Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1280 - 66 The Marquis’s Dinner Party

Today, Manias Street has once again become the focal point for the City of Knowledge newspapers, as Marquis Snape’s intimate dinner party is held on this street for the first time in several years. The clouds of war hover over the Yarran World, and although the inside information has not been disclosed to the public, many with keen senses have already smelled foreboding omens. There is a growing pessimism among those in the know about the outcome of this war, fearing the reemergence of the tragedy that occurred over a century ago with the Return of the Dead. This pessimism, originating from these informed individuals, continues to spread outward, and if left unchecked, widespread panic will inevitably ensue. Therefore, the upper echelons of various powers urgently need opportunities to demonstrate their stability and confidence. Only by conveying this confidence to the public can they alleviate the public’s fears and dispel the slowly emerging panic.

Marquis Snape’s dinner party is precisely such an opportunity. On the verge of the outbreak of war, the fact that the world’s wealthiest man can still casually hold a banquet sends an implicit exemplary message to the public. Subconsciously, they tell themselves that if the elite can continue their daily lives so peacefully and hold banquets without worries, then the situation must not be bad at all—perhaps far better than imagined. As a result, the fear growing in the public’s mind will largely dissipate, at least preventing uncontrollable chaos.

Indeed, after some mysterious figures visited the major newspapers with jingling bags, the news of the genius Mage girl that had been sensationalizing the city for days vanished from the Holy City’s newspapers’ front pages on this day. In its place was the news of the world’s wealthiest man hosting a banquet. In reality, Marquis Snape’s status and influence alone warranted such distinguished coverage from the newspapers. However, after the Mage girl’s sensational news, it was unlikely that the Marquis could monopolize all the front pages as before. But now, he had managed to take over all the newspapers, an act that inevitably gave savvy people a taste of the hand of officialdom. It is foreseeable that, by tomorrow or the day after, although the news of the genius Mage girl will slowly regain its share of the newspaper coverage, the news of the Marquis’ nocturnal feast will still firmly occupy the front pages, spreading the atmosphere of stability to every corner of the world through the newspapers.

Undeniably, these governing elites are quite proficient in psychological warfare. The unexpected emergence of the talented young girl’s achievements, combined with Marquis Snape’s banquet, continuously bombarded the public’s minds with favorable news. Unconsciously, they accepted the notion that everything was progressing in a positive direction, thereby stabilizing everyone’s minds. This shows that even in the City of Knowledge or the City of Freedom, the attitudes of the public are often manipulated by those in power.

"Don’t talk like that," Catherine said from inside a carriage made of mountain core wood, tapping the soft seat while smiling coyly with her hand over her mouth, "It wouldn’t exactly count as manipulation, and even if you could call it that, Master Odin and the others are manipulating with good intentions. After all, only if the public remains stable is there a possibility for victory in the Undead War. If the people descend into chaos first, there would be no point in fighting the Undead, as it would be meaningless."

"That’s certainly true for the war, but what about other matters?" Pannis asked, lounging leisurely beside Catherine, legs crossed. The enclosed carriage allowed them to not worry about being seen from the outside, so they could freely ruin their own image. Resting against the carriage wall, Pannis said languidly, "This time, they bought off all the newspapers to direct public opinion according to their plan for wartime stability, which is good. But what about the next time? If they repeat this behavior for less noble purposes, where will the public be led then?"

"I don’t think it’s as exaggerated as you imagine," Catherine said, startled, shaking her head, "The powerful professionals and the presence of the Deity figures from the major churches already play a significant supervisory role. It’s probably not so easy for any party to misuse public opinion for nefarious ends."

"That’s true; it’s indeed difficult to produce the same outcome as now when goals are not so unified," Pannis replied, shrugging nonchalantly and changing the subject. Tapping on the solid carriage, he exclaimed, "I really didn’t expect you to agree to Snape sending this carriage for you."

"Well, I had no choice," Catherine sighed, rubbing her temple, "Grandpa Snape actually wanted to lend me this carriage long-term. His reasoning was sound, claiming that Vivian’s fame as a world-renowned genius Mage meant she couldn’t just walk out or take public carriages as before without being harassed and surrounded by idle onlookers, which might prevent her from even leaving the house. So a carriage was necessary, not for me but for Vivian’s convenience."

"Hahaha, the old man is nothing less than the most successful businessman," Pannis laughed, "Even just one of his stewards has a bargaining skill unmatched by anyone."

"Yes, he knew I couldn’t possibly accept, yet he still set forth the request with a very solid rationale, one that I had indeed overlooked," Catherine admitted, rubbing her forehead helplessly, "Of course, I had to refuse, but I still needed to find a solution for Vivian’s transportation problem. Thus, I had to rent a carriage on a medium-term lease as a means of transport. However, the rented carriage could only be used from the following day, so to avoid a gap today, I had to agree to keep his carriage temporarily and plan to return it on the way back this evening."

"Hehe, first proposing a condition the other party can’t accept, then gradually conceding, eventually making the other party accept what he had planned all along," Pannis chuckled, covering his mouth, "Catherine, it seems that even though your reputation has spread throughout all the markets of the Holy City, when it comes to dealing with these professional traders, there’s still a long way to go."

"Hey, do you have a problem with my shopping attitude?" Catherine glared at Pannis with a hostile look, gritting her teeth, "And when did I become famous throughout all the markets?"

"Hahaha, I really didn’t say anything; what you heard was just an illusion, yes, there must be some trap here that causes hallucinations," Pannis said, his gaze wavering as he looked out the window and pointed outside to shift the focus, "Look, we’re almost there, hahaha, that was quick."

"Hmph," Catherine snorted, trying to retain a fierce appearance but couldn’t help laughing out in a snort.