People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Before she could finish speaking, another voice suddenly rang out, and Saria emerged from around the corner of the corridor, arms crossed, her face cold and stern:

"The same goes for Christensen. The Construction Department has been without anyone in charge for a long time, and some major issues of Rhine Life have simply not been addressed. Not only do I have complaints, but Ferdinand and his team also have complaints, and our partners have even more complaints."

"With this expo over, the projects contracted by Rhine Lab and Christensen's experiments have come to an end. Because of Project Star-Picking, Rhine Lab will probably be busy for quite some time, so she has to come back with me. Not only her, but also Nastie and Muirsey."

"Don't let me find her! We're here on a business trip, not on a paid vacation! This isn't a holiday; we can't let her just say she's not coming back!"

As soon as Saria appeared, Ernst roughly understood the cause and effect of the matter.

Especially when Seria said something, Nast lowered her head slightly. This made Ernst's eyelids twitch.

You Rhine people who broke up really have a story to tell. The breakup is like a sky full of stars, and none of you want to go back.

Only Ferdinand—Ernst still remembered as the scientist who was particularly interested in robotic armor—was considered quite diligent in Seria's eyes.

However, speaking of which, Kristen mentioned that Ferdinand danced with Seria when she was contaminated.

And he was standing in the female position, while Saria was standing in the male position?

Ernst glanced at Saria with some curiosity, then recalled Ferdinand's appearance, and finally couldn't help but turn his head away.

Unfortunately, I couldn't control my facial expressions and couldn't help but laugh.

"Mr. Ernst?"

Seria suddenly spoke up, and Ernst stood at attention:

"what happened?"

To everyone's surprise, Saria, who is usually straightforward and has an emotional intelligence harder than diamonds, became somewhat hesitant this time:

"Um...tsk..."

Ernst was greatly shocked and extremely curious about what Seria was going to say next.

What could make Saria act like a girl?

Perhaps realizing her lapse in composure, Saria coughed lightly, trying to compose herself.

“Mr. Ernst, Colombia is a country that values ​​freedom. As Christensen’s friend, I do not object to her making choices based on her own will, as long as they do not violate public order and good morals.”

"However, precisely because I am Christensen's friend and know her better than you do, I must remind you: Christensen is not a very law-abiding person. From what I have seen and heard in Kjerag these past few days, I'm afraid she... will not follow your local customs, beliefs, and social etiquette at all."

"During her time in Kjerag, she spent most of her time conducting research on the Matterhorn and had very little contact with the outside world. Under these circumstances, your impression of her is one-sided. And because she can get close to her parents' unfinished work with your permission, she will also show you a better side."

"So, if you're really planning to... you have to be prepared that she'll keep causing you trouble and adding pressure."

That's all I have to say. Take care!

As Saria finished speaking, her cheeks flushed slightly.

She didn't really have much experience with this kind of thing. But as one of the few people Christensen could call a friend, she felt she had to stand up and say these things.

If she didn't say that, Ernst would probably feel regretful when she was truly deceived by Christensen's true colors.

After all, back then, which of the department heads at Rhine Life Sciences wasn't "tricked" into joining by Christensen?

Thinking about herself, Ferdinand, Justin, and the others are now worrying themselves sick over Rhine Lab every day, while Kristen just sits there doing nothing, living a carefree life. Saria couldn't help but say:

"Run! Don't get infected with Christensen! It brings misfortune!"

Saria fled as if running away, Ernst stood there somewhat bewildered, while Nastie sighed softly and put the bone flute in her hand to her lips again.

This time, however, the tune played was not mournful and sorrowful, but rather lively, melodious, and somewhat festive:

"What is this, as warm as honey~ (Sarkaz words)"

"What is this bitterness, like poison?" (Sarkaz words)

Ernst couldn't understand, so he turned his head and asked, "Nasti, what are you playing?"

Nasti put down her little bone flute, which could be played to express both joy and sorrow, and whose mere sound could bring pleasure and send people on their way. She smiled and nodded at Ernst.

"I'm impressed, Saria is brilliant."

Chapter 234 I, Muirsey, am the Grand Secretary of the Court!

Ernst knocked on the door of the conference room cubicle and comforted the person there:

"Alright, come out now, Saria is gone."

There was no sound from inside the door for a long time, but a puddle of water seeped out from the crack in the door.

Ernst paused for a moment upon seeing this, then reminded him:

"Don't let too much water flow out. You'll have to deal with your own water later. If the wooden floor gets damp, you'll have to pay for it."

The spreading puddle suddenly stopped, then condensed into several tiny Muirses, which stuck out their tongues and made faces at Ernst:

"Tch, how petty!"

Muirsey opened the door, pouting as if she wanted to say something, but when they were face to face, she stopped herself and after a long while bowed and thanked them:

"Thanks a lot. I was almost captured by Saria."

"Is going back to Rhine Life really that scary?" Ernst didn't quite understand what Muirsey and the others were thinking.

Rhine Labs would be a pretty good place to go. If he had the skills, and if his birthplace happened to be in Kjerag, going to Rhine Labs would have been an excellent choice.

Saria is kind and righteous, Christensen is kind and righteous, and there's also Himer, a high-quality female researcher whose conscience is out of place on Terra. With salaries that rank among the best in the entire Terra, they live a very comfortable life.

Although the threshold for entering Rhine Life is very high, there is at least one such threshold. People with talent, ability, and ingenuity, even if born into poverty, still have a chance to climb that threshold, leap over the dragon gate, and become members of Columbia's upper class.

Such a thing could never happen in Victoria, Ursus.

There might have been some hope in Letania in the past. The Witch King had his own ideas and implemented a merit-based admission system. Regardless of his original intentions, even if he did it with bad intentions, the rule he established that did not consider family background was very effective. At one point, the percentage of commoners in Letania who obtained degrees through education and achieved upward social mobility reached 35%, close to 40%.

Unfortunately, the deal fell through in the end.

It's not that the Witch King changed; it's just that the Witch King died and made a mistake that everyone would make.

However, during the reign of the Gemini Queens, this number plummeted again, almost returning to the level before the Witch King ascended the throne, when it was seven percent and now it is twelve percent.

The Witch King changed Letania, and the Twin Queens changed it back. There's a reason why the remnants of the Witch King's faction can cause so much trouble in Letania and still have a considerable following.

To some extent, this is a major reason why capitalism crushed feudalism. It no longer relies entirely on so-called family background and lineage, but places more emphasis on your personal talents.

But how come this capitalist paradise of Terra, a country with one of the highest levels of anthropomorphism in comparison, is seen as some kind of monstrous flood by people like Muirsay?

Muirsey was clearly stumped by the question. She pursed her lips, seemingly lost in thought, and after a long while, she frowned slightly and sighed sadly:

"Because no matter how nice that place is, it's not my home, is it?"

For Muirsey, neither Columbia nor Rhine Life provided her with a strong sense of belonging.

She will stay in Columbia because her friends are there, and she will stay in Rhine Life because that's where she and her friends built it.

But if a friend were to leave one day, she would not hesitate to do so.

She was very certain of this, especially after Christensen's "Star-Picking Operation" experiment, which solidified her belief.

If one day Christensen really tries to fly out of the isolation layer and leave Terra, she will definitely follow her no matter what.

She had no family, only friends. If she lost even her friends, the water sprite would truly be all alone in this world.

Ernst nodded thoughtfully, somewhat understanding her feelings.

Not only her, but Nastya might be the same.

This can be seen from the fact that she and Christensen discussed and decided to use their own money, rather than going through Rhine Life's public account, to redeem the land from Magnus Bank.

She doesn't plan to go back, because the sky city she wants to build is the home she has always dreamed of.

I heard that the Sarkaz will name their home Kazdel. Does she want to build a Kazdel in the sky?

Indeed, that way, ground artillery wouldn't be able to hit it. It's quite a romantic idea.

Like those two women, most of the Rhine breakup partners are probably the same.

Christensen merely cobbled together this group of people, without truly establishing a cohesive unit. It was like recruiting four teammates in a game's public chat; once the game was over, everyone went their separate ways, unlike the five-person duo at an internet cafe who would eat together afterward.

A sense of belonging is something that leaders need to cultivate. Unfortunately, judging from Ernst's understanding of Christensen, she probably never cared about it at all, and even if she did, she probably wouldn't actually set aside the time to work on it.

Although Saria's words were somewhat nonsensical, there was a grain of truth to them. Being attracted to Kristen was something that would cause trouble in the future.

Luckily I didn't...

At least it hasn't completely fallen.

It is only natural, and should be, to admire and respect those who are truly pursuing their dreams.

Sensing that the atmosphere in the room had become somewhat somber, Holhaya stepped forward and fulfilled her duty as a secretary to lighten the mood:

"So, Miss Muirsay, what are your plans next?"

"Keep hiding from Saria, and what will happen after she leaves? Have you thought about that?"

Holhaya raised an eyebrow at Ernst and gave him a wink:

"Interested in doing odd jobs in Kjerag?"

"You're planning to hire me?"

Muirsey looked at Holhaya with some surprise, then glanced curiously at Ernst, unsure whose intention this was.

But that didn't stop her from setting conditions:

"Sure, of course I'd love to! Five social insurances and one housing fund, a full physical examination every quarter, employee accommodation and meal subsidies... Let me think... if I live far away, a commuting allowance is a must!"

"Also, does the company have a psychological counseling room? Is the lunch break long? If it's short, is there afternoon tea? What are the holiday arrangements? Do you work more than eight hours a day? How is paid leave calculated? By the way, here's a small personal question from Muirsey."

Muirsey's gaze swept back and forth between Ernst, Holhaya, and a certain Xu Shu entering Cao Cao's camp—Lafshini, who silently pretended to be a small stove—and a wicked smile appeared on his face:

"Do you allow office romances?"

Holhaya looked at Ernst, who gasped.

Is this what it means to be a member of society who has already entered the workforce?

When Holhaya applied for the job, there weren't so many requirements!

Oh, so she came prepared. A feathered serpent spy receiving two salaries.

Seeing Ernst's face clearly showing his reluctance, Holhaya smiled as well:

"I don't know about the others, but there are staff dormitories. When Tukarim was being rebuilt, we were living in Ernst's house."

"Wow!" Muirsey covered her mouth. "Living at home!"

"Inviting a new employee to stay at your home on the first meeting—that's practically workplace sexual harassment!"

"Who said I was going to take you home!" Ernst interrupted quickly.

Just kidding, it would have been better if Holhaya hadn't brought it up; the more she did, the angrier he got.

That ungrateful Ensiodis didn't even inform him beforehand, relying on his position as head of the Shivaish family to give the keys to Horhaya and the others. By the time he received the news and returned home, his rooms were wide open, ready for anyone to take what they wanted!

His embarrassing childhood photos, his silly diary entries from his less-than-serious days, and all those endless scandals about Cheese Snow Leopard...

His authority as prime minister has vanished!

Ernst glared at Holhaya, who was covering her mouth to chuckle but couldn't hide the curve of her eyes and eyebrows, and curled his lip in disapproval.

"How about I go find Saria and tell her I found you?"

"No, no, Ernst, I was wrong!"

The sliding knee movement was so fast, it really was like water; it deformed after a punch.

Ernst sighed inwardly, then said seriously:

"It's not that I don't want you to stay here, but I have to go out tomorrow. Once I leave, you won't know anyone in Sherag. You might as well go back to Colombia."

Muirsay waved his hand:

"Actually, I have things to do. I didn't stay here simply to avoid Saria."

She turned to the side, making a gesture that seemed to say, "White horse, I'll make sure he never returns," pointing northeast of Tukarim:

"I have a job at Manjusin University!"

"what?"

Now it was Ernst's turn to be surprised.

"Manju Academy is hiring? How come I had no idea about this?"