People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"But can you tell me why? Is it because I wrote the book 'The Legend of King Arthur'?"

"It's not as simple as 'just because'."

Viviana said seriously,

“When I was a child, I read ‘The Last Knight,’ and I dreamed of becoming a knight in the future. That’s why I embarked on the path of a knight-riding cavalryman, which also determined the direction of my future life.”

“Now that I’ve seen Kazimierz, I feel that this is not the place I want to be. At that time, I read your Arthurian legends, and I became curious about you, about Sherag, about the stories you wrote, and about the country that gave birth to such stories. So I decided to go there. It was a decision I made after careful consideration.”

“I don’t care about the local customs, food culture, or traditions of Shelag; these are things that can be learned and adapted to.”

Viviana spoke with righteous indignation, her gaze intense, making Ernst wonder if his words had been somewhat frivolous. But he hadn't expected Viviana's next words to be even more weighty:

"The only reason I decided to go to Kjerag is for you!"

Ernst gasped.

The heating in the room saved Terra from the trend of global warming.

He glanced instinctively at his side, and saw that Hinterlea, who had changed into a children's dress, still looked a little dazed, clearly not yet understanding what Viviana had just said.

Ernst seized the opportunity and immediately tried to steer the conversation in a different direction:

“But Miss Viviana, Kjerag has a future to develop, and Casimir is also a source of inspiration for me. Kjerag might very well end up like that in the future, wouldn’t it?”

He would never normally ask such a stupid question. Who can simply copy another country's development? Anyone who did would be stuck in a rut. Following a path suited to one's own national conditions and being pragmatic is the only true principle.

He was truly panicked when he spoke so recklessly.

Fearing a fight might break out in the room, the next day's front page news featured his photo, in black and white, without even needing a filter!

Viviana, however, clearly didn't realize, or perhaps didn't even grasp, the strangeness of the statement. Instead, she firmly shook her head, ignoring Ernst's look, and asked earnestly:

"What you say makes sense, but will you change?"

"I... people always change..."

Viviana blinked, seemingly a little sad:

"Does that mean you'll become like the Business Federation?"

Ernst's lips twitched. "Good question. Even the Duke of Kester's questions aren't as sharp as yours. We've got our forms reversed; I should address you as 'you' (formal).

You really know how to ask questions!

Facial expression disorder is one thing, but Ernst still had to answer Viviana's question.

This answer is undoubtedly correct. In his previous life, he said this so many times that people were tired of hearing it. Many people thought it was just empty talk, but after transmigrating, he has indeed been doing it all along.

“Don’t forget your original intention and keep your mission in mind.”

"To seek development for Shelag and happiness for the people of Shelag."

Viviana covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her eyebrows curving into beautiful crescent moons.

She knew that these words were somewhat similar to Ernst's "grand narratives and values" on television, and wondered if he felt a little awkward saying them in this context.

Why did he have to advise her like that? It made her seem like a frivolous, thoughtless child! She might as well just return the embarrassment to him.

Moreover, how should I put it? As an answer to her question, every word was relevant and every sentence was appropriate. She didn't dislike the answer; in fact, she was somewhat looking forward to it.

If Ernst can really do all that, then the "Knight" seems to be just around the corner?

Well, just like Fremont and Ernst taught, you don't know until you see it!

He bowed respectfully to Ernst once more, this time in the formal, ancient knightly salute that was rarely used in the city by people in Casimir.

Looking up again, Viviana winked playfully at Ernst with her pale purple gem-like right eye, said goodbye, and turned to leave the room.

Only then did Ernst breathe a sigh of relief.

This feels so much more tiring than talking to the Duke of Caesar! Women are terrifying, young and old alike!

Fortunately, Hinterlea didn't do anything impulsive. Ernst looked at Hinterlea again.

Hinterlea had vanished from the sofa beside her at some point. She strode out of her room, a compound bow in her hand, and headed towards the balcony. Perhaps noticing Ernst's gaze, she turned her head and asked with a friendly expression:

"Boss, I remember there's a martial arts requirement for immigration, right? How about I test that woman's fighting skills?"

“No,” Ernst said.

"No?" Hinterlea asked again.

“No, not at all,” Ernst replied again.

“Can we add it now?” Hinterlea asked with a smile.

Ernst was drenched in sweat.

Jeragand, save my teeth!

Chapter 431 Nasti: We need to find a way to get Mudrock to learn more.

Shelag, Tukarim, an open space on the outskirts of the city.

Nasti held the proposal and looked at Mudrock, who was casting a spell in the open space, with a conflicted expression.

Regarding the construction plan for the Sky City, she has drafted several experimental versions and is attempting to conduct simulation experiments—launching the miniature Sky City into the sky and observing its stability and duration of stay in the air.

The experimental results were neither good nor bad; overall, they were acceptable. Currently, it appears that Originium energy can indeed support the energy consumption of flight. However, just like ordinary mobile cities need to be refueled periodically in their orbits, this type of sky city also has the inconvenience of needing to land and refuel periodically.

After all, Originium grows in the ground; if it's not directly on the ground, where would Nasti get a continuous supply of this cheap and efficient energy source? Borrow some from natural disasters?

Well... actually, it's not like there's absolutely no way.

Theoretically speaking, burning infected people is not out of the question.

Even setting aside minor flaws like humanity and morality, this method is only "theoretically feasible." Infected individuals have a limited quantity and low purity of Originium. To make the most of them, timing is crucial. Generally, when the infection reaches 30-40%, the infected person dies in extreme pain, and their body rapidly crystallizes. This is clearly the best time to "reuse" them. However, the cost is also significant.

The corpses of infected individuals at this stage are extremely dangerous; a moment's carelessness could cause an explosion upon contact, leading to the emergence of new infected. Nastie didn't think she could find anyone willing to do this corpse-collecting work.

Not to mention, she's not a Cyclops; how could she predict when an infected person would die? And how could she guarantee that she would arrive at the exact moment to collect the body every time?

Obviously, this is impossible.

Moreover, this is only a cost estimate made from her "scientific and rational" perspective. If such a policy were to be implemented, Ernst would be willing to "voluntarily sacrifice themselves as fuel" in order to achieve Nasti's "targets".

Policy-making is a complex matter; it involves far more than just benefits and costs, but also stability and impact.

Nastya is facing just such a problem.

She had many plans for aerial cities, but she couldn't find anyone to discuss them with.

Christensen wasn't there, so she couldn't discuss the scientific theoretical problems in the plan with her.

With Ernst absent, she was unable to discuss the potential social problems in the plan with him.

The mud rock sculpting a stone figure from the nearby soil was indeed a Child of Earth and Stone, but she was clearly a hybrid. As a Stonewing Demon, she hadn't even grown wings, demonstrating the complexity of her bloodline. Nasti didn't look down on hybrids; with the exemplary figures of Theresis and Theresia, and given the environment of Columbia where she lived, bloodlines weren't a major concern.

However, given Niyan's limited knowledge, which was limited to literacy, any attempts to engage her in discussions with Niyan were futile and like casting pearls before swine.

So, how should I put it? Mudstone can be used to build city walls very quickly; a wall can be raised almost instantly with a single command, and a tall building can be erected in ten minutes. But the finished product...

Nasti could only say, "Whether it's a good form or not, or whether you care about the meaning, go back and practice some more."

Now, Nasti has to admit that science and metaphysics may indeed lead to the same conclusion in the end, but at least for now, the difference between the two is still quite significant.

Nasti provided Mudrock with a template for the project proposal, which included details on the building's layout, the internal piping, how the city's energy supply system would be connected, and how the anti-gravity spell device and Originium power plant would be installed.

Mudrock took the proposal, memorized all its contents, and then, on the open space in front of Nasti, began to construct buildings, altars, and pipes like building blocks. It looked plausible, but...

My dear Stonewing Demon, why is your building solid? Why are your pipes placed on the ground? Why can't I sense any magical fluctuations from your altar?

Although I told you that it was like building blocks, I didn't actually want you to put up a whole pile of blocks.

Nastie rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache, and suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion.

Sure enough, it was easier for the Rhein Life Engineering Department staff to use it. Although those civil engineers didn't have the same convenient civil engineering skills as Mudstone, they had the advantage of being able to read blueprints and understand their intentions.

Seeing that Mudrock was about to "build" another building, Nasti quickly waved to her and called out loudly:

"Stop, Miss Mudrock, stop for a moment, don't build anymore."

Hearing the greeting, Mudrock stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead from overusing Originium Arts, and turned to look at Nasti, looking somewhat flustered.

Seeing her expression, Nastie couldn't bring herself to scold her.

After all, she was the one who asked Niyan to do this job, so overall, it was her own lack of thorough consideration.

Fortunately, the mudstone spell doesn't require too much cost. If Nasti were to bring her engineering department to do it, such a large-scale project would result in losses that Nasti couldn't tolerate.

"Mudstone, restore this place to its original state."

"Huh?" Mudrock was stunned for a moment, then looked at Nasti with some concern.

Nasti, of course, knew what she was worried about, and seeing this, she gently shook her head:

"Don't worry, I didn't mean to blame you."

“It’s normal for experiments to fail. In Columbia, I faced more than ten such failures every day. Any small data error could cause the entire Sky City model to collapse. Compared to building virtual models in computers and in my mind back then, the benefits of being able to test them in the field now have far exceeded expectations.”

This isn't just a consolation; it's also the truth.

Take, for example, the simplest issue: takeoff. What is the environment like in the sky? In the past, Nasti could only use drones to collect data, then build models using computers, and then perform calculations at the data level, making additions and modifications as needed. But now, the small models she creates and the building blocks made of mudstone have already been put into flight.

With the addition of the near-point data from the isolation layer obtained from the Star-Picking Project, Nasti is confident that she can further improve the plan.

Mudrock was still somewhat disappointed. Judging from Nasti's behavior, she knew that she probably hadn't done as well as Nasti had hoped.

This made her feel somewhat apologetic.

Although she had only been in Sherag for a few days, Mudrock loved it here. Herdre, who had met her, wasn't lying; this was indeed a place where "even the Sarkaz could eat their fill."

Mudrock joined Sherag's engineering team through Hedley's introduction, working under the renowned Minister Lola and participating in many of Sherag's projects. In Perroch, he helped repair livestock pens damaged by pack animals; in Brontaur, he helped erect statues of Lady Latatos and Mr. Ernst; and in Tukarim, he helped repair streets and houses. With his exceptional talent, he thrived in his newfound position.

She was content with her life, the only regret being that she still couldn't help Ms. Nastya, who had brought her into Shelag.

I finally got a chance, but it seems I messed it up.

The banshee was fairly sensitive to emotions; seeing Mudrock with his head bowed, Nasti sighed softly.

"If you really feel sorry, you can try learning some basic knowledge."

"The school in Sherag seems to teach some civil engineering, but I don't think that level of knowledge would be of much use to you. Of course, you can go and take a look if you're interested."

Nasti said calmly.

This is reality. The abilities of the sons of civil engineering... cough cough, the sons of earth and stone are what they are. The starting point of mudstone is already the end point for many.

Mudstone's expression showed some interest, but she seemed worried about something. After hesitating for a moment, she asked:

"What about schools? Will Sarkaz be allowed in? The tuition must be very expensive, right?"

Nasti paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head:

“One of the teachers at the school is He Dalei, who got you out of Kazdel. Do you think they would be very hostile towards the Sarkaz?”

"As for tuition, you have to thank Ernst. His compulsory education, at least as far as I know, means that the knowledge you learn is free."

The difficulty and expense of accessing education is a very real problem, and it's understandable that Mudrock is worried about it. In most countries, very few, if any, schools would allow Sarkaz students to enroll. Even if there's no official ban, the tuition fees, which seem "not expensive" to ordinary people, are still unbearable for a Sarkaz family.

The Sarkaz need to make money either as laborers or mercenaries. Laborers don't earn much, not enough to cover tuition, and mercenaries live a life of constant danger, with the possibility of dying at any moment, and they have no regard for education.

Not all Sarkaz are like Hedley, a mercenary who can also write books and become a prophet.

However, in this respect, Sherag is "gloriously isolated," which highlights his unsociable nature.

What Ernst needs now is a large pool of usable basic talent, such as civil engineers who lay mortar and tighten screws, and those with basic math and physics skills. These skills will be provided free of charge to encourage the people of Sherag to send their children here. Ernst hasn't neglected humanities subjects like literature and history either; the government is subsidizing these as well, and they will remain free for at least a considerable period.

Nasti was used to the surprised expression on Mudrock's face; when she first heard the news, her expression was not much different from Mudrock's.

Development requires talent, and the source of talent depends on education. This is true, but how many leaders are truly willing to pay the cost to do so?

According to Nasti's understanding, in Terra today, apart from the mysterious Yan Kingdom, the country with the highest education coverage is not the hegemon Victoria, nor the emerging Columbia, nor even Letania, which has always been known as the home of Originium Arts, but Ursus.

It's amazing, isn't it? The Ursus Empire, which is generally perceived as barbaric and rude, was actually the first country to promote the education system of primary school, middle school, high school, and university, which Ernst considered commonplace.

Although it still falls within the limitations of the times, dividing schools into elite and ordinary schools, it is still a great step forward.

The former emperor of Ursus is still praised by the younger generation, even those who did not experience his era, largely because he invested the wealth he gained from his conquests not only in the army and heavy industry, but also in education.

After observing Mudrock's expression, Nasti said:

"When I get back, I'll pick out a few introductory engineering books for you. If you can stick with them and finish reading them, with the power of the Son of Earth and Stone, your future is limitless."

Mudrock then raised his head and replied earnestly, "Thank you, Ms. Nasti, I will!"