Just like Ilya Reed, many others, influenced by the East Blue News, held a critical view of William's failure to properly host the World Government inspection team, particularly the Celestial Dragon representative, Saint Jalmack.
Under William's instructions, Gesseta had carefully controlled the rhythm of the news, gradually releasing mysteries and questions to keep readers hooked. For every hint of truth revealed, a new doubt was introduced, ensuring the audience remained captivated.
When the Celestial Dragons and the World Government inspection team left the East Blue, the East Blue News immediately unveiled the ultimate truth behind the Gray Terminal fire in the Goa Kingdom.
It turned out that the true culprits were the rulers of the Goa Kingdom.
To welcome the Celestial Dragons and the World Government inspection team, the rulers of High Town in the Goa Kingdom had set the entire Gray Terminal ablaze, killing countless residents in the process. This revelation shocked readers who followed the East Blue News, leaving them incredulous.
The newspaper juxtaposed the Goa Kingdom's actions with those of Navia Kingdom's First Regent, Morgan William.
In this contrast, William's efforts to address population and poverty issues through proactive rural resettlement and migration policies, as well as his relentless work to improve the conditions in the slums, painted him as a ruler worthy of admiration and public support.
The First Regent William, who would rather endure the scorn and dissatisfaction of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons than cause further suffering to the lower-class citizens, had once been misunderstood by the people. This prompted many to silently feel remorse.
The East Blue News took the lead in "admitting its mistake," and the tide of public opinion within the kingdom shifted.
In the streets and alleys, discussions about the Goa Kingdom were everywhere, but the conversations invariably turned to William. These discussions often ended with sentiments like, "If only Lord William were the king, someone who could manage this country for the long term."
In the Navia Kingdom, within the National Security Bureau, Kuro, wearing round-rimmed glasses and a neatly pressed suit, his hair slicked back with pomade, exuded the demeanor of a noble. Not long ago, William had knighted him, and he already carried the air of aristocracy.
Kuro pulled apart the blinds and squinted through the glass at the bustling office below. A senior agent knocked on the door and entered upon his approval.
"What's the public sentiment in the slums?" Kuro asked without turning around.
The National Security Bureau was now the largest intelligence agency in the entire Navia Kingdom, and even among William's many institutions, it stood out. Its primary responsibilities included collecting and analyzing intelligence from both domestic and foreign sources, as well as counter-espionage and anti-subversion efforts. Given the current state of the East Blue and the kingdom, intelligence efforts in other nations were practically a blank slate, making counter-espionage and anti-subversion work more akin to controlling public opinion.
Despite his youthful appearance and refined demeanor, Kuro had earned the nickname "Hundred Schemes" within the kingdom. This reputation stemmed from his early alliance with William a year ago when William first revealed his ambitions. No one outside their circle knew when Kuro, the head of intelligence, had begun collaborating with William. From the outset of William's rise to power, the two had worked seamlessly together. Whether it was framing the rebellion or providing evidence to arrest opposition figures, their actions had left the kingdom's nobles stunned and seething with hatred.
What made Kuro even more despised was his meteoric rise alongside William. The National Security Bureau, as its name suggested, wielded far more authority than the Bureau of Liquor Smuggling Investigations.
Even senior agents who struck fear into others outside the Bureau dared not breathe too loudly in Kuro's presence. One such agent, after removing his round hat, cautiously replied, "The 'storytellers' have long been stationed in taverns and other public gathering places. In truth, public sentiment has always been under our control. The residents of the slums are terrified by the Goa Kingdom's rulers burning down the Gray Terminal, so they're deeply grateful to the First Regent for his efforts to improve their living conditions, even at the cost of offending the World Nobles. We don't really need to put much effort into monitoring the slums."
The so-called "storytellers" were a product of special circumstances. Due to widespread illiteracy, even though William had established a newspaper, it couldn't reach everyone—especially the lower-class population, who made up the majority and often couldn't afford or understand the paper.
In response, Kuro had suggested to William the idea of training intelligence personnel to "speak" the newspaper's content—or more precisely, William's ideas—to the illiterate. Drawing inspiration from professions like storytellers and bards from his past life, William added suggestions to make the dissemination of information more entertaining rather than purely didactic.
These individuals blended into taverns, markets, and other crowded places, sharing news while also fabricating "heroic deeds," both real and fictional, to spread. Additionally, they gathered and organized local intelligence.
Kuro was highly satisfied with his current position. It offered him status, power, and aligned with his low-key personality. Unlike flamboyant pirates like Edmond, Harden, or Selkirk, Kuro preferred to keep his head down, focusing on numbers and strategies without drawing undue attention.
So when he heard the senior agent's report, Kuro turned around with a cold expression.
"Already thinking about slacking off? If something goes wrong, you'll have plenty of opportunities to slack off later!" Kuro snapped. "If you're unwilling to handle the responsibilities of your position, do you think you have too much authority in your hands?"
The senior agent, puzzled and uneasy, asked, "Director?"
Hearing this, Kuro glanced at his subordinate, sighed, and calmed down, refraining from taking out his frustrations on him. "There's no point hiding it from you—it's something you'll find out sooner or later."
"Someone has proposed to the Regent that the intelligence work should be reorganized. The Security Bureau's jurisdiction is too broad to manage everything effectively."
The senior agent froze for a moment, then asked with a grim expression, "Director, do you know who made the proposal?"
"Who else could it be?" Kuro sneered. "The people from the Steward's Office, of course!"
"Those bastards! They don't focus on assisting the Regent properly and instead spend all their time scheming against us, the ones doing the hard work!" the senior agent cursed before asking, "What exactly did they propose? Are they trying to merge the Security Bureau into the Steward's Office? They already directly or indirectly control so many departments."
"They did suggest that," Kuro replied with a bitter laugh. "But they're dreaming if they think that'll happen. Lord William isn't that foolish and rejected it outright."
However, Kuro sighed and continued, "Still, Lord William accepted part of their proposal. He decided to divide intelligence work into internal and external branches. We'll be responsible for internal intelligence, while a new department called the Fifth Bureau of Commercial Intelligence will be established. Officially, it will be under the Four Seas Trading Company, tasked with handling external intelligence."
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