People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Chapter 518 Viviana: I miss you so much in Letania

Ernst felt that he was living a little too luxuriously.

Why do I say that? The reason is simple: within the Sherag government, the number of people who just make tea for him could fill a mahjong table and a card game table.

Hinterlea, a former gladiator from Kazimierz, wasn't very good at brewing tea; she would usually just bring Ernst two cups of hot water. Miss Mandra from Tara would occasionally demonstrate her tea-making skills, which she'd somehow acquired, brewing a pot of Tara-style tea for the Sherag government employees. Compared to Mandra, Lafshini was a bit better. Although it was also Tara-style, Lafshini's tea had a better flavor, probably because she often boiled the water herself and controlled the temperature—though it was often quite scalding.

When Foreign Minister Vina chatted with Ernst, she would brew herself a pot of tea. She had not received a complete royal education, so Ernst certainly couldn't appreciate the royal black tea of ​​the Aslan royal family. However, even the cheap tea leaves picked from the street would taste different when brewed by Vina, which was purely a matter of personal taste.

Besides her, there were also people who didn't come often, such as Ahmoni, Ceylon, Lola, Latatos, and even Jeston, who all knew how to make tea. Among them were many who were very skilled. For example, Ceylon, a genuine young lady, could make tea perfectly from boiling water to brewing tea and from brewing tea to tasting it. Even a professional etiquette master could not find any fault with her.

But all in all, Ernst still preferred the drink that Holheimer placed on his desk every morning—a cup of Colombian instant coffee.

Well, Ernst doesn't really like drinking tea; it's his brother Ensioudis's hobby.

It's not because the word "tea" was given too many meanings in my past life; it's just that I simply don't like drinking it.

Most leaders drink tea not only to show off or to appear cultured, but also because they appreciate its "light and elegant" qualities. They enjoy its fragrant aroma, the lingering aftertaste, and the refreshing and invigorating feeling that allows them to savor the experience for a long time.

But Ernst...

As you know, he always prefers things that are more exciting.

In every way.

Today's events gave him a long-lost sense of excitement.

Ernst didn't think there was anything wrong with dealing with that impolite Leitanian. He didn't even offer him an "unavoidable condition." After all, this kind of person was just too arrogant and deserved to be taught a lesson. Even though Ernst gave him several ways out, he wouldn't take them unless Ernst kowtowed to him.

Isn't this like being a commander in Implosion 2 – asking for trouble?

Ernst emphasized many times, "You, the envoy, say things like 'three electors are behind you,' 'even Viviana's father would show you respect,' and 'the Empress would give you face,' but what good is that?"

Do you have anything to prove your identity? Did the three great lords come to Kjerag with you and stand behind you as your Stand guardian spirits? The Queen of Letania knows you and might give you face, but is the Emperor of Letania Ernst?

All this talk is pointless. I don't even know you. You're just spouting nonsense. I could say I'm the father of the President of Colombia. Look at me, a snow leopard. Who could possibly have a deformed, horned, one-legged beast born from me?

You can fool your brothers, but don't fool yourself too. You might be able to fool some naive people with your empty promises, but to fool Ernst? Do you really think he's the director of the Xiuligou Subdistrict Office?

To put it bluntly, Ernst can guarantee that if this matter comes to light, those three electors who are unwilling to give you "even a title" will cut you off faster, more accurately, and more decisively than Nasti's cutting machine on a construction site! And you, you think you are a "wife" sent by the elector's noble family, but in reality, you are just a "whore" without any title or status.

You're not wrong about calling him Elector; they're definitely making a fool of their younger brother.

However, Ernst couldn't say these things openly. Even if he did, the other party, who seemed successfully brainwashed, might not believe him. Ernst wasn't exactly a saint either; when someone bullied him, he couldn't just put on a pained face and cry out, "Hey, can we settle this?" If you want to act tough, then so be it. Who can outmaneuver you, you idiot?

However, on the other hand, this "unfortunate lost tourist" did leave him with a little surprise.

He finally realized what was going on. When Ernst gave the order to act and then closed his eyes, he finally understood.

Here, neither his electorate nor his power could save him, nor could anything he was proud of or flaunted before Ernst.

The Elector wouldn't risk a falling out with Sherag over a trivial, inexplicable death, because the dead are sometimes more useful to the Elector than the living, since his power is quickly divided after his death. Letania has no shortage of nobles; if he quits, there are plenty of others who will.

Only something tangible and verifiable that can quickly prove his identity and instill genuine fear in Ernst can save him.

So he was about to take out the ring when he cried out in sudden repentance, "Wait!"

pity.

"He didn't know he was wrong; he just knew he was going to die."

Ernst waved his hand. Viviana had actually been in the cubicle and had listened to almost the entire process, including Ernst's final decision.

This young lady didn't jump out to stop Ernst, which made him somewhat relieved. It meant that she at least didn't have that quality that he, as a politician, disliked the most—a saintly quality.

Hesitation only leads to more trouble. When he brought up the Elector and openly invoked the Queen of Letania before Ernst, he was doomed.

If he doesn't die, how will Ernst explain himself? If he lets him go back and tells the Elector that even the Prime Minister of Sherag is wary of his power and dares not stop him from taking his friend away, what will happen?

In that case, not only would Ernst's carefully cultivated image of Scherrag would plummet, but even within the Scherrag government itself, how many people would feel disheartened as a result?

In politics, passing the buck and avoiding blame are basic skills, but taking responsibility is an art.

Power and obligations are always commensurate; the greater the power, the greater the obligations, otherwise trouble will inevitably arise sooner or later. A leader who can take responsibility, dares to take responsibility, and skillfully takes responsibility is key to enabling subordinates to work with peace of mind and confidently utilize their talents and abilities.

Ernst had to set an example, just as he had done in front of the Duke of Caesar to protect Vina, who had confessed her identity at the World's Fair.

There is definitely pressure, but if it needs to be protected, it must be protected. If he can't even protect his own family, what kind of prime minister is he, and what kind of shameless person would he be, hosting some kind of international summit and promoting some kind of peace in Terra?

After feeling relieved, I still had to remind them of the things I needed to tell them:

"Viviana, please keep today's events a secret and don't tell anyone."

“If Letania investigates this matter, just insist that no one has ever contacted you. I will send this ring with this letter to Lord Russell. She knows your father and will understand what needs to be done.”

Some things, if you don't weigh them, they're nothing; but if you do, they're incredibly heavy.

The small gold coin that this remnant of the Witch King revealed at the end was something that could be weighed.

In Letania, the Queens formulated a general policy: "The remnants of the Witch King must be eradicated at all times, or else!" But could the remnants of the Witch King be completely wiped out? From the mouth of this "tourist," Ernst felt that it might be a little difficult.

If you execute all three Electors, there might be wrongful convictions; but if you execute every other one, there's a chance some will escape. Ernst gave this little thing to Russell, who then forwarded it to Viviana's father, the rumored "Elector of St. Tong." If the Elector of St. Tong didn't know what to do, then he'd wasted most of his life as a nobleman.

From a moral standpoint, his daughter was harassed by the remnants of the Witch King's faction and almost kidnapped. As a father, it was perfectly reasonable and legal for him to report it to the authorities and request a thorough investigation. No one could find fault with that.

Logically, as the Elector of the Ston Territory of Letania, a great nobleman of Letania, and a "loyal subject" (regardless of whether he is or not), it is the duty of a great nobleman to report this ring, along with the brutal persecution of "a Letanian citizen" by the remnants of the Witch King's party, to the wise and mighty Empress, requesting that the Empress investigate thoroughly and seek justice for this Letanian citizen!

What, you mean you're using this opportunity to send other political opponents to the top?

No, that's not true. It was all Her Majesty the Empress's swift and decisive action; it had nothing to do with him. Besides, Empresses are all kind-hearted people; why would they take this opportunity to escalate the situation?

As for the fact that this "Leytanian citizen" happens to be his daughter, that's just a coincidence within a coincidence. Even if it weren't, it wouldn't stop him from doing this.

The arrangements were all made, and the press release was prepared. Now, Ernst's only concern was Viviana's opinion, or rather, her next move.

"Viviana... are you going back to Letania?"

Frankly, Ernst wouldn't mind if she went back now. If his judgment is correct, the Twin Queens would definitely use this incident to create quite a stir, and if Viviana went back, she would undoubtedly become the center of the storm.

Furthermore, because of her special status, she could very well be the target of a heinous assassination attempt—and those who might want to silence her are not just the major princes and nobles.

Queens are not necessarily good people. Doesn't Viviana's existence mean that when they want to escalate the situation, there will be an unavoidable "witness" in front of them?

Therefore, Ernst suggested that Viviana stay for the time being.

But Viviana shook her head.

Her reasons were also very valid, and Ernst had no reason to stop her.

“The messenger is fake, but the news of my father’s serious illness is not fake.”

"I still... want to go back and take a look."

No matter how reasonable things are, they can't overcome the power of emotions. That's why people say that the first step to passing the civil service exam is to cut off all lovers in the world. Having worked in this industry for a long time, Ernst rarely thinks about the impact of personal feelings.

But Viviana was not a public servant like him; she was a knight-errant, and also a sentimental poet. Ernst could understand her feelings. After all, even ancient state officials, those who rose to the highest ranks, including the Grand Councilor and the Prime Minister, had an unavoidable holiday—attending a funeral or observing mourning.

Ernst had already confirmed with the embassy that the Grand Election Prince of Shitong was unwell and had not appeared to handle official business for several weeks. Now that things had come to this, how could he possibly object to a daughter who wanted to go back and see her father?

Everyone has the right to make their own choices. Ernst has already informed Viviana of the dangers of this journey. The rest of the decision is hers to make, and she will bear the responsibility herself.

"I won't stop you."

Ernst sighed softly and nodded.

"Take care of yourself. When I have the chance to visit Letania, I'll need you to be my guide."

Viviana pursed her lips, nodded firmly, and smiled resolutely and brightly.

"I promise you. I will wait for you, forever!"

Chapter 519 Theresis, Without Hesitation

Victoria, Londinium, Royal Palace.

Looking at the group of shapeshifters in front of him, or rather, one of the shapeshifter clones, Theresis's expression was somewhat uncertain.

After a long silence, he asked a question he would never have asked before:

"Can you guarantee that what you're saying is true, Shapeshifter?"

In the past, Theresis would have considered this statement as nonsense.

The Shapeshifter group never lies. He may not have genuinely joined the Military Council, or even truly pledged allegiance to the Sarkaz, but he has never fabricated important intelligence.

Especially this kind of information, which at first glance sounds so obviously fake.

"Shelag is pushing for the establishment of the Sarkaz kingdom. The banshee who stays in Shelag is building a new Kazdel there. While the Victorians are at loggerheads with us, they have secretly agreed to Ernst's proposal?"

If anyone else said something like that to Theresis, he would at least tell them to get their head checked. This isn't just nonsense; your imagination is almost on par with that of a Demon King.

Unfortunately, the Demon King can weave fantasy into reality, but you can't; you can only daydream.

But the person who said this was a group of shapeshifters, a figure that Theresis had to take seriously, and a spy he personally sent to Sherag.

The shapeshifter swarmed out a hand from outside its tattered cloak toward Theresis, its expression unchanged, making it impossible to tell whether it was truly devoid of emotion or whether the profound confusion that had stirred such a commotion within Theresis was simply insufficient to elicit any emotional response from it.

"We have no reason to lie to you."

The Shapeshifter swarm confirmed Theresis's suspicions, and then added,

"Furthermore, Theresis, we also need to tell you that our main body will remain in Sherag for the time being to keep a close eye on the progress of this project."

“But our clone will still remain in Londinium.”

Therese was slightly taken aback.

Strictly speaking, there's no real distinction between "main body" and "clones" within the Shapeshifter swarm. Unlike elves like Muelseth, whose manifolds lack independent thought and rely on Muelseth's control, the Shapeshifters don't experience signal issues or lag when traversing large distances. Each part of a Shapeshifter possesses its own consciousness, yet they are all unified under a single mastermind. The "main body" a Shapeshifter refers to is actually a clone temporarily holding the mastermind's consciousness.

If that clone is destroyed, the main brain's consciousness will immediately transfer and activate in other clones. So, theoretically, as long as the shapeshifter syndicate doesn't delete itself, it will never die.

But this can still be considered a statement.

The Shapeshifter swarm is no longer "spies sent by Theresis," but rather a "Sarkaz court" stationed in Sherag to observe the situation.

Theresis knew that the Shapeshifter horde would respond to the call of the Kazdel Military Council to come to Londinium to help them, for a simple reason—he believed that Theresis's path was promising.

Terra exploded, the Originium Storm spun a million horsepower, summoning Ananna, and used the primordial Originium to fight a real boss battle against the so-called hidden boss, the Creator. Although it sounds abstract, no one in the millions of years of Sarkaz history has ever done this before.

No one has ever done this before, which proves that Therese's path is unknown, and no one can say for sure whether an unknown path leads to hope or destruction.

So the group of shapeshifters, who had drifted outside their kind and were rejected even by the souls, came to witness what lay at the end of a path.

Now, he has temporarily left to focus on another matter.

Does he think Ernst's plan is feasible?

At this moment, Theresis had many thoughts on her mind.

The Shapeshifters learned of the plan from the lich Emengard, who in turn learned about it from Ernst.

He, Theresis, was only getting secondhand information.

He couldn't get a definite answer from those fragmented plans and promises—whether it was yes or no.

But he thought it was probably impossible.

The Sarkaz must avenge their grievances themselves, and they must rebuild their homeland themselves. As for anyone else, whether they advise them to be kind or to let go, most of them are... no, they are all hypocrites.

The Sarkaz led by Theresis were all weary of hope followed by despair, weary of help followed by betrayal, weary of their homes ravaged by war and their lives trampled by the enemy. They could not possibly accept Ernst's so-called "peace plan".

Just as they wouldn't accept Theresa's peace plan back then.

Therese's eyes flickered for a moment, then she slowly nodded:

“Go ahead. Just like the agreement we reached, the Military Council will not restrict the freedom of the shapeshifter groups. Every Sarkaz, including you, has the right to make their own choices.”

"But the Sarkaz of Lentinium, I of Lentinium, will not retreat."

The plan has progressed to this point, and the opportunity to confront the Creator is just around the corner. Theresis's path is about to come to an end, so how can he turn back?

He can't turn back.

If he were to turn back now, how could he face the person who had given the crown to Theresa, sworn to stand by her side, and become her sword?

If he were to turn back now, how could he face the self who established the Kazdel Military Council, usurped the royal court, and forced Ducarre to submit to Theresa and the Military Council at the meeting?

If he were to turn back now, how could he face the person he had to turn his sword against those he was protecting in order to ensure that there was only one voice within the Sarkaz, and the person who remained silent and did not shed a single tear when faced with Theresa's body returned by the traitors of Babel?

If he turned back now, how could he face Theresa?

"Lentinium's plans remain unchanged."

The shapeshifters looked up, and Theresis's image was reflected in the emerald eyes of this clone.