People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

But is it shameful?

leave!

Purely random, coincidentally, these are all just ways to fool the audience. Just like how there are informants from a business association manipulating the odds behind the scenes every time a competition starts, frankly, it's all about making money. Nothing is truly random.

It's purely random; it only depends on which side bets more money and how much money can be earned in this round.

In the past, knightly competitions were essentially commercial activities. While the business association's actions were unethical, they were not entirely wrong, and no one could criticize them.

But it's different now.

Although it's ridiculous, the people of Kasimir really need to consider their international image.

Just as Çalhöyük cannot afford to offend the other three present, how can Casimir afford to offend Sherag and Letania so openly as to cheat by arranging for the two teams to play against each other?

Although as long as they persist, it's just a matter of "losing face," and neither Kjerag nor Letania will be able to find any evidence. But losing face is already a serious problem.

The Overseer's Council organized this international games precisely to enhance Casimir's international prestige, hoping to secure a seat on the Security Council when it joined the World Summit. This move, while potentially offending the Leitanians, is a minor matter; offending the Sherags, and especially Ernst, would be a much bigger problem.

When Ernst heard this, he was both amused and exasperated.

Isn't this a bit of a reversal of the natural order? Is Kjerag stronger than Letania?

But Kazimir does have to consider this issue.

Russell paused for a moment, then instead of answering immediately, asked:

"Who will play against whom in the next match?"

At this moment, McGee stepped forward and recited fluently:

"Next match, Miss Candle Knight will face Beatrice Swire from the Lungmen team."

"In the next match, Vera Michelle from the Victoria Windermere region will face Fiona Young from the Victoria Castle region."

"In the next match, Dario of the Iberian team will face Toby of the Colombian team."

"Oh, it's worth mentioning that this Colombian player seems to be very strong. When registering his profile, he filled in a very special record in his career history."

Russell asked with some curiosity, "What record?"

He claimed that he had defeated Seria.

Seemingly worried that Russell might not know who Seria was, McKee added:

"Saria is the Colombian champion of three consecutive close combat tournaments. Yes, close combat tournaments, the kind that don't have separate men's and women's divisions. Although this competition isn't as well-known as our Knights' Championship, it's still quite prestigious."

McGee was being rather polite. After all, the prestige of the Kazimierz Knights Major has, to some extent, been elevated by the individual efforts of the recent champions. Previously, the competition wasn't necessarily skewed too much; it was simply so fierce that even the final knights would be eager to challenge it.

Russell, in fact, knew a bit about Saria.

This understanding comes from part of an investigation conducted during the World's Fair on Rhine Lab, which was working with Kjerag on the Star-Picking Project.

She thus learned that Saria was not only a top scientist and a master of close combat, but also a powerful Originium mage whose most proficient spell was [Calcification].

She didn't quite understand the scientific terminology, but any Originium Arts, if applied properly, should be quite powerful.

Toby must be a formidable fighter to defeat her.

Russell nodded and spoke again:

"How about this, Charne's plan can be carried out, but we can save it for the third round."

"In the second round, we arranged for them to compete separately. In the third round, with fewer people, we arranged for them to compete against each other again. This way, at least the probability is more reasonable, and it won't cause as much resentment."

After Russell finished speaking, the others present nodded in agreement.

That makes perfect sense. After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, given the strength that Jeston and Fremont have shown, advancing to the third round is practically a certainty. And once the third round arrives, the matchmaking pool will be even smaller, so it would be "perfectly natural" for Jeston and Fremont to be matched together.

All they need to do is ensure that Marner makes it through the second round.

"Well, it seems we really can do a random match now."

McGee smiled knowingly and looked at Marner, trying to give her a friendly smile.

But he only received a disgusted "tsk" and a dismissive look from Marna. His expression immediately darkened, and he turned his head away.

Only Russell nodded, offering a reminder:

"Remember to split the pool, lower the probability, don't set a pity system, and don't let people randomly get good ones."

Chapter 413 I Have a Dream

Kazimir, the Grand Knight Commander of Kavaleria.

Having just returned to the hotel after settling his appointment with the Grand Tutor, Ernst encountered an acquaintance in the lobby.

Although they were acquaintances, Ernst had never actually spoken a word to him. He had only watched one of Ernst's matches and heard some stories about him, so he knew a little about him.

Blood Knight Dikeopolis, the champion of this year's Kazimierz Knights Tournament, would have been the star of Kazimierz for the next four years had it not been for the World Games. But now, his condition doesn't seem to be too good.

A sense of melancholy settled between his brows, and his expression was far from cheerful. He was dressed in a tracksuit, but lacked the energetic spirit he displayed in television commercials.

Did the defeat have such a big impact on him?

Ernst felt a little sentimental and wistful.

Well, Blood Knight really did run into a ghost. He was playing a perfectly good match, but his opponent turned out to be the Lich King, who was out smurfing. Who can he complain to?

If it were Ernst himself, after winning so many battles and carving out a championship title in the fiercely competitive world of the Kazimierz Knights' Tournament, he would have thought he was a strong contender, capable of holding his own against big names from other countries. But when the fight started, well, he really only managed a couple of exchanges.

His mentality might collapse then.

This kind of psychological gap is fatal. In his previous life, Ernst had met a Go prodigy in his hometown. He started playing Go at the age of six, and by the time he graduated from elementary school, no one in the entire district could beat him. His parents saw his talent and used their connections to enroll him in classes, find teachers, and finally spend a lot of money to send him to the city team for intensive training.

The training camp lasted three months, but less than half a month later, the child returned home. From then on, he declared he would never play chess again. His parents anxiously went to ask the city team coach, whose answer was equally concise and clear:

"This kid isn't suited for chess. He's been with the city team for half a month, playing against people every day, but he hasn't won a single game. He has some talent, but not much. He's good enough to get by in the districts and counties, but he's not good enough for the city."

Was that a hurtful remark?

It's definitely hurtful, but that's the truth.

You think you're very strong, but actually, on this land, there might be a hidden gem somewhere, a place where even a half-buried creature could easily defeat you.

Ernst just hoped the Blood Knight could recover quickly. After all, his strength wasn't bad; it was just that his opponent was too ruthless.

The two didn't know each other, and Ernst didn't presume to greet them. He walked past the Blood Knight, and before he even reached the elevator, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw the Blood Knight following him.

"Mr. Ernst, is this Mr. Ernst?"

Ernst raised an eyebrow in confusion and nodded slightly:

"It's me, what's wrong?"

Dikeopolis breathed a sigh of relief, a faint smile appearing on his very healthy-looking face:

"Mr. Ernst, are you free now?"

Ernst remained silent for a moment, his mind racing through information about the Blood Knight. After confirming that this person wasn't also coming to collect Sherag's ID, he nodded.

"Come up with me."

He's actually free right now. Besides, he is indeed somewhat interested in this equestrian champion.

.........

Schwaify-Victoria Hotel, Ernst Room.

The presidential suite has a private reception room. Hinterlea, who temporarily acted as secretary, served tea and refreshments to Ernst, nodded to him, then stepped back to Ernst's side and took out paper and pen to start taking notes.

DiCeopolis was clearly a little uncomfortable with this overly formal gesture, his fingers unconsciously interlacing together.

Ernst, unfazed by the situation, offered words of comfort:

"Mr. Blood Knight, there's no need to be nervous. This is a private meeting. Keeping a record is just to prevent anyone from making a fuss about it later. Unless absolutely necessary, we will never disclose what we discussed, what we planned, or what decisions we reached."

"Just say it without worry."

Upon hearing this, the Blood Knight gritted his teeth.

In fact, what he sought out Ernst for was not something shameful or unspeakable.

"I'm asking for your help regarding the Infected Knight's competition rules."

Blood Knight's Way

"You may not know what the Infected Persons Regulation is. It's a set of legal provisions that I proposed after winning this Major Championship, regarding the participation of infected persons in esports competitions."

"Originally, once I won the Special Championship, the enactment of this law should have been a foregone conclusion. But..."

But, because there's been an extra level of competition above the Special Championship for no apparent reason, right?

Ernst could understand the slight complaints in the heart of a competitive knight like the Blood Knight.

For these competitive knights, winning the Major Championship was like cultivating immortality to the point of being "invincible." The Blood Knight had finally reached this level, but before he could even enjoy it, the next chapter was titled "An Enemy from the Sky!"

How do you even play? Who wouldn't be overwhelmed if they came?

The Blood Knight was relatively restrained; Ernst had no doubt that the lower-ranked competitive knights were probably cursing him behind his back. Even though they couldn't even win the Major, that didn't stop them from grumbling. Ernst wasn't angry at all; after all, Russell had applied for it himself, and he was just doing him a favor by providing a "brand label." Curses? Forget it!

Ernst was unaware of Blood Knight's promise that winning the Major would lead to regulations for infected players participating in the tournament. In his view, the two were not necessarily related, but at least completely unrelated.

What does winning the championship have to do with Kazimir's enactment of laws?

The majority of legislative power rests with the National Assembly, while a smaller portion rests with the Control Yuan. What does your victory as a knight from the Federation of Commerce have to do with them?

If this law were to be implemented, it could only be because it's profitable, leading the Business Federation to persuade the National Assembly to support it and the Oversight Council to not oppose it. But does Blood Knight's victory truly offer such high commercial benefits that it justifies the Business Federation's level of investment?

Ernst couldn't say for sure, after all, he wasn't an expert in the industry. But from his own perspective, Blood Knight couldn't possibly push through legislation on his own; he was at most the "opportunity."

Capitalists who prioritize profit over lineage saw the potential in the Infected Knights; it was the development of capitalist society in Kazimierz that had reached this level. The Blood Knight was simply a hero created by the times.

But Ernst also had to admit that compared to Victoria, Ursus, Casimir, and Colombia, their attitudes toward infected people were far more humane.

One country officially allows infected immigrants to participate in construction, even acquire property, and gain status. The other, it seems, even allows infected individuals to participate in the country's pillar industries.

Now we really need to beg the countries of Terra to adopt some form of capitalism.

"I didn't mean to blame you."

Perhaps belatedly realizing that his words carried a hint of resentment, Dikeopolis looked somewhat embarrassed and quickly explained,

"In the end, it was because I was not good enough and lost too quickly."

“But I don’t want this law to just stand still, Mr. Ernst. Could you please help me…?”

"Isn't this a matter of Kazimir's internal affairs?"

Ernst frowned.

He really wanted to tell DiCeopolis that the legislation was unlikely to be repealed because of his defeat; at most, it would just be delayed to avoid the storm.

This period of time could be one or two months, or it could be one or two years.

But as he gazed at the crystals rising on Dicaipoli's long-sleeved arms, he opened his mouth but didn't voice this extravagant truth.

No, rather, he almost forgot this principle—not all infected are Blood Knights or Encia.

Most infected people have no medicine, no doctor, and not even food, water, or shelter from the wind and rain. Their lives are measured in "days" or even "hours". Waiting is such a luxury for them.

That's it.

"Why are you looking for me?" Ernst asked.

The Blood Knight gritted his teeth, seemingly hesitating about something. Ernst remained silent, also weighing the pros and cons.

Until the Blood Knight finally spoke:

"It was Miss Candle Knight, and Mr. Charnet who recommended you to me."

"Miss Candle Knight said that you are a good person who has helped many people, whether they are ordinary people affected by the war or the Crown Prince of Victoria. They have all received your help and are willing to trust you."

“Mr. Charner said that nowadays, if anyone can help me, it's you. And this matter would also be somewhat beneficial to you…”

Ernst smiled, shrugged noncommittally, and said:

"Let me think about it."

........

After seeing the Blood Knight off, Ernst looked at Hinterlea, who was pouting and waving her hands, and asked with concern:

"Tired of writing?"

Hinterlea nodded deeply. Only now did she understand why the position of "secretary" was something that most people couldn't do.