People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Do you need to take care of Ernst too?" Muirsey asked, somewhat surprised.

Ya'er shrugged and said affirmatively, "He has so many things for me to take care of, I'm almost overwhelmed."

Muirsey seemed to have thought of something, a mischievous smile appearing on his face, but he didn't continue the topic, instead saying:

“I should thank you, but as you just heard, my wallet has already been donated to the great god Yeragand… Hmm, how about this, you come down the mountain with me, I brought a lot of cosmetics, I'll give them all to you, how about that?”

"Cosmetics?" Ya'er blinked in confusion.

Muirsey nodded confidently: "Of course girls should wear makeup! Makeup makes you more beautiful!"

Ya'er nodded knowingly: "Alright then."

He doesn't actually need any cosmetics; if He wanted to become more beautiful, He could just pinch his face again. Due to the existence of cognitive barriers, others wouldn't notice the changes in Him.

But since Muirth was so well-intentioned and spoke with such certainty, He was genuinely curious.

On the way down the mountain, He asked with some curiosity:

"Yeragand said it would allow you to integrate into the Sami elven race, why didn't you go?"

“You saw it too,” Muirsay said a little embarrassedly. “It’s because it’s so far away. The thought of not seeing my friends all year round makes me so lonely.”

"Don't let my appearance fool you, I'm actually terrified of that kind of thing happening."

“I see.” Ya’er nodded.

Muirsey continued, "That's why I came all the way from Colombia to Sherag. Kristen always refuses to go back, and Seria always wants to come and see Kristen. If she weren't so busy, she probably would have made the round trip ten times already!"

"I think, instead of making them run back and forth like this, we should take advantage of the expo to come together, help Christen finish the experiment, and then go back together!"

Halfway through her sentence, she realized something and quickly waved her hand.

"I don't mean to say that Kjerag is bad. In fact, I really like the scenery of Kjerag, and it's also very clean. It's not just the cleanliness of the city or the appearance of the buildings. I just don't like the feeling of Originium. The air in Kjerag is very comfortable and doesn't have that strange smell."

Ya'er naturally didn't mind. Although she didn't have the ability to read minds, she could sense the sincerity in Muirses's words.

"Then you are welcome to visit Shelag often."

"Make yourself at home here. You're such a lovely child, Yeragand will welcome you."

Muirsey couldn't help but chuckle: "How can you represent Yeragand? What if they find me troublesome?"

Ya'er put her hands on her hips and struck a cool pose:

"Of course I understand. No one understands Jeragund better than me."

She stretched out her hand and pointed to the sky: "If you don't believe me, look, even Yeragand has admitted it."

Muirsey looked up at the sky in the direction she was pointing, and her mouth dropped open.

There is a cloud there.

He gave a thumbs up.

Chapter 314 A towering building a hundred feet high, where one could pluck the stars from the sky.

Kjerag, Matterhorn, Dome Research Station

Although the Dome Research Station was actually completed earlier than the new city of Tukarim, this was Ernst's first visit to the research institute that brought together Christensen's brilliant ideas.

Theoretically speaking, building a research institute in a frigid environment is not a very feasible thing. High-precision instruments also have high requirements for the environment, and cold weather is obviously not suitable for the use and preservation of these high-precision instruments.

But ultimately, this is just a matter of cost.

Christensen never cared about costs.

As a highly dedicated dreamer, she wouldn't mind spending her entire fortune for her dream. Besides, even if the cost of building a research station is high, it wouldn't be enough to cripple a behemoth like Rhine Lab.

The self-heating Originium heating system, combined with the intelligent control panel, ensures that the temperature inside the Dome Research Station is always at a suitable level. So, when Ernst walked into the room, he could even see Christensen wearing only a shirt and her signature light-colored coat.

"I suggest the three of you take off your clothes as soon as possible to get used to the temperature here, otherwise you may catch a cold."

Asking someone to undress right after meeting them?! The head of Rhine Labs is so open-minded! Typical Colombian!

Of course, no one would think that way.

In fact, Ernst and the two who came with him were not ordinary people.

Levi and Kal'tsit both had their own agendas.

Ernst could guess some of Levy's thoughts.

On Earth, in that homeland that can never be returned to, the first human pioneer to set foot in space was none other than Yuri Gagarin, a comrade from the same now-defunct country as Levy.

As one of the pioneers, Yuri Gagarin has forever etched his name into the monument of human spaceflight history. The Dome Research Station's "Project Star Reach" aims to repeat this process on Terra.

After seven days of preparation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Project Star-Picking will officially begin at the closing ceremony of the World Expo, marking the first attempt by Terran humans to break through the isolation barrier.

This is an experiment with an uncertain future, its outcome unpredictable, its fate uncertain. No one knows what that pod, which isolates Terra from outer space, is, or what its purpose is. But people have to take this step.

Levy actually wanted to go himself, just like that Soviet cosmonaut, to carve a human name on the monument of explorers in a strange world.

But he was simply too old, and his physical indicators were not up to standard, far from meeting the requirements for conducting space experiments. Moreover, the barrier layer was a thorn in the side of everyone who yearned for space. Compared to recklessly charging into it with an unqualified body, what Ernst said—observing, recording, analyzing, and finding ways for normal people to break through that barrier layer—was indeed more important.

Courage is commendable, but don't be reckless.

Therefore, he ultimately chose to be a witness, to witness the arrival of that moment.

Ernst had no idea why Kelsey had come. He hadn't originally intended to bring her up the mountain; she had insisted on joining.

Ernst could have sternly refused this somewhat unreasonable behavior, but this was Kelsey's doing.

Ernst had already witnessed Kal'tsit's extraordinary nature quite a bit. As the renowned riddle teller of the land, and the guardian who revealed the existence of the Three Calamities to Ernst, Ernst, after some deliberation, still chose to bring her along.

Because she said she was there to "prevent risks".

Although he didn't know what the risks were, Ernst's personality was always cautious. Since Kal'tsit wasn't joking, he certainly wouldn't do something as foolish as leaving a flag unresolved.

However, perhaps even Ernst himself did not expect that Kelsey's arrival was, in a way, also to serve as a witness.

She didn't want the Terrans to explore outer space at this crucial juncture. She felt the timing wasn't right!

However, people's personalities are always balanced, and Kal'tsit is no exception.

Compared to the worst-case scenario where the isolation layer is directly opened, Ernst and Kristen's current small-scale exploration across the line doesn't seem so unacceptable.

She herself didn't actually know what the situation was like in outer space.

Are those relics left by the pre-civilization still suspended in orbit? What happened to the base on the second moon? What is the current status of Talos and its other moons?

She was equally curious.

So, with hope in her heart, she acquiesced to the Terrans' attempt.

Even if it's just allowing a special individual to break through the limitations of the isolation layer by exploiting a bug in the detection mechanism and take a peek at the situation in the universe, this level of exploration, if successful, would be considered a major step forward for the Terran people.

And if it fails...

Kal'tsit will stop at nothing to block and destroy any technology that could allow humanity to further explore space until the time is right.

Of course, no one knows exactly how long Kal'tsit meant when she said the time was right.

Could it be the formation of the Thai-Chinese Federation (Thai Federation)?

Christensen was unaware of these subtle thoughts, and even if she had known, she would probably have just laughed them off.

Nothing can stop her from realizing her dream. Whether Kal'tsit agrees or not is none of her business.

Don't say she doesn't think Kal'tsit is anything special. Even if she could really block the technology, Kristen would develop new technology, find new locations, gain new supporters, and break through Kal'tsit's obstruction. No, she would break through anyone's obstruction and have a showdown with the sky!

Of course, that's a different matter. At least for now, she's immersed in the "Star-Picking Project" at the Dome Research Station.

"A towering building a hundred feet high, one could pluck the stars from the sky." This is a short line from a poem by Yan that Ernst told me. Strangely, I can't seem to find the full text of this poem online, or even any related content.

Christensen looked at Ernst, her eyes not filled with doubt, but rather with a hint of amusement. She tilted her head slightly, as if enjoying Ernst's somewhat embarrassed and awkward expression, but quickly returned to her original posture.

"Of course, the source of this poem is not important. What is important is that, just as Ernst said, its [imagery] perfectly matches what we are about to do."

"Reach out, break through the sky, and touch the stars. This is the [Star-Picking Operation]."

She walked to the center of the hall, to the control panel, where an employee from the General Construction Department pressed the start button.

In an instant, accompanied by a rumbling sound, a complex model rose from the large hole opened in the floor of the hall, along with several indistinct sounds.

Ernst was somewhat puzzled:

"What was that sound? I think I heard someone calling for help?"

Christensen's confident smile froze for a moment, and she waved her hand in a slightly flustered manner:

"It's okay, it's okay, you must have misheard."

"Really?" Ernst asked, somewhat doubtful.

Christensen nodded confidently: "It's true."

She quickly changed the subject and returned to the main point:

"This is a 1:1 scale replica of the scene of the Dome Research Station's mission to reach for the stars."

"Thanks to the efforts of Nasti, Mandra, Safar, Jeston, and many other employees of Rhine Life Engineering Department, the site for the 'Star-Picking Project' was officially completed three days ago and passed the engineering acceptance test."

"Seven days from now, our first astronaut, Mr. Safar, will stand in this building and rise higher and higher until he breaks through the isolation layer."

Christen pointed to the cylindrical structure, which resembled more of an elevator car's container and pipes than a rocket.

The special buildings used in the entire "Star-Picking Operation" were more like the "space elevator" Ernst had seen in science fiction movies than the rocket launch pads Ernst and Levy remembered, only much simpler in structure.

Such a rudimentary structure is certainly insufficient to support human travel between the space station and the Earth's surface like a real space elevator. But this is precisely the Matterhorn's advantage.

The building, located only a few hundred meters from the isolation layer, and with the environment that Jeragund had specially adjusted, along with Terrana's impressive level of materials science, made this simple structure sufficient to support a quiet round trip.

It was even designed to be a one-time use building, not intended for reuse. It's a truly dilapidated building!

But that's enough.

Seven days later, Safar will ride it, break through the isolation layer, and reach the stars.

It may just be a journey that has just broken through the isolation layer, and is still some distance away from low Earth orbit, or even just a step away.

However, to quote a classic saying...

This is one small step for Safar, one giant leap for mankind.

Chapter 315 Ernst: I've opened it, so what?

The Palace of Saint Ivangelist XI.

It needs to be enclosed in quotation marks.

Ernst certainly didn't build any special palace for Ivangelist XI. He himself still lived in his old house, and his office was only recently renovated. Where would he get the spare money to build a vanity project for the Pope according to Lateran standards?

Lateran had no objections; staying in a hotel was fine, after all, whether it was the Grand Duke of Victoria or the Grand Tutor of Yan, they all stayed in hotels, so there was nothing to fuss about. King Ivangelista XI didn't consider himself any more precious than Philin or Long.

The old man himself hung this sign on the door, which shows he has a sense of humor. Ernst didn't stop him from doing so, after all, the validity period of this "palace" would probably only last until after the World's Fair. By the time he left and came back for the next World's Fair, Ernst might have already built a proper embassy district.

At that time, he will naturally go and stay at the embassy.

However, it is worth mentioning that, for reasons unknown, or perhaps due to some kind of stimulus, after Ivangelist XI hung up this sign, similar signs were also hung on the doors of several other rooms on the same floor as him.

The reason they are described as similar is that, in addition to identifying themselves with phrases such as "[Duke of Caesar's Mansion]", "[I live across from *Victoria's profanity*", and "[Temporary residence of the Colombian envoy (please contact us if you find a lost feathered beast)]", they all also contain some strange symbols.

A five-pointed star.

King Evangelista XI was initially a little surprised that the Dukes of Caster and Windermere, these Victorian Grand Dukes, could also have such a childlike side.

They even drew a five-pointed star on their doorplate, like adding a heart at the end of a sentence. Were they trying to be cute?

One day, on a whim, he dragged Mostima, Fiameta, and the Gunners out of bed early in the morning and knocked on each room door to say good morning. That's when they accidentally stumbled upon Dario, who was drawing a five-pointed star on a doorplate.

Dario, who had been spotted, ran so fast that Ivangelista XI, the cavalry, Mostima, and Fiameta combined couldn't catch him.

Someone definitely rigged the game!

The Pope didn't dwell on the questions of "who tried their best? Who committed a crime? Whose running style wasn't team-oriented? Who was too sentimental?"

Because that's not the point!

"So they didn't draw it themselves after all..."

King Ivangelista XI sighed with some disappointment, but couldn't help feeling a bit doubtful.