People in Terra, governing a weird little country

Keep your men under control, put away your plots, and stay home obediently, or I'll use my daughter's ice pick to blow a big hole in that empty skull of yours!

Duke of Windermere in Rhinekaden - Amfelise Windermere. "

Gray Hat closed the letter and didn't dare to look up at his boss.

Silence lingered like smoke in this living room that was ten times larger than Prime Minister Kjerag's office. It lasted for a long time before it was ended by another sigh from Duke Kaster:

"It's so barbaric."

The man in the gray hat thought that the Duke would disdain the letter, so he dared to look up, but he only saw the back of the Duke of Caster standing by the window.

The veins on her hand that was holding the window sill bulged, and her voice came slowly:

"Answer my letter for me."

"Condemn her for her impolite words, express my sincere regards to her, and remind her to remember to attend the Duke's secret meeting at the end of the year."

She gritted her teeth and emphasized,

"Be polite, understand?"

"learn."

The man in the gray hat nodded immediately, turned around and left the meeting room without stopping, unwilling to stay in this room that seemed to be heated by a stove for a moment.

Returning to his office, he took out a piece of letter paper, picked up a pen, thought for a moment, and wrote:

"To the Duke of Windermere of Llyncarton:

May your soul not rot in your body, for your words and actions have revealed an irrepressible stench of blood.

Your impolite words force me to believe that the Duchy of Windermere is a decadent duchy that has abandoned its nobility and consciousness.

I cannot agree with any of your accusations, nor do I accept any of your suggestions, but I still need to remind you that your presence is required at the Duke's secret meeting to be held at the end of the year.

If you are not convinced, why don't you fight me?"

After signing, the man in the gray hat read the content and nodded.

The wording is elegant, the writing is sophisticated, the position is clear, and the expression is clear. It not only completes the task assigned by the Duke, but also fully expresses the expectation for the upcoming secret meeting with the Duke.

Well, very good. This is a textbook reply!

With it, wouldn't my future promotion be like sitting on a promotion machine and taking off in Wuhu?

Give it to the Duke for stamping!

Chapter 61: Vina visits Longmen, the history of the nations of Ers

"We've heard a lot about Victoria, but don't forget about Kjerag."

Ernst reminded Vina.

Because Daphne worked tirelessly to improve Vina's favorability, the two Victorians have now become good friends.

Strangely enough, although Vina was also a Victorian, even a Victorian from Londinium, she had an unusual interest in the Victoria mentioned by Delphine. Vina listened with great interest to the fortresses and sword guards of the Dukedom of Windermere, the lakes and forests passed by on the route, and the strange insects flying at the turn of spring and summer.

Especially when Daphne talked about interesting stories about her parents, about her travels with her father, and about the postcards she collected, Vina was fascinated and listened to every word.

Ernst could understand that you were interested in the outside world, but he was very puzzled that you showed envy even when Delphine boasted about her parents telling her bedtime stories and describing the furnishings in the Duke of Windermere's mansion, such small things.

What, you don't have parents?

What, don’t you have a home?

What, don't you have any other relatives at home? Why do you look like an orphan?

Ernst means that there is no need to do so. Although the Duke of Windermere does have a little bit of power, there is no need to curry favor with him.

I didn't pay you any extra money. Although it saves me from having to do it myself and it's very convenient and comfortable, I still feel embarrassed when you lick me like this.

Ernst had no intention of breaking up this pair of good friends, he just wanted to remind Vina that although it was fun to chat and idle away, she was also paid, so remember to work!

"Hmm? Are there more foreign guests coming?" Vina asked curiously. It can be seen that after having a good girlfriend, she has become more cheerful.

Although this soul-searching question still confused Ernst.

"No." Ernst pursed his lips. "But you can take the initiative! For example, take the initiative to ask me to apply for a visit to a certain country or something. Try to get some diplomatic results for us."

It would be best to find two more people to provide subsidies worth 10 billion yuan.

Vina pondered for a moment, and after seriously considering Shelagh's situation and the difference between her overseas visit and public travel, she nodded:

"Then I want to go to Longmen, can I?"

Victoria is where she has always lived. Although she has never left Londinium since she was a child and is very interested in other cities in Victoria, given her current situation, it would be better not to go back easily.

As for Casimir and Columbia, after being accepted by Ernst, she also took a ride to tour the two countries.

Vina was not very interested in Leithania's elegant art and mysterious magic. After thinking about it, apart from Sargon, Longmen, Yan Country's only window to the outside world, was the best choice.

"Longmen..."

The image of Taobao’s Pilong and the apple pie that is always 0 and can never be 1 flashed through Ernst’s mind.

These two are also famous and popular characters in Ark. When the game was first released, apart from Kal'tsit's old woman meme and Amiya's donkey meme, Lungmen's memes were the most popular.

Well... to some extent, this is also because YJ's operation that went against reality at the beginning indirectly helped the city of Longmen and the people inside it to get out of trouble.

Although he knew it was a joke, the company's ability to coordinate axes still surprised Ernst, who was a public servant at the time, several times.

Putting those aside, Longmen is indeed a pretty good city. Da Yan, as a reference to the Celestial Empire in the game, is a peaceful and prosperous city. Moreover, Longmen is a serious commercial city, and their governor, Mr. Wei Yanwu, has plenty of money!

Although it was a bit far from Kjerag, and the hope of persuading him to invest was slim, it was better to let Vina give it a try than to let her stay in Kjerag and collect a salary without doing anything.

Having made up his mind, Ernst nodded:

"Longmen is a good place, you can go and take a look. I will ask Kalan Trade when there will be a caravan going to Longmen recently, and then you can follow the caravan."

"Eh? Do we have to wait for the caravan?" Vina was a little surprised. "Isn't this a public-funded trip... ahem, a diplomatic visit? Don't you have a special car or something?"

"Can you drive?" asked Ernst's soul.

Vina shook her head. When she was in Londinium, if she wanted to go out, she would either be escorted by a group of knights and take the palace's special car. Or she would go with her father and be carried by the old lion. The only time she went out alone, she was carried on Gawain's back all the way to the Duke of Cumberland's palace, which scared her father.

She was just a child at the time, and she would have no chance to learn when she grew up, so how could she possibly drive?

It's impossible that one is born with knowledge, right? Did one learn it in the womb using the placenta as a steering wheel?

Ernst asked again:

“Do I hire a driver?”

Vina shook her head again. She had followed Ernst all the way to the recruitment. To be honest, that Jeston Williams looked a bit like a driver, but unfortunately he applied for the position of secretary and was not accepted.

"Does the Kjerag government have official vehicles for off-road use?" Ernst asked finally.

Vina shook her head again. The decoration of the office building was still based on the drawings of the witch Miss Nastie, and the Prime Minister's small stove was not even in place, let alone a car that could cross the wasteland.

That kind of vehicle is usually extremely expensive and needs to be customized at the car factory, which Kjerag does not have the technology to produce on his own. And if he wants to go there to customize it, it will cost a lot of time and money.

Ernst spread his hands and said, "That's right. You don't have a car or a driver, and you don't know how to drive. If you don't go with anyone, are you going to walk there?"

After saying this, Ernst comforted her, taking into account Vina's feelings and the face of his own government:

"Besides, Longmen is not close, and there is a large wasteland in the middle. If you go alone, your safety will be a problem. With the caravan of Kalan Trade accompanying you, at least you don't have to worry about encountering wasteland bandits or Rusty Hammer's gang of lunatics on the road."

Vina felt that what Ernst said made sense, so she nodded and changed the subject:

"As for funding, should I go and apply for it from Miss Joyce?"

"Hiss..." Ernst took a breath, "We can discuss the funding issue later."

Vina was stunned: "I can't go to Longmen without money, right? At least accommodation, meals and so on, what if the Governor of Longmen is not responsible? And if we want to discuss cooperation, even if it's stones, we have to give out at least a little."

Ernst pursed his lips and let out a long sigh.

Even though he was a frugal man, he couldn't find anything to refute Vina's reasonable request.

Indeed, if someone goes on a visit abroad without any preparation and even without funding, then he is not being frugal, that is being anthropomorphic.

The snow leopard swung its big tail anxiously, and finally gritted its teeth and said:

"Sure. Go ask Joyce for it. In addition to the expenses for food, clothing, housing and transportation, I will also grant you a special amount of funds. However, you have to help me accomplish something in Longmen!"

"What's the matter?" Vina asked.

Ernst mysteriously took out a stack of manuscripts from his arms and handed them to Vina.

“Help me find a publishing house in Longmen to compile these manuscripts into a book and publish it!”

"Book?" Vina took the manuscript in surprise and started reading. She was attracted by the opening quotation at a glance.

[It was the best of times, it was the worst of times]

[This is a world without oripathy. We praise its beauty, but beautiful things are mostly similar, while misfortunes are different.]

[After a long time, when your fingertips pass over the last page of this book, you will definitely remember the moment when you first opened this book. You will sigh the same way as I, the humble recorder.]

【Everything in the story has happened, or is happening, to a greater or lesser extent. 】

She took a deep breath, ignored the heavy feeling coming towards her, looked at Ernst's serious face, and couldn't help asking:

"What's the name of this book?"

Ernst puffed out his chest and solemnly named the name that would produce countless series and sequels and was destined to cause a sensation throughout Terra:

"The Book of the Nations of Ezreel."

PS: The introduction is adapted from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five.

Chapter 62 This is Longmen, Listen to Wei Yanwu

"Good afternoon, fellow citizens, and welcome to our monthly show 'This is Longmen, Listen to Governor Wei!' I am your old friend, Yao Shouyin!"

The film host on the stage finished his opening remarks in high spirits, then stretched out his hand towards the studio entrance and said loudly:

"Then let us welcome our old friend, the Governor of Longmen, Mr. Wei Yanwu! Welcome!"

Accompanied by warm applause, Wei Yanwu, wearing a modified version of the Tang suit inside and a modern suit outside, strode to the center of the stage, nodded slightly to the camera and the audience, and sat down on the sofa opposite the host.

The host also walked forward enthusiastically, shook hands with Wei Yanwu, then sat down opposite him, quietly stretched out his hand behind his back and made an "OK" gesture, indicating that the show officially began.

He started by flattering: "Under the wise leadership of Governor Wei, Longmen has had another peaceful but prosperous year. But recently, I always hear viewers ask this question: Governor Wei, our Longmen is developing so fast and the economy is so prosperous, why is the unemployment problem getting worse and worse? He really wants to know. What does Governor Wei think of the growing unemployment problem in Longmen?"

Wei Yanwu's dragon head grinned, laughed loudly, and nodded:

"It seems that our citizens are also concerned about the future of Longmen. However, I have to remind this citizen friend here. The media uses a broad term like "unemployment" to encompass a variety of socioeconomic phenomena. From a political perspective, the most obvious manifestation is precisely..."

The host raised his hand awkwardly and interrupted Wei Yanwu: "Sorry, sorry, um, Governor Wei, I wonder if you could describe it in more detail..."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yao, since you asked me this question, please let me finish answering it." Wei Yanwu said lightly.

The host immediately shut his mouth.

"Thank you." Wei Yanwu smiled and continued, "In fact, the Longmen Unemployment Registration Office receives a summary of registered unemployment every week in accordance with regulations. People may think that it is already higher than the historically acceptable level. However, if we want to sort out the various combined reasons, let alone attribute them individually, it is very subtle in the statistical sense. It cannot be fully explained within the scope of a popular TV show."

After he finished speaking, the host was silent for a long time, then he put aside his slightly confused look and tried to ask relentlessly:

"Well, I understand what Governor Wei means (but in fact I don't understand at all), but leaving aside the theoretical content, can you give two practical examples?"

Wei Yanwu's expression was gloomy for a moment. But in the blink of an eye, he showed a kind smile again and nodded:

"Of course. I can give you an example. Do you believe in the idea that talent is not judged by its origin?"

"Of course." The host nodded.

"What if there is a person who doesn't come from a good background but is really talented? Would you be willing to give him a chance and hire him to replace the person who is just sitting there doing nothing?"

"Of course!" The host nodded generously. "A person's achievements should not be determined by their background, but by their talent. If that person is talented enough, I am willing to use him to replace someone who is just sitting there waiting to die - because this can bring me greater benefits!"

As he spoke, he seemed to suddenly understand, and said with sudden enlightenment:

"Oh, I see! You mean, those who complain about losing their jobs should reflect on themselves first. Have they worked hard during their years at the company? Have they created greater value for the company? Have they improved themselves?"

The host nodded repeatedly:

"Governor Wei is really amazing. Our Longmen has developed so well. The purchasing power of Longmen currency has reached a new high. Naturally, the competition will become more intense. If the previously employed people cannot keep up with the changes of the times, it is natural that they will lose their jobs. Therefore, the more Longmen develops and prospers, the more unemployment will become more common for those who do not work hard to improve themselves and just want to enjoy the fruits of development!"

"So, not only will the unemployment problem not affect the development of our Longmen, but it actually means that our Longmen is thriving!"

His face was flushed, and he concluded as if he had gained enlightenment: "Don't complain about being unemployed, it's because you haven't worked hard enough!"