People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

“But I can go and see for myself, see what’s so great about this Ernst you’ve been praising. You better not lie to me, Kal’tsit!”

"Please."

Kal'tsit said calmly,

"Just a heads up, Ernst is very busy and not so easy to see."

W seemed to realize something, and her expression turned awkward for a moment, but in front of Kal'tsit, she couldn't allow herself to show weakness. She could only grit her teeth, straighten her chest, and pretend to be confident.

"Hehe, I certainly have a way!"

Hedley, save me!

Chapter 513 Commerce Secretary Latatos

Kjerag, site selection for the new town of Ulanyburg.

RheinLife branch address.

When Ernst, Levi, and Nast arrived by car, Seria had already chosen her spot.

Rhine Life's branch will rise in this city, and the Colombian company will officially become a mega-corporation.

Moreover, barring unforeseen circumstances, RheinLife in Kjerag will likely be larger than RheinLife in Colombia. After all, as Kjerag's officially designated partner and the city's top investment attraction agency, the business environment it enjoys is undoubtedly superior.

Shelag is born with such potential. Located at the junction of three countries, the snowy landscape, once the most troublesome transportation and terrain issues are resolved, can be expected to develop into a transportation hub and logistics center for the three countries in the near future.

And clearly, this problem has been solved by Yelagand himself. From now on, no one will question Sherag's future.

Ulaniborg's future will certainly not be limited to RheinLife, but RheinLife will undoubtedly play a significant role in Ulaniborg's future.

“Director Seraya, Sherag will set up a dedicated contact point in Ulaniburg. If Rhine Lab has any needs, they can speak directly with our specialists, saving time traveling to Tukarim.”

Ernst explained, while pulling a business card from his pocket.

This business card was, of course, not his; it belonged to Latatos.

Just as Latatos said, there would indeed be considerable resistance if Bronta Home Textiles were to be "nationalized".

Latatos is the patriarch, the top leader, and her sister Hurlus and brother-in-law Yucatan are the second-in-command, but the Brantau family has more than just these three people.

House Shivaish had declined for a considerable period due to the sudden death of its previous patriarch. Internal factions were either swallowed up or dissolved, so when Ensiodis returned to take over the family, the Shivaish members were still relatively pure. House Peroch, on the other hand, always considered themselves the most devout protectors of Jeragund; to put it kindly, they were too traditional; to put it bluntly, they were too traditional.

Because of its strong traditions, the chieftain's ideas alone could almost "win over the hearts of the people," and no one could challenge Aktos's authority, not even his father.

Also because of its strong traditions, if the patriarch decides to support Ernst, no one in the patriarch can oppose him, even if he says he will hand over the food processing plant to Ernst.

But the Blanto family was different.

Under Latatos's leadership, the Brantau family was neither as traditional as the Perroch family nor as open-minded as the Shivaesh family. They were stuck in the middle, neither here nor there.

Latatos was not known as a strong-willed leader, and when she mentioned this at home, she was immediately met with opposition.

The reasons for the opposition are fairly reasonable and well-founded:

"Even if you want to help Ernst, you should at least think about your sister, Hugh Rose!"

Latatos could not ignore that statement.

Her younger sister... is so immature, like a spoiled princess. If she gives away the company, what will Hugh Ruth eat?

Does Ernst expect her to also help raise her younger sister?

Although Latatos thought Ernst wouldn't mind because of their past relationship, Latatos was a stubborn and strong-willed woman, and she minded it herself.

So, things ended up like this.

"This is the business card of Latatos Blantau, the Minister of Commerce and Trade of Shelag. She will also be in contact with you as the Commissioner for Ulany Castle Affairs."

Nasti raised an eyebrow. Of all the people, she had stayed in Kjerag the longest, so of course she recognized the name. But this was the first time she had heard the prefix "Latatos" in the name.

"Latatos is not from Brown Tao Home Textiles..."

"Previously."

Ernst nodded.

"She resigned."

It wasn't just a resignation; in a sense, Latatos abdicated the position.

The opposition within the family could prevent the nationalization of Blangau Textiles, but they couldn't stop her from shouting:

"I quit!"

The position of head of the Blantau family has now been handed over to her sister, and is being looked after by Yucatan.

Over the years, Yucatan, as the de facto second-in-command, has been influenced by his surroundings and his abilities and experience have become more than enough to be the chieftain. Latatos has long since begun to gradually hand over some peripheral tasks to him. Now, she is entrusting the management of the family to him and Hulus together, which is a little earlier than expected, but Latatos is still quite at ease.

Moreover, Scherrag doesn't need Hugh Ruth and Yucatan to worry about him now. They just need to follow Ernst's lead step by step, and nothing serious will go wrong.

Besides, she only retired, she didn't die. If something really happens to the family, even if she's not the patriarch, as a member of the Blantau family and Hugh Ruth's sister, she would still be willing to lend a hand.

The reason why Latatos abdicated was actually not that complicated.

She is tired.

For so many years, she had devoted herself to the affairs of her family, the legacy of her ancestors, and the future of Snowfield. In the end, she watched Hurlus grow up little by little, watched Yucatan gradually take over his business, watched Ensioudis, who had left with grudges, return and start up the Karan Trade in the blink of an eye, almost monopolizing the foreign trade of Sherag, and watched Ernst's government grow stronger and stronger, replacing the booming Karan Trade and officially taking control of Sherag.

At this moment, she suddenly looked back and found that the three races had begun to gradually withdraw from the stage of history, and she had unknowingly been left behind.

Does Latatos lack talent? She doesn't think she's inferior to Enciodis in any way. Nor does she think that she, who started managing family affairs as soon as she came of age and led the Brantau family to where it is today, is inferior to Ernst, who was forcibly put in power.

If she had to say something, she felt that what she lacked was knowledge and experience.

She lacked the connections and experience that Encioudis had accumulated during her studies in Victoria. The heavy burden of family affairs and the limitations of her status also prevented her from immersing herself in books for extended periods of time to absorb knowledge, just like Ernst.

She travels thousands of miles and reads thousands of books, yet she doesn't engage in either. How can she possibly survive in this era?

Latatos is proud, unwilling to accept defeat, and eager to catch up.

My childhood sweetheart, who used to crave my candy, can now wave her hand and deliver million-dollar orders to the Brown Tao family. How can she be content with that?

All of this requires her to put down that heavy burden.

Lay down the heavy burden that belongs to the name of [Blangau].

I'm also thinking about taking a break, focusing on myself, and getting back to work.

Sherag is still lacking a Minister of Commerce, and frankly speaking, Enciodis would be the most suitable candidate for this position. Karan Trading is Sherag's oldest, fastest-growing, and largest company, and Enciodis's extensive network of relationships and trade channels across Terra would allow him to play a remarkable role in this position.

But Enciodes was unwilling to come; his and Nohis Edwis's goal had always been the position of prime minister.

Ernst didn't intend to let him come either. After all, putting an opposition figure into one's own government to hinder one's progress at every turn would only give one a reputation for "listening to all sides" and "tolerating dissent," without any other benefit.

Latatos's unexpected job interview after the harvest festival was a pleasant surprise for him.

She still accepted the offer she had made for her.

Ernst even joked at the time, "Is Yucatan cured?"

Latatos's reply was equally clever: "It should be ready by now."

Now, the Rhine Life branch project in Ulaniburg will be the first thing Latatos, who has stepped down from her position as the head of the Blantau family, will undertake in the Sherag government as the Minister of Commerce and Trade, and it will also be her first political achievement.

This is undoubtedly a great opportunity, as it will help Latatos quickly understand the business environment outside of Sherrag through Rhine Life Sciences, a scientific research giant in Colombia, and also accumulate some high-quality connections that were previously difficult to access.

Furthermore, with the Business Federation now based in Sheraco, there are so many opportunities for Latatos to take this position.

Ernst will also keep a close eye on this area to ensure that no problems arise.

As she accepted the business card from Ernst, a faint smile appeared on Seria's face.

"Then when will we be able to meet this new female Minister of Commerce?"

"I'm here."

Latatos's voice came from inside the city, holding a drafted contract and the official seal that Ernst had given her.

Latatos changed her clothes, replacing her oversized trench coat and cotton-padded jacket with a well-tailored women's suit from Bronta Home Textiles. She chose a striking red tie for her chest, and paired it with a pencil skirt and flesh-colored stockings, which gave her a truly elegant and capable look reminiscent of a Colombian businesswoman.

The brand-new outfits brought a stark contrast to the stereotypes, making Ernst's eyes light up. Latatos had indeed put in a lot of effort for this meeting.

She stepped forward, winked playfully at Ernst with her right eye, then nodded to Seria, flashing a confident smile.

"I hope I'm not too late; I must go and retrieve these things."

"I will make up for the time wasted because of me. My company seal is right here, my pen is in my bag, our contracts are in my hands, and my... leader is right beside me."

"If Rhine Labs has any dissatisfaction with the conditions, environment, or future development plans offered to Kjerag, I can make changes immediately and stamp them. If I cannot make a decision, I can also submit it for approval immediately."

Latatos tucked the contract under her arm and extended her hand to Saria, her overflowing desire to prove herself to Ernst making her appear exceptionally passionate.

"The mutually beneficial relationship between Kjerag and Rhine Life is obvious, sustainable, and has been incredibly successful in the past. As long as Rhine Life does not fail Kjerag, Kjerag will certainly not fail Rhine Life. This is our sincerity."

"I hope this is also a consensus we share."

Saria paused slightly, her usually stern and unsmiling face softening slightly to reveal a faint but genuine smile. She reached out and grasped Latatos's hand in return.

"Of course. It is also an honor for Rhine Life."

Chapter 514 W: My mouth is out of control!

Sherag, late at night, at the Shivaish mansion.

The Shivaish mansion is not hard to find in Sherag, or rather, the main residences of the three major families are not hard to find.

It wasn't unusual for Ernst to live at his family home. During the reconstruction of Tukarim, the Sherag government officials even worked and stayed overnight at his house. Most Sherag residents knew the way.

So, W found this place in no time.

Two moons hang high in the sky, and the once dark and quiet road is now illuminated by streetlights. Only the Shivaish mansion at the end of the road stands like a silent giant, with no sound, except for two rooms with lights on.

Enciodes Shivaesh doesn't live at the main headquarters. After the establishment of Kallan Trading, he lived in the company's dormitory building and only occasionally returned to the main headquarters. As for Encia, due to her Oripathy infection, she has been receiving treatment in other locations. Recently, Rhodes Island has been stationed in Kjerag, and she will return during the day, but at night, for safety reasons, Ernst insists that she return to the Rhodes Island main ship.

In the Shivaish mansion, only Ernst and the old butler usually lived there.

"The lights in both rooms, that's correct."

W put down his night vision binoculars, his expression unusually determined.

She had already approached Hedley, shamelessly begging him to help her arrange her interview for tomorrow as well.

For this, he even received a sarcastic remark from Ines:

"Our legendary mercenary W has changed his mind after just one afternoon?"

W ignored her; this woman's head was like a potato, containing nothing but starch paste.

How could she possibly understand her own deep considerations?

Why is it that ever since W arrived in Sherag, everyone he's met, from roadside vendors to that grumpy lynx in Kal'tsit, keeps praising Ernst?

Is this normal?

Even the most popular leader must have opponents.

Even Princess Theresa still has that group of ignorant fools who have been brainwashed by Theresa and oppose her, right?

No one in the world can possibly please everyone. Clearly, Ernst must have used some means! Either he controlled public opinion, and those who spoke well of him received 500,000 gold coins from the Sherag government! Or he must be an extremely skilled conman, with such superb disguise techniques that he could fool everyone and even have others count the money for him!

She's here to expose Ernst's true colors!

People can pretend, but they can't pretend forever. Even the best actors eventually have to take off their makeup. Just like Tracy, who kept saying, "I will always stand in front of you," but in the end, didn't she tear off her mask and reveal her true colors?

W doesn't care about the process, the difficulties, the lack of control, or the will of the people—she only cares about the result.

There aren't that many people in this world who are powerless to help themselves, and there aren't that many who can be forgiven. To those who advise her to be kind, she just wants to ask: "If I were to kill you against my will, could you forgive me?"

No, that's nonsense. She'll accept anything her mom fries for her!

"I want to see exactly what's so good about him."

W wouldn't patiently wait until tomorrow, when Ernst had prepared his mask and disguise, only to be deceived by Ernst's lies in his office.

Although W looked down on Kal'tsit, she had to admit that Kal'tsit was indeed a tiny bit better than her in some intellectual matters.

She was easily fooled, so W wasn't confident she could discern which of Ernst's words were true and which were false.

She was determined to sneak into the Shivaish mansion tonight, find evidence of Ernst's conspiracy, and then, during her interview tomorrow, expose all that evidence and give the snow leopard a good slap in the face!

Hmph, just thinking about Ernst's grimacing and furious expression back then makes W feel genuinely happy!

After checking his camera, tight-fitting night clothes, disguise mask, and the bomb he had prepared for an escape in case of an emergency, W began to approach the Shivaish mansion after confirming that everything was in order.