People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Who are we playing next?

Oh right, Jesston!

Marna: "......."

"Ho!"

Marna's vision went black, and like Dario, he lost consciousness.

Chapter 443 Ernst: It's time to make a sideways move!

Kazimir, Grand Knight Commander, Kavaleriaki.

The day before the World Games finals, Swire-Victoria Hotel.

Ernst opened the door, and standing outside was a visitor he had never expected.

"You are...Mr. Charnet?"

Ernst hesitated for a moment before calling out the visitor's name, because he was indeed unfamiliar with Charne. Ernst had heard of this spokesperson for the Commercial Federation from the Blood Knight, the Candle Knight, and Marna, but this was truly the first time they had met in person...

With the Games of Nations drawing to a close, Ernst was quite curious about the purpose of this unexpected guest's arrival.

"What do you want from me?"

Charné looked tormented.

He didn't want to come. But he had no choice.

As always, no other bigwig in the business federation could possibly take on this responsibility.

Charne swallowed hard, and in front of Ernst, forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. Taking advantage of Ernst's momentary daze, he unexpectedly grabbed Ernst's sleeve, and with a "thud," knelt down under Ernst's shocked gaze!

"Mr. Ernst, please, I'll do anything. Please give the order: let Kazimir win this match!"

To be honest, Ernst thought this request was quite unreasonable.

If you, Kazimir, want to win the championship, shouldn't you rely on Marna's sweat and effort to defeat all your opponents on the field and then take the title? What's the use of you kneeling and begging me?

What, am I supposed to fight in the finals? Or do I have the power of the Sarkaz Banshee, where my words can become law?

Oh, it seems to be true.

Ernst was somewhat helpless.

Now that things have come to this, it's probably too late for him to explain to Charne that Jeston isn't as strong as you think, and the reason behind it is actually quite heartwarming.

After all, let alone Ernst exposing what the wise and mighty god Jeragund had done, even if he did expose it and the other party believed it, what would be the point?

Ernst said, "Jeragund won't step up in the final, so you can play with confidence. Jeston can't beat Marner." Would the other side believe him?

If they would believe that, it only proves the Business Federation is a fool. The trophy is so close, something Ernst could easily obtain with a slight effort—would he really give it up?

It's all about interests. There's no such thing as a free lunch, dinner, or midnight snack. The Business Federation forced Charnen to come because they wanted to make a deal with Ernst, to put Ernst at ease and to give themselves peace of mind.

Realizing this, Ernst could only laugh and cry at the same time as he turned aside and said:

"Come on in. The surveillance system at the Swire-Victoria Hotel is not under the control of the Business Federation and will not 'break down when it should break down.' If your appearance is recorded, you will be in for a reckoning in the future."

Charn gave Ernst a grateful look, but without even standing up, he shuffled into the room on his knees.

There was nothing he could do. He was grateful for Ernst's kindness in still considering his feelings, but he couldn't stand up until Ernst granted his request.

As for the reckoning, Charné believes that, at least for now, there will be no reckoning.

He was a lowly worker with no background or status. Although he helped the Business Federation promote many equestrian stars and brought in considerable profits, thus gaining some influence in Kazimierz, he was always just a "cow pulling the cart" within the Federation.

But the Business Federation still needs someone like him who works tirelessly and without complaint. The three-city alliance of the Grand Knight Territory of Kazimierz is still on his shoulders!

Before they find their next ox or horse, or rather, before the day comes when he is truly disheartened and exhausted, no matter how shameful or disgraceful his actions may seem in the eyes of those adults, the reckoning against him will not come.

As for what happens after he steps down...

Charné understood this very well—for someone like him, the end of his political life meant the end of his physical life.

Kazimir would not allow an ordinary person to exist who knew so much about his despicable deeds. He would either remain an accomplice forever, or a corpse forever.

A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face, making no attempt to hide the shocked look in Hinterlea's eyes inside the room, or the expression of the Candle Knight who was frantically searching for his mask, but who, even with the mask on, looked utterly useless. Charne maintained this posture and continued:

"Mr. Ernst, please be sure to consider my proposal."

"The Supervisory Council can afford this defeat, but the Business Federation really cannot afford to lose again."

He confessed.

Ironically, the legitimate government of Kasimir, the governing body of the World Games, was not particularly concerned about the final outcome.

They didn't even expect Marna to beat Dario!

The High Inquisitors' fighting style is better suited to combating sea monsters; their attacks are wide and sweeping, sacrificing precision for maximum lethality. Manna, on the other hand, is the opposite. The Kazimir's enemy is the Ursus army, equally numerous, but ultimately still human. Moreover, Manna is not a soldier, but a ranger; in terms of how to "attack people," his methods surpass those of High Inquisitor Daario.

Given that Dario is destined to use his strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, and considering that Dario is unlikely to go all out against humans with the same focus he had on dealing with the Terrorfish, it's not hard to predict that Marna will win. The probability is at least 60%.

But the Control Yuan did not even consider such a predictable outcome.

Because the supervisory committee felt that it didn't matter whether Marna won or lost.

Kazimir has won, the Oversight Council has won.

The current situation has achieved the second of Russell's three objectives in organizing this Games of Nations: to help the Overwatch Council consolidate its power and replace the Commercial Union in controlling the discourse on knights and knightly competitions.

This goal was achieved when Marna, born into a noble knightly family, surpassed the performance of the competitive knights selected by the Merchants' Guild—the Blood Knight and the Candle Knight.

That's why this is considered a calculated move. The Business Federation either tarnishes the reputation of the Knights' Arena, making the brand they've promoted and the knights they've painstakingly crafted look foolish in front of the strong in this land, or it cooperates with the Supervisory Council to select a strongman and then watches as this strongman, who has little to do with the Business Federation, helps the Supervisory Council seize control of the Knights' Arena through continuous victories.

You said yours was amazing, but it turned out to be a complete disaster; you were utterly humiliated and lost badly. To save your reputation, you found me a supposedly superior opponent, but the match turned out to be better than yours. From now on, I'm in charge, and you've just done all the work for me. That's the gist of it.

Unlike the Business Federation's predicament in this matter, the Supervisory Council is much more ruthless, or rather, "shameless."

Does losing the match benefit them? Of course, it does. This has already been discussed, so I won't elaborate further. But does losing the match actually benefit Kazimir?

From an economic perspective, Casimir's hosting of the event on its home turf, its significant investment in promotion, and its advantage in experience, coupled with its failure to win the championship at the first World Games with its "customized" rules in some aspects, will inevitably have a considerable impact on the booming equestrian sports industry in China.

As you can see, after last year's League of Legends finals, the popularity of this year's competition has visibly dropped significantly.

From a political perspective, the turmoil within the business federation caused by the shock will inevitably have a profound impact. Kasimir's current rapid development momentum may be thwarted, or even dealt a heavy blow, which is detrimental to the overall improvement of Kasimir's national strength.

In other words, this matter only benefits the Oversight Council, without a doubt; it's a power grab that "profits at the expense of the world." Even if Kazimir ultimately succeeds in obtaining the "chair" at the World Summit, Kazimir at that time might actually be weaker than he is now in terms of overall national strength.

The Chamber of Commerce could not tolerate this situation. They could not accept being the losers, and these merchants, who had worked so hard to build their businesses, would not accept becoming subservient to the knights once again.

The only hope for breaking the deadlock lies in the final.

Let Marna win.

Thus, while it's a fact that equestrian knights from the Commercial Federation are inferior to those from the official Kazimierz National Team—recommended by the Supervisory Council—the prestige of equestrian competition, the Commercial Federation's biggest asset, can still be maintained.

The Business Federation has been deeply involved in this field for decades. As long as the industry does not decline, they will still have plenty of strength and a future to wear down the Control Council until they are worn down.

The match between Kemaner and Jeston is, by all accounts, a hopeless contest.

Hoping the Supervisory Committee will intervene on their behalf is utterly impossible. They'd be more than happy to see the Business Federation suffer a major blow. Now, they have no choice but to step in themselves.

But you can't expect the president of the Wine Journal or the "reporter" from the Rose Journal to personally kneel in front of Ernst's door, can you? Those two can be said to be the two pillars of the Business Federation's board of directors. If they come, the Supervisory Council is not blind. They can publish the scandal tomorrow and give the Business Federation a heads-up.

Then it can only be him.

Charné brought a blank check.

Just like the one I gave Marner back then.

"Prime Minister Ernst, the Business Federation has long admired Scherrag. We are very happy to become your and Scherrag's close partners. Please believe that there is no condition that you cannot write in this contract that the Business Federation cannot agree to."

"The board members have already prepared the funds and teams. As soon as you give the order, the Business Federation can immediately enter Sherag with investment and technology. We will make you understand that cooperating with us is far more worthwhile than supporting those penniless, cunning, and utterly boastful knights and nobles!"

Ernst was somewhat shocked as he watched him deliver his impassioned speech.

To be honest, that's incredibly convincing. If he hadn't said it while kneeling, it would have been even more persuasive.

What has Ernst gained so far in helping the Control Council?

There was no money, no investment was mentioned at all, and Marner Linguang made it clear that he and his family did not support, and were even disgusted by, the actions of the Supervisory Council. Even Ernst's plan to give the Supervisory Council some face and let them have some dignity with his "I Have a Dream" speech only received a perfunctory reply from Russell.

Ernst helped Russell initially because the Wine Gazette made a fool of itself by spreading rumors about him and Christensen, and because Russell, the Grand Knight Commander, personally attended the World's Fair, giving him face and leaving him with some goodwill. But that was a personal matter, and it couldn't really be considered a "favor."

It's already been paid off.

From a politician's perspective, now is indeed the time to pursue interests for oneself and the country.

The branch won't break in the chameleon's hand!

When did I say that I was in cahoots with the knights and nobles?

Chapter 444 Amiya: This is Ernst's power!

Kazimir, Great Knight's Domain Kavaleriaki, Plot Zero.

Rhodes Island is cultivating this moving plot of land.

The term "cultivation" is not entirely a metaphor; at least some members of Rhodes Island genuinely felt like they were "plowing the land."

Because the condition of Plot Zero is truly appalling. Compared to the slums of Lungmen, the environment here is even worse!

The area was plagued by chaos, disorder, shortages of supplies and food, and a large number of infected people and the poor lived together without any means of prevention or identification. The infrastructure, such as houses and roads, was not entirely nonexistent, but at least in ruins and completely unusable.

You see, it's officially winter in Casimir now. Even a lively little pegasus like Hinterlea, when wearing her children's evening gown, can't help but wrap herself around Ernst's tail to keep warm. Not to mention the people living on Plot Zero.

When it was warm, they could still squeeze into those houses that were just one wall down, but now that the weather has turned cold, these places are simply uninhabitable! The infected and the poor have to move in large numbers to basements, sewers, and even pipes leading to the city’s central heating system, to keep warm by the meager heat that seeps out and by each other’s body heat.

To paraphrase a former Kazdel boiler worker from Rhodes Island: "Dude, even the Sarkaz would frown upon this place, right?"

"I swear, those people up there will never come to a place like this in their entire lives. Haha, he's so well hidden he could rebuild Kazdel!"

Then he was taught a lesson by the other Sarkaz from Kazdel, for two reasons: insulting Kazdel and leaking secrets.

For Sarkaz to make such a comment is nothing short of the ultimate insult.

If I had to put it in perspective, the entire Zero Plot doesn't resemble a moving plot at all; rather, it's more like a high-speed warship that's been towed back from the front lines and flattened by bombing.

Longmen Slum, though filthy, at least has a police officer like Chen from the Imperial Guard paying attention, and an underground leader like the Rat King maintaining order. Although it's barely a place to live, it's still much more humane than the "Living Market, Jump!" situation in Block Zero.

All I can say is that Wei Lao Er would be moved to tears by the level of human rights and morality in Kazimir.

But thankfully, Rhodes Island has arrived.

Many people question the legitimacy of Rhode Island's rescue efforts, believing that their actions are mostly driven by ulterior motives. Even when they are doing good deeds, the local government often obstructs them more than it supports them.

This is a very common phenomenon, and it all boils down to a mentality—if you do good deeds here, doesn't that mean I haven't done anything decent before?

If you cure and care for these people, and they suddenly discover that they have other ways to live besides closing their eyes and waiting to die, then my future treatment costs will increase significantly!

Aren't you just being utterly annoying?

With this mindset in mind, even government organizations like the Control Council hold a resistant attitude towards Rhodes Island.

But Rhodes Island doesn't care.

Because they weren't hired by the Overseer's Council. This [Zero Plot Rescue Mission] was a private commission funded by Blood Knight Dikeopolis, with Ernst Shivaish handling the liaison.

Ernst did offer to help contact the Oversight Council to officially legitimize the operation, allowing Rhodes Island to earn more Marks and at least avoid losses. However, Kal'tsit refused.

The reason for her refusal was simple: based on the reasons mentioned above, she judged that the Supervisory Board would probably not agree to this.

They'd rather the infected die quietly on Plot Zero, adding a few harmless orders to Kazimir's booming funeral industry—oh, if the infected died, it would explode, and they wouldn't get any orders. They'd rather the infected die silently than save them without spending a penny.

Not only do they not want to save them, but if they knew that the Blood Knights, under the Business Federation, wanted to spend money to improve the living conditions of the infected on Plot Zero, they would also stop them.

"This matter should be reported to higher authorities, coordinated by relevant departments of the Supervisory Commission, and assisted and rescued by official organizations."

"What, you're asking when things can be coordinated?"

"This also needs to be coordinated. Go back and wait for further notice."

"Wait" is an incredibly luxurious word for those infected.

Therefore, instead of watching more infected people die while waiting, it's better to do this business in a private capacity.

“Dr. Kal'tsit, I actually think we’re not doing business, we’re doing charity.”

Looking at the long line of infected people waiting to receive Rhodes Island's Oripathy inhibitors outside the makeshift registration office, Amiya couldn't help but say.

Kal'tsit glanced sideways, feeling somewhat guilty:

"Amiya, do you think... this is right?"