Chapter 1148 - The Participation Requirements of the Three Universal Civilizations (1/2)
Chapter 1148 The Participation Requirements of the Three Universal Civilizations
Han Xiao followed the two dynasty non-commissioned officers through the tightly guarded corridors to a large office, which had been refurbished for the three heads of state. Right now, the door of the innermost reception room was closed.
The Secretary of the Dynasty Ruler put down the work on his hands, approaching them with a respectful tone.
“Your Excellency Black Star, the three Rulers are still in discussion. Please wait for a moment.”
“Alright, I’ll sit by the side.”
Han Xiao casually found a place to sit down, while the Secretary assigned people to bring refreshments for him before sitting opposite Han Xiao.
In order not to let Black Star feel left out, the Secretary turned into an escort and started talking
Having spent decades in the dynasty, Han Xiao knew quite a few of the high-ranking officials, and this was not his first time talking to the secretary. As they talked, the topic shifted to the little incident that had happened just now.
“Your Excellency Black Star, what do you think of that reporter?” the Secretary asked.
“Just an unlucky sod.”
“Indeed.” The Secretary laughed. “The moment he was selected, his life was destined to be affected. It’s understandable why he would choose to gamble for the greatest benefits in the end.”
“Eh, I thought you’d have to maintain political correctness in your position. You should have said that he should have immediately reported the orchestrator.”
“Hehe, we pay attention to political correctness, but we also have to be practical. The upper echelons will never like a person who only knows how to blindly shout slogans.” The Secretary shook his head. “He’s not our citizen, nor is there any patriotic factor about him. The probability of expecting him to actively expose the other party is low. Tell me, what would he get in return?”
“A tiny reward, maybe a medal?” Han Xiao casually joked.
“Haha, you’re quite humorous… However, these are extravagant hopes. What he’ll get is likely a downgrade of his position. He was originally a big-name reporter belonging to a news group, who was responsible for attending our official events, so it should be considered a top-level position. But if he exposes this matter, there won’t be preferential treatment for him… You also understand that the civilization is a huge system, with each department not just working for the civilization but also looking out for their own political achievements. So, why would the news department take such a risk to allow a suspicious person to remain? They will have a good talk with the news channel’s upper echelons, then that guy will likely be shifted elsewhere.”
“Doesn’t that mean that the person would be worth taking care of?” “Is there a need? It’s easier to swap with a new person. Is he working in a non-replaceable role?”
“Oh, that’s a little cold blooded. Aren’t you afraid of making people disheartened?” Han Xiao raised his brows.
“Haha, do you think we will surround and protect a small reporter so that others will see our care and increase their confidence in cooperating with us? So, in the future, it’s more possible for them to seek us out to expose others?” The Secretary laughed. “Isn’t that a good thing?” Han Xiao was interested.
“Different levels have different logics in dealing with matters. At our level, many times, the policies for dealing with such matters run contrary to ordinary people’s thinking logic. It’s basically a combination of many factors.” The Secretary blinked. “If it’s a higher position or character, even an organization with a certain power, we may make concessions as you mentioned.
“But for a small reporter? We will not waste our time on him. Our war with the Super Star Clusters on public opinion has always been going on in the dark, and this is not the first time such matters have happened. If he has no contacts and is totally unable to fight for the protection that we have planned… he’s not an important figure, so we shall not focus so much on him.”
“I didn’t know this in the past, but your words are really bold.” Han Xiao sized up the Secretary once more.
“It’s just the truth. My authority might be huge, but the resources available to exercise them are also limited. In the end, it boils down to a question of distribution.” The Secretary smacked his lips as he said, “It’s no good for them to proactively expose it, so it’s better to agree to the orchestrator behind the scenes. At least, you can obtain a large sum of money, and the things you do are within your scope of normal duties. You have not crossed the line… After all, questions asked by the journalists are from their own free will. We cannot change that.”
“Can you really not?”
“… At least in name. There is no official budget for friendly questioning, so we can only rely on hard authority to make others more self-aware.” The Secretary smiled. “But authority is not always useful. There are not many reporters who dare make things difficult for us. Some do it for performance; some are instructed. All sorts of scenarios have been experienced before, but how could there always be the same root issue?”
Han Xiao stroked his chin before suddenly saying, “Why do I feel that your words carry a deeper meaning?”
“Haha, I’ve been seen through. My idea was actually to test you out and see how you intended to deal with this journalist, Black Star… With your swift and vigorous means, you’ve probably already deployed your measures.” The Secretary laughed.
What vigor and resoluteness, you might as well just say that I’m petty… Han Xiao secretly scolded but casually revealed his plan.
“It’s good that you did not fall for the trick. It seems that my reminder was unnecessary.” The Secretary smiled.
“… It’s really tiring to talk to you. Don’t hide things, just tell me directly.” Han Xiao was helpless.
“Hehe, we hope to downplay it and not impose any personal threats on the journalist, so we need your cooperation. If this person’s life is threatened, it’ll easily turn into a fuss…”
“I think it’s useless even if you don’t wish to do anything. The people behind might choose to silence him, which will also allow them to smear the blame on you.”
The Secretary folded his hands as he replied, “I understand, and there is indeed such a possibility, but the probability is low… First of all, such accusations are not damaging enough for us to make trouble. If someone tries to place the blame on us, there will be flaws, and it would be easy to reverse the case back onto them. Furthermore, how many would care about a journalist’s life or death? The moment the news is spread out, those with a discerning eye would immediately see through the issue of the problem. In addition, those who are likely to care about the news are also journalists themselves, and spreading the news will only spoil the image of the media industry… With so many factors, this is why we chose to downplay it.”
Hearing this, Han Xiao did not agree nor disagree. The higher one’s level, the wider their knowledge. The progress of his own methods over the years came, to a certain extent, from his exchanges with the people of different classes, influenced by their own methods.
After chatting a while longer, Han Xiao suddenly recalled a certain matter and changed topics.
“Urranrell’s term should be almost over, right?”
In his previous life, after the end of the Flickering World storyline, the Crimson Dynasty Ruler changed. The day was almost here.
The Secretary paused a bit before subconsciously lowering his voice. “I cannot share the specific details yet.”