Chapter 374: The Makers of History
"The Northern Kingdom has fallen! The last rebel, Jacob Rosa, died unexpectedly during his disarmament and surrender!"
"Breaking news! Lord Langpu declares: The fall of the Northern Kingdom is history's choice, a choice of the people."
"Marshal Dolo delivered a celebratory speech, praising the soldiers for their courage and fearlessness, showcasing the spirit of the Ember Kingdom and the majesty of the Great Red Dragon's lineage."
Newsboys shouted on the streets as people bustled about, creating a slightly crowded scene.
The war had come to an end.
Across the Ember Kingdom, the entire nation celebrated, the atmosphere fervent.
Yet despite this, the work never stopped, and rest was non-existent.
After the war, soldiers spent lavishly, squandering their spoils. Domestic demand in the Kingdom surged ceaselessly, with orders flowing in like snowflakes—factories even began working overtime to conduct large-scale production.
This brought not only exhaustion but also wages far higher than usual.
Prosperity was evident everywhere.
People suffered yet rejoiced.
However, in the Kingdom's Propaganda Department, the players working as scribes were not happy; they were on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
They originally only handled domestic propaganda, but now they had to oversee all of Anzeta, conducting high-intensity campaigns in newly conquered regions.
Task lists and discarded drafts had piled up like mountains.
A player with the nickname [Awakening From a Dream] sat amidst the chaos of the office, his hand trembling as he gripped a pen.
"Pamphlets for the Duchy of Fano."
"Slogans for the Duchy of Sweno, and war victory propaganda."
"Damn it, there's still 60% left! How the hell can I finish this in a few days?!"
He slammed his pen down in frustration.
Enough!
In real life, Awakening From a Dream was just an ordinary journalism student, fond of reading history books. After failing to find a job post-graduation, he fully immersed himself in the gaming world.
To earn faction contribution, he joined the Propaganda Department and became a royal scribe, finally experiencing the feeling of work. He even rose to become a senior official in the department, managing over a hundred scribes.
Although he gained many perks and the prestige to show off to new players, he resolutely decided to resign from the position.
He was here to play a game, not to work.
Suddenly, the magical communicator beside him buzzed with a familiar voice—it was Langpu, the Kingdom's Prime Minister.
"Come to my office."
"Yes, sir. I'll be right there."
Awakening From a Dream instinctively replied.
But he quickly realized—wasn't he planning to resign? Why was he still so subservient?
Fine! This is the perfect chance to resign in person.
Awakening From a Dream thought.
Before long, he navigated skillfully to the top floor, arriving at Langpu's office door. He cautiously knocked.
"Sir, I'm here."
"Come in."
With a rumbling sound, the heavy doors slowly opened.
Clutching his resignation letter tightly, Awakening From a Dream nervously stepped into the overly spacious, palace-like office.
"Sir, I've been feeling too exhausted from work lately, so I'd like to—"
Langpu waved his hand, interrupting him.
"I've always seen the contributions you've made and the hard work you've put in for the Kingdom. Remember, the Kingdom never mistreats those who work diligently."
Awakening From a Dream hesitated for a moment but decided to persist: "Sir, I—"
His words caught in his throat again.
"Let's not talk about that now. I called you here for something important. I've always been satisfied with your propaganda work, but those are just surface-level tasks. They don't fully utilize your talents."
"Recently, I've discovered some malicious individuals fabricating history to defame and attack the Kingdom, severely tarnishing its reputation."
Langpu took a sip of water from his desk before continuing, "Therefore, I'm establishing a new department: the Historical Compilation Department."
"Its main task will be to document the Kingdom's glorious history and chronicle the realization of its great blueprint."
"..."
Awakening From a Dream looked dispirited.
Although he loved reading history, he knew compiling it was an arduous task, no easier than his current responsibilities.
But Langpu changed his tone: "However, I'll enlist professional historians to handle the official chronicles. You Starfallers won't be involved in that."
"Your job will be to fabricate—no, organize short stories revealing the true nature of our enemies."
"The more outrageous the plots, the better. It doesn't matter, as long as they grab attention and spark public interest—like those anecdotes you wrote for the Kingdom Daily."
Langpu's voice was calm yet seemed to suppress a certain fury.
Scandalous stories?
Awakening From a Dream's eyes lit up immediately.
This was right up his alley.
His previous work had been monotonous, mostly official articles. Only when writing anecdotes did he find any joy.
The new position Langpu proposed was a perfect outlet for his "talents," allowing him to peel away falsehoods and fully let loose.
Official history may not always be true.
But scandalous stories are always scandalous enough.
He could write whatever he wanted, earning gold and faction contributions while indulging his dark sense of humor.
"Here are some samples from the South for reference."
Illusory text appeared in mid-air.
[Unbearable! Why is the girl crying? Exposing the cruel deeds of the wicked Red Dragon!]
[Human-beast hybrids? Exploring the depravity of the monstrous Ember Kingdom!]
The names of their authors were not listed, but Kingdom spies had added them in red.
[Luton Seeg, former viscount of the Northern United Kingdom, now fled to the Fadlan region.]
After browsing through the samples, Awakening From a Dream couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.
The enemy wasn't simple either.
In an age untouched by the information explosion, they had already devised such attention-grabbing headlines.
"Luton Seeg, huh."
"A formidable adversary indeed."
Awakening From a Dream silently repeated the name, his eyes alight with excitement, eager for the challenge.
"But the opponent you face—has lived through the internet era!"
The wheels of fate began to turn.
Far away, Luton Seeg had no idea he had already been targeted by a ruthless fabricator of scandalous tales.
"Hehehe."
Awakening From a Dream chuckled sinisterly, a look of anticipation on his face.
As Langpu wiped his gold-rimmed glasses, he casually asked, "By the way, wasn't there something else you wanted to say?"
"You can say it now."
"Uh..."
Awakening From a Dream's smile froze.
Clutching his resignation letter tightly, he awkwardly hid it behind his back, cold sweat forming on his brow.
"Nothing, nothing, you must have misunderstood."
"Sir, I promise to complete the task!"
Awakening From a Dream nodded repeatedly, abandoning any thought of resignation, and fled the office as if escaping.
...
In the lavish, spacious office, Langpu's expression turned grim.
The floating text reappeared in mid-air, revealing a hidden line that had been obscured earlier.
[Appointing a greedy, foolish ogre as prime minister? They'll just mindlessly stuff everything into their mouths!]
[Exposing the absurd internal politics of the Ember Kingdom!]
"Heh."
"Ignorant fool. You will pay the price."
The ogre archmage clenched his fist, cracks appearing on the luxurious wooden desk. Veins bulged on his forehead, and a ferocious smile spread across his hideous face.