Yes, Lady Funina!

Ying thought riddle tellers were too annoying, and that Richard was much more straightforward, clearly explaining what should and shouldn't be done, and the reasons why it shouldn't be done.

The other party even pointed out two promising paths, both of which were highly feasible.

Is this the true value of a top-tier support player? So this is the kind of life Fulyna lives every day; it's truly enviable.

“It feels like Richard knows everything. I’m starting to suspect he might have planted some kind of spy among us,” Paimon said, picking up the token that had been handed to them along with the letter.

"Did Richard mention in his letter what the token was specifically for?" Paimon asked.

“I told you,” Ying said, pointing to the funds Alheisen had given him that Paimon was carrying in his other hand. “It will serve a similar purpose.”

Paimon looked at the card-like token Richard had given him and couldn't help but wonder, could this thing really be used as a mora flower?

Paimon could accept a checkbook, but it was just a thin metal card; Paimon couldn't imagine how to use it.

Of course, the concept of bank cards doesn't exist in Teyvat yet, and what Richard gave to Sparkle and Paimon wasn't a bank card, but rather an identity document.

With this certificate, Ying and Paimon were able to access people and things that they would have previously had to go through a lot of trouble to do, and there were also some other forces associated with it.

Take Dolly, whom they were going to meet, for example. They didn't need to find any contact person. They only needed to go to Dolly's headquarters, El Casazale Palace, and they could meet her directly with this card.

Ying was even able to contact the Fools of Sumeru by holding cards and ask them for small favors, though only small favors.

It's impossible to get the Fools to stop cooperating with the Sumeru Order. If simply giving them face could stop such a large-scale project involving two executives, Richard would have done it long ago.

But now it's clear that neither "Doctor" nor "Scattered Soldier" seems like the type to give face to Richard, their former colleague.

In fact, Richard wasn't very close to either of them. After all, back then he was only responsible to the Winter Queen. Although the title was attached to the Fools, he was only pointing out a general direction for the overall development of the Fools.

Well, in a way, Richard also made some minor contributions to the fact that the Fools were able to become the troublemakers of Teyvat.

Of course, it was the talented executives of the foolish crowd who truly brought these things to their full glory.

They are really talented in this area.

But Richard wasn't bad either.

"So we need to find a way to convey the situation of that executive officer called 'Scout' to the Council of the Church, and tell them that even if the so-called god-making plan succeeds, the one created may not necessarily be their god?" Paimon asked.

He then raised another question: "But even if we tell them, the Order of the Fathers might not believe us."

Based on the information I've gathered in Sumeru these past few days, the sages currently in power at the Sumeru Order Academy are not the kind of people who would listen to advice; they are quite stubborn.

Even if she and Ying told the people at the Order of the Instruction about this, they might not believe the two outsiders. On the contrary, they might think that the two of them were here to cause trouble, and they might even question the source of their information.

“Speaking out of turn will definitely not have any effect.” Ying knew what Paimon was worried about; in fact, she had no intention of telling the Order of the Church about this herself.

Ying took the card from Paimon, then pointed to the remaining Mora bag in Paimon's hand, a sly look on her face, and said, "Don't you think that Elheisen would be a good fit?"

"Him?" Paimon didn't understand why Ying would say that.

“Although the other party did not directly reveal their identity, how could they be an ordinary person who knows so much information about bottling?” Yingti Paimeng analyzed.

"But just based on this?" Paimon couldn't understand.

"Oh, of course not. When I was verifying my identity, I casually asked the staff here if they knew someone named Elhesen. Although the first staff member didn't know, someone else told him that he was a clerk in the Order of the Church."

Paimon frowned, "Why didn't you just say you asked? Why did you analyze it so much?"

It was so convincing that Paimon almost thought his IQ was lower than Ying's.

“But that’s not safe enough. We can talk to Tinari about this again…” Ying felt that the more people who knew about this, the better.

Sometimes it's okay if only one person spreads the rumor, but what matters is that a group of people spread it. As long as everyone believes it, even if it's not true, it becomes true. This is the principle behind the saying "three men can make a tiger".

After all, Richard had given her the publicity budget, so why wouldn't she make good use of it? Ying squeezed the card in her hand.

The scene shifts to the Alkasazala Palace, where Ying and Paimon, thanks to the mysterious card given to them by Richard, quickly manage to meet with the wealthy merchant Dori Sango Mahabay.

Although she is addressed as "Master," she actually looks like a little girl and appears very shrewd.

"Oh my, oh my, you two are truly distinguished guests, possessing VIP cards that are only issued within the Jade Pavilion." Dolly rubbed her hands together, her eyes practically turning into Mora's shape as she looked at Ying and Paimon.

Dolly had actually heard a little about the high-level VIP cards issued by Qunyu Pavilion, and she even had one herself, but its level was definitely not as high as the one Ying had.

After all, the card in Ying's hand is at the founder level. Currently, only the owner of Qunyu Pavilion, Tianquanxing Ningguang, has one. As for whether the card in Ying's hand is actually hers, Dolly doesn't know, but... she has always been money-oriented.

This card, in a sense, represents money, it represents Mora.

Regardless of Ying's identity, she will receive the highest level of service here, and then the bill will be sent to Qunyu Pavilion.

After Ying explained the purpose of her visit, Dolly narrowed her eyes slightly.

"This is not a good situation..."

Is it because knowledge about bottling is a prohibited item?

"Bottling knowledge? I'll give you that stuff as a gift, consider it my introduction."

"That……"

"Spreading rumors comes with consequences. If the Faculty of Religion comes after you, you'll be in trouble."

Ying's heart sank. It was indeed a bit difficult to spread rumors about the Order on the Order's territory.

"Sorry, if it doesn't work out..." Ying was about to say that if it didn't work out, they could just buy a bottling manual and go back to Elhesen to report back, and then inform him of this news. Whether it would work out or not was up to fate.

Anyway, what they said was the absolute truth, and it can withstand scrutiny.

“Young man, don’t be so impatient. With me, Dolly, there’s nothing that Mora can’t solve.”

"So what you mean is..."

“I need to pay more!” Dolly spread out her little hands, then slowly clenched them.

Ying felt that the other person's pupils were almost turning into the shape of Mora. No wonder he was the richest man in Sumeru. He was so obsessed with Mora. Otherwise, how could he be the richest man?

After leaving Dolly, Ying took the gift Dolly gave her to Elhesen, only to be told that what he sought was not ordinary knowledge of filling, but divine knowledge of filling.

"So we still have to go see Dolly?" Paimon was confused by Elhesen's roundabout way of speaking.

“Yes.” Elhesen nodded, knowing that Dolly was the most reliable source of information, but this path had been blocked for him before.

Now that Luminous and Paimon have joined, the situation is different.

After listening, Ying did not directly mention the matter of the collaboration between the Kyoto Institute and the Fools. Instead, she turned back to Dolly and bought information about the knowledge of divine infusion from her.

This was a piece of cake for Dolly; she could arrange for trolls to spread rumors for Luminous and Paimon, so this kind of news was naturally no problem for her.

Returning to Elhesen with the information, Ying did not only tell him about the whereabouts of the knowledge of divine infusion, but also that this knowledge of divine infusion was related to a recent study by the Order of the Church.

She didn't go into the specifics of the research, only telling Al-Hysen that it was also related to the gods.

As expected, Elhesen's interest was piqued, even more so than his interest in the divine infusion of knowledge.

Ying couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing that she also had a talent for riddles.

It's a case of the dragon slayer becoming the dragon himself.

------

"So many days have passed, and there is still no response from Sumeru."

Even though Funina chose to believe first and then believe again, how much time has passed? Does Richard have any backup plans?

Does he really not do anything?

If she chooses to let time heal all wounds, then should she take some time to allow those expelled diplomats to return?

"Lady Funina, is there something you need?" Richard had noticed Funina's hesitant expression long ago.

"Regarding the Sumeru matter, are we really not going to do anything?" Funina hesitated for a moment before finally asking.

"No need. In fact, the pieces have already been placed, and news should arrive soon," Richard replied with a smile.

Seeing Richard's confident demeanor, Funina's previously anxious heart immediately calmed down considerably.

It's not surprising that Funina reacted this way; in fact, this was the first time she had personally handled a conflict between two countries.

People tend to unconsciously place extra importance on the first time.

In reality, even if Sumi doesn't react, given that Fontaine is in the right, they will only feel that Sumi is being a bit shameless, rather than that Fontaine is doing nothing.

After all, anyone with a brain who puts themselves in their shoes for a moment will understand how difficult it is. The most important thing is to make the already opened Sumeru suffer a setback.

Moreover, Fontaine's international relations do not need to be proven through this point.

Among the neighboring countries, it seems that only Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma have some conflicts with Sumeru right now, while Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma get along very well.

Anyone with eyes can see that the relationship between these four countries is no longer just 'friendly' in words, but genuine, and they have frequent exchanges.

Based on this achievement alone, Furnessa could easily surpass all previous foreign ministers.

However, Richard didn't tell Furness any of this, since having a sense of responsibility is never a bad thing, especially now that Furness is the prime minister of a country.

Richard could not possibly treat him as his puppet, playing the trick of controlling the emperor to command the princes.

Even if Frynn were to be used as a puppet, that would only be one aspect, and in this respect, her secretary Clarinde and Fucarus would likely be more experienced.

After all, Richard's desire for power pales in comparison to that aspect.

Moreover, Richard's accusations were not unfounded; besides Ying, he also did some other things.

Don't underestimate the network of connections a long-lived being has, although some may think it's not worth using their connections for something like this.

But things certainly can't be calculated that way. Aside from considering Funina's political achievements, Richard also had the intention of making that little grass god owe more favors.

A favor from a deity is very valuable, and once the Little Grass God regains power, the rewards will be enormous.

Compared to this, what Richard invested was just a drop in the ocean.

As for whether the little grass god can regain power, Li sensed that it was inevitable. If the seven gods were so easy to replace, Teyvat would have been filled with gods by now.

Moreover, although Lei Dapao can leverage the power of thunder through the Heart of Thor, you must remember that the Shadow is not dead yet.

Given the current established positions of the gods, it is virtually impossible for a 'new god' to be born.

Even if those Sumeru people really went mad and were willing to kill their own gods for an outsider, the token Richard gave to Ying was not just for show; if necessary, its power would be enough to protect that little grass god.

It was all worth it for the beautiful dream that the other person gave him when he was confused back then.

Richard had actually encountered the Little Grass God when he was in Sumeru, but the encounter was not deep, and he had only seen him in the dream world.

Richard still remembered the kindness the little grass god had shown him back then. To say how much it helped him was really not true; at most, it just made him feel a little better at the time.

But that was enough for Richard.

Soon, driven by an unseen force, the situation inside Sumeru became increasingly tense...

Chapter 216 Sand's Fate is Precious!

Inside the office of the Great Sage on the top floor of the Wisdom Palace of the Sumeru City's Order of Teachings.

“Great Sage, there are rumors circulating in the streets recently…” The middle-aged instructor respectfully addressed the white-bearded old man before him.

"Uday, since when can mere rumors affect a project?" The Great Sage spoke in a calm and unhurried tone, yet he gave Uday, who was standing opposite him reporting on the project, an indescribable sense of pressure.

This sense of oppression did not stem from the great sage's immense strength, but rather from Udai's clear understanding that the other possessed the power to bring him, a promising religious leader, down to earth.

Yes, it's about power.

Nowadays, in the Church of England, a person's status is no longer measured by how much knowledge they possess, but by how many resources they control.

Just like civil servants in Fontainebleau, it's not about how high your rank is, but how much influence you can have within the civil service system.

If we substitute an equivalent number, the current status of the Great Sage in the Sumeru Order Academy is actually equivalent to Richard's status in the City Hall of Momang Palace.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could control everything.

“Great Sage, even within the project itself, there are some… discordant voices emerging.” Fine beads of sweat appeared on Uday’s forehead as he used the most tactful language possible to remind the Great Sage that the current situation was far from optimistic.

Regardless of what the great sage thought, the public opinion outside did indeed have a considerable impact on the project.

The dissenting voices he mentioned were not just "some," but even he himself inevitably felt some concern about the project's future.

—Did they really create gods belonging to Mount Sumeru?

Although all the resources used were from Sumeru, the most crucial technology and the Heart of God were provided by the Fools. They even sent two executors, one of whom was a test subject.

The foolish crowd... would they really be so kind as to help them create a god from Mount Sumeru?

Will the Fools' Executor [Scrap Soldiers], who will serve as the test subject, actually be able to work for them?

Uday was unsure, and it was precisely this uncertainty that caused him worry.

Great Sage, what are your thoughts?