"Judging by our investigation so far, these people already have an established procedure."
Li Wei spoke as he faced the Queen.
"First, they invite the nobles they've targeted to a banquet. Once they arrive, what appears to be an extravagantly lavish dinner puts the invited nobles at ease. Then they release a mist capable of manipulating people's emotions, immersing them in pleasure. Meanwhile, while these people are too intoxicated to know which way is up, the worms burrow into their bodies... hmm..."
Li Wei paused and shrugged.
"Of course, even if they feel something foreign inside them, they probably won't notice. Then their thoughts... well, those aren't really their thoughts. Rather, the worms control their thoughts, making them agree with everything the other side says, and they become those people's accomplices. Naturally, they also take some photographs in secret."
"Can't they already control people with those worms? Why would they still need photographs?"
Princess Louise, seated nearby, asked in bewilderment.
"Oh, I suspect those are meant for us."
"For us?"
"Exactly. Suppose those photographs appeared on the front page of a newspaper, with a headline like 'Soldiers bleed on the front lines while nobles indulge in luxury back home.' That would be enough to spark public outrage."
Li Wei shrugged.
"Trust me, the public won't care much about the names of the nobles in those photographs. All they need to know is that these people are nobles."
Li Wei knew far more about wars of public opinion than anyone in this era.
Both the Queen and Princess Louise fell silent at his answer. Then the Queen asked a question.
"I'm curious, Sir Li Wei. If they have that ability, why don't they simply control the entire population of Fog City?"
"Ah, I wondered about that too. My guess is that,