People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

I must say, Kal'tsit is truly remarkable. Even he, a civil servant, didn't immediately think of this approach, but Kal'tsit reacted instantly and even prepared a solution and explanation.

Why are you so skilled? How long have you been a civil servant in this land?

However, her plan did indeed alleviate Ernst's concerns. As a result, there wouldn't be much of a problem in directly releasing the information about the lunar exploration project.

The Terrans' first truly successful exploration of the world beyond the isolation layer! (Safar's expedition, due to the presence of demons, was publicly declared a success using the gold coins dropped by Kal'tsit, but internally considered a failure.) Humanity's first glimpse into the true face of the moon! And the establishment of a mature and complete system for exploring the isolation layer, and even for future space exploration!

The Dome Research Station might become a proper national-level space exploration center like NASA or the National Space Administration in the future!

This is significant; it deserves a champagne toast!

However, there is only one thing that still worries Ernst.

That is the issue of Christensen's attitude.

"To be honest, I didn't expect Christensen to accept our explanation so easily."

Kal'tsit and Ernst still had a good understanding on this matter.

"But even I can't figure out what that genius scientist is thinking."

"At this point, we can only take it one step at a time."

Kjerag, Ulanieburg, Rhine Life Division, Headquarters Office.

Kristen had already written a letter and handed it to Rhine Life's messenger.

“Take it back to Trimont and give it to Mariam. Yes, the head of the scientific expedition department is back. I specifically asked him to come back.”

“This star-picking project is over, and I need him to confirm something immediately.”

Christensen spoke slowly, recalling what she had done on the Tower of Babel.

The machine is deployed out of the isolation layer, then retrieved, waits two minutes, is deployed again, and retrieved again, in a continuous cycle.

She did this not out of a playful impulse, nor to provoke me with a "I came in, I went out again, come and hit me" kind of behavior.

She was testing, experimenting, verifying a problem that Ernst was unwilling to discuss with her, but which he clearly knew something about.

The mysterious underground fortress of Tremont, the signals that only appear when the isolation layer is triggered, and the unimaginable relationship with the [pre-civilization].

That was her real purpose.

"During the thirty minutes I deliberately extended, did that mysterious signal appear on time and according to the pattern?"

Chapter 614 I won't skip the President today.

Whether satisfied or not, feeling unsatisfied or completely content, the World Summit ended amidst a cacophony of noise.

Fortunately, it did not leave behind a scene of devastation. The many agreements that were signed, the consensuses reached, and every handshake, every smile, every question and answer brought the people of this land a little closer together.

People use this phrase to describe the first World Summit: "In a place we never imagined, and in a way we never imagined, we found the hope we had been searching for."

"Herds share their prey with each other, and thus the species continues. Nations share their interests with each other, and thus the world is at peace. Humans share their hopes with each other, and thus civilization endures."

"If peace, security, and hope cannot be given to others, then they are destined not to be given to me alone, Terra, we shall live on side by side!"

Lateran Pope Ivangelista XI presided over the closing ceremony and delivered a political declaration later known as the "Latland Manifesto".

Søren Sivaesh was the first signatory of the declaration, signing his name on it. He was followed by King Ivangelista XI, then the five permanent members of the Security Council, and all other nations of Terra.

A reporter from Colombian Time magazine used his camera to photograph the original signature page of the signed Lateran Claim, documenting this historic moment with a grand headline: "[This is the beginning of an era of hope]".

"A very fair assessment, isn't it?"

Holhaya, who was responsible for delivering Ernst's daily newspapers and magazines, covered her mouth and chuckled, observing Ernst's expression.

"Boss, from today onwards, you are a celebrity known to everyone in the entire Terra. You've already appeared on the cover of Time magazine more times than the Vice President of Colombia."

Ernst shook his head somewhat embarrassedly:

"That's an exaggeration, that's an exaggeration."

He is actually quite aware of his own level of fame.

It is certainly a big deal, especially in the months following the World Summit. If nothing major happens in Terra, any news about it that has even a little bit of buzz could easily make headlines.

But it is indeed small.

He was, after all, the leader of Sherag, and his fame was basically limited to the upper echelons of the Terran kingdoms, but Terra was not just comprised of the upper class.

In Sheraco, everyone knows Ernst. In Victoria, most people have a general idea of ​​the name Ernst, but they may not recognize him personally, let alone people from countries like Colombia and Letania, with whom there is less interaction.

Not everyone pays attention to politics, especially Colombians. To put it in the words of a public intellectual, they have an innate sense of "relaxation".

Ernst had seen many news interviews in his previous life. Some Americans were unaware of the turning point of World War II, thought that South Korea and North Korea were both provinces of China, and thought that the capital of China was Shanghai.

It just goes to show that the world is a vast and wondrous place.

To reach the level of being "known to everyone," one issue of Time magazine is certainly not enough. Ernst would probably need to appear in less reputable magazines like The Sun or Playboy to have any chance of achieving that.

But that's outrageous!

"I don't have that kind of fetish!"

Ernst emphasized.

Holhaya sighed, feigning disappointment, and lowered her head.

"The BOSS is so heartless. I was actually quite looking forward to it."

What does this have to do with being heartless or not?

Ernst rolled his eyes, knowing that if he continued joking with her, the conversation would definitely take a strange turn, so he asked directly:

"Holhaya, how are the preparations for my visit to Colombia going?"

When the conversation turned to business, Horhaya straightened her expression and answered calmly and methodically:

"Vice President Wilson has already agreed, and the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent an invitation. Boss can discuss the specifics with Vina."

"However, Boss, why did you request to move freely after the visit ended?"

Ernst gave Holheimer a deep look, and the answer was self-evident.

Holhaya smiled and shook her head, seemingly unconcerned.

"I know my own body well, Boss, why do you need to worry about it?"

"Do you have a way to cure your own illness?" Ernst asked.

"I'm not sick," Holhaya shook her head in denial.

"So do you have a way of getting through your forty-second birthday?" Ernst asked again.

“If you’d like, I can celebrate my forty-second birthday today,” Holhaya said, spreading her hands.

"Stop avoiding the topic, Holhaia!"

Ernst said coldly,

“I don’t know why you’re so resistant to me wanting to save you, but I have to tell you.”

"I want to save you, regardless of your thoughts. It's because I want to save you, not because you want me to."

Holhaya opened her mouth, the words to change the subject were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite say them.

She didn't actually want to die that much, but she couldn't explain why she was so afraid when she told Ernst, "I'll find a way to save you."

Yes, it's not resistance, it's fear.

Maybe they're afraid of owing favors?

For a former intelligence officer like her, owing favors is the worst thing. Owing someone a favor is like having someone hold a handle against you, and you'll have to put in a hundred or a thousand times more effort to repay that favor, or even do something crazy, dangerous, or unimaginable.

Snakes have a vital spot, and feathered serpents are no exception. If someone else gets hold of your vital spot, that would be the most terrifying thing in the world.

She already owed Ernst a favor. During the Balrog incident, if Ernst hadn't intervened and, together with Vice President Wilson and Director Seria, fabricated the identity of "Researcher Holhaia who was frightened and made a mistake in operation" for her, she wouldn't have been able to escape so easily, and might have even perished inside.

To repay this favor, she had already worked for the Scherrag government for over a year or two. She was also prepared to continue working for Ernst until she was forty-two and reached the end of her life.

For her, this was already the limit.

The limits of life, the limits of how she could imagine repaying kindness, and the limits of "heartfelt intentions."

I'll work alongside you until I die, even if it means sacrificing bloodline inheritance and family wishes. Isn't that enough?

not enough.

This was Ernst's reply to her. She wasn't sure how she felt when she heard it—was it relief, joy, or fear?

This boss of hers is something else! She thought that exploiting employees to the point of death was the limit, but she never expected there were people who wouldn't even let themselves die.

If she were saved again, if she broke free from the shackles of being 42 and had a longer life, what would she do?

Since that night, Horhaya has sometimes thought about this question.

Okay, not sometimes, I think about it all the time.

Her life before the age of 42 was composed of her parents, her clan, and the memories of her ancestors forcibly implanted in her mind. And all of this, in theory, will vanish when she reaches the age of 42.

After all, death is the end of everything. No matter how great the responsibility, how heavy the fate, or how fervent the expectation, it all needs life as a vessel to bear it. Now that she is dead, what remains is naturally the business of "descendants."

She has no descendants? Isn't that better? No more feathered serpents will search for her: "Jiu" Si*Wu Tuo is imprisoned in a feathered beast cage woven from the destiny of flight.

She wasn't 43 years old before, but if Ernst succeeds now, what is the purpose of her life starting from her 43rd birthday?

Destiny has vanished, responsibility has disappeared, and hope is no longer relevant to her, because the former Horhaiya is dead.

What has survived is a completely new Horhaiya.

Having lost all that, what does she have left?

She knew the answer, but she didn't really want to know, after all...

"Alas, the Prime Minister's kindness can never be fully repaid."

Holhaya sighed meaningfully, and her gaze toward Ernst seemed to have changed slightly.

Ernst was looking down, organizing and filing the documents that needed to be resolved after his trip to Sherag, which he would then distribute to Vina and the others.

Seemingly noticing Holhaya's gaze, he slightly raised his head, gave her a strange look, pursed his lips, and softened his tone as he comforted her:

“I don’t mean to blame you or yell at you. Horhaya, I just want to tell you that living is more important than anything else.”

"What gratitude or anything like that? When did I ever ask you to repay a debt of gratitude? I just hope..."

"What do you hope for?" Horhaya moved closer, leaned down slightly, and asked curiously.

Ernst averted his gaze, trying not to look at the inexplicably conspicuous Da Lei, and answered seriously, his face slightly flushed:

"I hope that all of us can have a happy life."

That's a very broad answer.

Holhaa blinked in disappointment, grinned, and whispered in Ernst's ear:

"Then can you give me happiness? BOSS-羓三僘五中转QuN:?"

"Cough cough!" Ernst's tail stood up, and his entire body bristled as if he had been electrocuted.

"Happiness is something we have to fight for ourselves! Nobody can give it to us!"

He quickly added, noticing Holhaya's ambiguous smile, he gritted his teeth and said...

"I try my best."

Seemingly satisfied with the answer, or perhaps feeling that she had already reaped enough pleasure from teasing the snow leopard today, Horhaya straightened up and covered her mouth again with a soft laugh:

"Of course, of course. Who doesn't know that the BOSS has devoted himself to the happiness of the Sherag people? You've already done more than enough!"

"Well then, Boss, you go ahead with your work. I'll go inform Vina and the others."

She raised her hand, her fingers twitching slightly, and gestured goodbye to Ernst before turning and leaving the office with light, breezy steps.

Before closing the door, she glanced at Ernst in the room, and the smile on her lips became even more genuine.

To paraphrase one of your words.

Whether or not I repay a debt of gratitude depends on whether I want to repay it and whether you are willing to let me. It doesn't matter.

"Click."

The door closed.

Ernst sat in his office chair, let out a long sigh of relief, and then looked up at the ceiling with a touch of melancholy.

He was somewhat used to Horhaiya's teasing, and usually managed to handle it without flinching or getting upset. But for some reason, today felt particularly arousing.