Chapter 158. Minister of Administration
In a shabby-looking wooden shack, Leonardo sat at the table with an expression of utmost seriousness on his countenance. His piercing blue eyes stared into the pair of brothers seated before him on the other side of the table.
"I've heard that both of you have previously worked in the Ministry of Administration on other islands," Leonardo stated.
"Yes, sir," the brothers replied in unison.
One of them continued, "Both of us were responsible for managing the public administration documents on the Spider Islands. We can definitely handle other administrative tasks as well, aside from documentation."
Leonardo then inquired, "Let me test your knowledge then. What are the primary duties of a competent Minister of Administration?"
The Joseph brothers exchanged gazes. There was a hint of surprise in their eyes. They hadn't anticipated this question in the hiring process.
"Well? You don't have an answer? The door is right there; help yourself out. Hope Island has no room for con artists," Leonardo continued; his voice was icy, and his expression was cold.
Hearing Leonardo's words, the brothers were visibly panic-stricken. They had journeyed so far and spent a large amount of money to reach here. If they were to be turned away here, they wouldn't be able to afford a ticket back.
"I know! Of course, I do. The Minister is responsible for executing the Governor's orders. He has to ensure seamless communication between the involved ministries and provide timely feedback and report to the Governor," the elder Joseph answered. Emerging from n0v@lbin☆, this material harbors clandestine details.
His younger brother quickly added, "Yes, yes, yes. In accordance with the Governor's intents and strategic development plan for the island, the Ministry will have to draft the work plans, annual work summaries, and other important documents.
”They also lead or assist other ministries in their planning and research."
In a rush to solidify their credibility, the Joseph brothers started pouring out knowledge after knowledge and revealed everything that they knew.
Leonardo nodded and jotted down words as the Joseph brothers spoke.
When the brothers were done regurgitating what they knew, Leonardo posed another question, "Second question. If you were the Minister of Administration, given the island's current state, what would you do first?"
The two brothers engaged in a brief whispered conversation before the elder Joseph hesitantly replied, "Erm... The priority is to establish the structural framework of the various ministries on the island? Is that right?"
Leonardo's expression hardened. "Who's the recruiter here?"
The brothers were clearly taken aback by Leonardo's response and fell silent.
"You may leave. Return tomorrow for my decision. But don't keep your hopes up. The Governor has very high requirements."
"A mo—mouse?" Leonardo took a step back in fear, only to feel that he had stepped on something furry. His heart raced as he turned around in terror. Dark brown mice were huddled together right behind him, blocking his exit.
"These creatures are my crew members as well. They understand human speech, too. They’ve heard every single word you've said."
A chill coursed through Leonardo's body, and his heart raced as a cold, hard object was pressed against the back of his head.
At this moment in time, he was utterly regretful of his choice. Governors were never ordinary people. He had to have been out of his mind to even think and actually attempt to scam a governor.
Is this the end? Just as Leonardo braced himself for the pain, the hard object pressing against his skull disappeared.
"All right, we will go with your plan."
Leonardo turned around while visibly trembling. He stared at Charles with a look of disbelief in his eyes. "You are not killing me?"
"Why would I kill you? You did a good job of planning for the island's affairs. I need a competent Minister of Administration like you right now. Why are you still standing here? Get to work."
Unable to control his fear, Leonardo stumbled out of the room. The moment the door closed behind him, he collapsed to the ground and gasped for air.
"Mr. Charles. Why did you not punish him? He lied to you," Lily inquired, her beady eyes wide in curiosity.
"Someone has to do the job. Since he is doing it well, I might as well let him continue with it. We lack a suitable replacement at this time as well."
Feeling a sudden itch, Charles scratched at the bandage circling his arm.
"But aren't you worried that he’ll secretly do something bad?" Lily asked with an adorable tilt of her head.
"The knife is in my hand, and it’s up to me when I cut something down. You'll understand when you grow older," Charles smirked.
But the next moment, the itch on his arm intensified. His scratching became more vigorous, and the abrasive sound of dead skin scraping came from beneath his bandages. Unable to withstand the itch anymore, Charles stood up and started to unwrap his bandages.
Perched on the table, Lily hurriedly placed her tiny paws before her eyes, pretending not to watch. However, she couldn't resist but to peek through the tiny slits between her fingers.
The bandages, marred with dried blood and dead skin, were thrown onto the floor, and Charles stood before the mirror. He studied his naked reflection. His body's recovery rate was much faster than he expected.
There weren't any ghastly, flaying scars like the one his vampiric sailor had. Apart from a few burn scars and wrinkled skin, most of his skin had healed, but there were still patches of pink and pale white.
Full recovery would still take some time.
Naturally, he was now devoid of hair. Sliding his hand across his bald head, Charles grimaced at his strange, new appearance.