People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 587 Lin Feng: I will send D'Artagnan to Fontaine's prison; this is a condition for regaining my freedom.

"."

"Want to explore the secret realm, or even offer assistance?"

"Ha, from the perspective of the Fools' Executor, this is no ordinary request."

The reception room of the Reception Office of the Order of the Fathers, opposite the round table.

It was extremely rare for him to make such a request, but his face showed no sign of surprise.

Lin Feng noticed Arecino's interest in the "resurrection ritual" as soon as she arrived in Inazuma, and knew very well that she would eventually choose to investigate.

But take the surface-level explanations with a grain of salt; the real reason behind them...
"The mission to rescue our comrades is not valued. I am the only executor from the Fools who came this time, accompanied only by an immature 'child'."

"The Executor of the Fools. Rather than this identity, I would prefer that this conversation be conducted from my personal perspective."

After a slight pause, Arecino looked up and stated her words more directly:
"My initial request was to negotiate with Inazuma, but with you here, I guess this trial doesn't really need much help from outsiders."

"My duty as an executive officer is solely to try to redeem my two colleagues; I have no intention of doing anything beyond that."

If you wish, I may simply remain a quiet observer and witness this unprecedented miracle.

She decisively changed her negotiation strategy. Since her last meeting in Mondstadt, Arecino was quite confident that the "divine companion" in front of her was the very god who had disrupted all of Winter's plans.

In fact, one's colleagues use many adjectives to describe the other person.
Positive, negative, praising, belittling, even indignant.
But regardless of who said it, the word "power" was invariably mentioned, which is the most fundamental reason why the Winter Plan was thwarted.

And yet the other party appeared here unscathed; perhaps Inazuma's actions this time...
"Witness?"

Hearing a word that seemed somewhat out of place with the person in front of him, Lin Feng shook his head:
"If I'm not mistaken, Miss Arecino is more interested in finding out if all of this is true than in 'witnessing' it."

Without beating around the bush, they directly stated the other party's purpose.
Looking at the man before him, who almost never lost a conversation in intelligence gatherings with various countries, yet who had both times requested his "fourth seat," Lin Feng bluntly stated:
"In fact, based solely on my impression of Winter Solstice, I have no reason to provide the Fools with any opportunity to obtain intelligence, even though we have had some cooperation."

"."

Arecino remained silent for a moment, offering no rebuttal.
The premise of negotiation is equality between the two sides, and she knew very well that any means she had used to interfere with the course of negotiations in the past would not work here.

"."

"However, there are always exceptions. I admit that your recent actions have successfully earned my trust."

The conversation took an abrupt turn, and Arecino, who had been prepared to make a wasted trip, became more attentive, realizing that there was still a chance for things to turn around:
“Our last collaboration was merely for Sumeru to accept the people you eliminated, but the Hearth House’s initiative to return all Sumeru children has helped many families reunite.”

"Considering the harsh criticism you have received within the Fools' Clan for this, as a member of Sumeru, I should reciprocate with actions beyond this agreement."

Lin Feng smiled and explained why he was there to entertain her:

"Since you prefer to communicate with me in a capacity other than that of an executive officer of the Fools, I have no intention of preventing an ordinary, enthusiastic tourist from setting foot on this land."

"Please communicate with the Shogunate directly regarding your application to enter the secret realm and the length of your stay in Inazuma. Based on our previous relatively pleasant cooperation, the Kyoryokuin will not obstruct you in this regard."

The children in the fireplace house are not all orphans who have lost both parents, whether they were "debts paid off" or "disappeared," a situation that is particularly prominent in areas where the Fools are active.

It is not uncommon for Sumeru during the time of the Great Sage to have been infiltrated by the Fools to an extent no less than that of Inazuma at present.

Unlike the previous generation of servants, Arecino did not agree to the doctor's request for "cooperation," thus sparing most of them from becoming experimental subjects. They were instead sent to the Hearth House to grow up.
Recently, almost all the children's information has been sent to the Order of the Church, and after the information is matched, it is "damaged" by Arecino in front of him through various channels.

To be fair, the fourth seat of the Fools in front of him was by no means a "good person" like the little blond guy, but in Lin Feng's opinion, the other party's concern for the "children" in the Hearth House was genuine.

Not crazy, not greedy, and acting cautiously and rationally, this rare "normal person" is so precious among the group of executives of the Fools.

"."

"Thank you, the House of Hearths will remember this kindness."

The words were few, but they were by no means meaningless social niceties.

Arecino knew very well that the fact that the Canon did not obstruct her was already a signal, undoubtedly a gesture of goodwill from the person in front of her.

"It's alright. Personally, I don't dislike you. Your demeanor and work attitude remind me of an acquaintance."

"Anyone might do something unnecessary, but you would never. To Inatsume, it's perfectly fine to call you an ordinary 'tourist.'"

Just like a certain intellectual sage who leaves work on time, the person in front of me is also a typical working person when not under orders, too lazy to care about anything outside of his duties.

Faced with this almost perfunctory work attitude, Lin Feng felt that she was completely different from the PhD student who would kill any bug that appeared in the country.

A moment later, in the reception hall of the Order of the Church.

They also discussed some other cooperation issues.

The atmosphere was generally quite pleasant. Lin Feng glanced at the sky outside and decided to change the subject:
"."

"Alright, we've covered most of what's outside of work. Ms. Arecino, let's now talk about the purpose of your visit here."

Lin Feng casually summoned the two crystals floating on the table into his hand, then tapped the two miniature cells and projected some images from them.

Solidify light and shadow,

Lin Feng pointed to D'Artagnan on the left side of the screen, where she was already living an immersive "pastoral life."

And on the other side, Rosalind, though somewhat reluctant, surprisingly possessed a knack for gardening, perhaps due to her upbringing in the Church of Christ five hundred years ago. She spoke up:
"—As you can see, this is the current state of your two colleagues; overall, they are adapting quite well."

“Tell me what you originally intended to use to redeem them, so I can see if your bargaining chips in negotiations with Inazuma match their status.”

"."

"Treatment and avoidance methods for the side effects of the Evil Eye, related technologies for the Evil Eye production line in Inazuma, some of the Mora and materials needed for Inazuma's post-disaster reconstruction, and some technologies that Inazuma urgently needs."

"This is roughly the total value my two colleagues see in terms of 'assets,' and considering past practices, the 'rooster' has been quite generous this time."

“If it were a negotiation with Inazuma, I was confident that I could redeem them without paying the full price, but what we have now is probably far from enough.”

Without any intention of beating around the bush, Arecino presented all the bargaining chips that Winter could offer. In fact, if the Council of Fathers hadn't intervened...
For Inazuma alone, both the Evil Eye technology that can solve the military's lack of firepower and the materials related to reconstruction and subsequent development are urgently needed. Replacing the prisoners with two guards, which would waste a lot of manpower and resources, is undoubtedly a very worthwhile deal.

These bargaining chips might be valuable to Inatsuma, but currently, it's clear that no one is considering things from Inatsuma's perspective.
"Oh? You're willing to pay such a price for just the eighth and eleventh seats?"

"Heh, that's certainly generous. No wonder my two employees are so eager to capture the CEO."

Some people are quite impressed by the intimidating power of this certain female otaku, as Zhi Dong didn't even try to go through the motions of getting something for free this time.

Feeling that the price was reasonable, Lin Feng nodded, seeing the somewhat surprised look in Arecino's eyes.

"The Fool's Enforcers are of no value to me. But considering Inazuma's current situation, this reward is indeed very valuable. Trading them both wouldn't be out of the question."

"."

"While I would love for such a situation to occur, it is clearly not in your own best interest or in the interest of Sumeru."

“If you don’t care about the ransom that Zhi Dong can offer, I can’t think of any reason why you would accept them in the first place.”

My thoughts were briefly disrupted, but I quickly came to my senses.

People might occasionally do things without personal gain, but to the gods, no one would make meaningless changes.
Without rushing to respond, Arecino was quite certain that there was something the other party hadn't yet revealed.

"Ah, Miss Arecino is indeed very perceptive."

Lin Feng nodded:

"This is indeed merely a 'ransom.' I promise to release them, but the timing and circumstances of their return will be decided by Xumi. You can report this truthfully to Zhidong."

"What I can reveal at this time is that D'Artagnan will be transferred from the current prison to the prison in Fontaine to serve his sentence."
After a not-too-long period of time, he will regain his freedom.

".?"

As soon as she finished speaking, even the usually composed Arecino showed a hint of confusion on her face.

From Liyue to Inazuma, and then to Sumeru, his colleague had experienced enough prisons, making him far ahead of other Executors in terms of experience.

But even that wasn't enough; he still had to go to Fontainebleau to serve time in jail.
He turned his gaze to the illusory figure floating in the air before him.

Arecino stared at an orange-haired youth who was exercising and suddenly became curious about what special value there was in sending him to jail.

"."

After a brief silence, she came to her senses and realized that there was no need for the person in front of her to play word games. Although it was somewhat difficult to understand, Arecino felt that such a request was not excessive:

"Thank you for your kindness. I will report back to Zhidong truthfully. Considering the adaptability of the 'Eleven Seats' to the prison, I think my colleagues will not refuse."

Some things, once they happen, will happen countless times. It's just that being imprisoned in three countries will increase to four. No one should care about that.

"."

The task can be considered half completed.
Clearly aware that one of the "prisoners" in front of her had not been properly taken care of, Arecino raised her head and continued to focus her gaze on him.

"Oh? Judging from your behavior, it seems you care more about Rosalind's fate than D'Artagnan?"

"The 'Lady' doesn't have a very good reputation in various countries, and considering that the relationships among the executives of your Fools' Clan are mostly quite poor, would you mind explaining your reasons for caring about her?"

Aside from "children," it's rare to feel such obvious care from the person in front of me.

Lin Feng was eager to know what it was that made Arecino develop a liking for Rosalyn, the executive officer who always mocked her colleagues.

"."

"There wasn't much of a reason; most of our interactions were just about drinking tea together."

"As for other things, perhaps it's because Rosalyn is very popular with the children; she's the only executive officer who frequently brings gifts to the 'home,' so she seems more familiar with them."

Provoked by the same question, Arecino lowered her head slightly and looked at the teacup in front of her.

Theoretically speaking, Rosalyn's work attitude was completely different from her own; they should have gone in opposite directions from the very beginning.

As for what changed everything, it was that connected the queen's most loyal supporter with himself, someone who could betray her at any moment.
"In my understanding, Rosalyn is one of the executives who cares a lot about her colleagues, and her characteristics are somewhat similar to those of the one sitting next to her."

"She is committed to the ideal of becoming empress, but if we put aside the sarcastic remarks, it is not difficult to entrust her with tasks, such as when she came to redeem the eleventh seat last time."

“The Fireplace had received a lot of kindness from her when she refused to let the children become victims, and my visit this time can be considered as repaying her kindness.”

It's rare to think about one's relationship with other executives in such a systematic way.

After reaching a conclusion, Arecino had no intention of hiding anything.

"Is this so?"

Lin Feng nodded, seemingly lost in thought:
"I still need to think about the follow-up treatment of Rosalyn, but I think you won't refuse to let her calm down in this environment for a while longer."

"At the request of a friend, I will remove the flames that are burning her mind and body, and at the same time ensure that she can no longer get involved in anyone's plans."

"As for her ultimate fate, I think when that day comes, we can give you the choice of whether or not to take responsibility for her actions."

Centuries ago, Rosalind burned away large areas of monsters in both Mondstadt and Liyue in the Stone Gate region, which objectively helped alleviate a lot of pressure on both sides, whose gods were absent.

Considering the request of a certain drunkard, Lin Feng decided to temporarily give up on killing this executor who had not yet managed to seize any Heart of God.

However, the past and the present should not be confused.

Although it's unknown whether she will become more lucid after being removed from the flames, Lin Feng will make sure she can no longer be active in the Empress's plans.

It's hard to predict what the final outcome will be.
Lin Feng felt that, given Rosalyn's mental state, when that day came, he could give the right to choose whether or not to accept her to Arecino.

(End of this chapter)