People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Columbia, Mark Max, District of Columbia.

Vice President Wilson was brimming with pride, indulging in nightly revelry, and had already opened more than a dozen bottles of champagne!

He knew it; he knew his investment in Ernst was worthwhile!

If airships could be widely adopted, they would bring about tremendous changes to transportation, long-distance communication, and the war situation in Terra!

And this wasn't even the biggest job Ernst had promised him! It was just a bonus!

As one of the few foreign leaders who knew about Project Stars long in advance, Vice President Wilson is now eagerly anticipating that day.

Colombia's next vice-presidential election is about to begin, and although strictly speaking, it's just a competition for office, which sounds rather disgraceful, Wilson is determined to say it out loud:

"What's wrong with being a bird stand?"

The person who said that is just jealous. Not everyone can put on that airs!

Do you even know what it means to be second only to one person and above ten thousand others? Not to mention, Wilson's title of "second only to one person" should be put in quotation marks, since our wise and mighty President is not really a person.

"Though I am above ten thousand men, I am not inferior to anyone."

The feeling of power is undoubtedly intoxicating, and the president doesn't have to do everything himself; there are still many things he can do. For example, right now, President Kaká has gone to Sergei to see Ernst, so isn't Colombia still his domain?

Sitting in his spacious and imposing office, dressed in a suit and tie, Vice President Wilson seemed quite like a "regent."

Once Ernst launches his attack... cough cough, once Ernst begins the "Star-Picking Project," and his joint speech with Sherrag is delivered, the year-end election will be nothing to fear!

The thought of that grand occasion filled Vice President Wilson with immense satisfaction, and the slight gloom that had been building in his heart due to the approaching election had long since vanished.

He picked up several morning newspapers that had just been published on the table, filtered through them, and very conscientiously began reading the Trimont Daily Morning Post.

That's a must-see; Tremont is his lucky place. Before the Balrog incident in Tremont, he was a vice president whose approval ratings were constantly declining, on the verge of losing the election and about to step down. But what happened after the Balrog incident?

The military angered the Grand President and faced suppression from the absolute authority in Colombia in every aspect, forcing them to lie low and lick their wounds. The Grand President never took credit, but he was the first politician to arrive in Trimont to offer condolences. This early move put him ahead of the rest, and even though his political enemies later realized what was happening and followed suit with a visit to Rhine Life, the publicity effect they generated was far less than his.

With his left hand suppressing the military and his right hand manipulating the political arena, this could be considered the pinnacle of his life.

Trimont was like his second home; he could have trouble anywhere else, but Trimont was the place where things absolutely could not go wrong.

However, he didn't realize it until he looked, and once he did, he did see some problems.

[With more than half of its directors leaving, Columbia's tech star may be tarnished.]

"Who wrote this report? Why such a title? What is it implying? What is it alluding to? What is it subtly trying to criticize?"

"These reporters, tsk, they believe everything they hear, always trying to create a big story! How dare they cause me trouble at a time like this?"

"He needs to understand what it means to stop being clever, stop being stubborn, and stop thinking he can't find you!"

"Federal Security Service, move out!"

Silently noting down the names of the newspaper and the reporter, Vice President Wilson added a "heavy blow" strategy to the memo for the next meeting, his brow furrowed, and looked at the next page.

A brand-new flying machine has appeared at the Kjerag World Expo. Will it usher in a new chapter in Terra's development?

His mood immediately improved: "The headline of this report is quite good."

"Ernst is our friend, and Scherrag is our ally. We should be happy for our ally when good things happen, not like the petty Victorians who only think about slandering them."

With a broad smile, Vice President Wilson looked down a little further.

Why didn't the airship appear in Colombia? The Wilson administration invests a large sum of money in scientific research annually, establishing a high-level research award fund. Has every penny of this funding been used effectively? Is the Wilson administration involved in serious corruption? It is recommended that the IRS conduct an investigation!

Wilson: "........."

"You damn troublemakers!"

This is pure fabrication! What kind of ridiculous truth is this newspaper spouting? How could he not know where the research funding went?

He didn't use a single penny, okay?

However, since the president is selfless and devoted to Colombia, shouldn't the vice president also take responsibility for the country's mistakes?

It will naturally cost some money to make arrangements for everyone in our household.

If he didn't invest, where would Tremont get such a great research atmosphere? If he didn't invest, where would those poor scientists get the good life of "getting paid for innovation"? If he didn't invest, would those arms dealers and big capital be able to throw so much energy and huge amounts of investment into the city of Tremont?

The city has a short history, its establishment time is not even a fraction of that of Londinium, its resources are not abundant, it is not located in the Originium mining area, and it does not engage in agricultural production. Food and various Originium materials are basically all imported, and transportation was not convenient at the beginning. It was just an ordinary piece of land in the frontier. How could it develop into what it is today in such a short time? Who do they think is responsible for it?

There are countless vice presidents in Colombia, but none of them have achieved as much as I have.

Those who don't understand are still spreading rumors that he's corrupt, while those who do understand have already invested in his fund.

Well, the vice president needs to make money too, but how can you say I'm manipulating things? Using government funds to invest in emerging companies, selling low and buying high to reap the benefits, can that be called manipulating things? That's called "supporting" or "business."

Compared to the benefits Tremont enjoys, I only make a little money in the stock market and funds; it's nothing, not worth mentioning at all.

And these reporters actually spread rumors about him! Spreading rumors is one thing, but how could someone who ran for Vice President of Colombia not have been the subject of rumors? In the past, he would have just laughed it off.

But what time is it now? It's on the eve of the election!

Regardless of the reporter's intentions, whether it was a coincidence or he was used as a pawn, he has already become the one who sticks his neck out!

Not to mention, he even suggested that the IRS investigate him!

What kind of department is the Federal Revenue Service? In Colombia, you can offend the Federal Security Service, the National Guard, or even the military, but if you offend the Federal Revenue Service, then sorry, no one can get you out of trouble!

They're here to kill him!

“The journalists who wrote these reports are no ordinary journalists; we must take strong action against them.”

President Wilson narrowed his eyes, having already made up his mind.

How can I blame you for making a mistake? It's because I gave you too much freedom.

It's time for you all to taste the iron fist of freedom!

Putting down the newspaper for a moment, Vice President Wilson picked up his phone, logged onto the city's internet, and, after a brief moment of consideration, posted a new update on his social media account.

I thank the citizens of Colombia, the media, and my colleagues for their support over the past four years. I will continue to work diligently until a fair outcome is achieved in the vice-presidential election.

During this period, I will continue to guarantee the freedom of speech of all citizens on social media. This will also continue as a principle of my governance. In the future, if I am re-elected, I will also undertake more sweeping reforms to Colombia's current media environment, which is not yet open, inclusive, and free enough. Thank you.

Making empty promises is something anyone can do, right?

Every Colombian vice president gives campaign speeches during their election campaign, with an entire team helping them paint a rosy picture to convince the public. This is all too common. Vice President Wilson's remarks were nothing new; basically, nobody took them seriously—it was like saying "I'm having pie for lunch"—it was utter nonsense.

Someone replied immediately:

[You even plan to implement reforms after being elected? Can you even get elected?]

Wilson smiled slightly but did not answer.

Whether you get elected or not is not up to you.

Don't think that your vote is very important. The person who votes can't decide anything; the person who counts the votes decides everything.

Of course, with a president in office, the vote counting in the vice-presidential election is guaranteed to be absolutely fair and just in the vast majority of cases.

Wilson wasn't intimidated at all; after all, people need something to look forward to.

As for the person who replied...

Although we don't know their real identity, the fact that they replied so quickly suggests they are either a hater who keeps a close eye on him or a member of the media.

No matter who you are, he has now issued a notification.

You little brat, just you wait, don't let me get elected!

Otherwise, don't say you weren't warned.

"Drip-"

The doorbell rang suddenly. Vice President Wilson put down his phone and looked up:

"Please come in."

The secretary outside the door quickly stepped in and handed Wilson a letter:

"Your Excellency President, a letter from Sherag."

Wilson's face lit up with barely suppressed joy. In an instant, the annoyance he had just felt from the newspaper's sarcastic remarks vanished. He took the envelope, opened it, and his eyes immediately locked onto the most prominent keywords in the letter.

—[Sherlock time, 9:00 AM tomorrow.]

Everything is proceeding according to plan.

Wilson seemed to have gained strength from every part of his body, and he smiled with great joy.

He held the letter up to his nose, took a deep breath, and exclaimed:

"Ah, the refreshing fragrance of the snow-capped mountains!"

Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear you say that?

"My dearest Ernst, I've missed you so much!"

Chapter 322 My acting skills were truly phenomenal, and I was supposed to play along with your performance.

Shelag, Tukarim, Shelag Government Office.

Ernst finally had a rare moment of leisure.

This is probably what they mean by the calm before the storm. The plan was about to begin at a crucial moment, but things had suddenly become quiet. Neither Vina, Horhaia, Joyce, nor even Lola and Nastya came to see him at this critical juncture. Hinterlea even acted as a gatekeeper, blocking the vast majority of foreign guests who wanted to visit.

"Tomorrow is the closing ceremony of the World's Fair. The boss has important business to attend to, so please head back first."

Ernst thanked Hintel for her kindness, but he was also somewhat moved.

I vaguely remember that back then, Hinterlaya was so cautious, not to mention herself, that she even spoke to Lola with trepidation. She would think two or three times before saying a word, worried that she might be being scammed by a new type of telecom fraud company. It's nothing like now.

Dressed in a suit like military uniform, he stood in front of the gate, like a thick steel plate, a man who could hold off ten thousand!

Well, Ernst thinks this is also a kind of confidence!

Sherag people, have confidence!

Rejecting most visitors did not mean Ernst would not receive guests; he summoned Kelsey after a very long time, approximately twelve hours and three minutes.

The question asked was very simple.

"Kal'tsit, how much do you know about Terra's outer space?"

The Terrans also use the term "extraterrestrial."

Terrans' narrative of the world is generally limited to "this land," so areas outside the land, such as the ocean, the sky, and beyond the sky, can all be referred to as extraterrestrial.

However, because of the existence of the once-vast Iberia, the ocean was already called the ocean, and the sky was called the sky because of the stargazers, poets, and the parents of the first pioneers—Kristen.

Ultimately, it's just a name; it all depends on how the people of Terra define it.

The term "extraterrestrial" isn't commonly used in Terra, but compared to directly using the word "universe" to spoil the plot, this term is significantly more ambiguous. It conveys the meaning clearly without revealing anything "unusual" to Kal'tsit.

She wasn't Kristen. Ernst could reveal some common knowledge about the universe to Kristen because he knew she was a pure and simple Star Pioneer. As for Kal'tsit, although he didn't know why, both his intuition and the warning Levi gave him after meeting Kal'tsit last time reminded him that it was best not to completely trust this woman.

She's definitely hiding something, and it's something big!

This wasn't the first time Ernst had asked Kelch some strange questions, and this time, Ernst's questions were somewhat plausible.

The Star-Picking Project involves outer space, so it's only natural that Ernst would want to inquire about it.

Of course, there is another possibility...

Kal'tsit pondered for a moment, then instead of answering immediately, she answered the question with a question:

"Mr. Ernst, why do you think I would know information from beyond the sky?"

Kal'tsit asked this question as a test.

However, the one being tested was not Ernst, but Levy behind Ernst!

Kal'tsit wasn't blind; Levi's appearance was far too suspicious, and coupled with Levi's ambiguous answers during their last conversation, Kal'tsit truly couldn't figure out what this man was really like.

What if he's some old zombie that crawled out of a coffin from a previous civilization?

Kal'tsit couldn't help but worry; the resurrection of any individual from the former civilization could cause a huge uproar on Terra. Even Kal'tsit wasn't entirely clear on how much legacy from the former civilization was buried on Terra. Even though Levi seemed fine today, what if he unearthed a planet-destroying cannon tomorrow, hung it in Terra's orbit, and demanded that all of Terra obey his commands?

That would be an utter disaster. The development of the civilization she had painstakingly cultivated would be completely disrupted, and its future would become unpredictable.