"Scheming... Heh, Yae Miko, you always did love overthinking things." Richard chuckled lightly, showing not the slightest concern for Yae Miko's subtle threats.
Seeing how relaxed Richard was, Yae Miko couldn't help but second-guess herself. Had she misjudged the situation again?
Past experiences had taught her to tread carefully around this man. After all, he was decisive to a fault; when he chose to leave Inazuma, he vanished without hesitation. If she couldn't find the right leverage, he could easily disappear on her again.
After so many years, she had finally gotten solid information about him. There was no way she would let him slip through her fingers a second time.
She had to think long-term. For individuals like them, time was the cheapest currency.
'Patience, Yae Miko. You've waited this long. What's a little more time?'
After a moment of mental preparation, her expression softened, her frosty demeanor once again hidden behind a flirtatious mask.
"Just a little joke, Secretary General Richard. I hope you don't mind," she said with a coy smile.
"Of course not, Lady Guuji," Richard replied with a warm grin. "After all, you're a guest. And guests who aren't familiar with the local situation are bound to make a few mistaken judgments. It's perfectly understandable."
Though he appeared to be politely responding to her comment, his words carried a pointed message: If she was planning to stir up public pressure or manipulate interest groups into forcing his hand, she could forget it.
Neither Richard nor Neuvillette would ever allow such a thing to happen.
And as long as they stood firm, no one in Fontaine could bypass them to negotiate with Inazuma directly.
Unless, of course, they all fancied a family trip to the Fortress of Meropide.
As for the Hydro Archon, that depended on whether those interest groups could even influence Furina in the first place.
If those fools, blinded by greed, actually managed to go around Richard and approach Furina directly, then Richard might as well resign from his post and follow Yae Miko to Inazuma as her live-in boy toy.
"Mistaken judgment? Not at all. In fact, I think this move of mine worked quite well. Look, you're sitting right here in front of me, aren't you?" Yae Miko smiled slyly.
Now that her initial urgency had passed, she appeared far more composed and in control.
She idly toyed with the ornament on her ear, a subtle gesture meant to say: I'm not the one who's desperate anymore. And just maybe, she was inviting him to make the next move.
Yae Miko wasn't naive enough to believe that her little gestures could unsettle the man in front of her. If Richard were really that easy to handle, then back during the duel before the throne, where she held every advantage, she wouldn't have lost so thoroughly.
Sometimes, Yae Miko wondered: 'What if she had won that duel? Would everything have turned out differently?'
But the moment that thought arose, she knew it was meaningless. She had lost—utterly. Just as Kujou Sara had never managed to get the better of her, Yae Miko herself had never once managed to defeat Richard.
Maybe if she had managed to win just once, she wouldn't be so obsessed with him now.
After a century, Richard had practically become her fixation, just like how Ei had gotten stuck in her own head and refused to move forward.
"True enough," Richard replied coolly. "But have you considered, when people realize that the sweet coating hides a poison pill underneath, there's bound to be... backlash?"
Yae Miko had already anticipated this angle and was fully prepared.
"You're referring to the Tatarigami's dangers, I assume?" she said smoothly. "Sorry to disappoint you. Before coming here, I commissioned a thorough safety assessment of the project by recognized experts in Fontaine."
"With the renowned Fontaine Research Institute vouching for its safety, I doubt even the Palais Mermonia can intervene on hypothetical risks alone, wouldn't you say?"
.......
"So… we really can't do anything at all?" Furina asked reluctantly after hearing Richard's explanation.
Knowing the other side had come with bad intentions yet still being powerless to stop them, even on her own turf, left her feeling extremely frustrated.
After all, even as the Hydro Archon, Furina couldn't just forbid her people from pursuing a better life without good reason.
Sure, nothing ever comes free from the sky, but the pie Yae Miko was offering looked so delicious and so convincing. The enormous profits and prestige it promised stirred everyone's hearts.
Furina's included.
After all, Inazuma's push for foreign investment wasn't just some economic move, it symbolized Fontaine's expanding influence over Inazuma, a flood of incoming Mora, and, if this new "Jade Steel" was truly as powerful as Yae Miko claimed, it could revolutionize Fontaine's mechanical industry.
Technological progress often hinges on material breakthroughs. Without the right materials, even the best ideas are just that, ideas. You can't cook without ingredients, no matter how skilled the chef.
"There is… a way," Richard said at last.
"Do tell," Furina replied immediately, her eyes lighting up. She could tell by his confident tone that he had a plan.
"First, we can question the credibility of the report. Point out that the Fontaine Research Institute assessment might be biased or influenced by bribery, after all, the Institute has had its fair share of scandals in recent years, hasn't it?"
"But wouldn't that just offend them?" Furina asked, more cautious now after her previous mistakes.
She wasn't afraid of the Institute, per se, but stirring up internal conflict without good cause would just be a waste of energy.
"You're right," Richard nodded. "Which is why we'll approach it differently."
He handed her a pen and a blank sheet of paper.
Furina took them, confused. "What is this for?"
"Imagine this is a highly authoritative report," Richard said calmly. "All it needs is your signature, and Fontaine will enjoy more jobs, stronger economic growth, and a better political image."
"But," he continued, "if something goes wrong, you take the blame. You'll have to apologize publicly, your reputation will be ruined, and you'll be forced to resign. In the worst case… exile to the Fortress of Meropide."
"Would you still sign it then, Lady Furina?"
Furina thought for a moment, then asked, "Would it help Fontaine?"
"It would."
"Then I'll sign it," she declared decisively.
Richard was momentarily surprised by her boldness. After a beat, he added, "And if it really goes wrong, you might be sent to Meropide."
"Then… maybe I'll reconsider." Furina shrank back slightly, her earlier decisiveness fading in an instant. "A decision this big shouldn't be made rashly. That would be irresponsible to the people and to myself."
When it came down to it, Furina still had her priorities straight. Even if she stepped down as Minister, she'd still be the Hydro Archon.
But if she ended up in prison, the Fortress of Meropide certainly wouldn't treat her kindly just because of her divine status.
Even if they did show her some leniency, it would be nothing compared to the life she had now.
Still, Richard's mock scenario had clearly conveyed the message he wanted to get across…
Furina now had a sense of what he intended to do.