"Richard, come take a look at these newspapers. How did you manage this?" Furina's almond-shaped eyes sparkled with astonishment. She had been bracing for disaster, only to now be told that the situation had been suppressed.
"It's quite simple, Lady Furina. Everything has its weakness. You just need to find the right leverage point to move forces far greater than yourself."
Furina tilted her head curiously. "And the leverage point you found was…?"
"Newspapers operate for profit. As long as the benefits I offered outweighed what they stood to gain from publishing scandals about the Hydro Archon, the editors-in-chief were more than willing to consider the greater good—for you and for all of Fontaine."
Furina's expression shifted. "You didn't… bribe them, did you?"
Of course, Richard wouldn't make such a rookie mistake. But instead of explaining right away, he posed a question of his own, almost like a test. "Setting that aside, Lady Furina, do you have a better solution?"
"N-No, but bribery is illegal, isn't it? Both giving and accepti-"
"If we don't get caught, then it's not a crime." Richard threw her own words back at her, the same ones she had used to shut him down just days ago.
"Or perhaps Lady Furina is so morally upright that she'd rather resign as Minister of Administration and take a trip to Meropide than break the law?"
Furina's face stiffened as her mind raced, searching for flaws in his logic, desperate to find a counterargument.
But Richard didn't give her the chance. "In fact, Lady Furina, you've already broken the law. Isn't worrying about legality a bit too late now?"
Her shoulders slumped. He was right—she had violated the law. At this point, fretting over it was pointless.
Who would've thought that even the God of Justice herself would knowingly break the law one day?
"Mmm… maybe I'm just not cut out to be Minister of Administration…" Furina let out a defeated whimper, as if she had just suffered a crushing Waterloo.
Richard very much wanted to correct her. 'Waterloo refers to a fall from the peak, Lady Furina. You've never even reached the peak. You've just been sliding this whole time...'
But if the Hydro Archon truly gave up and resigned, that wouldn't serve Richard's own interests either.
Truth be told, ever since seeing through Furina's outwardly strong but inwardly fragile nature, his plans had shifted from self-preservation to offense.
Much like how Cao Cao initially just wanted to be an official, only to realize the Han Dynasty was hollow at its core and decided to start his own enterprise, Richard now harbored ambitions of his own.
As the saying goes, "A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier". If Richard could control the Hydro Archon, he would, in effect, wield her divine authority.
'What the Hydro Archon doesn't dare to oversee, I will oversee. What the Hydro Archon doesn't dare to do, I will do. Step by step, I would climb higher, until— Ahem.'
"Lady Furina, there's no need for such pessimism. In truth, resorting to illegal means to circumvent the law is the worst of the worst strategies. I never actually promised those editors anything; I merely gave them a few hints within the bounds of the rules." Richard smiled.
"Hints?" Furina blinked, struggling to follow.
"I simply informed them that your decision to shut down that newspaper had deeper reasons. To ensure journalistic integrity and fairness, it would be unwise for them to jump to conclusions. After all, if the final outcome contradicted their reports, the consequences would be… unbearable for them."
"And this brings me to the second principle I wish to impart: when the losses you can inflict exceed the gains your opponent stands to make, you gain leverage in negotiations."
"But… isn't this just changing an immediate death sentence to a suspended one?" The brief glimmer of hope in Furina's eyes dimmed again.
It was just delaying the inevitable. 'Wait—what if I just resign? Maybe then they won't hold me accountable?' Furina naively wondered.
'For a god to stoop to this level… she really is one of a kind.'
Richard saw right through her desire to retreat. With a tone of exasperation, he said, "It's not just about delay, it buys us room to maneuver. Sometimes, just a little space is all you need to turn a bad situation around."
"You mean… we can still salvage this?" Furina perked up, eyes bright with excitement.
"Not we—you." Richard made it clear that she was the one at risk, not him. After all, the responsibility lay entirely with her, he had warned her, and as a seasoned bureaucrat, he had long since absolved himself of any blame.
At worst, he'd face some meaningless internal reprimand from the Ministry. Three cups of self-punishment, and it'll all blow over.
Suddenly, Furina grabbed his hand with an almost divine epiphany. In her most reverent tone, she pleaded, "Sir Richard… teach me."
The clever archon didn't say "save me"—she said "teach me." It sounded more dignified and, at least in her mind, preserved some semblance of her authority.
At this point, the mighty Hydro Archon had already fallen far enough. She'd even cried in front of him—what was left of her pride didn't matter anymore.
The current Furina was like a girl who had already been broken in—no matter what was done to her now, she wouldn't put up much resistance.
"Easy enough. In truth, Lady Furina, all we need is a plausible justification for the shutdown, and all our problems disappear."
Here, Richard adopted a look of remorse.
"I must confess—due to an oversight in my work, the initial shutdown order lacked supporting documentation. The Maison Gardiennage, given the urgency of the operation, didn't have time to thoroughly review it. So now, we need to draft a new report for the archives."
"The Maison Gardiennage would never be so carel—oh~" Realization dawned on Furina, and she smirked knowingly.
Struggling to suppress a grin, she replied with mock severity, "Secretary Richard, this is a grave professional error. However, given the Ministry's recent workload, such oversights are understandable. Just don't let it happen again."
"Thank you for your leniency, Lady Furina." Richard bowed slightly, playing along with her magnanimous act.
Lynette, watching the two of them perform this back-and-forth, suddenly thought 'This archon might actually be well-suited for politics. They're both born actors.'
"So… have you thought of a reason yet?" Furina pressed eagerly.
"Of course, Lady Furina. In this world, love and hatred are never without cause. No one slanders their own nation's god for no reason. That newspaper's targeting of you couldn't have been accidental—there must be deeper motives behind it."
"All we need to do now is uncover those motives, and everything will fall into place..."