Bloodborne Archon: Let me give you a great way to lower unemployment / Sympathizing with the unemployed? Don't worry, you'll soon be unemployed too

However, when the Duke of Windermere arrived in Londinium, he had originally planned to take advantage of the rare free time today to happily watch two episodes of "Yes, Prime Minister" and then go to sleep. But he found the Duke of Wellington and Ablana taking notes with unusual seriousness.

Duke of Windermere's only eye also creased slightly, revealing a hint of horror as he spoke:

"Don't tell me you actually intend to learn how to govern a country from this; isn't this a political comedy?"

"Duke of Windermere, haven't you watched season two?"

Meanwhile, the Duke of Wellington, also curious, asked the Duke of Windermere about it. However, the Duchess, with a stern face, nodded and replied:

"I'm very busy, old Wellington. To be honest, I didn't even finish watching the first season. My subordinates had to tell me. I managed to sneak in a bit of it during my busy schedule; it was interesting, but I haven't had time to catch up."

"Ah, I'm sorry, I forgot you have a daughter to take care of at home." The Duke of Wellington also realized this. Unlike the other dukes, he was a true mother who always put his daughter first.

However, the Duke of Wellington did not look down on Windermere because of this; on the contrary, he extended a rather friendly invitation:

"Then let's take a look now, Windermere. This is a masterpiece; the help it can bring to us today may be beyond our imagination."

"... Old Wellington, are you getting senile? It's just a comedy after all; what reference value can it possibly have?"

Duke of Windermere was also somewhat suspicious. However, when she looked at Ablana, who was earnestly taking notes, and at the Duke of Wellington himself, who was also very serious, she couldn't help but wonder... had these old fellows been secretly learning from her while she was busy with border defense for the past few months?

Regardless, since they had learned it, he couldn't afford not to. With this in mind, Duke of Windermere immediately set aside his prejudices and focused on the plot.

In the storyline, the Bloodborne Archon, who was already planning to participate in the program, also approached Theresis to submit the Grand Secretariat agenda. The Bloodborne Archon, unusually, began to consult Theresis, a media person, on how to deal with media questions.

Upon hearing about dealing with the media, the eyes of the high-ranking officials from various countries lit up, and they all took out banknotes to record the information. After all, this was the most helpful part for Hacker, played by Theresis!

"If you try to be vague or beat around the bush, they'll just cut it out. You have to say something." Theresis clearly knew how the Bloodborne Archon, a master of long and complex sentences, would handle this, and immediately shared some of her own experience:

"It needs to be clear, and it also needs to be interesting."

"Perhaps you can offer me some advice, Prime Minister." Realizing that he was unusually inferior to Theresis in one area, the Bloodborne Archon immediately sat down and inquired about his concerns, saying:

"Especially when the issue is provocative."

"That's even better; the audience will sympathize with you." Theresis didn't see any problem with it, but the Bloodborne Archon replied worriedly, "But I still have to answer, don't I?"

"--Why? You never answer my questions!"

Theresis's words elicited knowing laughter from viewers who had followed "Yes, Prime Minister." Because of these words, Theresis had also mentioned to Manfred that both a private secretary and a Grand Secretariat secretary had received such high praise from the Prime Minister, making one wonder if Theresis was truly "isolated and helpless" as Prime Minister.

To this, the Bloodborne Archon simply smiled and readily admitted it, saying, "No, no, these are two different things, Prime Minister."

"Ludovic (VBC Radio 3 presenter) might ask some expert questions."

His research mentions that many people want to know, "Why do I hold so much power?"

However, Theresis was slightly taken aback by the Bloodborne Archon's concern, but then revealed a subtle smile, revealing the truth in a succinct laugh:

"Many people? Not many ordinary people have heard of you, Humphrey."

Theresis, chuckled at the Bloodborne Archon's "unrealistic sentimentality." After all, he knew very well that most commoners didn't even know the names of their local government officials, let alone recognize the names of the highest-ranking officials in the Civil Service System.

Even if there are any, they are basically limited to the most influential and expressive individuals. As for Humphrey, played by Bloodborne Archon, who is a behind-the-scenes manipulator of the Civil Service System, he holds the title of "secretary" in the Grand Secretariat but actually wields astonishing power. Few people outside the inner circle would pay attention to him.

At that moment, Manfred stepped forward to chime in, "Perhaps 'they' refers to many listeners of Radio 3."

"Isn't that a contradiction?" Theresis pointed out the obvious: hardly anyone listens to Radio 3, so how could there be "many" listeners?

However, Theresis, being a good Samaritan, went all the way and offered a solution to the problem:

"Okay, if he really says a lot of people want to know, just say 'Name six,' and he'll be stumped!"

"He could never remember more than two."

When Theresis introduced her tips for dealing with reporters' difficult questions and probing, almost immediately, high-ranking officials from various countries took notes, knowing they would be able to use them next time!

Even the Duke of Windermere, who was initially skeptical, was immediately impressed when he heard about this method of dealing with reporters, finding it exceptionally useful.

"Those war correspondents are really troublesome... I don't deny they helped a little, but I don't have Kung Fu Hustle to answer their questions."

"If I can learn some ways to deal with these reporters... then it'll be worth coming here."

As one of the border guards, the Duke of Windermere had an ambiguous attitude towards Victoria's royal power, belonging to the category of "it doesn't matter who is in charge, I am loyal to Victoria." However, she also had to deal with many reporters, but she was not good at speaking. As a border duke, her attitude sometimes had to represent Victoria.

Now, the knowledge shared in "Yes, Prime Minister" has made the Duke of Windermere feel that he has finally found a way to deal with these annoying reporters! He is now paying extra attention and has completely forgotten his previous attitude.

Then, Theresis shared more of her experience, continuing, "For example, attacking by focusing on a single word, such as... 'frequent'."

"Frequent? What counts as frequent?"

"Or attack the host, like, 'Obviously you haven't even read the white paper, have you?'"

"For example, 'That's a good question. Now let me ask you a question,' what do you think?"

Theresis genuinely shared some of her experiences as a media professional with the Bloodborne Archon, and these experiences not only helped the Bloodborne Archon but also greatly benefited the audience watching on screen.

However, even so, the Bloodborne Archon made no attempt to help Theresis evade questioning in the House of Commons, nor did he deny the possibility of wiretapping members' phones.

The Bloodborne Archon was extremely "righteous and awe-inspiring," showing no intention of helping Theresis cover up his lie. Of course, the Bloodborne Archon didn't get involved in this mess mainly because he was worried about leaving any evidence in the future. For someone like him who didn't want to be implicated in old cases after retirement, any possible incriminating evidence couldn't be used against him.

Although Humphrey's character already had a lot of negative press before "Yes, Prime Minister," that didn't stop him from not wanting to leave any more behind.

"Oh, the intricate web we've woven!" The Bloodborne Archon retorted to Theresis with a line of poetry, but Theresis, who had just gained some experience, was still unwilling to give up and continued:

"Humphrey, you must remain loyal."

"--I stand by the facts." However, the Bloodborne Archon remained steadfast in his integrity, firmly refusing the blade. "I'm sorry, Prime Minister, I cannot participate in such despicable deception."

Having said that, the Bloodborne Archon strode out of the office. If one hadn't watched him leave, one might actually have thought the Bloodborne Archon was a "straightforward minister."

"To refuse so decisively, especially from one's own boss, is a bad idea; it might narrow one's options."

However, at this moment, Wei Yenwu couldn't help but smile with amusement at the Bloodborne Archon's actions. He had a vague idea that the Bloodborne Archon would definitely fail this time; those who are too confident in themselves often end up like this.

However, compared to other methods, I learned more about dealing with reporters, which was more rewarding. How did this kid know so many ways to handle difficult reporters? How come he seems to have more experience than I, the ruler of Lungmen? But I've never seen this kid on TV much.

Wei Yenwu was somewhat confused, but he didn't know that tomorrow he would see Chen Qi on television for the second time since the Victoria Film Festival, and from that day on, the class gap between his dear nephew-in-law and him, the ruler of Lungmen, would be greatly reduced, making them a truly "well-matched" nephew-in-law.

Chapter 163: Bloodborne Archon: I'll give you a good way to reduce the unemployment rate.

Conversely, in the process of governing a country, certain shared responsibilities inevitably arise between legislators and administrators. In any event, the cause determines the effect, or rather, the means's ultimate outcome...

The next moment, the camera shifts to the Bloodborne Archon sitting in the studio, facing VBC Radio 3 host "Ludovic." However, judging from his expression, the interview is not going well.

After being enlightened by Theresis, a former media professional, the Bloodborne Archon perfectly combined his "long and complex sentences" with her, successfully leaving the experienced host completely helpless.

Seeing that the Bloodborne Archon was using so many technical terms and obscure words that almost no one was interested in listening to, Ludovic quickly tried to interrupt:

"I understand, but could you elaborate? I'm asking to what extent the civil service system is responsible for unemployment?"

"Yes, of course." Faced with such a pointed topic, the Bloodborne Archon, who had already "mastered divine skills," answered fluently. He knew all too well that he could not give any biased answer to the topic of unemployment, otherwise the media would easily seize on it and distort the meaning.

When faced with this kind of topic, the best approach is to remain silent and simply not express an opinion, indicating that it's not something you can control.

"The broad media term 'unemployment' encompasses a wide variety of socioeconomic phenomena, but politically speaking, its most obvious manifestation is precisely..."

"Yes, yes, but could you be more specific...?"

"--Excuse me, Mr. Kennedy. You asked me to ask the question, so please let me finish answering first."

However, the Bloodborne Archon gave the host no chance to regain control of the situation, firmly grasping the essence of what Theresis had mentioned in previous episodes when she reprimanded Manfred: "Don't worry about the questions asked, just answer your own."

"In fact, the National Unemployment Registry receives a weekly summary of registration data as required, and it is generally considered to be above historically acceptable levels..."

The Bloodborne Archon's speech was impeccable; anyone who listened to it would have described it as "boring." However, this was exactly the effect the Bloodborne Archon wanted to achieve.

Only in this way will virtually no one be interested in scrutinizing or analyzing his answers, thus ensuring that most of the public has "no objections"—if they can't even understand the officials' responses, how can they possibly have any opinions?

However, the result was that the Bloodborne Archon's words became long and tedious, and anyone who listened to him would find it as boring and tedious as the two staff members on set at that moment.

"--This reminds me of your speech shortly after you took over Lungmen, regarding the suppression of the local Infected riots."

Meanwhile, in Lungmen, Wenyue listened to the Bloodborne Archon's sleep-inducing speech on television, but couldn't help but glance at Wei Yenwu, who was smoking beside her, and immediately teased him:

"You used the same method to fob off reporters back then, didn't you? That was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen you do since I met you."

"... So what about now?" Wei Yenwu was also embarrassed. He had indeed done some wrong things, or even extreme things, in order to govern Lungmen. However, apart from the matter of the Little Tal, Wei Yenwu believed that he had a clear conscience. He didn't know how his wife viewed him at the moment.

However, after blinking, Wenyue replied with a smile:

"... It's still boring, but I don't hate it."

The couple's public display of affection drew eye-rolls from the young women, represented by Chen Huijie, who all looked away, their expressions more sour than if they had eaten a lemon.

"I'm starting to miss Chen Qi a bit. I bet he'd dare say something like, 'Officer Wei, if you want to do some marital stuff, the bedroom's right next door,' right now?"

Chen Huijie couldn't help but think to herself, but putting that reason aside, she also really missed Chen Qi and Talulah. Although she had watched their awards ceremony at the Victoria Film Festival last time, Chen Huijie felt a little guilty for not being able to help Chen Qi and Talulah except for the initial filming of "Young and Dangerous".

Especially now, Chen Qi and Talulah's identities are completely different from before. They are both protected by "hell" and "heaven," which makes Chen Huijie feel that they are getting further and further away from her.

However, the sadness was only momentary. Chen Huijie quickly regained her composure. After all, no matter what, they had reunited, and there was no need to be so sad because of a little distance.

In the storyline, the Bloodborne Archon's boring speech finally came to an end. Adhering to the principle of "saying nothing is the same as saying nothing," he successfully conveyed nothing.

"The statistical significance is so subtle that it cannot be fully explained within the scope of a single popular radio program."

"... Sir Humphrey Appleby, thank you very much."

Ultimately, the host, utterly exasperated, gave up on trying to extract any useful information from Humphrey and uttered the words that signaled the end of the program.

At this moment, the studio staff finally couldn't stand the boring program anymore and complained to their colleagues, "If this is considered a popular program, then what must the unpopular programs be like?"

"Hahahaha!" XN

The staff's complaints perfectly illustrated that the Bloodborne Archon's defense remained impenetrable. Just when the Bloodborne Archon thought the show was over and his crisis was over, the host Ludovic, wanted to continue pressing the issue of "unemployment."

"For example, telling the truth?"

However, upon hearing Ludovic's words, the Bloodborne Archon, who thought the program was over, suddenly burst into laughter. And it was this laughter that made all the high-ranking officials who were watching the drama subconsciously feel that something bad was about to happen.

As expected, having lowered his guard, the Bloodborne Archon immediately reverted to his "know-it-all" nature and began to speak his mind without restraint:

"Dear Lud, no one will tell the truth about unemployment."

"Oh? Why?"

"Because everyone knows that the unemployment rate can be reduced in just a few weeks."

The Bloodborne Archon's words immediately drew everyone's attention. Even the high-ranking officials of various countries on the Terra were stunned, because they had no idea what the Bloodborne Archon's so-called "well-known" method for reducing unemployment was.

Moreover, unemployment has always been a major headache for all countries, because this problem will always exist, whether in times of war or in times of peace.

Don't assume that there will be no unemployment in prosperous times. People's needs are different in different periods. Sometimes unemployment is due to war and lack of jobs, while other times it is due to oversupply, and they don't need your job at all.

And how could they not be interested in a good way to reduce unemployment, especially since, according to the Bloodborne Archon, this method would produce immediate results?

However, Kal'tsit on Rhodes Island frowned slightly, subconsciously feeling that the suggestion from the Bloodborne Archon couldn't possibly be anything good.

Sure enough, just as Kal'tsit was contemplating the worst-case scenario, the Bloodborne Archon in the show, without hesitation, told everyone in the shortest terms what could be considered the most unthinkable way to "solve" the unemployment rate.

"Just don't pay social security contributions to those who turned down two job offers."

"There are indeed some unemployed people in the North, but the South is full of lazybones. Large numbers of people live off welfare and housing subsidies right after graduating from university, while secretly making large sums of extra money!"

The Bloodborne Archon's words were incisive and highly "efficient," and this policy could undoubtedly solve the unemployment problem, because the consequences behind it were something the people could not afford.

Without social security, the future of many people in their old age would be jeopardized. And if you refuse a job offer the first time, you're unlikely to refuse the second—so no matter how dissatisfied you are with the second job offer, you're unlikely to refuse it.

This approach does indeed solve the employment problem, but it can be said that with some deliberate arrangements, a large number of jobs that people are unwilling to take can be filled in the second job market. However, this strategy completely disregards the people's opinions; it is effective, but very dangerous.

This is something no government would dare to do, not even a dictatorship would dare to use this method to reduce the unemployment rate. However, the Bloodborne Archon seemed completely unconcerned about the weight of his previous statement and continued to express his views:

"Most employers complain about being short-staffed, but if you try to hire street sweepers or dishwashers, they run away as soon as they see fit, and you don't even have time to call them 'parasites'."

"Frankly, the unemployment rate will only climb higher as long as the government continues to burn money on social security funds."

"And not a single politician has the courage to change the status quo."

"--This line should be recorded on the show."

"That's not true."

However, just as Ludovic and the Bloodborne Archon were still joking around, as the camera zoomed out, the still-operating master tape, symbolizing the Bloodborne Archon's current words, was recorded word for word...

"This time... Humphrey has really messed up."

However, this was a fatal mistake, one that even the well-informed Wei Yenwu couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. Subconsciously, he didn't mention the proposal regarding the Bloodborne Archon's reduction of the unemployment rate. He dared not think about what would happen if he did, nor did he want to know what would happen.

Now, Wei Yenwu understands that if such words were released, not only would Humphrey be thrown into turmoil, but Victoria in the show would likely be in serious trouble. If this episode were the finale, Humphrey would be "doomed" this time.

Chapter 164: Empathizing with the Unemployed? It's okay, you'll be unemployed soon too.

"How dare you!"