People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

It could be said that Amiya was simply too kind and forgiving, which is why she willingly became Liu Shan (the last emperor of China), placing Kal'tsit in the position of Zhuge Liang (a famous strategist in Chinese history), nominally a doctor but in reality a foster mother. Otherwise, the power she wielded on Rhodes Island would likely have been far greater than Enya's when the Grand Elder was still alive. After all, those who remained on Rhodes Island after the collapse of Babel, accepting the leadership of a girl from another race—so young she might have been considered an ancestor of some Sarkaz on the island—were all seeking to repay the late emperor's favor.

Yes, of course, this is also part of the reason why Kal'tsit couldn't become Zhuge Liang.

Having obtained Amiya's opinion, Ernst casually inquired about Kal'tsit's attitude:

"Kal'tsit, what about you? You don't have any objections?"

"I have no opinion."

Kal'tsit replied. But Ernst, looking into Kal'tsit's green eyes that were staring straight at him, really didn't think she meant no objection.

"You really have no objections?"

Kal'tsit gritted her teeth and nodded:

"I agreed voluntarily."

That was truly voluntary. After all, Ascalon was one thing, and Logos was another, but who knew that even Kroos, that seemingly harmless engineer, could pull off such a "surprise"! Their coercion left her with no choice but to release the person! There was only one option left in the choice, so it was voluntary, wasn't it?

And you, Snow Leopard, are you still pretending to be clueless? Although I had long expected that this day would come, and that you, the Pokédex collector, would eventually end up collecting Pokédex entries on Rhodes Island's head, I really didn't expect you to be this heavyweight right from the start!

Do you dare say that when you were squatting in front of that iron gate on Rhodes Island, baring your teeth at me, you didn't have any plans in mind?

So be it. Ascalon is gone, but Kal'tsit still has Red. This proxy chosen by the Wolf Lord is strong, talented, and very simple-minded. He has no other ambitions than serving Rhodes Island. With a little training, his abilities will be no less than Ascalon's. But Kal'tsit is still afraid!

She was afraid that Ernst would secretly set his sights on something again.

Ascalon, the Son of the Storm, and Theresis's apprentice, is incredibly rare even as a half-Sarkaz. What will happen next?

Blood Demon? Warfarin? Kroos?

Or is it a banshee? Nasti isn't content with just one royal banshee, she also needs Logos, the banshee queen?

What else is Kjerag missing now? A shapeshifter? Goliath? A Mindbreaker? Or a Cyclops?

My God, even Kal'tsit wouldn't dare to imagine this!

After learning that Ernst intended to promote the establishment of the Sarkaz state, Kelsey was worried day and night. She was both worried that Ernst would fail to do it and worried that he would succeed.

As Ernst said, now is a once-in-a-century window of opportunity for a change in order on Terra. If the Sarkaz want to establish a peaceful nation, and the Kazdel want to gain recognition from the nations of Terra, achieve national normalization, ethnic normalization, and formally integrate into the New Order that Terra is about to establish, then now is the best opportunity.

If, despite favorable conditions such as Ernst's mediation, Victoria's tacit approval, Kazimir's support, and the observation of other nations, the Sarkaz's path to nationhood still fails, then the future will only become more arduous, and... there may not be a future at all, at least not a peaceful one.

But Kal'tsit worried that if the Sarkaz truly established a peaceful nation, it would mean that the countless Sarkaz scattered across this land would once again have a leader. These Sarkaz had not forgotten the deep-seated national and personal grievances, had not shaken off their bloodthirsty mercenary nature, and had not severed the whispers of the Sarkaz souls that flowed from their blood. Wouldn't their gathering together cause another incident?

Kal'tsit was no stranger to this kind of situation; Ernst, being an outsider, might not have known, but she was well aware of it. Neither of the two sides in the former Kazdel Civil War, the twins Theresis and Theresia, wanted that war to break out.

The two of them were simply different: one chose his own ideal path and then inspired more Sarkaz, while the other chose the ideal path of the majority and was pushed forward.

The twins have never had any fundamental disagreements. The disagreements are between the Sarkaz, the history and reality of the Sarkaz, the ideals and future of the Sarkaz, and the souls and beings of the Sarkaz.

These differences are simple to state, but how difficult are they to resolve? Not only Theresa has considered them, nor has Theresis been involved, but whoever it was, failed.

This time was no exception; there were no winners in the Kazdel civil war. In the end, Theresa lost, and Theresis, though victorious, was still defeated.

The thing that the Demon Lords of all time feared most was that after they obtained the Black Crown and read the memories of the Demon Lords of all time stored within it, they would suddenly realize that everything they had done so far was just a replay of countless failures in the long history of Sarkaz.

The same goes for Kal'tsit.

She didn't want to see the Sarkaz, who had gathered because of the nation-building plan, end up just gathering to go to war again. She also didn't want Ernst, who had proposed the plan, to be stabbed in the back by the Sarkaz, both physically and psychologically, just like Theresa.

If that were the case, she would rather reject Ernst's plan outright and then regroup the allied forces to break up the Sarkaz, because a scattered Sarkaz would be much easier to deal with than a united one.

Although it seems that she can no longer do all this using conventional methods.

and many more!

Kal'tsit: ".........."

Under Ernst's strange gaze, Kal'tsit, who had suddenly fallen silent, abruptly raised her hand, grabbed her hair, and let out a startling scream.

"Ho!"

No, no, no, how could I have such a thought?

What do you mean by "just like Theresa"?

Honestly! It must be Ascalon's weird attitude that influenced me!

In short, let's put that idea aside for now! At least Ernst is doing a good job so far; things haven't gotten to the point where she has to step in to resolve them. For now... let's just wait and see.

"Kal'tsit, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Ernst asked curiously.

Kal'tsit clutched her chest, raised her head, and shook her head, forcing herself to stay focused.

"No, it's nothing, I'm fine."

Ernst didn't think much of it. Kal'tsit had been like this a lot lately, and it wasn't the first or second time. It's said that even immortals have a lifespan. Kal'tsit herself revealed that her standby time was in the thousands, so it's probably true that it's been in disrepair for a long time.

Seeing that Kelsey was adjusting her breathing, Ernst didn't stand on ceremony:

"In that case, let's get down to business."

"Kal'tsit, what do you know about Cyclopes?"

Kal'tsit's breath hitched for a moment. She looked up and met Ernst's innocent eyes, asking with some uncertainty:

Does Kjerag have a Cyclopes?

Ernst shook his head and answered truthfully:

"No."

Kal'tsit breathed a sigh of relief, taking this as an extension of the unfinished content from her previous introduction of the Royal Court to Ernst:

"The Cyclops are a very special race. Like many Sarkaz royal clans, their clan-inherited witchcraft gives them what is believed to be the ability to 'foresee the future.' However, as a branch of the Sarkaz tribe, they do not follow the Blood Lord and reside in Kazdel, nor do they live in seclusion in the valleys like the Banshees. Instead, they gradually abandoned the Cyclops Caverns, which were originally their territory, a thousand years ago."

Aside from Kazdel, each of the royal races has its own royal territory. The Banshees have Banshee Valley, where Logos and Nasti both hail. The Carrion Eaters have Carrion Swamp Forest, a forbidden land of life, a decaying palace where not leaves and mud decay, but pure life force settles. Similarly, the Cyclopes once lived in seclusion in the caves of the valley, observing the machinations of fate in the darkness, but that area is now abandoned.

"The Cyclops and their royal court have been far from Kazdel for thousands of years, migrating as a whole to the icy plains of Sami. Some Sarkaz attribute this to the Cyclops' cowardice in war, but the Cyclops themselves interpret it as an order from the Demon Lord."

"The Cyclops also gave birth to a demon king. He was known as the Prophet, and his maxims were full of wisdom. However, this demon king, who possessed perhaps the strongest prophetic ability in history, was ultimately assassinated."

"Assassination?"

Ernst was surprised.

To be honest, he didn't really believe in prophecies, fate, or other such strange things, but there were indeed many elements of fatalism on Terra, and the Cyclops' prophecy did exist. Ernst had already learned some information from Typhon from Sami during the World's Fair.

A demon king skilled in prophecy was assassinated? That's rather ironic. Didn't he foresee his own death? Or had he already given up, grown weary, and chosen destruction?

Ernst's question went unanswered. Perhaps Kal'tsit didn't want to answer, didn't know, or perhaps she felt it was unnecessary to dwell on the cause of death of a demon king who was already dead; she was simply recounting the outcome of this historical event.

"The Demon King foresaw an unparalleled catastrophe in the prophecy. After issuing a final proclamation to his people, he fell into despair. Following his assassination, the Cyclopes gradually left Kazdel, eventually heading to Sami."

"I'm sure you can guess what that so-called disaster is."

"Kelsey asked. Ernst nodded."

Terra is plagued by three calamities: Originium, Sealings, and Demons. Originium is close at hand, deeply ingrained in life, yet shrouded in mystery; Sealings lurk in the ocean, blocked by Iberia; and beyond Sami, on the Infi Icefield, dwells the Demons.

The disaster that the Cyclops Demon King saw was an evil spirit.

It's normal for him to go crazy. Ernst had seen the state of people corrupted by demons before. The Balrog, a metal shell, went insane. A genius scientist like Christensen suddenly became like a woman, hugging him and wanting to dance. There was also an unlucky employee who shattered like a vase. It is said that it could be put back together and still be used. No one knows how it was done.

In comparison, the madness symptoms triggered by the Cyclops Demon King were relatively minor; he merely displayed them.

[Time Sequence] Same symptoms.

Ernst clicked his tongue knowingly.

In this way, he could probably guess why the notice he received this morning, and the Cyclops who was suddenly announced to be arriving soon, were coming.

Although the reason is unclear, the fact that he is suspected to be the reincarnation of Butcher Hu, that his slap can cure hysteria, and that he once cleared the eyes of the Balrog with a slap, must have been reported back to Sami through Typhon.

That's why the Cyclops sent someone to represent their royal court, intending to test their worth.

Ernst had no objection to this. He felt that the Cyclops' two main reasons for leaving Kazdel, as Kal'tsit had mentioned, might be a combination of both.

They are not warlike, abhor war, and at the same time, they are trying to fight against one of Terra's three great scourges, stationed in the Sami Icefield. If these facts are true and there is no exaggeration involved, this Sarkaz tribe can indeed be united.

The only problem is how he can ensure he passes the test.

Demons are still quite terrifying. Just because he was able to wake the Balrog with a slap last time doesn't mean he can do it this time. If this "test" gets tainted by demons and he doesn't cleanse himself properly, and he accidentally goes mad or collapses, then he'll probably have to earn the title of "Witch King Number Two".

After all, the Witch King was a prime example of someone who was wise in the early stages but tyrannical in the later stages. Moreover, Ernst was not as powerful as the Witch King.

Well, we still need to take some precautions.

"Kal'tsit, I need your help with something."

"Ernst suddenly said. Kelsey, who had just caught her breath, looked up and frowned slightly upon hearing this:

"What's wrong? Why are you being so polite all of a sudden?"

"It's nothing. It's just that, I remember you know how to cleanse yourself of demonic corruption, right?"

Kal'tsit nodded, thinking that Ernst was frightened by her earlier speculation that the Cyclops Demon Lord had been corrupted and gone mad, and comforted him:

“I know a little bit. Are you worried that you might have been contaminated at the Dome Research Station last time and not cleaned up properly? It’s alright. I can assure you that there are no traces of demonic contamination on you. If you’re still worried, I can clean you up again anytime.”

Ernst nodded with satisfaction, patted Kal'tsit on the shoulder, and said, "Don't let the old lynx's habit of hiding away cookies and gold coins fool you; when she needs her, she's definitely a pillar of strength."

"That's good. Come to my office in a couple of days."

Kal'tsit nodded in agreement, sitting down while also feeling somewhat curious:

"Why does it take two days?"

Since you're worried, shouldn't you demand it be dealt with immediately?

Ernst's answer was perfectly reasonable:

"Because the special envoy from the Cyclops royal court will not arrive for another two days."

Kal'tsit, who hadn't moved an inch, suddenly felt her legs buckle, her chair tilted and she fell to the ground. Her expression was horrified, her voice changed, and she looked at the snow leopard and snorted:

"What special envoy?"

Ernst scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and replied:

"The envoy from the Cyclops Royal Court, I think her name is Elchi, the foster mother of Typhon whom we met at the World's Fair. She came with a token from the Cyclops Royal Court. Perhaps news of my fight against the demon has reached them and piqued their interest."

Kal'tsit's vision went black.

She should have thought of that long ago. Ernst would never ask a pointless question.

"Heh, heh heh, ho—"

Chapter 483 Horhaya: How do you inflict real damage?

Sherag, Tukarim, Rhodes Island Office.

"On My First Day Off the Island, I Carried My Former Colleague Back to the Office" — by Ascalon.

Ascalon was constantly monitoring the activity in Ernst's office. This almost "door-peeping" behavior was indeed not very elegant and could easily be misunderstood, but Ascalon didn't care.

"Nothing is true, everything is permissible." For an assassin like her, born in the night and walking in the shadows, from the moment she accepted this mission, she no longer cared about face, image, or even dignity.

If necessary, she could even cut off her own horns and disfigure herself to become the next shrouded assassin.

Rather, she regretted not doing that, not going to Londinium herself to kill Theresis, or at least making him go to hell with Theresa!

Of course, it's possible that I'll die alongside Theresa.

Theresis's individual strength is so great that he is not inferior even to the ruler of the royal court. In fact, many Sarkaz have come to believe that their military council chairman, general, and regent has conquered the previously unruly royal court and united them around the military council by relying on his unparalleled military power.

But what exactly happened, nobody knew. While Babel and the Military Council were waging a propaganda war, Ascalon even spread rumors that Theresis was selling his ditch.

The rumor of a disciple passing on knowledge to his master is certainly more credible, but it also means losing face more—a classic case of hurting both sides, and potentially earning him a reputation for disrespecting his elders. Yet, Ascalon still does it. Although Theresa quickly discovered this and stopped him, it shows that Ascalon truly no longer cares about worldly fame.

She felt that security was more important than privacy.

So when the cat's screams came from inside the room, Ascaron rushed in immediately. He was so fast that even Hinterlea, who had Pegasus blood and eyesight good enough to activate a skill on her own, only saw a blur!

"What happened?"

Ascalon shouted and pounced on Ernst from five or six meters away!

Ernst couldn't dodge in time and was knocked to the ground by Ascalon. He felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his body, and he couldn't move. A not-so-pleasant smell of gunpowder filled his nostrils.

Under normal circumstances, Ernst would probably be reflecting on the current situation, thanking the new Rhodes Island office manager for his selfless act, and mentally commenting on the man's physique, "Truly befitting a Sarkaz."

But Ernst has absolutely no such idea now.