People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"I'm telling you to look forward!"

Talulah was startled and suddenly looked up.

Not far away, Yelena was running towards her with two strangers. The Sarkaz man was the first to see Talulah and Alina on her back. His eyebrows shot up, and he immediately shouted:

"You idiot over there! Put him down right now!"

P.S.: Regarding the criticisms leveled at me earlier, let me clarify: the text in parentheses represents Old Black Snake's whispers. Old Black Snake's philosophy is complex, but simply put, it's about going to extremes. My own thoughts are not in parentheses.

I remember mentioning this when I wrote about Sister Ta in a previous chapter, but it's probably been too long and some readers have forgotten.

The Black Serpent Sect was trying to steer Tower towards the idea that "you're going a bit too extreme." They either told Tower to save everyone, or if she couldn't, they'd tell her that since saving them all would be pointless and she'd only be left with no reward, she might as well kill them all. So Tower eventually went mad, believing that Integration couldn't save the Infected, and couldn't even save itself, so it sacrificed Integration entirely.

Ta Zi Jie herself wasn't always this extreme. The one in black brackets is the perverted old black snake.

PS2: Go to sleep. I'll go watch Synesthesia in the evening. I hope the song "The Wish of the Commander" will be on the playlist this time!

There were so many people at the synesthetic music event.

It starts in half an hour, but unfortunately, the little special illustration I requested hasn't been drawn yet, otherwise I could have printed out the freebies to redeem. Ugh, I'm so annoyed! Watching everyone else redeem freebies like crazy...

I don't know if any readers are at the event, so I won't mention my seat to avoid being caught red-handed, hahaha.

I'll update when I get back tonight!

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

Chapter 435 Talulah: Settle down, children, I will be back!

Standing in front of the hastily prepared room, Talulah's expression was a mixture of guilt, sadness, anger, and unease, as complex as the gaze of a fish in a high school reading comprehension question from Yan Country.

Only now does she realize what a terrible decision she made.

No, she made too many wrong decisions.

He disregarded the advice of Bochokast and Yelena, and took it upon himself to take in the two hundred refugees.

It was clearly his own problem that bothered Alina, and he even let her go out alone to exchange supplies, which led to her being attacked.

Overly trusting in the goodness of human nature and being too unprepared for the dangers around us, without considering the astonishing malice that can be bred by the isolated tundra, the scarcity of resources, and the instigation of those with ulterior motives.

And then there was the scene where Dr. Clausewitz angrily reprimanded him for carrying Alina, who had lacerations and penetrating wounds, across the uneven snow, practically draining her of all her blood...

Compared to the previous three points, this last one was even the least faulty. Because, as Dr. Clausewitz said, even if she hadn't done that "stupid thing," the guerrillas' medical resources were simply insufficient to handle Alina's injuries; death was inevitable, it was just a matter of time and the duration of the suffering.

Although it was somewhat hellish, in a way, Talulah helped Alina get through a short period of pain.

Moreover, it goes without saying that her last mistake was the result of the "cause" of the previous three mistakes.

Talulah felt no relief whatsoever from this.

She just felt increasingly guilty, increasingly remorseful, and increasingly doubtful of herself.

She almost killed her best friend with her own hands.

"Captain, Yelena, am I simply not suited to be this leader?"

With her head bowed, Talulah didn't even dare to look at the expressions of the two figures beside her. She was like a pitiful prisoner awaiting her final judgment, anxiously waiting for the judge to strike down the gavel of condemnation.

Yelena did indeed knock it down.

She clenched her fist and slammed it into Talulah's shoulder, knocking the already somewhat numb Drak girl to her knees.

How could you say such a thing?

Yelena frowned, looking at Talulah in disbelief.

Where is Talulah, the fighter who gave that confident speech in front of her, proclaiming that she would give the infected a future, build a community without exploitation, create a harmonious and loving community, and build a prosperous and stable city for the infected?

Talulah shouldn't be like this. Yelena wasn't just angry at Talulah, but also at herself.

If Talulah is that kind of person, then why did she persuade her father to join the guerrilla force in the first place? Why did she fight for the beautiful vision she spoke of? Why did she always have to be prepared to sacrifice herself and participate in one difficult battle after another?

If that's the case with Talulah, doesn't it mean that everything she, her father, her siblings, uncles, and aunts did was just another job working for a mine owner, a duke, or a king?

What she needed wasn't Talulah making empty promises, but rather her belief that Talulah would actually do it and fulfill her promises, which is why she made that decision!

Talulah, on the other hand, looked dejected and pathetic!

"You should be killing those who harmed Alina, not kneeling here like you're the murderer!"

Yelena rebuked her, saying that revenge must be taken and kindness must be repaid. She didn't understand any grand principles that could be talked about all day, but she understood this very well because it was the code of conduct for their Icefield Guerrilla Team. It was the first ray of light she saw after crawling out of the darkness of the black mine that taught her this lesson.

The figure that pierced the darkness with a heavy halberd—Bozokasti—unusually failed to stop Yelena's somewhat extreme action this time.

His eerie crimson gaze emanated from the hollow of his horrifying white skeletal skull, fixed on Talulah as if awaiting her answer.

it's necessary.

He had been too lenient in the past, and Talulah had also gone through a rebellious phase, so his words had no effect on her at all.

But this time, Talulah finally learned her lesson and suffered the consequences.

She needed to savor this feeling repeatedly, like watching a video, repeatedly thinking about everything Alina had gone through, until it left a scar on her heart, a burning, bleeding scar, a scar that would twitch at the slightest touch.

Only in this way can she learn from her mistakes and realize how precious mercy is for a leader—it is not impossible, but it should never be given away lightly.

Talulah remained silent.

Before she could answer, footsteps could be heard coming from inside the tent.

The Sarkaz, Dr. Clausewitz, with his jet-black horns, emerged. His ice blade was stained with blood; it was a surgical tool Yelena had crafted using Originium Arts. The camp simply didn't have any decent surgical tools for such a large-scale operation; they couldn't very well use the butcher knives of fanged beasts and wild animals for treatment.

Talulah hurriedly raised her head to look at Clausewitz, opened her mouth as if to ask a question, but the words caught in her throat.

She couldn't accept the worst possible outcome.

Clausewitz's expression was serious. She glanced at Talulah, then at Yelena and Bozokasti standing beside her, and spoke without hesitation:

"To be honest, just looking at your current positions, who would believe that this person is the leader of the Tundra Guerrilla Force, or rather, the Reunion Movement?"

Ignoring the sarcasm in Clausewitz's words, Bozokastie asked:

"Doctor...how did the surgery go?"

“It worked,” Clausewitz said. “The mentors taught us to face our identities honestly, even if those identities are tainted with sin. What we need is repentance and atonement, not denial and rejection. That has indeed taught me a lot.”

“If I weren’t a blood demon hybrid, Miss Elafia might not have made it to the camp after all that ‘ordeal’.”

“Thank you,” Bozokasti said.

Yelena breathed a slight sigh of relief, while Talulah let out a long sigh of relief:

"Thank you... thank you."

"No need to thank me, it's just what I should do as a doctor."

Clausewitz said calmly,

"Besides, now is not the time to be happy."

He admitted,

"The so-called successful surgery is just a more acceptable explanation. In fact, I must tell you that Ms. Alina's condition is not optimistic."

"I barely managed to keep her alive by using the Blood Demon's sorcery combined with my own medical skills. But the medical conditions in the tundra are, without a doubt, in the face of such severe injuries as limb amputation. She won't live much longer."

Talulah's heart, which had just been in her throat, immediately jumped again. She looked at Clausewitz, her lips trembling slightly.

Are you kidding me? You doctor, are you just deliberately trying to make me look foolish in front of you?

[Hmph, don't you even consider whether you can leave this tundra after seeing this?]

The black serpent's will began to exert its influence once more, and such thoughts subconsciously surfaced in Talulah's mind. But this time, she quickly regained her senses.

Bullshit! You stinking reptile!

You think your mother's here? Is there anyone else who can save Alina? You dare to think that? I should have stabbed you a few more times when I killed you! I've truly wasted my years living in Lungmen. Why didn't I think of learning a few of the Yan Kingdom's torture techniques?

That way, they could have you sliced ​​to death right then and there, finely chopped into minced meat, and made into a bowl of snake soup!

She looked at Clausewitz and pleaded:

"Is there no other way?"

"Have."

Clausewitz nodded.

“It’s simple. Let me take Alina with me. With the capabilities of the Holy Mountain Order, as long as we leave Ursus and return to Lateran, we will be able to find the right doctor and equipment to cure Miss Alina.”

“So, what is the price?” Bozokasti asked.

The world is a bustling place, driven by profit. Patriots don't believe such a good thing exists. Not only do they provide supplies and guidance to the guerrillas, but now they're even offering free medical treatment?

Such severe injuries are extremely costly to treat, and even if cured using conventional methods, the patient will be disabled.

Unless Originium Arts are used.

Healers who can perform such a feat charge exorbitant prices; why would the Holy Mountain Hermitage offer to help?

He had always been somewhat wary of the Presbyterian Church of Mount Saint. The main reason he didn't immediately drive Clausewitz and Angelica away when they first arrived and explained their purpose was that the other party introduced themselves and their guide was a Sakorta.

The Sarkaz race is indeed hard to define.

They are capable of anything.

Moreover, Bozokastie is not entirely unfamiliar with charitable organizations that actually do this.

For example, the Tower of Babel, and the "Doctors Without Borders" organization founded by that Sarkaz prince.

But such a case is an isolated incident and does not prove anything. Bozokast is more inclined to believe that Clausewitz had some kind of request.

He was right; Clausewitz and Angelica did indeed have requests.

Angelica nodded to Clausewitz, stepped forward, and stated her price:

"The purpose of the Hermitage of Mount Saint is to build a nation where everyone is equal. To achieve this goal, neither our organization nor Lateran alone can do it. The entire Terra must work together."

"Therefore, we sent messengers to various countries across Terra, hoping to find like-minded people to offer our support."

"Unfortunately, Talulah doesn't yet meet our requirements. So—"

Angelica looked at Talulah and said:

“We demand that Talulah be replaced and that Miss Yelena take over as leader of the Reunion Movement. Let Miss Talulah start from the bottom.”

Angelica's demands were very clear.

Both she and Clausewitz thought that Talulah was sick. She had a sickness of being all talk and no action.

To deal with this situation, let her start from the grassroots level and experience the hardships of soldiers. Let her experience the pain of fighting desperately only to have her food rations withheld upon her return, the pain of losing loved ones and having to endure the anger of the villagers who destroyed her family, and the disgusting feeling of being on the verge of starvation while others keep urging her to be magnanimous.

Clausewitz nodded. This was the solution she and Angelica had come up with.

You have no right to speak without experience. If Talulah can only mature through experience, then let her experience write more.

At least now, we can get the more stable and realistic Ms. Yelena to accept the Integration Movement and revitalize this situation.

He had expected Talulah to resist, question, and defy his decision.

But to his surprise, Talulah admitted it.

She accepted with exceptional decisiveness:

"I understand, I have no objection."

"Yelena, I'll leave this position to you. I am indeed... still a bit too inexperienced."

Talulah said, her tone not showing any dissatisfaction, but rather a hint of relief as she pursed her lips.

“You’re right. What I should be thinking about is how to deal with those traitors. I made a big mistake this time, and although the guerrillas don’t know it, I can’t forget it.”

"Perhaps I really should... no, I really should start learning from scratch."

Her current philosophy of life and conduct is 20% based on the environment of Lungmen at that time and 80% on the education of Duke Kosiché.

But the situation she faces now is worlds apart from that of Lungmen and the Duchy of Koschche.

She can lavishly "reward" people to win their hearts because she is the Duke's adopted daughter. She can help those in need because she was born in Yan Kingdom and has acquired a bit of chivalry. Even her current way of thinking is that of the upper-class nobles of Ursus; she is just pretending, pretending that she understands the thoughts of the poor, fantasizing that everyone can suffer a little like her and reap great rewards.

However, for many people, suffering can mean a lifetime of hardship! Skipping a meal might mean skipping their entire life!