People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

He's a compassionate person, and as long as Vina isn't afraid, he won't care about any damn international reputation at this time.

The competition was organized by Kazimierz, and the person sent by Sherag was named Vina Victoria. She has absolutely nothing to do with you, Victoria. Why are you making such a fuss?

But Vina resolutely shook her head.

Rather than going to the competition, she would rather sit in the stands with Ernst, eating popcorn, drinking cola, and watching the game.

Hinterlea and Vina were both unwilling, and Ernst glanced at the others again.

"Lola?"

"Young Master Ernst, you know me! I don't like fighting, I like playing with ashes!"

"Then...Joyce?"

"No relevant information was found, Mr. Ernst. I probably don't know any sports."

The silver-haired Liberian girl blinked.

"But I look forward to seeing other people shine."

The young girl, sweating it out on the field, immediately looked towards her lover in the audience after winning an honor. Seeing his smile, her own smile blossomed along with it.

Hmm, very good, sugar level up! up!

Ernst took a deep breath, glanced at Holhaya, and skipped over her.

Fat Snake, judging by her figure, you can tell she's not someone who likes sports.

Just kidding. Given Horhyah's personality, if Ernst were to actually send her to compete, he wouldn't be worried about Horhyah, but rather about her opponents.

Given Horhaia's mischievous nature, she's capable of doing something as simple as secretly adding laxatives to her opponent's teacup to win.

He looked at Jeston.

"Jesston, are you interested?"

Yes, Jeston is back too. After successfully getting the supposedly "invincible" Actos to drink his tenth cup and fall into a deep sleep, he also came to the meeting.

Faced with Ernst's question, he simply lowered his head humbly:

"Of course I'm willing, but, esteemed boss, don't you think there are better options than me?"

Ernst blinked in surprise: "Who are you referring to?"

"Of course, it's the famous Black Knight—Lady Mace."

Jeston answered matter-of-factly.

"As a three-time champion of the Kazimierz Knights Tournament, who could be more suitable to be the candidate for this competition?"

"Your Excellency, if we can persuade Ms. Jian to return to competition, this will be a highly anticipated event. With Ms. Jian's strength, she might not only win the championship of this Knights' Tournament, but also sweep aside other sports and achieve the first-ever Grand Slam at the World Games!"

"In this way, we can not only gain or even surpass the popularity and attention of the organizers of Kazimierz, but also obtain greater economic benefits. Why not?"

Ernst admired Jeston somewhat; the man's way of speaking was truly artful.

The Games haven't even been held once yet, but he can still boast that it's "the first in history," giving off a sense of grandeur as if countless previous Games have been held, with countless talents falling by the wayside, and the success of one general built on the bones of ten thousand.

However, Ernst pointed out that Jeston's statement was actually flawed. The Black Knight would definitely not achieve a Grand Slam.

“We have an Originium Arts competition,” Ernst reminded him.

Jeston exclaimed "Ah!" and nodded. "That's alright then. But Ms. Jian can participate in other projects, right?"

Ernst nodded: "She participated."

"You don't need to tell me, Jian has indeed returned."

"Her forms have been submitted to me. According to her, her first title was won for the sake of winning, her second title was to prove that her first title was not luck, her third title was to prove that no one could stop her, and now she is aiming for her fourth title, for her supporters."

Ernst shrugged and sighed helplessly:

"Yes, she is not fighting for Shelag. She is fighting for Karan Trade."

If Jesston could come up with a trump card, Ernst certainly could too.

However, she was from Ensiodes's side. In this sporting event that allowed both [nations] and [capital] to participate, she naturally became the trump card for the [Kalan Trade Team] rather than the [Sherag Team].

Ernst was helpless about this, and he couldn't blame Jian, since Jian's salary was indeed not paid by him.

Therefore, Ernst could only offer this assessment of Jeston's problem:

"Then you'll be participating in this competition."

"I have only one request. You, go and defeat the mace. We can't let Ensiodis be happy so soon!"

Jeston opened his mouth wide, pointed to himself, and after a long while forced a smile that looked like a cry:

"I?"

Chapter 359 Grand Tutor: Let's send a Grandmaster out to fight!

Shelag, Tukarim, Shelag Grand Hotel.

Ning Ciqiu watched as the Grand Tutor packed his things, preparing to leave Xielag. After hesitating for a moment, she stepped forward and asked softly:

"Grand Tutor, have you heard?"

The Grand Tutor paused slightly, but did not stop. Instead, he continued tidying up without changing his expression, while asking in response:

"Ci Qiu, what are you referring to?"

Ning Ciqiu said:

"Naturally, it's just been rumored these past few days. The Kazimirians want to expand the scale of the entire knightly competition and co-host a World Games with Sherag. It's said that the scale will be unprecedented. Grand Tutor, won't the Great Yan Dynasty participate?"

The Grand Tutor's face showed a look of sudden realization, and he then smiled and replied:

"Regarding the sports meet, the Grand Knight Commander of Kazimierz also came to see me privately and extended an invitation to me."

“In theory, as a member of the Terra land, Great Yan should not miss such a grand event. However, the World Games is not like the World Expo or the World Summit; it is just an entertainment event. The imperial court may not agree to send a delegation.”

Ning Ciqiu nodded; this was also what she was worried about.

If the Expo can be labeled as a cultural exchange within Terra, and the Summit can be seen as a sign of the restructuring of Terra's global order and political structure, then the World Games are not so important.

The Great Yan court's overall attitude towards foreign affairs remains conservative. Their agreement to allow the Grand Tutor to attend this meeting was already a highly improbable exception resulting from the complex interplay of various parties. And such an exception is indeed unlikely to occur a second time.

However, Ning Ciqiu has also grown. Knowing where the problem lies is only the first step in solving it; she has also begun to analyze the problem and look for more solutions.

For example, this time, before she came, she actually considered the possible resistance from within the imperial court and came up with a solution:

"Grand Tutor, I actually think that the court might be willing to send someone."

The Grand Tutor then stopped what he was doing and turned his head slightly to the side:

"Oh, how come you see it?"

Ning Ciqiu asked, "Grand Tutor, what do you think the Great Yan Dynasty lacks most right now?"

"It's about influence!"

"Our Great Yan is a wealthy nation with military strength comparable to Victoria and political stability far surpassing that of the Ursus Empire. However, our influence on Terra is only comparable to that of countries like Casimir and Letania. There's even a saying among Victorian scholars: when considering any international issues on Terra, Yan should not be included as one of the subjects of discussion."

"In the past, this wasn't a bad thing for the Great Yan. It helped us avoid troublesome choices that could have affected the fate of the nation, such as choosing sides in the Four Emperors War or forming alliances during the Great Conquest. But for the Great Yan now, it has become a bad thing. Because the Great Yan today needs this influence to compete for that position!"

Why don't the other countries talk about the Great Yan? It's certainly not because the Great Yan is some "untouchable slippery slope." Everyone simply habitually ignores this closed-off country, knowing that their consistent attitude is one of indifference, and their consistent action is one of inaction. But now, times have changed, and the Great Yan needs to change too. This is the key issue that Ning Ciqiu has grasped.

The Grand Tutor believed that it was necessary for the Great Yan to compete for one of the five high-backed chairs at the International Summit. This would inevitably lead to a change in the Great Yan's attitude, and such a change would inevitably create resistance. As the leader of the World Alliance, the Grand Tutor needed to achieve results.

The World Games would be a good choice.

Enhancing one's international influence without fighting, achieving the greatest results at the lowest cost, without wasting resources or affecting peace and stability, would at least face far fewer moral obstacles to this proposal.

Ning Ciqiu's idea was simple: as long as the Grand Tutor's memorial to the True Dragon, detailing the "Initial and End of the World Expo," was reviewed and approved, then the Great Yan would inevitably adjust its policies and begin to seek change in order to enhance its influence to the appropriate level.

In this process of seeking change, rather than engaging in geopolitical conflicts and disputes with existing countries and "making a name for oneself" at the cost of simple and brutal war, it would be better to participate in this international games within the "international system".

Admittedly, it may not bring much profit, but it also does not have unbearable costs of trial and error, which is its advantage!

The Grand Tutor nodded, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, and his facial features softened.

He was generous with his praise:

"Ci Qiu, you're right. This analysis is a significant improvement over the previous one."

Ning Ciqiu bowed somewhat embarrassedly: "It's all thanks to the Grand Tutor's guidance."

"My teachings? Hahaha. In that case, I'll ask you another question, Ciqiu. Let's see what kind of answer you can give me."

The Grand Tutor laughed.

Ning Ciqiu clenched her fist and nodded confidently: "Please ask."

Grand Tutor: "Ci Qiu, what else can be called your influence?"

Ning Ciqiu frowned slightly and thought for a while.

Influence, as the name suggests, is the ability to exert influence in a certain area. If you have influence in a particular field, then what you say will naturally be heard and recognized by more people.

If we were to explain influence in the Yan language, it would be something like this:

"face!"

The Grand Tutor nodded: "Yes, face."

"Then let me ask you, if you convince His Majesty the True Dragon that our Great Yan will indeed participate in this World Games, and His Majesty the True Dragon asks you for advice on finding a 'general of great talent' who can shoulder this important responsibility and lead the team into battle, who would you recommend?"

This question truly stumped Ning Ciqiu.

The world is a game of chess, and every move requires careful calculation. Ning Ciqiu is far from reaching that level. In her calculations, the moment His Majesty the True Dragon agreed to send a team to Kazimierz to participate in the Games, it was already over. Why would I need to personally recommend a team leader?

But in the Grand Tutor's view, she was being too naive to think that way.

Participating in the World Games is indeed not a big deal, as the cost is relatively low and the resistance from the government is not too great. But that doesn't mean that no one will make an issue of it.

When a nation is abroad, its priorities are its interests. If Ning Ciqiu can think of the advantages of the World Games, she must also consider its disadvantages.

This influence, or rather this face, is something you can gain, but what if you lose it?

It is said that victory and defeat are common occurrences in war, but which defeated general has ever escaped punishment?

Therefore, the selection of this person is of utmost importance!

As the initiator of this proposal, this is something Ning Ciqiu must consider.

Ke Ning Ciqiu was indeed in a dilemma.

As a lady from a prestigious family, she was surrounded by learned scholars and avoided associating with the uncultured. In fact, she did not know anyone who had made significant achievements in this field.

The high-ranking generals in the court would certainly not accept this responsibility. Sending generals to participate in the sports meet and compete with a group of commoners without official rank or status would be a disgrace to them. On the other hand, if they were to choose from among the extraordinary people in the streets, there was no guarantee that they would win.

However, if she loses face for her country on the field, even just a little bit, then her personal face will not be enough to make up for it.

Perhaps because of her father's status, she will not be subjected to too much criticism, but her future career and official position, along with her father, will likely be affected.

This really stumped her.

Seeing her troubled expression, the Grand Tutor did not make things difficult for her.

This is a difference in life experience. The Grand Tutor, who has seen countless people, can quickly come up with many options in his mind, but Ning Ciqiu cannot. However, this is not a big problem. As long as Ning Ciqiu realizes the risks involved, the Grand Tutor's goal will be achieved.

As for the candidate, the Grand Tutor had already made preparations.

"Ciqiu, tell me, what is the most important event in the World Games?"

Ning Ciqiu snapped out of her daze and, after a moment's thought, replied:

"Of course it's the knightly competition. After all, it's Kazimierz's national symbol, the most popular event, and naturally the highlight of the entire Games."

The Grand Tutor nodded:

"So, what kind of competition in our Great Yan Kingdom do you think this knightly arena format is similar to?"

Which domestic competition is it similar to?

Ning Ciqiu rubbed the tip of her nose, a sudden thought flashing through her mind, and exclaimed:

"Is the Grand Tutor referring to a martial arts tournament?!"