People in Terra, governing a weird little country

In fact, the travel guide was undoubtedly lying quietly in Xinteleya's suitcase at this moment.

But how to say it.

She took a very bold approach when reading the travel guide. She skipped the "Overview of Xiosta Tourism" section and started directly from the "Guide to Popular Check-in Locations".

This is not surprising, isn’t it? Many tourists do the same thing. Even when they go to the Terracotta Warriors of Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum, they don’t want to pay homage to the tomb of the ancient Chinese emperor in 2225, but to find a way to avoid the security guards, take a photo with a terracotta warrior, and then quickly move to the next place.

It is called special forces tourism.

Ernst said that these people are amazing. They have a sense of ownership that is rarely seen in daily life. When choosing a travel destination, it is never "I want to feel something there" or even "go there to relax", but "I come, I see, I check in!"

Of course, Ernst had no intention of mocking Xinteleia. After all, from her disappointed look, it could be seen that she did have high expectations for Xiosta, far from being satisfied with just "coming here".

So he said something very heartwarming:

"It's okay, we can come again next time when we are free."

Xinteleya immediately raised her head and looked at Ernst expectantly: "Really?"

Ernst nodded affirmatively and said, "Of course, and there will be more than just the two of us. I will bring everyone along for the team building, and it will be a lively occasion!"

Xinteleya opened her mouth but could not utter a word for a long time. Finally, she trembled her lips and drew a smile that almost formed an angle with her eyebrows, and replied:

"walk slowly"

Not long after getting off the bus, Ernst could already see two pink figures in front of the Obsidian Square.

Needless to say, Ernst immediately stepped forward, stretched out his hand, and took the initiative to greet him:

"Mayor Herman, I've heard a lot about you, nice to meet you."

Hermann also stepped forward and shook the hand that Ernst extended:

"Prime Minister Ernst, you are too kind. You are undoubtedly Xiosta's distinguished guest. This is not just a compliment. My daughter was able to be rescued thanks to your help."

He turned slightly to reveal Ceylon's figure beside him.

The girl, who has the same hair color as her father, wore a Victorian-style evening dress. Her long hair was neatly tied into a bun and paired with a flower-embellished ladies' hat, highlighting her elegant temperament.

Facing Ernst's gaze, she smiled, lifted the sides of her skirt, leaned forward slightly, and performed a flawless Victorian skirt-lifting salute.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Prime Minister."

Instead of using words like Your Excellency or Sir, he deliberately used the term "Sir" to close the distance. The girl thanked him unexpectedly:

"Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to meet you in Xiosta."

"Where are these words?"

Ernst was about to say something polite when he saw Ceylon shook his head firmly:

"No, Mr. Prime Minister. You may not know that I just returned to Xiosta from Londinium a day ago."

Just returned from Londinium a day ago?

Ernst suddenly understood what Ceylon meant. Hermann's nod confirmed Ernst's guess:

"My daughter Ceylon is a student at Victoria National University. During the time we were trapped, I thought of countless ways to rescue him and contacted many of my Victorian friends, but the results were all..."

Herman shook his head helplessly and sighed.

Obviously, the results were not satisfactory. Otherwise, Ceylon would not have returned to Xiosta yesterday.

Hermann continued, "So, as a father, I have to express my gratitude to the Prime Minister. Your appeal has had a wide impact internationally and has attracted the attention of dukes like the Duke of Caister who still have justice in their hearts and care about the people. Therefore, my daughter was successfully rescued. My family was successfully rescued."

Ernst pursed his lips and reached out to support Hermann who was about to bow:

"No need to thank me, this is what I should do. What really saved Qianjin was the conscience of the Terrans. I was just the one who stood up and made the appeal."

"If the Terrans have lost their conscience and morals, then my appeal will be useless. If the Terrans' conscience and morals are at a high enough level, then there is no need for my appeal."

"And to enhance the weight of conscience and morality in people's hearts, this is what we need to do. This is also what I hope to reach a consensus with Mayor Hermann."

Herman looked in astonishment at the boy in front of him who looked about the same age as his daughter.

How come you are so skilled at transforming a personal, paternal gratitude into a collaboration between Kjerag and Xiosta?

How many times have you done this?

There was no derogatory meaning, Hermann was just amazed. Was Kjerag some kind of magical place with hidden dragons and crouching tigers? He was surprised that a boy of this age could become prime minister. When he gave a speech, he thought that maybe someone was behind the scenes manipulating and instructing him, but when he really met him, he realized——

You are this (thumbs up).

It's a pity to be able to deal with smart people, but it's also a time-saving and labor-saving thing. Hermann was very happy to see that Ernst was a "knowledgeable" person. Otherwise, if the card of saving his daughter was handed over to the other party, if the other party was not aware of it and made some excessive demands, Hermann would really feel a bit tricky.

It is very foolish to influence national politics with personal feelings. Although basically no one can completely isolate themselves from the influence of emotions, they can only be relatively isolated.

Otherwise he would be a "philosopher king".

"You are right." Hermann, who had come to his senses, had officially entered the state of a mayor. He nodded to Ernst and stepped aside to make way for the car. "Ladies and gentlemen, the weather is cold. Why don't you come to my humble abode first? I have prepared a welcoming banquet for you."

"I believe Xiosta will not let you down."

Chapter 132 Kjerag Impersonates Sammy

Sometimes, Ernst had to admit that some people, some places, and some developments were really gifts from God.

For example, if it weren't for the discovery of oil, those countries in the Middle East might still be living a tribal life similar to that of the African black uncles. But because of the slow flow of this "liquid gold" in their countries, these countries not only live a very wealthy tribal life, but can also rely on spending money to suppress all domestic opposition voices, and rely on spending money to gain a pivotal position in the international arena.

But not many people dare to offend them. If you really make those princes angry, they will fight with you at the risk of their lives. The global financial crisis caused by the oil crisis is still fresh in our memory.

And Xiosta, to some extent, although not as good as those oil-producing countries, is also a typical example of a country that has been blessed by God.

"Although Xiosta has always used 'coastal city' as its business card for publicity, in fact, the Krasd Inland Sea that we are adjacent to is not a real ocean, but a very huge lake formed after the ocean penetrated into the interior of the earth."

Herman Dolkers exclaimed,

“But in a way, not being directly adjacent to the ocean is not a bad thing.”

"Why?" Ernst asked curiously.

He knew very little about the sea of ​​Terra, except for the blue barrier surrounding the land in his basic education.

But there was always one thing that made him extremely confused.

The speed of technological development on Terra is very fast. Although the technology tree seems a bit distorted, it is definitely not to the point where it cannot build even a single ocean-going ship.

Especially after Ernst clearly knew about the existence of high-speed warships, this question became even more difficult to explain. The existence of this technology clearly proved that the Terrans were not incapable of building weapons that could cruise over ultra-long distances? Then why had no country really turned its attention to the ocean and the right to sea?

"Because the ocean is very dangerous." As if he was very sensitive about this topic, Hermann Dolkers' face suddenly became serious. "It's normal that Prime Minister Ernst didn't know. After all, you might not have been born when that incident happened."

"Just as you said, the sea is vast, mysterious, and attractive. But the Iberians paid the price of their lives to prove to us that the sea is not worth exploring."

"Iberians?" Ernst realized what Hermann meant by "that thing".

[Great Silence]. This term is used in Terra's history books to describe the event that changed the entire landscape of the earth.

The Iberian Empire, which was once in its heyday, collapsed in a day. The invincible fleet that was able to cross half of the earth to expedition to Leithania sank. The first world capital, the golden port of Asturias sank into the sea, and the entire southern coastline of the earth underwent massive changes as a result.

A huge disaster struck Iberia in an instant, taking away eighty percent of its citizens, almost all the achievements of its golden age, and countless people's fantasies about the future, leaving behind only devastation and a prophecy that was almost a nightmare.

"Disaster comes from the ocean."

To this day, people have not really found the cause of the disaster. Only those Iberians who were lucky enough to survive the disaster stood up from the ruins and formed the Iberian Inquisition. They pointed the finger at the Agor people who also came from the sea, believing that they were the ones who caused the disaster.

Ironically, the man who was introduced in a whole page in the history book that Ernst had read - Breogan, the chief designer of the Iberian Royal Fleet and the chief engineer of the Golden Age, was an Agor.

Unfortunately, hatred is always more impressive than kindness.

"So, since then, no country is willing to focus on exploring the ocean. Even those countries that are close to the ocean have only a defensive attitude towards the ocean."

Herman Dolkers spread his hands.

"But just as you said, Prime Minister, although the country will not risk national destruction to restart the exploration of the ocean for the sake of interests, people's desire for exploration has never been constrained in any form. So Xiosta came into being."

Hermann's meaning was clear.

Everyone is afraid of the ocean, but they are also curious about it.

Then Xiosta pretends to be this ocean.

Trendy music, a rare water park, and the endless Krasde Inland Sea Lake where the sea and sky merge into one, all people's beautiful imaginations of the ocean can be fully satisfied here.

As for what the real ocean looks like...

Xiosta rarely receives tourists from Iberia, and Iberians rarely visit Xiosta.

Because they have really seen the sea.

"That's all the advice I can give you about Kjerag's development."

He concluded. Ernst nodded gratefully and pursed his lips thoughtfully.

Hermann would not tell everyone this, it was almost a secret of Xiosta's rise. If he did not admire the young man in front of him and wanted to express his gratitude to Ernst, he could have just used those grand clichés to perfunctorily deal with Ernst.

It's because you haven't worked hard enough. Everyone would say this. But how many people who say this have succeeded through hard work?

Hermann was very considerate and almost told everyone the truth. Ernst also gained a lot from this conversation.

Xiosta is adjacent to the Krasd Inland Sea, so it can pretend to be a coastal city and earn traffic and praise by creating a "coastal city imagined by tourists", and finally become stronger and better, and realize the revitalization of an independent city-state. This is its unique advantage.

What about Kjerag? What are Kjerag's strengths?

Being surrounded by mountains and isolated from the world is definitely not an advantage. Most of those who want to live in seclusion don't really want to live in seclusion, but just want to remind people of their importance and invite them to come out of the mountains. But Kristen's existence gave him some inspiration.

There are still many people in this land who are interested in the barrier layer. The Matterhorn, which is closest to the barrier layer, is undoubtedly a holy place for these "starry sky lovers", just like Akihabara in the eyes of the second dimension.

However, relying solely on the favor of scientists will not drive the development of a country. Silicon Valley, known as the city of science and technology, has not developed because of how much science and technology it has produced, but because of how many companies it has that can produce science and technology.

Obviously, Kjerag is not yet in a position to attract large companies to set up branches here. The matter of attracting investment can only be considered after the completion of [New Tukarim].

Could Kjerag learn from Xiosta and earn tourism traffic by pretending to be some scenery that everyone is curious about but difficult to see in person for various reasons (it may be dangerous, it may be too far away, or they may even have no money)?

Is there any place on Terra similar to Kjerag?

"Infi Icefield."

As the word flashed through his mind, it came out of his mouth.

A teachable smile appeared on Mayor Hermann's face.

Ernst understood it so quickly that he was amazed. Is this what young people are like nowadays?

Although it was not a particularly profound principle, Hermann claimed that it took him decades of life to slowly comprehend it before he could understand and apply it to his life. Ernst only needed to give him a slight hint and he immediately grasped the key points.

He nodded. "Yes, Infi Icefield. The northernmost border of Terra, a place that can arouse the curiosity of countless people just like the ocean."

"But there are Sami people next to the Infi Glacier. Isn't their location advantage much better than Kjerag's?" Ernst frowned.

But Herman shook his head slightly: "What is there to worry about?"

"After Xiosta rose to prominence, it encountered imitators and competitors. But why were there so few successful ones? Only one Dosorez succeeded on a path that was similar to ours?"

He straightened his back confidently: "Those who learn from me will live, those who imitate me will die."

"Don't be afraid of competition, because competition is indispensable and cannot be eliminated. As the first person to try something new, you have an absolute advantage, because in this competition, they are the ones who have to differentiate themselves from you!"

It is the pursuers who must be different from the pioneers in order to gain market recognition and the qualification to survive. The pioneers can lose countless times in various aspects, but as long as they are willing to learn, not afraid of competition, and not afraid of change, they can openly absorb (copy) the advantages of all competitors to transform themselves.

Because he is the pioneer.

Even though Ernst is now thinking about questioning Sami, understanding Sami, becoming Sami, and surpassing Sami.

If Kjerag really develops, then in the future, this sentence structure will become Sammy questioning Kjerag, understanding Kjerag, becoming Kjerag, and surpassing Kjerag!

"I see. Thank you for your help, Mayor Herman."

Ernst thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

Hermann stood up, poured a glass of champagne for Ernst and himself, and handed the glass to him: "Cheers?"

Ernst took the glass and just before clinking glasses with Hermann, he pulled his hand back.

Looking at Hermann's slightly puzzled face, Ernst explained with a smile:

"It's not too late to open the champagne later."

"Mayor Herman, I also have an immature idea about the future of Kjerag and Xiosta, and I would like to discuss it with you."

"Oh?" Hermann Dolkers raised his eyebrows. "Prime Minister Ernst, please feel free to say it."

Ernst got straight to the point: "Mayor Hermann, do you feel that, as an independent city-state, Xiosta is a little too lost in today's international political landscape dominated by hegemony and power politics?"