Audrey, recalling her father and brother's discussions about the political situation, added her own observations:
"They believe the current government structure is far too chaotic. With each election, whenever a new party comes into power, they replace people from top to bottom, throwing everything into disarray and creating an incredibly inefficient system. This has not only contributed to our recent defeats in war but also caused significant inconvenience for the citizens."
Klein knew that, lacking a clear reference point, the Kingdom of Loen hadn't yet developed a civil service examination system. Political appointments were still in their infancy, and thus, after each election, many so-called administrative positions were awarded to party members and supporters.
Hmm, it's strange that Emperor Roselle didn't invent such a system in Intis. It's quite unlike him… Could it be that he shifted his focus elsewhere later on?
The Hanged Man, Alger, chuckled and interjected, "They believe that? They're remarkably slow to catch on. It's as if they only start feeling an itch a year after being bitten by a black mosquito."
The black mosquito, infamous in the southern parts of the Loen Kingdom, was notorious for its venomous bite, which drove people to scratch frantically.
Audrey covered her mouth with her hand, ignoring the Hanged Man's sarcasm, and got to the main point: "Unfortunately, they haven't found a suitable alternative to the current system."
Klein listened quietly, feeling that the conversation was moving into his area of expertise. He smiled slightly and said, "This is a simple problem."
A big empire and its imitators had already developed very successful models.
"Simple?" Audrey looked surprised.
Although her education hadn't covered politics in detail, she was still quite familiar with it from often overhearing her father and brother discuss these matters.
Klein felt as if he were back in an old forum, and with an easy smile, he continued, "Examinations. Just like university entrance exams, hold a public examination for everyone. This could be conducted in two or three rounds to select the elite in the most objective way."
"But…" Audrey began, vaguely aware of the potential objections.
Before she could organize her thoughts, Klein went on, "Afterward, fill the cabinet, county, city, and town administrative positions—specifically those focused on operations, such as senior cabinet secretaries—with these selected elites."
"For the second or third rounds, you can design different tests based on the requirements of each position. Professional work should be handled by professionals."
"As for political roles—such as ministers, governors, and mayors—those can remain with the elected party. That's the slice of the pie they're entitled to."
Alger, who had initially shown little interest in the subject, found himself turning his head to listen attentively, while Audrey furrowed her brow, deep in thought.
"There's no need to replace everyone at once. That would paralyze the cabinet and local governments. Instead, hold exams annually or every three years, gradually replacing staff. Then, based on the kingdom's expansion and openings left by retirements or resignations, you can set a planned number of positions," Klein concluded, spreading his hands. "This approach brings the kingdom's talented individuals into the government. No matter which party is in power or who the ministers are, the civil servants can maintain a basic, reasonably effective operation for the kingdom."
Of course, the downside would be the birth of the undying monster called bureaucracy.
Audrey pondered this, then asked in confusion, "So, even if those ministers were replaced by curly-haired baboons, it wouldn't make much difference?"
"No," Alger interjected with a smirk. "I'd argue that curly-haired baboons would be a significant improvement over the current ministers."
He paused and added, "After all, baboons just need to eat, sleep, and mate. They won't come up with idiotic ideas or persist with brainless plans."
Mister Hanged Man, it sounds like you have a rather unfortunate superior… Klein, seated at the head of the table, smiled and shook his head.
Audrey mulled over Mister Fool's explanation, and after a moment, exclaimed in surprise, "It actually sounds like it could work…"
"A simple yet effective solution!"
She looked at Klein, her voice filled with genuine admiration, "Mister Fool, you must be a man of vast life experience and extraordinary wisdom!"
… Klein's mouth twitched slightly as he glanced at the Hanged Man and Justice. After a few seconds of silence, he said:
"That concludes today's gathering."
If Miss Justice could influence her family and push this idea forward, I could prompt Benson ahead of time, giving him a chance to become a civil servant.
Thinking it over, Benson would indeed be well-suited for such a position.
However, it's unlikely that Justice would act on this directly, as we could easily identify her real identity by checking which noble suggested the proposal. Of course, she could take a more indirect approach.
"As you wish," Audrey and Alger both rose in response.
Klein leaned back, severing the connection, and watched as the blurry figures of Justice and the Hanged Man quickly shattered and dispersed.
In the grand, temple-like hall above the gray fog, Klein was now the only one left, sitting quietly at the head of the bronze table.
Unlike last time, he didn't immediately plunge into the gray fog to leave, as he still felt energized now that he was an extraordinary.
He had ended the Tarot gathering early because he now understood the Night Watchers' true stance on the Antigonus family notebook. This meant he needed to put on a show of actively searching, instead of simply going home to sleep, which might arouse Dunn Smith's suspicions about what he'd been doing at home.
Besides, today's gathering had yielded quite a bit.
Sitting in the high-backed chair at the head of the bronze table, Klein rested his arms on the armrests, his fingers interlaced, as he gazed into the boundless gray mist, feeling the vast silence that seemed untouched for millennia.
When establishing the connection and "summoning" the projections of Justice and the Hanged Man, he had keenly noticed something:
As an extraordinary, he had the capacity to touch an additional "crimson star."
"So, I could 'summon' one more person?" Klein murmured to himself, recalling the sensation.
He hadn't acted impulsively, though, since he didn't know what kind of person he might draw in, or what attitude they'd have. Not everyone would be as quick to adapt, like Justice and the Hanged Man, with their unique personalities and willingness to keep things hidden. If he accidentally summoned someone like Dunn Smith, this fledgling "mystical organization" of his would instantly be exposed to the "Church's scrutiny."
And as the "evil" organization's leader, Klein's future would look bleak.
Klein knew the gray fog was extraordinary in its own right and understood that someone of Dunn Smith's level couldn't "crack" it. But the existence of divine powers had to be considered now that he was dealing with extraordinary abilities.
At present, Klein cautiously believed in the existence of the seven orthodox deities. Of course, he tended to think of these gods as entities merely stronger than high-sequence individuals and likely under strict constraints; at least since the Fifth Epoch, aside from a few divine revelations, they hadn't made any significant appearances.
"Heh, forcing people into this is never a good idea. No one likes being dragged into a mysterious event… better to wait and see…" Klein sighed, standing up.
He extended his spirituality, attuning himself to his body's presence, then began to mimic the sensation of a rapid, heavy descent.
Immediately, his surroundings shifted as the gray fog and crimson light receded, as though he were passing through endless layers of water. At last, he saw the real world again, the dim light filling his room.
This time, he was fully alert, carefully experiencing the process.
"Strange… the gray fog and the spiritual world are still somewhat different…" Klein moved his limbs, feeling the solid reality of his flesh.
He took a moment to process this, then walked over to his desk and pulled the curtains.
Swish!
The fabric withdrew, allowing sunlight to flood the room.
Gazing at the street outside his bay window and the people moving about, Klein took a deep breath and murmured to himself, "Time to get to work."
"How should I go about 'playing' a Seer?"
"I shouldn't rush… for now, all I can do is Spirit Vision…"
…
Backlund, Queen's District.
Audrey Hall looked at her reflection in the mirror, noticing her flushed cheeks and bright, almost dazzling eyes.
Ignoring her appearance, she quickly recalled the details, grabbed her gem-encrusted pen, and scribbled the formula for the Audience potion on fine parchment:
"80 milliliters of pure water, 5 drops of autumn crocus essence, 13 grams of bovine peony powder, 7 elven flower petals, a pair of adult Manhar fish eyes, 35 milliliters of horned blackfish blood."
Phew… Audrey exhaled, reviewing it several times to confirm its accuracy.
She felt an urge to dance but reminded herself to maintain her composure.
After some thought, she began to write various chemical terms around the potion formula, disguising the page as a chaotic assembly of scientific knowledge.
Yes, unless someone reads it closely and intentionally, anyone casually glancing through won't spot the hidden details… Excellent! Audrey congratulated herself and then turned her attention to sourcing the materials:
"I'll start by searching a few family treasuries. If there's anything missing, I might be able to trade with others for it…"
"If that still doesn't work, I can ask Mister Fool and Mister Hanged Man at the next gathering… But what could I offer as payment?"
After some contemplation, Audrey closed her notebook and placed it on a small bookshelf in her room. She then walked cheerfully toward the door, opening it.
Outside sat a golden retriever with a well-behaved expression.
Audrey's lips curved into a sunny smile. "Susie, you did a wonderful job!"
"In the serialized detective stories, the investigator always has a loyal assistant. I think a true Audience needs a big dog by her side~"
…
In a dimly lit basement, illuminated only by a single flickering candle, Alger Wilson lifted his palm and examined it carefully.
After a while, he murmured in wonder, "Still so mysterious, impossible to grasp any details…"
Despite his careful preparation, he still hadn't been able to discern how Mister Fool had performed the "summoning."
Lowering his gaze, he looked at the parchment on the long table.
At the top of the yellowish sheet, written in dark blue ink, was a line in Hermes script:
"7, The Navigator."