People in Terra, governing a weird little country

Ernst got the promise he wanted from Evangelista XI: "If Kjerag is willing and able to host the Summit of Nations, Lateran is willing to serve as a co-sponsor and, together with Kjerag, invite countries on Terra that care about international peace and stability and are committed to establishing a new order on Earth. The first Summit of Nations will be held in the spotless snow country."

Evangelista XI was cunning. He deliberately emphasized Kjerag's strength in his speech and mentioned that Lateran was willing to "provide help". To some extent, he also wanted to maximize Lateran's weight and status in this initiative.

But Ernst was not unprepared.

"Your Holiness, I actually have an immature idea. I wonder if you can help me with it."

Ernst's smile was sincere, but Evangelista XI, who had been "cheated" once, obviously didn't believe it. He sat up straight and subconsciously put a piece of mousse cake in his mouth, his voice a little muffled:

"You're welcome. Please go ahead."

Ernst said, "We all know that the purpose of the Summit of Nations is to establish a new order among the international community of Terra, but this is bound to lead to dissatisfaction and counterattacks from some of the rulers of the old order. Of course, I don't think there will be a 'certain Grand Duke' who can't wait to raise an army just because Kjerag held an international conference. But it is hard to guarantee that she will not find some way to undermine us."

The unnamed Grand Duke of Kast is certainly not an isolated case; Ernst was just giving this as an example.

As for why Kaister was mentioned, well... because Daphne was right next to him?

If you find something bad happening on this land, but can't find out who did it, it was the Duke of Caster who did it. --- by Daphne Windermere, heir to the Duke of Windermere.

Evangelista XI obviously understood this, which was one of the reasons why he specifically invited Ernst.

Ernst had a good relationship with several of Victoria's grand dukes, at least on the surface, and this might be an opportunity to persuade them to attend the summit.

But Ernst thought further.

After all, not all Terrans are as considerate as Sakota. Once the Summit of Nations is established, it will inevitably damage the interests of some beneficiaries of the existing order. For example, if the Summit of Nations follows the United Nations system and establishes an international order based on the five permanent members, then Victoria will inevitably have to put forward only one representative.

Not everyone wants independence like Wellington did, and since Caster can only have one representative internationally, his influence will be weakened anyway.

This is something that directly harms her interests, and she cannot be persuaded by just a little bit of friendship.

Again, there must be benefits to make the replacement.

So, Ernst, who had already prepared something in his mind, raised a finger and suggested:

"In order to prevent any accidents from happening at the first summit due to insufficient preparation, lack of experience, or deliberate disruption by some extremists, I think it is necessary for us, as the organizers, to conduct a rehearsal."

"rehearse?"

Evangelista XI's fingers tapped slowly on the armrest, and there seemed to be some understanding between his brows.

"You want to hold the zeroth summit of all nations? Hold a small meeting with the major powers before the formal summit?"

Ernst was stunned. This was an unexpected path. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense. Since the interests of some major countries and the Grand Duke would be damaged, it would be better to hold a small meeting in advance to discuss the distribution of interests rather than waiting for the first formal summit of all nations to be boycotted by them.

Ernst's idea is somewhat similar to this, but not as obvious.

He said: "To be precise, I do want to hold the Zeroth Summit of All Nations, but it is not a small meeting between major powers."

He paused and continued,

"It's the World's Fair."

World Expo, World Expo, World Expo, face conference, card-showing conference, you can call it whatever you want as long as the meaning is conveyed.

Ernst knew very well that the international order on Terra was essentially the law of the jungle, but it was just covered with a layer of civilization. And Evangelista XI's plan for the Summit of Nations was actually to make this layer of civilization thicker, more complicated, and harder to remove. To put it simply, it was to set up a memorial arch for the women, to frame everyone, to eliminate many, or at least to reduce those naked, disgusting bullying of the weak.

Although there is no fundamental change, quarreling is better than fighting. At least fewer people will die, right?

However, not all beasts are willing to have their fangs and claws restrained. This is also what Evangelista XI is worried about.

The reason why Ernst proposed the "World Expo" was very simple.

show off.

Of course, it wasn't Kjerag showing off, but setting up a place for these ferocious beasts to show off their might.

When the great powers shifted the place for showing off their power from the battlefield to the exhibition, even if only in part, Ernst's goal was achieved.

Reduce casualties, let the countries on earth understand each other's strength, and pave the way for the upcoming real summit of all nations, accumulate experience, and reduce resistance - there are only 0 times and countless times for everything, and after the first time, it will not be so difficult to invite others later.

Some people may ask, how is it possible for a major country to show its true strength at a World Expo?

Yes, that's right. As the country's life-saving talisman, it is naturally impossible to put the trump card on stage for display.

However, has the person who raised this question ever thought about the fact that the Columbia Tremont Research Achievements Expo, which is also a display of strength, but it is scientific research strength, is it true that what is exhibited at the Expo are the most cutting-edge and confidential scientific research results of various companies?

of course not.

We are not fools. In such occasions, we will only show the mid-to-high-end achievements. The real secrets are naturally hidden.

But since everyone is showing mid- to high-end success, isn’t that the end of it?

The Expo is not a horse race. Compared with the trump cards, the level of mid-to-high-end exhibits is the standard for determining a country's true strength. Just like Ursus cannot show its internal guards, and Victoria cannot bring out the unicorn, but the comparison between the Ursus Empire's artillery harbinger drone and Victoria's city defense self-propelled artillery is enough for the two countries to have a rough estimate of each other's strength.

However, in the past, this comparison process was done underground, with spies, intelligence personnel, diplomats, etc. collecting relevant information through secret channels and then sending it back to the country for comparison. Ernst wanted to bring this process to the surface and turn it from a bad thing that could not be seen in the light into a decent good thing.

This can not only save the countries' investment in intelligence, but also satisfy everyone's face, so it will not be rejected.

Evangelista XI nodded thoughtfully and looked at Ernst with admiration in his eyes.

I have to say that this is indeed a very ingenious idea, and it really perfectly grasps the mentality of leaders of various countries.

Who doesn’t want to expand his or her reputation? Who doesn’t care about face? Who doesn’t want to get to know his or her competitors in a “civilized” way?

"That's a good idea."

He agreed.

Ernst added: "Moreover, I think the content of the exhibition should not be limited to military, but should also include science and technology, culture, historical heritage and so on. It should be more diversified."

Evangelista XI smiled slightly: "Is this to allow small countries to have a place in it?"

Ernst nodded.

The bulk of the World Expo will definitely be taken up by powerful countries, but some small countries, which are on the margins of the Terran international community and are not taken seriously and have no chance to make their voice heard in the international community, can also make a small appearance at the Expo by relying on their own unique cultural characteristics, historical heritage, etc.

These are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Similarly, these countries and independent mobile city-states that have gained opportunities will undoubtedly become staunch supporters of the upcoming World Summit - having tasted the benefits, they will naturally want to maintain them.

Evangelista XI had been convinced by Ernst, but he was still a little curious:

"What about you? As the host, what will you exhibit? To ensure that you gain enough fame? To ensure that the upcoming World Summit will be eye-catching enough?"

Ernst smiled mysteriously and did not answer directly. Instead, he slowly said two words:

"future."

Chapter 236: Treasure, Anger, Return Quickly

Lateran, Papal Hall.

Fiammetta felt a little heavy.

After three days of investigation, she finally confirmed a fact - the enemy was indeed very cunning and did not leave any clues!

Ahem, this certainly doesn't mean that Fiammetta found nothing after three days of searching. In fact, the fact that he didn't get any information is enough to explain a lot of problems.

Rumors exist, so people who spread rumors must exist, and the "pioneer" that Parthia mentioned must also exist. Since the "pioneer" exists, it stands to reason that if a person does something, it is impossible for him to leave no trace!

If that was the case and she couldn't find anything, there were only two possibilities. Either the rumor had nothing to do with [Pioneer], or someone covered up for the rumor spreader.

Fiammetta didn't know who did these things secretly, but this person's status and power must be very high, otherwise, as an employee of the Pope's Office and a former member of the garrison, he would not be completely clueless about this.

There is a traitor among the higher-ups in Lateran!

Fiammetta has realized the seriousness of the matter. If the rumor spreader and his accomplices have infiltrated the upper echelons of the Lateran and become one or several of the old guys in the Papal Palace, then the situation in the entire Lateran cannot be said to be stable and secure, but at least it can be called precarious!

Rumors cover up Ding Zhen, and it is determined to be - sent!

At this point, even if Fiammetta wanted to hide it, she couldn't do it. After thinking about it all night, she finally made up her mind.

Since I can't find out the truth, for the safety of Rutland and to expose the conspiracy of the rumormongers, I'll report the matter.

However, there is a reason for reporting. Fiametta is not sure who the person who helped [Pioneer] cover up is among the upper echelons of Lateran, and what position he holds. Reporting to his superiors seems a bit dangerous and useless.

After all, his superior had been investigating for a long time but couldn't find any clues.

Either the traitor is among them, or everyone is very incompetent, so there is no point in reporting it to them.

Fiammetta planned to report directly to the top, bypassing his superiors!

She planned to take the opportunity of reporting to Evangelista XI to directly inform the Pope of the matter and ask the Pope to be responsible for the subsequent investigation and investigate the case of the Papal Palace!

Fiammetta was very satisfied with his idea. After all, no matter what, the Pope, the boss of the Lateran, couldn't be a traitor, right?

"Cough cough cough..."

Unable to help coughing several times, Evangelista XI ignored Ernst who was obviously trying not to laugh and asked Fiammetta in front of him,

"Fiammetta, your mission doesn't seem to be related to this matter, right?"

Fiammetta pursed his lips. Although he was a little puzzled as to why Evangelista XI did not seem that sad about the rumors, he still frankly admitted his dereliction of duty:

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I did not do a good job in receiving the foreign guests this time. I will go to the Pope's Office to accept the punishment myself."

After saying this, she looked at Ernst and bowed again.

"And Mr. Ernst, I'm sorry."

Her and Mostima's original mission was to serve as guides for Ernst during his stay in Lateran. However, Fiammetta did not fulfill this responsibility and chose to investigate the rumors instead. Although Mostima's deception was a factor, Fiammetta was indeed disobeying orders and neglecting her duty.

Evangelista XI and Ernst had no real intention of accusing the enemy, they just wanted to divert the topic and attention.

After all, it was these two who made the decision to let Andorn go. Ernst hoped that this idealist could do more practical things for this land, but Evangelista XI had his own considerations and debated with Andorn in the underground secret room for nearly two hours.

They can't just slap themselves in the face.

"Well, in that case, Mostima, Fiammetta!"

Evangelista XI pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and called out.

Fiammetta and Mostima, who was smiling faintly, immediately replied, "(Yes!) I'm here."

"You both neglected your duties at Rutland. However, there is still a chance to make amends."

"Latlan does not have a permanent courier of all nations in Kjerag, Mastema, would you be willing to do so?"

Evangelista XI glanced at Mostima.

Mostima nodded imperceptibly, gave him an "OK" look, and replied:

"Of course, Your Holiness. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to make amends, don't you, Fiammetta?"

Fiammetta: “?”

The little phoenix was stunned, with a confused expression.

Something's wrong. Something's wrong!

But what was wrong?

No, no, no, why is Mostima so polite all of a sudden? Calling the Pope "Your Holiness" is fine, but she actually said something like making amends and going to Kjerag as a permanent messenger. This is totally out of character for her, right?

That's not right. The Vatican is really short of manpower right now, and Mostima seems to be quite interested in Ernst and Kjerag. Plus, they didn't do a very good job as guides this time, so being asked to work as temporary workers seems to be in line with the Pope's temperament? There seems to be nothing wrong with it?

Right? No, that's not right. Right, right...hiss, I still feel like something is wrong.

Did I miss something important? That’s not right. I was away for less than three days, and I didn’t hear about any major events happening in Lateran during this time.

Liberi, out of order.jpg.

"Fiammetta, what do you think?"

Seeing that Fiammetta didn't answer for a long time and looked confused, Evangelista XI reminded him,

"If you don't want to go, I can also lift Mostima's supervision order. The notary office and the Seventh Department also need manpower. You can stay in Lateran to accompany your grandfather."

Fiammetta suddenly came back to his senses and shook his head firmly:

"No, no, Your Majesty, I am willing to go."

"Mastema could get into trouble at any time. The fallen angels are in such a state that they cannot be trusted. I feel that my presence as a guardian is still necessary."

Ernst turned his head slightly and whispered to Vina and Daphne behind him:

"See? This is tsundere."

Dai Feien blinked: "Why? Translate?"

Ernst played a guest role as a mentor:

"Fiammetta's meaning is: Mastema is very likely to be in danger. The Fallen Angel has made it impossible for Mastema to use her gun, and her strength has been greatly reduced. She is very worried about her, so she must accompany her."

Dai Feien nodded in understanding, then said with some disdain: "Isn't this good? Why don't you just say it directly? Why do you have to use such an expression that might make people feel uncomfortable? Tsundere is really confusing."