People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Because he truly "saw the devil."

“Shelag has a Sarkaz? Prime Minister Ernst, you didn’t tell me about this before.”

"You have no idea how I felt when I suddenly saw Sarkaz at a sermon."

King Ivangelista XI clicked his tongue, pursed his lips, and even savored the memory carefully in front of Ernst.

"Well, it's kind of creepy."

It's like being caught bragging about your success by a childhood friend from your hometown. You're worried he might reveal some embarrassing childhood secrets, making you feel incredibly awkward, but at the same time, you're a little excited, forcing a smile and pretending to be calm as you subtly show off.

Ernst had no idea what Ivangelista XI was savoring; if he had known, he would surely have exclaimed:

"As expected of the Sarkaz Realm God!"

It's because your material lives are too fulfilling that you crave stimulation in the spiritual realm.

Translation is just something people do when they're bored and have nothing better to do than try something exciting.

However, Ernst still needs to explain why Sherag infiltrated the Sarkaz:

"Your Holiness, I wonder which Sarkaz you are referring to?"

"If it's a female Sarkaz with dark gray hair, wearing a women's suit and trousers, who likes to twirl a pen in her spare time, then that's Miss Nasty, the city renovation engineer specially hired by Kjerag. In addition, she is also the head of the engineering department of Rhine Life Sciences. Rhine Life Sciences is an important strategic partner of Kjerag, and if nothing unexpected happens, she will be stationed in Kjerag for a long time in the future."

"So, if you feel disgusted by her, then I'm sorry, you may have to get used to it. However, Miss Nasti doesn't have most of the Sarkaz's flaws. Even if you can't be friends, at least you don't have to worry about her doing anything to you because of the conflict between the Sarkaz and the Sarkaz."

Ernst paused, observing Ivangelista XI's expression.

The old man nodded thoughtfully; judging from his expression, he probably hadn't encountered Nasti.

That's right. Nasti should be in the lab right now, helping Typhon and Kal'tsit clean up the mess. Although the Balrog Safar didn't cause a big commotion in the end, the various equipment in the lab was still severely damaged, and the main structure needs to be re-inspected to ensure safety. These are all things that she, as the head of the engineering department, should be doing.

Since that's the case, it can only be those three.

"If what you see is a red-haired, a blonde, and a pink-haired Sarkaz."

"Don't touch the red-haired, one-eyed guy. He's my employee, he's under contract. If you hurt him, I'll have to pay for his workers' compensation. If you kill him, you'll have to pay me back and send me a tutor. I don't think either of us wants to see that happen."

"As for the other two."

Ernst pondered for a moment, then shrugged.

“They are members of the Kazdel Military Council, here to spy on Sherag. If Lateran is confident that they can disappear without anyone noticing without implicating Sherag, then I won’t interfere.”

The condition sounded reasonable, but after a moment's thought, Ivangelista XI knew it was almost impossible.

Manfred and Ersula came to Sherag to gather intelligence. If something happens to them, how can Sherag not be implicated?

Even if he can produce a complete chain of evidence and take all the blame, the outcome is still uncertain.

After all, you can't expect Sarkaz to be reasonable. If Theresis really wants to take his anger out on someone, no one can stop him.

After all, he only got angry for a moment. Who can't get angry? Even if he were to yell "Yeragand is a pig!" in Londinium, Ernst wouldn't bring the great god Yeragand and slap him across the face, replying with "Rebound!"

So, in a way, Ernst's words, while seemingly opening a door for the Laterans, actually subtly protected those two Sarkaz.

And Ivangelista XI could not question this subtle protection.

You could say he helped the Sarkaz, but he did set conditions, and those conditions seemed fair and reasonable—you guys fight your battles, just don't spill blood on me. No one could find fault with that statement.

As for why he did this, it might simply be because he was too lazy to cause trouble, or because he didn't want to cause bloodshed on his own territory and damage Sherag's reputation, or there might be other reasons as well.

Who knows? Ivangelista XI didn't take it seriously either.

He didn't just kill every Sarkaz he saw, especially since the other party had some status.

Theresis is also a notorious ruthless figure in Terra. The short-lived races may not know this, but the Sarkaz certainly do. Back when the Allied Forces attacked Kazdel, it was this swordsman who stepped forward and killed the leader of the Allied Forces even after the Demon King had already died in battle.

Although Lateran did not participate in that coalition, the Gallic artillerymen, the Letanian tower sorcerers, and the Victorian steam knights were all unable to stop him, which still left a considerable shock on the Terrans at the time.

There were no grudges yesterday, and no enmity today. There's no need to create another enemy for yourself.

As for the Sarkaz mercenaries and Sarkaz action groups who kill each other at the lower levels?

King Ivangelista XI stated: "This is a personal matter; please do not generalize to the nation. Lateran has always adhered to the diplomatic principle of peaceful coexistence, and even with Kazdel, we will not declare war immediately."

He nodded slightly and said noncommittally, "I understand."

King Ivangelista XI finally decided to steer the conversation back on track.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Ernst, you didn't invite me here just to listen to this old man ramble on, did you?"

"Let me guess, is it related to the [Star-Picking Project]?"

Ernst nodded, then shook his head:

"You could say it's related, or you could say it's unrelated."

"It all comes down to Your Holiness, Pope, your choice."

"Oh?" King Ivangelista XI straightened his posture and asked curiously, "What choices do I have?"

"I wish to meet with the law again."

"Why?" King Ivangelista XI did not immediately refuse.

"One piece of intelligence obtained in this [Star-Picking Project] needs to be translated using [Law]."

“Translation?” King Ivangelista XI frowned, immediately drawing a conclusion. “You’ve acquired an unknown language? Sounds? Writing? Or something else?”

Ernst did not answer; clearly, if Ivangelista XI disagreed, this was the extent of his intelligence.

King Ivangelista XI paused for a moment, a sly glint in his eyes behind his glasses:

“Prime Minister Ernst has already met with the law, so theoretically, meeting him again would not be of any loss to Lateran.”

The point of specifically mentioning the losses is quite clear.

Having no loss is merely the basis for agreeing to this matter, roughly equivalent to a balance of 0:0. But to get him to agree, some weight needs to be added to the other side.

Ernst has already prepared the weights.

However, this bargaining chip was a little different from what Ivangelista XI had in mind.

“Your Holiness, you just reminded me that I almost forgot that there are not only four Sarkaz in Shelag, but also two more.”

“One is Typhon, she’s from Sami, you might not know her.”

"But the other one said he was an old acquaintance of Sakorta."

King Ivangelista XI raised an eyebrow, his smile unchanged, and asked in return, "I wonder who Prime Minister Ernst is referring to? I have no connection with the Sarkaz."

Ernst smiled and nodded, a hint of embarrassment in his smile.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."

"His name is Safar, and he's a Tikkaz fire demon."

"Yes, he doesn't know you. He just told me some things about your ancestors."

King Ivangelista XI's expression froze.

Chapter 332 Christensen's Declaration of Defeat: I will return!

Ernst seemed to say nothing, yet he also seemed to say everything.

Regardless, Ivangelista XI was already drenched in sweat.

The fall of the Balrog Royal Court happened thousands of years ago, while the rise of the Sarkaz, the establishment of Laterano, and the adoption of the Terran calendar only occurred a thousand years ago.

In fact, compared to the Balrog's long history, which can only be described as "several thousand years ago," the existence of Laterano and the Sarkaz was so brief that a clear number could be listed.

It dates back 1094 years.

Everyone else may not know the weight of Ernst's words, but Laterano and Sakorta certainly do.

King Ivangelista XI swore he only wanted to negotiate with Ernst and gain some benefits. After all, compared to Kjerag, who hosted the World's Fair, showcased airships, and executed Project Star, Laterano's gains were rather meager.

Although he had achieved his three main objectives—building prestige, rehearsing the World Summit, and elevating Laterano's status—and even amassed a considerable amount of gold and secured numerous orders for Laterano, comparisons are odious. Who says Sarkaz couldn't be envious?

I'm worried that my brother is suffering, but I'm also worried that he's driving a Land Rover.

But who knew that Ernst was truly a heartless scoundrel!

I just casually said "I'll give you 50 V's". If you're really kind enough to V' me, I'll accept it. If you just make up some reason not to V' me, then forget it.

What do you mean by opening my box without warning?

The last time Ivangelista XI was this panicked was when he heard that livestreamers had appeared on Earth, especially virtual livestreamers who used personas.

At that time, that thing started in Columbia, where the technology was developing the fastest and the acceptance was the strongest, and gradually became popular throughout Terra, naturally spreading to Laterano as well.

The Sarkaz, naturally, didn't just stand by and watch this fun unfold. One Sarkaz even decided to join in the fun and started livestreaming while wearing a skin in Laterano.

She was doing it purely for fun and didn't even intend to make money, but the next day, people from the notary office still came to her door and took her away. I heard that not only was her live streaming banned, but she was also kept in the notary office for a month with food and drink provided, except for sweets.

I was almost dumbfounded when I came out. I had shown off all the dessert shops on the entire street that day.

As for the charges, the first is "live streaming without a license," and the second is "leaking confidential information."

The unlicensed livestreaming is easy to understand, but why the leak of confidential information? What confidential information did she leak?

That's a good question. Ivangelista XI remembers that the Sakota girl asked the same question.

The answer is simple: because it's classified, we can't tell you what secrets you leaked.

Needless to say, this series of actions was ordered by Ivangelist XI.

There's no way around it, this thing is too scary, it infringes on Sakorta's intellectual property rights!

Did you know that Sarkaz is the oldest suited human in all of Terra? With a horn covering his face, a halo on his head, a tail tucked in, and wings flashing, hey, the devil transforms into an angel!

It took 1094 years for him to transform, becoming a sensation throughout Terra and widely praised by the people of Terra. Today's virtual YouTubers are just clumsy imitations of Sarkaz!

Later, after virtual YouTubers lived for a while without anyone associating them with Sakorta, King Evangelista XI breathed a sigh of relief and introduced relevant laws and regulations, ushering in a new era of virtual YouTubers on Lateran's intercity network.

He once thought there shouldn't be any problems. What the person inside Sakorta was was all ancient history, something that had been going on for 1094 years. No one should be able to open that box anymore.

Sarkaz? Ignore the ordinary Sarkaz; whatever they say is like farting. They might even claim the demons of the Eastern Kingdom are Sarkaz, and while tracing their ancestry might confirm that, who would believe that?

It's the same principle as saying that humans evolved from monkeys. It may be true, but if you openly call someone a monkey, they'll most likely feel insulted, and you'll see if you get beaten up.

Justice has already been severed!

But he clearly underestimated Ernst.

This person not only managed to acquire a rather unusual Sarkaz... no, Tikkaz, but also actually managed to build up enough reputation to convince some people.

With the two major events of the World's Fair over, there must be quite a few people eager to hear what Kjerag will say next.

Ivangelist XI could certainly doubt the authenticity of the Balrog, but it was something verifiable, and for Ernst to use it as a joke to threaten someone was somewhat disrespectful.

No normal person would do something like that.

Moreover, he couldn't gamble. When Ernst brought up Sakorta's identity, Ivangelista XI had to take "he already knows something" as the starting point for his thinking and consideration.

He was certain that, thanks to the efforts of Laterano's ancestors, including himself, anything that could connect the Sarkaz to the Sarkaz over the past thousand years had been properly contained or destroyed.

But the Balrog is a product of thousands of years ago.

No one is sure if he happened to leave something behind. And Sakota, being a ploughman, never actually dug every inch of Terra.

After much deliberation, Ivangelista XI suddenly realized that while he seemed to have a choice, he actually had none left.

He narrowed his eyes, looked at Ernst, and spoke with a mixture of helplessness and apprehension:

"[According to the law], Prime Minister Ernst can certainly see him."

"However, Prime Minister Ernst, it's best not to say things that are detrimental to unity in the future."

Ernst blinked, somewhat puzzled:

"What is His Holiness the Pope referring to? Aren't we discussing the timing of the legal consultation?"

It's not that he's easily swayed by gentle persuasion or force. The main issue is that bringing this up would be entirely detrimental to him. If it weren't for King Ivangelist XI's attempt to extort him for nothing, he wouldn't have brought it up now.

I hosted the World's Fair, and I was present at the Star-Picking Project. Strictly speaking, Laterano wasn't involved in these things; Ernst would have organized them anyway. But what you did was sign a joint agreement as co-organizers, spread your Laterano religion in Kjerag, used my platform to conduct business, and received your kickbacks, and now you want to turn around and take another bite out of my platform?

Look how capable you are! Virtual streamers are turning around and cracking down on the platform. Without some serious warning, you wouldn't even know you're actually a virtual person!

Besides, he doesn't have any evidence. Even if this gets blown up, it's all just empty talk; if it's actually proven true, it'll be a real problem.