People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Wouldn't that mean that Ernst would be better than the three Jestons from the start, and be on par with Seria?

Don't joke around. Ernst has some self-awareness. If he had that fighting power, the Grand Elder would have been the one to face the Holy Stone Trial back then.

Hang him up on the mountain like cured meat! Give him a severe insult!

Unfortunately, he didn't.

Combat strength is always relative, and Jeston's current combat strength clearly lacks an accurate benchmark. The Jeston who was originally an enemy in Crysis and the Jeston who is now thriving in Kjerag are obviously not comparable.

After all, as the old saying goes, the past is the past, and the present is the present. Ernst can hardly guarantee whether Jeston's current strength has reached a new high or fallen below his limit.

He thought for a moment and then encouraged, "Jesston, you sound very knowledgeable. How about I set up a match for you and you go up and fight?"

Jeston, however, nodded in agreement with a confident expression:

"Does Lord Ernst doubt my abilities? You can rest assured. Don't you even know who I am?"

Ernst looked at Hinterlea: "Hinterlea, you were also a gladiator knight, why don't you spar with Jeston?"

Hinterlea was taken aback, not expecting that drinking a soda could lead to work. Feeling awkward about refusing, she could only purse her lips and nod.

"If the boss insists, it's not impossible. It's just that I haven't practiced much lately, and I'm afraid I can't pull a heavy bow like I used to, and shoot the arrow through the hand."

Ernst: "......."

Were you really this good before?

He looked at Bai Jin's slender, fair arms and legs with some disbelief, then at her sincere, embarrassed face, and finally took a deep breath, utterly shocked:

"It's okay."

However, just as the matter was about to be settled, Chongyue spoke up again:

“Actually, Mr. Ernst, if you’d like, I would also like to have a friendly spar with Mr. Jeston.”

He really thought so.

Jeston's verbal skills were indeed impressive, and while his analysis of the game's situation might not be perfectly detailed, it was at least commendable. This certainly piqued Chongyue's interest.

In addition, Chongyue did have high expectations for Xielag's martial arts, and now that he had encountered such a good opportunity, he was naturally itching to fight.

Faced with Chongyue's suggestion, Ernst glanced at Jeston, whose expression this time became slightly serious.

As someone who is adept at reading people and always strives to be in the right state of mind, Li Boli could somewhat recognize Chongyue's prowess.

After all, he had never seen anyone go out without a secretary, bodyguards, or even a pretty female companion, but instead bring along a martial arts expert who could dissect other people's sword techniques in a notebook at lightning speed, and record each move into a book.

We usually use two words to describe this kind of person.

—A martial arts fanatic!

To be honest, Jeston felt that dealing with him would be somewhat stressful.

At least, it's much more stressful than dealing with Cintraya, who has thin arms and legs and spends most of her time at the front desk playing on her phone.

But since the other side has already issued a challenge, how can we not accept it?

Jeston is a man who cares a lot about his image, especially when he's in public; his arrogance is often undisguised. Although during his time in Sherag, he met so many important figures that his initial arrogance was followed by obsequiousness most of the time, this didn't mean he could tolerate losing face in such a situation.

At this moment, only a fight to the death is possible; how can we talk about surrendering?

Having made up his mind, Jeston no longer hesitated and nodded solemnly to Ernst. He then turned to Chongyue and earnestly advised the tall and imposing martial artist from Yan:

"A friendly exchange is fine, but let's stop when we've reached a point. I don't want to accidentally hurt you, Mr. Chongyue."

Such a loud tone?

The military officers were stunned by what they heard. In the Yan Kingdom, who would dare to say such a thing to Grandmaster Chongyue, the embodiment of martial arts in the Great Yan Kingdom?

It's always the case that Grandmaster Chongyue throws a punch and then immediately kneels down begging him not to die.

He instinctively wanted to speak up and explain, to introduce Chongyue's identity to Jeston, but before he could say anything, Chongyue stopped him with a hand.

The master shook his head at him, clearly not wanting to mention his identity.

What kind of embodiment of "martial arts" is he? He is now going to fight a foreigner who knows nothing about the martial arts of Yan Kingdom.

If he intimidates people with his reputation beforehand, what's the difference between him and a business association?

Chongyue straightened his expression, bowed solemnly to Jeston, and replied:

"Of course, according to the rules of the martial arts world, we should stop when we've reached our limit. I hope Mr. Jeston will be more accommodating."

Chapter 373 Chongyue: Ernst is a good person to get along with; he'll really step up when needed.

As expected, the match between the Candle Knight and the Calamity Knight ended with the Candle Knight winning easily.

On one side was the star knight, who was already stronger and had Originium Arts as a trump card; on the other side was the "chosen loser," who was inferior in every aspect and lacked the fighting spirit to fight to the death. Even though the odds had reached 1 to 100, there was no surprising upset in the end.

The business association also needs to consider long-term interests. Even if they really wanted to orchestrate one or two major upsets in the Special Championship to generate a lot of buzz, they wouldn't do it so obviously. It's like a university exam: you're cheating, the proctor knows you're cheating, and he's kind enough to let you off the hook, but you can't just completely ignore him.

To paraphrase the advisor: "I keep all the lights off!"

Ernst watched as the fierce knight left the arena, looking somewhat forlorn, without a single cheer for her. Then he turned to look at Hinterlea:

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"

Hinterlea paused for a moment, then nodded, a touch of emotion welling up inside her.

"I never thought that guy would have a day like this."

"Back then, when the Business Federation asked me to let her win so she could get the points to advance to the next round of the Major qualifiers from me, that guy was grinning from ear to ear."

Recalling the smug look on the face of the Knights on the court back then, Hinterlea couldn't help but sneer.

She still remembers the scene from that year very clearly.

Intentionally making mistakes when they should have easily dodged, deliberately missing shots when they should have been sure hits, and using themselves as stepping stones for their juniors in matches they should have easily won, thus adding to the winning record of their newly cultivated signature knight.

Everything was so frustrating, but the most frustrating thing, and the one that Hinterlea remembered most vividly, was that sentence.

The victorious knight stood before her, pulling up her as she was struck by the back of the great axe because she had deliberately exposed an opening. He wore a smug smile, his pride evident.

Facing her "defeated opponent," she offered chivalrous advice:

"Too many mistakes, too many flaws, the technique is really too poor. You need to practice more."

"If you could be like me, with every move imbued with sweat and effort, I think you would be a good opponent."

"Unfortunately, you are not worthy now."

Hinterlea almost couldn't hold back and punched that shameless woman right then and there!

Unfortunately, at that time she still had to rely on knightly competitions to make a living and also had to rely on the business association for her livelihood. As for this new knight who was pushed out by big capital, she could only vent her anger.

That year I was eighteen, and on the field, I stood like a lackey.

Now, seeing that guy have come to this day, Hinterlea felt incredibly happy.

If Ernst hadn't been there, and if Hinterlea hadn't been somewhat concerned about her image, she would have wanted to go straight offstage and backstage to give that old rival a piece of her mind!

Now that I stand before you again, how much do I resemble the one I used to be?

Seemingly sensing what Hintleya was thinking, Ernst smiled slightly and took the initiative to ask:

"Aren't you going to put on a show of arrogance?"

Hintraya blinked, confirming with a hint of anticipation:

"May I?"

Ernst nodded.

Why not? Wealth and honor without returning to one's hometown are like wearing embroidered robes at night—who will know?

Ernst was always very lenient with his own people. As long as they didn't violate any principles, or cause a huge uproar like the feathered serpent who wished to remain anonymous, Ernst didn't mind if they did something that would make him happy.

Ernst never believed in that nonsense about repaying evil with good. The Knight of the Fallen Knight had cheated to win, showing Hinterlea his true colors – it was like using cheats in an FPS game or scripts in League of Legends, then shamelessly mocking his opponent. If it were the old Ernst, he would have already launched a hunt for him online. So what if Hinterlea just said a few words?

At worst, Ernst will simply not get involved.

When asked, I replied that it was the personal action of a government official and did not represent my position. If you want to use this to target Hinterria, then you are one of my people, and Kazimir has no right to judge you. If you're ignorant, then call your Overseer's Council leader over and see what Grand Knight Russell has to say.

Ernst had a thousand ways to make Hinterlea vent her anger without any consequences. It would just cause a little trouble.

As for this little trouble, consider it an employee benefit provided by him as the leader; he'll take care of it!

Having received Ernst's direct affirmation, Hinterlea nodded excitedly. Her legs, which hadn't run in a long time, suddenly became unusually agile, and she jumped down the steps in three quick steps, running towards the exit passage.

Meanwhile, Chongyue, who witnessed all of this, took a deep breath and then exhaled with mixed feelings.

He didn't judge whether Ernst's actions were right or wrong. Revenge is a form of chivalry, a romantic ideal for those in the martial arts world, and if judged by his own conscience, he would support Ernst.

But how often do people have the opportunity to follow their own hearts while living in this world?

To be honest, for just that one moment, Chongyue did feel a little envious of Cintraya.

After all, in Yan Kingdom, he was the eldest among the agents of the Year Beast. When his younger siblings did wrong, the court would still give him some face because of his meritorious service in guarding the border. But what about himself?

He's reached his limit. Above him, whether it's Zuo Xuanliao, the garrison commander of Yumen, or Si Suitai, who directly manages their Sui beast agents, aren't they all, whether genuinely or feigning, using the guise of "official business"?

Even the Grand Tutor, in securing this opportunity to go abroad for himself, clearly did not do so simply to change his environment and relax; rather, he had his own considerations and complicated interests at stake.

Who wouldn't want a leader who truly takes responsibility when things go wrong?

Ernst is a man you can get along with.

Ernst was unaware of Chongyue's thoughts. Rather than trying to read the expressions of a master of facial expression management from Yan Kingdom, he was more interested in seeing bloodshed... no, he wanted to see the battle between Jeston and Chongyue.

Therefore, Ernst went directly to the arena organizing committee's office after the event and asked to temporarily borrow the venue.

Unexpectedly, Ernst did not encounter any resistance. The organizing committee did not even verify Ernst's identity documents, nor did they ask him for any permission from the supervisory committee or the business association.

They didn't even charge Ernst the rent that was really just a "significant" amount.

Because they recognized Ernst.

"It is an honor for our organizing committee that Prime Minister Sherag could attend the match at the Rose Arena. We hope you enjoyed today's game!"

"Rent the arena? Of course, no problem. You asked for permission? It's such a small matter, why would I trouble you to run around like this?"

"We'll get the permits ourselves afterward. And there's absolutely no need for rent."

The head of the organizing committee, a man in a suit with heavy black eye sockets and gold-rimmed glasses, spoke while glancing at Chong Yue and Jeston beside Ernst, then clapped his hands and said:

"On the contrary, being able to see the match between the Yan Country team and the Sherag team in advance is a tremendous blessing for us employees. We are the ones who should pay for the tickets!"

As he spoke, he actually reached into his pouch, took out a stack of Casimir marks, and tried to hand them to Ernst.

Ernst, of course, could not accept it.

This constitutes bribery. Although he accepted the Ursus spy's bank card, at least he didn't do it in front of outsiders. With so many people here, it really doesn't look good.

Seeing this, the person in charge didn't press the issue further, but instead pulled out a stack of lottery tickets from his wallet and forcefully stuffed them into Ernst's hand:

"These are the raffle tickets for the Major. Before each Knights Tournament, you use these to vote for the knight you support. Prime Minister Ernst probably didn't redeem these, so consider these a gift to you. Have fun in Kazimierz."

"As for the venue, we will prepare it for you immediately. Please wait a moment."

Ernst nodded, and the person in charge slapped his forehead, then added, "..."

"Mr. Ernst, do you have any special requirements regarding the competition venue?"

Ernst glanced at Chongyue, who shook his head. He then looked at Jeston, who stepped forward and, with great expertise, offered a reminder:

"Please refrain from recording this match. Also, please move your cameras and other equipment further away."

After he finished speaking, he smiled and glanced at Chongyue.

Chongyue smiled knowingly and nodded in agreement.

The person in charge's smile froze slightly, as if their little scheme had been seen through. They awkwardly adjusted their glasses and quickly replied, "Yes."

"Of course, of course. Pre-match sparring is confidential, I understand."

Chapter 374 This punch will surely turn steel into dust!

Casimir, Rose Arena.

A match hosted by a somewhat well-known figure in this region, and featuring two amateur knights, was being held rather bleakly with little attention.

Jeston is very confident in his abilities.