People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Chapter 342 Please answer, for this is of paramount importance to civilization!

Although Ernst's question carried a hint of ambiguity, reminiscent of action-drama films from the East, he was indeed very serious.

The recording was provided by Kal'tsit, who claimed to know at least part of the Lateran underground mainframe's existence. Based on Ernst's experience, if the Lateran underground mainframe received the commands in the recording and someone confirmed their authenticity, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The entirety of Terra, no, and not just Terra, but the entire galaxy in which Terra resides, will be struck by devastating weapons.

Ernst didn't think this was pre-civilization boasting.

Ernst didn't know exactly how much of a legacy the pre-civilization left behind on Terra. But he was acutely aware of just how powerful that legacy was.

Because the Sarkaz came into contact with the [Law] host, they were bound by a halo, and from then on, they were transformed into a different race, and they also gained a set of firearms that were only compatible with them.

A pre-civilization isolation layer shrouded the sky. This eggshell, which the Terrans called "Star Pods," blocked the civilization's hopes of exploring the sky, but it also helped the Terran civilization withstand the most troublesome evil corruption.

Why is demonic contamination the most troublesome? Because it often comes silently.

While the arrival of the Seaborne Heirs on land is also a potential cataclysmic crisis, it can certainly be prevented. Whether or not it can be completely prevented, it offers some psychological comfort. But demons cannot. Once demonic contamination spreads, the general public will be completely unaware.

Just as Warfarin said, the Sami people actually have a set of methods to distinguish whether they have been corrupted by evil spirits, the simplest of which is to simply count numbers.

Demonic contamination can interfere with human cognition. Sami people exploring contaminated areas would write down the value of one plus one in a notebook beforehand, and ask each other about it every so often. If the answer did not match the one written in the notebook, it meant that contamination had occurred and purification was needed (this was used in the Cold Sandalwood Secret Records).

This method, though old-fashioned, is indeed effective.

The problem is that Samisheshi only did this when she was on guard. The general public often lacks this awareness; who would casually ask each other what one plus one equals?

Most people wouldn't even realize something was wrong until the collapse. Like Christensen, there were probably few people on this land more intelligent than her, yet even she, had Ernst not given her a warning, would have almost fallen prey to the evil spirits.

It's easy to defend against a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Our ancestors understood this principle thousands of years ago.

This kind of pollution, which was so difficult to defend against and even bordered on conceptual, was completely blocked by the isolation layer of the pre-civilization, made of unknown materials and based on unknown principles. As a result, for thousands of years, the people of Terra gazed at the stars, and not a single one of them went mad because of it.

It's important to understand that in many literary works Ernst had read in his previous life, the danger of the starry sky lay in its mystery. And those who sought to uncover its mysteries—astrologers, folklorists, fortune tellers, and so on—were often pitiful creatures walking hand in hand with madness.

From this perspective, the people of Terra are undoubtedly lucky.

But they are also unfortunate.

Because outside this isolation layer, there are likely countless weapons capable of annihilating an entire galaxy, aimed at their planet, ready to fire at any moment and efficiently wipe out all organic life on that planet.

Kal'tsit gave Ernst the opportunity to make this decision, giving all of Terra the chance to see the most spectacular fireworks display.

The Spring Festival featured twelve exciting ringing sounds, even more so than Ode to Joy!

That's why he asked this question so seriously.

"Kal'tsit, you don't want me to spread this recording all over Terra, do you?"

Ernst can guarantee his own moral conscience, but he can't guarantee others'. He also can't guarantee things like the mainframe beneath Laterano, which is unique in all of Terra.

If the recording were to actually be leaked, it would be tantamount to giving everyone, whether they are beggars or thugs, infected or anthropomorphic nobles, a nuclear launch button.

The end of the world is basically a foregone conclusion; there is no other possibility. With a population of billions on Terra, there will always be one person who is in a bad mood and wants to cause the whole thing to explode.

This thing absolutely cannot be "democratic".

If that's really what Kal'tsit is planning...

Ernst's expression was somewhat serious.

He figured he'd have to invite Kal'tsit to go hiking with him, and while he's at it, ask her, "Do you think I still have a chance?"

Incidentally, he also needed to get Joyce to approve some funds temporarily. Holding a grand funeral for his friend on Rhodes Island who died unexpectedly was a considerable expense. Considering Kal'tsit had helped him a lot, Ernst wouldn't be stingy in this regard.

After all, the illness had lasted for a long time, so the funeral was arranged all at once.

Under Ernst's intense, focused gaze, a flicker of panic crossed Kal'tsit's face, before she quickly shook her head, her voice even sounding somewhat hurried:

"No, no, no, absolutely not."

"If the contents of the recording are released, it will be a catastrophe for Terra!"

"Ernst, I've prepared the results of Operation Star-Picking for you. Use these materials to release them. Recording..."

Kal'tsit reached out, seemingly wanting to take the recording back.

But halfway through her outstretched hand, she recoiled as if electrocuted, gritted her teeth, and shook her head.

"I'll leave the recording in your safekeeping, that way you'll feel at ease, right?"

Ernst adjusted his posture and remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement with her question.

Kal'tsit pursed her lips.

To be honest, she had never made such a decision before.

The recording clearly involved secrets from a previous civilization, secrets that, theoretically, must be controlled. In the past, Kal'tsit would have used every means to retrieve and seal it away.

But this time is different from the past.

The Terrans, from the Balrog Project to revive an Originium life form, to establishing the Dome Research Station to conduct close-range research on the isolation layer, to carrying out a series of experiments to try to break through the isolation layer, and finally determining the "Star-Picking Project," all these efforts, work, plans, and the difficulties, accidents, and coincidences involved were indeed all Terrans' own.

Naturally, the people of Terra should also have ownership of the recording.

Reclaiming them would mean violating the principle that Kal'tsit has always adhered to—protective intervention.

That is, to suppress the undue influence of pre-civilization technology on Terran civilization, but to allow Terrans to gradually acquire information about pre-civilization through their own efforts and obtain technologies that are suitable for their current stage of civilization.

This is why she chose to give the recordings to Ernst in the laboratory.

This is what Ernst deserves; she has no right to take it away from him.

The only unexpected thing was that Ernst was able to find the "lock" that corresponded to the "key," which caused things to slip out of her control to some extent.

According to her estimate, the time span from obtaining the recording to learning the truth could exceed several generations!

Therefore, in a sense, Ernst's act of translating the recordings can be seen as an excessive influence of the legacy of a pre-civilization on the existing Terran civilization.

This puts Kal'tsit in a logical bug, an infinite loop.

—The recording was obtained by the Terrans' native "Project Stargazing" and cannot be confiscated.

After obtaining the recording, Ernst quickly located the [host] to translate it, obtaining partial information about the extermination order of the previous civilization. He concluded that the legacy of the previous civilization was excessively influencing the current Terra civilization, and the [recording] should be retrieved.

However, the recordings are legitimate proceeds from Terran's "Project Stargazing" and cannot be confiscated.

.........

Of course, besides the option of retrieving the recordings, she actually had two other options.

First, reclaim the Laterano mainframe, namely the [Law]. This would resolve, or at least delay, the potential threat posed by the recordings while preserving the [recordings] that the Terrans could legitimately obtain. Removing the lock would also render the key unusable.

The problem is, Laterano is too strong. Kal'tsit can't solo it.

This is much more difficult than clearing the Kazdel dungeon. Laterano is a well-known and reputable nation on the continent. No major power would risk its reputation to attack a nation that also has many followers within its own country.

Moreover, her goal was to destroy the mainframe, which is essentially equivalent to destroying the entire Sarkaz race. The impact would be far greater than wiping out Kazdel.

Kazdel is destroyed, but the Sarkaz can still roam freely. However, if the Laterano host is gone, the Sarkaz will be wiped out.

How many Sarkaz, now back to their original forms, will fight her to the death?

Kal'tsit cannot afford such a price; it would be tantamount to her, a product of a previous civilization, forcibly swaying the Terra civilization onto a different path.

Secondly, get rid of the person who raised the question.

Getting rid of Ernst is also an option.

But Ernst is too powerful... his connections and influence are too strong.

If her previous account hadn't been "unrivaled, taking down an entire army!" by Theresis, she might have had some confidence. But now, with this alt account that relies entirely on mon3tr for fighting...

That's enough. I'm truly sorry I didn't make Jeragund use his full power.

Besides, she couldn't bring herself to get rid of Ernst.

We can't just cut down the only human-like creature and then watch Terrans swimming in a cesspool, can we?

The stagnant pool had finally begun to ripple, and Ernst was one of the hopes. Kal'tsit couldn't bring herself to extinguish that hope.

No matter what she says, she considers herself the caretaker of this civilization.

Although she didn't do a great job objectively, the Terrans would have killed themselves hundreds of times over if it weren't for her.

When all alternative options were forced to be eliminated and the judgment logic fell into a vicious cycle, Kal'tsit knew that it was time for her to make a choice.

"Kelsey."

Ernst suddenly spoke. Kelsey abruptly looked up from her thoughts and met those clear eyes.

"Actually, I've always wanted to ask this."

"You know so much, what exactly are you?"

"Are you also connected to that mysterious pre-civilization?"

Kal'tsit was speechless for a moment.

She had anticipated that Ernst would ask this question sooner or later—she had revealed too much, too many secrets and information, to be explained even by an immortal.

But to be honest, she never thought it would be now.

At this juncture.

"I......."

Ernst didn't let Kelsey finish speaking; he simply crossed his arms and smiled as he interrupted:

Are you from Terra?

"I am."

"Be firm, Kal'tsit, do you consider yourself Terran?"

A sense of helplessness welled up in Kal'tsit's heart. She knew her own identity very well. She could not be considered a native Terran. She was just a servant of humans, a machine with intelligence and feelings. She might not even be considered a person.

But faced with Ernst's question, a question that directly addressed her current self-perception, she gritted her teeth and gave the most stubborn answer, regardless of everything:

"I think I am."

Ernst nodded and smiled:

"That's good."

"Don't worry, I'll tell you. I saw the options, and from that passage, I can roughly deduce the content of the recording."

"To be honest, I was very suspicious of you at the time. What was your purpose in giving me the recording? And who is your identity? Was this yes or no choice a scam, or a real choice leading to the end?"

He shrugged, seemingly less nervous than he claimed; in fact, he appeared somewhat relaxed.

"But now, I'm somewhat certain."

"You still consider yourself a Terran, and you don't have any intention of destroying this place."

"Then I can confidently tell you my choice."

He paused, then began to describe it in the simplest of languages:

"I didn't hesitate for even a second before choosing no."

Sometimes, sincerity is the ultimate weapon.

Kal'tsit's breath caught in her throat for a moment, and her heart, which had been pounding in her throat, finally fell like a boulder to the ground with a clear, dull thud.

Yes, what is there for her to hesitate or be indecisive about?

She wasn't the only one protecting Terra, the one who wanted this planet and this civilization to survive. Misanthropic individuals, anti-humans, and anthropomorphic creatures were indeed everywhere, but at least she hadn't misjudged the child before her.

He made the right choice at the most dangerous moment, and even when he carried the weight of a civilization on his back, that pressure never broke him.

Ernst is credible.

Kal'tsit finally made this conclusion.

Kal'tsit's emotions finally overwhelmed ama-10's logic, and she nodded:

"Keep the recording here."

"I believe you."

..........

Ernst let out a long sigh of relief as he watched Kal'tsit leave.

The implications were far more profound and weighty than Kal'tsit had anticipated. At the moment he made his choice, Ernst carried the weight of three civilizations on his shoulders.