People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

“Vina, you haven’t been in Lungmen for long and you’ve never been near the slums, so you don’t know what it’s like there.”

Chen described the scene with a touch of melancholy:

"The densely packed, row-house buildings, spaced several meters apart, create streets that are both filthy and dark. Empty bottles are piled up in almost every stairwell, forming small mountains. Scam flyers and cards are scattered everywhere, with no one collecting them. Petty theft is rampant, the perpetrators are generally young, and fights are commonplace..."

"You might find it hard to imagine that just across the street is Longmen, a so-called safe and bustling metropolis. The scene is really... disjointed."

Vina pursed her lips. Unlike Chen Xiang, she could not only imagine that scene, but she had even experienced it herself.

Before meeting Ernst, she had also struggled to survive in the slums of Lentinium.

She knew better than anyone what kind of place it was.

Moreover, the dangers of slums go far beyond what Chen mentioned; there are real problems as well.

"There are still a considerable number of infected people in the slums. Wei Yanwu pretended not to see anything and allowed them to live there. Even if that was an act of kindness, it was still..."

Chen wanted to say something, but Vina stopped her and shook her head slightly.

Even if she didn't say it, Vina knew what she was thinking.

What else could Chen be thinking? All she wanted was fairness.

Unfortunately, is fairness so easily given? Ernst expressed his concerns about the infected people in Sherag to Vina more than once.

A single drop of ink is enough to pollute a basin of water, let alone compared to the stain of prejudice on this land, where Scherrag is just a drop of insignificant pure water. Once discriminatory ideas from the outside world enter Scherrag, even Ernst is not confident that he can perfectly control that trend of thought.

He could only do his best and prepare as early as possible.

Vina couldn't provide an answer to the problem of the Longmen slums. Even a more experienced politician like Wei Yanwu, who understands the local situation better, couldn't come up with a solution. So how could Vina possibly solve it?

She could only share her thoughts theoretically:

"The infected people are an objective reality; we have no way to make them disappear."

Unless you use physical means. But even with physical means, the infected cannot be eradicated. As long as the Originium Industries system exists, this group will continue to emerge.

"But we can... prevent them from becoming a threat. At least, prevent them from being used or provoked by those with ulterior motives."

"Chen, aren't you a superintendent of the Special Inspectorate? Since Governor Wei didn't restrict your scope of authority with the word 'special,' why can't you apply that specialness to a special group of people?"

"You mean... I should go to the slums and become a special inspector?" Chen's eyes lit up. "Great idea! Indeed, that way, I can get the news and react the moment something happens in the slums!"

"Uh, that's not what I meant." Vina waved her hand, signaling Chen to calm down.

Special inspectors of the slums? That sounds plausible, but Vina thinks it probably won't do much good.

Chen is just one person, and even if the special inspection team is included, there are only three people. Can three people handle the problems of so many people in the slums?

Besides, even an upright official finds it difficult to settle family disputes, let alone those in the slums. Given Chen's personality, if he were to actually do this, he'd probably be driven mad with worry within two days. In the end, he wouldn't have accomplished anything good and would likely have incurred the wrath of the slum dwellers.

A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment; that's how it is.

However, this made Chen somewhat puzzled: "So what do you mean?"

"What I mean is... it can only treat the symptoms."

Vina seemed hesitant, but with Chen's firm gaze as encouragement, she finally spoke.

“You can act as an arbitrator for the infected community.”

"An arbitrator? Isn't that the same thing?"

"No, no, the existence of arbitrators is not to solve problems, but to deal with the people who create trouble."

"Your position as the head of the special inspection team implies absolute force and authority. You use this position to select a relatively well-known infected person in the slum, help him, support him, and let him fight."

"If he wins, you are the one who helped him, the source of his power and his backer. At least he won't betray you. The infected people in the slums can also unite and maintain relative stability."

“If he loses, then switch sides. Only you have the freedom to choose to help the side that defeats him and repeat the above process.”

"If they neither win nor lose, or win and then lose, then lose and then win again..."

Vina's eyes flickered, as if she were somewhat reluctant, but she persisted.

"If both sides are weakened, the infected will be weakened, and the problem will naturally be solved."

Chen Jiujiu was speechless.

Chapter 317 This problem, I suggest outsourcing.

"I'm not sure if this method will help Chen, but judging from Chen's expression... I guess she probably won't use it."

Vina sighed softly, seemingly feeling somewhat guilty.

She wasn't complaining to Ernst, but she felt a little disappointed because she hadn't been able to help her friend.

Ernst, however, looked Vina up and down, still feeling uneasy. He secretly sent a message to the great god Yeragand, confirming that the old lion Vina called her teacher was indeed not there. Only then did he rub his chin in bewilderment.

Something's not right with this child.

Why do you speak with such a heroic air?

It's no wonder Ernst misunderstood; the method Vina told Chen was just too familiar.

Didn't a certain country with serious moral failings do the same thing in Ernst's previous life? Relying on its status as a nation that never sets in the world, it acted arrogantly and domineeringly, setting fires in nine out of ten places. This practice of choosing proxies and instigating internal strife to gain a foothold may not have been the first to be used, but it was certainly the most adept at it!

The key point is that the British didn't stop at this one tactic. In conjunction with it, they also used phrases like "This land is leased by us, and leased territory doesn't count as invasion," "I think this land is good, why don't we just cut it along the lines of latitude and longitude?" and "The British Empire will never surrender until the last drop of blood is shed from its colonies!" and so on.

While from today's perspective, the once colossal nation spanning Eurasia, Africa, and the Americas has indeed declined, with the United Kingdom, now confined to the British Isles, completely controlled by its powerful parent state, it all depends on who you're comparing it to.

It has fallen on hard times, but it plundered the world for nearly a century. Its profound foundation means that even after two world wars, it still possesses the qualifications to be one of the "five permanent members" of the UN Security Council. This did not prevent people at the time from seeing Britain firmly among the top five nations, regardless of how the world's powers were ranked.

From this perspective, Victoria, the nation that supposedly achieved "land supremacy," is somewhat undeserving of the title. Compared to the British Empire at its peak, Victoria held no advantage in terms of industrial strength, land area, military power, or cultural aggression.

It can't even connect every single country on the continent.

The UK actually passed the test, although they did use some tricks, as the hellish dungeons they cleared were all heavily weakened.

The raging seas hadn't even fully unleashed their fury yet; its little brother Canada single-handedly defeated them, burning down the White House. The Tower of Astonishment, of course, remained standing. Napoleon's Continental System against Britain ultimately failed. The Iron Route hadn't yet fully materialized; the European gendarmes were soundly defeated by Britain in the Crimean War. As for the Great Wall...

"Wearing Qing clothes doesn't lead to rebellion, but a chrysanthemum-shaped electric drill"—this saying has an inextricable connection to the rubbish of the late Qing dynasty.

However, theoretically speaking, these are all things related to Victoria's alternate-world counterpart. Although Ernst didn't think Victoria was much more human-like than Dai Ying, Vina... shouldn't be like that?

Is there really such a thing as bloodline inheritance? How did you learn this without a teacher?

Ernst knew Vina meant no harm; she only suggested it to Chen because he insisted on asking. However, Vina clearly didn't yet have a clear understanding of Chen's personality.

As a dreadful and upright person, the fact that she didn't break off her friendship with Vina after hearing about such methods shows that their friendship is still quite strong.

"Did i do something wrong?"

Seemingly noticing that Ernst had also remained silent for a long time, Vina began to feel uneasy.

“Should I apologize to Chen now? I just want to help her. It’s dangerous if she keeps going to the slums all the time.”

"Danger? What danger could there be in Longmen? You know Chen's identity, Wei Yanwu's niece. Who would dare to do anything to her?"

Ernst didn't seem to care.

Not to mention Chen's sensitive identity, the place itself is Longmen!

To put it in perspective, Ernst is comparable to Shanghai, Hong Kong, or Macau. As a major economic center of the Great Yan Dynasty, what kind of trouble could possibly arise there? Wouldn't the Yan court intervene?

But Vina shook her head.

The identity of Wei Yanwu, the governor of Longmen, is very complicated. Under normal circumstances, the Great Yan Dynasty might not care.

and.......

“Ernst, we know Chen’s identity, but the infected don’t.”

"Chen has been in contact with infected people?" Ernst's gaze suddenly sharpened.

He figured that Chen Jin's job in the slums was probably just to visit and comfort people in need, or to patrol the streets and alleys as a lowly patrolman to maintain order. If he had to compare him to someone, he'd be like the police officers in the old districts of Hong Kong movies he'd watched in his previous life—people who knew everyone, were one of the most trusted and upright officials in the old districts.

But judging from what Vina said, Chen is deeply involved in the slums.

Infected individuals are a sensitive topic at all times. According to Ernst's knowledge, apart from Colombia, no country in the world has a so-called "infected person tolerance law," and Yan is no exception.

Of course, this doesn't mean that all countries treat infected people as people to be killed. It just means that, at the official level, infected people are either confined to a special quarantine area or directly expelled from the mobile city, without exception.

The same applies to the Yan Kingdom.

Contact with an infected person can be a big deal or a small deal. Although she herself was not aware of it, Chen is indeed a politician, and the actions of politicians can be magnified and escalated to an extreme.

Chen's contact with and assistance to infected people in the slums can be described as "a kind-hearted policeman helping his neighbors in need," but it can also be interpreted as "dissatisfaction with the current policies regarding infected people in the Great Yan Dynasty," "the Governor of Longmen condoning his family's private slander of national policies," and "a public official knowingly breaking the law and turning a blind eye to the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty!"

Didn't Wei Yanwu do anything about it?

He left so many infected people in the slums without any plan? Even if we don't have systematic management, at the very least, he should have ensured that it didn't create a safety hazard.

It's fortunate that no one with ulterior motives took this matter seriously; otherwise, they might have caused a lot of trouble!

Not to mention, whether Chen's contact with infected people will be politically interpreted as a metaphor for Wei Yanwu is another matter, but this behavior itself is a risk!

The risk of contracting Oripathy!

Ernst's family had someone infected with Oripathy, so he knew what kind of suffering this disease could cause. Encia was lucky; first, Enciaos arranged for her to receive treatment in Columbia, and then Ernst helped her get an appointment with Kal'tsit.

The old lynx was knowledgeable and skilled in medicine, and most importantly, she had excellent medical ethics.

She would never give up on any patient, even if it meant working for three days and three nights without sleep, she would never complain of her eyes hurting.

Even so, the fact that Encia and her family rarely get to spend time together is enough to illustrate the harm caused by Oripathy.

Not everyone can afford such a long, seemingly endless, and expensive hospital stay. Some of the services offered by Rhodes Island are also designed to help some of the patients they treat free of charge to afford their medical expenses.

Ernst did not allow Encia to register for the competition.

Becoming an "Operator" sounds great; in the game, being able to "go to the island" is like a get-out-of-jail-free card. But ultimately, you still have to go to the battlefield.

She only has one younger sister, and she can't bear to part with her.

As long as he can still afford it, Enshia can just be a figurehead. Kal'tsit also promised that she would never trick Enshia into signing any inexplicable contracts of servitude.

Speaking of Rhodes Island...

Ernst seemed to have thought of something and beckoned to Vina:

"Vina, go find Chen again and tell her to come to me."

“Just tell her that I have a way to help her solve the problem of infected people.”

"Really?" Vina asked incredulously.

Ernst rolled his eyes: "Of course it's fake."

He spread his hands: "The way to cure the problem of infected people is very simple: develop a cheap and effective drug to cure Oripathy, or develop a technology to make Oripathy harmless, but obviously, we don't have that."

"As for the temporary solution, Vina, although I don't recommend you mention your suggestion to others in the future, I have to say that your method is very effective."

"However, since Chen can neither address the root cause nor is willing to treat the symptoms, I can only offer her a simpler solution that she can accept."

Vina asked, "What method?"

Outsourcing.

Outsourcing is good, outsourcing is brilliant, it costs little money and shifts the blame.

Chapter 318 Chen: Your business is quite extensive, huh?

Kelsey had gotten used to Ernst contacting her about once a day on average.

Keep searching, keep searching. It's better to find yourself than to go out and collect some strange and unusual people. If he keeps piecing things together, Kal'tsit really thinks that Seraphim should change his name.

Behemoth Playground, New Kazdel, Beast Lord's Habitat, Training Camp for Proclaimers of the Lands, Terra Dragon Field...

Who knows what this place is? Anyway, it can't be called Shelag.

However, this time, Kelsey truly misunderstood Ernst.

"I really didn't ask you to come here to ask questions. How can a person have that many questions to ask in a day?"

Looking at Kal'tsit's expression of utter disbelief, Ernst felt somewhat helpless.

"I'm here to introduce you to our business."

"Business? Prime Minister Ernst can introduce me to business?" Kelsey frowned, suspiciously asking, "You're not planning some kind of international touring exhibition, are you?"

Ernst's smile twitched.