People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Do you regret it?"

Sitting across from him, Ernst asked.

Without any lingering attachment, McGee shook his head, his expression calm and serene, having cast aside all emotions and thoughts from his mind.

“Mr. Ernst, if I regretted it, I wouldn’t be sitting here.”

"Please believe me, my request for Charne from you is absolutely not for any personal revenge. I simply have taken a liking to him; he is a talented individual."

After deciding to invest in Kjerag, the Business Federation also sent a spokesperson to accompany Ernst back to Kjerag, and that spokesperson was none other than Charné.

He had contacted Ernst, handled things well, knew many of the Business Federation's secrets, and even issued a warning to the Business Federation before the "Four Cities Meltdown." Most importantly, he was the only one who could extricate himself from this "surprise" orchestrated by the "reporter."

The Business Federation is currently undergoing an internal purge, uprooting and purging those from the "journalist" faction. In a situation where no one can guarantee their own innocence, only Charnet—who represents no faction, acts solely in the interests of the Business Federation, and has an impeccably clean record—is a suitable candidate to go to Kjerag.

But McGee wants him.

So he found Ernst.

"The Rose Newspaper is now in my hands, Mr. Ernst. You should be able to understand the predicament I am facing. A loyal and honest person is an indispensable asset to me now."

"I hope you will hand over Charne to me. In return, the Rose Newspaper will stand by your side unconditionally at all times."

The reward sounded tempting, but Ernst and McKee both knew it was just an empty promise.

McKee has just taken over as chairman of the Rose Newspapers. He still has a board of directors to appease, an old faction left behind by the "journalists" to suppress or take over, pressure from other companies, and internal employee disaffection. He promised the Rose Newspapers would stand with Sherag, but whether he can truly represent the Rose Newspapers now is highly questionable.

And in the future, it will all be empty talk.

Whether the Rose Newspaper will still exist by then, and whether you'll still have control over it, is uncertain. What grounds do you have to offer Sherag?

If one were to think in an absolutely rational way, Ernst would certainly not agree to his deal.

But Ernst was not an absolutely rational person, and he was not considering the immediate pros and cons.

After reading the report on the "Great Meltdown of the Four Cities" from the Duke of Caesar and obtaining some specific details from Charne, Ernst's opinion of Mackey changed somewhat.

There is indeed no shortage of talent in the business association. He originally thought that someone like Charne, who was flexible, hardworking and conscientious, was already the limit. He didn't expect there to be other experts.

McGee's level of public morality is beyond doubt, as he was willing to betray his own father for the safety of the entire city.

The last person Ernst met who betrayed his own people for the sake of his moral principles was Hamer.

McKee was indeed weak. According to Charner, he merely answered a "reporter's" phone call in Charner's presence, without turning on the speakerphone, and left Charner to rack his brains trying to guess what he was getting by with just a few words before leaving. His desire to rebel against his father, against the conspiracy, and against the mission imposed upon him was far less intense than Hamer's.

Himer dared to directly berate Seria and Parvis, break into the director's office to steal documents, and take the initiative to make changes. McKee, on the other hand, only had the courage to stand by, turn a blind eye, and not aid and abet wrongdoing. That single phone call had exhausted his courage, leaving him completely inactive during the subsequent incident—neither stopping Charne nor attempting to rectify the situation. He didn't even arrive at the scene.

But that's enough.

Look at these anthropomorphic creatures on Terra! Compared to his father and the pretentious behavior of the two factions in Kazimir that nearly angered Ernst's leaders, Mackey's actions can undoubtedly be described as "good"!

It can only be said that without comparison, there is no harm.

In Ernst's view, if McKee could truly do as he said, set aside personal feelings, accept Charné's help, take on the sudden burden, and revitalize the Rose Newspaper, it would be a great success.

Then he might be able to offer some help in a time of need.

“Mr. McKee, I can grant your request.”

Ernst Road,

"Sherrag would rather have a friend than an enemy."

“But you have to prove to me that your words are not empty talk and that you can be Sherag’s friend.”

McGee nodded:

"of course."

"The weak me of the past is dead. The McKee standing before you now has the courage to do anything."

"Well."

Ernst Road,

“In that case, Mr. McKee, I hope the Rose Newspaper can publish some articles in the future to help me build momentum. It’s about the Sarkaz.”

McKee was slightly taken aback: "You want to clean them?"

“No,” Ernst shook his head. “I want to help them.”

pat.

As Ernst finished speaking, the window seemed to be blown by a gust of wind, making a "thud" sound.

Chapter 454 W: Pshaw, I don't eat meal replacements!

Ursus, wilderness, contact point.

Most Sarkaz mercenaries rarely contact each other. Living a life of constant danger and risking their lives, it wouldn't be surprising if they died at any time. Their "dog tags" are enough to identify them; there's no need for complicated communication methods.

However, a small number of Sarkaz mercenaries establish covert communication points in the wilderness. Some are simply erected antennas, others are fallen tree trunks, and still others are integrated with Scourge messenger stations, divided into upper and lower levels. These concealed communication points provide channels for intelligence exchange, improving the efficiency of mission completion. However, it cannot be ruled out that a very small number of Sarkaz mercenaries genuinely use these communication points as "mailboxes."

Hedley was one of them.

[Ines, W, this is Hadley.]

A mercenary's letter should be concise, each sentence packed with information, without a single superfluous word or phrase, ensuring that even Sarkaz with virtually no formal education can understand its meaning through a combination of guesswork and deduction. Vocabulary is a significant factor limiting communication among mercenaries; you can't expect two Sarkaz who can only exchange names and greetings in their minds to have any meaningful conversation. But Hedley is different; he's cultured. Ines, influenced by her surroundings, is also cultured. While W possesses a beauty untouched by knowledge in her eyes and actions, compared to the other illiterate Sarkaz, she's practically a paragon of virtue.

That's why Ines and W were puzzled by Hadley's letter.

I'm doing very well in Kjerag. I'm currently a teacher, and Prime Minister Ernst has agreed to grant me Kjerag citizenship. If you'd like, please come and join me in Kjerag.

Ines frowned as she looked at the letter in her hand, examining it from left to right, her expression strangely unsettling.

Beside her, W, who should have been following behind Rhodes Island to keep an eye on things, was here instead. Clearly, she didn't take any "orders" seriously as always.

There is only one person in this world who can command her, and that person is dead.

Compared to Ines's silence, W's expressive ability was much stronger. She grinned, made a disgusted expression, and mercilessly criticized:

"Ha, I think Hedley's out of his mind. Ines, do you think he's been brainwashed by that scumbag Therese's theories and came here specifically to trick us into going back?"

Ines sighed, put away the letter, and glanced at W:

“You should have trusted Hadley more; if it weren’t for him, you would be dead by now.”

W sneered dismissively, "Who can kill me?"

Ines didn't bother arguing with her.

She was just being unreasonable. From her slightly trembling figure, Ines could tell what she was thinking—she was expecting Ines to say the names of Therese or Manfred, so that she could take the opportunity to curse the two of them without any restraint, in order to show off her "courage" and "strength".

But where did she get that ability?

Ines knew perfectly well that W's actions were nothing more than a petty attempt to kill himself. She was conflicted; on one hand, she wanted to kill Theresis to avenge Princess Theresia, but on the other hand, she wanted to simply die so she could join Theresia in the Sarkaz's "souls."

Ines didn't really understand W's feelings as a Sarkaz. Was Theresia really that important? Hedley didn't seem to be thinking about her all the time.

She used to get upset too, and tried to comfort W by saying a few words, but it almost led to a complete falling out. Since then, Ines has stopped caring about W's tantrums.

Anyway, she knows what she's doing.

W waited expectantly for Ines to respond, but after a long wait, he only received a silent reply. Somewhat bored, W pursed his lips and clicked his tongue.

"So, Ines, you're not really planning to listen to Hadley and go to that...yeah...yeah..."

"It's Sherag."

Ines corrected W's very poor pronunciation.

"If you had just looked through the books Hadley gave you, you wouldn't be unable to pronounce the name of this country."

"Tch, I already burned those books to keep warm. They've become part of my body heat, forever by my side. What could be more profound than that?"

Faced with W's sophistry, Ines rolled her eyes and continued on her own:

“I intend to go. Regardless of whether what Hadley described in the letter is true or false.”

"If it's true, then we might actually be able to settle down. If it's false, then he left this message because he's waiting for us to rescue him."

"Maybe he's warning us not to go and get ourselves killed?" W bluntly poured cold water on the idea with a wicked grin.

Regardless, Hadley's description in the letter was far too abnormal.

What kind of place is Shelagna? Ines would have to put in some effort to find it on the current map of Terra. How could Hadley suddenly appear there?

What happened to her while she was away from Lentinium?

What the heck is this about becoming a teacher? Are you kidding me? What kind of place would hire a Sarkaz as a teacher?

While Hedley isn't, most Sarkaz are scoundrels who didn't even finish prenatal education. Aren't they afraid of corrupting the child? And, isn't it a bit... absurd to put a Sarkaz in this kind of job?

At least, Ines had never heard of any other country in Terra where a Sarkaz had served as a teacher.

Leaving aside the one in Letania, Ines didn't know Fremont's identity, and in the entire Letania, apart from a very small number of the upper class, very few people knew that the Sarkaz Lich King's Court was hidden in the tower of Ludwig University.

There were too many anomalies, enough to arouse the almost instinctive suspicion of any experienced Sarkaz mercenary, triggering their self-preservation and risk-avoidance response.

Unfortunately, Ines is not Sarkaz; she is Caprini.

She took a deep breath, her attitude resolute:

"Even if it's a warning, I'm going."

“W, you probably… no, you definitely haven’t been following the international news lately. The names Sherag and Ernst Shivaish have appeared countless times this year.”

"Oh?" W raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What kind of news is it? Let me guess..."

She held up one finger and guessed jokingly:

"That En... well, anyway, it's En, he really likes Sarkaz? He's got his eye on Hadley, and Hadley sold his genitals, so he's getting a job with En. Now he wants to drag us over and sell our genitals together?"

She waved her hand.

"Ha, I'm not going. I'd rather stay hanging on Rhodes Island than sell my ditch."

Ines sometimes admired W's imagination; she could always come up with some whimsical ideas that didn't seem entirely unreasonable.

Ines couldn't believe that Hedley, a Sarkaz, could thrive in Sherag without Ernst's patronage. He couldn't possibly be...

No, no, no, what are you thinking, Ines!

Forcibly steadying her distorted shadow, Ines said:

“That Ernst is a Feathered Beastman. Hmm... you might not understand this term, but simply put, his views are quite similar to yours, which are based on your admiration for Princess Theresa.”

"Nonsense!"

W, as if touched on a sensitive spot, retorted almost immediately after Ines's words.

"No one could possibly resemble His Highness! His Highness is..."

"Alright, alright!" Ines interrupted. "I was just giving an example. You just need to understand the meaning. You don't need to explain so much."

"In short, he was very mild-mannered towards Sarkaz, so I guess Hedley might not be lying."

Perhaps... even with the most optimistic prediction, Ines could only add this modifier.

After all, who knows what kind of situation Sherag is before actually seeing him? Ines has been active in Ursus for more than a year and has seen plenty of scenes of fighting and demonstrations outside, while the propaganda portrays them as festive scenes with drums and firecrackers. She has seen so much of this false propaganda that she was initially disgusted, but later she got used to it.

"Anyway, I will go."

"W, what about you?"

"I?"

W pursed her lips, intending to refuse decisively. However, Ines's description from earlier kept lingering in her mind.

What do you mean by "just like Princess Theresa"?

Princess Theresa is irreplaceable; how could anyone be like her? The leaders of Terra are all hypocrites, even worse than that true villain Theresa! For Ines and Hadley to have any hope in them is a sign of madness!

..........

No, I can't rest easy. After all, W is the absolute core of this three-person team. The other two are just dragging the team down; taking care of them would be a real hassle!

Having barely managed to convince himself, W didn't answer, but simply nodded silently.

Ines smiled gently, and asked as if she had suddenly remembered something:

"Speaking of which, shouldn't you be monitoring Rhodes Island? Why are you at this contact point?"

Their meeting at this liaison point within Ursus was purely coincidental; there had been no prior arrangement between them, and W's whereabouts were unpredictable. Therefore, when Ines saw W at this liaison point, she immediately wanted to ask him this question.

Upon hearing this, W's face immediately fell, and he replied with a face full of black lines: