People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"If they didn't draw it, why don't they erase it?"

This was a question that Ivangelista XI never found an answer to before he left Kjerag.

Ernst said, "I don't know either."

He shrugged. He had noticed these unusual little things as he walked through the hotel corridor. At first, he thought they were hung up by the delegations to make it easier for them to find each other, but now that he thought about it, the five-pointed star was indeed a bit strange.

This reminded Ernst of what he had heard before his time travel: thieves would mark the walls of the house they were going to rob in advance, firstly to make it easier to scout the location, and secondly to warn their accomplices not to steal their prey. After they had finished stealing, they would also mark the house to warn their accomplices not to come back.

His own home had never been burgled, and he had always been skeptical of this urban legend. But now, upon reflection, it did seem rather illogical.

This is the Shelag Grand Hotel, the most luxurious hotel in Shelag, which is only one word different from the Gulag Grand Hotel that can arrange great memory restoration. It is home to political figures from various countries. Who would be so audacious as to tamper with this place?

Even if people consider picking up trash as their top priority, the heavens are watching this place! Surely no one in the Sherag is so foolish as to provoke Jeragand and Ernst?

Except for Enciodes, who seems to be a bit persistent despite repeated defeats, and it feels like he's finding enjoyment in losing.

Nohis is an exception; his personality is beyond saving. Right now, he's the one taking the hits, but one day when the hammer can't hold him back, he'll inevitably get slapped by Jeragand.

Besides, the ones who drew those marks were not Sheragans, but Iberians.

Dario, Eleanor's mentor, what is he doing?

Well... anyway, it couldn't have been stealing anything. Ernst hasn't received any complaints or feedback, so let's just leave it for now.

He came to see Ivangelist XI not just for pleasantries, but for serious business.

"Your Holiness, judging by the time, this World's Fair is drawing to a close. How have you been feeling lately?"

King Ivangelist XI narrowed his eyes behind his small round glasses, his face breaking into a wide smile as he stroked his large beard and nodded, saying:

"Excellent, truly excellent! I haven't seen such vibrant life and flourishing of all things in a long time!"

Ernst opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time. He even unconsciously frowned.

King Ivangelista XI was immediately puzzled: "Prime Minister Ernst, is there something wrong with what I said?"

"No...it's nothing."

Ernst waved his hand.

It's nothing really, just a bit unlucky. I think I heard some strange accents just now.

It's best to avoid using these two words together next time, otherwise it gives me a bad feeling.

"As long as His Holiness the Pope is satisfied. I am here specifically to inform His Holiness the Pope about the closing ceremony."

The "Star-Picking Operation" at the closing ceremony was, in theory, still kept secret; the participating countries only knew that Ernst had prepared a surprise for everyone. Considering the impressive appearance of the airship at the opening ceremony, the level of anticipation for this surprise at the closing ceremony was naturally incomparable.

But Laterano was, after all, a co-organizer of the World Expo and the World Summit, and naturally had the right to know, especially about the "Star-Picking Operation" at the closing ceremony.

"Your Holiness, Kjerag has joined forces with Rhine Lab to conduct an experiment at the closing ceremony."

"We will use scientific methods to reach the limits of Terra, namely the top of the dome, the barrier layer 'Star Pod' at 6,000 meters, and attempt to break through its barrier to explore the world beyond the sky."

"If successful, this experiment will be the first time in the history of Terran that the world beyond the Star Pod has been seen, and it will be a historic step forward in the exploration of outer space. It is foreseeable that this experiment will bring us great prestige, and riding on this prestige, it will be the best opportunity for us to announce the convening of the World Summit."

King Ivangelista XI nodded solemnly.

Upon hearing the news about exploring the world beyond the heavens, even he, who prided himself on his extensive knowledge, was struck by Ernst's boldness.

This may sound like a distant dream, but upon closer examination, it seems that countless clues point to this goal.

The establishment of the Dome Research Station, the location of the Matterhorn, and the Terrans' vision of soaring into the sky, represented by the airships—all these conditions combined to achieve a direct path to the stars doesn't seem so unbelievable!

However, he could also understand the implied meaning in Ernst's words.

This is an experiment.

Compared to product exhibitions that directly showcase the latest achievements, such as airship launches, the "Star-Picking Operation" was an experiment.

An experiment can result in either success or failure.

Success, as Ernst said, is a natural outcome. With this prestige and momentum, Sherag can become a trendsetter in the era. Lateran's goal of "grasping the pulse of the times" to "maintain the survival of civilization," which it has pursued for hundreds of years, can be achieved in one fell swoop!

But what if we fail?

King Ivangelista XI understood the young man's concerns; after all, he was still just a young man not yet thirty.

At this moment, the composure of his elders is needed!

"It's alright. No challenge is without failure. Even if you fail this time, your performance at this World's Fair was amazing enough. No one will deny you or your achievements because of this."

The World's Fair was a success, Kjerag developed, and the nations sat down together for the first time. Although there were no official political consultations, the nations' behind-the-scenes actions never ceased.

Ernst and Ivangelista XI had already achieved their goal.

Compared to all of this, the failure of the "Piercing the Stars" project, something no one has ever successfully accomplished before, is actually normal.

Even if the experiment fails, Scherrag won't be ruined overnight, and Ernst won't be forced to resign. He's young; he has plenty of opportunities. At worst, if 1094 doesn't take off, 1095, 1096... 1099, we can try again!

Even on that day, he will still be a young man who is not even thirty years old!

[Time] Stand on his side.

Besides, experiments don't necessarily have to fail.

King Ivangelist XI asked with a smile:

"Ernst, what do you think the success rate of the experiment is?"

"About 70-80%."

“…” King Ivangelista XI fell silent.

The words of comfort he was about to say almost turned into profanity.

All of the above was just setup. So you were waiting for me, huh? What's the rush?

King Ivangelist XI thought that Ernst's troubles meant the success rate was probably only around 10% or 20%. After all that, it's 70% or 80%—what are you dissatisfied with?

"I think it's not 98% certain, so it's not stable enough."

Ernst explained in a very serious tone.

The Great Dao is fifty, the Heavenly Cycle is forty-nine, and the one that is hidden is the limit of probability, which is 98% and that 2%. Ninety-eight percent of the time, human power is sometimes limited, and the rest is just giving face to God and higher-dimensional observers.

Ernst felt that anything less than that number was not a sure thing.

"Get lost, get lost, stop bothering me. I didn't make any extra snacks today."

Having been tricked, even someone as good-natured as Ivangelista XI couldn't hold back and simply kicked them out.

Ernst walked out of the room, somewhat amused and exasperated.

To be fair, that's really what he thought.

After all, there is only one Balrog, a special life form. Although a 70-80% chance may seem high, they cannot afford the cost of even one failure.

If the Flame Demon can't be retrieved, then we'll be in big trouble.

Please, I'm a high-dimensional observer who has played Arknights, so why don't I contribute some energy to make a Spirit Bomb and make up for that 2%?

Chapter 316 Vina: Talent Awakening!

Shelag, Tukarim, Vales Cafe.

Caprini, who once tried to cause trouble at a sacred hunting ceremony, was forced to retire and opened a café here with his savings.

Valerie neither forgave nor expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome.

Did she get revenge for her father's death? Theoretically, yes. The Grand Elder who poisoned her father back then is probably reduced to dust by now. As for Aktos, the bear who brought her father the bowl of poison, he knew nothing about the whole affair, and Vales had no intention of making him pay with his life.

She certainly couldn't take revenge on the Holy Son and Holy Daughter. This murder case, a legacy of history, could only be resolved in the end by Ernst with "government compensation, the Perroch family apologizing and compensating, restoring Vales's father's reputation, and reporting it to the great god Jeragund."

Valeries was less forgiving and more at peace with the situation.

After having nightmares about the Great Elder's corpse for several days in a row, she took the huge sum of compensation, left the Perroch family, resigned from all her military posts, and, as a commoner, took over a shop in Tukarim, which was still planning to rebuild.

After the old town renovation of Tukarim, the shop was demolished and the replacement housing was built on this side street, which is neither remote nor very lively, and it became a coffee shop.

Actually, this is somewhat like hell.

After all, both Valerie's father and she herself had once attempted to kill someone by poisoning, yet now she runs a coffee shop specializing in drinks and traditional Sherag pastries...

The locals in Sherag don't really like the taste of coffee, and for that reason, the coffee shop doesn't have many customers. Only a few tourists who like this kind of mixed taste occasionally discover the shop and come in for a sit-down. Vales is happy to have some peace and quiet.

This relatively quiet environment also gave Chen and Vina a rare opportunity to catch up.

"It's really not easy to see you these days, Vina."

After Valerie, who delivered the coffee, turned and left, Chen jokingly remarked...

"Just the appointment took three days to book, and after that, there was another week to book, not counting rest days. Vina, you're really busy."

As she spoke, she pointed to the Lungmen police badge on her chest.

“Unlike me, in the Guard Bureau, I’m supposed to be the head of the special inspection team, but the special inspection team means that I don’t have to worry about small things, and I can’t handle big things. I might not even encounter a few cases in a month that require me to personally respond to the call. I have to find things to do myself.”

"It's really special, really special. That old bastard Wei Yanwu shouldn't have believed his nonsense!"

Vina scratched her head somewhat awkwardly.

She wasn't as busy as Chen claimed. The so-called appointments and queues were just rest and buffer time that Ernst arranged for her.

If Ernst hadn't shielded her from the pressure of her identity being exposed, she probably would have truly faced the hectic life Chen described.

Fortunately, Chen's second half of the sentence was somewhat coherent, and Vina agreed:

"Indeed, if you believe what Governor Wei says without thinking, you're guaranteed to be fooled by him."

"But speaking of which, Chen, why don't you just say hello to Hinterlea, the receptionist in the office building lobby? That way you wouldn't have to wait in line, would you?"

Vina was somewhat puzzled.

During that period, although she did close her doors to visitors by appointment and queue, she did not completely refuse to see anyone.

She would still meet with one or two people who had made appointments to help her get back into the swing of things after regaining her identity. As for important meetings or meetings with acquaintances, she would usually cut in line by simply asking them to.

Doesn't Chen know about this?

The moment the possibility crossed her mind, Chen immediately dismissed it:

“Your Prime Minister also mentioned this method to me. But I don’t think it’s right. Everyone is queuing up, and we can’t use this privilege just because we’re friends. Anyway, I can see you even if I queue up, it just takes a little more time, and I can spend more time exploring Shelag.”

Vina was somewhat taken aback, but nodded understandingly.

Back in Longmen, she thought Chen was a very stubborn person who always stuck to his own ideas. She never expected that Chen would be the same way outside.

Vina thought this was a good idea, even though it was easy to offend people, delay things, and cause trouble, but it was indeed the "right" way.

It's strange, isn't it? In reality, "correct" and "success" are often not synonyms, or even near-synonyms, but rather antonyms.

She didn't intend to lecture Chen or impart any life experience—she was a diplomat, so being adept at interpersonal relationships and knowing how to speak appropriately to different people was a professional requirement. Chen, on the other hand, was a policeman, a profession that required such qualities the most. Many people might look down on her personality, but when they encountered difficulties, they would realize how useful it was to have someone with such a personality by their side!

After taking a sip of her coffee, Vina took the initiative to start a conversation:

“Chen, it’s a good thing that you’re not busy with work. It means that Lungmen is safe. Look at Sherag, the Minister of Defense has been so busy lately that he’s practically working himself to the bone, and even the Secretary of Defense is ‘in jail’ with him.”

The Minister of Defense was referring to Aktos.

Brother Xiong has indeed been extremely busy at the World Expo these days. The most amazing thing is that neither Ernst nor Jeston knows what he's been up to!

This is truly one of the most extraordinary events in Kjerag this century!

Even Jeston, who had been running around all over the city with Actos since early morning, could only see that Actos was wandering around aimlessly, as if he were looking for someone.

But when Jeston asked him, Actos refused to answer, and his attitude was exceptionally firm. He blushed, covered his ears, and turned away, directly refusing to communicate. Jeston didn't even have a chance to use his eloquence.

Ernst had a vague feeling that Actos's unusual behavior might be related to his wife.

Yes, Brother Bear has a wife! Even someone as bearish as Brother Bear has a wife, but you don't! Shouldn't you reflect on that?

Where have you all lost your Wei Wu spirit and Jian'an style?

However, upon closer analysis, this doesn't seem quite reasonable.

After all, everyone came to the World's Fair except Ursus. Ernst didn't try to keep the news quiet. Surely Aktos couldn't have been unaware that Ursus wasn't there? Ernst remembered that Ursus's wife was from Ursus, and apparently a minor noble or something. It was highly unlikely that she would come. So what was Aktos looking for?

Confusing.

Vina mentioned it casually, but Chen seemed to have opened a floodgate of words, clicking his tongue, shaking his head, failing to drink tea, and sighing tactically—a series of actions executed in one go, almost as if he were about to touch her impossible beard.

"The security situation in Longmen isn't as good as you think."