People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"He called just to praise me a couple of times, and it was all pre-written stuff, what a joke!"

"If there's too much spam, the messages from people who need help will be drowned out. I don't want to see that happen. Ernst, can you help them pray less?"

Ernst was greatly shocked by this, but he could only reluctantly decline the request from the great god Jeragund.

Prayer is a way for believers to communicate with the divine. Whether it's praise or complaints during prayer, it all comes from the heart. For Ernst to step in and tell everyone to stop praying would be somewhat unreasonable. It's just unexpected that the great god Jeragund would read every single prayer.

You're so responsible.

Ernst felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of this prayer-like approach, which resembled a customer service hotline. Even dedicated customer service hotlines have outsourced staff, people who pass the buck, and those who are clueless when asked questions. This guy, always ready to help, isn't he afraid of exhausting himself?

Ernst did want to provide a customer service hotline to relieve the pressure on the great god Yeragand, but he really didn't understand the behemoth's work process. After thinking it over, he could only try to indirectly help the god by promoting the government service hotline and improving government functions.

On the other hand, even the great god Jeragund, who was so responsible, never received Jeston's prayers.

He was someone who almost never attended prayer ceremonies. Even when he was present with Actus, he never prayed.

Unlike now, when Ernst entered his room, he thought he had opened the wrong door and mistakenly entered someone's funeral parlor.

The candles, fruit plate, melon seeds, and the Yeragand stone enshrined on altar, judging from their workmanship and condition, appear to be counterfeit products from the Kalan Trade Company.

Especially in the deepest part of the room, amidst the "floral foliage," a large image of the Jeragund statue, downloaded and printed from a promotional image downloaded from the Sherag Tourism website—thanks to the legendary network engineer Joyce Moore for her outstanding work—reflected an eerie light under the flickering candlelight.

It looks somewhat eerie and terrifying.

At that moment, Jeston, who was kneeling before the idol, heard the door open, turned around first, then quickly stood up and jogged forward to greet it, saying:

"Lord Ernst, you've arrived! What brings you here?"

Ernst's expression stiffened: "Your room has quite an atmosphere."

"Isn't this to thank the great god Yeragand? If it weren't for the great god Yeragand's help, how could I have won this victory?"

"Jesston exclaimed excitedly."

Of course, he also had a little something to hide.

Besides being grateful, he also hoped that the great god Yeragand would give him more guidance.

Without Ye's efforts, how could we achieve consecutive victories?

Having experienced the overwhelming power, the ability to control the universe, and the feeling that a single punch could pierce through the entire Great Knight Territory, Jeston still relives that feeling even in his dreams.

He also knew that the reason why the great god Yeragand helped him was because the opposing Yan Kingdom's Chongyue had some problems, which displeased the great god Yeragand, so he chose him, the representative of Sherag, and gave him a full set of buffs.

If facing a normal opponent, Jeragund would have absolutely no reason to help him. He is known for his fairness and impartiality, and Jeston has never seen Ernst possess that kind of power before.

But what if?

What if Jeragand wants Sherag to win the Games? What if Jeragand thinks she's useful? What if Jeragand's little bit of power is nothing to her, and she just gives it to him as soon as he asks?

Thinking about this, Jesston couldn't help but want to do something. And that's how it ended up like this.

Offer more tribute, say more nice words, and show more piety, and maybe the great god Yeragand will be moved!

Ernst could easily see that Jeston's intentions were practically written all over his face.

He sighed softly, and could only think to himself: Jeston's vision is indeed small.

Does the great god Jeragund fall for this? At least in Ernst's memory, He doesn't.

He loved the people of Shelag, the country itself, a love far surpassing mere material desires. If Jeragund had coveted these luxuries, He could not have stayed in the impoverished place of Shelag for thousands of years, and the civilization on this land called "Shelag" would have long since vanished from history.

Besides, I'm not really enjoying yourself...

"Could you ask him to remove these things? They look really awkward to me."

Jeragand's voice echoed in Ernst's mind, and clearly, Ernst's first reaction was correct. Jeston, this frivolous believer who had fallen into a temporary state of madness, obviously lacked some common sense about Sherag priesthood; the scene was indeed set up like a funeral hall, to the point that even the Grand Elder would be envious.

After all, even his funeral wasn't this lavish.

"Remove these things."

Ernst waved his hand and said,

"That's what I came here for."

Jeston paused, then asked somewhat awkwardly, "Does the great god Yeragand have a decree?"

Ernst nodded, looked at Jeston, and slowly said:

"He tells you to keep up the good work, continue to work hard, review your successful experiences, iterate on your past tactics, and delve deeper into and implement your personal strengths in the field of esports. Don't always expect Him to protect you."

“This intervention is an exception, and you can probably guess why. But, Jeston, you must remember that this power is not given to you because you have any special talent, but because you are a Sherag, and that is why you can wield it. Do not develop any sense of entitlement.”

"A little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment." Ernst had seen many similar cases in his past life. People who achieve success easily become arrogant. If it had been Vina, Hinterlea, or even Horhaia who had obtained that power, Ernst wouldn't have said anything like this. But with Jeston, Ernst could only say that, judging from the elaborate ritual he performed in his room, it was necessary.

The ability to combine kindness and severity is an essential skill for a leader. However, most of the other members of Sherag's team acted with discretion and restraint, and did things cleanly and well. Ernst was not a nitpicker, and there was no need to find fault with things that were done well. That would be creating trouble out of nothing, not only losing people's hearts but also easily leaving a bad reputation for being mean and sarcastic.

For someone like Jeston, who is clearly getting a little carried away, a proper reprimand is necessary.

In order to avoid the situation where the great god Jeragand doesn't bless him, causing him to lose and instead turn around and hold a grudge against Jeragand and Sherag.

This sounds outrageous, but Ernst has seen it far too many times.

Watching Jeston's expression shift from anticipation to stiffness, and then to disappointment, Ernst's serious face finally relaxed, and he spoke again:

"Actually, you don't need to be too disappointed about this. Sherag never intended to win this sports meet in the first place."

A good beating followed by a sweet treat. First offer criticism, then explain the reasons, allowing the criticism to resonate without being overly offensive.

"The Games of Nations is different from the World's Fair. It is not hosted by Kjerag, but by Casimir. Our goal is not to overshadow the Games, but to maximize its influence."

Many people say that sports are a politically pure land, but how is that possible?

First, there were South Korean referees openly blowing biased calls, and then European sporting events and competitions simply refused to allow Russia to participate. Whether it was the positive Ping-Pong Diplomacy or the negative Yoshi incident and NBA incident, it all shows that the saying "sports should not be involved in politics" is a joke.

It's not impossible for Kjerag to win the championship. As long as Jeragand continues to buff him, Jeston is almost guaranteed to win. The only variable is Fremont, but Ernst has been impressed by the Lich King's reputation as a shrewd individual. He sent his apprentice to Kjerag to watch the Balrog show its teeth, so it's hard to say whether he might throw the match against Kjerag.

If Kejeston really wins the championship, will it be of great benefit to Sherag?

Enhancing influence? Ernst is already quite satisfied with Scherrag's current influence. There's an old Chinese saying: "If one's virtue does not match one's position, disaster will surely follow." The same applies to influence. Despite its great reputation, Scherrag is essentially still a small country. Its productivity and social development level may not even compare to a county in Victoria. Seeking such a great reputation is, in a sense, inviting trouble.

This takes time. As the country's overall strength develops and progresses, Sherag's current prestige has temporarily surpassed that of the ancient city of Lateran. This is indeed enough to guarantee Sherag's safety, but it can also easily become the starting point for targeting.

Conceal your abilities and bide your time; never take the lead. This is a universally applicable wisdom that Ernst learned in his previous life!

Ernst didn't want to compete for this top spot. He wanted to use it as a bargaining chip to give to a more powerful country. This was a reasonable concession of interests, and it was obviously very worthwhile, a deal that could be described as risk-free!

When the time comes, Ernst can simply say a few words and give a speech at the awards ceremony, and it will be easy for him to leverage the momentum to get the winning country to express at least verbal recognition and support for "I Have a Dream".

Although it's just verbal, it's still a guarantee to some extent.

Yes, Ernst didn't intend to "waste" his famous civil rights speech in Kazimir alone, to push for a particular law. It encompassed so much more, and could have been used on a much larger scale to launch another appeal, much like his initial humanitarian call.

Moreover, Ernst also plans to contact Tremont to find an old friend.

Miss Olivia Hemer, Founder and President of the Trimont Human Rights Council in Colombia.

This organization, established by Rhine Life Investment after the Flame Demon Project, proposed by Ernst and confirmed by Saria, had its chairmanship undetermined for a long time because Himer always had doubts about Saria's motives.

However, misunderstandings will eventually be resolved. In any case, this newly established organization does indeed align with Himer's values. The Rhine Lab researcher who was forced to resign because he was "too principled" has finally found a position where he belongs.

The foreshadowing laid a year ago has finally come in handy. Ernst also intends to join Hammer in launching this initiative, at least starting from Tremont, to push Terra's currently relatively clean concept of "human rights" forward a little bit.

Let it be so that more people on this land can sleep peacefully.

Chapter 416 Himer: Join my team for the rest of your life at the forefront of science!

Trimont, Colombia, “Science Frontier” Trimont Human Rights Council Headquarters, Conference Hall.

Hamer is giving a brief report on the work done in the last quarter.

Since the establishment of the "Science Frontiers" initiative, inhumane scientific experiments in Trimont have indeed decreased significantly. Rhine Lab, as a representative of this initiative, has taken the lead and served as a model of internal self-rectification and purge. It has suspended nearly one hundred scientific projects suspected of violating regulations, ordered the Structural Division, Originium Life Sciences Division, and Energy Division to rectify their practices for one month, and dismissed more than three hundred researchers who insisted on violating the relevant requirements of the "Science Frontiers" initiative proposed by the Trimont Human Rights Council.

This was undoubtedly a large-scale and intensive internal governance effort. Even though Rhine Life, as a star company in Trimont, is a behemoth and doesn't care about such a small loss of talent, at least this attitude has been shown to the other major companies in Trimont.

Some companies chose to follow suit, some chose to wait and see, and some scoffed at it, believing that RheinLife was just putting on a show.

After all, it's clear that department heads like Palvis and Levi, despite playing crucial roles in the Flame Demon Project, weren't dismissed. What's a mere rectification order and a few months' salary deduction?

How could a great scientist like Palvis possibly lack money?

Himer was also helpless about this. Having experienced the ups and downs following the Balrog incident, she had matured considerably. Now, she still firmly opposed the inhumane human experimentation of the Balrog project and hoped that Levi and Palvis would be punished, but she also knew that expecting Rhine Lab to actually punish them was less desirable than hoping that Terra would face its end tomorrow.

Neither possibility is high, but Himer thinks the latter is slightly more likely.

But this did not prevent her from highly praising the outstanding work done by members of the Science Frontier over the past few months at the conference.

"Science Frontier" is not an official organization in Colombia. The name "Trimont Human Rights Council" is more akin to their current social function than their official name. Without the approval of either the President or Vice President, how could they dare to directly adopt such an official title?

"But even with these challenges, we still accomplished a great deal last quarter that we previously thought was impossible. Volvotkoczynski has agreed to our request to provide retired employees with a monthly pension guarantee of 2,000 gold vouchers, and Mrs. John has officially issued an internal notice to provide employees with a paid day off on the 15th of each month. We protect human rights, but we do more than just protect human rights. Human rights are not only about life and health, but also about rest, recreation, and rewards for labor, and so on! We still need to work even harder!"

Hermer said sincerely,

"I also want to thank all my colleagues here today, and all the many more friends who are dedicated to the frontiers of science and the Trimont Human Rights Movement for their support. Thank you, because of you, we can make this land and this country a better place!"

After she finished speaking, she bowed deeply to the crowd below the stage.

This also includes Seria, who was attending the meeting.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause that lasted for a long time.

This included applause for Saria.

Hamer didn't have the bureaucratic habit of giving long-winded presentations; her report was concise and to the point, and she finished quickly. After the meeting, Hamer met Seria, who was waiting outside the meeting room.

Upon meeting, Saria asked somewhat anxiously:

"Hermer, have you seen Christensen?"

Himer was taken aback, seemingly not expecting that Saria's first question to him would be about the elusive Rhine Lab commander.

But he still thought about it carefully before shaking his head to confirm: "No. Has Ms. Christensen disappeared again?"

Seria nodded: "She didn't stay quiet for long after she came back from Kjerag. She said she had a project to work on and I don't know where she went."

Himer smiled. By now, she and Saria were quite familiar with each other, so she joked:

"Maybe he secretly ran back to Shelag?"

Seria shook her head: "That's Nasti."

"Someone actually went back?"

Now it was Himer's turn to lose her composure. After a moment's thought, she realized that Nastie, whom Seria had mentioned, was the equally mysterious head of the Sarkaz Engineering Department at Rhine Labs.

A department head secretly went to Kjerag, is that really...? Is Rhine Labs really that unattractive?

If this gets out, it will shatter the dreams of countless children who have made "joining Rhine Labs" their life goal since elementary school!

A wry smile crept across her face, but thankfully, Saria didn't intend to continue the conversation.

She paused and asked:

"Recently, many scientists have jointly written a letter to the District of Columbia, hoping that the District can intervene to dissolve the Science Frontier. Their reason is that the Science Frontier's actions have restricted experiments in many disciplines, seriously hindering the development of science in Colombia and causing the country to 'go astray' and 'stagnate.' What do you think?"

Hearing this, Himer smiled, adjusted his glasses, and said calmly:

"First of all, if you 'go astray,' you can't 'stagnate,' because you won't know you've gone down the wrong path and will continue on your way. Similarly, if you 'stagnate,' you won't 'go astray.'"

"Of course, this is just a sarcastic remark about those scientists with little talent who are willing to act as pawns for big corporations. I'm also very glad that you told me about this, Director Seria. Does this mean that Rhine Labs wasn't involved?"

"No."

Saria's answer was decisive and resolute.

This is not just a response, but also an attitude and a commitment.

Himer nodded happily and continued:

"As for the question of whether scientific boundaries hinder scientific development, I can answer it with an analogy."

“Pruning a tree’s branches will not affect its survival; on the contrary, it will benefit the growth of the main trunk.”

Hammer said, "The same applies to science."

"Science is not a plaything for the elite; it is something for the general public, benefiting millions of people. And I have never seen anything with such wide application that has no rules. You know, even John's mother's Orange Storm bag claims to have undergone 'strict standard control' to restore the most authentic taste."

"Science should have its boundaries, and it is our responsibility to protect those boundaries. Whether they agree or not, even if the Special Administrative Region issues an order requiring the dissolution of the Science Frontier, we will not dissolve. At worst, we'll just change our name."

At this point, Himer suddenly smiled and looked at Saria, saying:

"You mean flexibility, right?"

Saria nodded.