People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

The scene was actually somewhat humorous. After all, having spent so much time together, Himer had gotten to know Saria's temperament quite well. In fact, Saria was the one who didn't know how to be flexible, yet she was the one who came to teach Him how to be flexible.

Fortunately, the tuition fee paid was expensive enough. The cost of being dismissed from Rhine Lab has indeed taught Himer a lot.

Saria was somewhat relieved to receive Himer's answer.

She asked this question not really a question, but simply wanted to gauge Himer's attitude and resolve. And now, she has received her answer.

As for the joint letter from the scientists, the Special Administrative Region did not accept it at all; Seria took it back.

This was thanks to the relationship between Vice President Wilson and Ernst.

As the Columbia company with the closest ties to Ernst, RheinLife received "precise support" in many aspects under Vice President Wilson's "macro-policy." Naturally, the Scientific Frontier, proposed by Ernst and in which RheinLife invested, also received special attention from Vice President Wilson.

Aside from the fact that the organization couldn't be upgraded to an official one because of Himer's status as a civilian, they received all the other benefits.

A joint letter? After it was sent, the Vice President immediately forwarded it to Seria, with the note: There is no such letter.

This is such a small matter that there's no need to report it to His Excellency the President; he can handle it himself.

Of course, in fact, informing His Excellency the President would most likely have the same outcome.

Connections

"So what are your plans next?"

Seria continued to ask.

After a moment's thought, Hermer replied, "Continue to cultivate Trimont, and then gradually expand outwards, establishing branches in every city in Colombia. If there is an opportunity, it would be best if we could get local areas to take these matters seriously and establish official departments."

Saria nodded; she had no objection to this sound and methodical plan.

But since she came, she naturally brought some surprises to Himer.

"Now there is an opportunity to help the frontiers of science become an official international organization. Are you interested?"

"An official organization? The Special Administrative Region has given its approval?"

Himer was somewhat incredulous. But Saria shook her head, denying Himer's question:

"It's not a special economic zone. It's international."

"Ernst and the World Summit hope to include you in the World Summit system. The scientific frontier should not be Colombia's scientific frontier, but the scientific frontier of the entire Terra. Human rights issues should not be the sole concern of Colombia, but should be taken seriously by the entire Terra."

Himer was stunned.

The name Ernst was both unfamiliar and familiar to him.

The reason she felt unfamiliar with Ernst was that she had never actually met him formally. She had seen Ernst's recruitment flyer for Scherrag in Trimont, but at the time, she was "loyal to the Rhine and would never betray it," so she didn't even consider it. And afterwards, until she was dismissed, she never truly met the important figure who had visited Rhine Life, Scherrag.

Yet she was very familiar with the name. Whether it was his humanitarian speeches, the name he often mentioned in Celia's speech, or the organization she now worked for, lived in, and devoted herself to, it all stemmed from his initiatives.

Seraya said he was the only person who spoke up for her after she was fired.

He said, "Hermer is right."

These words helped Himer get through her most disheartening period, preventing her from being defeated by self-doubt stemming from her failures in life. They also gave her the courage to stand up again, to understand and see this land anew, and to accept the olive branch extended by Seria.

And now, she heard that name again, and it brought even greater hope.

Himer felt her heart race, overwhelmed by a strong sense of mission and happiness. She immediately stepped forward and nodded without hesitation:

"I do!"

"I want to do this for the rest of my life!"

Chapter 417 Hinterlea: The Boss Has Been Heartbroken

Kazimir, the Grand Knight Commander of Kavaleria.

The match between the Candle Knight and Swire has ended.

As expected, the Candle Knight emerged victorious, becoming one of only two knights from the Kazimierz faction to avoid an upset in this competition, indirectly saving the fragile hearts of a large number of knightly competition enthusiasts.

It's hard to imagine whether the crematoriums and funeral homes in Casimir would become a hot industry for a long time if the Candle Knights also lost.

However, it is worth mentioning that after the unexpected defeats of Blood Knight and Black Knight in the first two rounds, the official prize pool and betting volume of this Candle Knight competition have both hit new lows.

Of course, this wasn't a new low in the history of esports betting, but rather a new low for Candle Knight's individual odds. So much so that by the time the betting closed at the end of the match, the prize pool hadn't even reached the level of the Major Finals.

"Is it because they've finally been tricked again?" Hinterlea asked curiously.

But Ernst shook his head: "They just ran out of money."

Expecting gamblers to be afraid? You might as well hope for a peaceful and unified Terran people tomorrow. Gamblers can't be called human because they've lost the most basic human abilities: judgment and fear. Knowing it's a dead end, evolutionary instinct tells people to avoid it, but gamblers won't. They'll rush headlong into it until they're shattered to pieces.

The business federation reacted indifferently, showing neither anger nor lament.

Clearly, for them, as the only remaining star player in the Knights Tournament Major, Viviana the Candle Knight would have already satisfied most of their expectations if she could win, thus preserving some face for the entire Major series organized by the Business Federation.

Otherwise, how will they promote and advocate the "prestige" of the Special Championship in the future?

As for Swire, she didn't feel much about her defeat.

She lost, so be it; she was just there to make up the numbers anyway.

If it weren't for the fact that Pink Intestine Dragon was acting strangely and refused to leave Dragon Gate, instead spending her days in the slums, she wouldn't have had to wade into these troubled waters.

For her, failure was acceptable. She wasn't particularly good at fighting. As a pampered young lady from a wealthy business family, she probably would never have encountered fighting in her life if she hadn't joined the Guard Bureau.

Even as a senior superintendent of the Lungmen Guard Bureau, all she possessed were the Bureau's basic combat skills and self-defense techniques she had learned on her own. These were sufficient to deal with ordinary thugs and criminals, but they paled in comparison to Viviana, a well-trained, combat-savvy gladiator knight with impressive Originium Arts skills.

Besides, her defeat wasn't too humiliating. With the pocket money she carried, she commissioned a top-of-the-line knightly arena armor set. The manufacturer who sold it to her claimed that the armor could withstand at least ten minutes against a Candle Knight. And the result proved that the manufacturer was indeed telling the truth.

Almost every detail of this armor was designed to counter the characteristics of the Candle Knight. The highly resilient outer shell made it difficult for her rapier to penetrate, while the high-temperature resistant and flame-retardant materials rendered Viviana's signature Candlelight spell virtually unusable. The entire battle dragged on for nearly thirteen minutes before the scales of victory began to tip significantly in Viviana's favor. And it wasn't until fifteen minutes later that she truly triumphed.

Swire was fairly satisfied with the result, but felt a little sorry for Viviana. Her diligently honed magic and swordsmanship were all commodities of the Commercial Federation; they could sell them for a good enough price. Swire even suspected that if she had more pocket money, she could have bought a special "Anti-Vivian Armor" from the Commercial Federation.

It's pathetic. Just imagine how angry Pink Dragon would be if she knew that Wei Yanwu had secretly made a set of "anti-Chen Huijie armor" to deal with her.

Saria would probably have a lot to say about this, after all, the unnamed and untraceable Rhine Lab's Chief Executive Officer, the blonde-haired lady, had done something just as despicable. It's a pity she's not here.

Overall, Swire's loss was actually a relief, as it meant she could now focus entirely on creating the [Ers World] without having to spare any energy for the tasks assigned by Wei Yanwu.

"Regarding the casting for the film, I'd prefer to recruit from the Victoria and Lungmen areas. What do you think?"

Swire, dressed in a black deep-V evening gown, poured Ernst a glass of her treasured red wine and sat down on the sofa opposite him, her left leg crossed over her right, a posture that revealed a contradictory blend of elegance and allure.

“Victoria and Lungmen are both within the Swire family’s sphere of influence, and also the places where I have the most friends. I can attract a lot of investment and find many well-known actors.”

She analyzed it in a serious tone, completely unaware of the somewhat dazed look in Hinterlea's eyes beside Ernst.

Ernst noticed.

Because Hintria was holding onto her tail with one hand.

And the more you squeeze it, the tighter it gets.

No, if you think this outfit looks good, I can go with you to buy one. Although we in Sherag aren't exactly wealthy right now, you deserve it because of your contributions.

There's no need to pull my tail, it hurts!

Ernst coughed subtly, and Hinterlea suddenly realized what was happening. She quickly let go of his hand and looked away awkwardly.

Ernst then replied:

"I have no objection to the selection of personnel, but what are your thoughts on my previous suggestion?"

"What do you think? Could King Arthur be played by a female character?"

Shih Huai-ya pursed her lips.

She felt that Ernst was a decisive and efficient person, but for some reason, he seemed to have a strange entanglement when it came to King Arthur's gender.

Does it matter whether King Arthur was a woman or not?

Ernst said that there really is, because there is someone next to him whose voice sounds a lot like "King Arthur".

Of course, it would be best for Vina to avoid participating in films that might involve "political metaphors" and "royalist propaganda," as Ernst and the Duke of Caesar had agreed.

But anyone other than Vina could do it. Like Raphsini.

Although he didn't know why, the little stove in his office seemed to have a special fondness for the "Legend of King Arthur." During the World's Fair, whenever Ernst was working alone in his office, she would almost always come up to him, holding the "Legend of King Arthur" that had been sent back from Victoria, and ask him a question or two about it.

Ernst found this somewhat amusing and exasperating, stating more than once that if she liked the book, she could simply make a copy from the manuscript to read in advance. However, Lavshini remained adamant about it.

She likes to look at these "exquisitely packaged" secondhand books with "beautiful covers," "exquisite illustrations," "the smell of ink and paper," and "a sense of historical weight."

This attitude stands in stark contrast to those old men who snatched the manuscripts and refused to return them.

Ernst was somewhat helpless about this, but oh well, he figured he might as well just consider it an extra way to earn money from his own family.

Of course, mere liking wasn't enough for Ernst to include Lafchini in the cast. He had this idea because one of the most frequent questions Lafchini asked him was, "Mr. Ernst, is this about me and my sister?"

Ernst was certainly not writing about her and her sister. Miss Abrahina and Lafshinie, though twin sisters and Vaivans, had nothing to do with legends of red or white dragons.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that there isn't any race on Terra that could be associated with this legend.

The Draco are long extinct, aren't they?

It was stamped and certified by Aslan, and even Vina, a descendant of Aslan, nodded in approval. This cannot be faked!

But since Lavshini really enjoyed the book, Ernst, as her boss, didn't mind giving her a little surprise.

Since you're so eager to be "a character in this book," the organization has decided that you'll play King Arthur, how about that? And Miss Abrahim will play Morgana the Witch; she has that witchy vibe, doesn't she?

cough cough.

That's all in the future; whether Abrahana agrees or not is another matter entirely.

Ernst still needs to consult with the director first.

Shi Huaiya hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I have no objection."

"There aren't many romantic scenes in the whole story, and there's not much difference between the male and female leads. But in that case, wouldn't Lancelot also have to be played by an actress?"

"Why?" Ernst asked, somewhat puzzled.

Now it was Shi Huaiya's turn to be bewildered. She raised her hand, gestured, and organized her thoughts:

"No, but...you see, Lancelot betrayed King Arthur because he fell in love with Queen Guinevere, right? If King Arthur were a woman, wouldn't Guinevere be Guinevere? And in that case, wouldn't Lancelot be a woman?"

Ernst shook his head in sudden realization: "There's no need. King Arthur could just disguise himself as a man. In the context of King Arthur's time, it was normal for women to be discriminated against and unable to become kings. King Arthur was given a mission, but he was constrained by his female identity and could not rightfully become king. Therefore, he disguised himself as a man, which is very reasonable."

"That's why her marriage to Guinevere was purely a political marriage, devoid of any element of love between them. This is why Guinevere developed an admiration for Lancelot, the chivalrous knight of the Yangtze River... cough cough, and why King Arthur was particularly conflicted when he punished Guinevere, because he understood Guinevere's situation and feelings. This intensifies the tragic nature of the event."

Shi Huaiya was stunned. She wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat. She tried to organize her thoughts, but then realized that there seemed to be no problem.

This way of writing makes sense, and just as Ernst said, it has a lot of "tragic color," turning King Arthur, who was punishing the adulterous queen, from a simple man who was bullied but still infatuated, into a more empathetic and three-dimensional character.

but......

"But what about Morgan and Mordred? What about King Arthur's children? How do we solve this?"

"Originium Arts, isn't that amazing?"

Ernst nodded, seemingly a little uneasy under their gazes, and explained,

"Actually, such cases are not uncommon. For example, banshees, the banshees of the Sarkaz. Their race is all female! That's why banshees like Logos are so special, becoming the rulers of the royal court at such a young age."

This is information about the Sarkaz banshees that Ernst unlocked from Kal'tsit after meeting Logos and Nasti.

After all, the name "succubus" would inevitably pique a person's curiosity if it were applied to a man.

Swire naturally didn't know who Logos was, but judging from Hinterlea's enlightened expression, it seemed that the Sarkaz did indeed have a race of banshees, all of them female, and she had seen them before.

In that case, the child's problem seems to be solved...

only......

Swire gave Ernst several strange looks before finally exclaiming from the bottom of his heart:

"Mr. Ernst's ideas are truly open-minded."

A woman disguised as a man, two women having children, a political marriage, life created by the immoral Originium Arts—tsk, Swire would bet she could never come up with such an idea in her entire life.

She had initially thought that her Yan-style thinking, mixed with Victorian ideas, was already quite open-minded. But compared to Ernst, she was utterly insignificant! What are you thinking about all day long?!

Swire couldn't help but look at Hinterlea, who was standing next to Ernst.

Hinterlea finally realized what was happening, her expression equally shocked, even more so than Swire's.

She stared blankly at her boss, whose views on love, marriage, and even childbirth were far too "abnormal," and suddenly remembered that rumor.

The reason why Ernst, the son of Saint Scherrag and Prime Minister, never married was because he suffered heartbreak in his early years. His parents died early, and his older brother Ensiodes was studying abroad and neglected his family. His older sister Enya was used as a political sacrifice by Ensiodes and was made a saint. As a result, young Ernst grew up without protection and care, which made him particularly insecure.

According to psychology, people who grow up in such family environments tend to prefer older, gentler, more considerate women who can provide them with a sense of security.