I recommended that you all read this chapter on a computer/laptop/monitor screen rather than a mobile, as well as, use default/light mode instead of dark mode.

Chapter 28: Propaganda

-----------------------------------------------

“Propaganda is very helpful, it is the most precious part of the government. When people see through the lens of propaganda, they will start seeing Earth as the Sky, Hell as Heaven, and an oppressed life as paradise. However, don’t misunderstand one thing, propaganda isn’t a tool used by the government to trick you, no, it is a tool used by the government to aid you in tricking yourself.”

Propagandist Mathew, Lies Are Precious

Year 912

//

--POV: Anthony Volkhiem—

--Place: Volkhiem Co. / Time:18:06—

“I understand, mistress” God damn it, she already wants the business expanding beyond just Veran and I just started the first printout of the newspaper today.

I shut off the communication crystal, before I hear knocking on the door of my new office.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK*

“Come in.” It better be important because my stress is at boiling point here.

“Yes, sir” A man comes in, this man is an educated scholar I managed to hire, he is an obedient guy who doesn’t ask unnecessary questions, and does everything I tell him, nothing more, nothing less. “We have the first copy ready and set to go, sir” He then proceeds to give me a copy of the newspaper that will make it’s debut tomorrow.

We need to start expanding and opening branches of this new studio in other territories including Chamberlayne quickly, because I have never seen the mistress so impatient before. “Good, good….what is it?” He wants to say something, it is the first time he is trying to give his input on a matter.

“It’s just…..the copy contains some content that some people in society may find offensive. We could get a lot of negative feedback for doing this” It seems he is worried about the retaliation of the people the press will start slandering. I already prepared for that.

“I have hired good security and mercenaries as well as several scouts all around the city to warn us of any attack that will be done on this building, we will not suffer for doing journalism.”

“Yes…” He seems to be sceptical about it, it doesn’t matter if he doubts my methods. The mistress wants certain information to be reported, no matter how correct or incorrect it is, I will do it. Besides, Alan can’t betray me due to the contract we have between us, where breaking it will make him a complete fugitive.

Plus, he doesn’t have enough of a spine to do such things, so let’s just use him to the maximum.

“I want 90,000 copies out in the public tomorrow. Get it done, or there will be severe consequences” I use the passive aggressive tone with Alan, and he seems to get the message. After nodding way too many times with shaking hands, he exits the office and closes the door behind him.

I’m going to need to visit a lot of merchants, and land lords and start buying land and estate at a significant rate, the very fact that the Mistress sent 40,000 gold is proof she is prioritising speed over money.

She is trying to expand the business very quickly, so of course it will cost more. Others would try to expand the business slowly, as that will cost less, but if you have the wealth of Chamberlayne, money isn’t a problem.

I have received more money from the mistress through an account named Jennifer Auston, a middleman, or in this case, middlewoman who serves as a proxy to give me money, the transaction and flow of money look like this:

Mistress Clarissa gives money to person A, let’s call him John, John then takes the money to the bank and puts it in his account. Afterwards, he goes to the bank(McWaiser for example) and asks the money be transferred to the account of person B, let’s call him Steve. Steve then does the same and transfers the money to another account, person C, this person is for example, this Jennifer Auston.

So if anyone wants to trace where I got my money from, they’d find in the records of the bank it came from Jennifer, and that came from Steve, and that came from John, and John got it from the mistress.

However, the mistress would kill John as he is the one who took the money from the mistress’s hands and gave it to the bank to be transferred. So after the tracers go to the bank, and finds that Steve’s money came from John. If John is dead, how would the bank know where John’s money came from?

They wouldn’t, as dead men tell no tales, after all.

So, while this is a very cruel method. It is clear she is willing to kill countless people everytime she sends money just to hide her tracks and to make her as unaffiliated to this company as possible. The mistress is very smart, and if the information that Chamberlayne controls Volkhiem Co. gets out. She will immediately know it was me who leaked it, and not any other source.

 Thus, it is in my best future and interest to make sure that no official relation between Chamberlayne and Volkhiem is ever known. Because while I do enjoy having women chase after me, the last thing I want is for the mistress to search for me with bloodlust in her eyes if I failed or slipped up.

“Haah…” I puff a cigar wondering if the mistress is pleased with my current results, as she seemed to be talking to a man over the crystal, so she immediately hung up….

It must have been something important she had to do with that man, to hang up just like that….

------------------------

Copy of newspaper: