strange gaze.

"Who is... the eldest daughter of the Rose Thorn Society?" Richard looked at a girl with golden hair and wearing an elegant dress.

This girl is the current leader of the Rose Thorn Society, which is also a well-known organization in Fontaine. There is now a line in Fontaine named after the former leader of the Rose Thorn Society, 'Cares', to highlight his contribution to Fontaine.

However, Mr. Cares had some problems in the end, so that the head of the family has now become his daughter, Navia, the girl who was standing not far from them and looking at Clorinde with complicated eyes.