People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

It makes sense. Although Laterano is only one city, its wealth far exceeds the imagination of the rest of Terra. Coupled with a thousand years without war, the country has become a semi-ideal paradise, a haven of peace. It's hard to say exactly how much money is hidden in the treasury.

Given their unparalleled international reputation in Terra and the established system of messengers from all nations, it seems quite plausible that they, as co-initiators of the World Summit, would take the lead in establishing a World Bank.

They certainly have the means to do so.

However, Ernst's feelings were somewhat complicated whenever he thought of the expression on Ivangelista XI's face when he revealed this idea to him.

Angels, lenders, hey nine》0俬三偲賐索: It's hell.

Angels lend money, and devils borrow it—that's even more hellish.

If the devil doesn't repay his debts, the angels might even come knocking with guns to collect! This is utterly contrary to the natural order! It's a disgrace to civilization! What kind of behavior is this!

Who wrote this script? It's absolutely terrible! I, a reformer, am almost turning into a conservative!

What? The script is called "Angel Investor"?

Ernst: ""

Regardless, this is indeed a way out. If Sarkaz really can't raise that much money on his own, Ernst wouldn't mind revealing this path to them. As for whether Sarkaz will lend it or not, and whether Sarkaz will be willing to lend it, whether this matter will lead to a preliminary reconciliation between the two parties or turn into another layer of grievances between creditors and borrowers, Ernst doesn't know.

We'll see how it goes then; who knows, he might even have to say a few nice words then.

“Prime Minister Ernst, we have a basic understanding of the details regarding the gravity defiance mechanism.”

After a brief discussion, Lyselott Ivignad, the representative of Letania, raised her hand, first acknowledging Ernst and Nasti's presentation on the Gravity Defiance Mechanism and its role in the floating city of Kazdel, but then immediately raised a more pointed question.

"However, Secretary Ernst, I would like to know, is there any possibility that this technology could be leaked or used for military purposes?"

Nastie pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but Ernst frowned slightly and stopped her.

Ivignad's question was clearly not about simple technology leaks and militarization, because those were questions that didn't even need to be asked.

Any technology, once developed, has the potential to be used for military purposes. This is especially true for something like a gravity-defying mechanism.

Let's not even mention gravity weapons or gravity spells, whose uses are obvious at a glance. If—and Ernst means if—after countless attempts at the Star-Picking Project, Terra finally breaks through the isolation layer and flies into the boundless universe, then that gravity-defying mechanism might very well become a technological cornerstone for Terra's future interstellar colonization.

Similarly, Kazdel could not keep this technology a complete secret. No secrets stay hidden forever, and the nations of Terra would not allow any one country to monopolize this technology.

As an empress, Ivignad wouldn't ask such a trivial question. Ernst thought for a moment and realized that what she really wanted to ask was the question that followed these two events.

She was asking Ernst, "Take one step, think three steps ahead," as if asking him how to take those three steps.

In other words, the first step: what if the technology of gravity disregarding mechanisms can be leaked and used for military purposes?

The second step: How to ensure that they, as the five permanent members of the World Summit, enjoy privileges and advantages in this technology?

The third step: How to ensure that, after maintaining their own privileges, these privileges are not infringed upon by outsiders for a long period of time?

In other words, ultimately, it all comes down to seeking personal gain.

This is why Ernst went up on stage. Nastia clearly didn't understand the intricacies of the situation. And, if Ernst wasn't mistaken, Nastia had probably just wanted to answer:

"Kazdelnia will keep the technology secret, ensuring it is not leaked or used for military purposes."

But what's the point of such a promise? You say it's confidential, and you say it won't be used for military purposes ...? Are you trying to fool children?

Imagine this: We're all guests at an international dining table. The chairs are all in, the ingredients are laid out, and the knives, forks, chopsticks, and spoons are all ready. If you come up here and say, "We're not cooking today, so just look and enjoy the view," who would be satisfied?

The food that's put out here is meant to be shared and eaten by everyone. If you want to keep it a secret, well, the dead are the best at keeping secrets. I'll send you to your death.

Ahem, of course, this is the World Summit. In order to divide the benefits reasonably and legally, everyone will uphold the authority of the World Summit and is willing to give some corresponding compensation, such as giving Nasti bonuses, awarding medals, or providing some convenience and assistance.

The value may not be equal; it might just be a token gesture, but it will still be given eventually.

In the past, it would probably have been a case of all nations besieging Kazdel and openly stealing the invention. No one could say anything against it; after all, they were Sarkaz demons, and those who know, know. Raising the banner of demon slaying might not necessarily be for the sake of demon slaying, nor is it necessarily just, but there would certainly be a lot of people coming.

So, after a brief moment of deliberation, Ernst spoke up and gave his answer:

"Kazdelnia will do its best to ensure that the technology is not leaked, does not approve of it, and will try its best to prevent the technology from being used for military purposes."

It seems like we're saying the same thing, but... but everything before that was just nonsense.

Ernst continued:

"However, Kazdelnia is a relatively new nation with limited strength, and its security measures and related mechanisms are not yet perfect. In order to ensure the safe and reasonable use of this technology and to contribute its value to the peace and development of this land, Kazdelnia has taken the initiative to propose that the technology be submitted to the Security Council of the World Summit for safekeeping."

"Kazdelnia fully trusts and appreciates the World Summit Security Council's ability to protect this valuable technology. At the same time, to ensure that this technology is not obtained by criminals through illegitimate means and used for purposes that none of us want to see, Kazdelnia also proposes that a corresponding security and confidentiality agreement be signed, with the World Summit Security Council at its core."

Ernst paused twice, coughed lightly, switched to his fourth role, Lu*

"I agree with Kazdelnia's opinion that this agreement can be called the Gravity Defiance Agency Non-Proliferation Agreement."

The five menacing-looking men revealed knowing smiles.

Good lad, you've won me over!

Chapter 588 This is unofficial history, according to Neve.

Shelag, outside the country, is a refugee settlement for the Saakaz people.

Neve is an ordinary Sarkaz, at least that's what she thinks.

She possesses all the elements of an ordinary Sarkaz. These include "irresponsible" parents who disappeared when she was young; an older sister whom she only saw in a group photo, who is said to have gone to war with the Demon King and whose fate is now unknown; a life of extreme poverty, forcing her to rely on herself; and contracting Oripathy at a young age, making her life, by all accounts, quite extraordinary.

Generally speaking, with a start like hers, spawning in the mobile city of Kazdel's Sarkaz, her character is basically half-useless. Optimistically, she might spend her days in Kazdel watching pack animals baring their teeth; pessimistically, she might end up as a mercenary in Londinium with Theresis at a young age. But Neve is different.

She is the demon of self-punishment.

Kazdel, a mobile city salvaged by Theresis and the military council, is home to many Sarkaz. After all, back in the day, when Kazdel was ruled by the Demon Lord Theresia, many Sarkaz still took it seriously.

But there are very few Netherfiends in the entire Kazdel, let alone a pureblood Netherfiend like Neve.

Admittedly, under the Kazdel Military Council, the legitimate government of the mobile city of Kazdel, which advocates "breaking free from the constraints of the Royal Court, upholding independence and autonomy, and becoming a modern and effective bureaucratic government," a legitimate royal race might not necessarily receive any preferential treatment, but it certainly wouldn't suffer too much persecution.

As for the reputation of the Mindbreakers, well, due to some historical issues, their level of terror is actually on par with the Blood Demons and Carrion Eaters. Even the Sarkaz wouldn't dare to provoke them lightly.

So, despite her young age, Nephrodite actually survived all alone in Kazdel, and has lived to this day.

If nothing unexpected happens, as a promising young Sarkaz aspiring to revitalize Kazdel, she might dedicate herself to its development after growing up. But life is often like that; when you think everything is going smoothly, things usually turn out differently.

Ersula brought the decree of the Military Council, and the mobile city of Kazdel was cleared out overnight. Except for those Sarkaz who were willing to join the Military Council to serve as "line-filling babies" (ahem) and make a name for themselves on the battlefield of Londinium, the rest became refugees and were driven out.

Neve was no exception.

Although she possesses a series of terrifying abilities such as mental torture, psychological shock, hypnosis apps, and the ability to modify common sense, she does not want to use her abilities to torment others.

Because she is kind!

The Mind Bender has changed its nature. Everyone is tired of the old gameplay. Now, people prefer the hypnosis app where they find out the other person wasn't hypnotized at all. The Minotaur has switched to a pure love story, and all the gameplay, including mind reading, is based on mutual consent.

With nowhere else to go, she had no choice but to follow the group.

But where is the main force headed?

Since both a member of the Carrion Eater's Court and a member of the Blood Demon's Court were heading towards Sherag, she naturally followed them.

She had heard that the eldest sister of the Carrion King's Court was eccentric, and Neve didn't know her yet. At first, she was a little worried, but after actually arriving near Sherag, she felt that "she must have come to the right place."

(Kalesa the North Wind Witch's timeline is 200 years ago during a war - a gap period in her search for a way to change the scavengers' habits in Kazdel - going to Sami to find the Unfrozen Spring to modify her body - returning to Kazdel - meeting Neve, because Neve in The Forge's Resurrection clearly didn't know Kalesa had been to Sami. It's not said when Kalesa went to Sami, so let's assume she wasn't there by 1095. This is a personal interpretation, not official.)

Although the Sherag people didn't let them in, at least they didn't let them "get out of my house!" right?

Moreover, the area around Sherag seems to be truly blessed by the gods. Neve has been there with the main force for some time now, and during this time, although she has been sleeping in the wilderness, she has not seen a single natural disaster.

Not only were there no natural disasters, but there were also no strong winds, heavy rains, or any extreme weather. It was so peaceful that it didn't feel like it was on Terra.

As a result, many Sarkaz simply set up tents outside the city, creating a sprawling, seemingly endless camp.

Thankfully, there was no fire here.

Not only that, Neve also discovered a number of Sarkaz of "unknown origin" appearing in the camp outside.

Why are they described as of unknown origin? Because their clothing, demeanor, and educational background seem a bit too high; they don't look like Sarkaz from Kazdel at all!

Only after inquiring did Neve learn their identities.

“Those people are important figures from the royal court, and also snow demons from the mountains that came out of Shelag!”

"Mountain Snow Demon" is what the Sarkaz call these Sherag Sarkaz.

The legend of the demons lurking in the mountains of Shelag, who would secretly devour disobedient Shelag children, was originally a ghost story made up by adults to scare naughty children. However, it was adopted by Sarkaz refugees who did not understand Shelag culture or the status of the Sarkaz people living in Shelag, and thus used it as the Shelag people's name for the Sarkaz.

They felt that the Sarkaz could do and were capable of doing very little. Those "mountain snow ghosts" must have used some skills to live in Shelag, and when all was said and done, the Sarkaz's only skill was "scaring children."

So, what was originally a slightly derogatory name for a folk monster became a "proud title" for Sarkaz refugees to the Sarkaz! A bunch of Sarkaz even believed this explanation and started honing their skills in scaring people, planning to "apply" for the job and also go to Sarkaz to become a snow ghost.

In other words, Ernst didn't know. If Ernst had known, he probably would have been both amused and exasperated.

Neve's new friend, a Sarkaz boy with short, blue hair, also encouraged Neve:

"Hey little Neve, you're a mind fiend, why don't you give it a try?"

“Perl, stop joking. I don’t think that’s what you meant,” Neve said, somewhat embarrassed.

Perl countered, "What do you mean it's not that way?"

Neve was also somewhat at a loss for words.

Is the term "Mountain Snow Demon" not meant this? Is "Shelag" not meant this? Or is it that the royal court and Shelag Sakaz, who go out to help them but never explain where they come from, are not meant this?

Neve couldn't explain it clearly; she could only shake her head, indicating that she needed to think about it some more.

If she were to use the ability to lash out at the inner demon, it wouldn't be difficult to "scare" a group of people. After all, it's a talent in her bloodline, and she wouldn't find it difficult to use.

But she always felt that doing it this way wasn't quite right?

"In that case, why don't you go and consult those cyclops?"

Seeing that Niff was really in a difficult position, Pearl didn't insist, but instead suggested,

"Those cyclops came from Sami. Very important figures! I found out a few days ago that there's even a king among them!"

"The Lord of the Royal Court!" Neve exclaimed in surprise.

The Lord of the Royal Court is a truly important figure in Sarkaz.

Although the Military Council is now the nominal ruler of the Sarkaz, how many years has the Military Council been established? It even went through a civil war, and even the Demon King, its backbone, was "forced to leave the group." There aren't many Sarkaz who truly submit to it, otherwise so many refugees wouldn't have preferred to wander rather than follow the Military Council to Londinium.

The royal court, and its ruler, are rules established by their ancestors, ancient laws passed down for thousands of years. The age of a royal ruler is greater than the age of Kazdel, their former homeland!

Neve had never met the King of the Royal Court before. Upon hearing news of Per, she was shocked, but even more so, filled with doubt:

"Really? How come the ruler of the royal court is living with us?"

There are also members of the royal court in Kazdel City. Those blood demon nobles all live in the core city and never mingle with poor people like them. Even if they run into them, they won't even glance at them and often curse them as "filthy blood".

Neve had never been scolded like that before, but even if she had never eaten the meat of a pack animal, had she never seen a pack animal running?

Pearl couldn't answer that question either, because he couldn't explain it clearly.

Sherag wasn't completely closed to Sarkaz refugees; he had seen several learned Sarkaz go through the proper procedures, passing through the hands of the one-eyed, red-haired Sarkaz prosecutor before entering Sherag. Logically, shouldn't members of the Cyclops Royal Court be allowed in immediately? Why were they left outside?

Lord Wang Ting was considerate of the people's plight and wanted to eat and live with them.

Nobody would believe that!

But that was the information he gathered: the "Cyclops High Priest" was right there in their 800-mile-long camp, performing rituals and offering Sarkaz divination for a fee. The fees weren't high; they were usually just food and drinks, making it seem like he was doing charity.

Perl didn't go because he wasn't well-off either. But he was a bold man, willing to invest! If Neve could get into Sherag and bring him along, the better days were yet to come; this expense was nothing.

Even if he fails, it'll just mean not eating for a few days. He's eloquent and is teaching himself to read and write, so he won't starve. One day, he'll be able to reach the threshold!

So, he patted his chest generously and advised: u

"Little Neve, go ahead, I'll pay for the prophecy's expenses!"

Upon hearing that she wouldn't have to pay the price, Neve was finally tempted.

Cheer them on and that are secondary; the main thing is that the Cyclops' prophecy is indeed very rare. If you miss it once, you may never have another chance!

Finally, she clenched her fist and nodded: "I'll go!"

Moments later, at the Cyclops camp.

The one-eyed giants from Sami built their own shed and even set up a few decent-looking rooms. After all, they had been working in Sami for many years. While the demons were terrifying, they didn't make you pay taxes, and their lives were relatively stable. How could they not have some savings?

Setting up sheds here, setting up altars, and performing rituals and prophecies—besides being genuinely bored and wanting to earn some extra money to ensure they don't run out of resources, they also want to see if the Sarkaz living in Kazdel (homeland) established by Theresa and Theresis have any talented individuals.

The Cyclops High Priest [Eye] rarely appears in public, not because he is aloof, but because as the ruler of the royal court, tribal chief, and leader of a religious cult, he has to maintain a certain air of mystery.

Therefore, he either doesn't accept any requests each day, or he only accepts one person who is destined to receive a prophecy. The remaining people who yearn for prophecy are all handled by other Cyclopes.

And he has found his destined partner today.

"A pure-blooded Mindbreaker, how rare, how rare."

The Cyclops, nearly twice the height of Neve, bent down, sized up the trembling girl before him, nodded slightly, and let out a gentle chuckle.