People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Ernst smiled, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Talulah.

"I don't recognize any of the people who just arrived."

He was speaking from the heart. For example, the one who called himself "Sammy"—Ernst could guess what that name represented, but he genuinely didn't recognize the image.

He had never seen Ektilnir, and he couldn't imagine that any behemoth would mold the body of its agent in the image of its chosen one.

Yeragand, year, order, evening—none of them did such a thing.

A behemoth, a beast lord—if you released this lineup, Ernst would believe you if you said it was for annihilating a nation. What could a mere black serpent possibly withstand?

Moreover, Talulah has only "gotten rid of the black snake"; she's still a long way from truly becoming a "normal person."

Ernst sat opposite her, gestured for Hamer to sit down as well, and then said:

“Talulah, do you know why I specifically asked Himer to bring you to Sherag?”

Talulah was stunned for a moment before she realized that Ernst couldn't possibly have come specifically to help her get rid of the black snake.

She and Ernst had no past relationship, so why would the Prime Minister of Sherag send someone all the way to the frozen wastelands of Ursus to bring a complete stranger to Sherag?

She pursed her lips, her voice carrying a hint of disappointment and resistance:

"Is it because of my identity?"

"Which part do you care about? Draco? The dragon? Or the heir to the Duke of Koschei?"

Ernst raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

Judging from this, Talulah seems to loathe these identities of hers and is also resistant to others mentioning them.

This was somewhat unusual; at least, none of the people Ernst had met were like Talulah. While they might not be particularly proud of their status, they certainly weren't ashamed to mention it.

Even Vina, who, like Talulah, has "Victorian royal blood," treats this as her "secret" rather than "shame."

She even treated it as a surprise, giving Ernst a big surprise at the World's Fair, which startled Ernst so much that he almost couldn't catch his breath and went to see Precys ahead of time.

Talulah's emotions are strange.

Ernst asked, somewhat puzzled:

"Do you care about this? You are Draco, a dragon, or the heir to the Duke of Koschche. Is it something shameful for you?"

Talulah glanced at Ernst, and perhaps because Ernst had just helped her, she opened up for the first time, revealing her deepest thoughts:

"Shouldn't it be?"

"Because I am a hybrid of Draco and a dragon, my father is from the Victorian royal family, and my mother is a princess from the Yan Kingdom, that's why Koschei kidnapped me, and that's why others treat me differently."

"Even though there are still many people on Earth who can't afford to eat and are suffering terribly from Oripathy, just because of my identity, those Ursus guards don't even care that I'm also an Oripathy patient!"

"Whether it's Yelena or Bozokasti, if it weren't for my identity, would you be willing to help me?"

Talulah gritted her teeth and clenched her fists:

"I hate this feeling, as if just because I am someone, I can be forgiven for what I've done, and everyone can trust me. Isn't this just getting something for nothing?"

Ernst opened his mouth knowingly, then smiled with relief.

Well, to put it in Buddhist terms, Talulah was attached to appearances.

Ernst didn't know if this was the result of Black Serpent's deliberate guidance or if Talulah really thought that way, but when she thought about this issue, she was obviously too fuzzy and too one-sided!

She kept talking about the convenience and power that having no official identity brought her, but she didn't mention at all the responsibilities she needed to bear for these identities.

Ernst suspected that she might not even realize she was obligated to bear the responsibilities associated with these identities. Otherwise, why would she simultaneously feel remorse while using the power these identities granted to distribute food?

This isn't about double standards; it's just that Talulah seems to have been miseducated, leading to a kind of "atonement mentality." She holds the identity of a guerrilla leader, but due to educational issues, the Black Serpent problem, and psychological issues, she can't see the responsibilities that come with that position. Instead, she can only feel remorse for possessing power and want to atone. The simplest way she can think of to atone is to help more people in need, even if this action actually drags down the guerrillas and violates her original responsibility as a leader to protect them.

This is like Prime Minister Ernst of Scherraga neglecting the interests of Scherraga and going crazy to help the Sargons. While the Scherraga people are still starving and cold, he is happy to feed the Sargon tribes and make them plump and healthy. This is putting the cart before the horse!

What happens when this kind of thinking is taken to extremes?

Simply put, selflessness can turn into extreme selfishness. Abandoning all the power that comes with social status also means abandoning all the responsibilities that come with social status. This is what is commonly known as "undefinable."

I am a father, but I don't think I am. I don't want to enjoy the rights of a father, so I also abandoned my obligations as a father, and that's why I ran away.

I am a leader, but I hate being defined. I felt uncomfortable after I climbed to this position, so I just resigned and ignored my subordinates and the people, letting chaos occur.

It even goes so far as to challenge basic social norms and customs, abandoning gender, morality, honor and shame, and so on.

Ernst had never actually seen someone like Zero in his previous life, but he had heard of many such people and seen them frequently on television. [6]

There are many people in the West who promote this kind of rhetoric, and they even call this behavior "liberation." Ernst doesn't know if those media outlets and institutions are only interested in business, but Ernst does know that quite a few foreigners have indeed been misled by this rhetoric.

He never expected that he would see such people in Terra, a place he had described as "it would be good to have some capitalism, slavery is just too backward!"

Talulah, you're a bit of an early LGBTQ+ person, aren't you?

Of course, Talulah hasn't developed to that point yet, so there's clearly still hope.

Ernst considered for a moment, then asked in return:

"Then who do you think you are?"

“I am Talulah!” Talulah answered immediately.

"Talulah is just a name. If you discard the name Talulah, who are you?"

Talulah opened her mouth, then fell silent for a moment.

Ernst shrugged and pressed on:

"That's how people judge each other. We meet so many people in our lives, but we can only really get to know a few of them. For most people, we can only make the simplest judgments based on their labels, what they have done in the past, and their family background."

"You said I only found you because you're Talulah. But I ask you, why did you accept Miss Himer's invitation to come to Sherag?"

"Didn't you hear about what I've done, learn about the International Summit, about humanitarianism, and that I'm [Prime Minister Kjerag], [Interim Secretary-General of the International Summit], and [Humanitarian Advocate]?"

"Are these labels on me something I was born with?"

En Si = Er ÷ Si Can San Ling Wan Zhong Zhuan: Ster shrugged.

"Of course not, it's because I did these things that people call me that."

“But bloodlines are something you’re born with,” Talulah said.

“I am the third young master of the Shivaish family, one of the three great families of Sherag, but how many people mention my identity now?” Ernst asked in return.

People say that monks have severed all worldly ties and dried up all worldly desires, so they don't need to care about the mundane world and can enjoy inner peace and freedom. This is their right.

But why do they also have to wear monks' robes and observe the precepts? Because it is their duty.

If they don't do this, who will know that they are monks, having severed all worldly ties, dried up their golden seas, and are not disturbed by the mundane world? The mundane world cannot actively disturb their secluded cultivation.

These are rights and obligations.

Similarly, Talulah's identity undeniably brought her enormous political capital. Even if Yan Kingdom might not recognize this half-blood, and Victoria didn't have an emperor, she still started as the heir to the Duke of Koschche.

These are objective factors, rights that Talulah was born with.

That's just how reality is. Talulah started from a higher point than others, and she was destined to never escape that starting point, just as one cannot choose their parents. Talulah could only accept it, because this thing is just so unreasonable. It's like Ernst accepting that he was the young master of the Shivaesh family.

The only difference is that Talulah was fixated on the issue of her identity and went down the wrong path of "abandoning all rights," while Ernst chose to start from the beginning and climb up on his own, making progress on his own.

Therefore, in this matter, Ernst could not actually teach Talulah much:

"Going back to that question, do you really hate the identity of Talulah, hate being Talulah?"

People may hate themselves at times, but ultimately, humans are inherently selfish and self-loving. Talulah was born Talulah, and the fact that she has mustered the courage to fight the Black Serpent to this day is enough to show that she doesn't hate herself; she still has the will to fight.

Tallulah shook her head.

She doesn't hate it.

Ernst smiled, stood up, and patted her on the shoulder:

"In that case, identity should not be a shackle, but a ladder. It is not just a right, but also an obligation. It is not a label imposed on you by others, but a part of yourself that you show to others."

"You're a mature adult now. Think about it yourself. If you don't understand anything, come and ask me."

Looking at Talulah's bewildered expression, Ernst didn't expect that his words today would immediately enlighten her and make her realize the truth.

After all, Yu had received so many years of education from Duke Koschei. The education of a child from Duke Ursus, and from the Black Serpent Duke at that—it was practically a birth within a birth. Even if Talulah disliked Koschei, over the years, even if it was a critical acceptance, she must have learned a lot from him.

In Han Dynasty martial arts novels, those who practice demonic arts and want to switch to the righteous path have to abandon their martial arts. Not to mention that this is not just a simple matter of practicing martial arts, but a matter of values ​​education that will affect a child's entire life.

Those with exceptional comprehension like Andorn, who can suddenly "grasp" things with just a little guidance from Ernst, and even turn the tables on Ernst, are few and far between. If Talulah had that kind of comprehension, she might not have been so badly fooled by the Black Serpent in the first place.

Fortunately, Talulah has now eliminated the Black Serpent, and since she's staying in Kjerag, it's unlikely she'll run back to Ursus Chernobog to cause trouble. She has plenty of time; she can take her time to think things through.

Ernst, on the other hand, had to go to the Sarkaz residents' committee to see Wendigo, the one who had returned with Talulah.

—Bozokasti.

Chapter 663 Bozokasti's Amazement

Shelag, outside the city.

Someone once asked, what is a city?

Is a city a steel jungle of skyscrapers? A well-equipped health resort? Or a place of dazzling lights and revelry?

For the Sarkaz, none of that matters. A Sarkaz city is essentially a large settlement. As long as there are people, can survive, have food, sleep, and not fear for their lives, that is a city, that is Kazdel.

The aerial city of Kazdelnia is still under construction, but the Sarkaz have already built a new "city" outside of Kerrig.

The houses built by Mudstone using the abilities of Stonewing Demons, the seeds and food brought by Lamaren from the Banshee Valley, the school opened by the Fremont faction of liches, the cyclops maintaining order, and the jurisdiction of Hedley, an official of the Sarkaz Residents' Committee—after half a year, this former refugee camp has now taken on a somewhat rural-urban fringe atmosphere.

Admittedly, their existence was illegal, and Ernst never agreed to a group of Sarkaz building such a settlement outside of Shelag, but he also did not directly order its demolition.

He had only hinted to Hadreh that the Sarkaz could remain there without causing trouble until Kazdelnia was completed.

But if a Sarkaz misbehaves and breaks the rules, his compassion and mercy have their limits.

Hedley understood this principle well. So far, under the cooperation and management of the Sarkaz Residents' Committee officials and the moderate royal court, there hadn't been much of a commotion here.

The arrival of Bozokasti was the biggest news in this small settlement during this period!

"Wendigo!"

Even the leader of the Cyclops, [Eye], was somewhat surprised by this unexpected visitor.

"Are you Bozokasti?"

Bozokast nodded slightly.

"The last pure-blooded Wendigo?"

The red light in Bozokastie's eyes dimmed slightly, but he still nodded.

Before the Cyclops could ask his third question, Bodrocas interrupted him:

"I... want to... look around here."

His stuttering voice was not very clear, and when he spoke Sarkaz for the first time in a long time, his accent even had a slight Ursus trill.

[Eyes] The brow behind the mask furrowed slightly:

"Your voice?"

“Oripathy,” Bozokasti said, pointing to his throat.

"I see"

[Eye] sighed, gestured to Bozokasti to wait a moment, then turned and returned to the settlement.

A moment later, he brought Hedley and a dose of inhibitor.

Borocasti is the last pure-blooded Wendigo; his bloodline cannot be faked, nor can the tragedy seen in him by the "Eye," which confirms an ancient prophecy. In the past, Borocasti would have received the highest honors, being carried into Kazdel as the "Last King of Wendigos." The Exorcist, and even the Demon Lord, would have personally appeared to find a way to continue the Wendigo bloodline, hoping to preserve this ancient royal court from collapse.

But now, times have changed.

The current leader of Kazdel is not the Demon King. To put it more broadly, it is the Military Council, established by the Demon King and whose power he personally proclaimed. To put it more recently, it is the Sarkaz Residents' Council, which enabled Kazdel to gain recognition from the nations of Terra and establish itself as a nation.

And he, and the one-eyed giant he represented, were loyal to the founder of the world—Ernst Hishvaish.

A demon king who is not a demon king, a monarch who is not a monarch, the savior of the Sarkaz!

Therefore, even if [Eye] really wanted to directly invite Bozokasti in, he still had to go through the proper procedures, because that was Ernst's rule.

Fortunately, Hedley has already made contact with Alina.

While Bozokasti was wandering through the settlement, Alina went to the auditing office and found Hedley.

She had Ernst's approval, official documents from the Terra International Human Rights Council, and identification documents for the Lateran organization, the Holy Mountain Hermitage, which had appeared at the World Summit. Hedley naturally wouldn't give her any trouble. After explaining the situation, he immediately went to the scene with the inhibitors and the necessary documents.

Hedley didn't stand on ceremony. He glanced at the imposing man in front of him, made a quick assessment, abandoned the idea of ​​holding hands with him, and directly handed over the inhibitor: