Yes, Lady Funina!

“It’s like this…” Funina pulled Shadow into a side room, deliberately avoiding others. Shadow listened carefully to Funina’s request, a hint of surprise on her face, seemingly not expecting such a request. “…Is it not allowed?” Funina looked at Shadow somewhat nervously. “Of course it is.” Shadow nodded.

"This is nothing to me, it's even a bit easy."

After all, if it's just about becoming an apprentice, Shadow is naturally willing to teach Funina.

Ying couldn't understand why Funina would ask her to learn martial arts instead of Richard. If it really came down to learning martial arts, Richard would obviously be more convenient. However, since Funina had made the request, Ying naturally wouldn't refuse.

"I will do my best to teach you martial arts knowledge and make you stronger."

Chapter 267 Is it true that Mello Petersburg and the Papacy are on equal footing?

Ying felt that there must be something wrong with her teaching method, otherwise why would a perfectly good boxing technique look like flirting when applied to Fu Ningna?

You could clearly feel that Funina was putting all her strength into every punch, but the way she threw them looked like she was courting...

Ying knew that although Funina was called a water goddess, her physical strength was no different from that of a human; at most, she was just a little healthier than an average person.

But... it doesn't have to be this bad, does it?

"Huff, huff..." Funina gasped for breath, her body drenched in sweat.

After several days of training, Funina felt that her physical fitness and how to mobilize her body's strength had greatly improved.

The reason why Ying felt that Funinna's martial arts movements looked like dancing was largely because Funinna was used to the performance style of musicals.

Ying believes that Fryna's moves are redundant; although they look good, they are actually useless except for their aesthetic appeal.

At least in her eyes, it was full of flaws. After all, Ying's martial arts skills were honed in life-and-death battles, and she valued a clean and decisive approach.

After all, on a real battlefield, wasting energy on useless tasks can really lead to death.

"That's enough for today," Shadow said, gesturing for Funina to stop.

Habits are not formed in a day, and it takes longer to break a habit than to form it in the first place.

Shadow is prepared for a long-term battle, but it's uncertain whether Funina can hold on.

Moreover, today is the day the Sumeru delegation arrives in Fontaine. We can't just leave the Little Lucky Grass King here while they practice martial arts, can we?

Although they had differing opinions, they were still colleagues, and everyone was a respectable person, so they had to give each other face.

Moreover, the fact that Little Grass God is willing to ask Fontaine to mediate is also a way of giving Fontaine face.

People hired you because they think you're fair, but if Fontaine, as the middleman, doesn't take this matter seriously, then it won't be Sumi who loses face, but Fontaine, the middleman.

“The Little Lucky Grass King should arrive today, and this farce should come to an end.” Ying handed a towel to Funina, took one for herself, and headed towards the shower room in the dance studio.

That's right, they trained in the dance studio inside Funina's palace.

After all, for beginners, practicing dance is similar to practicing martial arts; both involve familiarizing themselves with the moves. Therefore, the large full-length mirror in the dance studio can be very effective.

Of course, this is just a general statement. Funina and Yingna practice martial arts in the dance studio simply because the space is large and the facilities are complete.

Funina doesn't need to use a mirror to adjust her posture, because the shadow will correct her mistakes; the shadow's eyes are the ruler.

After taking a bath, Funina changed out of her loose training clothes and into her signature blazer, while Ying was still wearing the kimono she had been wearing before.

When they arrived at the agreed location, Richard and the others were already waiting for them at the Opiclie Opera House.

Today, the Opizke Opera House is not open to the public. Because it concerns another country, the discussion was specifically held here to show the importance attached to Inazuma and Sumeru.

To ensure impartiality, Supreme Judge Navislet will also attend the tripartite meeting, but he will not be the moderator; he will participate as a witness.

The moderator of this symposium was naturally Richard, who had the trust of both Sumi and Inazuma.

Thus, the seating arrangement inside the Opicclay Opera House can be clearly presented to the public.

At the very center was the Fontaine delegation, led by Richard, whose members included Funina, Fucarus, Navigette, Yae...

"You move to the right side." Richard said irritably, taking Yae no Miko out and making her return to her seat on the right.

The Inazuma delegation on the right included Kage, Yae no Miko, Kujo Sara, and some entourage members. Although there weren't many people, they were all figures who had touched the core of Inazuma's power.

As for General Raiden, he was left in Inazuma to oversee the overall situation. If it was only for a week, the temporarily created body could hold out.

Shadow actually put in a lot of effort to create this body for General Thunder. He not only broke off a branch of an ancient silver tree from the ley lines, but also used some of the essence of the Thunder Cherry Tree as supplementary materials.

Therefore, although the overall income is still insufficient to cover the expenses, the energy problem of General Raiden can be greatly alleviated as long as the area covered by the Inazuma Rai-zakura tree is within range.

It should last for one or two weeks without any problem, but in fact, it won't even take one or two weeks.

Moreover, neither Sumeru's side nor Inazuma's side wanted to delay this matter for too long.

Based on this consensus, it is believed that both sides will be able to reach an agreement soon, which will not take more than two weeks.

As for the people from Sumeru, there were even fewer. Apart from Naxi Da herself, the focus of this symposium was the scattered wanderers.

Oh, and there are also two witnesses, Ying and Paimon. The reason they're not mentioned together with the Sumeru delegation is because they're currently hesitating about whether to come to Richard's side.

After all, Richard was the biggest financial backer for both Ying and Paimon.

One helped them through danger, while the other put them in danger. Even a complete bystander should know which side they're on, right?

“Speaking of which, wasn’t the World Tree already modified? Why does it seem like Inazuma’s side knows what the previous Ryu… no, the Sannin did?” Paimon whispered to Luminous.

"It must be related to Richard, right?" Ying replied softly.

“I think so too. I always feel like that guy knows everything. If he can resist the influence of the World Tree, it doesn’t seem so strange.” Paimon’s impression of Richard has always been limited to him being rich and mysterious.

"In any case, his stance shouldn't conflict with ours." Ying told Paimon not to overthink it. As things stood, Richard's attitude towards them was quite friendly; he wasn't an enemy.

Just remember this one point.

“It seems that everyone from Sumeru has arrived as well.” Richard nodded to Nasita.

Although they had clashed openly and covertly many times, this was indeed their first real encounter.

"Thank you for your trouble." Nasita remained remarkably calm, seemingly unaffected by the recent series of international events.

However, compared to the polite Narcida, the wanderer's gaze towards Richard was not so friendly.

"Hmm?" Richard noticed the other person's gaze and asked with a smile:

"Does Mr. Wanderer have a problem with me personally?"

"No, nothing," the vagrant said impatiently.

"It's just that I'm unhappy about being dragged into this farce."

"It was indeed a farce." Yae nods in deep agreement.

"To be honest, it's my fault for not dealing with it sooner."

As she spoke, the fox spirit looked at the wanderer standing next to Nasita and said:

"But it's not too late now."

Seeing this, Paimon instinctively shrank back and quietly tugged at Ying's sleeve, saying:

"Wow, the atmosphere is tense. Will this negotiation turn into a fight in the end?"

"I don't think...it's likely?" Ying was a little unsure. Although the atmosphere was tense, she didn't think they would actually start fighting.

After all, whether it's Sumi's side or Inazuma's side, they all have to give Fontaine, the host, some face. If a fight breaks out, it won't be fair for anyone.

"Judging from the current combat strength, it seems that Sumeru has no chance of winning at all?" Paimon also felt that a fight was unlikely.

Because if Fontaine doesn't participate, once a fight breaks out, it's a one-sided crushing defeat. For Sumeru, that's not fighting, but simply getting beaten up.

Moreover, if a fight really breaks out, neither he nor Ying can help Sumi fight Inazuma.

After all, they got along quite well with Yae no Miko and Kage back in Inazuma, and could be considered old friends.

Most importantly, this vagrant immediately provoked the person he shouldn't have messed with at this symposium, and dared to speak rudely on someone else's turf. Paimon thought he might have some serious illness.

Given that Paimon already had a negative view of homeless people, it was even less likely that he would speak up for them.

If Nasita weren't still around, she would already be considering whether to run over to Richard's side or just go to the audience to watch the show.

In fact, Ying, Paimon, and Narcida were all well aware of what the skirmishers had done, because they had witnessed it firsthand when they were at the World Tree.

It was precisely because of this that Nasida knew clearly that her side was in a very unfavorable position in terms of public opinion, and that her only chance of winning was that the other side was unaware of the past before it was modified.

However, it seems unlikely at present. Only after facing them directly did Nasita realize that there was a strange power on both Fontaine's side and Inazuma's side that blocked the World Tree's perception of them.

It's like there's a code on the screen; you know this person exists, but you can't actually observe or control them.

Nasita was extremely curious about this power, and the moment she discovered it, the purpose of her trip subtly changed.

"I apologize, it was our rudeness." Nasita did not want the conflict to escalate; her purpose in coming here was to resolve the issue, not to exacerbate it.

“However, I would like to hear a reasonable explanation as to why you suddenly requested the extradition of the homeless, otherwise we cannot simply hand them over,” Nasita said.

“A reasonable demand.” Richard indicated that the affirmative side was not right, and Inazuma’s side spoke.

"Actually, it's quite simple. We just want to collect and process the weapons that are scattered around. Because of some oversights, this dangerous weapon has been left in exile and has been used by villains, causing a lot of unnecessary losses and sins."

"To ensure that nothing like this happens again in the future, we choose to take on this responsibility." Yae no Miko did not start with the Five Transmissions of Lightning, but instead began with the origins of the Wanderers or the Skirmishers.

The demand for the extradition of the homeless is because they were the ones who created the homeless in the first place, but due to negligence caused by the turmoil, they ended up overseas and were used by villains.

Let's not even talk about sin or anything like that. As its creator, it naturally has the right to recycle and destroy it.

“I need to correct your viewpoint. In my eyes, the Wanderer is not a weapon, but an independent intelligent life form. Therefore, there are errors in your narrative, and I cannot agree with such a statement,” Nasita said, shaking her head.

“You’re right. Since it’s an independent intelligent life form, shouldn’t it be even more responsible for its actions? What do you think, Ms. Narcida?” Yae no Miko said.

Could you provide some specific examples and corresponding evidence?

Because of the changes in the World Tree, many of the things that the skirmisher did before were now instigated by other people instead of him.

Therefore, as of now, homeless people are innocent.

However, Yae no Miko never intended to use the Thunder Five Transmissions incident as a pretext; instead, she directly targeted the root of the problem.

"You should be able to deny the fact that you, as the incarnation of the World Tree, have altered the World Tree, right?" said Yae no Miko.

“…” Nasita remained silent for a while.

"Of course, I am not accusing you of dereliction of duty. After all, even the most meticulous person can make a mistake. I just don't want the error to continue."

Despite accusing Yae no Mana of being a threat, the core message Yae no Miko wanted to convey was: as the guardian of the World Tree and one of the Seven Rulers of the Mortal World, how could you allow a mere straggler to tamper with the World Tree?

Whether it was intentional or accidental, only Nasita herself knows for sure.

After all, if it weren't for Richard being a variable, they probably wouldn't have noticed anything unusual.

From this perspective, this also constitutes a substantial infringement on Narukami and all those involved in this matter.

So it's no wonder they attacked Xumi and Naxida for this reason.

There is no doubt that the fact that the skirmishers altered the World Tree is a mistake in itself, and even if they harbored any good intentions, it cannot conceal the fact that it was wrong.

Some mistakes, even if embellished with rosy words, cannot be considered good or correct.

“I will give everyone an explanation regarding this matter,” Nasita said.

"In fact, the wanderer himself was also punished in Sumeru."

"Wait, according to our investigation, the so-called corresponding punishment shouldn't refer to being able to receive education at the Order Academy, right?" Yae Shinji asked suspiciously.

“Even criminals should have the right to education,” Nasita replied.

"As far as I know, there are also corresponding educational institutions within Fontainebleau's Mello Petersburg, right?"

"That's true, but as far as I know, the Fontaine Academy does not accept a prisoner who is currently serving a sentence as a student."

As she spoke, Funina posed another thought-provoking question:

"Does that in your mind, Mello Petersburg and the Sumeru Church are on the same level?"

Chapter 268 Richard is quite the smooth talker.

After Funina said this, the entire room fell silent.

Seeing that no one spoke, Fulina thought she had said something wrong. She glanced at Richard beside her without making a sound and saw that he was still smiling and his expression had not changed. She felt much more at ease.

Generally speaking, Richard would raise his eyebrows if he said something inappropriate or that might cause some negative consequences.

But since Richard didn't make that move, it means that what she said was correct.

Moreover, Funina genuinely felt that Nasita's actions were problematic.

Criminals do have the right to education, but there's no reason why they should have the right to receive higher education.