Audrey recalled the words her father and brother had exchanged about the situation and added her own thoughts:
"They think the current government structure is too chaotic. Every time there's an election and a change in party, a whole new batch of people take over from top to bottom, making everything a mess and the efficiency extremely low. This not only led to the failure of the war but also caused great inconvenience to the people."
Klein knew that without a reference, the Kingdom of Loen had not yet developed a civil service examination system, and the form of party governance was still in its infancy. Therefore, after an election victory, many so-called administrative positions would be awarded to members and supporters.
Hmm, Emperor Roselle didn't invent this system in Intis? That's so unlike him... Could it be that he shifted his focus elsewhere later on?
The "Hanged Man" Alger chuckled and interjected:
"They think? Their senses are really dull. Maybe they won't feel the itch until a year after being bitten by a black mosquito."
Black mosquitoes were a species in the southern part of the Kingdom of Loen, known for their strong venom that made people want to scratch their skin until it broke.
Audrey covered her mouth with her palm, ignoring the "Hanged Man's" mockery, and brought up the core of the news:
"Unfortunately, they can't find a good alternative to this system for now."
Klein listened quietly, feeling that the topic had entered his area of expertise. He smiled slightly and said:
"This is a simple problem."
The Great Glutton Empire and the United Kingdom, which learned from it, had very successful advanced experiences.
"Simple?" Audrey asked in surprise.
Although her tutoring courses did not include politics, she often eavesdropped on her father, brother, and others' discussions, so she had sufficient understanding in this area.
Klein seemed to have returned to the forums of the past and said calmly:
"Examinations, like college entrance exams, hold a public exam for all citizens. This can be divided into two or three rounds, using the most objective methods to select the elites."
"But..." Audrey vaguely knew what kind of opposition this would bring.
Before she could organize her thoughts, Klein continued:
"After that, fill the cabinet, county governments, city governments, and various town administrative positions with these elites. That is, positions that directly handle affairs, such as senior cabinet secretaries."
"For different positions with different requirements, separate and differentiated examinations can be conducted in the second or third round. Professional matters should be handled by professionals."
"Meanwhile, positions like ministers, county governors, and mayors, which are related to governance, can be left to the winning party in the election. This is the cake they deserve."
Alger, who had little interest in this issue, unconsciously turned his head and listened intently. Audrey frowned slightly, lost in thought.
"Don't replace everyone at once. The cabinet and various levels of government would collapse. You can hold the exam once a year or every three years and gradually replace them. Then, based on the expansion of the kingdom and the vacancies caused by resignations and retirements of government employees, the number of positions can be determined in a planned manner." Klein fully demonstrated his characteristics as a keyboard politician and concluded with a shrug, "This design can incorporate the most knowledgeable elites in the kingdom into the government to the greatest extent. No matter which party comes to power or who the ministers are, the administrative officials can keep the kingdom running smoothly and relatively effectively."
Of course, the side effect is the birth of bureaucracy, the immortal devil.
Audrey thought and asked in confusion:
"So, even if those ministers become curly-haired baboons, it won't have much impact?"
"No," Alger interjected. "I think curly-haired baboons would be a better choice than the current ministers."
He paused and added: After all, the curly-haired baboon only needs to eat, sleep and mate. It won't come up with stupid ideas or insist on senseless plans.
"Mr. The Hanged Man," Mr. Klein sitting at the top of the table shook his head with a smile. "It sounds like you have a rather bad boss..."
Audrey was lost in thought over Mr. The Fool's description just now. After a while, she said in astonishment, "This sounds like it could really work..."
"It's a very simple yet effective method!" She looked at Klein and sincerely praised, "Mr. The Fool, you must be an elder with rich life experience and outstanding wisdom!" ... Klein's mouth twitched slightly. He looked at "The Hanged Man" and "The Justice" and remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Let's call it a day for today's gathering."
If Miss "The Justice" could influence her relatives and push this matter forward, I'll guide Benson in advance to give him a chance to become a "civil servant". On second thought, Benson is indeed quite suitable for this job.
However, "The Justice" probably won't do it on her own initiative because if she did, "The Hanged Man" and I could easily figure out her true identity by asking which noble proposed the suggestion.
Of course, she could take a roundabout way and use a more covert method.
"As you wish," Audrey and Alger said in unison as they stood up.
Klein leaned back slightly, cutting off the connection. The illusory and blurry figures of "The Justice" and "The Hanged Man" quickly shattered and dissipated.
In the grand hall above the gray fog, resembling a divine abode, only he remained, sitting quietly at the head of the bronze long table.
Unlike last time, Klein didn't immediately fall into the gray fog and leave. As a non-ordinary, he still had enough energy.
He ended the Tarot meeting early because he learned the true attitude of the Night Watch towards the Antigonus family's notes and decided to pretend to search for them seriously later instead of just lying down and sleeping. Otherwise, Dunn Smith and the others would suspect what he was doing at home.
Besides, today's gains weren't bad.
Klein sat in the high-backed chair at the head of the bronze long table, his arms resting on the armrests, and his fingers interlaced as he calmly observed the boundless gray fog. He felt that it was vast and silent, as if no one had set foot here for thousands of years.
When he established the connection and "summoned" the projections of "The Justice" and "The Hanged Man", he keenly noticed something.
That was, as a non-ordinary, he still had the strength to touch another "Deep Red Star"!
"That means I can summon another one?" Klein recalled that feeling and almost confirmed it to himself.
But he didn't rush to try it before because he didn't know who the newcomer would be or what their attitude would be. After all, not everyone could integrate as quickly as "The Justice" and "The Hanged Man" did, each getting what they wanted and seemingly willing to keep it a secret. If he summoned someone like Dunn Smith, his newly established "mysterious organization" would immediately be exposed to the "Church's gaze".
As the big boss of an "evil" organization, his future would be worrying.
—Klein knew that this gray fog was very special and understood that it couldn't be "cracked" by a non-ordinary of Dunn Smith's sequence. But the problem was that since he had extraordinary power, he had to consider the existence of gods.
Klein currently cautiously believed that the seven orthodox gods truly existed. Of course, he was more inclined to think that these gods were just a bit stronger and more powerful than high-sequence individuals and were subject to certain strict restrictions. At least so far, apart from a few oracles, they had no other deeds presented.
"Hmm, forcing someone to join is not a good thing. No one wants to be inexplicably involved in mysterious events... Let's wait and see later..." Klein sighed and stood up.
He unfolded his spirituality, sensing the existence of his body, and then began to imitate the heavy feeling of a rapid descent.
The scene before his eyes immediately changed. The gray fog and deep red vanished in an instant. Klein felt as if he had pierced through an endless water film and finally saw the real world, the dimness of the room.
This time, he was completely awake and carefully experienced the process.
"Strange... The gray fog and the spirit world are still a bit different..." Klein moved his hands and feet, feeling the reality of his flesh and blood.
He seriously contemplated for a while, shook his head, and walked to the desk. He reached out and pulled the curtain.
Swish!
The curtain retracted, and sunlight poured in, filling the room with light. Looking out the convex-bellied window at the street and the people coming and going, Klein took a breath and muttered to himself silently:
"It's time to go out and work."
"How should I play the role of the 'Seer'?"
"I can't rush this... I can only do clairvoyance for now..." ...
Bakeland, Queens.
Audrey Hall saw herself in the mirror, her flushed cheeks and bright eyes that were too dazzling to look at directly.
She didn't have time to examine these, and quickly recalled what had happened before, then picked up the gem-encrusted pen and scribbled the formula for the potion "Audience" on the fine parchment:
"80 milliliters of pure water, 5 drops of colchicum essence, 13 grams of Paeonia lactiflora powder, 7 petals of fairy flower, a pair of adult Manhal fish eyes, 35 milliliters of black horned fish blood."
Phew... Audrey exhaled, reread it several times, and finally confirmed it was correct.
She had the urge to dance again, but told herself to be restrained.
After some thought, she began to write the names of various chemicals around the potion formula, disguising the page as complex and chaotic scientific knowledge.
Well, as long as it's not read carefully with intent, anyone who casually flips through it won't notice the hidden details... Great! Audrey praised herself, then turned her thoughts to obtaining the materials:
"First, look in the family's several treasure chests. If I can't find some of them, try to exchange for them from others..."
"If that still doesn't work, I'll have to ask Mr. Fool and Mr. Hanged Man for help at the next gathering... What can I offer as payment?"
After some consideration, Audrey closed her notebook and placed it on the small bookshelf in her bedroom. Then, she walked lightly to the door and opened it.
A golden retriever was sitting obediently outside.
Audrey's lips curved upward, revealing a brilliant smile like the sun:
"Suzy, you've done a great job!"
"In the serialized stories in the newspaper, the detective always has a capable assistant. I think the real 'Audience' also needs a big dog to follow them~" ...
In the dimly lit basement with only a flickering candle, Alger Wilson raised his palm and examined it closely. After a long while, he let out a sigh:
"It's still so mysterious. I can't grasp the details at all..."
Even though he had made thorough preparations in advance, he still couldn't figure out how the "Fool" managed to perform the "summoning"...
His gaze shifted down to the parchment scroll on the long table. At the top of the yellowish-brown parchment, in deep blue ink, was written a line of Hermetic text:
"7, The Navigator."