People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

What do the liches need from the great god Jeragand?

Emengard waved his hand, somewhat embarrassed, and explained:

"It's not the lich, it's me!"

"The chieftain is very strict. I was just thinking that if I fail to complete the mission, and if I have a good relationship with Yeragand, I can hide in the mountains and the chieftain won't be able to catch me!"

As she spoke, she probably realized that this would make her seem unreliable, so she added:

"Of course, this is just a precaution; I will still complete the work that needs to be done."

This hasn't even started yet, and you're already planning to be the most agile dog in the mountains. What you're saying is really not convincing.

Ernst was speechless, but thinking about it another way, although Emengard seemed unreliable, she really was unreliable!

At least she was indeed doing her best to slack off, relentlessly procrastinating, racking her brains to avoid punishment, and sincerely complaining about her teacher. Although she wasn't as reliable or capable as the Sarkaz Ernst had encountered before, at least there was no need to worry about her causing any major trouble.

As a Sarkaz who is completely opposite to the traditional Sarkaz in "everything," if the Lich King's Court must send someone like Emengard to communicate, Ernst would still prefer that person to be Emengard.

It's better than Fremont coming in person.

After careful consideration and deliberation, Ernst finally nodded:

"I understand about this."

"You can wait until after this sports meet and then come back to Kjerag with me, or you can go ahead first. I can give you a letter of introduction; take it to Hedley in Kjerag..."

“The legendary mercenary Hedley? Respect!” Emengard suddenly interrupted. “So he’s in Kjerag too. You Kjerag have a lot of Sarkaz, huh!”

Ernst: "........."

He really wanted to say, "This is nothing! I still have a lot of relics here: the red barrel left by the Banshee, the armor worn by the Balrog. If you had come earlier, you would have also found the sword and pocket watch of a military commission officer, as well as Rhodes Island with the Banshee's court as its ruler."

It’s smaller, the layout is smaller!

"In short, if you go to Shelag now, take my letter of introduction to Hedley."

"Sherag does have quite a few Sarkaz right now, and... there might be even more in the future."

As Ernst spoke, he gradually became aware of the problem.

Once the Sarkaz population increases, Sarkaz communities will inevitably form. Rather than letting these Sarkaz form their own communities and management systems, indirectly starting to resist Sherag's management system and generating xenophobic sentiments, it's better to prevent this from happening in the first place.

This preventative measure doesn't involve direct suppression or banning, but rather the Sheraq government making advance plans and establishing a management mechanism for the Saakaz.

For example, an organization like a neighborhood committee or management bureau wouldn't be very expensive, and its employees wouldn't all need to be Sarkaz. It could be headed by Hedley as a committee member, with several deputies to handle communication and management of Sarkaz laborers and employees. It would exist as a transitional organization, helping Sarkaz people arriving in Shelag to integrate into the snowy environment more quickly and contribute to Shelag's development.

When the Sarkaz are completely integrated into the Sherag and become Sheragians, indistinguishable from other races like Ursus, Felin, Zalak, Volper, and Caprini, the historical mission of this Authority will be complete.

But as you can imagine, this will be a long process.

Regardless, this idea is good and has some feasibility.

Ernst nodded to himself and silently noted down the idea.

In a few days, I'll write a letter to Hedre and Kal'tsit to talk about the lich and discuss the Sarkaz management with them, and ask for their opinions.

It's been a while since I've seen Kal'tsit. I miss her a bit because she's no longer the know-it-all who knows a little about everything and has gradually gotten rid of her riddle-mongering habits.

Chapter 391 The young lynx fell asleep as soon as its head hit the pillow.

Great Yan, Lungmen, Rhodes Island docking point.

"Ding!"

A crisp notification sound rang out in the Rhodes Island corridor. The operating room lights went out, the doors slowly opened, and the green figure who stepped out removed his mask and gloves, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Another one was saved.

The infected problem in Lungmen was much more serious than she had imagined, and this seriousness was different from the seriousness that Kal'tsit had experienced in other countries, such as Ursus and Victoria.

The number of infected people gathered in the Lungmen slums is enormous. Among them are not only locals of Lungmen, but also a large number of infected people from the neighboring Ursus mobile city of Chernobog. These infected people cannot tolerate Ursus's extreme infected policy, which only allows them to have common topics with the Great Western King. They believe that "it is better to serve Wei Yanwu in Lungmen than to be slaughtered like cattle in Chernobog." So, they come in large numbers almost every time they arrive.

To be fair, this was actually a problem on Ursus's side, not Lungmen's fault. However, Lungmen Governor Wei Yanwu's handling of this matter was very characteristic of Yan Kingdom—as long as nothing serious happened, it was as if nothing had happened.

He downplayed the seriousness of the situation, and ignored the minor issues altogether, as long as the infected individuals didn't cause any major problems. As a result, the problem of infected individuals in Lungmen continued to accumulate.

The Rat King, who controlled the underground order of Lungmen, was not unintentional in addressing the increasingly serious infected problem in his territory. However, when he realized that the infected were a problem that needed to be dealt with, it meant that the infected problem had exceeded his capabilities. Regardless of Wei Yanwu's situation, no matter how powerful the Rat King was, he couldn't simply throw so many people out of Lungmen's mobile territory.

Furthermore, because it is difficult to eradicate the problem of infected individuals, in order to prevent the problem from escalating, he also has to give infected individuals a way out and a chance to survive.

This creates a vicious cycle.

As long as Ursus's policy towards the infected remains unchanged, the exodus of infected people from that country will not stop. Because of Lungmen Governor Wei Yanwu's indifference and Rat King Lin Gerui's incompetence, Lungmen has once again become a "friendly city" that ignores the infected. As a result, more and more infected people will gather in Lungmen. The more infected people gather, the greater the pressure on the Rat King, and the higher the cost of maintaining his underground order. Consequently, he will have to concede even more benefits to the infected and provide more job opportunities...

Does this plot seem familiar?

Yes, this is a repeat of the refugee problem.

The best way to solve this problem is not to accept it in the first place. Once you accept it, it is tantamount to being morally blackmailed. The refugee group will also have the awareness to fight for political rights. The more people there are, the more they will squeeze the interests that originally belonged to the local natives, which will lead to more and more social problems. Until finally, the ruling group that has been morally blackmailed can no longer provide the interests that can satisfy the growing refugee group, the fragile stability will completely collapse, and large-scale social unrest will be triggered.

Of course, this situation is less likely to occur in Terra, after all, Terrans don't have such high moral standards.

Even the Rat King hasn't really succumbed to the pressure yet, and Wei Yanwu just feels that the problem hasn't gotten that serious yet. If, on that day, the infected in Lungmen really cause serious social problems, by Terran standards, there is a "final solution for the infected."

However, these are all analyses of the pros and cons purely from the perspective of those at the top, conducted with the cold and ruthless viewpoint of the state apparatus. For Rhodes Island, and for the vast infected population, this is clearly not good news.

During this period, Rhodes Island has established an office in the Lungmen slums, recruited personnel, dispatched medics to the area, and signed a cooperation agreement with the infected in the slums, as well as the Rat King, in exchange for Infected labor and Infected inhibitors. The situation has been somewhat stabilized. Amiya has also gained the initial trust of the moderate Infected leaders, who are willing to come to Rhodes Island for treatment, and the number of Infected hired by Rhodes Island is gradually increasing.

Take, for example, the girl who just had surgery. She has been confirmed to join Rhodes Island and is temporarily classified as a logistics operator, serving as an assistant operator at Rhodes Island's Lungmen Slums Office.

At her own request, her codename was chosen as "Hidden Rope," a somewhat darkly humorous designation. This was due to two reasons: first, this Rembitoid-born Infected was highly skilled in using tools like grappling hooks and ropes; and second, it was because of her past job in the Lungmen slums.

She was a pickpocket, or what is commonly known as a thief.

In the semantics of the Yan language, "暗索" can be considered an abbreviation of "secretly demanding".

As for what she meant exactly, Kal'tsit had no idea.

She blinked as she gazed at the warm sunlight streaming in through the porthole in the corridor.

"Is it morning already?"

"The surgery will take six hours and fifty-three minutes. Your workload has been increasing lately."

Ascalon emerged from the shadows, holding a letter in his hand.

"I told Amiya to go back to sleep first. Here's your letter. Let's make it clear, you can decide whether to read it first or go to sleep first."

Kal'tsit glanced at Ascalon with some confusion, not quite understanding what she meant.

What's going on? I've already completed a nearly seven-hour surgery. How much time could a letter possibly take? It can't possibly keep me from sleeping, can it?

She took the letter and glanced at the mailing address.

【Kasimir】.

I glanced at the sender's name again.

Ernst Shivaesh.

Kal'tsit: ".........."

I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe I should take a nap first?

Kal'tsit clicked her tongue, feeling somewhat ashamed of her subconscious thought.

Kal'tsit, Kal'tsit, what's wrong with you? It's just a letter from Ernst in Casimir, what's there to worry about?

Don't you know about Kazimierz? It has no behemoths, no beast lords, and no Sarkaz royal court. It is arguably the most "modern" country on Terra, and it has absolutely no connection with the previous civilization or the Tikkaz civilization!

Besides, Ernst went to Casimir as a guest to watch the World Games hosted by the Supervisory Council. He himself wouldn't be competing in Casimir, nor would he be in the center of attention. Casimir also doesn't have any particularly noteworthy mega-scale scientific research projects. Could Ernst possibly conjure up some extraordinary project out of thin air?

Makes no sense.

"Kal'tsit, your hands are shaking."

Ascalon's lips curled into a smile as he watched Kal'tsit with great interest.

Kal'tsit snapped back to reality, gripping her trembling arm with her other hand, forcing her expression back to its usual coldness.

Yes, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore.

Ernst will most likely just write a letter to inquire whether Rhodes Island has arrived in Lungmen, and to casually ask how Amiya and I are doing. After all, we're practically friends, so this is perfectly normal, very normal.

Do you want me to read it to you?

Ascalon reached out her hand to Kal'tsit, but Kal'tsit firmly shook her head:

"What are you talking about, Ascalon? Nothing's wrong with me."

"I was just a little tired from the surgery and was a bit dazed for a moment."

"It's just a letter, watch me read it!"

Kal'tsit opened the envelope, swallowed hard, and unfolded the letter inside.

Ernst's (this time without Vina writing for him) not-so-good handwriting appeared before Kal'tsit, instantly transporting her back to that remote, secluded snowy realm.

[Kal'tsit, it's as if I'm seeing you in person. Please give my regards to Amiya. Has Rhodes Island arrived in Lungmen yet? How's the infected situation in Lungmen going? The World Games have officially begun, and not only in Kalishimir, but throughout Terra, the enthusiasm for this competition is incredibly high. I've encountered a large number of experts I've never heard of before. Almost every day I've spent in astonishment, exclaiming things like, "Wow, so amazing!", "What? There are more experts?", and "I thought he was invincible, whose subordinate is he?" It's been quite a tiring experience, to say the least.]

Kal'tsit's tense expression relaxed slightly, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

so far so good.

See? I told you, it was just a greeting letter from Ernst. There's absolutely nothing to worry about.

Amiya is doing well, and the successful convening of the World Games is a fortunate event for this land. As for the handling of the infected in Lungmen, although there have been some setbacks and some misjudgments, the overall progress is still good. However, it will be difficult to keep the promise to Ernst to come and participate in the Games after the situation is resolved.

As for the question of whether someone is a master or not, Kal'tsit just smiled knowingly.

Ernst's knowledge was still too shallow, limited to a corner of Shelag. He hadn't even traveled to all the countries in this land, so it was normal that he didn't know any heroes of the world.

It's a pity she wasn't in Casimir, otherwise she would have been happy to introduce them to Ernst one by one. Heh, but I suppose the so-called "heroes" Ernst met were just exaggerations.

Compared to the heroes Kal'tsit had met before, such as Sha'aluga Sargeras, Nightmare Haranduhan, the first Pegasus, King of the Eagles, and the overlord of the gods and the Sarkaz Demon Lord, what kind of heroes could someone who appeared at a sports meet be called?

With her heart finally at ease, Kal'tsit continued watching.

As always, I've made friends with quite a few contestants and guests. Among them are Mr. Chongyue, a master from Yan Country where you are now, and Ms. Beatrice Swire, who currently holds the position of Senior Inspector of the Lungmen Guard Bureau. It's quite a coincidence, I must say.

Kal'tsit: "........?"

Who?

Who are you talking about?

Beatrice Schweitzer knew her; she was the heiress of a powerful business family with operations spanning the land. Although her status was quite illustrious, Kal'tsit didn't have any particular feelings for her.

The problem is something else. Who are you talking about?

Grandmaster? Chongyue?

Is this the [Chongyue] I'm thinking of?

Kal'tsit's heart, which had just settled, jumped again. Something's wrong, something's very wrong... What's going on? Could it be a case of a coincidence of names? Why would the foremost figure of the year, Chongyue, appear in Kazimierz?

Kal'tsit's thoughts were still in a jumble when, a second later, Ascalon's voice echoed in her ears again:

"Hmm—a lich?"

Kal'tsit shuddered.

Her pupils seemed to have been ravaged by an earthquake of magnitude eight or higher, and even her voice trembled slightly.

"What lich?"

Ascalon glanced at her: "Look for yourself. Fremont of the Lich King's Court has also appeared in Kazimir."

"I also plan to send an envoy to Sherag, saying it's because I'm very curious about the Balrogs... That does fit my stereotype of those guys, a bunch of obsessed seekers of knowledge."

As Ascalon finished speaking, Kal'tsit's gaze fell on the next line of text.

There's one more thing I need to mention to you.

[In Kazimir, I encountered Professor Fremont, the ruler of the Sarkaz Lich King's Court.]

[Surprised? I was surprised too. I was almost stunned when he revealed his identity to me right in front of me.]

[But that's not the problem. He seems very interested in Balrogs. After learning my identity, he wanted to come to Kjerag himself, but I remember your instructions: we must remain vigilant towards these ancient Sarkaz. I refused his request, so he sent an apprentice instead under the guise of academic exchange. This time, I really couldn't refuse, so I'm writing to you specifically, hoping you can share some knowledge about liches.]

[Also, after this incident, I've noticed there are quite a few Sarkaz in Shelag now. I'm thinking of establishing an organization specifically to manage the Sarkaz and help them integrate into Shelag. Do you have any good ideas about this?]

Looking forward to your reply.

Ernst Siwaesh.