Yes, Lady Funina!

Moman Palace is the tallest building in Fontainebleau. Looking down from the window, you can see clean and tidy streets. The buildings on both sides of the street are carefully designed and maintained. This is also a well-known wealthy area in Fontainebleau, where a large number of rich people and dignitaries gather.

It could be said that the residents of this street make up less than one percent of Fontaine's population, but they control seventy percent of Fontaine's wealth and resources.

Moreover, this ratio is rising year by year, which is a huge problem that Fontaine is facing today: a severe gap between the rich and the poor.

Residents of the Upper City occupy the vast majority of social resources, while residents of the Lower City often have to use what they have left. As for the residents of the Underground Grey River area, they can only make a living by doing heavy physical labor.

In this situation, some restless individuals will start to have wicked ideas, which is why the crime rate in Grey River remains high.

What Funina wanted was to raise enough Mora from these rich people to build the floating city, both to save Fontaine and to alleviate the gap between the rich and the poor.

After all, if a floating city is to be built, manpower is naturally indispensable. Residents of the lower city and even the Grey River can have a stable job and will not have to turn to illegal and criminal activities. It can be said to be a win-win situation.

So the question is, how can Funina get Mora out of the pockets of those rich people?

"Indulgences?" Furina thought that the prophecy said that Fontaine was born with original sin, so it made sense to use Mora to buy Indulgences from her, the "Goddess of Justice," in a way... right?

“If it doesn’t have any practical use, those rich people probably won’t buy it, right?” Richard didn’t believe that those wealthy businessmen would believe the argument that Fontainebleau people are born with original sin.

“Indeed, but if indulgences could really atone for sins, wouldn’t Fontaine be in big trouble?” Funina said with distress.

"How about the ship tickets? It's like selling insurance, guaranteeing survival even if the predicted crisis actually happens in the future. I think people would buy that, right?"

Richard nodded and then raised another question, "Even if they're willing to pay for an insurance policy, they probably won't agree to pay too much, right?"

“But if we ask for too little, it won’t be enough to build a floating city,” Funina said, rubbing her temples.

"It's reached a stalemate."

"It's reached a stalemate."

“How about trying to sell a concept?” Richard thought for a moment and said, “It’s like some real estate developers who sell houses to the public before they’ve even been built.”

"Although the floating city is still far from being realized, that doesn't stop us from selling the properties and shops on it. With the reputation of Momang Palace and Lady Funina as our guarantee, plus the gimmick of a floating city that will never be submerged, I think many people will be willing to buy it, right?"

"Great idea!" After hearing Richard's words, Funina's eyes lit up. The more she thought about it, the more feasible Richard's idea seemed.

As expected, asking Richard is always the right thing to do.

“However, there’s still a problem,” Richard said, holding up a finger. “We can’t be sure if Liyue will agree to license their technology to us. After all, everything we just discussed is based on the premise that they are willing to grant the license, isn’t it?”

"Should...right?"

“That means there’s a possibility of failure, so I don’t think Lady Funina needs to be in such a hurry. It’s not too late to consider the next step after we’ve reached a conclusion. In the meantime, we can rebuild the Academy of Sciences first.” Richard successfully steered the conversation back on track.

Seeing that Funina wanted to say something more, Richard added:

"I need to clarify that even if the previous management of the Fontaine Academy was corrupt and incompetent, it does not mean that all the researchers there were like that. In fact, even if two-thirds of the Fontaine Academy were wiped out, it still has considerable value."

"Take the patents accumulated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences over the years, for example. If managed properly, they can be a considerable asset."

"The Ministry of Finance can't allocate funds because it doesn't see any return on doing so. But if it weren't for free, but rather with patents as collateral, I think they wouldn't mind giving the current Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences a generous loan."

However, Funina didn't care whether the Academy of Sciences was rebuilt or not; her attention was completely drawn to Richard's statement that "the patents of the Fontaine Academy of Sciences are also a considerable fortune."

"Actually, the patents of the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences are very valuable?"

"It's very valuable."

"Then why don't they just sell them?"

"It's very simple. Under the current circumstances, without the approval of Mo Mang Palace, no one would dare to sell or buy it openly."

That would involve the resale of state-owned assets. Although the Fontaine Academy of Sciences is a private institution, the research it conducts is often supported by the Mo Mang Palace.

Therefore, those valuable research results do not belong entirely to any specific organization or individual, and must be sold only after obtaining the consent of the Mo Mang Palace.

This power used to be held by the Ministry of Education, but the current state of the Ministry of Education is well known. It cannot be said that it exists in name only, but it is not far from being defunct.

"So, if we agree, the Fontaine Academy of Sciences can use Mora to start the reconstruction project, and we can also get a large sum of Mora?" Funina's mind worked quickly, and she immediately understood Richard's meaning.

“That’s right, but it requires the Ministry of Education’s approval. Our city hall doesn’t have that authority.” Richard began to consciously guide the conversation.

"Didn't you say before that the Ministry of Education was going to be restructured? Since it's being restructured, its functions should also be redistributed. So, can we take over this function?"

Fulina remembered that Richard had mentioned this to her before, but at the time she was focused on promoting the 'thrift movement' and hadn't taken it to heart. Now that Richard mentioned it, she remembered it.

"I can't guarantee success, but it's worth a try." Richard didn't give a definitive answer.

But Funina already understood the subtext of those words. In her mind, Richard's words were automatically translated as: No problem, it will definitely succeed.

“Then go for it. I hope to see results this month,” said Funina.

Richard smiled upon receiving the answer he wanted, stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Yes, Lady Funina."

—It seems he has reached an agreement with Funina once again.

P.S.: I'm giving away a book called "Ironclad, But Dungeons Are Hellishly Difficult".

Synopsis: In the year 7375 of the Star Calendar, the arrival of the Sudden Chaos is imminent.

Even though Yu Tianyi knew what was going to happen, he was powerless to resist the overwhelming tide of the times.

Just when he had begun to give up and accept his fate, the cheat code that was activated after traveling more than a thousand years finally arrived. However, the beginning of the game was the timeline of Luofu's fall and Huanlong's success.

"You haven't even settled things in the real world, and you're asking me to save the world?"

Having lurked in Luofu for decades, controlling hundreds of millions of living beings, and turning the entire Immortal Ship Alliance into its main arena, Huanlong...

The locust swarm successfully swept across the galaxy, defeating the gods and preventing the birth of any 'god' for tens of thousands of years.

Awakened anew by the Temple of Order, bringing everything to a state of perfect, mechanical efficiency, the Heavenly Dao 'Taiyi' that dominates the universe...

The 'branches' are reversed from the moment of destruction, the timeline is reversed, leading all realms toward the primordial god of the end, the 'Last King'.

The locust plague apocalypse, the order of heaven, the end of time reversal... each challenge is incredibly difficult. Fortunately, this cheat is quite powerful; leveling up by defeating monsters is standard practice, and the rewards for completing the levels are generous.

Unbeknownst to him, he had already ascended to the position of 'god,' looking down upon the world.

However, it seems that this is just the beginning.

Volume 1: Chapter 100 Funina: So I haven't accomplished anything this year?

In the past month, ordinary people may not have felt anything, but in reality, a major reshuffle has taken place within the Mo Mang Palace, mainly in the reorganization of the Ministry of Education. Most of the original Ministry of Education officials have been dismissed, and the rest have been transferred to other departments.

However, unless these former Ministry of Education officials make some particularly outstanding contributions in the future, their future prospects will likely end there.

However, for Richard and other departments, this reorganization of the Ministry of Education was a power play, in which each group and department got what they wanted to varying degrees.

Even departments aligned with the Ministry of Education have reaped substantial benefits from their beloved allies.

Only a world where the Ministry of Education was injured was born.

Oh, it's no longer called the Ministry of Education, but the Education Reform Committee. However, the name doesn't really matter. Its main function is still to manage education in Fontaine, but half of its core functions have been taken over by the City Hall.

Take the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences as an example. It was originally under the management of the Ministry of Education before its reorganization, but now it is jointly managed by the City Hall and the Ministry of Education, and the power to appoint personnel (emphasis added) is managed by the City Hall.

In layman's terms, the Ministry of Education used to be the sole decision-maker, but now it's two people in charge. And of these two, the City Hall still holds the leading position, with the Ministry of Education playing a supporting role.

From then on, the Ministry of Education changed from an independent department to an appendage of the City Hall. Although it was still nominally on the same level as the City Hall, everyone now knew that the Ministry of Education had become a subordinate unit of the City Hall.

After all, the power to appoint personnel within the Ministry of Education had been taken over by the City Hall, and most of the officials in the reorganized Ministry of Education were also from the City Hall. It can be said that the reorganized Ministry of Education was a complete replica of the City Hall.

Of course, Richard didn't come away empty-handed. It was obviously impossible to expect other departments to sit idly by and watch the city hall grow stronger. So, during this reorganization meeting, he clarified the previously ambiguous division of powers between the city hall and other departments.

In layman's terms, it means returning the power that was previously seized from others.

This concludes the discussion on the reorganization of the Ministry of Education.

"This past month has been so boring..." Fu Ningna had thought that the reorganization of the Ministry of Education would unleash an unseen storm.

The outcome was so calm that the matter was settled without any ripples.

In dramas, shouldn't political struggles like this always involve open and covert attacks, back and forth, and a battle of wits between masters?

Even Frynn had considered the possibility that someone might hire someone to assassinate or threaten Richard for personal gain, although she knew that if that were the case, the one who should be worried wouldn't be Richard, but the hired assassin. But in the end, nothing happened; the Ministry of Education was like a fish on a chopping block, completely at their mercy.

Richard's assessment of this was: "Politics is inherently a very boring thing."

"Has Lady Funina not gotten used to it yet?"

Funina leaned on the table, fiddling with the white hair on her forehead, and replied, "Really? I thought it was quite fun before, even a little... scary?"

She still vividly remembers her first press conference after taking office and Charlotte's interview during her subsequent street speech; both times, Furnessa was truly drenched in sweat.

“Those are just isolated cases; normalcy is the norm.” Richard paused, then added, “If problems were constantly arising within the Mo Mang Palace, then we should be worried, shouldn’t we?”

“Indeed.” Funina thought Richard made sense.

"Speaking of which, the selection of Fontaine's most influential people this year should be held soon." Richard pointed to the most prominent section on the Steambird newspaper's homepage.

The selection of the most influential people in various fields in Fontainebleau is a regular program of Steambird Newspaper near the end of the year. Every year, the top three most influential people in each industry are selected, along with their contributions and achievements to the industry in recent years.

In addition, this selection will also establish an overall list, which will put the most influential people on the list together for comparison.

This list is not just something Steambird Newspaper created to attract attention and increase sales. In fact, the ranking of the most influential people in various industries on the overall list can also show the influence of the industries they represent in Fontainebleau.

Fu Ningna didn't even glance at it before confidently stating, "I've never stepped down from this ranking since it was first established, and this year should be no exception. It's just a matter of first or second place."

Indeed, this is true. Funinna's popularity in Fontaine has always been far ahead of others. No matter who comes to Fontaine, the only person who cannot be ignored here is Fontaine's water goddess, Funinna.

Because you can't easily see the gods of any country in Liyue, Mondstadt, or Inazuma, but in Fontaine, you only need to buy a ticket to the Opiclie Opera House, or go to watch the trial presided over by Navelette, and you will most likely see Frynn in the theater.

If you're lucky enough, you might even see Funina perform on stage herself and be captivated by her superb acting skills and impeccable performance.

"However, this year seems to be different from previous years."

Claude joined the conversation, holding up the newspaper and pointing to the political section, which listed 'Frinna de Fontaine' as one of the most influential people in politics this year.

"In addition to being selected as the most influential person in the entertainment category, Lady Funina also seems to have been selected as the most influential person in the political category."

Richard, having just finished listening, happened to turn to that page and raised an eyebrow, saying, "That's true."

“What’s so strange about that? Doesn’t it just prove that no matter what field I’m in, I’ll be a leader in it? After all, I’m a god!” Funina proudly raised her head and put her hands on her hips as she spoke.

The tuft of hair on its head twitched slightly, and amidst its pride, it glanced at Richard, as if to say: 'Look, this water god is just that excellent! Where are the applause? Where are the flowers? Where are the words of praise?'

There was no applause, no flowers, and certainly no praise.

Richard frowned slightly and said, "But this isn't exactly a good thing..."

Upon hearing Richard's words, Funina's heart skipped a beat, and the proud little expression on her face immediately changed color. She asked nervously, "Why?"

“Because those who have previously entered this political sector seem to have all met with bad ends,” Claude continued. “Last year, the most influential person in the political sector seemed to be the incumbent Minister of Education…”

“Minister of Education…” Fulina knew that person; by now, he must have driven all the sewing machines in Mello Petersburg to the brink of smoke.

It is said that he was granted permanent residency in Melo Petersburg because of the huge amount of money he embezzled and the serious social impact it caused.

"The highest-ranking most influential official two years ago was the incoming Minister of State Administration; now he should have successfully joined forces with the Minister of Education in Melo Petersburg," Richard added.

Come to think of it, the previous Minister of State was sent to prison by himself. The main reason was that the guy was greedy and insatiable. He could have easily retired when Richard no longer needed him if he had just been obedient.

However, whether he had lost his mind or was blinded by false honor, after Richard strengthened the city hall through a series of means, he thought he had accumulated enough power and wanted to kick Richard aside and play with him. He even sent assassins to kill Richard.

As a result, despite committing countless crimes such as murder, embezzlement, and harboring criminals, he still received a permanent residence permit in Mero Petersburg.

"The leading figure in the political arena two years ago should have been the former Minister of Finance. He had just completed his first year in office and introduced many measures that were beneficial to the economy, but he was caught red-handed by the special patrol team because he liked to travel in groups... Judging by the time, he should have been released from prison by now."

Clarinde seemed to want to give some more examples, but was stopped by Frynn, who was covered in sweat.

"Stop, stop, stop... You don't need to say anymore." Fu Ningna felt that this was no longer a list of the most politically influential people, but a list of people in prison!

"What about Villette? Why isn't he on this list?" Furina suddenly thought that if there was one political figure that Fontaine couldn't ignore, it should be the Supreme Judge Villette, right?

"Lord Navelette is the most influential figure in the legal field, and the public's impression of him is limited to him being the most impartial and selfless judge in all of Fontaine. As for his political influence, it seems that he doesn't have much. Have you heard of any policies that Navelette has introduced?" Clarinde asked.

"Doesn't the last crackdown on organized crime count?" Funina quickly asked.

“Yes, but wasn’t it held in your name? After it was successfully held, you even held a press conference, don’t you remember?” Claurind replied.

“Okay, it seems so…” Funina clasped her hands together and pressed them against her forehead, her face completely shrouded in shadow, her whole person like an oil painting that had lost its color, with only gray and white lines remaining.

"Actually, these mysterious things are not entirely true; there must have been exceptions over the years."

"For example?" Funina looked at Richard expectantly.

Richard subtly shifted his gaze.

Oh dear, I can't look you in the eye!

The light of 'hope' in Funina's eyes gradually faded.

"Compared to this nomination, shouldn't you be considering your achievements during your term, as they are publicly announced?" Richard said.

"Achievements? Aren't they many?"

"for example?"