Yes, Furina-sama!

Inside a meeting room opposite the Knights of Favonius' banquet hall, Furina and Jean sat facing each other across a long table, with Richard seated beside Furina.

At the entrance stood two elite Knights of Favonius and Furina's own bodyguards, keeping watch.

This was an informal meeting; its purpose was to allow both leaders to freely exchange views, clarify each other's intentions, and pave the way for better cooperation between their sides.

"Honorable Lady Furina, my side has already been briefed on your intentions through Fontaine's diplomatic envoy here in Mondstadt. But just to be sure, I'd like to confirm a few things directly with you."

"Go ahead. When it comes to cooperation between two nations, you can never be too cautious. Say what you need to confirm," Furina replied.

She placed her slender hands together on the table, her slim back perfectly straight, her delicate, beautiful face wearing an elegant and divine smile, radiating an aura that made her personal charm irresistible.

Even Jean, who was devoted to the Anemo Archon, couldn't help but feel genuine admiration for this kind and compassionate god before her.

"It's about asking you to personally take action, to deal with the true culprit behind this dragon calamity."

As soon as Jean said this, she saw Furina's eyes widen, her graceful smile freezing in place. For a moment, she looked like someone who had been put on pause.

"Lady Furina?" Jean prompted.

After a brief moment of shock, Furina raised one hand to her lips, let out a soft cough, and said, "Ahem… Did I agree to that?"

At the same time, under the table, Furina was using her round-toed little leather shoe to keep tapping Richard's foot, her signal for him to step in and explain what on earth was going on.

"Yes, Lady Furina," Richard answered calmly.

Furina turned her head sharply to look at him, her small mouth slightly agape, her breathing quickened, her nostrils flaring, and her mismatched eyes filled with disbelief.

'When did this happen? Why didn't I know?!'

'You want me to deal with that dragon? Wouldn't that just boost its kill count?!'

'So this is how you're using the power I gave you? Wait… didn't I not even give you full authorization yet?!'

Feeling his superior's increasingly dangerous glare and the pressure of her little shoe jabbing his foot harder and harder, Richard calmly continued,

"Based on what we know, the dragon attacking Mondstadt should be the 'Dragon of the East Wind' Dvalin, one of Mondstadt's Four Winds Protectors, right?"

Jean was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Although we don't know exactly why Lord Dvalin would attack Mondstadt, I'm sure there must be a special reason."

"So what you really want is not to eliminate Dvalin, but to find out why his nature has changed so drastically," Richard said, pinpointing the heart of the matter.

This was clear from how the Fatui had also offered to "deal with" the Stormterror, and Mondstadt had declined.

Mondstadt clearly understood that the Fatui weren't some charitable organization; if they were willing to step in, it was only because they coveted the power of one blessed by the Anemo Archon.

"Exactly. And in fact, we already have some clues, thanks to a traveler from another land, who now serves as the Knights of Favonius' Honorary Knight," Jean explained.

"Honorary Knight… Come to think of it, I think I've also been granted that title before. Can't quite remember when, but… about a hundred years ago, maybe?" Richard said thoughtfully.

'Living this long does have its perks', he mused, 'Nobody can pull seniority on you. Not even Acting Grand Master Jean or Varka the Grand Master himself, they were technically all his juniors if it came down to it.'

Furina, meanwhile, couldn't have cared less about Richard's old honorary titles. She didn't care if he told her he'd once been a Fatui Harbinger; all she cared about now was:

'Are you seriously expecting me to fight that so-called Stormterror?!'

If that really was the plan, Fontaine might want to start looking for a new Hydro Archon.

In fact, the moment she'd heard Jean say "personally take action," Furina had felt the urge to sail back to Fontaine that very night with her entire ship in tow.

She was starting to suspect Richard was plotting to replace her with someone else.

'When have I ever wronged you, huh?! I even share my desserts with you!'

Right now, Furina was feeling very afraid, very angry, and very ready to go home.

'Mondstadt isn't fun at all!'

'I want to go home!'

"Actually, solving this might be much easier than we think," Richard said calmly. "At the very least, we don't have to fight the Stormterror head-on. If we're lucky, we might not have to fight it at all."

Furina perked up immediately. "Explain."

"I'm guessing that Honorary Knight must have told you: Dvalin was controlled by certain malicious people, which is why he attacked Mondstadt," Richard said.

"And if anyone has the means to control a powerful creature like Dvalin, besides the Fatui, it could only be the Abyss Order."

Jean stared at Richard in surprise. 'How did he figure that out?!'

"Oh, that wasn't a guess," Richard said lightly. "I heard it from the uncles and aunties who live near your Knights' headquarters."

Jean: "..."

She distinctly remembered telling the Knights to keep this information strictly confidential.

'Never mind. It didn't really matter anymore, since Richard already knew, at least it saved her the trouble of explaining.'

After listening to Richard's analysis, Furina summed it up crisply: "So all we need to do is deal with this Abyss Order, and Mondstadt's dragon calamity will be resolved."

"Exactly, Lady Furina," Richard confirmed.

"And this Abyss Order… will be easy to deal with?" Furina asked.

"If you're by my side, Lady Furina, I'm sure it'll be no trouble at all," Richard said smoothly.

Furina understood immediately, Richard was saying he would handle everything himself. All she needed to do was stand next to him and wait for him to feed her the credit on a silver platter.

In the end, she wouldn't just have resolved Mondstadt's dragon crisis, she'd have crushed an evil force's plot too. Once word of this reached Fontaine, the fame she'd gain was unimaginable!

By then, she would firmly secure her status as the Hydro Archon in the eyes of all. A terrifying dragon that an entire nation couldn't subdue, and she resolved it the moment she arrived? Who else but a god could achieve that?!

It would be an undeniable miracle!