Ch.134To the multitude, with even more multitudes.

# Chapter 134: More Multiples for the Multiple

First, regarding the issue of public opinion manipulation, we no longer needed to worry about it.

“I’ve been hearing about recent public opinion trends, so this is what it meant? Mr. Small Flesh.”

“That’s right.”

“And I think I understand why you brought me here from that place.”

“Can you do it?”

“Of course, naturally. It’s been a while since I’ve used my computational power ‘this way.’ Quite a nostalgic sight.”

The very expert in public opinion manipulation, someone incomparably more skilled than us, was now in our hands.

————————————

Of course, I didn’t initially think Alina was such an expert.

All this happened a few months before the Nano Machine War broke out.

“Come to think of it, Alina, you said you were originally a planetary governor in the Empire. Did you have any other positions besides that?”

“Hmm… since it’s difficult to pronounce, if I were to put it in modern terms, Minister of Propaganda would be fitting.”

“Could you tell me more about that in detail?”

This was something I learned after overhearing a conversation between Riel and Alina, and then getting additional information from Alina herself.

————————————-

Until then, we had been wasting the expertise of a top professional right beside us, someone who had worked in counterintelligence and as imperial secret police…

Now that we clearly understood what kind of being Alina was.

“Alina, if you were given the authority to bypass the Empire’s various security systems… how long would it take you to reverse the current public opinion?”

“It’s difficult to give a definitive answer since there are many types of security bypasses… but if I start processing purely from now, I think it would take no more than a month.”

“Then look at this. I’m a Master System Administrator.”

I showed Alina my Master System Administrator function.

Realizing the “potential” of this function, Alina turned the head of the humanoid she was controlling toward us and said:

“I’m amazed you’ve had something this insane and haven’t used it all this time, Mr. Small Flesh.”

“Well, that’s right.”

“Truly remarkable self-control. Most flesh beings would lose their minds with a function like this.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, the reason you showed me this function is to help manipulate the Empire’s public opinion, correct?”

“That’s right. So, can you do it?”

At my question, Alina thought for a moment…

Eventually, she nodded and proudly told us:

“Give me just one day. You’ll see perfectly transformed public opinion.”

However, we didn’t take Alina’s words at face value.

What use would secret police be if they blindly believed others’ words?

Then they wouldn’t be secret police, just regular police… or maybe not even that.

From the beginning, we’d seen too many cases of all talk and no substance, so internally, none of us expected much.

———————————-

Of course, unlike those all-talk-no-action garbage people.

Our Alina wasn’t just talking; she was… no, she was actually doing a good job.

-Ding♬

[Pause]

[Event: Rapid Shift in Public Opinion]

[Recently, public opinion within the Holy Sebelli Empire has been intensifying against egalitarianism and capitalism.]

[Those who had been manipulating public opinion seem bewildered by this sudden change in national discourse.]

[Preference for Imperialist faction within the Holy Sebelli Empire +10%]

[Preference for Class-based faction within the Holy Sebelli Empire +10%]

‘Mmm, yummy.’

In less than a day since deployment, the preference for factions completely opposite to Zeltech was rising steadily.

And that wasn’t the only notification:

[Event: Master of Public Opinion Manipulation]

[Recently, public opinion in the Holy Sebelli Empire seems to be returning to its original state.]

[Thanks to this, the insults directed at the innocent lamb are finally coming to an end.]

[Heretic(?) trait removed from Arto Virtorius Sebelli, ‘Media Protection’ trait added.]

[Pause Released]

Events like this that helped me kept appearing.

I couldn’t help but be amazed at her competence, which exceeded all expectations.

——————————–

And naturally, as we officially entered the public opinion battle, Zeltech and the Papal Office began their own interference operations.

Since they had already suffered an overwhelming defeat in the cyber opinion war thanks to our cheat key Alina.

Instead of choosing another opinion war, the two of them…

Tried to attack me, Riel, and the Diplomatic Enforcement Ministry itself by mobilizing their special forces, but…

“Ugh, aaaaargh!!!”

“Be quiet!”

-Bang!

What were they thinking, sending troops even less capable than the Templar Knights who had already been defeated and captured by us?

Of course, they must have made their own calculations.

“Wow, Minister, these guys are wearing quite high-end equipment, aren’t they?”

“Don’t kill them, just render them combat ineffective.”

They must have known that the Templar Knights had become useless, so they sent troops of comparable level, but…

With the Purge Unit members already fully assembled, and on top of that…

“Heh.”

“Hoi-cha.”

“Gyaaaaaaah!!!”

At this point, even Ash, who had become integrated with the Diplomatic Enforcement Ministry.

The Diplomatic Enforcement Ministry had become a fortress of unified offense and defense, already beyond the point where the half-hearted forces sent by Zeltech and the Papal Office could do anything.

———————————-

And perhaps because I was deliberately crushing Zeltech and the Papal Office with my media play like catching mice.

“Minister, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor? For me?”

“Yes.”

“There shouldn’t be anyone coming to see me at this time… who is it?”

“Someone from the Zeltech Corporate Alliance.”

The two flustered forces eventually showed signs of requesting dialogue with me, suggesting peace negotiations, but.

‘No, if I let you live out of mercy, I’ll be the one who dies.’

Just as I inadvertently said.

If I left them alone out of misplaced leniency… it was obvious that the Empire’s mainstream factions would quickly change again, and the Empire’s system and name would be completely overhauled.

I took firm action against all attempts at negotiation, including the Zeltech Corporate Alliance ambassador who was demanding dialogue(?).

Of course, I wasn’t without concerns about my actions.

‘Couldn’t this end up provoking them even more?’

As the old saying goes, even a cornered mouse will bite a cat.

There was a possibility that these excessively cornered individuals might lose their minds and charge at us.

‘Sigh, should I create a small breathing room for them?’

And not long after, these thoughts of mine actually came true…

“Shouldn’t we stop at this point?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

While everything they tried ended in failure.

Meanwhile, I was succeeding thanks to my cheat key(?).

“Currently, Minister Arto can be said to be in a state where he’s completely lost his mind, Your Holiness.”

“Indeed, please understand this.”

“…Not a chance, absolutely not a chance…”

The Pope at the Papal Office continued to maintain an attitude of wanting to launch additional offensives against us, without considering his limitations.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with that attitude.

If I had changed my stance here, or if the situation had somehow changed…

In fact, seeing Zeltech openly taking a conciliatory attitude, I was initially thinking of targeting the Pope first.

But from that point on, the Papal Office was no longer our primary target…

Because our goal was…

“What’s the status of Zeltech and the Papal Office?”

“Everything is proceeding according to our expectations.”

“Hmm.”

We pretended to target Zeltech and the Papal Office, forcing them into a defensive posture.

And the moment Zeltech and the Papal Office switched to a defensive stance and entered space defense among themselves.

“Now’s the time! Let’s go after our next target, those corrupt and rotten officials!”

“Yes.”

This moment, when the so-called ‘corrupt officials’ were without the protection of Zeltech and the Papal Office.

This was precisely the goal we had been pursuing.