Yes, Lady Funina!

For the residents and merchants living in Fontainebleau, a stable country has only benefits and no drawbacks.

The real obstacle should come from those old fogies who are about to be eliminated by the times and failed to catch the giant ship of the new era...

Chapter 180 Industrial Closed Loop & Lynette's Little Thoughts

"Is the news confirmed? Are they really going to do this? Is Villette just going to stand by and watch others take away his power without doing anything?!"

An elderly nobleman dressed in fine clothes slammed his cane on the ground, his face turning bright red with emotion, making one worry that he might die at any moment.

“Naviette, ha, Viscount, forgive my bluntness, but this so-called separation of powers is nothing but a play staged by Navielette himself,” the middle-aged nobleman sitting opposite the old viscount said with a sneer.

In his view, the so-called reforms and checks and balances were nothing more than Villette's trick of shifting power from one hand to the other, both to show his impartiality to the ignorant masses of Fontaine and to take the opportunity to purge the old nobles who were sucking blood from the Momeng Palace's administrative system.

Years ago, when Navelette first arrived in Fontaine, she used the Melousin affair to launch an offensive against these old noble forces. Now, she probably wants to use the so-called separation of powers to completely wipe them out.

The separation of powers—is it a separation of Navelette's power? It's more like they want to seize the last remaining hereditary positions they hold!

"Does Vilette want to start a war? At this critical juncture?!" Another nobleman at the round table stepped forward, his face full of anger and rage, as if he were ready to overturn the table and turn against Vilette at the slightest provocation.

Upon hearing his words, the nobles present either shifted their gaze elsewhere or began examining their own accessories.

They're just greedy, not stupid. Right now, Villette's prestige is at its peak, and the country is peaceful and prosperous under his rule. Rebel? What could they possibly use to rebel?

A down-on-his-luck nobleman with not even a God's Eye and only a few measly coins in his hand, how can he possibly challenge the complete dragon Navelette?

Please, you can die if you want, but don't drag us down with you.

Although it's true that Villette is going too far! He actually wants to return what our ancestor went through so much trouble to steal!

This outsider is incredibly rude.

We just wanted to protect the family business that our ancestors had taken from others. What did we do wrong?

“Hey! Be careful what you say, you can’t say anything reckless.” The old count, who was the only one left in the noble alliance, spoke up from the main seat.

He was only there to preside over the noble meeting as usual, and had no intention of following in the footsteps of the previous counts and going to Mero Petersburg to work on sewing machines.

The current Noble Alliance cannot be described as being at its zenith or thriving; it is more like its days are numbered and its fortunes are declining.

It's worth noting that at its peak, the Noble Alliance boasted three dukes, eight earls, and countless viscounts and barons—its power was so immense that it was practically a union of the water god and the nobility in Fontaine.

However, this situation did not last long, until Navelette arrived, and everything changed.

The other side first popularized basic education, breaking the monopoly of education held by the aristocratic class, and appointed commoners as grassroots officials. Then, they introduced the Merusin race and took over law enforcement power. In just over a decade, they broke down the invisible barriers built by the nobles.

Even now, the once-powerful noble alliance that boasted of joint rule of Fontaine by the Water God and the nobility has dwindled to a mere handful of people, to the point where even an earl like him has to preside over noble meetings. This shows just how much the nobles' power has declined.

Are you saying there are dukes among the Fontainebleau nobility?

Indeed, there are two dukes in Fontainebleau. Richard was recently granted the title of 'Duke', while the other duke is Leosley, the current owner of Mero Petersburg.

These two people couldn't be said to have a close relationship with the nobility; it's more accurate to say they had a long-standing grudge.

Leosley, needless to say, became a duke despite being a criminal. The arrogant and incompetent nobles believed that Navelette was taking the opportunity to humiliate them and make a criminal the most honored person in the entire noble hierarchy.

Therefore, the Duke of Leosley's status was not accepted by the Noble Alliance at one time, and naturally, it was impossible for them to invite him to join the Noble Alliance.

Of course, it's also possible that they knew Leosley was unlikely to accept the invitation even if they did, so they simply didn't invite him and instead resorted to slander.

After all, if they were truly rejected by a sinner, their noble alliance would lose all face.

As for Richard... guess where all those counts from the original noble alliance went?

Why do you think the Noble Alliance is now only left with this old count holding up the reins? Isn't it because all the other counts have been sent to Mello Petersburg by that Richard guy to work as sewing machines?

These two dukes, one in charge of sending people in and the other in charge of supervising the reformation, form a closed-loop industrial chain.

Damn, now that I think about it, these two dukes seem more and more like the traitors sent by Vilette to destroy the Noble Alliance.

Navelette, your methods are far too despicable!

"The Noble Alliance is now at a critical juncture, facing its very survival. Gentlemen, I don't care what grudges you may have held against each other in the past, but I believe we should join hands to overcome this difficult time and at the very least preserve the Noble Alliance's last remaining say in Fontaine," the old count said in a deep voice. Though his temples were gray, he still exuded an imposing aura.

As expected of the old noble family of Fontainebleau!

"That's true, but how exactly should we do it?"

"Inciting public opinion, organizing strikes, and diverting attention from problems."

……

"That's how it is, Your Grace, as you see..."

“Well done, Earl White. I can now be certain that you are qualified and capable of serving as the secretary of the reorganized city hall,” Richard said with a smile.

Sitting opposite him was none other than the old count, the only surviving member of the noble alliance, who had previously presided over the nobles' meeting.

Unlike his previous stern demeanor at the noble council, the old count now appeared unusually obsequious in front of Richard.

Face Changing

It was a traditional skill of the nobles, and how could the shrewd Earl White not see that the noble alliance was now a mere shell of its former self?

Therefore, long before the debt collection case occurred, Earl White had already sided with Richard. The reason why Richard was able to obtain so much dirt on the nobles was not only due to the intelligence from the Fools, but also largely thanks to old White.

This is why Earl White was able to retain his title unscathed and not report to Mello Petersburg when the case involving the prince and the subsequent debt collection by nobles occurred.

Of course, there's also the fact that Earl White didn't actually commit any crimes. In the past, he was practically invisible in the Noble Alliance.

If Richard hadn't captured almost all the earls, leaving only Earl White as the sole holder of the earldom in the Noble Alliance, many members of the alliance would probably not even know that such an earl existed within the alliance.

"Thank you, Your Grace, thank you, Your Grace." Earl White's joy was palpable upon hearing Richard's promise.

It's not that the position of secretary has much power, but since Richard promised this position, it means that he has been accepted by the new aristocratic forces that Richard represents.

In the future, there's no need to worry about being 'purged' by those newly rich; at the very least, one can remain a leisurely nobleman in Fontainebleau.

Old White is getting old and doesn't have much ambition anymore. All he's doing now is trying to live out his old age in peace and avoid ending up working as a sewing machine operator in Melo Petersburg.

“Hey, don’t call me Duke. In Momo Palace, you should address me by my title,” Richard corrected.

"Thank you, Secretary General." Old White readily agreed and immediately decided that after he took office, he would not allow others to call him Earl, but rather Secretary White.

Earl or anything like that, it's irrelevant.

Old White walked away contentedly, his light steps completely unlike what one would expect from someone his age.

Lynette, watching old White's departing figure, asked in bewilderment, "Why go through all that trouble?"

In Lynette's view, the reform of the Moman Palace was a done deal, given the consensus reached by Richard, Navelette, and Fucarus. Even if there were dissenting voices, they wouldn't amount to much.

Why bother manipulating the noble alliance to pull this stunt?

Upon hearing Lynette's words, Richard couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. He corrected her, "This is not superfluous, but necessary."

Firstly, reforms will inevitably encounter resistance. This resistance does not only come from those who have already benefited from the system, but more importantly, from how to explain the intentions and benefits of the reforms to the people of Fontainebleau, and what advantages the new system will have compared to the old one.

These are all things that those in power need to consider.

In classic theatrical performances, in addition to good positive characters, there must also be villainous characters to highlight the greatness of the protagonist.

The nobles were the villains Richard had chosen. Their presence not only highlighted the necessity of the reforms but also helped Richard generate buzz and draw the attention of the people of Fontainebleau.

Most importantly, Richard and even the city hall behind him didn't need to spend a single penny on this project; they were getting it for free!

After all, Fontaine has recently been plagued by natural and man-made disasters, and even the Mo Mang Palace, the largest landowner in Fontaine, has no surplus grain.

After hearing Richard's explanation, Lynette did not sympathize with the nobles. Due to some experiences in her childhood, she had never had a good impression of the noble group.

Lynette simply couldn't understand, "Why are you so sure those nobles will follow your plan? Even with Earl White around, there must be some intelligent people among them. Can't they see that they actually have no chance of winning?"

“They had no choice,” Richard said. “These hereditary nobles, including old White, have accumulated vast fortunes over the past few centuries through various means. Without the corresponding protection of power, it’s like a child carrying gold through a bustling marketplace.”

"For them, the power they hold is no longer just power, but also the continuation and inheritance of their family. In order to protect these things, they have no choice but to jump down even if there is an abyss ahead, comforting themselves that there is water below and they won't die."

Lynette seemed thoughtful, and she said, "So the purpose of Earl White's existence is to make these things controllable, like a valve that controls the faucet."

“That’s right, but I need to correct one thing. Don’t let old White’s appearance fool you, he’s actually quite capable. I’m thinking that at least before he retires, he can still contribute more to Fontainebleau… cough, I mean,.” Richard almost blurted out what he was thinking.

“I understand.” Lynette was very smart, even quick to grasp things. Although she seemed to have little presence on a daily basis, she had actually helped Richard a lot over the years.

Richard liked cats not only because of their fluffy ears and playful tails, but also because they were actually helpful to her and not just pretty faces.

This might sound materialistic, but in reality, Richard values ​​an interesting soul more than a good-looking appearance.

Of course, if you don't have a good-looking appearance, no matter how interesting your soul is, probably no one will pay attention to you.

“If things go smoothly, Lynette, you should be able to get a promotion this year,” Richard said with a smile.

Theoretically, Lynette's promotion put her on par with Richard, but that was only in theory. In terms of actual power, Richard still held more authority.

After all, not only was the boss's secretary Richard's man, but the boss himself was Richard's man.

The world belongs to the family.

Lynette did not show any excitement after hearing Richard's words. If she could, she would rather stay by Richard's side than get a promotion or anything like that.

But she also knew that Richard didn't need any burdens; he needed a capable assistant, not a cute pet.

Lynette is a proud cat who never wanted to be Richard's appendage, but rather to be an independent, self-reliant, and helpful wife to him.

"I will help Lady Fucaros stabilize the situation as soon as possible, and I will also try my best to put in a good word for you with Lady Fucaros."

Richard slowly typed a question mark, not understanding why Lynette would say that.

Lynette, however, argued confidently, "If you have feelings for Lady Frinina, then Lady Fukaros is obviously someone you must also win over, right?"

“What you said is true, but… I don’t know why, it just feels a bit strange coming from you.” Richard’s expression was odd.

It's like your girlfriend at home running off to help you build a harem.

"That's strange? Why? Furness should also hope that her family can understand and bless her relationship, right?" Lynette said seriously.

"..."

So this is the kind of strategy guide?

Richard was speechless. Just as he was about to say something, he keenly noticed the cunning look in Lynette's eyes.

This girl did it on purpose!

After a moment's thought, Richard said in a deep voice, "Then it seems I'll have to go see more of Linni's performances in the future and get on his good side."

"Well……"

Sure enough, the cat's ears turned red...

Chapter 181 Furina: I'm counting on you, Clarind!

As the nobles exerted their efforts, the general public in Fontainebleau gradually paid more attention to the reforms at Momang Palace.

Fueled by those with ulterior motives, more and more people are beginning to question whether it is too hasty to carry out such sweeping reforms of the system so soon after the disaster.

For matters of national importance like this, shouldn't we be more cautious, have more discussions, and conduct more pilot programs? If reforms are carried out without any warning and something goes wrong, who will be held responsible?

Currently, almost all the second- and third-tier tabloids in Fontaine are filled with similar reports that sell anxiety. Steambird Newspaper, as the mainstream media in Fontaine, has also spoken out on this matter. However, compared to those tabloids, Steambird Newspaper's report is much more objective and does not say that it is inciting public sentiment or selling anxiety.

Moreover, it's clear from their words that Steambird Newspaper is generally optimistic about the reforms at Momang Palace.

After all, anyone with eyes can see the superiority of the plan proposed by Mo Mang Palace. Dividing power and having checks and balances between them is far more reasonable than concentrating power in the hands of the Supreme Judge, and it is also more resistant to risks.

In this way, even if Navelette no longer serves as the Supreme Judge in the future, it will not be considered a devastating blow to the Fontaine administrative system.

Therefore, those second-rate newspapers did not directly state that the new reform plan was inferior to the original governing system, but instead focused on whether the reform plan could be thoroughly implemented.

Anyone who has worked on projects knows that sometimes the final product is not exactly what your initial goal is. The difference can sometimes be greater than the difference between a person and a dog.

It's like some clothes look amazing on models, but on you... they don't quite look good.

It's the difference between the seller's photos and the buyer's photos.

Therefore, those writers who were responsible for setting the pace and had some skill focused their efforts on this point. After all, the financial backers behind them were providing a lot of support, and in a sense, they were also filling in the gaps for Mo Mang Palace.

This is a reasonable and legitimate way to express one's concerns about national affairs.

loyalty!

As for those writers who lack competence, they just go for the sensational stuff, spouting all sorts of alarmist claims, aiming to fool as many people as possible.

Although these articles are not expensive per article, they can be published in large quantities and are usually found in third-rate newspapers or low-quality, casual newspapers.

Don't underestimate these newspapers. For the lower classes of Fontaine, these are usually their source of information, since not everyone can afford a Steambird newspaper that costs several hundred Mora.

"What nonsense are these newspapers spouting!" Fu Ningna angrily threw a third-rate tabloid on the table with the headline "Lord Water God Suspected of Being Sidelined, Reforms in Mo Mang Palace May Signal Internal Division!"