I am a director in Ark. If I am not banned, I will be considered successful.

As the pinnacle symbol of Victoria's industry, the Steam Knight, a combination of honor and industry, represents Victoria's most powerful force. It is also a symbol of Victoria's declaration of all-out war. It should be reliable, right?

But unfortunately, Bernard, played by Manfred, still broke Theresis's last fantasy and said bluntly:

"If it works."

"Yes, if it works..." Tracy immediately realized the problem, stared at Manfred seriously and asked, "What did you say?"

"Uh... usually the new Steam Knight parts and the old ammunition cannot match the new launcher." Manfred explained to Tracy with a strange look on his face:

"The new steam knights are like that. You know, even though they are assembled, there are always problems. The wires don't work, the chips are wrong. This is why His Majesty the Emperor hasn't canonized any new steam knights in recent years."

"This is simply intolerable. We should take those manufacturers to court." A slightly angry expression appeared on Tracy's face. It was a waste of military expenditure to use the country's money to research garbage that could not be put into use!

But Manfred shook his head and reminded: "We can't risk being discovered by the media. National security, you know."

"——Then can't we notify the manufacturer to unify the specifications? Or change the manufacturer?"

"We always change." Manfred also explained: "The manufacturer also understands this, which is why a missile hit the golf course along the underground pipeline."

As soon as Manfred finished speaking, this time, the Sarkaz were a little confused, but the Victoria officials almost laughed themselves crazy - why? Because the golf course was a place for politicians to have fun, and the missiles were deliberately launched there by these arms dealers to warn those politicians.

Because these "shoddy things" are made, the difference in the price is taken by the arms dealers, who deliberately use these shoddy things to fool the government. This is the easiest place for Victorian arms dealers to make money. This missile is the "threat" that the arms dealers warned politicians about.

"…Golf course? I didn't see that on the news."

"Of course not, we covered up the news." Manfred explained, "It was only the next morning that the players discovered there was a ditch next to the seventh lane."

"…So even the missiles can't be used normally."

In just a few sentences, many problems within Victoria were satirized - arms dealers made a profit from the price difference, funds that should have been used for national defense were embezzled, and the new steam knights that were highly anticipated were almost useless. These were a series of problems caused by internal corruption.

In fact, these problems have been exposed a long time ago, but have not been resolved until now. Moreover, these things are not difficult to understand for the residents of Victoria.

- Because, as almost every Victorian citizen knows, their government is corrupt.

After this conversation, the newly appointed Tracy only wanted to hear some different opinions on national defense. Here, Manfred also recommended the chief scientific military adviser.

Tracy also discussed with the military adviser, who felt that since the new steam knight was useless, it would be better to use the funds on the army. Hack, who had always been "indecisive" and "good at listening to the opinions of professionals", finally outlined his own plan.

First, no new steam knights will be produced; second, no more funds will be invested in steam knights; finally, the conscription system will be restored.

However, the smug expression on Tracy's face after he made these proposals during the performance was so ridiculous in the eyes of Victoria's officials and civil servants that the civil servants and politicians sneered and said:

"This is ridiculous! How can we give up investing money just because the new steam knight is useless?"

"With the Steam Knights, we have the strongest weapon to intimidate Iberia, Gaul, and Ursus. How can we invest this money in the army?"

"Conscription will lower the quality of the army! When those lazy Victorians flood into the army, the quality of the army will only become more worrying! Only uneducated Victorians will think this policy is good."

For a moment, both civil servants and politicians scoffed at Tracy's policies on the screen. However, a young officer suddenly felt that these policies were very familiar and subconsciously said:

"By the way...are the policies he implemented the ones we are implementing now?"

"..."

However, in an instant, as the young officer's voice fell, the originally noisy reception room suddenly fell silent. For a moment, the voices of all politicians and civil servants disappeared, as if they had been collectively silenced by the young officer.

Yes, looking back at the present... Although it is about Victoria in her heyday, isn't everything about Victoria today the same as what is being played on the screen?

Today, the Steam Knights have been destroyed, Victoria's army's combat effectiveness is declining, and the joke on the screen has become today's reality.

The most terrifying thing in this world is that comedy jokes become reality, while the magical reality becomes a joke.

For a moment, everyone in the reception room was silent. Fortunately, not long after, Chen Qi's voice broke the silence and he immediately shouted:

"Cut! This one's done in one take! Let's strike while the iron is hot and shoot the next scene!"

Chen Qi's words broke the silence here. Soon, Tracy and Manfred broke away from their acting. Chen Qi also walked up from the backstage and discussed the performance with them.

"I have to say, Your Highness, the Prince Regent, that you and General Manfred are better at acting than I thought. The last one was very good, but I have to remind you that you should pay attention to the next one."

Chen Qi did not care about Tracy's identity at all, and introduced him to the next scene, saying:

"You are playing the role of the prime minister, so you can be strong in the office scene, but you must remain in a relatively weak position in the following scenes."

"You have to face your wife - even if it's just in the plot, you have to maintain Huck's character. He is a man who is a little bit henpecked, but loves and respects his wife very much, so at home, you must maintain a relatively weak attitude."

"...I'll try my best." Tracys was silent for a while after hearing this. He had no family, and among the Sarkaz, the word "family" was actually very unfamiliar - because most Sarkaz mercenaries had no impression of their parents, most of them either died when they were young or died in the war.

And for Theresa, strictly speaking, there is only one "family" of his... Theresa.

However, facing Theresa, Theresis cannot be described as weak. On the contrary, when the brother and sister have conflicting opinions, It is often Theresis who acts more decisively, so Theresa should be the weak one.

So far, no one has been able to make Tracy feel weak... but now that he has decided to do so, Tracy is naturally prepared.

……

As the door slowly opened, the scene officially began. After a busy morning, Tracy returned home and the first thing he asked naturally was, "What are we having for lunch today?"

"What do you say?"

Following a female voice, a film lady who was about the same age as Tracy, who was dressed as an old man, walked out. However, when this film lady appeared, Tracy was stunned for a rare moment.

Because of the other party's aura, Tracy could sense it...Isn't this the "Shaper"? Director Chen Qi also invited "Him"?

However, Tracy was just stunned. Although he was not aware of this matter, he did not doubt the loyalty of the Shapeshifters. The other party's appearance here meant that they were actors acting opposite him. On the contrary, he could act a little more naturally.

"Are you going out?" Tracy asked when he saw the box in the shapeshifter's hand.

"The social workers' conference, you know." The shapeshifter had no time to pay attention to Tracy. She looked like a wife who was really busy doing things, which made Tracy feel a little weird.

"Oh, yes... I just want to eat a plate of fried eggs or something..."

"I remember there were some feathered eggs in the refrigerator."

"—you'll let me do it myself?"

Faced with the shapeshifter's answer, Tracy seemed a little unbelievable, and at this moment, not only him, but even the Sarkaz in another room were very surprised - the Prime Minister has to cook for himself?

Logically speaking, shouldn't people of such high status all be servants? How could they even need to cook for themselves? It must be said that this made the Sarkaz feel a little incomprehensible, but also a little funny.

——I didn't expect that even the Prime Minister would be starving? Somehow, seeing such a powerful person facing such embarrassment made them feel better.

After that, the wife of the shapeshifter incarnation complained to Tracys about many problems, such as the small space in the house, having to pass a group of tourists and reporters when going out, having to undergo security checks at any time, having no privacy and the noisy environment around her...

Everything was done to make the Sarkaz, the politicians and civil servants of Londinium laugh. However, the Sarkaz laughed because the treatment of the "Prime Minister" played by their Regent Prince did not seem to be that of a Prime Minister at all.

However, politicians and civil servants laughed at "Huck" for going through all this - because those who hold the position of Prime Minister in Victoria are either rich or noble, and they could never face such embarrassment.

But unfortunately, Hake was just a media person before, with no title and no money. For a "commoner prime minister" like him to encounter these things is indeed worthy of ridicule for the politicians and civil servants who are either rich or noble.

"Annie, you have to understand that politicians need to sacrifice a lot."

"Okay, you sacrifice your lunch and I'll go to work."

"But I'm hungry."

The shapeshifter ignored Tracy's call and just kissed him on the cheek as usual to show the harmony between husband and wife. After a slight discomfort, Tracy immediately asked in a disguised manner:

"What did you have for lunch?"

"Half a piece of chocolate." The shapeshifter replied unhappily. Tracys, who was left alone and still a little dazed, glanced around the room blankly and asked subconsciously:

"—and the other half?"

For a moment, Tracy's blank look and the low-status way he interacted with his wife at home made people in the two rooms burst into laughter. For a moment, just a simple conversation made everyone realize the personality traits of the person played by Tracy.

A civilian prime minister who has no opinions of his own, not outstanding political abilities, and is obsessed with grand plans, but cannot decide anything and can't even solve his own lunch.

Invisibly, a very successful character was fully displayed without any narration, but through a performance of less than fifteen minutes.

At this moment, "Jim Hack" played by Tracy has undoubtedly established a necessary character image for a comedy, but no one thinks he is a clown, because his temperament is there, and he gives the feeling of a true social elite.

But... people seem to prefer watching social elites being embarrassed rather than watching the clowns' funny performances. Invisibly, it seems to have eliminated the sense of distance between social elites and ordinary people, and this has laid the foundation for the success of "Yes, Prime Minister".

Chapter 33: The Prime Minister has no food to eat? Tracy's friendly image?

"Director Chen Qi, there is one thing I don't understand."

After finishing the scene at home, the crew took a break for a while. At this time, Tracy couldn't help but ask Chen Qi:

"Why can someone as ambitious as Harker, who has little talent, become the highest authority in a country? Can't a country as big as Victoria find a better leader than him?"

"Why do you ask? Your Highness the Regent?" Chen Qi was originally greeting Big Bob and Big Adam, distributing lunch boxes to everyone in the crew, and at the same time carefully reminding the few medical operators in the art troupe, headed by Mephisto, to check if there was anything abnormal in the lunch boxes. He was a little surprised by Tracys' question.

"Nothing... I just think that even if it's a comedy, it has to conform to basic logic?" Tracy shook his head. He was not here to criticize Chen Qi's drama. After all, from a comedy perspective, even if it was only the first episode, and it hadn't even been finished, Tracy had already felt the charm of the drama.

A film that conveys politics in a joyful way, so that even people who don't know much about politics can appreciate the humor.

But as a regent, Theresis was keenly aware of the dangers hidden behind these seemingly absurd stories - he had begun to look at the problem from the perspective of those in power in Victoria.

"I want to know more about my character... What kind of person is he? How can he become the highest authority without great talent?"

"Director Chen Qi, you are the screenwriter and you created these characters. You should be able to give me an answer?"

Tracy had a strong desire for knowledge and did not even feel ashamed to ask Chen Qi, who was of a much lower status than himself. He felt that Chen Qi, who could write politics as a satirical comedy, should have a very deep understanding of politics.

But Chen Qi knew his own limitations. He was not good enough to be a key politician, so it was better not to give Tracy any opinions. He said with difficulty:

"There are many reasons for this problem. For example, as I said at the beginning, Haque was just an alternative prime minister because the other two candidates were too extreme and therefore not accepted. Haque himself had no opinions of his own and was easy to manipulate, so he was pushed into the position of puppet prime minister by the civil service system behind him."

"So... they would rather have a puppet than a capable prime minister?" Tracy frowned slightly and disagreed with this view.

"For civil servants, stability is the most important thing. After all, as long as they retire, they will no longer be in charge of state affairs. Therefore, as long as there is no chaos during their tenure, they are considered a good prime minister."

"They have all been in their respective positions for a long time. They are civil servants who stay for a long time, but prime ministers who come and go. Therefore, a stable situation is what they want most."

It was difficult for Chen Qi to explain all this to Tracy, so he just said a few words casually. However, Chen Qi didn't know that his unintentional comments made Tracy look thoughtful.

Tracy was certain that Chen Qi, who was able to write "Yes, Prime Minister" to satirize the Victorian government, was absolutely well aware of Victoria's government structure and system operations. Therefore, the shortcomings that he unintentionally mentioned allowed Tracy, the Sarkaz, to discover the loopholes and hidden dangers in Victoria's civil service system.

Aren't these... all points that he can use? Especially Chen Qi's words "civil servants are permanent, but prime ministers are transient", which gave Tracys inspiration with the simplest words.

If the operation of Victoria requires these civil servants, big and small... does it mean that by controlling these civil servants, you can control Victoria?

"Director Chen Qi, I hope you can write a complete prequel." Tracy thought so and said to Chen Qi with a smile on his face:

"I want to know how Haque became prime minister and how he was pushed by civil servants. I think you should be able to do this with your talent."

"——Let's talk about these things later, after we finish filming "Yes, Prime Minister"."

Tracy suddenly proposed to shoot a prequel, and Chen Qi did not refuse. After all, the so-called prequel was the TV series "Yes, Prime Minister". If they really had to follow the order, Chen Qi should indeed shoot "Yes, Prime Minister" first.

However, Chen Qi felt that the identity of "Yes, Minister" might make people like Tracys and the Blood Demon Lord, who have fickle personalities, feel that it was an insult to their status, so he started filming directly from the prime minister who represents the pinnacle of power.

With the success of "Yes, Prime Minister", it would be much easier to convince them to shoot "Yes, Minister". Chen Qi thought so, but he did not expect that Tracys was willing to shoot "Yes, Prime Minister" before the first episode was finished.

This is certainly a good thing for Chen Qi, but for now, it would be better to finish filming the Prime Minister first.

"Of course." Tracys nodded. He was not in a hurry. Instead, he said to Manfred who was about to act next to him:

"Manfred - after we finish filming this TV series, gather all the officers above the rank of centurion in Londinium. I will play it for each of them."

"Yes, General." Manfred nodded. He realized that General Tracy might have found something worth noting in this TV series...

Manfred also vaguely realized that perhaps this so-called comedy... would bring them a lot of inspiration and expose the loopholes of the Victorian government.

……

After a break, the show continued. The camera turned and Huck, played by Tracy, returned to the office, and Bernard, the private secretary played by Manfred, also returned to the office.

"Ah, Bernard." When Theresis saw Manfred coming, he was hungry all afternoon and his tone was a little sharp, but he kept his tone calm and asked: "How was your lunch?"

"Uh... not bad." Manfred didn't know why the Prime Minister suddenly asked this question, but he still answered honestly.

"Where did you eat?" "The Cabinet Restaurant."

"Three courses?" Theresis asked again, and got a positive answer from Manfred.

"Drinking?"

"A glass of wine, Prime Minister." Manfred was already beginning to be confused.

"-Want to know what I had for lunch?" After receiving these expected answers, Tracy's tone finally took on a hint of long-standing grudges.

"Uh, do you want to tell me Prime Minister?"

"Nothing!" Manfred asked tentatively, but what he got was a tone that even Tracy himself found unbelievable. What made him even more angry was the answer from his personal secretary:

"Why? Are you losing weight?"

"Haha..." Tracys, who was so angry that he laughed, took a few steps forward and said to Manfred word by word in a somewhat aggressive manner:

"It seems that this place can provide delicious food for you and other secretaries, the entire cabinet, the news department, the typists, the messengers, but there is no food for me, and I live here."

"Uh, I'm sorry, but can't your wife cook?" Manfred, as a private secretary who was promoted with the Prime Minister, was well aware of the Prime Minister's difficulties. He was not born into a rich or noble family. These things that were not a big deal for other prime ministers were very difficult for him.