Chapter 2597: Chapter 818: A Pile of Broken Glass

Thinking of a few foals running wildly behind him with neighs, Zheng Qing suddenly snapped awake.

"What should I do?"

He immediately became humble.

Linda Barnes showed a satisfied smile but did not answer immediately. Instead, she first took a piece of guava cake handed over by Xin, took a small bite, and savored it with pursed lips for a long time.

Then she slowly replied, "Actually, public opinion is very easy to disturb, and so is the public’s perception. You must make everyone more confused before they wake up or become emotional."

"Confused?" Zheng Qing chewed on this word, along with the honey puff in his mouth, finding it particularly intriguing.

"Everyone chases after eye-catching topics, just like flies to filth, moths to a flame—it’s instinct."

The blonde witch took a sip of soda and cleared her throat, patiently explaining, "... just like the rumors about you, Beta Xi, Vivian, and others. Because they’re fresh and easy to understand, they easily gain a large following in the rumor market. I’ve heard from Banna about your countermeasures—debating rumors in newspapers, selectively stating facts, spreading news that those witches have other suitable partners, or ignoring it hoping the rumors fade away, etc. With all due respect, these plans might work to handle the voices within the school because there’s a limited number of students, making it easier to identify and eliminate the noise one by one. But in dealing with rumors outside the school, it won’t suffice." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"What if I refute those rumors one by one?" Zheng Qing still harbored a bit of naive thinking.

The queen sneered, "Then the benefits you’ll gain are akin to the slight discrepancy when weighing Dragon Tooth Elm powder with a scale."

Dragon Tooth Elm is a perennial deciduous tree, widely distributed, and its bark powder can be used medicinally, but it’s of very low value. And weighing with a scale is very labor-intensive—in other words, this phrase implies a huge cost for negligible gain.

Zheng Qing easily understood the witch’s implication.

"But, as they say, ’fight poison with poison.’ Since you’re attacked by rumors, you can also use rumors to escape." Seemingly predicting the young man’s thoughts, the witch raised a finger and wiggled it before him, "I said using rumors to help you escape doesn’t mean fabricating things about those ladies... but continuing to create rumors about you."

"Create rumors about me?" Zheng Qing was thoroughly confused.

"The fact is not necessarily the truth, and rumors aren’t solely negative. As I just mentioned, people have always loved eye-catching fresh topics. That’s why Su Councilor’s rumors, or rumors about her rumored husband, endure, while some Blue Fatty’s rumors are ignored."

She used herself as an example without changing her expression, completely disregarding Xin Fat Man’s unease by the side, and Zheng Qing’s embarrassed look.

"So..."

The blonde witch continued explaining on her own, "People don’t need to know what exactly the relationship is between you and the seven differently beautiful witches, nor are they interested in reading your eight-foot-long non-parental relationship proof with a little foal... If you find those statements absurd, then blow them up, filling their empty and dull lives with more and more absurd rumors. A piece of broken glass falls on the beach; everyone can immediately spot its shimmering silhouette. But a pile of broken glass appears on the beach; everyone will avoid it, won’t approach it."

Zheng Qing raised his soda water and silently took a big sip.

"This is the most professional, clearest advice I’ve ever heard." Just listening to the witch’s analysis made him feel a sense of resolution, a weight off his shoulders.

"She can scatter a vast amount of glass shards for you without leaving any clues for the diviners to catch." Xin Fat Man displayed an honored look.

"I’m not finished yet!"

The witch slightly furrowed her brows, gave the two young men a sharp glance, and only when they both sat upright did she nod satisfactorily, "Those glass shards may deter the public, but they also genuinely pollute the beach environment, meaning your image. So, you need to make appropriate remedial measures afterward... like appearing with Su Councilor in public venues or staying low-key for a while to ensure old sediment doesn’t resurface; this is very important, very important, very important."

She repeated three times, confirmed Zheng Qing’s serious expression, then continued, "... The reason I say this is because if you perform well in this round of public opinion coping, it will leave a deeper, positive, and ambitious impression of you on the wizard world. It’s your best ticket to leave the school, to step out of the Ivory Tower, to enter the Magical World, helping you quickly establish yourself outside the school, even in the New World, like..."

"Like every cloud has a silver lining." Instantly, an image he had once seen flashed in Zheng Qing’s mind.

"What?" The witch raised her eyebrows.

"’Every cloud has a silver lining,’ it’s an old saying from my hometown," Zheng Qing hurriedly explained, "meaning every cloud has a positive side; there’s a hint of light even in darkness, just like the silver fringe along the edge of storm clouds."

"An extremely fitting description, that’s precisely the point." Linda Barnes nodded slightly, then changed the tune, "Then returning to our initial conversation... I’ve confirmed your purpose, given you professional advice, now let’s talk about ’what I want’."

"You haven’t said what new rumor you’ll create for me."

Zheng Qing watched the other person’s leisurely demeanor and suddenly felt a bit uneasy, hastily interrupting with a dry laugh: "... Shouldn’t you reveal it first to prepare me mentally?"

"Rumors without preparation are the best rumors," the witch bluntly refused, looking at him with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Moreover, spreading those rumors throughout the Alliance is part of my tasks... If I disclose everything now, you go find Banna or some families to strategize, what then?"

"I would never do that!" Xin immediately raised a hand and swore.

Looking at the witch’s resolute gaze, Zheng Qing eventually raised both hands, "What do you want?"

"Is your previous proposal still valid?" The blonde witch spoke an inexplicable line.

"What proposal?" Zheng Qing was momentarily baffled.

"Replacing the interview with Su Councilor with an interview of the North District Great Wise Person." The witch succinctly replied.

Zheng Qing took a while to recall that this was the collaborative agreement he had reached with the witch during the Christmas Under the Moon dance, astonished: "... Haven’t you already interviewed Professor Montreya?"

"Who would think there’s any shortage of such interviews?"

Linda Barnes spread her hands, revealing an unreserved calculation, "Just like this public opinion storm is your best ticket to step into the Magical World; interviewing both deputy deans from Edge Academy is my best ticket to enter the Alliance after graduation."