Bloodborne Archon: Read the Witch King's book, and I'll make you the next Witch King! / The stir Ebenholz caused: The man closest to the Witch King!

"In the future, when Kazdel is restored, the Regent and Her Highness the Princess will likely still need to rely on the power of my Bloodfiend clan... So, all we need to do is demonstrate the strength of my Bloodfiend clan in the future wars, right?"

"No, strength alone is not enough. We must reveal our clan's power at the right time and in the right place, just like the Witch King."

"But... there are many powerful Royal Court of the Sarkaz race. How can we make the Bloodfiend race's strength seem truly unique and unrepeatable?"

The Bloodborne Archon pondered this question repeatedly. When it comes to war, every race of the Sarkaz is born for war, and the strength of most of the kings of the Royal Court is similar, as are their lineages. The Bloodborne Archon had a high opinion of himself, but he dared not say that he could absolutely defeat any of the kings.

So, only two choices remain... Is it to become an "ever-victorious general" who is always on call, performs the most duties in war, and brings victory every time; or is it to remain silent until the moment of truth, then astound the world and turn the tide of battle?

"Perhaps the Witch King can give me some insights, or rather, the Witch King in Director Chen Qi's hands."

"A method that can manipulate people's hearts and minds and gain popular support even more effectively than war... Let me see it."

The Bloodborne Archon smiled slightly, his eyes fixed on the large screen. The Ebenholz group, having finished their interview, were heading to their next destination. He felt that this interview had allowed him to pay attention to many aspects of "public opinion" that he hadn't previously considered.

These voices could not only help the "Witch King" in the movie regain popular support and understand the people's needs, but also perhaps make this "conservative" who has been in a high position for too long change his thinking.

Chapter 252: Bloodborne Archon: Read the Witch King's book, and I'll make you the new Witch King!

Throughout the day, Ebenholz and his team traveled through northern Leithania, interviewing ordinary people one by one, and the opinions they expressed were varied and diverse.

Some of these suggestions seemed like serious advice, while others were quite extreme.

Faced with the Witch King, played by Ebenholz, many citizens who had lived through that era and experienced Leithania's past glory did not show fear or disgust towards him. On the contrary, like the female shopkeeper before them, they seemed to be able to speak freely in front of the Witch King, pouring out their extreme and dark thoughts.

"You can definitely do something about these unruly foreigners—the labor camp!"

When the Witch King, played by Ebenholz, expressed support for this radical viewpoint and asked the other party if he would be in charge of work related to labor camps in the future, the Leithania citizen answered without hesitation:

"I support you, I will help you."

Similarly, during an interview at a dinner party, Ebenholz and his group proactively shared a table with several elderly people from Leithania, who shared a similar sentiment, saying:

"Leithania has attracted a great many refugees, from places like Kazimierz, Victoria, and the former Gaul during the war, and today Leithania faces similar problems."

"All these foreigners who eat our food, use our resources, and ride roughshod over us should be driven out."

"Even if some of them were born here, you still have to deport them, deport them to wherever they want to go, except for Leithania."

Many similar statements were made, with the people speaking to the Witch King about things they had never dared to say before, things they could only reveal in private. These remarks also caused Kal'tsit, Amiya, and others who were also observing to frown deeply.

"The people of Leithania... seem to be suppressing a great deal of anger and discontent, Dr. Kal'tsit."

Amiya couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. Even without using her Originium Arts, she could still sense the resentment and anger of these commoners through the screen and their words.

These negative emotions stem from dissatisfaction with Leithania today. Even though their lives are happier and more stable than most people Amiya has ever met, they are still full of anger and dissatisfied with the life that many people dream of.

"This is the darkness suppressed in people's hearts. Amiya, only the Witch King played by Ebenholz can bring out these deep-seated thoughts and let us all hear them in front of the camera."

"Amiya, listen to these people more. This should be a warning to you. People's opinions in public and in private are often completely different."

"I don't understand... Dr. Kal'tsit, I think the Twin Empresses' rule has been very successful." Amiya, however, still didn't quite understand why the situation in Leithania had become like this, and couldn't help but speak up:

"Although I only met them once... Dr. Kal'tsit, didn't you tell me a lot about their deeds?"

"With the support of the emperors, they defeated the Witch King who ruled Leithania with cruelty. Leithania has recuperated and grown stronger over the past twenty years, and the lives of its people have greatly improved. Its population and economy have both experienced tremendous recovery."

"Furthermore, the Twin Empresses have worked very hard. They have ruled for so many years, and the situation in Leithania has remained stable. They are clearly loved by the people of Leithania. Why are the people's voices different now? Is it simply because of the failure of the expedition to Victoria?"

"This is just one example." Kal'tsit could understand Amiya's question, after all, it was the same country, yet the public opinion was so diametrically opposed, which would probably puzzle even Vina, who was filming at the time.

"This is related to the methods the Twin Empresses have used to maintain stability over the years. After their victory in the Battle of the Four Emperors, they adopted a relatively lenient policy to assimilate the Gaul remnants. After all, the Gaul nobles had also participated in the coup against the Witch King in exchange for better treatment of the Gaul remnants."

"During the years of Leithania's development, it did attract many refugees from neighboring countries... The Twin Empresses' policies granted refugees preferential treatment, but for the native-born citizens of Leithania, this meant that these refugees, upon arriving in Leithania, immediately received land and property to live on—this was unfair to them."

"The Twin Empresses' approach to this was to suppress these dissenting voices through political and moral justification. Initially, this was effective, but as the number of refugees increased, so did the calls for their expulsion."

"For Leithania, these settled foreigners will eventually assimilate into Leithania culture. But for the general public, they are still foreigners, at least for now. However, those dissenting voices are simply being suppressed under the guise of morality and correctness."

"Amiya, just because the sound didn't come out doesn't mean it never existed. Director Chen Qi's film... for Leithania right now, it's like an outlet for her frustrations."

However, whether this outlet will bring relief or simply cause further flooding remains to be seen.

Kal'tsit was somewhat worried. If these voices were to be released in Chen Qi's film, would the effect on Leithania be good or bad...? And what exactly was Chen Qi trying to express by collecting these voices and specifically choosing the Witch King as the protagonist?

Should we view the Witch King dialectically? He previously promised the Twin Empresses that he had no intention of whitewashing the Witch King. What methods will he use to improve the current situation in Leithania?

Now, Kal'tsit is eager to know what Chen Qi wants to express in the movie. As night falls, Ebenholz and the others have returned to the ship, ending a day of filming. Eureka and Vina have also entrusted the day's filming to Chen Qi.

"Director Chen Qi! Today's interview went incredibly smoothly! There are so many clips that can be edited into the film!"

Eureka was very happy to be able to play a role. After handing over the cameras to Chen Qi made no attempt to hide his praise, smiling at Eureka and saying:

"Thanks, Eureka. I was planning to spend a week collecting these interviews, but I finished it in just one day."

"As expected, Eureka, sending you to do this kind of thing saves a lot of time. You're a natural at creating entertainment value."

"Hehe... Ever since I started working with Director Chen Qi and everyone in the crew, I feel like my luck has improved." Eureka, however, didn't catch the other layer of meaning in Chen Qi's "show effect" comment, and replied somewhat shyly:

"However, it would be great if I could be of help. That way, I won't be a useless bum wasting my time on set. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know, Director Chen Qi!"

After Eureka left, Vina followed suit. Vina's "incognito visit" today had yielded many results; the voices of the Leithania people were something Vina needed to digest thoroughly.

"So, how did it feel to display the Witch King's majesty in front of the public, Ebenholz?"

Facing Ebenholz, who had just shed his Witch King attire, Chen Qi then posed this question. Ebenholz pondered for a moment before hesitatingly replying:

"... It seems that people are more able to speak their true feelings before the Witch King. Although these true feelings are dark, they are indeed the people's demands."

"No, Ebenholz, that's not even their darkest thought." However, Chen Qi smiled slightly upon hearing this and turned to Ebenholz, saying:

"Today's interview was very successful, but for the next interview, Ebenholz, I have new requirements for you."

"This interview was simply about getting people to talk. Going forward, I hope you'll learn from the Witch King's art of language—to guide the people to express more of their inner thoughts."

"... You mean, to learn from the Witch King and use language to bewitch the people?"

Ebenholz clearly had his own interpretation of Chen Qi's request. His eyes flashed with disbelief as he immediately exclaimed, "Then what I'm doing is the same as what the Witch King did?!"

"It's different, Ebenholz. The Witch King is indeed bewitching the people, but I'm having you do this so that more people will know of your existence, making it easier to drag out those suspected of being remnants of the Witch King from underground."

However, Chen Qi also spoke his mind, saying to Ebenholz, word by word, "You need to let them know that we are filming a documentary, and many of our subsequent interviews are unscripted."

"You might encounter the true remnants of the Witch King and the nobles who support Witch King in the future. We're doing the Twin Empresses a favor here. Once you actually make contact with these people, the Twin Empresses can eradicate the local remnants of the Witch King."

"But this is contingent on you, at least in their eyes, being someone they can trust who has inherited the Witch King's ideals. If you want to attract them, you must first make them feel that you are one of them."

"Therefore, I require you to be as similar to the Witch King as possible—the same way of speaking, the same ideas—you must be even more like the Witch King than the Witch King, understand?"

After Chen Qi finished speaking, Chen Qi was speechless and didn't know how to refute Ebenholz. Finally, after Kreide explained to him, he understood his job.

"Does Director Chen Qi mean... entrapment?"

"Perfect summary! And Ebenholz, you're the hook, understand? We need to make contact with those who truly support the Witch King in the future, so your hook needs to be conspicuous enough."

"In this respect, the Bloodborne Archon will continue to assist you— Bloodborne Archon, you mentioned before that you sent someone from Londinium to bring back a book about the Witch King, is that correct?"

Chen Qi shook his head, and soon, accompanied by a cloud of blood mist, the figure of the Bloodborne Archon reappeared before everyone. He walked slowly with a smile and handed a book in his hand to Ebenholz.

"Look, this is a book written by the Witch King himself." The Bloodborne Archon's face flashed with interest as he watched Ebenholz slowly accept the book, and he said:

"Now, this book is listed as a forbidden book on this land, and the Twin Empresses burned it all. Fortunately, I kept a copy. I was quite surprised to find it in the Sarkaz library."

"I think after reading this book, you will understand your lineage better, and what kind of person you come from... You will understand him."

Then, to become the next Witch King of Leithania. The Bloodborne Archon kept this thought to himself, not uttering it aloud. His current plan was not merely to train Ebenholz to be "like" the Witch King; he had higher expectations for Ebenholz —to make him the next Witch King!

Although Ebenholz's current strength is not enough to contend with the two empresses, the Bloodborne Archon still has a way... Now that one of the empresses' voices is hoarse and her Originium Arts cannot be used smoothly, if necessary... he still has a chance to deal with just one of them.

If the Sarkaz could cooperate with the new "Witch King"... then the revival of Kazdel would surely proceed much more smoothly.

With the Bloodfiend clan having accomplished such a great feat, surely their prime minister wouldn't dare to lay a hand on the Sarkaz clan's meritorious members again?

The Bloodborne Archon thought to himself, feeling extremely satisfied with his plan. He couldn't wait to see the Witch King's authority be inherited.

At that time, with the Witch King and the Demon King joining forces, no one on this land will be able to stop the rise of the Teekaz race! This grand plan has already begun to be implemented in the heart of the Bloodborne Archon!

Chapter 253: The momentum created by the Ebenholz, the man closest to the Witch King!

A week passed quickly, and during this time, Chen Qi's ships and Rhodes Island constantly shuttled between various Mobile City in Leithania. During this period, almost all of Ebenholz's group's actions were under the surveillance of "The Empress's Voice".

However, the spies only had the authority to monitor Chen Qi and his group; they couldn't interfere. They wanted to interfere but couldn't. From the moment their queen invited Chen Qi to Leithania to resolve the issue, they were already powerless to do as Chen Qi pleased.

After all, they lacked the power to deter Chen Qi... Even the Emperor of Great Yan didn't dare to threaten Chen Qi, so Leithania was even more helpless now. But since they couldn't solve the problem themselves, they could only leave it to the professionals they had brought in to handle.

However, just as the Twin Empresses were still worried, they received a report from their spies. But this time, the news the spies brought made them very uneasy.

"Your Majesty, we have brought news about Director Chen Qi."

"Hopefully it's good news." The white-haired queen couldn't help but sigh. Ever since Chen Qi decided to film a movie related to the Witch King, they had been on tenterhooks. But unexpectedly, the spy said rather seriously:

"Yes and no."

"As Earl Urtica's activities become increasingly active, there has been a surge in online discussions about him. Here are some clips we obtained from director Chen Qi. If you'd like, please watch this video to see how influential Earl Urtica has become recently."

As he spoke, the spy casually revealed a tablet, which, driven by a burst of Originium Arts, immediately flew towards the Twin Empresses.

Then, as the Twin Empresses pressed "play," the interview that the secret agent had obtained from Chen Qi, which would be edited into the movie, was quickly shown to the two women.

"What are your thoughts on the problems in Leithania?" The opening scene features Ebenholz, dressed as the Witch King, discussing current affairs with a female beast tamer being interviewed.

"More and more refugees are coming, and I don't think this is a good thing... but there's nothing we ordinary people can do."

"--What if many ordinary people, men and women, joined forces to elect a powerful person?" However, at the mention of this, Ebenholz's pupils seemed to begin to emit a luster that the Twin Empresses found familiar.

"That way we can change a lot of things."

The female animal trainer fell silent for a moment upon hearing this. She naturally realized that the Ebenholz referred to the Witch King he was playing, but after a moment, she smiled and said, "That's right."

"Racial mixing isn't good either." Ebenholz pressed his advantage, first offering an acceptable suggestion, then beginning to instill his own viewpoint, saying:

"Take our animal parents for example. What would you get if Caprinae (sheep) and Elafia (deer) mated?"

"... A sheep-deer?" The female animal trainer clearly hadn't considered this possibility and was quite unsure of her answer. But Ebenholz encouraged her to continue, asking, "What does it look like?"

"A comical appearance."

"Now imagine this: if two goat-deer mate, they will never produce a purebred Caprinae, and the Caprinae will become extinct—and this is actually happening in Leithania."

"A fallacy of sophistry." At that moment, the black-haired queen immediately perceived the trap and seductive intent in Ebenholz's words. Even though her voice was slightly hoarse, the black-haired queen, relying on her familiarity with the Witch King, still gritted her teeth and said:

"This is the Witch King's rhetoric—we're all too familiar with it. First, he presents a viewpoint that people can accept, subconsciously making the masses believe he's right, and then he instills his own views to sway them."

"Back then, he used this method to bewitch everyone. I'll never forget that hateful look of his."

"... But how did Earl Urtica manage to replicate the Witch King's rhetoric?" However, the white-haired empress noticed that Ebenholz's rhetoric was clearly copied from the Witch King's, and couldn't help but ask:

"Even if that Bloodfiend brought Earl Urtica to borrow our materials about the Witch King, the audio and video recordings from back then... we should have destroyed them all by now."

"How did he learn the Witch King's rhetoric? His 'Voice of the Mundane' shouldn't have responded. How did he manage to gain such a deep understanding of the Witch King through mere interpretation?"

However, no one present could answer the white-haired princess's question. As the video played, Ebenholz spoke with more and more people of Leithania. Under his guidance using the Witch King's rhetoric, the people's opinions became increasingly radical and extreme.

"The Sargon who came to Leithania —I'll only say Sargon —have an average IQ of only 40 to 50, while the Leithania used to generally have IQs above 80."

"I think the current average IQ is around 60 or higher, but with more and more refugees coming, the average IQ will drop even further!"

An elderly man who clearly felt extremely superior about his country and identity, and who had lived through the era of the Witch King, made such a statement, and the claim that "the assimilation of people from other countries with Leithania lowers the average IQ" is enough to be considered as undermining unity.

Afterwards, Ebenholz displayed his Witch King rhetoric to its fullest extent. During the interview, he continued to deliberately incite the people of Leithania to hate people from other countries, saying:

"In the past, our art-loving country didn't have hip-hop or abstract art. Now that these people have come, all this messy stuff that insults our ears and our refined art appreciation has entered the scene."

"Of course." The man speaking to Ebenholz was an elderly man who clearly agreed with the "Witch King's" viewpoint and immediately replied:

"In fact, we Leithania are inherently stigmatized the moment we open our mouths. I must tell you, I disagree with that."

"Back then, it was the Witch King who led us to a righteous victory in the Battle of the Four Emperors. Those Gaul were merely defeated enemies. But now, the Witch King's rule has been overthrown. He has gone from a tyrant to a Witch King, and we, who once supported him, have gone from heroes to criminals."

"I am firm in my stance; I am not an extremist—but I will absolutely not vote for the Twin Empresses."

Furthermore, Ebenholz in the video, using his identity as the Witch King, attempted to mislead the younger generation of Leithania, saying:

"I'm surprised that politicians are lining their own pockets, while millions of people like you aren't going to the tower with pitchforks to ask, 'What have you done with my money?'"

However, this remark, which could have been an encouragement of rebellion, was not accepted by the young man, but it made the Twin Empresses feel threatened—this was a very bad sign, as it would further boost the morale of the Witch King's remnants and create more threats to their rule.

Especially now, one of them is in a state where it's difficult to continue fighting. Although very few people know about this, if some ambitious emperors find out, they will be in considerable danger...

"Your Majesty, what you see now is what Director Chen Qi plans to edit into the film—and there are already many related interview videos released online." The spy relayed this information to the Twin Empresses, then immediately added:

"Director Chen Qi instructed his subordinates to convey that they might soon be able to make contact with the true remnants of the Witch King. At that time, if Her Majesty the Empress wishes to establish her authority, she can use the people they have contacted to eradicate the remnants of the Witch King from all the Mobile City."