Chapter Sixty-One: Vina: Is Everyone in Victoria with Ambition and Ideals a Spy? / Chapter Sixty-Two: The "Yes, Prime Minister" Finale-Theresis's Strategy for Tying Chen Qi to His Side

In the end, Theresis did not make things too difficult for the Bloodborne Archon. Instead, he planned to consult the former Cabinet Secretary—Humphrey's former immediate superior, Arnold—about the matter.

"Don't discuss it with Arnold. Let me speak to him first."

"Of course not, Prime Minister! What kind of person do you take me for?!"

Faced with Theresis's warning, the Bloodborne Archon looked righteously indignant, as though he were the very image of justice. But the camera cut, and in the next moment, he was seen bitterly downing a drink before helplessly asking an elder beside him:

"What do you suggest I do, Arnold?"

"Hahahahaha!" XN

The Bloodborne Archon's helpless expression, the contrast with the forceful character he had played throughout the season, and the absurdity of his current plight for those who knew his true identity—all of it erupted into nearly uninhibited laughter across Londinium.

Of course, others noticed the character "Arnold" as well. Kal'tsit, far away on Rhodes Island, looked at Arnold on the television and said in surprise:

"That presence, that tone... the King of Scavengers?"

"Director Chen Qi actually managed to convince even him to act? How... is that possible?"

Even Kal'tsit had not expected the King of Scavengers to participate in the filming of Yes, Prime Minister. Others probably could not have imagined that such a small scene contained two combatants at the level of the Royal Court.

Director Chen Qi... how had he done it? Even Kal'tsit's mind could not fathom how he had gotten two Royal Court monarchs to act opposite each other. She could not help becoming curious about Chen Qi's methods.

Victoria: Are Everyone With Ideals and Ambition Spies?

The King of Scavengers who had shocked Kal'tsit was naturally one of the monarchs of the Sarkaz Royal Court. He had also been one of the Royal Court rulers who took part in the Kazdel Civil War. His position among the Royal Court had always been rather ambiguous. Though he stood with Theresis, he had remained in contact with Theresia's side during the civil war.

Since the Kazdel Civil War, Kal'tsit had never seen the King of Scavengers again. Yet now, she had unexpectedly encountered him in Yes, Prime Minister...

"—Wait, doesn't that mean Londinium currently has two Royal Court-level combatants?"

Kal'tsit suddenly came to her senses and thought of Vina, Chen Huijie, and the others in Londinium. They were either from Lungmen or elites from Rhodes Island, but before Royal Court-level combatants, they were not enough.

She had sent Logos specifically to contend with the Bloodborne Archon. But if Londinium had two Royal Court monarchs... along with Manfred and Theresis, the balance would be completely tilted toward the Sarkaz!

Even with the Black Capes, before the combat strength of the monarchs, the Black Capes could barely ensure Chen and Lin Yuxia's personal safety. But what about Vina and ACE? Even if they were elites, they would be utterly helpless before the Royal Court!

"This is bad. I need to notify them and suspend the plan for now."

Kal'tsit immediately realized the severity of the situation and hurried toward her office with a grave expression. Amiya, who was intently focused on the development of the plot, did not even notice Kal'tsit silently leaving.

If Chen Qi had been there and seen Kal'tsit in such a panic, he would surely have reassured her not to act rashly. He had already informed them beforehand; tomorrow was the day of the operation.

As for how he had brought in the King of Scavengers to play Arnold... it had actually been unexpectedly simple.

Chen Qi needed an actor who dared openly mock the Bloodborne Archon, someone the Bloodborne Archon would neither dare get angry with nor be able to attack. Theresis and Manfred, who fit the criteria, already had roles, so he could only turn to the King of Scavengers, who was on the Bloodborne Archon's level.

What surprised even Chen Qi was that the moment he heard he could mock the Bloodborne Archon, the King of Scavengers agreed astonishingly quickly. It did, however, give Rob Rata, the chief makeup artist, quite a headache. She claimed she had encountered "makeup difficulty on the level of a wrecking crew."

Still, the King of Scavengers successfully appeared on camera. Playing Arnold, he hesitantly spoke in response to the Bloodborne Archon's plea for help:

"Hmm... hard to say. It partly depends on whether you're a spy."

"Arnold?" The Bloodborne Archon could not believe that even Arnold, the person best suited to prove his innocence, would say such a thing. He immediately tried desperately to defend himself.

"But I can't be! I never attended the Royal Guard Academy!"

The Bloodborne Archon took another jab at the Guard Academy, then continued defending himself, apparently still not satisfied.

"I'm not one of their people. I don't drink the Water of Life."

"I'm one of our people. I've been a civil servant my entire life!"

"Sir John was too." The King of Scavengers appeared perfectly calm. His unconcerned attitude only made the Bloodborne Archon more anxious. Feeling that the man before him had no intention of lending a hand, he immediately replied:

"Yes, but he was different!"

"Sir John believed in things like a 'cause' back then—I have never believed in anything my whole life!"

"He had ideas too, ideas about making achievements. You know I have nothing to do with that sort of thing!"

The moment those words were spoken, raucous laughter broke out in nearly every household across Londinium. Several jokes in a row, mixing self-deprecation and satire, had many Londinium residents clutching their stomachs, faces flushed red, laughing so hard they nearly slid off their sofas.

This time, it was not only the residents of Londinium who laughed. Even Ursus's upper ranks laughed until they could barely close their mouths. But they were not laughing at Victoria this time. They were taking pride in their own empire.

"Hahaha! Back when the late Emperor was alive, we Ursus fought east and west, expanded our territory, and the wisest thing he did was ignore international boundaries when recruiting talent."

"Yes. Back then, talented young people from every nation flooded into the Ursus Empire, contributing everything they had to our imperial cause!"

"Several people here came to the Empire after failing to find success in their homelands, and only then received important positions, didn't they?"

"Indeed. They never could have climbed so high in their original countries. Only by following the late Emperor did they attain their current status!"

For a time, several old nobles in the Ursus imperial palace looked both amused and proud. Having witnessed the rise of the Ursus Empire from barren land into the powerful nation it was today, these old ministers who had come from their homelands to try their luck in Ursus had become Ursus through and through, save only for their race.

And wasn't this plotline, where the Bloodborne Archon claimed he lacked ambition or any desire to achieve great things and therefore could not possibly be an Ursus spy, indirectly proving that their choices back then had been correct?

Thinking of that, the old nobles could not help straightening their backs, grateful for the decisions they had made in the past. Yet they also could not help sighing. The Ursus Empire of today... truly was no longer what it had been.

Some were delighted, some were laughing at the joke, but the headmaster of the Royal Guard Academy could only smile wryly. It had already been enough of a headache when the show claimed the academy specialized in training foreigners. Now Yes, Prime Minister had exposed this too, even featuring an intelligence chief who was an Ursus spy and a graduate of their academy.

The headmaster had thought they were finished. This would really turn them into a "spy training center." Then that line came along, leaving him unsure whether it was praise or ridicule.

It had to be praise, right? At least graduates with ambition and a desire to achieve great things—even if they became spies—sounded pretty good in those terms, didn't they?

In the show, the King of Scavengers did not leave the Bloodborne Archon in suspense for long. After thinking for a moment, he decided to help him.

"Even if you are a spy, I agree that it must not be exposed." The King of Scavengers clearly did not care much about that. He was concerned about something more important.

"But this kind of scandal would severely damage the Civil Service System's credibility, so you absolutely cannot confess."

"But I have no crime to confess to!" The Bloodborne Archon looked as though he were about to lose his mind. Yet he also knew that if he had not colluded with the enemy, then the issue was dereliction of duty.

The problem was that the Bloodborne Archon did not believe he had neglected his duties. This was simply part of his job. To prove it, he dropped another bombshell.

"You were the one who arranged for me to be secretary of the investigative committee! You clearly instructed me at the time not to find evidence unfavorable to him!"

"—I don't recall that."

The moment the Bloodborne Archon said those words, the King of Scavengers's expression turned incomparably serious. That fleeting killing intent and awe-inspiring presence instantly made the air feel heavy.

Yet what shocked the audience even more was what the Bloodborne Archon had said. If Arnold had arranged things that way back then, didn't that mean the person suspected of being a spy was actually Arnold?!

"A former Cabinet Secretary and a former intelligence chief—two top-ranking officials, both Ursus spies?!"

Even Vina, who was normally indifferent to such matters, was frightened by this plot. The more she watched Yes, Prime Minister, the more she felt Chen Qi knew some insider information. Thinking that something like this might have happened under her ancestors' rule made cold sweat run down her back.

Was that position really so dangerous?! Why were there so many enemies? Even if she truly returned to the throne, could she really keep Victoria under control with her own abilities?

When Vina was young, she had watched her father be dragged to the guillotine by furious citizens. In an instant, she had gone from crown princess to wanderer. She had not had time to learn much; most of what she learned was survival, fighting, and repeating the same days over and over.

She had not studied these things, but her father definitely had! Yet he had governed so badly that he was sent to the guillotine. Could she really be better than him?

For a moment, Vina could not help beginning to lose heart. The more she understood politics, the less confident she became that she could govern well. Her father had left her such a disastrous mess before passing away.

Vina did not dare think any further and could only turn her attention back to the show. The Bloodborne Archon had no written evidence to prove his words, and what he said was merely unsupported testimony. The King of Scavengers relaxed at once and began offering him advice.

"Once the principle is established that senior civil servants can be dismissed for dereliction of duty, it will become a fuse."

"We'll lose dozens of colleagues, perhaps hundreds."

"—Thousands, more likely." The Bloodborne Archon was utterly despondent. With no solution left, he could only place his hopes on the other man.

Fortunately, the other man did not disappoint him. The King of Scavengers quickly came up with a good idea and suggested, "I advise you to make yourself more indispensable to the Prime Minister over the next few days. Make it impossible for him to let you go—what is troubling him most right now?"

"...A Perro that wandered into an artillery range." The Bloodborne Archon instinctively thought it over, but faced with the King of Scavengers's certain gaze, he asked in disbelief:

"Arnold? You're suggesting I have the Prime Minister crawl around on the plains, holding a detector in one hand and a bag of Perro pet food in the other?"

"...For Victoria, that is probably the least harmful thing he could do."

The King of Scavengers did not reject the idea. Naturally, the Bloodborne Archon would not truly do that either. Yet without question, the life or death of a single Perro directly affected the fate of one of the show's most important protagonists.

Before this, no one could have imagined that a lost Perro would be connected to clearing Humphrey's name in the show.

With such a twist, not to mention viewers who had been distracted for a moment, even some who had watched the television the entire time probably had no idea how the two matters had been linked. Amiya of Rhodes Island included.

But after a brief stunned pause, Amiya's face lit up with delight. Just then, Kal'tsit returned from her office. Amiya immediately pointed at the television and said:

"Doctor Kal'tsit! I won the bet! That Perro really can be saved!"

"...Huh?"

Kal'tsit had only been gone for less than five minutes. Faced with Amiya's delighted expression, she turned to the television, only to see that the Bloodborne Archon was already discussing a plan to save the Perro with the Secretary of Defense.

"You mean a Royal Engineer squad with detectors, a team of veterinarians with tranquilizer guns, an aircraft carrying one or two winches, and a bill reaching hundreds of thousands—all for a Perro that can be bought for five coins at any pet shop?"

The Secretary of Defense had barely begun objecting when the Bloodborne Archon suggested using the matter to make the Prime Minister abandon his plan to cut military spending. The two immediately reached an agreement and launched the Perro rescue operation.

Kal'tsit witnessed all of this after returning. At that moment, she felt even more confused than she would have been if she had not watched that section at all. Her eyes were slightly unfocused.

...She had only stepped away for a moment. What had happened in the plot just now? Had she already fallen behind the art of the new era? Were the twists really that fast?

Kal'tsit fell into confusion, and that meant she would inevitably rewatch the final episode that night, contributing a little more to Chen Qi's reputation points.

The Finale of Yes, Prime Minister: Theresis's Strategy to Bind Chen Qi

"Three hundred thousand Victoria gold coins?! That's impossible!"

The Perro rescue plan was a great success. Theresis smoothly gained the public's support, as well as an unwanted kiss from a shapeshifter outside the show. But in the show, when he saw the true cost of the rescue, he could not help shouting.

"The Ministry of Defense calculated it according to actual costs." Having basically landed safely by now, the Bloodborne Archon had regained his composed manner as an elite and answered calmly.

"This is absurd, Humphrey! Think of something!"

"—Put the dog back?" Manfred interjected expressionlessly, easing the mood a little. Naturally, no one took his terrible suggestion seriously.

Even so, Theresis still wanted to cut military spending. The Bloodborne Archon praised the Prime Minister's decision as quite "bold," but also explained the practical consequence: the Ministry of Defense would make the bill public.

At that point, the reputation Theresis had just gained by rescuing the Perro would all vanish because of the very same matter, under the accusation of "wasting taxpayers' money."

Bloodborne Archon: "The Prime Minister saves a Perro, and Victoria's military pays the bill—what a sensational story."

"The story of a Perro that fell into the water." Manfred once again displayed his subtle resignation skills, indirectly reminding his Prime Minister not to act rashly and to choose carefully.

In the end, faced with the bill in his hand, Theresis chose to compromise.

"...Come to think of it, military spending cannot be cut too drastically." Theresis looked at the bill in his hand and the reputation he had just gained in the newspapers. After shaking his head for a moment, he finally spoke against his true feelings.

"Defending the territory is the government's foremost duty."

"There are always emergencies... Gaul, Ursus..."

Manfred: "Benji."

"Benji! Yes!" Theresis no longer had the heart to continue fighting. He had lost this contest, defeated once again by the powerful and stable Civil Service System. Still, with compromise and a trace of unwillingness, he said:

"I suppose I was a little too radical. We cannot rush this—submit the military spending cuts to the committee first, all right?"

"Yes, Prime Minister."

In the end, as always, the Bloodborne Archon's words brought another story to a close. The final episode of Yes, Prime Minister came to an end as though it were any ordinary episode.

It was as though the story of the three men would continue forever. It was an ending that seemed to have no ending, without any grand spectacle. The leads remained the same, their fates in the show unchanged; they had merely won and lost against one another in turn.

"—Could there be a sequel?"

After finishing Yes, Prime Minister, Vina had just breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the show had finally ended. Yet upon seeing that ending, she could not help saying those words.

"With an ending like this... it could seamlessly connect to a second season without any problems."

Beside Vina, Lin Yuxia also felt somewhat unsatisfied. As one of Chen Qi's hidden fans, she naturally hoped his dramas could be made bigger and better.

"Although he made this show because of Theresis's request and it has now been banned across the territory, don't we all think it was a good show?"

"If we went by ratings... with ratings like these, wouldn't it definitely be popular enough to get a sequel without a second thought?"

The potential Yes, Prime Minister had now displayed made Lin Yuxia believe that, given enough incentive, any screenwriter would rack their brains to write a second season.

Lin Yuxia firmly believed that with Chen Qi's talent, if he wanted to write a second season of Yes, Prime Minister, it absolutely would not end here.

"Perhaps... because we came to rescue him, he deliberately ended it this way so he could account for it to Theresis and fulfill the Blood Pact's requirements?"

"That way, even if there are only eight episodes, once he says it is finished, it is finished. Once the Blood Pact is fulfilled, Theresis will have no reason to keep stopping them from leaving."

Chen Huijie could not help speculating this way, and her words quickly received unanimous agreement from everyone on the landship. This ending to Yes, Prime Minister also made them all believe Chen Qi definitely had more in reserve.

"...But if Theresis sees through it, will he still let Director Chen Qi leave?"

After Logos turned off the television, he asked everyone with some hesitation, "Tomorrow is the day Theresis is supposed to release Director Chen Qi and his group. If he realizes Director Chen Qi has been concealing his talents... will he really be willing to let Director Chen Qi go?"

"After all, with Director Chen Qi's talent, if he expanded Yes, Prime Minister further and then spread it through Theresis's methods, he might split Victoria apart within a few months. Wouldn't that be exactly the outcome Theresis wants?"

"...That's true."