People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

It can only be said that impressions are formed very quickly, but changing them takes a long time.

However, Enciodes would not be discouraged. He had been defeated time and time again, and was already used to continuing to fight despite repeated defeats!

Logically, after he stepped down, this should have been the time for Ernst to take the stage.

In fact, backstage, Ernst had already made preparations and greeted Lola, who was guarding the transmitter:

"Lola, are the fireworks ready?"

Lola turned around. The Ursus girl had a slightly drunken look on her face, as if she had been forced to drink quite a bit at the government gathering on the eve of the harvest festival last night, and was still a little dizzy.

But upon receiving Ernst's order, she immediately stood up straight and gave an affirmative answer:

"Of course, Master Ernst. This year's fireworks were prepared three days in advance, and I checked them this morning. Everything is perfect. You can rest assured!"

Ernst nodded, straightened his clothes and tie, and stepped onto the stage. He had just opened his mouth, but before he could say a word, Jeragand's voice unexpectedly rang out again.

Thank you all for the gifts.

“In the blink of an eye, thousands of years have passed since we began receiving offerings from the Shelag and gifts from the Shelag people. I have been thinking about what I can give in return.”

His voice was somewhat rambling, and unlike any voice Ernst had ever heard before; his gentle tone was like that of a kind mother.

“I gave the grain to Perroch, the furs to Brantau, and the steel to Shivaesh, but Ernst told me that the Kjerag were not just three families, but millions upon millions of Kjerag people. So I wondered, what could I give to all the Kjerag people?”

"Don't be surprised. As your Prime Minister Ernst said, as a member of the Shelag, I naturally have to follow Shelag's tradition when participating in the harvest festival—that there should be a return gift for every harvest."

Ernst's mouth dropped open. "No, what are you trying to do?"

Although he had heard Yeragand mention that he was going to give him some small surprises, and Kal'tsit's warning had indirectly made Yeragand admit that he was doing some "insignificant" things, Ernst was still a little confused by His sudden grand speech at the Holy Hunting Ceremony and his direct pointing at him.

What are you trying to do? With this setup and this grand entrance, are you planning to unleash some kind of super-sized special effects?

Is a second sun about to rise over Kjerag? Or are all the clouds about to transform into a scene of "prosperity and good fortune"? Or have you developed some new gameplay?

Ernst had no intention of stopping it; he was simply caught off guard.

He believed that Yeragand would not harm him or the Sherag people, and he was pleased to see that Yeragand had his own thoughts and had become more cheerful and lively.

Ernst was simply a little allergic to the word "surprise".

Under Ernst's expectant yet fearful gaze, Jeragand's voice continued, this time expanding even further until it resounded throughout the entire Shelag:

"So, children, I have also prepared a gift for you. This gift will surely benefit everyone in Shelag, including myself."

"Please don't panic, I'm just turning over slightly."

As the voice faded, before Ernst could even close his gaping mouth, Ascalon had already appeared beside him and hugged him tightly.

After a while——

The earth is shaking!

Chapter 503 Yeragand: [Happy Harvest Festival!]

What is hindering the development of Sherag?

Ensiodis would say, "It's the system of Sherag. If the country is like this, then what about the system itself? How can you govern a country when you're with a bunch of insects?"

In his view, Ernst was somewhat too conservative. Admittedly, Sherag's current diplomatic environment seemed quite favorable, and with Jelagand's protection, there was indeed no need to worry too much about defense. But ultimately, as a true Terran who had suffered in Sherag, studied in Victoria, received a Victorian imperialist education, and learned Terran-style inhumane ideology, Enciodis genuinely did not believe that a nation could "rise peacefully."

He strongly identified with military buildup, industrialization, the establishment of a unified political system like that of Victoria, and Victoria's successful experience. This went beyond the simple notion that "dignity is tied to cannons" and developed to the point of "using cannons to forge dignity."

This line of thinking isn't incomprehensible. Before someone actually traverses a path, no one knows exactly where it will lead, or whether it will even reach the destination of success. After the situation in Kjerag stabilized, Ernst did consider and study Ensiodoris's theories and plans, and his conclusion was quite surprising—if the size of the Kjerag trade alone allowed them to build the high-speed warships he dreamed of, it was indeed somewhat overestimating their capabilities. However, if Ensiodoris could truly unify Kjerag during the Snow Mountain Incident and establish a stable and powerful central government, pooling the resources of all of Kjerag, it wasn't entirely impossible for him to assemble a high-speed warship.

Does that sound a bit exaggerated? But if we turn our attention to the Sarkaz on the other side, we will find that the Sarkaz people, who are more miserable, more isolated, and have no supporters than the Sherag people, can even build a mobile city by scavenging garbage!

High-speed warships are clearly less technologically advanced than mobile cities; one can only say that this is the magical land of Terra.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, the Ernst government can also build a high-speed warship now. In fact, compared to Ensiodes, who had to hide and build it secretly, Ernst could do so without having to hide it from anyone.

I've created it. Who agrees? Who disagrees?

Duke Windermere had once mentioned to Ernst that, as a "reward" for Daphne's visit to Shelag, she could decide to give Shelag a "retired," "old-fashioned high-speed warship" directly to demonstrate her generosity and attitude.

Going further back, the Duke of Wellington had also directly suggested that if Ernst was willing to help with some shady things, he could also grant Ernst the right to purchase high-speed warships.

All things considered, the only one who hadn't mentioned it was the Duke of Custer, but could she possibly object?

Would she dare to have an opinion?

Oh, and Duke Godottin too.

He can skip it.

Even though other countries probably wouldn't stop Scherrag from building a high-speed warship, Ernst still didn't do it.

The reason is simple: some things are not useful just because you build them.

Do you have professional soldiers skilled in operating high-speed warships? Do you have specialists capable of maintaining them? Can your government afford the expense of maintaining one such behemoth every year?

In addition, the combat power of a single high-speed warship is extremely limited. High-speed warships have always operated in combat groups, just like aircraft carriers. If you go out alone without an escort fleet, a single submarine can break your record for the fastest sinking!

You agree, right, Shinano?

If these factors aren't considered, then high-speed warships are, at best, a spectacle for Sherag. Their greatest potential is probably only twofold:

One reason is that the presence of the statue makes the people of Sherag feel protected. But what truly makes other countries believe that Sherag is protected is ultimately the existence of Yeragand (during the Silverheart Lake event, the only task that Top Hat cared about at the end was confirming the existence of Yeragand. When he found the clues, he had Old Deng lead the army to put up a lot of pressure, and after encountering Yeragand, he immediately shouted "Gangmen").

The second reason is probably to let Enciodes, a fan of big ships and cannons, wear a new outfit, sit in front of it, take a picture, and post it on his WeChat Moments to show off.

Therefore, Ernst felt that he had done a good job and that his older brother was the one with the problem.

There is only one thing that truly hinders the development of Shelag: transportation. To put it more bluntly, the terrain.

Surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only a few mountain roads providing access, and countless towering peaks within its borders, the difficulty of constructing railways and roads was staggering. A road that might cost a few thousand dollars per meter in Victoria would cost ten times that in Kjerag, and its maintenance and upkeep would be even more challenging. Snow could bury the mountain roads in the east, or a rockfall could damage a section of the railway in the west. While the great god Jeragund certainly did his best to protect it, Kjerag was so vast that there were bound to be some nooks and crannies that He might inadvertently overlook.

Ernst never blamed Jeragand for this incident. After all, Jeragand had done a good job. Without Jeragand, although Ernst would have insisted on the principle of "to get rich, build roads first," the progress would not have been as fast, and the project would not have proceeded as smoothly.

In his past life, although he had not participated in the epic project of building the "Sky Road," he had read about it countless times in textbooks—the hardships, the sacrifices, and the countless drops of sweat and tears. And all of this was achieved with the unwavering support of a powerful motherland, who poured resources and funds into it.

As for Shelag, it's clear he doesn't have the national strength for that. Considering the actual situation, he will probably only focus on consolidating the transportation network from Tukarim New City to Shelag Pass, while the territories of other families will have to be put on hold for the time being.

That would inevitably raise many questions, because if only Tukarim is developing, then what makes him, the Prime Minister of Shelag, worthy of being called the Prime Minister of Shelag?

People won't think you were forced into this situation; they'll only think you're favoring your own Shiva'ish family's territory. Ernst, this "Prime Minister of Tukarim," might benefit from his "holy son" status and be safe, but his reign is destined to be short-lived, and he'll never be able to consolidate power.

Because he can't benefit everyone. Money can suppress many social conflicts and buy enough time for development and reform, just like the white-robed people in the Middle East. But if you don't have money, then it's hard to say.

But today, that problem has been solved.

Right before Ernst's eyes, the scene he had described in his "Speech of Light" in Casimir appeared so abruptly, surprisingly, and miraculously.

The earth shook and the sky trembled. Under the watchful eyes of Ernst and countless Sherag people, a series of rumbling sounds came from the distant horizon. It was the rock layers breaking apart, the boulders falling to the ground, the mountain peaks sinking into the earth's veins, and the valleys rising to flat ground.

The most powerful force on this land revealed only a fraction of its true potential at this moment. The mountains and valleys that had protected Kjerag for millennia, and then imprisoned it, had all fulfilled their final duty. They responded to their Creator with the loudest voice, and the head hidden in the clouds above Jeragand's towering form slightly opened its eyes.

No words were spoken, neither a change of tone in an attempt to cover up the truth, nor a kind, gentle, calm reassurance. Jeragund's gaze remained fixed on His unmoving tail, casting a tender look upon the people atop His towering "Holy Mountain."

At this distance, they shouldn't be able to see me, right?

Well, I guess I'll scare them if I look like this.

I wonder how Ernst felt about this little surprise?

Jeragand thought to himself.

The outermost ring of precipitous mountains surrounding Sherag vanished, and in reality, Sherag merely rolled over, shaking off the sediment that had accumulated over thousands of years. While this all seemed to involve a great commotion, the cost to Sherag was actually less than that of two meticulously crafted special effects.

The ones who truly contributed were [Sami], [Chronicle], Nian, and Xi. When Jeragund was undergoing a major upheaval, it was they who stepped in to help, protecting the birds and beasts, flowers, fish, and insects of the mountains, and moving them to another protected area specially created by Jeragund. It was also they who helped to block the avalanches and rockfalls that would inevitably damage the railways and roads, so that Ernst would not have to rebuild those infrastructures afterward.

He expressed his gratitude to them, presenting each of them with a small ice flower, and then Yeragand closed his eyes again and sank into the ground.

The heads transformed into mountain peaks, and the torsos into mountain ranges. The earth-shattering momentum came and went quickly, so quickly that many Sherag people were still unaware of what had happened before it was all over.

But Ernst was already frozen in place.

Scherrag was large enough that, separated by towering mountains, Ernst could not see what changes had occurred around Scherrag.

But Sherag is small enough that Ernst, who is currently being carried in a princess carry by a certain purple-haired Sarkaz assassin master, can easily enter the backstage area, meet the great god Yeragand himself, and ask what happened just now if he breaks free from those strong and irresistible arms.

But he did nothing.

He simply raised his head, gazing absently at the clear sky in the distance, and at the string of blessings left behind by Yeragand in the sky.

Happy Harvest Festival!

Ernst could imagine how busy the Sherag government would be tomorrow... no, for the next week or even a month. The commotion was so great that it was more dazzling than the Sarkaz in the darkness. He would probably be so tired that he would have to lean against the wall to walk home and sleep every day.

However, this feeling isn't bad. In fact, it's quite blissful.

"Today, Yeragand bestows his heart upon the government of Shelag, a heart that beats at the same frequency as the hearts of all the people of Shelag, thus ensuring that the government of Shelag is always of one mind with the people of Shelag!"

Enya's voice suddenly rang out, bringing Ernst back from his reverie. Ernst turned to look at her, and the Saintess of Jeragund's face was also filled with a happy and proud smile. She nodded to Ernst and shook the holy bell in her hand.

Ernst understood her meaning instantly. He nodded, patted Ascalon's arm, and gestured for him to put himself down. Then he went back onto the stage, his voice loud and clear:

"I will turn this sincere heart into brilliant fireworks, releasing them into the skies of Shelag, which have been protected by God for millions of years, and share with God the joy of the Shelag people at this moment!"

He took a deep breath and gave the command to the Ursus girl who had been preparing backstage:

"Lola, light the fire!"

"understand!"

The engineering minister's trembling fingers pressed the launcher button accurately. The next moment, colorful fireworks shot into the sky with a whoosh, and then exploded with a bang at the peak, leaving behind streaks of colorful light like stars scattered across the sky.

The cheers, like a tidal wave, arrived as scheduled. The daylight did not diminish the brilliance of the fireworks in the slightest, for they were the joy of the Sherag people, flanking the blessing of "Happy Harvest Festival!"

But joy, blessings, and love will never fade.

Chapter 504 Ernst: Let me see what gifts Lateran gave me?

(The Hedgehog Cat is acting strangely; the order is a bit messed up. Please refresh the page to see the content again.)

Shelag, Tukarim, Shelag Government Office Building, Ernst's Office.

The sacred hunt ceremony has ended, but its aftermath is only just beginning to spread. Ernst is so busy receiving envoys from various countries stationed in Shelag that he has to cut back on his lunch break, not to mention the letters he receives from all over Terra.

The Duke of Caesar sent a grey-hatted messenger to offer his greetings. Uncharacteristically, the messenger did not mention Lentinium, but instead asked, "What does Jeragand like?" He added that he would certainly send a special envoy with gifts to celebrate Jeragand's birthday at next year's harvest festival.

Ernst didn't want to remind her that Harvest Festival wasn't actually Jeragand's birthday. After all, she could get a free gift from the Duke of Kester, so Jeragand could accept it, or Ernst could use the money to supplement the family income.

Save where you can; who isn't a thrifty snow leopard?

The Duke of Windermere's envoy, Daphne, sat in Ernst's office for a full two hours. Even Ernst, who was working nearby, felt a little uneasy, unable to meet her sharp gaze, and couldn't help but ask:

"Defiance, does His Excellency the Duke have any message for me?"

Unexpectedly, Defiance shook her head very quickly, without the slightest hesitation:

"No, Mom didn't ask anything. I came here to sit just so you could have a chance to rest for a while."

"The Duke of Windermere's envoy and daughter is having a private meeting with Prime Minister Sherag. Even that old woman Kester's lackey wouldn't dare to disturb them, would he?"

Ernst was grateful to her. Although it was immoral to slack off during work hours, and he was actually working anyway, not having to play word games with those ambassadors who had all sorts of hidden agendas did give his mind a short break.

This is what cats are like—animal friends that can heal people!

Unfortunately, that particular lynx didn't have that relaxing effect; it's a disgrace to cats and should be properly trained and corrected.

After the Duke of Windermere's envoy left, Ahmed, who hadn't been to Ernst's office for a long time, made a rare visit, bringing with her the opinions of the Duke of Wellington and Princess Abrahana.

The Duke of Wellington's attitude had softened considerably; the arrogance he displayed during his previous indirect communication with Ernstana through Abrahmani and Ahmani was completely gone. Clearly, this "Imperial Death Knell" of Victoria had also realized the significance of Jeragund's appearance.

The idea that Kherag is possibly haunted by a giant beast, or that Kherag actually has a giant beast that actively protects the people of Kherag, are two completely different concepts.

Do the Terrans currently possess the capability to deal with behemoths? The answer is undoubtedly yes. Excluding apex behemoths like the Sami, ordinary behemoths would be damaged under the combined fire of a high-speed warship swarm. And Victoria, as the nation with the largest active high-speed warship army, allows its leaders to proudly proclaim: "Your health bar has an end, but my soldiers are endless!"

The Victorian Empire will never surrender until the last Tara (the remnants of the Gauls, the infected...) sheds its last drop of blood!

But being able to win a fight and being willing to fight are two different things.

Seriously speaking, in extreme circumstances, a person with a knife can fight against animals like brown bears and tigers, but only a fool would be so bored as to risk their life in a normal situation!

A single nuclear bomb cannot directly destroy an entire country, but who would question the power of a nuclear bomb because of this?

The Duke of Wellington's arrogance was based on the absolute military deterrence he wielded over Scherrag, and this arrogance remained unchanged even now, despite Ernst's vigorous efforts to establish the International Summit system. Because he was a man who had experienced war, he firmly believed and knew that the ultimate political solution was violence, and what could not be obtained on the battlefield could not be obtained at the negotiating table.

His thinking also carried the extreme biases common among the older generation of Victorian Plain Lion Banner nobles—they felt that as long as they held the cannon, they were right! You talk so much, how about we have a real fight and I'll show you what real backstabbing is!

Indeed, this idea is very prevalent in Terra: what cannot be obtained on the battlefield cannot be obtained at the negotiating table. But there is also a saying: war is a continuation of politics.