Directing on the Ark, Success Means Not Getting Banned

However, in the end, Theresis did not make things too difficult for the Bloodborne Archon. Instead, he planned to consult the former cabinet secretary, the predecessor to Humphrey's direct superior, "Arnold," on the matter.

"Don't discuss it with Arnold. I'll find him first."

"Of course not, Prime Minister. How could I be that kind of person!"

Faced with Theresis's warning, the Bloodborne Archon indignantly declared his righteousness, as if he were the epitome of justice. However, the scene shifted, and in the next moment, the Bloodborne Archon was seen bitterly drinking a glass of wine, asking the elder beside him with utter helplessness:

"Then what do you suggest I do, Arnold?"

"Hahahahahaha!" XN

However, the helpless Bloodborne Archon, whether due to the stark contrast with the character's consistent dominance throughout the season or the amusement derived from his current predicament given his true identity, erupted in laughter in Londinium, unreservedly.

Of course, others did notice the character "Arnold." For instance, Kal'tsit, far away on Rhodes Island, couldn't help but express surprise as she watched Arnold on the television:

"This aura, this tone... King of the Scavengers?"

"Director Chen Qi actually managed to persuade him to act? This... how is that possible?"

For a moment, even Kal'tsit couldn't fathom that the King of the Scavengers would participate in the filming of "Yes, Prime Minister." It was likely that no one else could have imagined that this small scene currently featured two individuals of Royal Court-level combat power.

Director Chen Qi... how exactly did he achieve this? Even Kal'tsit's mind couldn't grasp how to get these two Royal Court Kings to act together. She couldn't help but feel curious about Chen Qi's methods.

Chapter Sixty-One: Vina: Are All Victorians with Ideals and Ambitions Spies?

However, the "King of the Scavengers" that shocked Kal'tsit was naturally one of the Royal Court Kings of the Sarkaz. He was also one of the Royal Court monarchs who participated in the Kazdel civil war. His stance was relatively ambiguous among the Royal Court. Although he stood with Theresis, he maintained contact with Theresia's side during the civil war.

Kal'tsit had not seen the King of the Scavengers since the Kazdel civil war, and now, to see him in "Yes, Prime Minister"...

"—Wait, doesn't this mean there are as many as two Royal Court combatants in Londinium right now?"

However, Kal'tsit suddenly came to her senses, thinking of Vina and Chen Huijie and their group far away in Londinium. They were either from Lungmen or elites from Rhodes Island, but in the face of Royal Court-level combat power, they were no match.

She had dispatched Logos precisely to counter the Bloodborne Archon, a Royal Court member. And if there were two Royal Court members in Londinium... coupled with Manfred and Theresis, the situation would completely tilt in favor of the Sarkaz!

Even with "Black Cape," in the face of the combat power of the Kings, "Black Cape" could barely guarantee the personal safety of Chen and Lin Yuxia. What about Vina and ACE? Even as elites, they were no match for the Royal Court!

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

Kal'tsit immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and hurried towards her office with a solemn expression. Amiya, who was intently focused on the plot's development, didn't even notice Kal'tsit's silent departure.

If Chen Qi were present, seeing Kal'tsit's anxious demeanor, he would surely have reassured her not to act impulsively, stating that he had already made arrangements with them and that the operation was scheduled for tomorrow.

As for how he managed to get the King of the Scavengers to act as "Arnold"... it was surprisingly simple.

Chen Qi needed an actor who dared to publicly mock the Bloodborne Archon, and the Bloodborne Archon wouldn't be angry or even able to retaliate. Since Theresis and Manfred, who fit this description, already had roles, he had to find the King of the Scavengers, who was on the same level as the Bloodborne Archon.

What surprised Chen Qi was how quickly the King of the Scavengers agreed upon hearing that he could mock the Bloodborne Archon. He caused quite a bit of trouble for Rob Rata, the chief makeup artist, who claimed to have encountered a "show-stopping level of makeup difficulty."

But now, the King of the Scavengers had successfully appeared on screen. As Arnold, he hesitantly replied to the Bloodborne Archon's plea for help:

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

"Arnold?" The Bloodborne Archon couldn't believe that Arnold, the person most likely to prove his innocence, would say such a thing. He desperately tried to prove his innocence, saying:

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

The Bloodborne Archon once again disparaged the Guard Academy, and then, not satisfied, continued to argue:

"I'm not one of them, and I don't drink Life Water."

"I'm one of us. I've been a civil servant my whole life!"

"Sir John is too," the King of the Scavengers replied calmly, appearing detached. This nonchalance only made the Bloodborne Archon more anxious, as he felt the person before him wasn't inclined to help. He immediately responded:

"Yes, but he's different!"

"Sir John believed in things like 'career' back then—I've never believed in such things in my life!"

"He also had ambitions, the ambition to achieve great things. You know I have nothing to do with that!"

This statement immediately caused a roar of laughter in almost every household in Londinium. The combination of several punchlines, self-deprecation, and satire had many Londinium residents clutching their stomachs, their faces flushed red, laughing so hard they were nearly falling off their sofas.

This time, it wasn't just the residents of Londinium who were laughing; even high-ranking officials in Ursus were doubled over with laughter. But this time, they weren't laughing at Victoria; they were feeling proud and satisfied with their own empire.

"Hahaha! When the former Emperor was alive, our Ursus fought battles far and wide, expanding our territory. The most brilliant move was when the former Emperor recruited talents from abroad, disregarding international norms."

"Indeed, good young people from various countries flocked to our Ursus Empire, contributing to our imperial cause with all their might!"

"Aren't there several people here who were unrecognized in their home countries but were given important positions after coming to the Empire?"

"That's right. They could never reach such high positions in their own countries, but thanks to following the former Emperor, they have achieved their current status!"

For a moment, the old nobles in the Ursus palace looked both amused and proud. Now, as they witnessed the rise of the Ursus Empire, from a barren land to a powerful nation, these old officials who had come to Ursus from their homelands to try their luck had become pure Ursus people inside and out, except for their race.

And this plot point, where the Bloodborne Archon claimed he had no ambition or desire to achieve great things, thus he couldn't possibly be an Ursus spy—wasn't this an indirect affirmation that their choices back then were correct?

Upon thinking of this, these old nobles couldn't help but puff out their chests, feeling fortunate for their decisions back then. However, they then couldn't help but sigh with emotion, lamenting that the current Ursus Empire... was indeed not as great as it used to be.

However, while some were happy and some were laughing, the Dean of the Royal Guard Academy wore a look of exasperated amusement. It was already a headache for him that they were previously accused of specifically training foreigners. Now, "Yes, Prime Minister" had exposed this, even creating a military intelligence chief who was a spy for Ursus, and he was a graduate from their academy.

The Dean thought it was over at the time, truly becoming a "spy training center." But then came this line... making him unsure whether it was praise or criticism.

It should be praise, right? At least, graduates with ambition and the desire to achieve great things, even if they became spies... these words sounded quite good, didn't they?

In the play, the King of the Scavengers didn't make things too difficult for the Bloodborne Archon for long. After some thought, he decided to help the Bloodborne Archon.

"Even if you are a spy, I agree not to expose you," the King of the Scavengers clearly stated, indifferent to the matter. He was concerned with something else more important:

"But this kind of scandal would severely damage the prestige of the civil service system, so you absolutely cannot plead guilty."

"But I have no crime to plead guilty to!" The Bloodborne Archon looked like he was about to go crazy, yet he also knew very well that if he hadn't colluded with the enemy, it would be a matter of dereliction of duty.

But the problem was, the Bloodborne Archon felt he hadn't been derelict in his duty; this was simply doing his job. For this, he even threw out another bombshell piece of news:

"You arranged for me to be the secretary of the investigation team! You explicitly instructed me at the time not to find evidence unfavorable to him!"

"—I don't recall."

At this moment, as soon as the Bloodborne Archon said this, the King of the Carrion Eaters' expression immediately became extremely serious. That fleeting killing intent and awe-inspiring aura instantly made people feel the pressure.

However, what surprised the audience even more at this moment were the words spoken by the Bloodborne Archon. If Arnold had arranged for him back then, wouldn't that mean that the person suspected of being a spy was actually Arnold?!

"A former cabinet secretary, a former head of military intelligence, two officials who held extremely high positions, all spies for Ursus?!"

However, at this moment, even the naturally reserved Vina was shocked by such a plot. Especially as she watched "Yes, Prime Minister," the more she felt that Chen Qi possessed some inside information. The thought that such a thing had happened under her ancestors' rule sent a cold sweat down her spine from top to bottom.

Is this position really that dangerous?! Why are there so many enemies! In this situation, even if she could truly return to the throne, could she really control Victoria with her abilities?

At a young age, Vina had personally witnessed her father being dragged to the guillotine by an angry mob. At that time, she had gone from Crown Princess to a wanderer. She hadn't had the chance to learn much knowledge; most of it was just survival, fighting, and then constantly repeating each day.

And although she hadn't learned, her father definitely had! He was the one who was pushed to the guillotine after all his governance; could she be stronger than her father like this?

For a moment, Vina couldn't help but start to waver. The thought that her father had left her such a huge mess and then passed away made Vina, as she understood politics more and more, feel less and less confident about governing well.

Vina dared not think further and had to turn her gaze back to the plot. Currently, the Bloodborne Archon had no written evidence to prove his words; everything he said was just hearsay. The King of the Carrion Eaters immediately relaxed and began to offer suggestions to the Bloodborne Archon:

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

"We will lose dozens of colleagues, even hundreds."

"—Thousands, perhaps." The Bloodborne Archon was also disheartened and, having no other options, could only place his hopes on the other party.

Fortunately, the other party did not disappoint him. The King of the Carrion Eaters quickly came up with a good idea and immediately suggested, "I suggest you first increase your importance to the Prime Minister, and in the next few days, prevent him from letting you go—what is he most worried about right now?"

"...A Perro that wandered into an artillery range." The Bloodborne Archon subconsciously recalled, but facing the King of the Carrion Eaters' confident gaze, he said incredulously, "Arnold? You suggest I have the Prime Minister crawling around in a field, holding a detector in one hand and a bag of Perro pet food in the other?"

"...For Victoria, that's probably the most harmless thing he would do."

The King of the Carrion Eaters did not deny such a plan, and clearly, the Bloodborne Archon wouldn't actually do it. But undoubtedly, the life and death of a Perro could directly affect the fate of one of the most important actors in the entire drama.

And before this, no one would have thought that a lost Perro could be linked to clearing the identity of Humphrey in the play.

With such a twist, let alone the audience who had been distracted for a moment, even those who had been staring at the TV the whole time probably didn't know how the two matters were connected. This included Amiya from Rhodes Island.

However, after Amiya was momentarily stunned, she showed a look of joy. Just then, Kal'tsit returned from her office. Amiya immediately pointed at the TV and said, "Doctor Kal'tsit! I won my bet! That Perro is indeed saved!"

"...Huh?"

However, Kal'tsit, who had only been away for less than five minutes, faced Amiya's joyful expression and then looked at the TV. As the camera turned, the Bloodborne Archon was actually already negotiating with the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense about the plan to save the Perro.

"You're saying a Royal Engineers squadron with detectors, a team of veterinarians with tranquilizer guns, an aircraft with one or two winches, and a bill of hundreds of thousands, all for a Perro that you can buy for five yuan at any pet store?"

However, before the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense could object, the Bloodborne Archon proposed using this as an excuse for the Prime Minister to abandon his plan to cut military spending. Immediately, the two reached an agreement and immediately launched the plan to save the Perro.

All of this was witnessed by Kal'tsit, who had returned. At this moment, Kal'tsit felt even more confused than if she hadn't watched this segment, her eyes slightly dazed.

...She had only been away for a moment; what had just happened in the plot? Had she fallen behind the art of the new era? Were the plot twists that fast?

For a moment, Kal'tsit fell into confusion, which meant she would definitely rewatch the last episode tonight, contributing a little more to Chen Qi's reputation.

Chapter 62: "Yes, Prime Minister" Finale, Therensis's Strategy to Bind Chen Qi

"Thirty thousand Victorian gold coins?! This is impossible!"

The plan to save the Perro was very successful. Therensis smoothly gained public support and, off-screen, received a kiss from the Shapeshifter, which he didn't really want. However, in the play, after seeing the actual rescue cost, he couldn't help but exclaim directly.

"That's the Ministry of Defense's calculation based on actual costs." The Bloodborne Archon, who had now basically stabilized, calmly replied, having regained his composure as an elite.

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

"—Let the dog go back?" Manfred interjected expressionlessly, trying to ease the atmosphere, but his terrible suggestion was obviously not taken seriously by anyone.

However, even so, Therensis still wanted to cut military spending. For this, the Bloodborne Archon praised the Prime Minister's decision as very "bold" but also pointed out the actual consequences of doing so: the Ministry of Defense would make this bill public.

By then, the reputation Therensis had just gained from saving the Perro would be lost due to the same incident, with the reason being "wasting taxpayers' money."

Bloodborne Archon: "The Prime Minister saves the Perro, the Victorian army pays the bill—what a sensational story."

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

In the end, facing the bill in his hands, Therensis finally chose to compromise.

"...Speaking of which, military spending cannot be cut too much." Therensis looked at the bill in his hand, the reputation he had just gained from the newspaper. After shaking his head back and forth, he finally said against his will, "Territorial defense is the government's top priority."

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

Manfred: "Benji (the name of the saved Perro)."

"Benji! Yes!" Therensis no longer had the mind to fight. He had lost this battle, defeated once again by this powerful and stable civilian bureaucracy. But in the end, he said with compromise and a hint of unwillingness, "I think I was a bit too radical and can't rush—let's submit the military spending cut matter to the committee first, okay?"

"Yes, Prime Minister."

In the end, it was as usual, at the Bloodborne Archon's command, another story concluded. The final episode of "Yes, Prime Minister" ended just like any other episode.

It was as if the story of these three people would continue like this forever, an ending without an end, no grand spectacle, the main actors were still the same, their fates within the drama unchanged, only with victories and defeats exchanged.

"—Could there be a sequel?"

However, after watching "Yes, Prime Minister" and finally breathing a sigh of relief, thinking the show was finally over, Vina couldn't help but utter this sentence upon seeing the ending.

"I feel like, with this kind of ending… it seems like it could seamlessly link into a second season without any problems."

Beside Vina, Lin Yuxia also felt a sense of wanting more. As a hidden fan of Chen Qi, Lin Yuxia naturally hoped that Chen Qi's television dramas would be made more and better.

"Although this drama was made at Theresis's request, and it's now completely banned, don't we all think this show was well-made?"

"If we consider the ratings… with these ratings, it's definitely reached a level where they could mindlessly produce a sequel, right?"

The potential that "Yes, Prime Minister" had now revealed allowed Lin Yuxia to believe that if driven by sufficient profit, any screenwriter could be made to rack their brains to write a second season.

And Lin Yuxia firmly believed that with Chen Qi's talent, if he wanted to write the second season of "Yes, Prime Minister," it definitely wouldn't end here.

"This is probably… just because we came to save him, so he specifically ended it this way, to make it easier to report to Theresis and fulfill the Blood Pact's requirements?"

"In that case, even if it's only eight episodes, once he says it's finished, it's finished. With the Blood Pact fulfilled, Theresis would have no reason to continue blocking their departure."

Chen Huijie couldn't help but speculate this, and Chen Huijie's words were quickly met with unanimous agreement from everyone on the Landship. The way "Yes, Prime Minister" had concluded made everyone believe that Chen Qi definitely had a backup plan.

"…However, if Theresis notices, will they still let Director Chen Qi leave?"

At this moment, Logos turned off the television and asked the group with a hint of hesitation, "Tomorrow is the day Theresis is supposed to let Director Chen Qi and his group go. If they see that Director Chen Qi was holding back… will they willingly let Director Chen Qi go like this?"

"After all, with Director Chen Qi's talent, if he were to expand "Yes, Prime Minister" a bit more and spread it through Theresis's channels, perhaps in just a few months, Victoria could be torn apart. Wouldn't that be a situation Theresis wants to see?"

"…That's right."