Sitting slightly behind him to the right, Yorn moved his fingers slightly, just about to stand up and say something.

Seeing no one move, he merely nodded slightly, making a gesture of "agreeing and supporting."

Willis had also prepared a piece of wording to rationalize the duties of the Inspectorate from the perspective of institutional design, supplemented by considerations of efficiency and public order...

But at this moment, he only needed to display an expression of slight relief.

Louis had originally intended for Yorn to stabilize the situation and Willis to promote the argument of "for the public and the people," so that the Inspectorate could surface as the "will of the people."

But who would have thought it would go so smoothly.

There wasn't even time to perform, and Louis had already seized control of the pace.

The establishment of the Inspectorate was not a spur-of-the-moment idea, nor was it something Louis just casually mentioned.

This agency, while bearing the name "Inspectorate," had duties far beyond just overseeing the parliament.

He could access and verify all tax reports from other territories, checking transactional accounts against actual granaries.

He had the right to inspect war preparedness warehouses, training grounds, recruitment conditions, and even personally inspect the border defenses and armaments.

Record every statement, action, and private interaction of the parliament members... monitoring all obscure contacts, suspicious communications, and secret collusions.

It even had the privilege of presenting secret reports directly to the Prefect, bypassing the checks and balances of the parliament itself.

This was power originally only belonging to the Intelligence System, now granted the guise of legality and public authority.

No longer known as "secret agent," but acting as a "hawk dog."

Neither accountable to parliament, but only looking up to the Prefect alone.

It could be said to be the Eastern Depot of Snow Peak County.

Just after Louis's voice fell, applause sounded.

Initially, it was scattered, like testing the waters with a stone.

A Viscount sitting in the middle hesitated to clap twice, seeing no one opposed, then quickened his pace.

Next, more people followed.

"Clap, clap."

The applause became more and more, increasingly uniform, like footprints in the snow that cannot be stopped, one string after another.

But behind the applause, the smart ones felt their hearts already half-cold.

Sitting in the far corner, Baron Eugene, who originally had a good personal relationship with Joseph, felt his palms cold and sweat oozing from his forehead.

He clapped, maintaining a decent smile on his face, even deliberately nodding to meet Louis's gaze.

But in his heart, it felt like someone was pricking it with fine needles.

"The Inspectorate... this is not at all to oversee the parliament, but to tie us up one by one, tightening with leather ropes."

The applause, like a tide, reverberated continuously in the high-ceilinged banquet hall, as if for the crowning of a new king.

But as this momentum began to rise, Louis raised his hand, with just a simple gesture, quickly cut off the applause like a knife.

The hall fell silent instantly.

He did not rush to speak, merely standing there, his gaze slowly sweeping over every face as if making a final roll call.

Confirming who had submitted, and who still had lingering thoughts.

Then he spoke, his tone no longer sharp, but with a kind of inclusive and steady warmth.

"After today," he said, "Snow Peak County is no longer a loose aggregation."

"We are no longer just families and nobility barely gathered together, no longer individual chess pieces looking out for our own interests."

His tone slow yet firm, like hammering stakes, fixing people's hearts in a common direction.

"We are a community. Because from today, we finally have a direction, a path, a sword."

His voice softened somewhat, but with an undeniable solidity: "From now on, we are all one family."

These words sent a shock through many hearts.

Louis smiled slightly, a smile not with sharpness but with a few touches of approachable gentleness.

"I trust you, and you can trust me too.

In every step ahead, I will not disappoint you."

As his words concluded, the long-suppressed atmosphere finally seemed to find its release, and applause sounded again in the hall.

Some clapped louder, as if eager to show loyalty;

Others clapped slowly, as if weighing Louis's true intentions.

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