People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Are you not going to care about this?"

Ernst coughed twice, took the divine stone from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

A faint light was shimmering on the sacred stone.

Seemingly realizing that it had been taken out, the fluorescent patterns on the divine stone suddenly dimmed, like a child who had been caught eavesdropping and quickly pretended to look away.

Then, perhaps realizing it couldn't escape, the extinguished patterns quickly lit up again, from which came the majestic voice of Jeragand:

"Ahem... I knew it! It seemed like someone was watching my clone. Oh, it's the Holy Son. What's wrong? Have you run into some trouble and need my help?"

Look, even the way they address each other has suddenly become formal.

When we contacted each other yesterday, you called me Ernst, but today you're calling me Saint. Things have cooled down; our feelings have faded.

Ernst couldn't help but chuckle. Fortunately, Kelsey didn't seem to notice anything wrong with the question.

She was simply speechless at Yeragand's eavesdropping.

You're a giant, you know. If you really want to listen, just listen openly. Why are you acting like an old mother eavesdropping on her child's phone call?

Kal'tsit thought to herself that she wasn't some delinquent girl from outside school who was secretly trying to seduce your son.

"By the great god Yeragand, Golem." Kal'tsit made a prayer gesture with practiced ease, then glanced at Ernst with understanding.

Yes, this matter involves the issue of behemoths and is indeed related to Yeragand.

Behemoths generally possess a strong sense of territory; with very few exceptions, most behemoths will remain in one place for thousands of years without moving. This is true of the Sami, the Yeragand, the few Rembitos that Kal'tsit knows, and the behemoths of the Yan Kingdom.

Nobody likes having a few extra people suddenly appear in their bed, which they've slept in for thousands of years, trying to steal the blankets.

Even if Ernst managed to persuade Jeragand in some way, Kelsey could understand Jeragand's position in the matter.

Ernst couldn't make the final decision on this matter and needed Jeragand's approval to answer, which was normal. After all, with his mortal strength, even if he brought the entire Sherag together, he probably wouldn't be enough to handle the troublesome film distributors. The only thing that could truly restrain the Sherag was the behemoth itself.

Whoever contributes more effort has more say.

Kal'tsit then asked:

"What are your thoughts on the deal between Yan and Sherag?"

The voice from the Jeragund Stone paused, and through the fluorescent light, Ernst seemed to see the disguised head maid of the Manjusaka Palace looking at him.

Yes, it's not a blame.

The god who controlled the frost cast a warm glance my way.

"I have no objection; I'll leave everything to the Holy Son to decide."

Jeragand harbors no ill will toward the other behemoths.

He was a junior among the behemoths. Before Ernst brought the [Chronos] from Mostima of Laterano and the [Sami] from Sami, he had never even seen a member of his own kind. His strength among the behemoths was not considered great, merely meeting the standards of a level one behemoth.

But He possesses an extraordinary capacity for compassion.

He would feel sad, disappointed, and reluctant to abandon [Yelagand] in response to Ensiodes's suggestion, but He would not blame him; instead, He would choose to quietly withdraw. He would also feel happy, gratified, smug, and even proud of Ernst's protection and praise—yes, He even felt that Ernst had protected Him from Ensiodes.

He would force himself to stay awake to protect the Sherag people from their habit of sleeping for hundreds of years while fighting the giant beasts. He would also persevere in resisting natural disasters and protecting the land. He would even take the initiative to learn, just so that he could help the children as much as possible.

How could someone like Him oppose the clansmen His child would bring along?

Rather, He would be happy to expand the scale of the behemoth tea party. After all, Sami was too taciturn, and although Yeragand knew He meant no harm, His attitude was always cold. As for [Timeline] and Gawain, they were the champions and runners-up in the Sherag Sleeping Contest. Whenever someone sought them out, the first thing to do was to wake them up.

He can have more fun if he makes more new friends.

After all, while pretending to be the head maid was fun, it was still a little uncomfortable. In front of children, He would subconsciously be more dignified and reserved, but He didn't have this problem in front of His own kind.

He agreed that Ernst should bring more people, and He also found that Ernst seemed to have this talent.

Kal'tsit was somewhat shocked.

She had seen many colossal beasts, and the remains of her original machine were by no means small. But Jeragand was quite different from the colossal beasts she remembered.

She experienced this difference once during her first visit to Shelag, where she experienced Jeragund's dignified side, while this time, to some extent, she experienced Jeragund's gentle side.

The Sherag people are truly fortunate to have such a motherly behemoth.

It's a pity they weren't my parents.

Kelsey sighed.

The thought of that mushy couple on her head made Kal'tsit feel incredibly pathetic. She even couldn't help but breathe on them.

Forget it, I'll just stick to being a "Li Bo Li" (a derogatory term for a savage).

Having received Jelagand's approval, Ernst finally spoke:

"In that case, go back and wait for further instructions."

"I will interview you then."

"An interview is required?" Kal'tsit was taken aback.

Ernst nodded matter-of-factly: "It's just a formality."

"Open recruitment, targeted search—barring any unforeseen circumstances, this consultant position is definitely yours. Or perhaps you lack confidence in yourself?"

Kelsey nodded.

She certainly had confidence in herself. Ernst also had a point; sometimes, going through the motions does make things appear much fairer and more objective, and reduces the amount of controversy.

"Understood, awaiting good news!"

Ernst nodded, as if he had suddenly remembered something, and spoke again:

"I have a few jobs here, does Rhodes Island want to take them?"

Kal'tsit noticed that Ernst addressed her as "Rhodes Island" instead of herself, so she sat up straight, straightened her slightly disheveled clothes from her "basic illness," and nodded with the air of a business elite.

"Please speak. Prime Minister Ernst has provided Rhodes Island with a lot of business, and we would certainly be happy to give you priority consideration if you ask."

Is this a medical project, or is another country seeking solutions to its COVID-19 problem?

She paused, then added, somewhat reluctantly,

"Or, construction contracting?"

“Yes, we have both,” Ernst said.

A light shone in Kal'tsit's eyes.

This is what it means to be extravagant; this is what it means to be a big spender; this is what it means to be a top-tier real estate agent!

Rhodes Island's financial problems are saved again!

Suppressing her inner joy, Kal'tsit nodded without changing her expression: "Please speak."

"The first is the medical project, concerning the factory in Sherag. We need a prevention plan to reduce the risk of infection, as well as emergency response training to deal with emergencies. That's the essence of Rhodes Island."

Ernst said that these are all things that Scherrag lacked, and now that they have money, they should make up for them as soon as possible. They can't wait until something goes wrong to fix things after the fact.

"The second one is from Kazimierz, a request from the Blood Knight. He's willing to pay Rhodes Island to help provide some basic Oripathy inhibitors for the infected in the High Knight Territory's Zero Plot. If possible, I can help contact the Oversight Council to facilitate deeper cooperation regarding the infected in the Zero Plot."

The problem of infected individuals requires both addressing the root cause and treating the symptoms. The effectiveness of Ernst's speech is currently unclear, but in the period leading up to the speech, the issue of infected individuals still exists and needs to be resolved.

This money allows Kal'tsit to earn it, and Rhodes Island is being responsible by keeping the profits within the family.

As for the last one, a classic RPG element, cargo delivery, we certainly can't forget it!

Ernst said:

"The third is the construction of the venue for the World Summit."

“Nasti has returned to Shelag. Once you’ve taken care of things here, you can go to Shelag and talk to her.”

"We'll have to trouble Rhodes Island again to act as a transport ship."

Kal'tsit's answer was also straightforward. There were three things: one was Rhodes Island's Oripathy prevention work, which had been promoted and advocated countless times by many conscientious doctors; another was Rhodes Island's main business; and the third was a special request from Kelago, which she had already accepted once, so she didn't feel ashamed.

Besides, all three things are beneficial to the country, the people, and Terra, and Rhodes Island can also make money. How could she refuse?

Kal'tsit stood up abruptly and extended her hand to Ernst:

"Happy cooperation!"

Ernst also stood up and shook hands with him in return:

"Happy cooperation!"

Chapter 421 Kal'tsit: Ascalon, I wanted to see that expression on your face!

Night falls, Rhodes Island main ship, medical department office.

Kal'tsit was preparing the inhibitors she needed for her trip to Plot Zero the next day when her ears suddenly twitched slightly, as if she sensed something. She straightened up, turned her head, and spoke to the shadows behind her:

"So, Ascalon, do you believe me now?"

From the shadows, the purple-haired hooded assassin slowly emerged, her face filled with profound horror. She looked at Kal'tsit, her lips moving for a long time before she finally regained some of her speech and asked incredulously:

"Kal'tsit, is this also... your backup plan?"

As a remnant of the Tower of Babel and a follower of the rightful Sarkaz kings, Ascalon was actually present when Ernst and Kal'tsit were talking.

Using a mobile phone to make a call.

Kal'tsit didn't have Ascalon eavesdropping through the door, or book another room in the next booth to create a scene where the walls have ears. She knew that none of these tactics would work on Ernst. Ernst carried the Jeragand's Divine Stone, and under the gaze of a behemoth, such concealment was utterly ineffective.

As for why Ascalon wasn't allowed to use her Originium Arts to transform into a cloud of smoke and lurk in the room, the reason is quite simple. First, it's hard to say whether such an operation could fool Yeragand's discerning eyes. Second, in a non-smoking café booth, the presence of persistent smoke is obviously suspicious.

Given the overwhelming gap in strength between their opponents and their own, Kal'tsit decided to simplify things and take the most basic approach: simply turn on the terminal's communication, contact Ascalon, and begin the conversation.

This demonstrates the importance of the Terrans' scientific development. Jeragand obviously couldn't have monitored the signal; he probably hadn't even had much contact with products like terminals, so naturally he had no defenses against such a glowing "brick."

Did Ernst discover it?

He probably noticed that, after all, in the past, when she communicated with Ernst, Ernst rarely used official language, silence, or meaningful riddles to increase the cost of communication, but this time, he used them very frequently.

But in the end, since he didn't point it out, either he didn't care or he tacitly approved, let's just assume he didn't notice.

Ascalon, who was the "fourth party" besides Yeragand and listened to the entire secret conversation, only one deep impression remained in his mind.

—Holy crap, this young man!

In truth, she wasn't that old. Using the Sarkaz timescale—if one human year equals seven Sarkaz years—she was even younger than Ernst. But this didn't stop Ascalon from being deeply shocked by Ernst's actions!

What was Film thinking?

With so many Sarkaz, where does he get the confidence to unite them?

Leaving aside the banshee Nasti and the half-Sarkaz Hadreh, why would a genuine Sarkaz court like the Lich King's Court send envoys to Sherag?

Back when Kazdel was still at peace, Princess Theresa and General Theresis sent messengers to Letania to invite the liches back to Kazdel. But how decisively did they refuse?

Ascalon did not personally experience that history, but according to the later descriptions of Princess Theresa and General Theresis, the scribes of the Lich King's Court wrote an "elegantly worded" letter to the Military Council, firmly refusing the invitation.

Later, when the civil war broke out in Kazdel, the royal court initially chose to remain neutral, but then they all took sides. Blood Demons, Carrion Eaters, and Shapeshifters all sided with the Military Council, while only the Banshee Royal Court stood firmly on Princess Theresa's side.

Theresa did not want to drag the royal court into the civil war and escalate the already devastating conflict in the Sarkaz, but the circumstances forced her to try to win over the lich. However, the lich refused, for a simple reason—no interest.

Those old scholars, busy with their studies, had no intention of getting involved in Kazdel's civil war. Ascalon was quite unhappy about this, but Theresa said:

"This answer is enough. Although we may not have a friend, at least we won't have an enemy."

But what does this mean now?

Instead of accepting the Demon King's orders, they sent an envoy to a non-Sarkaz country.

"The Balrog. That's the real reason the lich is interested in Kjerag. It's completely different from Theresa's situation back then."

As Kal'tsit explained, she enjoyed Ascalon's shocked expression.

Yes, that's exactly what I wanted to see!

Everything in the world is interconnected; every cause has its effect. When Ernst brought a Balrog from the era of Balrog back into the light of day, Kal'tsit should have foreseen that his appearance would indeed stir the hearts of the entire Lich King's court. He probably possessed far too many secrets.

Therefore, to some extent, Ascalon's anger was unnecessary. The lich did not send representatives to Kherag for political purposes or to support the war. At most, they were there for "academic exchange." It was just that the fact that they were students of the Lord of the Royal Court made it too easy for people to have all sorts of speculations.

As for the question about Ascaron.

"I do hope Ernst is one of my backup plans."

Kal'tsit suppressed her inner joy and gave a wry smile.

She walked on this land for ten thousand years, and indeed tried to leave behind many backup plans. However, these backup plans either ended up being unearthed by the local civilizations and rendered useless to her, or they could not withstand the passage of time and were damaged and disappeared.

Only those who can maintain the same life perspective as her can become part of her network. Such people are either indifferent to worldly affairs or hold high positions of power and wealth, having long forgotten each other.