Bugra Free State.
Inside a television studio, House, dressed in a suit and tie, sat before a long table. He straightened a thick stack of news scripts and began broadcasting today's news program.
"Dear viewers, welcome to House's Daily Watch. I am your beloved Mr. House."
"Just last night, the barbarians of Clear Spring City shamelessly detained six law-abiding merchants from the Bugra Free State! Without question, this was naked banditry... Look at them. They claim to oppose raiders, but how were their actions any different from those of raiders?"
"Just as they once plundered the wealth of Boulder City's residents, they had now extended their greedy claws toward us honest, decent people."
"Unfortunately, we have no diplomatic relations with them, so poor Mr. Sinderson could only pay for his carelessness... They should have been more cautious in choosing their trading partners. Doing business with thugs never ends well."
"Next, a brief update. Our esteemed Mayor Aldo stated that, at the request of the Great Rift's Chief, we would attempt to cooperate with The Alliance on matters related to mutant slime mold... What?!"
Looking at the script in his hand, House, who had been reading mechanically from it just seconds ago, suddenly widened his eyes and nearly fell out of his chair.
Cooperate with The Alliance?
Was this some kind of joke?!
Mr. House's program was not popular in the Bugra Free State. Among countless similar programs, its ratings did not even rank particularly high.
Most citizens disliked both their mayor and this guy's pedantic, bootlicking tone. As a result, his program was only rather popular among the Boulder City inner-city nobles who had fled to the Free State.
Sometimes, The Alliance's players watched his show for amusement too, occasionally clipping segments and sharing them on the official website