People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

With a long sigh, suppressing her shame, Kal'tsit asked:

"Miss Neve, pure-blooded Mind Demons are not common. Where do you come from?"

"Kazdel!"

Neve was very enthusiastic and answered almost instantly.

“I live at No. 3, Kazdel Dump Truck Park. My father is a chaperone, my mother is a chaperone, and I have an older sister who is also a chaperone. So I am a chaperone.”

“But I’m all alone at home now. My parents went on a trip and haven’t come back. My sister and Princess Theresa left and haven’t come back either. The neighbors are all kind people and have been helping me, so I’m doing quite well in Kazdel!”

"If the Military Council hadn't sent Kazdel away, I wouldn't have come to Shelag. I wonder how my family is doing now."

Neve pouted and muttered to express the Military Council's dissatisfaction.

Most of the Sarkaz in Kazdel were dissatisfied with the Military Council, but since the military government was so tough and powerful, and they could barely make ends meet, they could only keep their feelings to themselves.

Besides, they didn't have any other choice at that time, did they?

Now that they've left Kazdel, the more mature Sarkaz might still have some reservations and wouldn't dare to speak ill of the Military Council outside, but younger Sarkaz like Neve naturally don't have so many reservations.

Kal'tsit listened silently to Neve's story, then turned her face away again, clutching her chest. 5!

Alas, Sarkaz! Alas, morality!

My parents are there, but they ran away and I haven't seen them since. I have an older sister, but I haven't been in contact with her since, so it's practically the same as not having one.

Even if you could tell that her parents must have made some arrangements, otherwise it would be virtually impossible for her to live in a neighborhood of "good people" in Kazdel, but that would still be a bit too irresponsible.

Even Ernst felt a little uneasy.

Those who know her will say, "Oh, so she's a Sarkaz, that's not surprising," while those who don't will think Neve is Black.

Neve, on the other hand, seemed completely unaffected. Ernst was also unsure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

After considering it carefully, all he could do was offer some words of comfort:

"Once Kazdelnia is completed, I will ask Nasti to try to find your parents and sister."

This isn't just empty promises; it's a commitment.

Because the subject of this sentence is "I".

Neve nodded.

Kal'tsit, meanwhile, fell into a thoughtful silence.

Wait, the Heart Demon? She has an older sister? Her sister joined Babel as a Theresia faction and participated in the Kazdel civil war?

No way, what a coincidence?

She thought of the head of human resources. But although Neve and she had the same hair color, the differences in other areas were quite striking.

It could also be because the Sarkaz haven't grown up yet, in various ways.

In short, I'll make a point of asking her when I get back to the main ship. If she really is her sister, it would be a good thing to see her again after so long.

"So"

Just as Kelsey was pondering, Ernst rubbed his hands together and began the main event he had been eagerly anticipating.

He specifically asked Hadley to bring Neve here, not just to win her over, but also to experience Neve's witchcraft—spells that could evoke fear and even hallucinations.

Some people might think, what's so interesting about this? But that's human nature. Haunted houses are scary, but people still go. Eating random mushrooms might cause hallucinations, but some people can't resist showing off until they end up in a mushroom maze.

Thornster asked himself, since coming to this world, he hadn't really encountered anything particularly frightening. He was also very curious about what Neve's magic would evoke.

Did Q show him his defeat, the decline of Sherag? Or was it the overwhelming force of the enemy, leaving him powerless to reverse the situation? Or perhaps something more distant, a memory from the past?

If there are hidden dangers in a group, it's better to be aware of them yourself and find ways to overcome them than to be caught off guard by others stirring things up without your knowledge.

As for whether Niff might take the opportunity to do something underhanded, he wasn't worried and had already taken precautions.

Even if Kal'tsit wasn't there, Ernst had already asked "Xi" for help.

The essence of "Xingyi" (形意) lies in dispelling confusion. An old monk once saw her painting with just a glance and instantly understood the ways of the world, attaining enlightenment. How could any unusual aspect of such mental techniques possibly escape the eyes of a giant beast?

Therefore, Ernst confidently requested:

"Miss Neve, could you please use your magic on me?"

"It's that guy who scared people, the one who made He Dalei faint."

"Ernst!" Kelsey snapped out of her daze and looked at Ernst. "What are you doing?"

“Don’t worry,” Ernst said slowly, giving a glance and then subtly placing a hand under the table, pointing to a landscape painting of Yan Feng hanging on the wall of the office. In the painting, the door of a thatched cottage perched on a lonely cliff seemed to have suddenly opened a crack, but upon closer inspection, it seemed that the crack itself was part of the sky.

Kal'tsit nodded knowingly.

"I'll be there to keep an eye on things for you."

Ernst smiled and nodded, then looked at Neve: "Please."

Neve hesitated for a moment. Although she didn't quite understand why people seemed to enjoy watching her use magic lately, she still raised her staff.

Just treat it like an interview.

The light from the casting unit began to flicker, and the scene before Ernst's eyes began to distort, fade, and then recombine—

It turned into a blank space.

Ernst paused slightly, realizing that Neve's spell should have taken effect, since both Kal'tsit and the office had vanished. But he felt no fear—what fear could a blank void possibly evoke?

He tried to stand up and walk around, but he was not restricted. Even though he was standing on empty air, he did not feel any change.

After calming down a bit, he realized that he hadn't been completely unprepared for this outcome. After all, the Cyclops' prophecy was already a kind of omen, suggesting that spells concerning himself, or rather, his "soul," would not take effect.

He wanted to try it because he had received the message from Hadley about the illusion of "having his own image," and he wanted to see if it would work on him.

But now that I think about it, did Hadley really see himself?

In his first illusion, he saw Theresia resurrected and slaughtering Londinium. In the second, he received news of his own death, but the main perspective was from the Lateran Pope issuing his proclamation against demons. In the third, he never existed at all.

The only thing that seems to be related to himself is the news of his own death. But upon closer examination, his own death and the fear of the Lateran Pope convening the All Nations Summit and issuing the manifesto against the devil seem to be quite separate and unrelated.

Whether he himself lives or dies will not affect the Lateran Pope's intention to convene a summit of all nations—an idea that Lateran had been conceiving, with the messenger of all nations being the best example. Given the relationship between Lateran and the Sarkaz, the matter of exorcising demons seems reasonable given Hedley's current sense of dread after he has achieved a stable life.

Does he really see himself?

Or, based on the fact that Laterano, as a co-host country, was able to conveniently avoid Sherag, the host country, and convene the World Summit to call on the nations of Terra to fight the demon, it can be deduced that the reason for his assassination was that he was assassinated.

Ernst couldn't be sure, but at least the current situation left him feeling somewhat helpless.

Being unable to see anything is both a good thing and a bad thing.

Everyone else seems to have a clairvoyant eye; even if they only see bad endings, at least they know there's a bad ending. It's so boring when you can't see anything at all.

Moreover, he had a mixture of anticipation and fear that it would remind him of things that didn't belong to this era or this world.

"Looks like it's hopeless."

With a complex mix of emotions, Ernst sighed and was about to sit down and wait for the spell to end when he felt a slight stinging sensation behind him.

He turned his head, his gaze meeting the figure almost directly.

Or rather, the shadow of a stone.

It was an Originium with an incredibly smooth surface, reflecting his image. The reflection of himself in the Originium did not have the ears and tail of a snow leopard, but instead had short, neat black hair, wore a black Zhongshan suit, and had a small flag medal pinned to his chest. He looked both strange and familiar.

Except for the diamond-shaped mark that shone faintly on the figure's forehead, whether it was just there or truly imprinted on it, it was hard to tell.

"Ha! Cough cough cough!"

Ernst suddenly snapped back to reality, gasping for breath.

Chapter 607 Aspiring to Become a Pillar of Kazdel

What happened?

Ernst could faintly hear someone calling him. But the voice also seemed to be asking himself a question.

What happened? What was that he just saw?

Ernst was not unaware of himself. In fact, although more than twenty years had passed in theory, for some reason, he still remembered the past events vividly and had not forgotten them at all.

Especially my own face.

It's hard for a person not to know themselves, especially someone who knows themselves very well.

But Ernst still felt a great deal of doubt.

Why would his figure, his face, his past appear in the reflection of Originium in a blank space?

Is that person in the reflection really him?

Ernst knew that outfit very well; in a way, he knew it all too well. Who wouldn't recognize the attire of those important figures seen on television news every day?

But Ernst knew very well that he had never dressed like that in his past life. Within the system, there were strict norms and requirements for dressing and grooming. What kind of person could wear what kind of clothes and what kind of style they could have were all governed by an unspoken set of rules. Although these rules weren't explicitly written down, everyone tacitly agreed to follow them.

As someone who wanted to climb the social ladder, Ernst had no reason to break such unspoken rules.

Besides, he's so young, he's far from being old enough to wear those clothes.

Moreover, in the reflection of that Originium, he looked so tired and desperate.

Ernst didn't remember ever experiencing such emotions in his past or present life. He was mostly positive and optimistic, and even when he was really annoyed by paperwork to the point of being in a red-hot state, there was no reason for him to show that "game over" expression.

Not to mention the completely inexplicable mysterious "diamond" on his forehead.

I have absolutely no recollection of it.

So, that shadow was actually the "fear" he felt from being induced by Neve's Originium Arts?

It doesn't make sense. How could that outfit, that style, be fear? That was something Ernst could only dream of, something that was his life's goal!

That shouldn't be fear; that's the only thing Ernst could be absolutely certain of.

But if that's the case, then what exactly is in that reflection?

"Ernst, what's wrong! What happened?!"

The voice called out again, and Ernst snapped back to reality, feeling a wave of dizziness.

It wasn't a lingering effect of fear; it was Kal'tsit shaking him.

With short green and white hair, Felin held Ernst's shoulders tightly with both hands, shaking him constantly, his anxiety genuine.

His backup plan, Yu, had already appeared, and her face didn't show the same worry as Kal'tsit's.

"Ernst is fine. I checked him and everything is normal. He just needs some time to recover."

"When someone is suddenly subjected to immense fear, they will definitely be stunned for a moment. Don't worry."

Ernst also raised his hand, grasped Kal'tsit's arm, and gently shook his head:

"I'm fine, stop shaking me, I'm going to throw up."

Kal'tsit paused for a moment, met Ernst's helpless gaze, and awkwardly released his hand, instantly reverting to her usual rational and indifferent demeanor.

"I apologize for my rudeness."

"It's nothing. I'm happy that you care about me so much."

Ernst smiled, adjusted his posture which had changed due to Kal'tsit's actions, and took a breath.

Kal'tsit ignored the teasing remark, her brow furrowed, and asked again:

"So, what did you just see?"

"You didn't react at first, but after Neve's spell ended, you were in a daze for half an hour. What happened?"

Half an hour? Has it really been that long?

Ernst hadn't quite understood why Kal'tsit was so nervous at first, but when he looked up at the time, he realized what was going on.

He felt it was only a few minutes, but so much time had passed outside.

No wonder. If Neve's spell had stopped and he hadn't fainted, but had remained frozen in place for half an hour, anyone would have been nervous. If Ernst and Kal'tsit had switched places, he would have rushed over and shaken the old lynx.

Jiubo is knowledgeable about both ancient and modern times, can readily draw upon his knowledge, and speaks freely and without reservation. Most importantly, he is a consultant who doesn't charge a fee. If you were to be so foolish as to accept this, you would be making a huge mistake!

When faced with Kelsey's questions, Ernst found it difficult to tell the truth.

What did he say? Did he tell Kal'tsit that Neve's fear spell only made her see a blank void?

Or tell her that after the spell ended, while he was waiting to wake up, a mysterious Originium suddenly appeared.

Liu could tell her that the mysterious Originium itself wasn't the most important thing; the most important thing was that, somehow, a figure with a diamond shape on its head had appeared inside the Originium—and this figure wasn't the current Cheese Snow Leopard, but a human, a human without any Terran biological characteristics.