Chapter 33: Nairn, the Strategist with Divine Foresight
Hmm, there was joy, gratitude, adoration, and a... strange, sweet feeling.
Taiwan Novel Net is super helpful, with a wide library.
Is this... what it feels like to fall in love?
Audrey continued to use her "Spectator" ability to observe and analyze her own emotions, but a warm current had already irrepressibly overflowed her heart's defenses.
This was a conscious descent.
And Miss Justice's sincere expression of gratitude made Alger, who was standing to the side, look over in surprise.
Although he didn't quite understand the heart of a young girl, he could see that Miss Justice's trust in Mr. Lover seemed to have reached a considerably high level... After these few interludes, the atmosphere of the Tarot Club became both serious and subtle.
Audrey worked hard to calm her uncontrollable heartbeat and took the initiative to speak, pulling the topic back on track.
"Mr. Lover," Audrey said, her voice softer than before, "I've prepared the 'Spectator' potion materials. Besides the portion for myself, I've prepared some extra. When... when will you need them?"
When she asked this, she actually felt a small sense of loss in her heart.
Previously, she had thought that if Mr. Lover needed the materials, she might have the chance to meet him in reality through some means.
But now, Mr. Fool had announced the rituals for Sacrifice and Bestow.
This meant that all transactions could be completed Above the Gray Fog.
Her chance to see Mr. Lover's true face seemed to have become slim once again.
Nairn naturally didn't know the many twists and turns in the young girl's heart; he simply replied, "No rush, you prepare them first. When the time is right, I will inform you through Mr. Fool."
"Alright." Audrey nodded obediently.
Next, they entered the usual information exchange segment.
Alger mentioned that "Admiral Hell" Ludwell had once again begun a voyage to the eastern end of the Sonia Sea.
To maintain his image, Mr. Fool also mentioned that The Faceless had lost a notebook belonging to the Antigonus Family.
He also learned that the Antigonus Family had been wiped out by the Evernight Goddess Church, which caused Klein to have deep-seated doubts about the Nighthawks' purpose in searching for the notebook.
When it was Audrey's turn to speak, she thought of the conversations her father and brother had about the current situation. Organizing her words, she said:
"Since the defeat in the war on the east coast of Balam, the King, the Prime Minister, and all the gentlemen have felt immense pressure and have an urgent desire for change."
"They believe the current government structure is too chaotic. Every time an election ends and a party change occurs, a whole group of people is replaced from top to bottom, making things a mess and extremely inefficient. This not only caused the defeat in the war but also brought great inconvenience to the public."
When Audrey's last word fell, the Gray Fog Space fell into a brief silence.
Alger frowned. Although he spent most of the year at sea, he knew how corrupt and inefficient the politics of the Loen Kingdom were.
As for Klein, he was completely dumbfounded.
He stared at Audrey in a daze, then turned to look at Nairn in disbelief.
In his mind, only one thought echoed frantically:
"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap!"
This... isn't this exactly the topic Nairn told him yesterday they would discuss today?
It's identical!
Even the background was perfectly set up!
No way, man? Did you really win Audrey over?
Why is every word she says exactly like the script you spoiled for me earlier?
Countless thoughts flashed through Klein's mind in an instant.
At this moment, Klein couldn't help but suspect that Audrey and Nairn had indeed reached a private collusion.
Had Nairn really sneaked into Audrey's home offline and eavesdropped on the conversation between her father and the Prime Minister?
No... Audrey's 'Spectator' materials haven't even been handed over to Nairn yet.
Then how did he know?
Prophecy? Divination?
Klein couldn't figure it out, and in the end, it could only turn into a heartfelt exclamation in his mind:
Nairn is truly divine! Just like those 'wise men who know the script' in novels, or the strategists in storybooks who never fail a calculation—he can predict everything!
While Klein was in shock, Nairn spoke.
He ignored the confusion of Klein and Alger and, following Audrey's words, began to explain on his own.
"The issue Miss Justice mentioned is indeed the biggest crux of the Loen Kingdom at present."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable power that instantly captured everyone's attention.
"And what I want to talk about is a brand-new system of official selection and management. It will completely change the current corrupt state of the Loen Kingdom, which relies on noble recommendations and nepotism."
"First," Nairn held up a finger, "we need to clearly distinguish government officials into 'Administrative Officers' and 'Political Officers'."
"Administrative Officers will be selected through a rigorous, fair, and open unified national examination. They are the foundation for the stable operation of the state machine and the executors of specific policies. Their promotion and dismissal will only be linked to their work ability and actual achievements, completely unaffected by cabinet changes or party rotations."
"Political Officers, on the other hand, are the cabinet ministers appointed by the leader of the winning party—the Prime Minister. They are responsible for formulating the country's major policies, must be accountable to the King and the people for their decisions, and rotate with the change of the Prime Minister."
Nairn's words were like a clap of thunder exploding over the Tarot Club!
Audrey was exceptionally clever and understood the key almost instantly.
She said with some excitement, "You mean... let those who are truly capable manage the country, instead of those nobles who only rely on birth and connections?"
"Exactly." Nairn gave her an appreciative look; this student understood immediately, saving him a lot of breath.
"But that's not enough." Nairn shook his head. "To prevent corruption and the abuse of power, we also need an agency independent of all government departments—the Government Audit Office."
"This agency, independent of the cabinet and parliament, is not responsible to anyone but the King himself. It has the supreme power to audit the financial status of all government departments. Every flow of funds must be recorded clearly and transparently, available for review at any time."
Klein sucked in a breath of cold air.
Although he had heard this plan from Nairn before, hearing it again now still left him incredibly shocked.
This scale was simply too large!
Examination selection, separation of Political and Administrative Officers, an independent audit system... This guy Nairn really wants to transplant this whole set of advanced systems into this world that is still in the Steam Age!
On the other side, Alger's breathing also became heavy.
Although he was a pirate, he had once been a naval officer of the Loen Kingdom and had a personal experience of the corruption and inefficiency of the kingdom's bureaucracy.
If Mr. Lover's vision could truly be realized, it would have an incalculable and massive impact on the entire Loen Kingdom—no, on the entire world's landscape!
This was no longer something that simple Beyonder power could achieve.
This was a true 'Open Scheme' capable of prying at the era and changing the course of history!
Alger had long been dissatisfied with that group of curly-haired baboons within the kingdom.
Seeing such a real hope for change, his heart naturally became a bit more fervent.
After calming down, Audrey pointed out the most realistic dilemma.
"But... this is too difficult. The nobles in Parliament will never agree to a bill that severely weakens their power and interests."
As a member of that circle, she knew all too well how stubborn those entrenched old forces were.
"That's why now is the best opportunity." Nairn's voice was full of allure.
"The defeat in the war has made the King and the entire ruling class feel immense pressure. They desire change more than ever. This is our chance."
Nairn wasn't worried at all that this 'reform' and 'wave of the era' wouldn't pass.
After all, there was still the Psychology Alchemists.
The Psychology Alchemists had always been dedicated to promoting social change.
"Furthermore," Nairn's tone shifted, and a meaningful smile curled at the corner of his mouth, "we can package these reform plans as poison wrapped in honey."
Nairn continued, "Mix things they find hard to accept, like the 'Government Audit Office,' with the 'honey' I taught you before—'Double-Entry Bookkeeping' and 'Triple-Entry Bookkeeping'—which can significantly improve efficiency and plug financial loopholes."
"Faced with such a plan that can both strengthen the country and help them save or even make money, do you think the King and Prime Minister, who are eager to change the status quo, will swallow it up with greed?"
"As long as they taste a bit of sweetness, they won't be able to stop and will swallow it greedily."
"Of course, I don't expect you to achieve it all at once. We can take it slow, infiltrating step by step. Start with the most easily accepted financial reforms, such as promoting the new bookkeeping methods. Once they've tasted the sweetness, slowly infiltrate the concept of the 'Audit Office'."
"Poison wrapped in honey?" Audrey mulled over the phrase in her mind, her eyes lighting up.
"Exactly." Nairn explained, "We can take this set of reform plans and package them with the advanced accounting methods, financial management systems, and even some theories that can stimulate economic development I taught you before, into a 'Package Economic Revitalization Plan' to submit to Parliament."
"Tell those noble lords that by adopting this plan, the kingdom's fiscal revenue will increase significantly in the short term, and as major merchants and bankers, they can get the biggest slice of the cake. At the same time, tell the King that this will give him stronger financial resources to expand armaments and take revenge on the Feysac Empire."
"When everyone's eyes are attracted by this sweet 'honey,' who will care that inside the honey, there's a little bit of 'poison' like 'examination selection' and 'independent auditing'?"
"By the time they've swallowed the whole candy, by the time the new system starts running, by the time the first batch of Administrative Officers selected through exams enters the government, and by the time the Audit Office actually possesses financial power... by then, it will be too late for them to regret it."
Nairn's voice was calm, but to Audrey and Alger's ears, it was no less than a clap of thunder.
He had not only designed a system capable of changing the era but had also clearly and transparently considered every step of how to implement it, every possible resistance, and the methods to resolve that resistance.
"Of course." Nairn seemed to think the shock he had given them wasn't enough and added a few more words.
"I don't expect you to achieve it all at once. This is just an infiltration springboard and a fulcrum. We can take it one step at a time, and even make appropriate compromises and concessions when necessary."
"For example, in the first exam, we can only recruit a small number of Administrative Officers, and even reserve a portion of recommendation slots for the nobility. The power of the Audit Office can also be limited at the beginning."
"Our goal isn't to launch a revolution immediately, but to drive a wedge into the old system and gain the influence we want."
A profound and unfathomable smile curled at the corner of Nairn's mouth.
"We'll take as much as we can get. As for what comes after... I have other plans."
What he didn't say out loud was that his true goal was never to reform the Loen Kingdom's bureaucracy.
That was too slow and too troublesome.
Nairn silently added in his heart: Later, he would naturally start his own organization. That was the productive force and production relations that could truly drive a great change.
That would be the real fun.
After speaking, Nairn shifted his gaze to Klein at the head of the table, or rather, "The Fool."
"Honorable Mr. Fool, do you believe that what I have said can inject a trace of new vitality into this ancient kingdom?"
Klein: "..."
Here it comes! Here it comes again!
This feeling of being arranged so clearly by Nairn, where he only needed to cooperate by nodding and stamping, was truly both embarrassing and reassuring.
What else could he do? Of course, he chose to cooperate with the performance!
He could only force himself to put on a profound and unfathomable look, lightly tapping the edge of the long bronze table with his knuckles, and using that low and majestic voice to say an ambiguous but highly impressive sentence:
"The tide of change will eventually submerge the decaying dams."
This sentence successfully set off a massive wave in the hearts of Audrey and Alger.
Mr. Fool... is indeed on the same side as Mr. Lover!
They... they are planning a massive change sufficient to overturn the entire kingdom!
"I understand!"
Audrey's voice sounded a bit high-pitched due to excitement; she even temporarily forgot to maintain her noble lady's poise.
She stood up from her seat, her eyes burning as she looked at Nairn opposite her, and asked impatiently:
"Mr. Lover, what should I do?"