Yes, Madam Prime Minister

The only thing these two cities care about is the magic academy, because neither of them has one.

Pro City is alright; it's primarily a military port, and only secondarily a commercial port. There aren't that many wealthy children who want to become magicians. Sama City is different. It's the most prosperous and developed port city in the south, a trade center. A large number of merchants and minor nobles in Sama City are treated like lambs to the slaughter in order to send their children to magic academies.

Spending money is secondary; the real issue is that even after paying to get in, you still end up as a second-class citizen.

If the seven special cities were merged and a magic academy were established, that would be a different story.

After all, Southerners don't rip off other Southerners.

As for the cost of building the school, that's a minor matter; it would be best to have them cover it all.

With the neighbors all doing this, the other five special cities besides Wright City and White Star City were naturally also bustling with activity.

Especially after all five mayors received private invitations from Dinia to go fishing together.

As for the secretaries-general of these five cities, they skipped dinner after get off work and took a boat overnight to meet.

The mayors come from different backgrounds, have different experiences, and different goals, but the secretaries-general are all locals. It is natural for them to get together and necessary for them to discuss important matters.

On the small boat, the five people began their discussion.

"This move by Parliament is truly brilliant."

"I'm afraid it wasn't the work of this first female mage; I've heard she has no political experience."

"That bastard Artes, he's still the secretary general even after the merger, but we're doomed."

"But we can't object."

"Yes, that's why this move is so powerful."

From the perspective of the secretaries-general and even the higher-ranking civil servants in the various special municipalities, the parliament is not of much benefit to them, and may even be harmful. After the merger, their positions will definitely be adjusted, and they will certainly not be able to continue to have the authority to rule over a region.

However, parliament is advantageous to the class they represent.

Ultimately, civil servants are selected through exams, and since it's not like the city organizes its own exams, being a noble and having money is useless. On the contrary, the parliament is much more convenient; money can pave the way, nobles have guaranteed positions, and even novice mages might be able to snag a spot.

Secondly, a special city is so small, with so few jobs. Even if almost all of them are occupied by this class, there are still a large number of people without positions.

With a parliament, wouldn't there be more seats?

"Now that things have come to this, we can only fight for our own interests first."

"We can provide support."

"But you have to pay extra."

"We can't be the secretary-general anymore, but the new city after the merger should give us the positions of heads of various departments."

"If you don't give it to us, we'll file a joint complaint against Artes."

"Ates doesn't seem to be very corrupt, nor does he seem to be very womanizing."

"So what if he's not greedy or lustful? He rose to power by suppressing rebels and purging the remnants. There are plenty of people who hate him. There are so many people willing to sue him that ten boats wouldn't be enough to hold them all. They could even accuse him of something like only paying for one bowl of noodles when he ate two."

"Don't make it sound so serious. Artes is a smart man and will give us a reasonable price."

"In short, we must stand together and not let him divide us."

What did the mayors say?

"They definitely have no choice but to agree; if they don't, they'll probably get killed by a mentally ill person as soon as they leave the house."

"I think they will support the merger with all their might, but they will definitely not agree to this female mayor becoming the mayor of the new city."

"That's true. The merger is also an opportunity for them. Once they become the mayor of this new city, they may be able to achieve something and use that as an opportunity to return to the central government."

"Then I'm afraid there will be an election. Haha, an election is great! In an election, we'll be in charge, right? That way, we'll have leverage in negotiations."

"Ates probably already has two votes in his hands. That old bastard Baal has definitely sided with him."

“The mayors aren’t stupid. I bet only one mayor will come out to compete with Dinia to avoid splitting the votes.”

"No matter which mayor is nominated for the election, the corresponding secretary-general will definitely support his/her mayor."

"That is to say, Dinia has two votes, the elected mayor has one vote, and there are four other votes."

"The real show is expected to begin in two months."

"Let's adjourn."

Chapter Forty-Seven: Demolishing Houses and Opening Windows, Begging on Knees, and Giving Away Books as a Parting Gift

Everything went according to plan. The mayors invited by Dinia immediately expressed their support for the merger. However, since the newly established city would have a council, it would be better to simply elect a mayor.

Although Dinya was unwilling, she did not object.

Ronan met with Barr and the secretaries-general of five other special cities, all of whom indicated that they could submit their names to higher authorities, but on the condition that the new mayor be elected.

Of course, to avoid causing citizens to not use it, and to prevent the new mayor from being unfamiliar with the local situation, the candidates for the new mayor are naturally Dinia and five other mayors.

Ronan readily agreed to the requests of the secretaries-general.

If you want an election, then let's have one.

That evening, Ronan, Dinia, and Yvette gathered again for a small meeting.

"At the normal pace, the report will reach the central government in ten days, and it is estimated that it will take more than ten days to make a decision. If there are no unexpected events, it should be an agreement to merge the seven special cities and hold mayoral elections. The special cities have never had elections before, and the preliminary preparations for the election will take more than ten days. That is to say, it will be about two months later when the mayor of the new city will be officially decided."

Yvette explained.

"We have already secured both Wright City and White Star City, and we now have an absolute advantage," Yvette said confidently.

Ronan smiled and said, "It's too early to say that now. I have some guesses that may not be accurate."

"Speak," Dinia told Ronan directly.

“None of these mayors are fools. They can’t all run for office. If they did, you’d definitely win, madam,” Ronan began. “I estimate that you’ll only have one competitor. The population, territory, and economy of the seven special cities are all roughly the same. I expect they’ll adopt a winner-take-all rule, with voters in each city choosing one of the two candidates. The winner will get the vote representing that city. We have two votes, and the mayor who’s nominated to compete with you also has one vote. Our advantage isn’t that significant.”

Yvette's eyes darted around, and she asked, "So, you're going to use your power to buy people off again?"

Ronan immediately denied it, "No, if the heads of the important departments of the new city after the merger are occupied by these local powerful figures, then the lady will face many constraints in governing in the future. In addition, they will definitely have a majority of seats in the council, so wouldn't the lady have to be at their mercy? It would be better if the various departments of the new city had more people from the old immigrant background."

Of course, Ronan's inner monologue was that one of the local powerful figures was enough.

Yvette scoffed and retorted, "Aren't you the representative of the local powerful faction?"

“I’m different. My loyalty to women is boundless,” Ronan said.

“You, you…” Yvette laughed in anger, but she also admitted in her heart that although Ronan was shameless, his idea was correct.

“Then tell me a sure-win strategy,” Dinia said.

Ronan replied, "I wouldn't say it's a sure win, but if we expand the voter base, the secretaries-general won't be able to influence the election results. If they can't influence the election, what right do they have to bargain with me? They'll be begging on their knees."

If voters are selected based on the kingdom's wealth standards, the number of voters among the new generation of immigrants, totaling only 70,000 to 80,000, will not be much less than that of the older generation of immigrants, whose population exceeds 400,000.

"Would they agree to relax the voter criteria?" Yvette asked rhetorically.

Of course, he couldn't agree to that, but Ronan knew very well.

Ronan pulled out his prepared move: "I will incite the Haidi people to take to the streets and demand to become voters."

Even Yvette, who had always advocated for using tough measures rather than buying people off with benefits, was shocked. Was Ronan going to stand against everyone?

"Aren't you afraid they'll just start killing the Haidi people?" Yvette asked.

“They wouldn’t dare,” Ronan said. “The case of Ares is still unresolved. The Haidi people can attack whomever they want now. Suspected treason can trigger a special search procedure. Who can withstand a search? Among these people, there are corrupt officials or unscrupulous businessmen. There’s not a single clean one.”

Yvette paused, "You don't really want the Haidi people to be voters, do you?"

“Of course not,” Ronan said. “But a thinker once said that if you have a dark room and you say it’s too dark and you want to open the windows, they won’t allow it. But if you say you want to take down the roof, they will compromise and agree to open the windows. The same principle applies to relaxing the standards for voters.”

Yvette was completely stunned.

“Alright, the election is your responsibility, Ronan.” Dinia made the decision, then said, “As for the joint report that needs to be submitted soon, finish it as soon as possible. In three days, Evie will come to the capital with me. The rest is your responsibility, Ronan. Tina will stay behind to help you. I’ll be back in twenty days at the earliest.”

The fact that Dinia went to the capital for such a long time, and even brought her advisor Yvette along, clearly shows that she was trying to pull strings in the capital to ensure the merger of the seven special cities would be approved.

Therefore, matters concerning Wright City's administration and the election two months from now can only be temporarily entrusted to Ronan.

As for Agustina, what help could she possibly offer? She was left behind by Dinia to keep an eye on Ronan.

"Yes, ma'am," Ronan replied with the same answer.

Over the next few days, Ronan and Yvette barely slept or ate properly because of this report.

Is a report really necessary?

It's not just a report, but it's more than just a report, and it's not an ordinary report either.

It explains the affairs of the Ares, the Heidi people, and some conditions in the seven special cities.

The specifics of the situation must be acknowledged by the other mayors and the secretary-general. It must be clear that while there may be shortcomings in their work, the exact nature of these shortcomings must be carefully considered. Otherwise, it would be seen as an admission of one's own mistakes.

Although their work was not perfect, they were extremely serious and hardworking, contributing wholeheartedly to the kingdom and overcoming various objective difficulties. However, they also needed to be mindful of their actions; otherwise, wouldn't this be blaming objective difficulties and self-aggrandizement?

If they can't do these things, why would they sign their names on it?

But that's not the main point.

The key point is the merger application.

It's impossible for the kingdom to immediately agree to the merger of the seven special cities, which would benefit the kingdom.

For the king, the bureaucracy, and the people of parliament, the first principle regarding matters in the periphery was to avoid trouble.

If everything benefits the country, then approval is granted. Wouldn't officials have endless work to do? If approvals are passed so easily, how can legislators demonstrate their importance?

Therefore, the application following this report should not only make people feel that it is beneficial to the country, but also make it clear that the merger will increase tax revenue and save management costs.

More importantly, it should be done in a way that makes officials feel it's not a hassle, and make lawmakers feel that agreeing to it is a prestigious thing.

Only in this way can we guarantee that it will pass.

It's not good to not carefully consider the wording.

Chapter Forty-Eight: Musketeers, Mages, and Civil Officials

It took three days to finally finish the report.

The next day, Dinia and Yvette left Wright City. Before leaving, Ronan gave Dinia a book.

During the day, Dinia's carriage was traveling on the road, while Yvette was sleeping peacefully. She had been working late into the night for the past few days on that report, which had exhausted her energy.

Dinya was reading a book, naturally the one Ronan had given her before her departure, a book titled "Musketeers, Mages and Civil Servants." The book had no author's name and was clearly a trial print, not yet officially published.

This made Dinah suspect that the book might have been written by Ronan.

This book uses history as its narrative thread, beginning with the first monarch of the second dynasty of the Kingdom of Fas, Oran Freigo.

Oranus was born more than three hundred years ago. He was not from the Kingdom of Fas, but the son of a lord of a count's territory near the border of the Holy Empire with the Kingdom of Fas.

He was the third son and had not inherited the family's ritual magic, so theoretically he could not inherit anything.

That's how it was in feudal times. To avoid shrinking their territory, lords would pass everything on to one of their sons, who was basically the one who inherited the magic.

Ritual magic, in its elemental form, involves self-sacrifice, while in its summoning form it involves family inheritance and training.

Nobles who have mastered the ritual magic summoning system are very likely to have offspring who are born with ritual magic. Of course, this ritual magic is not stronger with each generation, but in most cases the offspring's summons are similar to their fathers'. The process of cultivating and strengthening the summons can rely on the family's inherited experience, so it won't be too bad.

As for the other sons, those who wish to stay and become minor officials can remain; those who do not must leave the territory and fend for themselves.

Although Oran was the third son and did not inherit the ritual magic, he was very favored because he was exceptionally talented. He awakened the magic of fate at the age of three, just like Dinia, but he was much stronger than Dinia was when he was young.

He was already invincible throughout the earldom at the age of five.

At the age of nine, he began his studies to learn basic magic.

More than three hundred years ago, there were no magic academies, and the most legitimate way to learn basic magic was through "pilgrimage."

The so-called "pilgrimage" is to go to different churches to learn.

Meditation, Manipulation, Enhancement, Release, Condensation, Control, and Attachment are the seven basic magics. The first step, Meditation, can only be learned in the Great Cathedral, while the others can be learned in different small and medium-sized churches.

The Seven Saints Church has thrived for a thousand years precisely because they controlled the education of basic magic.

At that time, most magicians were nobles, since those who were not nobles couldn't even afford the travel expenses. As a result, magicians were very rare three hundred years ago.

It took Oranz eight years to complete the pilgrimage before returning home.

At this time, he was only seventeen years old, but he was already a well-known magician.

After careful consideration, Oranz's father did not grant him a noble title, but instead gave him two small towns and five villages, making him a town mayor without a noble title.

Oranz's path to kingship begins here.

His first step was to begin training civilian civil servants.