People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Holhaya asked with some curiosity.

Ernst shook his head:

"It's nothing, I just almost went to heaven."

Holhaya smiled upon hearing this:

"Everyone has to go to heaven eventually."

.........

Lateran, underground, is the location of "Heaven's Pivot".

King Ivangelista XI, holding his scepter, stood before this colossal behemoth that had guided and protected Lateran for countless years, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

The main clause was projected onto a fluorescent screen in mid-air, displaying a wealth of information. This was not surprising; the Pope was already accustomed to it.

Although Sarkaz cannot directly control this machine, the Law is considered the "guide" of Laterano because it presents various data and instructions at the beginning of each new year.

This data contains all the "Sarkands"—all Sarkands, including those who are not in Laterano and do not have Laterano registration—a "list of authorized candidates," that is, a list of saints, as well as some instructions closely related to the development of Laterano, etc.

The law never goes wrong; this is a consensus among all Laterans and a truth that Pope Sakorta must uphold.

Yet, having upheld this truth to this day, Ivangelista XI feels an unprecedented sense of unease.

After all, why would the law choose someone who isn't a "Sarkota" to be a saint?

Although Ernst's words and actions suited his taste, suiting one's taste and being a saint are obviously two different things. Ivangelista XI couldn't even imagine what would happen if something happened to him and he died suddenly, and the "law" didn't choose a successor from the cardinal list as usual.

Could it be that they really went to Shelag to have the snow leopard crowned?

This isn't entirely without a chance. After all, the security level on Terra has always been so-so, and there are still many hidden methods. For example, if the god Sherag knew about this, and Ernst didn't intend to cooperate with him, but instead directly invited Yeragand to let him open his mind or open his heart, who can say for sure how things would develop?

Unfortunately, the orders issued by the law have this coercive effect in the Sarkaz. It's like a commander giving an order, and the soldiers must obey it without question. All Ivanjelista XI can do is to use this high-handed and low-handed approach to slightly "overtly comply" with the orders.

We hope that [Law] will stop causing trouble. You are a machine, not Sakorta. We need your guidance, but please don't learn everything from Sakorta.

He let out a long, weary sigh. Judging by the time, Ernst should have already received the email.

King Ivangelist XI was only 80% certain that Ernst shared his view. The remaining 20% ​​was left to fate. Hopefully, Ernst would lend this old man a hand, considering China was the host country of the World Summit!

Everything will be clear once we see the situation on Terra tomorrow.

King Ivangelista XI turned to leave, but at that moment, the Law spoke again.

King Ivangelista XI shuddered, turning back with a hint of fear to look at the machine that now seemed even more like a capricious god.

Another line of text was added to the screen projected into the air, but this time, the text was not translated into Lateran that he could understand, but rather into an unknown script that Ivangelist XI could not comprehend.

That is the original text of the Law, the text of His Creator.

[Preserver Project experiment signal detected. Should we respond?]

[yes] or [no].

Nobody bothered to confirm it.

A few minutes later, the text disappeared automatically. King Ivangelista XI breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.

Once again, the saver's signal went unanswered.

Chapter 506 W: I Can't Get a Shot

Shelag, train station.

The biting wind blew across the scientist's uniquely styled middle-part hairstyle. As he slowly walked out of the train station, a hint of nostalgia even appeared on Levy's face.

Although the cold of Russia has become an exaggerated stereotype, the icy weather of Shelag is indeed quite similar to that of his homeland in some ways.

If no one else disturbs him, he would be happy to sit in the train station's exit hall for a while longer, rest for a bit, and give his brain a long-awaited break.

If no one else disturbs us...

"Ines, I'm asking you, how do you use this thing?"

The Sarkaz woman, whose red tendrils on her forehead were more eye-catching than her two horns, was shouting unrestrainedly in the train station hall, her target being a self-guided navigation device that Ernst had recently introduced.

With the increase in tourists to Shelag, tourists from all over Terra speaking different languages, it was difficult for Ernst and Ensiodes to ensure that every train station staff member was fluent in eight languages. At this time, an automatic navigation device with built-in language selection and translation functions can play a significant role, saving passengers a lot of time and also saving Ernst and Ensiodes labor costs.

Such a robot isn't expensive; it's imported from Colombia, and the beach umbrella company even gave it a discount, all to compete with Rhine Life.

The woman named Ines, whom she had called out—Levi couldn't quite tell her race—was blushing and gritting her teeth, making it seem like she was about to punch the shouting Sarkaz at any moment.

Oh, she really did hit him.

Ines punched W in the shoulder and warned in a low voice:

"How should I know? And W, keep your voice down. This isn't the place for you to unleash your damn loud voice. Are you trying to make sure we're not noticed enough already?"

"whispering sound."

W slapped Ines's hand away, rubbed her aching arm, and pouted, revealing her impatience.

"You think I want to yell? It's all your fault! You said you trusted Hadley, and now we've been tricked into coming to this remote, snowy mountain village by some random letter. We can't even find a road. Where are we supposed to find Hadley?"

Ines clicked her tongue:

“Be patient, W. Hedley has always acted with discretion. If you really doubt him so much, why did you come with me?”

W stopped speaking and fell silent.

She certainly didn't do anything pointless. After getting lost in the train station for ten minutes, her shout was simply meant to draw attention to their location—a simple tactic to scare them away. And now, she had indeed attracted attention; early in the morning, almost everyone in the train station was watching them, but no one came up to ask anything. This indicated that Hadley's intelligence network in Sherag clearly didn't cover this area.

How strange. W couldn't help but think that, given Hadley's personality, he was either not in a certain place at all, or if he was, there would definitely be his spies everywhere in that place, but there weren't any here?

Could that letter really be fake?

"Hello, gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?"

The question interrupted W's thoughts, and she instinctively refused, saying, "No." But then she suddenly realized that she had blurted out Sarkaz.

The other party was also speaking Sarkaz.

W looked in surprise toward the source of the voice. An ordinary film crew member, dressed in a blue uniform and a pencil skirt, gave W and Ines a slight bow.

W had seen train attendants perform this greeting to other passengers on the train; it was a traditional custom in Shelag.

Is this a Sherag, a Sherag who speaks Sarkaz?

Before W could even express her surprise, Ines spoke up:

"Don't listen to this guy's nonsense, of course we need help."

Ines took a photograph from the small handbag on her side and handed it to the staff member in front of her:

Do you know him?

“Professor Hedley?” The staff member took the photo and nodded in surprise. “Of course I know him. I learned my Sarkaz from Professor Hedley!”

"Ha, how interesting. Did Hedley really succeed in pursuing his dream here? With his one-eyed appearance, he can actually become a teacher?"

W tried to join the conversation jokingly, but Ines completely ignored her, and the staff also ignored her.

The people of Sherag are still very respectful of their teachers. Without the Sarkaz filter, the fact that she didn't directly retaliate when her teacher was insulted in front of the students shows that she has a very good sense of service.

Since the guest's companion had already said not to listen to this guy's nonsense, the staff member naturally didn't mind following suit.

So, W was suddenly surprised to discover a terrifying fact—she, who had been thriving in the Sarkaz with her straightforward and outspoken "national essence" of cursing whenever she didn't like something, was now unable to get a word in edgewise!

W nearly suffered internal injuries from holding it in, while Levi's side finally calmed down a bit.

Palvis, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding his ever-present thermos, laughed gleefully at the sight:

"That little girl can't get a word in edgewise, hahaha."

Levy shrugged and glanced at Palvis:

“Only bad people can be dealt with by bad people. The best way to deal with this kind of person is to ignore her. But, Palvis, you're calling her a little girl, she might be a whole generation older than you.”

Upon hearing this, Palvis pulled his hand away, adjusted his glasses, and narrowed his eyes with a hint of mockery:

"Indeed, sometimes I really envy the Sarkaz. Their long lifespans give them ample time to grow into mature individuals."

Are you subtly mocking that person as an immature child?

Levy chuckled and exchanged a smile with Palvis.

This statement is actually quite biased. While Sarkaz theoretically have a long lifespan, their actual lifespan is likely shorter than that of most workers. Hunger, poverty, and homelessness are the norm for them, and factors such as war, feuds, and discrimination further shorten their lifespan. It's fair to say that, in most cases, ordinary Sarkaz who survive to adulthood are unlikely to possess any "civility" or refinement. Those with such qualities would probably be long gone, dead in some remote corner, perhaps even being spat on.

But so what?

Neither Palvis nor Levi considered themselves to be people of high moral character. Compassion? Not at all. Levi never felt compassion for any suffering race, because even among suffering races, there were those who were not suffering, those who oppressed and exploited others. Therefore, he only felt compassion for the oppressed, and for those among them who sought change, like his colleague Nasti—whom he held in respect and reverence. Palvis was even more significant. If he had possessed even the slightest respect for the Sarkaz race, he would have stopped the experiment when the Balrogs developed self-awareness midway through the Balrog Project.

This squinty-eyed old goat is the purest "scientific fanatic." Under the banner of scientific development, he doesn't mind doing anything that would damage the name of science.

"Alright everyone, move your feet, it's time for us to go."

Seria's voice came from not far away, and her figure appeared later with Nast and Muirse, while the vehicle that was to take them to the new city of Ulany Castle had arrived at the train station.

Rhine Life's new branch will be located in the new town of Ulaniburg. As a core enterprise in another major industrial and commercial town in Kjerag, besides Tukarim, it will receive strong support from Kjerag. This is Ernst's commitment to Rhine Life.

Of course, Ernst has not yet revealed to the Rhine Life staff that Kazdelnia's future will be closely intertwined with the fate of the city.

It is not advisable to spread this matter widely at the moment. After all, the World Summit has not yet been held, and the Sarkaz state-building plan has not yet been approved by vote. If we make boastful claims now and attract a big backlash, Ernst will have a hard time handling any unexpected events that may occur.

After all, a river will dry up if it turns its back on its source, and a person will lose their reputation if they break their promise. This is not good for the overall development of Sherag in the future.

"Then Nastie and I will go find Ernst first, and I'll meet up with you later."

Levi spoke up, recalling, of course, the matter Ernst had specifically written to him to discuss, and Nastie nodded in agreement.

Seria nodded slightly in understanding. It was good that two people went to Ernst's place. After all, Ernst would definitely go there in a while, since it was the new city of Sherag.

So, at that moment, at the Kjerag train station, W and Ines headed to the Tukarim Starfire School, Levi and Nast headed to the Kjerag government, and Seria, Muirsey, and Palvis headed to Ulaniburg for site selection. The three groups parted ways.

PS:

From the hidden storyline of EG-6, it is revealed that the somewhat special Sarkaz that Little Trump encountered was indeed the Pope.

PS2: Transitional chapter, time to start working on Quesatushta.

Chapter 507 Kal'tsit: I've never felt the Originium Crisis so close.

How can one achieve immortality? Emperors and generals vied for the ultimate goal of living for ten thousand years. How could this be achieved?

In his previous life, Ernst would never have seriously considered this question.

Royal power is not eternal. You may have power, influence, wealth, and even immortality, but how can all the good things be enjoyed by one person? The world has never been fair, and its unfairness lies in its impartial attitude towards the life of every individual. No matter how much you have contributed to the world, or how heinous your crimes, you only have one life, and if you are destined to die, you must die. Therefore, the first thing emperors build after ascending the throne is always their own mausoleum.

Death is the end of all life.

But in Terra, the situation is somewhat different.

The Sarkaz, who live in the worst conditions, have the longest average lifespan of all races on Terra. Regardless of whether most Sarkaz live long or not, their average lifespan is the longest. Meanwhile, the lifespans of the powerful figures who now dominate Terran politics—the dukes and chieftains—are negligible compared to the power they wield.

They can easily sentence millions of people in a city to death, but with just a knife, they can easily take their lives.

High offense, low defense—that's all there is to it.

Therefore, the rulers of Terra were no different from those Ernst had read about and seen in his previous life; they too sought the path to immortality.

Saint Carmen of Iberia, through the secret methods of the Inquisition, has extended his lifespan to over 120 years. His aged face no longer bears the trace of the vigorous spirit of the Iberians in their golden age; he willingly transforms himself into a pillar, braving the currents and facing the waves head-on. Similarly, the old Celestial Master of Yan Kingdom has also extended his lifespan through extraordinary arts, guarding the northern border. He single-handedly commands the Celestial Master's Mansion, intimidating evil spirits for a century and protecting the peace and tranquility of the mountains and wilderness behind him.

However, they too will die. Saint Carmen and the old master are both in less than ideal condition, and they are increasingly feeling powerless and unable to support the effort alone.

As for the true immortals on Terra, the beast lords, the conceptual gods (the Black Serpent, Dionysus), the behemoths, and Kal'tsit, they are indeed immortal, but they either do not want to be involved in worldly affairs and live in seclusion, bathing in volcanoes and strolling in rainforests, or they play games in the human world, some fighting crickets, some making music, or they play with the nation on a wire sand table, shouting things like "War will make the country great again, I haven't lost yet, what kind of war criminal am I!" In short, none of them are serious.

And Kal'tsit, Kal'tsit, she...

Ugh.

She tried her best.

Originally not created as a "humanity-saving agency" to save the world, she was created as a token of love between two scientists from a previous civilization. Suddenly, she was burdened with the responsibility of saving civilization. For tens of thousands of years, she did not give up. She did not commit suicide or break down. She can be described as having a "smoothly operating computing system" and an "abnormally successful emotional regulation module".

Didn't you see that the saver next door has crashed many times?

Stop blaming Hakimi! If you're so capable, let your cat do it!

Ahem, I've gone a bit off-topic.

In short, apart from behemoths, beast lords, conceptual gods, and special undead like Kal'tsit, all other long-lived beings also have an end to their lives. There are those who attempt to break this rule and touch beyond the limits with mortal bodies. Most of them have their reasons, but the price they pay for this extra lifespan is equally high.