People in Terra, governing a weird little country

"But can you tell me why? Because I wrote the book Arthurian legend?"

"It's not as simple as 'just because'."

Viviana said seriously,

"When I was a kid, I read The Last Knight, and I dreamed of becoming a knight in the future. For this reason, I embarked on the path of competitive knighthood, which also determined the direction of my future life."

"Now, after reading Casimir, I decided that this was not a place I wanted to stay. And then, I read your Arthurian legend, and I became curious about you, Kjerag, the stories you wrote, and the country where you were born, so I decided to go there. This was a deliberate choice."

“I don’t care about Kjerag’s customs, food culture, or traditional habits. These are things that can be learned and adapted to.”

Viviana spoke righteously, with a sharp gaze, which made Ernst doubt whether his words were frivolous. But he did not expect Viviana's next words to be even more important:

"I decided to go to Kjerag just for you!"

Ernst gasped.

The heating in the room saved Terra from global warming.

He subconsciously glanced at his side. For some reason, Xinteleya, who had changed into a children's dress, looked a little dazed, and obviously hadn't reacted to what Viviana had just said.

Ernst saw the opportunity and immediately tried to guide the conversation:

"But, Miss Viviana, Kjerag has to develop in the future. Casimir is also a reference for me. Kjerag may become like this in the future, right?"

Generally speaking, he would definitely not ask such a stupid question. Who can copy others for development? Aren't those who copy others a lot? It is the hard truth to follow a path that suits your own national conditions and seek truth from facts.

He was really panicked, talking without thinking.

He was afraid that a fight would break out in the room and his photo would be on the front page of the news the next day. The newspaper would be in black and white, so there was no need to add a filter!

But Viviana obviously didn't realize it, or she didn't have any idea that this was strange. Instead, she shook her head firmly, ignored Ernst's look, and asked seriously:

"What you said makes sense, but will you change?"

"I...people always change..."

Viviana blinked her eyes, seeming a little sad:

"You mean you will become like the Business Federation?"

Ernst's mouth twitched. "Good question. Even Duke Kaster's question is not as sharp as yours. We addressed each other the wrong way. I should address you as 'you'."

You are really good at asking questions!

Facial expression disorder is one thing, but Ernst still has to give an answer to Viviana's question.

This answer is naturally beyond doubt. In his previous life, he had said this so many times that people's ears were callused. Many people thought it was empty talk, but after traveling through time, he has indeed been doing so all the time.

“Don’t forget your original intention and keep your mission in mind.”

"To work for the development of Kjerag and for the happiness of the people of Kjerag."

Viviana covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyebrows curved into a beautiful crescent.

She knew that these words were somewhat similar to what Ernst said on TV about "grand narratives and values". Did he feel a little embarrassed to say this in this situation?

Who told him to persuade her like that just now? It made her look like a frivolous and thoughtless child! She should just return the embarrassment to him.

And, how should I put it? As an answer to her question, every word was relevant and every sentence was in accordance with the rules. She didn't hate this answer, and she even looked forward to it to some extent.

If Ernst can really do all this, then [Knight] seems to be just around the corner?

Well, as Fremont and Ernst taught us, you don’t know until you see it!

He saluted Ernst again in a dignified manner, this time using the formal ancient knight's salute that was rarely used in the city.

Raising her head again, Viviana playfully winked at Ernst with her lavender gem-like right eye, said goodbye, and turned to leave the room.

Only then did Ernst feel a little relieved.

This feeling, this is much more tiring than talking to the Duke of Caster! Women are so scary, young and old alike!

Fortunately, Xinteleya did not do anything impulsive. Ernst looked at Xinteleya again.

Xinteleya disappeared from the sofa beside her without knowing when. She walked out of her room with a compound bow in her hand and walked towards the balcony. Perhaps she noticed Ernst's gaze, she turned her head and asked with a kind expression:

"Boss, I remember that immigration requires force, right? Why don't you let me test that woman's force?"

"No." Ernst said.

"No?" Xinteleya asked again.

"Really not." Ernst replied again.

"Can I add it now?" Xinteleya said with a smile.

Ernst sweated profusely.

Lord Yelagund, save my teeth!

Chapter 431 Nastie: We need to find a way to make Mudstone learn more

Kjerag, Tukarim, open space on the outskirts of the city.

Nasti held the plan in her hand and looked at Mudstone who was casting a spell on the open space, her expression somewhat conflicted.

Regarding the construction plan of the sky city, she has drawn up several experimental versions and is trying to conduct a simulation experiment - launching the manufactured miniature sky city into the sky and observing its stability and duration of stay in the sky.

The experimental results were neither good nor bad, but generally speaking, they were acceptable. At present, the Originium energy can indeed support the consumption of flight, but just like ordinary mobile cities need to be regularly refueled in orbit, this type of sky city also has the trouble of having to land and refuel from time to time.

After all, Originium grows in the ground. If it is not close to the ground, where can Nastie get a continuous supply of this cheap and efficient energy? Ask the natural disaster to borrow some?

Well... actually it's not that there is no solution at all.

Theoretically, it is possible to burn the infected people.

But even if we put aside the minor flaws of humanity and morality, this method is only "feasible in theory". The amount of Originium in the infected person's body is small and the purity is not high enough. If you want to make the best use of it, you have to seize the opportunity. Generally, when the infection reaches 30% or 40%, the infected person will die in extreme pain, and then the body will quickly crystallize. This is obviously the best time to "reuse" them. But the cost is also obvious.

The bodies of infected people at this stage are extremely dangerous. If you are not careful, they will explode and infect new infected people. Nasti doesn't think she can find someone willing to do the job of collecting the bodies.

Not to mention, she is not a Cyclops, how can she predict when an infected person will die? How can she guarantee that she can always arrive at the right time to collect the body?

Obviously, this is impossible.

Moreover, this is just a cost calculation made from her "scientific and rational" perspective. If this policy is really to be implemented, Ernst dares to guarantee that in order to achieve Nastie's "target", many infected people will "voluntarily sacrifice their lives as firewood."

Policy making is such a complicated matter. What is considered is not just the benefits and costs, but more importantly the stability and impact.

And this is the problem that Nasti faces.

She had many plans for sky cities in her hands, but she couldn't find anyone to discuss them with.

Since Kristen was not there, she couldn't discuss the scientific theoretical problems in the plan with her.

Ernst was away, so she could not discuss with him the possible social issues in the plan.

Mudstone, who was making a stone man from the mud nearby, was indeed a child of earth and stone, but she was obviously a mixed-blood. As a stone-winged demon, she didn't even grow wings, which showed how mixed her blood was. Nasti didn't look down on mixed-bloods. With the example of the siblings Teresis and Teresia, and the environment in Colombia where she lived, she didn't care much about blood.

But Niyan's knowledge level was limited to literacy, so her attempts to discuss with him several times were like talking to a cow.

So, how should I put it? Mudstone is very fast at building city walls. A wall can be erected with just one command, and a tall building can be built in ten minutes. But what about the things that are built?

Nasti could only say: "Whether it takes shape or not, it doesn't matter. Just go back and practice."

At this point, Nasti had to admit that science and metaphysics might indeed lead to the same destination in the end, but at least for now, the difference between the two was still quite large.

Nasti gave Mudstone the template of the project plan, which included the divisions of buildings, the divisions of pipelines inside buildings, how the energy supply system of the entire city would be connected, and how the anti-gravity magic device and Originium power reactor would be placed.

Mudstone took the plan and memorized all the contents. Then, he built buildings, altars, and pipes on the open space in front of Nastie like playing with building blocks. It seemed to be the case, but...

My dear Stone-Winged Demon lady, why is your building solid? Why are your pipes placed on the ground? Why can't I feel any magic fluctuations from your altar?

Although when I explained it to you, I told you that you can just play with building blocks, I didn’t really want you to put a pile of building blocks together.

Rubbing her temples with a headache, Nasti suddenly felt tired.

Sure enough, it was easier for the staff of Rhine Life Engineering Department to use it. Although those civil engineers did not have convenient civil engineering skills like mudstone, they were better at reading the drawings and understanding his intentions.

Seeing that Mudstone was about to build another building with building blocks, Nastie waved at her and called out:

"Stop, Miss Mudstone, stop for a moment, don't take it."

Mudstone stopped when he heard the call, wiped the sweat from his forehead from overusing Originium skills, and turned to look at Nasti with an embarrassed look.

Seeing her expression, Nasti couldn't bear to blame her for anything.

After all, she was the one who asked Mudstone to do this job, and overall, it was her own fault for not thinking things through.

Fortunately, the mudstone spell does not require much cost. If Nasti really asked her engineering department to do it, and if such a large project was built like this, the loss would be something Nasti could not bear.

"Mudstone, restore this place to its original state."

"Huh?" Mudstone was stunned and looked at Nasti with some concern.

Nastie certainly knew what she was worried about, and shook her head slightly when she saw this:

"Don't worry, I don't mean to blame you."

"It is normal for experiments to fail. In Columbia, I face more than ten such failures every day. Any small data error will cause the entire Sky City model to collapse. Compared with building virtual models in computers and brains at that time, the benefits of being able to conduct field tests now have far exceeded expectations."

This isn't exactly consolation, it's also true.

For example, the simplest question is, what is the environment in the sky like? In the past, Nasti could only use drones to collect data, then build models through computers, and then calculate and modify them at the data level. But now, the small models she built and the building blocks made of mudstone have all experienced the experience of going to the sky.

Combined with the isolation layer perigee data obtained by the Star Picking Program, Nasti is confident that the program can be made more perfect.

Mudstone was still a little disappointed. Judging from Nastie's performance, she knew that she probably didn't do what she wanted.

This made her feel somewhat sorry.

Although she had only been in Kjerag for a few days, Mudstone liked it very much. Hedley, who had picked her up, had not lied. This was indeed a place where "even the Sarkaz could be fed".

Mudstone joined Kjerag's engineering team under Hedley's recommendation, and worked under the famous Minister Lola. He also participated in many of Kjerag's engineering work, helping to repair the animal pens that were smashed by pack animals in the Perlochi territory, helping to erect the statues of Ms. Latatos and Mr. Ernst in the Brantau territory, and helping to repair the streets and houses in Tukarim. With his natural abilities, he was able to thrive.

She was very satisfied with this kind of life. The only pity was that she still couldn't help Ms. Nasti who brought her into Kjerag.

I finally got a chance, but it seems I messed it up.

The banshee was quite sensitive to emotions. Seeing Mudstone lowering his head, Nastie sighed slightly:

"If you really feel sorry, you can try to learn the basics."

“Kjerag’s school seems to teach some civil engineering knowledge, but I don’t think that level of knowledge will be of much use to you. Of course, if you’re interested, you can go and take a look.”

Nastie said lightly.

This is the reality, the Son of Earth and Wood...ahem, the ability of the Son of Earth and Stone is there, the starting point of mudstone is already the end point for many people.

Mudstone's expression was somewhat moved, but she seemed to be worried about something. After hesitating for a moment, she asked:

"What about school? Can Sarkaz be admitted? As for the tuition, it will be very expensive, right?"

Nastie was slightly stunned, then smiled and shook her head:

"One of the teachers in the school is He Dalei, who rescued you from Kazdel. Do you think they will be very hostile to the Sarkaz?"

"As for tuition, you have to thank Ernst for his compulsory education. At least as far as I know, the knowledge you are going to learn is free."

It is difficult and expensive to go to school. This is a very realistic problem. It is normal for Mudstone to worry about this problem. In the countries of the earth, few, or almost no schools will allow Sarkaz students to enroll. Even if there is no prohibition in name, the tuition fees that are "not high" in the eyes of ordinary people are unaffordable for a Sarkaz family.

Sarkaz want to make money, either as laborers or as mercenaries. Laborers don't make much money and can't afford tuition, while mercenaries are on the edge of death and may die at any time, so they are indifferent to education.

Not all Sarkaz are prophets like Hedley who can be mercenaries and write books.

But only in this respect, Kjerag's "glorious isolation" highlights his inability to fit in.

What Ernst wants now is a large number of basic talents who can be used, such as civil engineering, screw driving, basic mathematics, physics and other science and engineering subjects. He does not charge money, just to encourage Kjerag people to send more children. Ernst also does not leave out liberal arts such as literature and history. The government also subsidizes them, at least for a considerable period of time, and they will also be free.

Nasti was used to the surprised expression on Mudstone's face. When she first heard the news, her expression was not much different from Mudstone's.

Development requires talents, and the source of talents depends on education. Although this is true, how many leaders are really willing to pay the cost to do so?

According to Nasti's understanding, nowadays in Terra, apart from the mysterious Yan Kingdom, the country with the highest education rate is not the overlord Victoria, nor the emerging Columbia, nor even Leitania, which has always been known as the hometown of Originium skills, but Ursus.

Isn't it amazing that the Ursus Empire, which is generally regarded as barbaric and rude, was the first country to promote the education system of elementary school, middle school, high school and university, which was already commonplace in Ernst's view.

Although it still did not break free from the limitations of the times and divided schools into aristocratic schools and ordinary schools, it was still a great progress.

Emperor Ursus is still praised by the younger generation, even those who have never experienced his era. A big part of the reason for this is because he invested the wealth he seized from the great conquest not only in the military and heavy industry, but also in education.

After appreciating Mudstone's expression, Nastie said:

"I will pick out a few introductory books on engineering for you when I get back. If you can persevere and finish reading them, your future will be limitless with the power of the Son of Earth and Stone."

Mudstone then raised his head and answered seriously: "Thank you, Ms. Nastie, I will!"