People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Christensen was already waiting at the entrance to the city. In the few months since he'd last seen Tremont, the streetscape had changed considerably; the current trend was "cosmic style."

People have turned the images of the night sky visible beyond Terra's isolation layer, released by the World Summit, into all sorts of clothing and jewelry, accompanied by the words "real" and "future".

Christensen was very satisfied with this style, even if it was just a three-minute fad. It proved that people on this land who were numb and indifferent to exploring the sky were gradually beginning to realize the breathtaking charm beyond the vast sky.

that's enough.

Justin will no longer complain to himself about how difficult it is to find investment, because countless investors will begin to pour huge sums into this industry that everyone is paying attention to. Yara will no longer complain that she is always given difficult problems, because in the future, more and more scholars will study and research this field, and their ultimate goal will inevitably be Rhine Life, which has completed the first and second Star-Reaching Projects!

Christensen may not understand the deeper philosophical principles behind this, but she understands capital. These are not her fantasies, but things that will inevitably happen in the future.

If it were Ernst, he would say, "This is the power of the people."

The greeting went smoothly, and Christensen easily connected with Ernst. She then immediately asked the question she was so eager to ask:

"When are we going?"

Ernst took a deep breath. He knew that this matter concerned the pre-civilization, the extermination order, and the safety of this land. He either wouldn't go at all, or once he decided he had to go, it was better to do it sooner rather than later.

Ernst glanced at the tin man beside him and said:

"tomorrow."

Chapter 631 How can we avoid being hit by a nuclear bomb?

There's not much to see at Rhine Life in Colombia.

Although it's a little embarrassing to say this, most of Rhine Lab's staff are currently in Sherag. Those remaining at the Trimont headquarters are mainly Justin Jr., Ms. Yara, Muirses's avatar, and some ordinary research staff. Ernst isn't familiar with most of them either; a quick tour, a quick look around, a brief introduction to the projects (which he barely understands), and going through the motions will suffice.

Both Kristen and the Tin Man knew perfectly well that their core purpose in coming to Trimont was not Rhine Life at all.

As they were parting, the Tin Man stopped Ernst and asked his question:

"Mr. Ernst, if I may be so bold, where do you wish to go when you request permission from His Excellency the President to travel freely?"

Ernst was speechless.

Is it possible that when I submit my request for free time, I simply don't want to say where I'm going?

The Tin Man naturally understood Ernst's meaning. He was so smart; he had lived for so many years and seen all sorts of situations. He had all sorts of experience, so how could he not know what Ernst was thinking?

But his explanation was indeed reasonable:

“Mr. Ernst, as you know, you are no longer the head of state of that unknown little country. Forgive my bluntness, but if it were the old you, even if you came to Colombia openly, walked into Trimont, and publicly recruited people, not many people would recognize you, let alone cause any disturbance.”

"But things are different now, sir. Even though you didn't do any publicity and specifically asked Vice President Wilson to keep your trip confidential, quite a few high-ranking Colombian officials still got information about your arrival in Tremont through various channels and followed you all the way. Who do you think is credited for the fact that you haven't been harassed yet?"

The tin man took a deep drag on his pipe and patted his chest. Everything was understood without words.

“This little hardship is nothing to me. After all, it’s part of my job. His Excellency the President trusts me, and I certainly can’t let him down.”

"But you should at least give me a heads-up about your freedom of movement, right?"

Ernst also understood the plight of the Tin people.

Chapter 632 I know this matter must be kept secret, and I shouldn't know it. But I need to know everything to distinguish what I should know and what I shouldn't know.

Those of them in the intelligence business are wary of information asymmetry. They don't know what Ernst is doing, but if something happens to Ernst, they will be held responsible.

Not to mention, the Tin Man is a dead soul, and he thinks about far more things than others.

If someone else messes up, at most they just lose their job, like Horhae, who can simply find another one. But if the Tin Man messes up, especially regarding Ernst, then he'll be in big trouble.

When the time comes, it won't just be Colombian citizens who will be expelled; their Zarkaz citizenship and even their citizenship might be eliminated as well.

In the Yan Kingdom, this would be called being removed from the family genealogy.

As a fellow civil servant, Ernst didn't want to put the tin man in a difficult position. After a moment's consideration, he spoke:

Are you confident you can keep it from Christensen?

The Tin Man didn't ask any further questions about why he had kept it from Christensen, but instead answered decisively:

"Of course!"

"Then tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, outside the hotel, you follow behind me and Christen. Just don't let Christen see you."

The tin man breathed a sigh of relief and bowed deeply to Ernst:

"grateful."

Ernst nodded, and in return, asked a question:

"By the way, has His Excellency the President said what his clones are for?"

"It is said that we will take you to a place, but His Excellency the President has not yet given specific instructions, so there is no rush."

The tin man answered, revealing the feathered beast doll hanging from his waist.

Mark Max did not react, whether he was temporarily oblivious or tacitly agreed with Tin Man's words.

But at least the Tin Man didn't make the decision behind Mark Max's back, so the answer is valid.

After watching the tin man turn and leave, Ernst returned to his room.

He agreed to Tin Man II's request, but it wasn't entirely without his own considerations.

Mark Max clearly has intricate connections with prehistoric civilizations. He has ruled Colombia since its founding, exercising almost complete oversight. Ernst doesn't believe he would be completely unaware of the prehistoric ruins on the outskirts of Tremont.

No, it should be said that he definitely knew. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to give the doll to me when I came to Tremont.

The Tin Man's answer confirmed this inference: the doll was used to guide him to a certain place, which, unless there were other prehistoric civilization relics in Trimont, was most likely the one discovered by Kristen.

Kristen only recently began excavating the ruins, while Mark Max spearheaded the establishment and development of Tremont. Kristen is a native Terran, a fact confirmed by Ernst when they discussed the stars. Mark Max, like Kal'tsit, is very likely a member or creation of a previous civilization; he even refers to himself as "Treasure."

Unless Christensen was so cunning as to deceive Ernst and Mark Max's observations for so long, it was actually quite obvious who discovered the ruins first and who came later.

Since Mark Max wants him to go to the same ruins that Christensen wants to take him to, the decision of whether or not to let the Tin Man come along is not difficult to make.

Mark Max has already provided the answer.

He certainly didn't want anyone other than Ernst to have contact with that place at first. So, he initially chose to give the doll to himself.

But after Ernst became suspicious and refused, he instead gave the doll to the tin man, instructing him to make arrangements according to Ernst's instructions.

Therefore, whether the Tin Man came into contact with the ruins was irrelevant to him. Or rather, he tacitly approved of the Tin Man and Ernst coming into contact with the ruins together.

This agent, Hedgehog, indeed enjoys the deep trust of the President.

Since he agreed, Ernst naturally had no objections.

The only one who might have an opinion is Christensen. But to be honest, Christensen's opinion isn't very important.

The ruins clearly state that they can only be opened by going there yourself; Kristen never had the power to decide from the beginning. If you really want to be ruthless, Ernst could have shunned him and gone straight for the Führer's route, opening the ruins with the Tin Man.

But Ernst softened his heart.

After all, this is something Christensen has been pursuing for so long. Although her reckless behavior sometimes makes Ernst exclaim, "This is so Terra!", she has at least put in the effort.

Secondly, within the limits of one's ability, one should strive to reap corresponding rewards; this can be considered Ernst's small act of compassion.

Of course, the most important reason is that Ernst is really unsure whether this blond-haired guy will cause some other big trouble if he kicks Christensen out.

There are definitely more than one site of prehistoric civilization on the four continents of Terra, and it's certainly not just in Columbia. If you kick Christensen out, you'll definitely lose her trust, and if she finds something good while digging next time, she might not tell Ernst.

And what if that good thing then asks a "yes or no" question, and Ernst has no idea what it is? That would be a disaster.

Four-year-old Perrot loves to dig, and there's no stopping her. Ernst is unwilling to follow Zhang Beihai's example and kill the old aerospace engineer. So, the best way is to be gentle, build trust, and make her willing to share good things.

Besides, in the end, even if he wanted to keep it a secret from Tin Man and Mark Max and go with Christensen, he still had to be able to keep it a secret.

Colombia is their territory. Is it really that difficult for the Siamese to find someone?

Those six people are in this line of work! Besides, Ernst is such a big target!

Therefore, in conclusion, given the president's tacit approval, Ernst's agreement, Kristen's opinion being unimportant, and the fact that the Tin People would follow anyway, Ernst's initiative to do a favor by letting the Tin People follow without Kristen's knowledge could only bring benefits, not harm.

Many people might think, "Isn't it exhausting to think so much about every decision?"

It was definitely tiring, and Ernst wasn't used to thinking so much before. Because in the past, if he made one or two small mistakes, he would just get scolded by his boss, his promotion would be delayed a little, but he would still keep his job and his life would never be in danger.

But things are different now. In Terra, a small mistake or two can be fatal.

When Ernst was in Scherrag, he never put so much thought into things. He associated with people like Xiong Ge and Latatos, who were either incredibly straightforward or childhood friends, people he knew well and could trust. But when you're in the outside world, if you don't analyze the pros and cons clearly, if you don't carefully examine every option, if you don't follow the wisdom of thinking thrice before acting, could Scherrag and he have gotten to where they are today?

Not to mention, this matter also involves a pre-civilization that even he finds more troublesome than ever before.

This is no longer a matter concerning one person or one country; it involves the entire Terra.

They finally built up the current order, finally kept everything stable, finally managed to survive until now, and then suddenly they were wiped out by the legacy of a civilization that had been extinct for countless lifetimes. That would be too ridiculous.

"So, what should we prepare?"

Horhaya picked up her staff after a long absence, and tornadoes roared at her fingertips, seemingly possessing boundless power.

But for some reason, Ernst felt that looking at the tornado that seemed capable of tearing everything apart, he didn't feel much more at ease; instead, he suddenly felt a bit more amused.

As for what to prepare

Ernst pondered for a moment, then took the Jeragund Stone from his pocket.

This was his biggest trump card, the protection of a giant beast. Even a powerful figure like Theresis wouldn't be confident that he could kill him in a short time.

But to be honest, Ernst didn't know how long the great god Yeragand could hold out against the power that was said to be able to destroy Terra and even the entire galaxy in an instant.

7 Perhaps it was his worry that aroused the senses of the great god Yeragand, for the divine stone in his hand emitted a faint blue fluorescence, and a warm current, unlike the usual cold current, flowed from his palm into Ernst's heart.

The great goddess Yeragand did not speak, but Ernst could sense her comfort.

"No matter what happens, I will protect you."

“If you don’t want to go, come back. Shelag will always be your home. I can still protect you.”

These are very reassuring words. It's like a mother telling her children who are traveling far away: Home is always a warm harbor, a final safe haven.

But what Ernst has to do now is protect this safe haven from being hit by a nuclear bomb.

"Yeragand the Great God".

He took a deep breath and said,

Do you remember what I said to you before I left?

Ya'er, standing opposite the divine stone, nodded:

"remember."

Let's proceed according to the original plan.

Ernst's gaze sharpened, and he said coldly:

"With the recording, we stood guard outside Lateran City."

How can I guarantee that I won't be hit by a nuclear bomb?

Negotiation? Pleading? Oath of allegiance?

No, none of those solutions work.

Ernst's ancestors taught him a very simple truth.

The best way to avoid being hit by a nuclear bomb is to hold the nuclear launch button yourself!

Chapter 633 Preservator: I'm fine, thank you. How about you?

Trimont, a suburb of the city.

1095 4 Month 14 Day.

The site had already been cordoned off and sealed off by the joint efforts of Rhine Life Sciences Research Department and the General Construction Department. Everyone present had been cleared out by Christensen, leaving only a few security guards patrolling the area.

When Ernst, Kristen, and Horhaja arrived, a light drizzle was falling. The raised canopy and the ditches dug around the perimeter ensured that the underground passage would not flood.

The construction team moved very quickly. After Christen first arrived at the underground fortress with his drilling rig, the workers began working day and night. Today, they can take an elevator directly to the underground.

Christensen looked excited; her tail, which usually drooped, was wagging unconsciously today. Horhyah seemed a little uncomfortable, probably because of the rain; her specially changed "combat suit" was covered in mud. This combat suit was said to be heavy enough to crush several Ernsts, and without Originium Arts, a normal person couldn't move around in it.

Ernst was skeptical and curiously asked what was inside the strange pipes on Holhaya's clothes, but Holhaya refused to answer: "That's a woman's secret."

Actually, those were various nutrient solutions and emergency medications. Whenever Horhaya felt physically exhausted or injured, these medications would be automatically injected to help her maintain the best combat condition.

The "combat suit," with its exoskeleton alone weighing a staggering 95 kilograms, was crafted by Thor Industries using the hardest materials available at the time, designed to handle all sorts of unexpected situations. Because of this enormous weight, she had to use Originium Arts to make it levitate; otherwise, let alone move, she would have no chance of even putting it on.

The exoskeleton is equipped with Originium Arts amplification devices, which can provide some lethality in close combat. Of course, most of the time, they are used to amplify the feathered serpent's weakened ability to command wind and thunder, which is also Horhya's capital in battle.

Normally, she might only manage to create a gust of wind or a tornado the size of a palm. But with this equipment, she can summon three hurricanes with a wave of her staff, sweeping away everything in her path!

And this is merely the tip of the iceberg of the legendary power of the feathered serpent people.