People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

“This is a record of betrayal, and a record of betrayal is not worth boasting about,” Safar coldly retorted.

Bozokasti remained neither humble nor arrogant:

"I have never betrayed my own beliefs."

This time, it was Safar's turn to close his eyes.

The Flame Demon's flames subsided slightly, and after a long while, he exhaled a long burst of sparks.

5 The Wendigo before me is not the heir to the doctrine of retribution. Even though he spent his life in war and remained undefeated on countless battlefields, he is not the one Safar wanted, the one who could inherit him and the retributive ideology of the Sunbinder.

7. His approach is outdated.

So be it. He had already anticipated this outcome, so he wasn't particularly disappointed.

6 Rather, it would be more accurate to say that although Bozokasti was very different from what he had imagined, his belief was indeed firm!

3 If what he read from other Sarkaz and those modern Terran histories is true, Bozokasti had at least fought in campaigns against Victoria, Letania, and Kazimir, but he said that his proudest war was the guerrilla warfare on the tundra.

4. Few people have such a clear understanding of when they are fighting for others, bringing glory to them, and when they are fighting for themselves, something to be proud of!

"I have nothing more to ask."

2. Safar said, glancing at Bozokasti at the same time.

"Your gear is too outdated. Send it to me and I'll refurbish it for you."

"Consider it a gift from me to my junior colleague whom I admire."

Upon hearing this, Lamarlene and Fremont glanced at Safar with some curiosity, their eyes seemingly asking why they didn't have this greeting gift.

They were also very interested in the Balrog's forging skills and the staffs (bone flutes and bone pens) he made.

But Safar ignored them.

After he finished speaking, he stood up and left.

He's very busy. Now that spring has arrived, he doesn't really need to be busy with heating anymore, but a series of experiments in the floating city also require his assistance, so he can't stay here for too long.

Safar had just pushed open the door when he bumped into Ernst, who had come with Hedley.

After greeting Safar, Ernst also entered the conference room.

The first thing he did upon entering was to look up and glance at the very conspicuous Bozokasti.

Is it really a Wendigo? What kind of biological structure is that huge bone-like head?

Levy would probably be very interested, wouldn't he?

Ernst tried to reach out and shake hands with Bozokasti, but only after Bozokasti made the move did Ernst realize that his action was somewhat ill-considered.

The feeling of Bozokas reaching out to you is indeed very oppressive.

Under the somewhat awkward gazes of the Sarkaz, who wore ambiguous smiles, Ernst greeted Bozocas. Composing himself, he began:

“Mr. Bozokasti, Talulah is alright now.”

"The black snake that was possessing her has been removed. She is resting now. You can go see her in a little while."

"Before that, allow me to talk to you about other things."

Bozokast didn't mind this straightforward way of chatting. He knew that Ernst must have had a reason for contacting him and Talulah.

Now that he has arrived, he has naturally tacitly accepted some of Ernst's conditions.

As long as it wasn't something particularly excessive or against his principles, he was willing to do it in exchange for Ernst's support for the Tundra Partisans, to repay the Human Rights Council's help, or to repay the debt he owed Ernst as a Sarkaz.

But Ernst's first words startled him.

"Mr. Bozocasti, do you want to improve?"

"I have two positions here, and I'm currently looking for suitable candidates."

"The first one is the city garrison of Kazdelnia."

"The second is the guard force under the Terra International Human Rights Council."

"Are you interested?"

Chapter 665 I have a natural affinity for warriors like you.

Both options Ernst provided were simple and easy to understand, without any twists or turns.

The positions of officer in the Kazdelnia City Defence Force and the Guard Force under the Terra International Human Rights Council are essentially the same.

However, the former primarily serves the newly established Kazdelnia and the Sarkaz state, while the latter belongs to the leadership of the World Summit and has a nature similar to a peacekeeping force.

Ernst had considered establishing a peacekeeping force specifically for the World Summit, but the obstacles to passing this proposal were predictable. First, most Terran countries were still under feudalism, especially countries like Victoria, which wielded significant influence. Their armies were often privately recruited, trained, and led by nobles such as dukes and earls. Their mindset was not inclined to accept the existence of an "international army" independent of their personal control, or even separate from the name of the "nation."

Secondly, even if Ernst could persuade them to form such an army through various means, a fundamental problem would remain unavoidable—if such a force were to be trained, they would inevitably have to be deployed to a battlefield.

Ernst couldn't guarantee that everyone would have the political understanding to deploy this force where it belonged, rather than using it for personal gain under some seemingly respectable pretext. Ultimately, this army, meant for peace, would become another form of legalized Sarkaz mercenary force.

Finally, and this was the direct reason why Ernst abandoned the idea—he was a civil servant, he had no experience in military affairs, and he didn't know how to train or manage an army.

One should never rashly venture into areas one knows nothing about. The World Summit is not yet stable, and the "new international order" it has shaped is only just beginning to show its influence on Terra. At this critical juncture, Ernst is not sure what might happen if he rashly touches upon the military field, which is extremely sensitive for all Terrans.

So, after much deliberation, he gave up on this idea.

But if the military can't do it, he can mess with the police, or the special police.

This falls under the administrative domain and is not as complex as the military.

The Terra International Human Rights Council's Guard Force is such an organization.

Ernst already had this idea before Himer was invited to Ursus, and Himer's trip to Ursus further solidified Ernst's resolve to do so.

In Terra, hastily acquiring too much military power will provoke hostility, just like the Sarkaz who gathered thousands of times to establish their own kingdoms. But if you don't possess any military power at all, you're just a lamb to the slaughter. Forget about ensuring policies can be implemented; even if you go to the grassroots levels, whether anyone will pay you any attention, or whether you can even come back alive, are all questions.

Ernst didn't want to see his people in that kind of danger, and it would be quite easy to push through a bill that would create an official guard of about a hundred people.

As for the commander, Ernst actually had several candidates, with Bozokast being just one of them. Besides him, Ernst's old friend, Chongyue, the eldest brother of Nian, Ling, and Xi, who would be coming to Sherag in the future, was also a good candidate.

They are both veterans who have served in the military and fought in wars, with clean resumes and rich experience. They are also highly capable in individual combat, have many backup plans, and even have powerful backgrounds.

Bozocasti is the last pure-blooded Wendigo, a fact Ernst has heard Fremont mention several times in the past few days. It's conceivable that if Bozocasti can't handle something, they might just have to deal with the smaller ones and bring in a whole bunch of royal courts.

The same applies to Chongyue.

However, judging from Chongyue's strength, if he couldn't defeat the opponent in his normal state, the opponent would have to be at least a behemoth-level foe. At that point, it seems unnecessary to use a small guard force to resolve the situation.

Actually, besides Bochokasti and Chongyue, Ernst also thinks highly of Talulah.

She was originally one of Ernst's candidates, and to be fair, she was fully capable of the job. However, after meeting her in person once, Ernst temporarily gave up on the idea.

Ling Talulah has the strength, but her character still needs tempering. Her values ​​have clearly gone astray. What she needs now is not unconditional trust and being entrusted with important tasks, but rather to calm down and slowly correct some of her flawed ideas.

7 Of course, Ernst was not using "favor" to coerce Bozokast into taking the job.

"If you don't want to do it, I won't make things difficult for you."

Ernst stated, and Bodjokast clarified:

"Just like before, the Terra International Human Rights Council certainly can't directly provide assistance to the guerrillas. After all, the guerrillas aren't a legitimate organization officially recognized by Ursus, and..."

Ernst didn't finish his sentence, but Bozokas understood what he meant.

In fact, the guerrillas were often at odds with the local government (nobles) of Ursus.

The execution of the disciplinary squad—who organized the disciplinary squad? The liberation of the black mines—who stands behind the black mines? The roundup of infected—Ursus law stipulates that infected people should at least be expelled, and are generally killed on sight. Which of these actions isn't a struggle against the Ursus government?

Ursus is one of the five permanent members of the World Summit. Ernst, in his position, and with the two sides not having completely broken off relations, certainly wouldn't do anything to embarrass Ursus.

"However, if there are any funds, aid programs, or private organizations, I certainly can't supervise them all."

Ernst shrugged, looking quite helpless.

But everyone present smiled knowingly.

As the saying goes, the government can create various pretexts to collect taxes, and similarly, it can create various pretexts to provide aid.

For example, the guerrillas could send someone with a clean record to register a legitimate foundation in a city in Ursus, with any name they like, such as the "Tundra Wildlife Conservation Foundation," and then register it with the wildlife conservation organizations at the World Summit. Wouldn't the World Summit then be able to provide assistance to them?

Of course, this is just one example; the World Summit currently doesn't have any animal and plant protection agencies. Ernst's example is also quite "direct"—in practice, it might involve multiple layers of transfer, and it's entirely possible that the money could eventually become completely unrelated to the World Summit.

Some might think this is similar to money laundering. That's right, this is indeed money laundering.

The means are neither good nor evil; it depends on who uses them and what purpose they are meant to achieve.

Even if we take a step back, Ernst knows a little about the Ursus government's intentions. The current emperor, Fyodor, is a moderate reformer who has issued many decrees to improve the treatment of infected people in Ursus. Unfortunately, the emperor's power has been usurped, so the decrees are ineffective.

If Ernst were to actually do this, while he would be funding the guerrillas, it would also, to some extent, help weaken local power. Given the current strength of the enemy, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Based on basic political savvy, it's not impossible that he would turn a blind eye or even give the green light to this. Perhaps things don't even need to be this complicated.

Worried that Bozokast wouldn't understand, Ernst, unusually, went out of his way to explain the intricacies of the situation to him, bit by bit.

Bozokast looked at Ernst with some doubt at first. Gradually, his gaze became thoughtful, and after Ernst had completely analyzed the pros and cons, he still had his hand supporting his head, and even the red light in his eyes had disappeared.

Ernst thought he had fallen asleep. But before Ernst could try to wake him, he asked a question that had piqued his curiosity:

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Mr. Ernst, is this our first meeting?"

“I’m already very surprised that you’re willing to give me those two very good positions, and even let me choose.”

"But why did you specifically analyze with me what I could do if I didn't agree? How could I get help?"

This is a very simple truth.

Even if you're going out for a job interview, the interviewer won't specifically analyze the pros and cons of the interview with you afterward, right?

Even if a small number of interviewers might do that, most interviewers don't have the time or inclination. "Go home and wait for our response" is enough. Let alone telling you, "If you don't pass with me, you can apply for such-and-such position at the company next door, and you need to say this and that to pass,"?

Bozocasti didn't doubt that Ernst's words were well-intentioned and indeed helpful. After all, he wasn't stupid; some points weren't actually difficult to understand, it was just that people struggled to cross that mental threshold.

For example, the foundation's approach to providing assistance without offending anyone perfectly embodies the famous saying, "Corrupt officials must be cunning, but honest officials must be even more cunning than corrupt officials."

He was simply curious about Ernst's motives.

It can't be because he's a Sarkaz, right? Although Ernst has a very high reputation among Sarkaz, Bozokasti isn't so naive as to think that just because someone is a Sarkaz, they have a chance to get one-on-one online tutoring from Ernst.

Furthermore, Ernst's high reputation within the Sarkaz and the Sarkaz's importance to Ernst are two different things. Ernst did something beneficial for the Sarkaz, so the Sarkaz respected him, but that doesn't mean he had any special feelings towards them; it might simply be because the matter happened to be in his interest.

Even from the most superficial point of view, Ernst doesn't even have a Sarkaz lover, so why is he helping him so much?

This question indeed stumped Ernst.

He, who had been talking non-stop just moments before, suddenly fell silent, looked up at the ceiling, and had a complicated expression on his face.

After a long pause, he finally let out a long sigh.

"The reasons are complicated, but not shameful."

"To be realistic, helping you guys is good for me."

This relates to what he knew about the Chernobog incident. Although he didn't know much, he clearly remembered the Doctor's slumber in Chernobog and Talulah leading the "Reunion Movement" to instigate a riot there. His recognition of Talulah's potential stemmed from this; her ability to unleash a devastating attack and break through Margaret Nearl's defenses in one strike spoke volumes about her strength.

Talulah has now rid herself of the Black Serpent, and theoretically, she has already addressed the direct cause of the Chernobog riots. However, the outbreak of any social event is never caused by a single person igniting the first spark.

If the firewood isn't there, no matter how fiercely the fire burns, it will be extinguished in an instant.

Ernst believed in the concept of "curing the sick and saving lives," and Bodochusti himself had a very good reputation, whether from Alina's words, the Presbyterian Church of Mount St., or Hermes' words, so Ernst was willing to lend a hand.

Just as Bozokast thought, Ernst helped him because of his character and morality, and because of his actions, but not because he was a "Sarkaz".

Therefore, given this opportunity, Ernst was willing to let Bozokasti have a better place to go and no longer get involved in Chernobog's mess.

"As for the more idealistic reasons..."

Ernst paused, then suddenly smiled, and said as if joking,

"I have a natural affinity for the term 'guerrillas against exploitation and oppression'."

"You asked me why I'm willing to analyze so much for you, and this is the reason."

"If you feel that the World Summit hasn't made this land a better place, that this escort work isn't practicing humanitarianism but rather triggering a humanitarian crisis, you can tell me directly, and then—"

"Go back to the tundra and fight guerrilla warfare again."

Chapter 666 This old thing, it's just so delicious!

Bozocasti ultimately chose to work for the guard.

He once fought for Ursus, but Ursus ultimately betrayed his promise to him. Rather than turning back to fight for the nation of Kazdel again, he now wants to fight for his own beliefs.

However, although he has agreed, Bozokastie will not come to the World Summit to take office so soon.

He still had a guerrilla force on the tundra, Yelena, and the shield guards who followed and trusted him were waiting for him to return. He had to give them an explanation and secure a future for them.