What, I Haven't Even Done Anything Yet?

By then, the specially invited reporters from every country had basically arrived at the Twenty-First Ring.

Although they had been selected with the utmost rigor, more than a hundred reporters had still made it into the venue. Even with all of them trying their best to remain quiet, they still created a faint commotion in the otherwise utterly silent temple.

Alice was among them.

This year's Papal Election ceremony had made an exception by allowing reporters to enter. It was an opportunity for the entire media industry, but also an arduous trial.

After all, more than one newspaper had been invited. With the Theocracy's formidable reputation making the reporters afraid to spout nonsense, it was extremely difficult to produce news that was eye-catching, interesting, fair, and uniquely opinionated all at once. In fact, those qualities were basically mutually exclusive. Usually, only two of the four could be achieved.

Especially in the Iris Flower Kingdom.

As the country with the largest number of privately owned newspapers, its news media industry had developed at an astonishing speed. Yet good development usually meant the arrival of cutthroat competition. Once buying newspapers became one of the commoners' main forms of entertainment, figuring out how to bite into a rival's market became the first thing to consider.

And the Iris People had never been foolish.

They quickly realized the most cost-effective strategy: instead of improving themselves, attack their opponents.

Making one's own news good was difficult, but attacking the news published by other newspapers was much easier.

That was also why Alice, a young reporter who was not particularly experienced and had worked for only a year and a half, had been promoted three ranks in succession and temporarily made chief reporter.

The Iris Flower Gazette was one of the Iris Flower Kingdom's very few