Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"Dong, dong, dong——"

Egbert's heart leaped into his throat.

who is it?

Was he exposed?

He held his breath, quietly walked to the door, and peered out through the crack.

The people standing outside the door were not the fully armed guards he had imagined.

Instead, it was a young woman wearing a simple gray dress.

She looked like a female clerk in a bookstore, or an ordinary clerk in some department.

This ordinariness, ironically, made Egbert even more uneasy.

He took a deep breath, straightened his collar, and slowly opened the door.

“Hello, Mr. Egbert, or should I call you… Raven 7?” the woman said with a smile.

Egbert's face turned deathly pale instantly, and his hand, hidden behind his back, unconsciously reached for the dagger tucked into his waistband.

The woman seemed to read his mind, her smile unchanged: "Don't be nervous, I'm not here to arrest you."

“My name is Lina, from the intelligence department. Minister Gertrude asked me to come and visit you.”

She turned slightly to the side, indicating that she was unarmed and had no companions.

"Could I come in for a glass of water? I've walked quite a distance and I'm a little thirsty."

Egbert's brain was working at lightning speed.

Revolt?

Meaningless.

This is Eisenwild, the heart of the Workers' Party, where he has nowhere to escape.

He stiffly turned to the side, clearing the doorway.

Lina walked into the room, her gaze lingering for a moment on the blank parchment on the table, before she naturally sat down in the only chair.

Egbert poured her a glass of water, then stood by the table like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.

"It seems your report is not easy to write," Lina said softly, taking a sip of water.

Egbert remained silent, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

“Your registration at the border post, your visit to the Blackstone mine, your observations in the workers’ canteen, and your attendance at the special court hearing today… we know all of that,” Lina stated calmly.

“Every step you take is under our watchful eye.”

"What do you want?" Egbert asked in a hoarse voice.

"not so good."

Lina put down her water glass, placed her hands folded on her knees, and moved with the elegance of a noblewoman.

"Just here to confirm whether our guests are getting used to the new changes in Vaser territory."

Egbert's heart sank to the bottom.

He knew that what followed was threats and a deal.

He was even prepared to give in.

He spoke with difficulty: "...What do you want me to write? I can write a report that satisfies you, according to your requirements."

When Lina heard this, it was as if she had heard something amusing. She was slightly taken aback at first, and then she couldn't help but laugh.

The laughter was crisp and clear, without any mockery; it was simply out of genuine amusement.

"Write what we told you to write?"

She shook her head, looking at Egbert with a strange pity in her eyes.

"No, no, Mr. Egbert, you've misunderstood."

She stood up, walked to the table, and gently tapped the blank parchment with her slender finger.

"What we want you to write is the truth, the facts."

Egbert looked up abruptly, his face filled with disbelief.

Lina's expression turned serious, her gaze clear and firm: "Write down what you see, write down what you hear."

"Write about our smooth roads and newly built houses."

"Write about the steaming stew in the workers' canteen and the sound of children reading in school."

Then her tone shifted, becoming sharp: "Of course, don't forget to include the special tribunal's trial of Cash."

“Write down all the merchants’ complaints, our harsh taxes, and our purge of the old forces, without omitting a single word.”

Egbert was completely stunned.

He couldn't understand the other person's intentions at all.

"Why?" he asked instinctively.

"Because the truth is our most powerful weapon."

Lina raised her head slightly and smiled with a hint of pride.

"We need you to tell those people outside, to tell the two empresses on the throne, what is happening in the Vase Territory."

"Let them know that there is no famine, no riots here, only a nation that belongs to the working people and is rising at an unprecedented speed."

"Let them know that the peasants they fear and despise are creating a new world that they cannot imagine and can never defeat."

"Let them wait for our arrival in panic and suspicion."

After Lina finished speaking, she smiled gently at Egbert again: "I've finished speaking."

"The water was delicious, thank you for your hospitality."

"I wish you... all the best in your writing."

She turned around, opened the door, and left silently, just as she had come.

Egbert was left alone in the room.

He slumped into the chair, panting heavily.

The conversation he had just had left him feeling shocked and powerless.

What confidence, even arrogance, this is!

They were not afraid of being spied on or understood; they even actively invited the enemy to watch and record.

Because they firmly believe that everything they are doing is right and unstoppable.

What they want is not deception, but to crush the enemy's will with the naked truth.

Egbert looked at the still blank parchment on the table and suddenly felt an unprecedented heaviness.

But he couldn't change anything, so he could only pick up a pen and write the first word.

……

……

Holy Lytanian Empire: Chapter Sixty-One: Eight Electors? Divide and Conquer!

The night was as dark as ink, enveloping Eisenwild.

Inside the throne room, only a single candle on the desk burned quietly, casting Lacey's shadow onto the wall behind her.

Outside the window, the scene was completely different from what it had been a year ago.

The lights, scattered like stars, stretch from the workers' village at the foot of the mountain all the way to the commercial district halfway up the mountain, forming a continuous expanse.

The Vasseur collar exhibits remarkable vitality.

With public support, industrial output, and tax revenue growth, everything was on track.

But Lacey's focus did not remain on these achievements.

His gaze passed beyond the bustling city before him, landing on the more distant power center of Letania.

Elector.

He has already taken one of the seats, but that is far from enough.

What he wanted was the twin crown that stood above all the electors.

According to the empire's centuries-old system, the deposition and enthronement of an emperor must be decided by a vote of the imperial central council.

Furthermore, impeachment could only be carried out if the emperor committed a serious offense.

Leaving aside the latter, let's just talk about the former.

There are nine electors in Letania. Each elector has one vote, and only those who receive more than half the votes can ascend to the highest position.

This means that, in addition to his own vote, he needs the support of at least four colleagues.

Lacey closed his eyes, and the faces and information of the other eight electors appeared in his mind one by one.

Abraham Rossetti, in the Haydenshwell region of northern Letania.

A "fist of the empire" with muscles in his brain, a traditional military aristocrat who despises any position of power not obtained through strength.

In parliament, he was one of the most vocal, wishing he could hang himself on the gates of Trinityl immediately.

Gertrude's intelligence also confirmed that this person was secretly expanding his army within his territory and had doubled the number of border patrols in the direction of Vaser territory.

Trying to win him over would be like asking a tiger for its skin; he would only become an enemy.

……

Hoffmann Herbert of the Oschdenheim region.

An old-fashioned nobleman who is conservative and whose family history can be traced back to the time before the Witch King.

For him, noble bloodline was the sole criterion for measuring everything.

Lacey's background was, in his eyes, the greatest original sin.

In parliament, the way he looked at himself was as if he were looking at a lump of mud.

They are enemies, and the kind of stubborn enemies who would rather sink with their ancestral tablets than bow down to the new era.

The two mortal enemies have been clearly identified.

The remaining six people are the ones he can try to win over.

Lacey tapped her fingers lightly on the table as she pondered.

……

Werner von Hochberg, of the Schönton region.

This family was once a potential target for Lacey.

Werner von Hochberg had only recently taken office and his position was not yet secure.

Furthermore, intelligence indicates that this elector was unexpectedly soft-hearted.

He seemed quite fond of me in parliament, subtly revealing goodwill.

Lacey believes this is someone worth pursuing, but the timing isn't right yet; a sufficiently substantial bargaining chip is needed.

……

As for Ziegler Augustin of the Fordgang region, Gabriel Alarand of the Odenher region, and Alfred Utika of the Nwad region.

These three are typical neutrals, or rather, fence-sitters.

Their territory is of average strength, with no outstanding advantages or fatal weaknesses.

In Parliament, they always acted according to the wishes of the twin queens and the other electors, adhering to the principle of not making mistakes and not offending anyone.

They are the group with the least independent opinions.

To sway them, a powerful force is needed—a force strong enough to make them abandon their old masters without hesitation and head for a new ship.

……