The roar of the waterfall drowned out the hustle and bustle of the harbor. Looking up, a massive lift mechanism, over a hundred meters tall, connected to the Fontaine mainland. Merchants and travelers from every nation had to ride these contraptions to enter the Court of Fontaine.
Due to the sheer volume of traffic, multiple lifts operated simultaneously at the Lumidouce Harbor. Even so, reaching the top of the waterfall still required a considerable wait in a queue.
Of course, the delegation from Inazuma visiting Fontaine did not need to queue. Fontaine officials had prepared an exclusive lift for them well in advance.
After reaching the top of the waterfall, the Inazuman delegation would board a Clementine Line's aquabus to venture deep into the heart of the Hydro Archon's domain until they arrived at the Court of Fontaine, where formal discussion would be held in the diplomatic reception hall of the Palais Mermonia.
By the time the delegation led by Yae Miko arrived at the reception hall, Furina and Richard were already waiting, accompanied by several officials from the diplomatic department.
"Honored envoys from afar, I, Focalors, Hydro Archon and Minister of Administration, welcome you to Fontaine." Furina rose gracefully, her impeccable etiquette befitting a head of state.
Even Richard had to admit that when it came to dealing with people, Furina really had a certain flair
With her striking appearance and polished manners, she was more than capable of serving as Fontaine's ambassadorial figurehead, and in fact, she already was.
Truly, Fontaine's finest mascot.
"Esteemed Lady Furina, it's a pleasure to meet you. And this gentleman by your side is…?" Yae Miko's mature and alluring face wore just the right amount of puzzled curiosity, as though she truly didn't recognize Richard.
Richard's mouth twitched slightly. 'This fox was still as petty as ever. After all these years, she still made sure to give him a little jab the moment they met again.'
"This is my Secretary General, Richard," Furina said, dutifully introducing him to Yae Miko, though she found the situation a bit odd.
'Didn't Richard say they already knew each other? What was going on now?
Furina shot Richard a look, silently trying to communicate, but he didn't respond.
"So it's Secretary General Richard, my apologies. The moment I saw you, you reminded me of an old acquaintance," Yae smiled, her tone dripping with honeyed amusement.
"I'm sure that acquaintance would be delighted to know you still think of him, Lady Guuji," Richard replied with a smile.
"No, I think that old acquaintance is celebrating too soon."
Richard: "…"
Once everyone was seated, Furina subtly nudged Richard with her elbow and whispered, "What's going on between you two?"
'Why did it seem like Richard and Yae Miko's relationship wasn't exactly… friendly?'
'Weren't they supposed to be old acquaintances?'
Richard replied in a low voice, "Being old acquaintances doesn't mean we got along. After all, enemies are a kind of old acquaintance, too."
Furina's eyes widened.
Then he added, "Though I wouldn't say we're enemies, exactly. But we're definitely not friendly. It's complicated, not something I can explain in a few words."
Furina gave up on trying to spark a conversation with Richard. Since the relationship wasn't as cordial as she had hoped, she decided to follow standard diplomatic procedure.
After some brief pleasantries, both sides moved on to the main topic, though only touching the surface. For matters of state between nations, it was unrealistic to expect everything to be resolved in one meeting.
So after a short discussion, they chose to end the meeting and reconvene in a few days.
Once the meeting concluded, news of Yae Miko's arrival in Fontaine and her meeting with the Hydro Archon at the Palais Mermonia quickly spread.
While ordinary citizens didn't pay much attention, the business and scientific communities in Fontaine were watching closely.
According to reliable sources from The Steambird, the Guuji's visit was to attract investment, a notion that excited many Fontaine merchants.
Meanwhile, the scientific community was intrigued by her need to recruit a consulting team to assist in the development and mass production of "Jade Steel."
After all, Inazuma's Jade Steel was a renowned specialty alloy. Known for its durability and sharpness, Fontaine imported small quantities every year for use in high-precision specialized machinery.
Fontaine scientists had long been interested in this material, but the manufacturing method remained a closely guarded secret in Inazuma, out of reach for Fontaine researchers.
Now that Inazuma required Fontaine's consultants to participate in a new mass-production project for Jade Steel, it was an unprecedented opportunity to study its properties and production techniques firsthand. Many scientists were tempted.
After all, any significant breakthrough could bring not just immense prestige, but also wealth and status.
Furina had already dealt with no fewer than five merchant representatives and multiple delegates from various Fontaine academies.
Among them, representatives from the Academy of Materials Science were especially persistent, visiting several times. Eventually, Furina handed the task off to Richard.
Richard, in turn, told Lynette to just brush them off. Lynette, always efficient, simply added the persistent representative to the "blacklist" for receptions.
She even warned the man that if he continued pestering the city hall, he'd be prosecuted for disrupting its normal operations.
The effect was solid,at least the representative no longer showed up inside the city hall. However, he hadn't given up entirely and was now waiting in the first-floor lobby of the Palais Mermonia.
After all, the city hall was located on the second floor of the Palais Mermonia, and waiting in the lobby didn't technically interfere with its operations, so the city hall had no grounds to sue him.
Furina didn't mind, her residence was at the very top floor of the Pavilion. Once off duty, she just went straight upstairs.
To outsiders, Richard and Lynette didn't appear to be decision-makers, so few people bothered them once they left the building.
But things couldn't go on like this. The front desk staff had already started complaining that their workload had become overwhelming.
They now had to receive several times more guests than usual, many of whom were wealthy merchants or prominent scholars. These influential individuals brought a wave of followers eager to network, turning the Palais Mermonia into something of a social club.
Faced with these mounting complaints, Furina looked to Richard for help.
After all, while Furina could play the mascot role, expecting her to outmaneuver a bunch of scheming elites was asking too much.
Richard decided to seek out Yae Miko for a private talk. He didn't believe the growing crowd of notables at the Pavilion was a coincidence.
As for the idea that Yae Miko held no power in Fontaine and had no way to command such people?
Heh. Nothing drives people more than profit.