Yes, Furina-sama!

"Mondstadt? Wouldn't that make it even worse?" Richard frowned. "Everyone knows Mondstadt is the city of freedom, but many Mondstadters seem to misunderstand what 'freedom' truly means. They constantly act in bizarre, irrational ways just to prove how free they are."

"And a lot of them use freedom as an excuse to harm others' interests, leading to sky-high crime rates. Honestly, Mondstadters are among the most troublesome of all refugees."

It was clear that Richard held little affection for people from Mondstadt, or more specifically, Mondstadt refugees. But it wasn't because he was biased or some sort of Mondstadt hater.

In fact, he had lived in Mondstadt before. He had fond memories of it, and he still visited from time to time.

But he hadn't even returned to Inazuma.

The real problem was that, during previous refugee resettlement efforts in Fontaine, the Mondstadt refugees had left a deep impression on him, a problematic one.

Of course, it wasn't just Mondstadters. Refugees from all six nations had their own sets of problems, cultural differences, local customs, religious beliefs, and so on.

To put it bluntly, Richard equally disliked anyone who brought him trouble.

That said, not all refugees were bad people, he wasn't about to judge everyone unfairly.

Still, one question lingered: Why were the majority of this refugee group from Mondstadt?

Usually, refugee waves were a mix from every nation, like a stew.

Furina had an explanation ready:

"There was a dragon disaster in Mondstadt. The city suffered heavy losses. Many residents, fearing another attack, fled for safety. Most went to Liyue, but a small group traveled by boat from Cider Lake and followed the river upstream to Fontaine…"

"…Don't tell me you didn't know about this? Even I heard about it!" she added.

Richard stood frozen, as if thunderstruck.

"What… did you just say?"

"I said, don't tell me you didn't know? Even I heard-"

"Not that. The sentence before that."

"…Most people went to Liyue, and a small group sailed from Cider Lake—"

"Go back to the very first sentence!"

"…There was a dragon disaster in Mondstadt. The city suffered heavy losses."

"!!!" Richard's pupils dilated in shock.

No way.

He had just been thinking that Mondstadt was safer than Fontaine, and now she was telling him Mondstadt had a dragon disaster?

'What about Klee? Was she okay?

'No, she should still be with the Knights of Favonius. Even though most of their elite forces were out on expedition, Mondstadt still had powerful defenders. She should be safe.'

'But… what if? What if Klee snuck out to go fish-blasting again and happened to run into the dragon?'

'And wasn't it a common trope in stories that dragons loved elves the most?'

'If something happened to Klee, even a scratch-'

'No.'

Just thinking about it made it hard for Richard to breathe.

There were very few people he genuinely cared about, but Klee was easily in the top three. You could say… she was one of Richard's greatest weaknesses.

"…What does the Knights of Favonius say about this?" he asked, forcing himself to stay calm.

"The Knights? How would I know what they said? The Steambird didn't report anything," Furina replied, noting that her info came from today's paper.

Richard stood up straight. "Lady Furina, in the spirit of humanitarian aid, under the Five Principles of Friendly Inter-Nation Relations, the Teyvat Disaster Relief Manual, and the Mondstadt Tourism Regulations, I believe we should initiate diplomatic talks with Mondstadt and consider providing appropriate assistance."

'…What Five Principles? What Manual? What Tourism Regulations?'

Furina had no idea what Richard was rambling about, but she did catch one keyword: "assistance."

Her eyes lit up. "So you agree to let the Mondstadt refugees into Fontaine proper?!"

After all, providing aid naturally included accepting refugees, right?

"Ah, no."

Everything had its place. Sure, aid was one thing, but letting refugees into Fontaine's capital city was non-negotiable. Fontaine had plenty of space, Poisson Town,Mont Automnequi, Loch Urania all livable. Why was Furina so set on cramming them into the already overcrowded capital?

Didn't she know even the Fleuve Cendre slums were full of squatters now?

"Why not?!" Furina protested angrily.

"I don't understand, Lady Furina, why you're so insistent on bringing people into the capital. Are you not aware of how much trouble that will cause?" Richard sighed. "Just take the nobles in the Quartier Narbonnais, for example, there's no way they'll stand for this."

This was the first time Richard had spoken so plainly.

In the past, Furina hadn't been very involved in Fontaine's administration. She'd mostly served as a symbolic figure, Fontaine's mascot Archon.

Naturally, she didn't catch on to his office jargon or subtle implications.

So, Richard decided that in private, it was best to speak as clearly as possible.

Though not too clearly, because if she fully understood, managing her would become more difficult.

It was like flirting: too blunt, and it's awkward; too subtle, and it goes over their head. That sweet, hazy middle ground was the most effective.

"Then what do you suggest?" Furina shot back, tossing the problem back at Richard.

And she made it clear: if he couldn't give her a plan that satisfied her, they'd go with her original idea.

"…What about the Opera Epiclese?" Richard offered, after thinking it over.

"There's a commercial street under construction nearby, it's owned by the Palais Mermonia. The main buildings are already up, but they haven't been leased out yet. We can use it as a temporary aid station."

It wasn't huge, but it was large enough to house the current wave of Mondstadt refugees.

And if Furina was right, that these people were only temporarily fleeing and would return home once the dragon disaster passed, then there wouldn't be much loss in doing this.

As for whether the Knights of Favonius could handle the dragon disaster?

Richard's answer: Yes.

The outcome was inevitable, they would solve it. The only question was how long it would take.

Furina listened carefully, then smiled like a cat that just got the cream. She was afraid Richard might change his mind, so she quickly agreed.

"One word and it's settled!"

As decisive as if that had been her plan all along.

Richard's eyes widened slightly in realization.

'Wait a second… Did she just outmaneuver me?

He couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.

'So this… was Furina's thousand-layered scheme.'