People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

She breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked at Zero·Old13ShenZHUanQuN:Christine with an indescribably complex gaze, as if asking:

"I didn't agree, what the hell are you talking about? You almost scared the hell out of me!"

However, her good personal qualities prevented her from swearing.

However, suppressing the urge to swear, she struggled to find a word to accurately summarize and describe Christensen's actions. This sharp-tongued and experienced debater momentarily felt utterly defeated, forced to open her mouth and then close it again, hesitant to speak, trying to organize her thoughts. Damn it!

And Christensen immediately added a precise sentence:

"He won't refuse forever!"

Holhaya's brain went blank for a moment again.

Her mental breakdown gave Ernst a chance to catch his breath.

Having survived the ordeal of the Rhine Life, he had anticipated the level of abstraction that Kristen possessed, and he reacted quickly!

Seeing the situation escalating again, Ernst felt like he was playing a game of frame-by-frame manipulation, and he immediately interrupted Horhaiya's uttered curse, quickly saying:

"I haven't agreed yet. I don't have any thoughts about that right now."

On one hand, if I really had ideas but didn't find a way, I would probably end up as a widow for the feathered serpent who could only live to be 42. On the other hand, I would become cannon fodder for a genius scientist who might blow up Terra without even realizing it. What kind of ideas could I possibly have that would be considered as complaining that I've lived too long?

You Terrans are really something! You're not human! I'm only 23! (Pointing and whispering!)

Ernst suppressed the urge to curse and patted the wall: "We'll discuss this later!"

"The most urgent task is to clarify two things."

"First, Horhyah's illness needs treatment, which is one of my main purposes for coming to Colombia! After I get the specific information tomorrow, I might have to ask Rhine Life Sciences for technical and medical assistance! So, Horhyah, next time Christensen comes, don't stop him."

Holhaya clicked her tongue, but didn't verbally refuse Ernst's arrangement. Christensen also looked Holhaya up and down, then nodded.

"Why didn't you say you were sick sooner? Rhine Life would have done everything it could to help you."

She and Horhaiya actually had no grudges against each other; she was not the type of person who would hold grudges against anyone.

In the Yan Kingdom, her personality would be called swift and decisive, carefree and unrestrained. But in reality, she simply doesn't care about those worldly "trivial matters," which doesn't mean she's incapable of handling them.

She would argue with Horhaya, but she would also help her unconditionally and to the best of her ability, just as she promised.

As she herself said in her "confession": "Kristen Wright's promises are kept!"

Ernst continued:

"Secondly, regarding Christensen's matter, I will definitely go with you; that's something I promised you. But now is not the right time. Do you want those people outside to know about that place, and then have a swarm of people flock there and turn it into a new tourist attraction?"

Christensen frowned and shook her head decisively.

Ernst finally breathed a sigh of relief:

“I’ll find a suitable reason. When I came to Colombia, I already applied for freedom of movement. Although freedom of movement is relatively free, at least it won’t be as troublesome. Besides, Horhyah will be with me. She’s a professional when it comes to concealing our whereabouts, right, Horhyah?”

Holhaya shrugged:

"Of course, Boss. Don't doubt the abilities of a former Melander agent."

"Then, let's arrange it this way. How does that sound?"

“I have no objection.” Holhaya nodded.

Ernst then looked at Christensen.

Christensen was somewhat dissatisfied, but this dissatisfaction was emotional.

She is selfish and doesn't like to "share," but she never takes this kind of emotional dissatisfaction to heart.

Emotions have always been something she has abandoned, and she has devoted everything to the exploration of the universe. She has also noticed the changes in herself recently, but she accepts these changes with equanimity—she has only picked up some of the emotions that she had completely abandoned, but rationality still makes up the majority.

Since Ernst had no intention of breaking his promise to her and what he did was within the scope of their agreement, she had no reason to refuse.

Christensen nodded. "Okay."

Chapter 621 Even If It Is Unspeakable

Tin people are very punctual.

Early in the morning, while Ernst's head was still throbbing, there was a knock on his hotel room door.

When Ernst opened the door, a thick file folder was already lying quietly on the doormat, with strange patterns drawn by the Tin Man himself on it.

Ernst stared at it for a long time before finally realizing that the painting might depict a feathered serpent, rather than some winged earthworm.

Holhaya was still sleeping in the next room, and Ernst didn't wake her. He washed his face, rubbed his temples, poured himself a cup of instant coffee, and sat on a chair on the balcony. With the help of the natural morning light from Mark Maxwell, he began to read the thick report.

At least for now, the sun doesn't seem likely to become a weapon of war.

The records provided by the Tin Man are very detailed. The reason why Horhaiya could only live to the age of 42 is actually very simple—it is the price of knowledge.

The feathered serpent group represented by Horhaya is an out-and-out "antiquarian," holding pure worship and longing for the feathered serpent in the ancient pantheon.

Actually, this isn't really a problem. (Private umbrella)

The problem is, going back to ancient times is one thing—after all, whether it's the Han Dynasty, known for its righteous indignation against the mighty Han, or the Tang Dynasty, blessed with prosperity and influence, both were undeniably captivating at their peak, and it's not surprising that they could attract people with a "filtered" view of history. But some people dream of returning to the chaotic Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, the blood-soaked Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, or even the era of warlordism.

That makes it really difficult to evaluate.

But even if we take a step back, it's not really a huge problem. Nature has biodiversity, and so does humanity. It's not unacceptable for one or two people out of ten thousand to have such diverse ways of thinking; after all, it's just their own imagination, and it doesn't affect others. Everyone's busy, and not many people have the time to be cyber psychologists.

But the problem is that some people act like preachers, forcing others to believe even when they don't. They force others to think when they don't want to. They force others to participate when they don't want to.

This is the case for the Horhaiya ethnic group.

A group of people chanting "Make Feathered Snake great again!" is not scary, but a group of people who actually want to shout "!" is scary.

The Tin people describe their history in the documents as follows:

"The feathered serpent people of the past could summon wind and rain, and command thunder and lightning. They soared through the sky without restraint, and the storms they stirred up were enough to easily destroy an entire settlement. The feathered serpent overlord (a title for the leader of the people) even had a fully organized feathered serpent legion under his command. Once they released their spells, their power was comparable to a small-scale natural disaster!"

"But a very, very long time ago, almost back to the time after the first Sarkaz Demon Lord, the Far Exile, came into contact with the first Originium, the power of the gods began to gradually weaken, and the feathered serpent race was no exception. Gradually, the feathered serpent race of the past began to wither, fewer and fewer new feathered serpents were born, and they gradually lost the ability to fly and command wind and thunder. Similar situations occurred in all the races of the gods."

"After the Crystallization Age, the divine races on Terra have experienced an incomprehensible decline—this incomprehensibility is relative to the Sarkaz. The feathered serpent race of the divine race has lost its heritage and most of its abilities over a long history, and the various groups have become highly fragmented. The feathered serpent race to which Horhaya belongs, as a divine race, apart from having a slightly longer lifespan and slightly higher magical talent than ordinary ancestors, has basically no difference from the descendants of ordinary ancestors in all other aspects."

"But they were not content with this. Restoring their former glory became the consensus and goal of the feathered serpent people of Horhya four hundred years ago. As a result, the ritual known in their parlance as 'inheritance' was created."

ceremony?

Ernst didn't understand Originium Arts. He tried to develop it but failed. He wasn't too discouraged, after all, there are people who don't have the talent for Originium Arts. Mace is one of them, but she is still very strong.

Ernst also knew that the Sarkaz possessed many ancient forms of witchcraft. The banshee's ability to make her words come true, the lich's ability to weave life-binding spells, and the Balrog's ability to burn eternally were all forms of witchcraft. In addition, the Wendigo's cannibalistic witchcraft was also a relatively well-known form of witchcraft, though it was now very rare.

But Ernst says that the ritual that Horhyah received, which the feathered serpents called "inheritance," was completely different from any of the spells in the aforementioned systems.

If I had to put it in a way, it was more like surgery.

"Memory, emotions, perception, and so on—it's extremely difficult for magic to affect these subtle things. Mr. Ernst, you should have already had contact with the royal court, and I don't need to hide it from you. Even in the Sarkaz royal court, which has the most complete heritage, only some of the oldest royal court traditions record similar spells, and all of them are extremely difficult to use, with each one requiring an outrageous price to pay."

"Even I don't know from what lineage the Feathered Serpents found the clues and then developed this twisted spell. I'm sure it's not a Sarkaz spell."

"The effect and cost of this spell are both simple—it can forcibly implant memories into the minds of the next generation and pass them on. The cost is a halved lifespan and a lifetime of unrest."

“I don’t know if you, Mr. Ernst, are aware of the existence of the ‘Souls,’ but I can give you a description. Imagine you have a madman constantly talking in your head, repeatedly emphasizing things like ‘revenge,’ ‘war,’ and ‘killing, killing, killing,’ whether it’s day or night, whether you’re conscious or unconscious. Unless you’re a complete madman yourself, you’ll definitely go mad.”

"As for the feathered serpents, they didn't have to endure this torment, but they created this torment specifically for themselves and regarded it as a mission, a legacy, and an honor."

"It's a losing proposition; that's how we Colombians usually describe this deal."

Ernst understood, and he comprehended it.

I understood where Horhyah's advanced knowledge, methods, and reserves of understanding came from. I understood why she always seemed to show fear about wanting to save her. I understood where her almost obsessive pursuit of the feathered serpent came from.

Carrying the souls of her entire family for four hundred years, roughly ten generations of ancestors, she is constantly online urging you to make the feathered serpent great again, day and night. It is truly awe-inspiring and heartbreaking that Horhaia can remain calm.

Some people may not understand this concept. It seems that it is not a bad thing for someone to constantly urge them to restore the family's glory.

We can give eight examples. We all know that learning is a good thing, and the saying "learn until you're old" is recognized by countless people.

But what if you were an ordinary student, and from the moment you were born, your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and ancestors from eighteen generations surrounded you every day, nagging you to study harder, study harder, study harder, 24 hours a day?

Don't tell me you know they're doing this for my own good and that you can definitely tolerate it. Everyone has their limits. Even in ancient times, when interrogating prisoners, people were given time to rest.

In particular, you can't resist even if you want to. These distant relatives and ancestors are just consciousness, consciousness rooted in your brain. Cursing them is useless, hitting them is untouchable, and there's no way to get rid of them. After more than ten years, even schizophrenia is considered mild.

What's truly terrifying is that you might go insane.

Even if you didn't have this idea at first, you will gradually be assimilated by constantly repeating and emphasizing it.

You rebelled against Big Brother, you ignored Big Brother, and in the end, you respected Big Brother.

Big Brother is watching you all the time.

Ernst put down the file in his hand, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He was already feeling suffocated just trying to put himself in Horhaiya's shoes and understand her life over the past few decades. Yet Horhaiya was still able to act as if nothing was wrong.

Does her obsessive search for the history of the feathered serpent mean she's gone mad?

If that were the case, she wouldn't have tacitly approved of her demanding information about her origins from the Tin Man. If she were truly insane enough to make the "Feathered Serpent" her life's goal, she would have stopped me without hesitation, and even killed me, the one trying to stop her from pursuing the mystery of the "Feathered Serpent."

She was confused, she was resisting, and she was also expecting.

However, her long "life's" experiences were no longer enough to sustain her spirit, and she directly said "NO" to those ancestors who were talking nonsense in her ear.

That would tear her apart mentally.

She could only acquiesce, resorting to self-deception to categorize Ernst's actions as something "she shouldn't care about," and could only try her best to ensure that she wouldn't risk "tearing her own spirit apart" by actively seeking help from Ernst.

She was a sacrifice offered to a god called the Feathered Serpent. When her spirit was poured into the holy water pool formed from four hundred years of memories, she was still an innocent baby with no choice.

Now that she has realized what has happened to her, she has no choice.

Float up? That would mean she betrayed the will of 400 years. She would be grabbed by the legs by those ancestors who have already sunk to the bottom, torn apart, and then dragged down.

Sinking? That would mean she accepted her fate and the "responsibility" imposed upon her. She would become part of that 400-year-old will, continuing to pull the next person, possibly her child, into the water.

A drowning person cannot call for help; they can only watch themselves slowly sink into the water. She could no longer save herself; she could only hope that someone would come to retrieve her.

"BOSS"

Holhaya was already standing at the doorway at some point. Her expression was obscured by the refracted morning light through the glass door of the balcony.

Ernst turned around and looked at Holhaya.

He didn't say anything, just nodded silently.

He couldn't provoke Horhaiya any further. Every time he said he would save her, it meant she was once again forcibly burying her head in the sand, telling the will of four hundred years that this wasn't betrayal, and that the so-called salvation "had nothing to do with her." This would only further exacerbate the turmoil in her mind!

How long can she keep deceiving herself like this? Or rather, if she keeps deceiving herself like this, repeating the lie a thousand times, will it eventually become the "truth" in her mind?

Will the strong-willed Horheimer that Ernst knew really leave, and be replaced by a pessimistic Horheimer who thinks "no one will come to save me" and therefore completely gives up all hope?

Realizing this, Enlingst could only convey his thoughts through the purest of glances and gestures. (Part 3)

Even though salvation cannot be expressed in words, I will still save you.

Holhaya smiled and nodded.

She never told Ernst anything about her situation, never asked for help, never pleaded, and never rambled on.

But no barrier to understanding ever stood between them. That's what it means to be in sync.

Is there anything I can help you with?

She said softly,

"Let me do something?"

Ernst pondered for a moment, then nodded:

"In a moment, please deliver a letter for me."

Since it involves gods and people, and matters from ancient times, the objective of this consultation is very clear.

Kal'tsit! Your time hoarding the gold is over, unleash it!

Chapter 622 Ms. Pu: I will always be watching you, always

Sherag, Tukarim, Rhodes Island Office.

Ernst's move to Columbia was no secret in Sherrag. Kelsey knew it too.

It's perfectly reasonable for a head of state to travel abroad, and Kal'tsit had no reason or need to obstruct it. Besides, she had her own things to do.

Ernst found her a good job. The orders for the Londinium battlefield were huge, and Rhodes Island certainly couldn't handle them all by itself, but Rhodes Island could still take a large share of them, which was quite good.

For Rhodes Island, receiving a large sum of money couldn't be better. After all, Rhodes Island doesn't profit from poor people; most of their businesses are actually loss-making. Even with free human resources to offset costs, their competitiveness is indeed not high.

After all, look at Rhodes Island's model: treating infected people and then having them help pay off their debts through voluntary labor. It seems like a good deal, but in reality, if you look at other companies on the market and ask any one of them, most of them will tell you the same thing: