Chapter Forty-One: Chen Qi and Theresa Make Contact? / Chapter Forty-Two: "Yes, Prime Minister," the Talk of the Town

"That is, no matter whether it is something as important as the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as long as they possess sufficient authority, there is no need to worry about whether they understand the relevant knowledge."

"For a monarch, the people he uses must first be obedient before one can discuss whether they are useful—would you call that an insight, Bloodborne Archon?"

"...Yes, General."

In the face of Theresis's retort, the smile vanished from the Bloodborne Archon's face for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal. He then slowly took his leave.

"...Recently, the members of the Royal Court have also been studying Yes, Prime Minister, General." Watching the Bloodborne Archon depart, Manfred stared in the direction he had gone and said to Theresis:

"They are uneasy about this television drama you gave the Royal Court. They believe you are deliberately warning them, and there has been a great deal of criticism. They think the issues within it are merely the superficial basics of governing a country."

"Whether they are superficial or not, they will find out in time."

Theresis twitched the corner of his mouth. He had little fondness for the Royal Court. If Kazdel's revival did not require the support of the bloodlines represented by those people, he would have long since stopped tolerating the Royal Court's restrictions.

But... he had to admit that although episodes three and four were amusing, many of the issues within them were things Kazdel did not yet need to consider.

He needed information that could benefit Kazdel, whether it was something advantageous to present-day Kazdel or a weakness in Victoria.

"...I will personally visit Director Chen Qi. I believe his clever mind will give me the answer I seek."

Theresis immediately made his decision. He was increasingly aware of Chen Qi's importance, and that realization made him increasingly regret signing the Blood Pact with Chen Qi.

Because now, Theresis had absolutely no intention of letting Chen Qi leave.

Chen Qi's Contact with Theresia?

By the time Theresis left, it was already nearing evening. He did not allow anyone to accompany him, though he knew the Confessarius and his guard would certainly follow in secret.

Theresis slowly made his way alone to the Londinium Grand Hotel. He had arranged for Chen Qi and his group to stay there as honored guests, partly for hospitality and partly... to make surveillance easier.

"Recently, Director Chen Qi has been taking regular walks around Londinium, as he always does. Talulah and Alina sometimes accompany him, while Patriot and FrostNova accompany him at other times."

Just as Theresis arrived at the hotel, the Confessarius appeared beside him like a phantom and said, "He seems to intend to walk through all of Londinium, yet he never pays attention to the deployment of troops or the positions of the city defense cannons."

"Artists occasionally need to relax and clear their minds." Theresis did not care much after hearing this, because from the first time he met Chen Qi, he had known Chen Qi possessed an ordinary physique, one even frailer than that of most people.

But Theresis valued not Chen Qi's physique, but his mind. If at first Theresis had harbored some designs on Patriot, Talulah, or the talented people in the production crew, then now he could say that he had no need for any of them.

The last Pureblood Wendigo, unwilling to undergo the "ritual" and become stronger—he was no longer one of them in the end.

As for the adopted daughter of an Ursus Duke, she meant nothing to Theresis. He did not wish to have any ties with Ursus. His legions had no shortage of Talulah's kind of power, so he did not care.

Chen Qi's wisdom and his scripts were what could change the course of war, perhaps even the situation of the entire world!

And now, the influence of Yes, Prime Minister had gradually begun to reveal itself. In just two weeks and four episodes, citizens across Victoria had started to develop doubts and resentment toward the increasingly declining Victorian government.

After all, first there was "Defense Policy Is Making Victorians Believe They Are Protected," followed by the Originium Tool Ban Order Incident. They had vividly exposed Victoria's ruling class as people who placed themselves above the citizens and treated human lives as worthless.

Especially in Londinium, as Yes, Prime Minister aired, many residents encountering politics for the first time had laughed heartily during their first viewings. But gradually, they began to taste the cruel politics hidden beneath the jokes.

This caused many Londinium residents, already dissatisfied because Londinium had been occupied by Sarkaz troops who had taken over all city defenses, to lose faith in the Victorian government. In order to "test" the effect, Theresis unprecedentedly issued the New Working Hours System, regulating the working hours of Londinium's laborers.

By Chen Qi's standards, it was a perfectly standard 996 schedule.

Yet compared with Theresis's previous policies, where he had treated Londinium's residents as less than human in order to rapidly construct the Shattered Tower and the Aerial Fleet, Theresis's current "test" unexpectedly won over public sentiment.

In just two weeks, Londinium's residents had gradually shifted from hating Theresis and the Sarkaz legions to the bone to thinking, "Maybe they aren't that bad."

What Chen Qi did not know was that, because of this, Alda, the leader of the Self-Rescue Army in the sewers, had been driven utterly helpless. Faced with Londinium residents becoming increasingly compliant and her own side's worsening situation, Alda was completely overwhelmed. For a time, she even forgot her status as a duke's daughter and spat out every bit of Victorian trash talk she could think of. Unfortunately, Chen Qi knew nothing about it.

"The riots and work stoppages in Londinium have indeed become fewer than expected. Moreover, Victoria's other mobile cities have continuously sent envoys asking us to authorize a ban on Yes, Prime Minister."

"As expected, the Victorian government is afraid. They fear enlightened citizens. They fear their methods being exposed, leaving them unable to deceive the people ever again."

"That proves we are doing the right thing, and that everything Director Chen Qi wrote is correct."

Theresis truly deserved to be Kazdel's Regent. Using Londinium, he had verified many of his ideas regarding political implementation.

But Chen Qi did not care about such things. Or rather, regardless of the reason, as long as Londinium's residents could live a little better during the time Theresis controlled them, that was enough. Chen Qi did not care why.

"...Your Highness the Regent, there is something I must remind you of."

Seeing that Theresis did not care in the slightest, the Confessarius said something that made Theresis rarely pause in surprise.

"During the time Director Chen Qi was wandering around Londinium's districts, he encountered Her Highness Theresia."

"..." The Confessarius's words brought Theresis to an abrupt halt. Only after a moment did he stop walking and ask, "Did they talk?"

"They talked quite a bit. Director Chen Qi seemed very interested in Her Highness Theresia, and said he wished to tailor a film specifically for her." The Confessarius answered honestly.

"But Her Highness Theresia did not give much of a response. You understand that she is now merely a shell, without her own personality, only an incarnation of the Sarkaz will."

"Therefore, her responses to Director Chen Qi lacked vitality. But I believed this matter needed to be reported to you."

"It is fine. Let them have contact." Whenever Theresis thought of his cousin, he could not help feeling melancholy. To him, the Theresia now walking the streets had no soul of her own. She was nothing more than a corpse with an empty shell, walking in a state neither living nor dead, merely because he needed her influence.

Even such a "doll" could bring results he had been unable to achieve despite years of effort.

Theresis had diligently supported Kazdel's revival, yet in the end, only half the Sarkaz and less than thirty percent of the Royal Court's kings supported him. But once the present "Theresia" stood at his side, nearly ninety percent of Sarkaz mercenaries immediately came under his command, and even half the Royal Court expressed their support.

Yet even so, Theresis did not envy his cousin. He knew that in some ways, he was inferior to his younger sister.

"...If she were still alive, if she, Chen Qi, and I stood together, perhaps the revival of the Sarkaz would not have taken this path."

"Forget it. She is only an empty shell. Let them interact."

Theresis was clearly very reassured about the soulless Theresia of today. Or perhaps the little conscience he had left had been stirred by genuine feeling; he did not forbid Chen Qi from contacting Theresia.

After all, Theresia no longer had a soul. Even beings like the Royal Court had no way to properly resurrect her. Chen Qi was merely an ordinary person, so it was even more impossible for him, was it not?

"All right, Your Highness the Regent. This is the content you wanted for episodes five and six."

Some time later, in Chen Qi's room, Chen Qi was not surprised by Theresis's sudden visit—after all, they had met quite often lately. Most of the time, Theresis came to hurry him for his scripts or discuss politics with him.

For the former, Chen Qi's answer was always, "I'm writing, I'm writing." As for the latter... Chen Qi avoided answering whenever possible. He had no desire to personally train a terrifying master of propaganda warfare.

Thus, Chen Qi had been reducing his contact with Theresis as much as possible. Now, after handing Theresis the contents of the next two episodes, he continued:

"As you requested, these two episodes are quite explosive. They involve salary increases for civil servants, as well as matters concerning coups and diplomacy."

"That is excellent." Hearing that this time there was such heavyweight information, Theresis's thoughts immediately became much more active, and he took the script at once.

"There are definitely explosive insider details here that you want. I believe the information within will be worth holding another meeting over."

"I have absolute faith in you, Director Chen Qi." This time, Theresis did not even intend to read it immediately. Instead, he asked, "However, I find it surprising that you are not resistant to cooperating with us. In the past, once our partners heard that we 'demons' were involved, they would avoid us like the plague."

Of course. The Sarkaz reputation was notoriously awful, and that was still a leftover problem from history... Chen Qi shook his head. Besides, he did not particularly want to work with Theresis either; Theresis simply paid too much.

Furthermore, if Chen Qi had truly refused back then, bloodshed would have been hard to avoid. Naturally, Chen Qi would not say that, so he put it another way.

"Your Highness the Regent, I have no prejudice against the Sarkaz. To me, race has never determined whether someone is good or bad. A person's vileness has nothing to do with their race."

"If everyone on this land thought as you do, Director Chen Qi, that would be wonderful."

Theresis smiled upon hearing that. For a moment, Chen Qi's words reminded him of Theresia. The two had a great deal in common.

"...Then, have your conversations with my cousin been going well?"

Theresis turned his gaze toward Chen Qi, meeting Chen Qi's somewhat nervous eyes. He then smiled lightly. "Do not misunderstand. I will not stop you from contacting my cousin."

"...Perhaps in the future, I will even invite you to make a film specifically for her."

With that, Theresis took back the script and left the room. His words were clearly a reminder to Chen Qi that every move within Londinium was under his control.

However, after Theresis left, Chen Qi's somewhat tense expression relaxed considerably as he let out a breath. He muttered to himself inwardly:

"That scared me to death... I thought Theresis had seen through me. But now it seems I cannot contact Theresia again after this."

"Fortunately, I have finished everything I can do... I really have to thank His Highness Theresis for giving me so much fame value."

With those thoughts in mind, Chen Qi exhaled and lay back down on his bed. He could not endure this nerve-racking life for even another second. There was surveillance everywhere.

Thus, he had no choice but to think about how to escape Londinium. For that, he had found himself an "ally."

And this ally would absolutely give Theresis the fright of his life, someone he would never expect...

At the same time, within Theresis's chambers in Londinium, in another room even more luxurious than Theresis's own, a Sarkaz woman with long pale pink hair lay on the bed like a doll, her unfocused eyes staring at the ceiling.

Then, for one moment, when all surveillance from the outside world seemed to have been lifted... the eyes of that previously lifeless shell seemed to briefly regain their own light...

Though it lasted only an instant, it was enough to prove the existence of her soul. She had long ceased to be an empty shell without a soul...

Yes, Prime Minister Draws Everyone's Attention

One week later, Chen Qi and his production crew once again filmed episodes five and six of Yes, Prime Minister. Whether in terms of quality, explosive content, or the appearance of iconic lines, these two episodes were exceptionally representative. Thus, Chen Qi and everyone in the crew filmed them with even greater enthusiasm and stricter standards.

Theresis, the Bloodborne Archon, and Manfred, having read the scripts, saw the practical value they needed most within these two episodes. They worked even harder during the performance, giving one hundred and twenty percent of their focus.

As a result, filming for these two episodes went exceptionally smoothly. Everyone was highly focused, and after filming had just ended, even the always composed Theresis grabbed Chen Qi's hand and said without noticing Chen Qi's horrified expression:

"Director Chen Qi, after you complete the final editing, please deliver the first finished copy to us as soon as possible."

Theresis was delighted. What he needed now was for Yes, Prime Minister to reveal sufficiently explosive information, allowing him to refute the Royal Court's kings who claimed that everything they were doing in Londinium was pointless.

Theresis was indeed using Yes, Prime Minister to awaken those kings of the Royal Court, who had lived so long that their minds had begun to rot along with their bodies. Although Victoria's political system was criticized and satirized in this television drama, what Theresis saw was a Civil Service System genuinely operating steadily toward its intended goals.

A Civil Service System that could continue functioning despite constant internal struggles; one suited to peacetime, selecting the best candidates, employing elites, and promoting people based on qualifications and ability, rather than deciding who held high office based on stronger Originium Arts or a longer lifespan.

This was the Civil Service System Kazdel would use in the future. Even though the television drama mocked Victoria, Theresis still believed that did not mean it should be rejected wholesale.

From another perspective, if a Civil Service System could function normally and ensure a nation's stability despite such infighting, gaping loopholes, and vermin everywhere, all because it relied on a complete system—

Did that not prove that the system itself was actually quite stable?

Theresis knew that even if his ideals differed from Theresia's, he had to first take revenge on every nation that had once campaigned against Kazdel in order to ensure that the Sarkaz would never again face national extinction—but he also knew clearly that once he accomplished all that, he was destined to step down.

Theresis knew very well that he was not suited to governing a nation. He also admitted that Theresia was the person best suited to managing everything in times of peace, which was why so many had followed her.

But... Theresis could not accept the Sarkaz humbling themselves and begging for peace. He wanted to reclaim everything they had lost. Victory was the best way to secure his people's status.

And once he achieved that goal in the future, Kazdel would inevitably need to establish a political system better suited to governing. Now, the finest reference case from the old great power of Victoria stood before him. How could he possibly waste it?

They would create a better, more outstanding, more mature model from Victoria's political system. And the first thing Theresis had to do was convince the kings of the Royal Court to support him.

And Yes, Prime Minister was the best proof he could offer the Royal Court, proof that Kazdel's existing system had long become outdated and that the Royal Court would inevitably be replaced.

"If they are willing to obey, then Kazdel will naturally have a place for them in the future. But if they continue to stubbornly resist..."

As Theresis considered this, a faintly wicked Sarkaz smile appeared on his face as he said calmly to himself:

"This system only needs obedient, capable people. As for whether they are skilled... as long as the position is satisfactory enough, I believe anyone can become a qualified official."

"Then, for the sake of votes and approval ratings, they will consciously do the right things. The Sarkaz people will receive benefits, while they gain the respect and support they desire."

"This is Kazdel's path forward. No one can defy it, and no one can dominate alone."

"Not me, not Theresia... and certainly not the kings of the Royal Court."

Theresis had already fully mapped out Kazdel's future path in his mind. He was still preparing for Kazdel's war of restoration, yet at this moment, he already knew exactly how the road ahead should be taken.

Beside Theresis, Theresia stood with vacant eyes, as motionless and unmotivated as a doll.

Yet for some reason, as though she had heard Theresis's inner thoughts, a faint glimmer returned to Theresia's eyes. It quickly vanished again, but in that instant, a trace of... joy seemed to appear in her gaze.

"It's airing! The new two episodes of Yes, Prime Minister are airing!"

"Really?! Hurry, hurry! Put down whatever you're doing, everyone! Yes, Prime Minister is on!"

"I'm coming! Frost, stop what you're doing too. Hurry up and watch Yes, Prime Minister!"

On the day the new episodes of Yes, Prime Minister aired right on schedule, nearly every household in Londinium immediately turned on their television sets. They eagerly gathered before their screens, hoping that this time the show would bring even more explosive topics that would leave them laughing themselves sick.

This was not only happening in Londinium. In every mobile city across Victoria, nearly everyone with a television was eagerly awaiting that day's episode. For a time, ratings on television stations in every Victorian mobile city skyrocketed during the same time slot.

Nor was it limited to Victoria. People in many places who had begun paying attention to the information contained in the drama ever since hearing about it also tuned in immediately.

For example, the Self-Rescue Army in Londinium's underground passageways, Rhodes Island... and many other places.

"That damned television drama is airing again? I wonder just how far they intend to smear Victoria this time."

As the leader of the Self-Rescue Army, this had been an agonizing period for Alda. Every time Yes, Prime Minister released a new episode, Londinium's residents gave them a little less support.

It had only been two weeks, yet the Self-Rescue Army's situation was already far worse than before. Alda truly dared not imagine whether the Self-Rescue Army could continue holding out in Londinium if this television drama kept airing like this for much longer.

And it was rather embarrassing to admit... a single television drama had actually made the Self-Rescue Army's long-standing efforts nearly impossible to continue within just two weeks.