Genshin Impact: Funina's Official Pastry Chef

Chapter 546: Caterpillar (Part )

"Hehe...good wine...hehehehe..."

Wendy held the glass high in her hand. The deep red wine looked extremely gorgeous under the refraction of light, just like a red rose.

Looking at the drunk Wendy, Zhongli shook his head helplessly, then pushed the teacup in front of him in front of him, and continued to drink tea in silence.

Columbia was holding a glass of orange juice, sipping it in small sips, and judging from her fluttering ear feathers...she must be in a good mood.

But Funina, who was also holding orange juice, seemed a little unhappy, because what she actually wanted to drink was wine! This was Chang Ming's treasure, so what was wrong with her drinking a few sips as his wife?

But as soon as her little hand approached anything related to wine, Chang Ming would take it away without leaving a trace and then hand it to her with a smile.

Faced with Chang Ming's behavior, Funina could only puff up her mouth like a cute little pufferfish and drink her juice with a huff.

Looking at the people around him, Xianyun was a little dazed for a moment.

The current gathering scene reminded her of the scene when all the immortals gathered in the past.

But...some old friends have remained in the past, and that kind of scene will never reappear in front of me.

Thinking of this, Xianyun felt a little regretful for a moment, but it was just a regret.

People always have to look forward.

But even though I said that, the regret and sadness in my heart cannot be eliminated in a short time.

Zhongli seemed to have sensed Xianyun's mood. He slowly put down the teacup, his golden eyes quietly looking at the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and said softly:

"...I want to buy osmanthus flowers and carry them with wine, but it's not like the time when I was young...Let the past be the past, they don't want to see you sad every time at this time."

"Um..."

Xianyun nodded gently, then pushed away the teacup in front of him, poured himself a glass of red wine and drank it slowly.

Seeing this, Zhongli shook his head helplessly and didn't say much. After all, this kind of thing couldn't be solved by other people's persuasion. One had to think it through clearly on his own.

......

As time passed, the amount of drinks and dishes on the table decreased little by little, and this banquet for foreign guests was about to come to an end.

Looking at Wendy, who was fast asleep on the table due to being drunk, Chang Ming felt a little embarrassed for a moment.

He was the first one to shout for a drink, and he was also the one who got drunk the fastest. I don't know if this is because he is both a greenhorn and a playful person, or because there is a big difference in the alcohol content between red wine and fruit wine.

"Hey... I'll find someone to take Wendy back to the hotel..."

Chang Ming shook his head helplessly, then walked out of the private room and came to the front desk of Debo Hotel.

Just as he was about to arrange Wendy's affairs with the waiter in front of him, the waiter spoke before he could:

"Ah! Mr. Chang Ming, you're just in time. Miss Clorinde came to see you just now. I told her that you were receiving foreign guests, and she left me this note and asked me to pass it to you before leaving."

As the waiter spoke, he handed the note to Chang Ming, who took it in confusion. After taking a quick look at it, he nodded as if he understood.

"Okay, thank you. Please arrange for someone to take the young man in the green cloak in the private room back to this address. He is drunk and may not be able to get there easily."

Having said this, Chang Ming paused for a moment, as if he was thinking about something, and then said after a while:

"Then...tell Ms. Funina that I have some work to do and I'll try to get back in time for dinner."

"Ah? Ok, ok! I will definitely pass it on to you!"

"Thanks for your hard work."

Chang Ming gave a signature smile, nodded, and quickly left the Debo Hotel.

The waiter stared at Chang Ming's departing back in a trance, and couldn't help muttering:

"So...my eyes weren't blurry that night? The relationship between Lord Chang Ming and Lady Funina is indeed - ugh! This is too exciting!"

"My family! My dream couple has come true!"

Gossip is a human instinct. It is really difficult for an ordinary person to remain calm when faced with gossip between Chang Ming and Funina, two legendary figures of Fontaine.

But compared to gossip, the work at hand is more important.

Thinking of this, the waiter quickly pinched his face, adjusted his expression, and walked towards the private room.

......

In a sense...the relationship between Leosli and Chang Ming is not open to the public.

Because once people know that the administrator of the independent and autonomous Melo Petersburg is actually supported by the regent of the Momang Palace... a lot of order will change, and the dark side of Fontaine will also undergo tremendous changes.

Therefore, whether it was Chang Ming or Leosli, they were trying their best to protect this secret from being discovered.

And this is why Leosli did not use the channel of Mo Mang Palace to issue tasks to Ying, but instead spent a lot of money to let the Adventurer's Association do it.

As a duel agent, it is normal for Clorinde to frequently go in and out of Melo Petersburg, so most of the time... the responsibility of delivering messages will be handed over to her by Leosli.

At this moment, the duel agent was waiting for Chang Ming at the entrance of Melo Petersburg.

"What's the problem this time?"

"A somewhat strange prisoner. According to him, he is a criminal who has been imprisoned here for a very long time. There is also a... little girl."

"Little girl?"

"Well, a little girl born in Mellow Petersburg."

Clorinde held her forehead with her hand helplessly, as if she was also having a headache about this matter.

"The existence of this child has always been a headache for Leosli. She has no identity document, and she is unwilling to leave Melo Petersburg..."

"According to the laws of Fontaine and the rules of Melo Petersburg, neither the jailer nor the warden, Leosley, has the right to expel someone who wants to stay in Melo Petersburg."

"We didn't pay much attention to this issue before, because the child was still young and her mother was still alive, and most of the prison guards were very caring towards them, but..."

"Her mother passed away a few days ago, so we considered taking her out of Mello Petersburg, and at this time..."

Clorinde looked at Chang Ming as she spoke, her expression very serious.

"It's up to you, the one who made the rules, to break the rules."

Hearing this, Chang Ming felt a sense of enlightenment. Up to now... everything was not particularly different from what he expected.

But...he doesn't need to break the rules, he just needs to re-write the rules based on the current situation.

"Leave it to me. As long as you can guarantee that she is willing to leave this place, I have many ways to take her to a safer and healthier place."

"Where?"

"The newly built Fontaine Orphanage, also called..."

"Narcissus Cross Courtyard."

Hearing the name, a look of obvious surprise appeared on Clorinde's face, but she soon shook her head gently.

"Since you have made a plan, we will naturally do our best to complete your plan."

"Okay, now that we have reached a consensus on this point... then there is another question: What exactly is the situation with that strange prisoner you are talking about?"

"He has lost his memory and files, and he calls himself a criminal. He looks like a child but speaks in a mature and steady manner. This is probably the situation."

"That's it..."

Chang Ming nodded slightly. Clorinde's words indirectly confirmed his guess.

However, compared to the twists and turns of the original plot, this state of being able to be directly interfered with makes him more satisfied.

"Not only that, he is also the main reason why the little girl is reluctant to leave Melo Petersburg. If we can get him to leave with us... maybe things will be much easier."

Clorinde added meaningfully.

"In that case, things become simple."

Chang Ming smiled gently, already having the most basic solution in mind.

Compared to Seymour and the more complicated "Ann", Caterpillar is the easiest problem to solve for him.

Although he had not yet become regent when the members of the Narcissus Cross Society were arrested, he was still very clear about that period of history.

As long as the facts are presented and the law is used as a basis...it won't be a big problem for Caterpillar to get to Melo Petersburg naturally.

"It seems that you already have an idea. Leosley is right. You can always come up with a solution as soon as you encounter a problem."

"It is the instinct of the regent."

Chang Ming chuckled and shrugged, and the deep-water elevator happened to stop at this moment. Chang Ming also walked towards the direction of Melo Petersburg first.

"Instinct? Indeed, with you here, Fontaine can always avoid most risks. Compared to the fact that you have been able to keep Fontaine running stably and developing for four hundred years, it's not surprising that you have this ability."

Clorinde pursed her lips, then quickly followed.

......

"So, Leosli, you want us to investigate the prisoner who calls himself Caterpillar, and then use his past to persuade him to leave Melo Petersburg?"

"Although there are some discrepancies in what they say, overall there is not a big difference. Yes, that is our goal. We want to get him to leave here in a gentler way. Otherwise... that child will be assimilated by the environment here sooner or later."

There was a hint of worry in Leosli's words. Although it was not a big problem for him to ask the jailer to take better care of the little girl, but...care would not allow her to grow up normally.

The environment in Mellow Petersburg is not a place suitable for children to grow up, so...she must go out and live on the water.

"Hmm... Actually the idea is very clear. We just need to build a good relationship with the kid, tell him what the world above the water is like, and then secretly take her up there once, right?"

"After all, they are children. They are always curious about things they have never seen before, and..."

Paimon said as he looked around and suddenly felt a little pressured.

"Besides, a child who grows up in a somewhat repressive environment like Melo Petersburg will definitely not be able to resist the temptation of blue sky, white clouds and green grass, right?"

Paimon said this while putting his hands on his hips and closing his eyes, as if waiting for praise from Ying and Leosley.

But...the praise did not come. Instead, silence as dead as death replaced the praise.

According to convention, someone should agree with her at this time, but why is everyone silent?

Paimon slowly opened her eyes and found that Leosli and Ying were looking at her in surprise, as if something particularly strange had happened to her.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"

Paimon asked in a panic, while Ying and Leosly shook their heads.

"Nothing, I just suddenly felt that... Paimon seemed to have become much smarter."

"Hey! I've always been smart, okay?"

Paimeng looked at Ying angrily, as if he was somewhat dissatisfied with her joke.

"Not only has he become much smarter, he has also become... much more sinister. Even I didn't expect to use the psychology of children to do this."

Leosley added at the right moment.

"Hey! Why are you also——"

"Paimon is still as lively as ever... so noisy, it feels like home."

Just when Paimon was about to quarrel with Leosli, Chang Ming pushed open the door and walked in.

"Wow?! Chang Ming, why are you here too? You appear and disappear like a ghost... Either we can't find you, or you appear inexplicably in any corner of Fontaine!"

"You make it sound like I'm a slime that can spawn anywhere anytime..."

Chang Ming shook his head speechlessly, then looked at Leosli beside him and said:

"So...are you planning to advance both fronts at the same time this time?"

"Well, almost."

"Are you so sure that I have specific information about Caterpillar?"

"You are the regent, so you know everything about Fontaine. What's more... aren't you always able to solve problems in the fastest and simplest way?"

"That's true."

Chang Ming shrugged, then gave Leosli a reassuring look. Just as he was about to say something, Paimon suddenly rushed between them.

"You two... have been saying something incomprehensible since Chang Ming came in! Can you please stop asking us to guess riddles?"