I'm in Terra

Victoria knew him. He was the deputy mayor of Cartago, where Rossia was located, and a die-hard Rossia supporter. It was said that Rossia himself didn't manage the town, leaving all matters, big and small, to the deputy mayor. According to prior research, Cartago was the most prosperous of the towns, suggesting this deputy mayor was quite capable.

"What a pity." Victoria sighed lightly, as if he felt sorry for the talented person's ignorance of the times.

The next second, the disdainful man fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

"What!" The mayors exchanged horrified glances, tumbling and crawling away from the fallen deputy mayor. Victor waved his hand, and two soldiers emerged from his presence, dragging the deputy mayor away like a piece of trash.

Seeing the mayors' nervous expressions, Victoria waved his hand nonchalantly: "Don't worry, it's just an accident. The soldiers will take him to the hospital and take good care of him. Let's continue. Oh, where was I just now?"

"Speaking of aid and rescue...disaster relief." A portly mayor raised his hand tremblingly.

"Oh, right. Disaster relief!" Victoria clapped his hands, as if he had just remembered. "Since you reminded me, how about starting with you? Mr. Mayor, what are your thoughts?"

"I...I agree! I agree!!!" Seeing Victoria's gloomy face, the Snorlax-like mayor of Lisbon replied in panic, "I'm willing to contribute half... no, sixty percent of the town's supplies to support your Excellency's construction!"

"Sixty percent? Not a bad number." Victoria curled his lips and nodded as he looked at the thin deputy mayor beside him. "Are you the deputy mayor of Lisbon?"

The thin man lowered his head quickly: "Governor, it's me."

"Really? Then from today on, you are the mayor." Victoria smiled and clapped his hands. The mayor of Lisbon, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, collapsed to the ground without any resistance.

This time, Victoria didn't even need to remind him. Four soldiers came out and dragged the fat man out together.

"By the way, I don't think I heard clearly just now. How much money does the town of Lisbon plan to contribute to disaster relief?"

The thin man slumped to his knees, his head resting heavily on the ground. "Lisbon has always been a part of Luxembourg. The various supplies within are at the Governor's disposal."

"Really? That's more like it." Victory finally smiled after the thin man expressed his opinion. "Go back and sort out the materials and supplies. I'll send a few officials from the Finance Department to sort them out. Don't let me down."

"Yes!" Only then did the thin man breathe a sigh of relief, kneeling on the ground sweating and gasping for breath.

As for Victoria, he didn't even bother to ask his name from beginning to end.

"Well, it's your turn. What are the opinions of Mount and Savage?"

"No, we dare not! We are entirely at the disposal of the Governor!!!" The people whose names were mentioned looked at each other and quickly knelt on the ground like the thin man.

"Then why are you still here? Go back and prepare everything. If the people I send don't find a satisfactory answer after arriving at the location, you can now think about where you will spend your old age."

"Yes! Let's prepare it right away!!!" Seeing that Victoria was not going to embarrass them anymore, several mayors immediately climbed out of the meeting room using their hands and feet.

After dismissing the mayors, Victoria went straight to his office, where Miss Dorothy and Miss Kashiena had been waiting for him for a long time.

"Looks like everything's going smoothly?" Dorothy jumped into Victoria's arms, handing him a document. "The list of people to take inventory has been selected: two reserve officers from Norvinsk and two full-time officers from Luxembourg. We've also assigned a squadron to escort them."

Obviously, everything that happened in the conference room had been witnessed by the two secretaries through the surveillance equipment. Dorothy had already prepared the plan that Victoria needed.

"Well done. Remember to send two teams for a cross-examination." Victoria rubbed Dorothy's head, but turned his eyes to Kashena:

"Also, send a few spies to inquire about the reputations of the wealthy merchants in each town, and investigate the nepotism of the mayors. I suspect they'll be doing something shady, like secretly diverting public funds to private individuals or imposing mandatory taxes in advance to fill funding gaps."

"You only know how to order people around~" Kasheina snorted, but didn't refuse Victoria's request: "But if they do this, won't it harm the interests of the civilians? Aren't you afraid that your reputation will be damaged if this gets out?"

"Reputation?" Victor sneered. "I had no intention of letting them live any longer. Once they've looted the civilians' property, I'll have a legitimate reason to investigate and execute them all. Then I'll implement the same benevolent policies I've implemented in Luxembourg. I believe the people will be able to tell the difference between good and evil."

Kasheina's mouth curled up slightly: "What a dirty trick."

Victoria shrugged. "There's nothing we can do. The funding gap is too huge. At a time like this, we can only make the people of Rossiya suffer. After all, they weren't affected by the war, so it's already quite merciful that they only lost some property."

Wine pool and meat forest: 13 bet

"The appointment letter has arrived. You have become the youngest governor-general in history. The small towns in Rossiya will soon submit to you. What are your plans going forward?"

A cup of fragrant and delicious coffee was brought to Victoria. After a period of time, she had mastered this technique which was somewhat new to her.

Victoria had long been accustomed to Kashena's occasional questions. After spending some time together, he had already figured out the mind of this "god".

He picked up his coffee, took a leisurely sip, and then answered Kashiena's seemingly presumptuous question: "Two years. Within two years, I plan to transform Luxembourg into a true military fortress."

"Only two years?" Kashiena raised her eyebrows. "If anyone else said that, I'd think it was wishful thinking. But if it were you, maybe there really is a way. But unfortunately, I'm not asking about plans in this regard. I'm asking about plans for integration later on. Didn't you say that becoming Governor of Luxembourg isn't your ultimate goal? I want to hear how you plan to do it."

"Civil war." Victoria said the outrageous word without hesitation:

"Although His Majesty has always sought to balance the conflict between the old and new nobles, hoping to reclaim power from the rivalry, neither side is foolish. Conflict will inevitably break out. My job is to add fuel to the fire when it breaks out, ensuring that the entire empire is affected."

"You want to push the entire empire into the fire pit?" Kasheina frowned. She believed that Victoria had the ability to do what he said, but...

"Isn't this a bit too radical? If we take a wrong step, we, and even the entire Ursus, will collapse completely."

"No plunge, no gain. How can you be reborn without burning in the fire?" Victor saw that Kashena was hesitant and patted her butt with some disapproval.

"The biggest problem facing Ursus right now is the uneven distribution of resources. The entire empire's political system is in tatters. To completely reverse this decline, a transformative war is essential. Whether it's civil or foreign, as long as the war machine is set in motion, many problems can be resolved through more drastic measures."

"You have a point, but once Ursus starts a civil war, it won't take ten or twenty years to recover," Kashena warned, frowning and looking worried. But in reality, she was happier than anyone else.

Victor was right. Ursus needed a war, and so did He. He supported Victor so wholeheartedly because he saw in his ambition and strength.

"It doesn't matter. I've already made plans for a civil war." Victoria picked up his coffee cup and asked with a half-smile, "If, I mean if, if the new and old nobles completely broke off fighting, who do you think would win?"

"The old nobility." Victory's question interrupted Kasheina's newly prepared words of persuasion, but she remained unperturbed. After a brief pause, she offered her own answer: "Although the emerging nobility are developing rapidly, the power in the empire is still in the hands of the old nobility, and they have an overwhelming advantage in legion numbers. If a fight breaks out, the old nobility will most likely win."

"So, what about two years from now?" Victoria asked again. "If the two factions start fighting in two years, who will win?"

Kasheina wasn't quite sure what Victoria meant. "Of course it's the old aristocracy, right? The gap in combat power between the two sides is so huge, it definitely won't be bridged in a year or two. Besides, Luxembourg will have recovered in two years, and the old aristocracy will have gained an additional legion of combat power... Wait, do you think the old aristocracy will lose?"

"Of course we will lose, and we will lose miserably." Victoria nodded.

"From what I understand, the New Aristocracy has considered the Old Aristocracy its mortal enemy since its inception. And the Old Aristocracy? They seem to completely disregard the rising nobility. Compared to those whose titles are merely empty, they're more concerned with the Emperor's actions and whether their own power is being weakened. They're completely oblivious to the rapid replacement of their own position."

Kasheina was a little skeptical: "Even so, those old aristocratic factions who fought their way up step by step through military merit can't be defeated so easily, right?"

"Not losing so quickly and being able to win are two completely different things." Victoria raised three fingers and explained in detail to Kashena:

"The right time, right place, and right people are the essential qualities of a victor. Now that the Ursus dynasty has changed, the new emperor doesn't trust the nobles who rose to power through military merit during the previous emperor's reign. He trusts the businessmen and politicians he has personally promoted. This is the right time."

"The new aristocratic faction occupies the warm and fertile land of the south, and the booming industry is rapidly catching up with the outdated facilities of the north. This is the geographical advantage."

"Although both sides are aristocratic classes that indulge in extravagance, the newly ascended nobles are more ambitious and utilize human resources more scientifically than the old nobles who disregard human life. This is harmony among people."

"Although the old aristocracy possesses a natural advantage, they are unable to utilize it properly. Although they possess a large number of troops, they are hindering each other and guarding against each other. If this continues, I dare to assert that within five years, the old aristocracy will completely disappear from the stage of history."

"Then why did you get involved with them?" Kashena discovered the blind spot. "If the old nobility were doomed to fail as you said, then why didn't you side with the new nobility from the beginning?"

"Which do you prefer, helping someone in need or adding icing on the cake?"

Victoria smiled. "My goal from the beginning wasn't to help one faction defeat another, but to bring all of Ursus under my control. If I'm not mistaken, in one or two years, the new nobles will begin to suppress the old nobles. Then, they'll be horrified to discover that the upstarts they've always looked down upon are actually able to dominate them. And I, at this moment of the old nobles' most decadent moment, will step forward to defeat the new nobles and use this opportunity to forcibly consolidate this country."

"The plan is reasonable, but the risk is too great," commented Kashena.

"Of course. If you want to win big with a small investment, you naturally have to take huge risks," Victoria admitted frankly. "So compared to starting a civil war, I personally prefer Ursus to initiate a war with other countries. At least that way, I have more room to maneuver."

The Temptation of Eternal Life: 14

"Would you rather go to war with another country?" Kasheina was startled, as if remembering something. "I remember you once told me that if you had a choice, you would go to war with Yan Country?"

"War is a means to an end. Victory or defeat is not the most important thing, and going to war with a powerful country is not necessarily a bad thing."

Things are different now. Victoria, who now sits firmly on the governor's throne, can barely be considered qualified to make decisions.

"Remember what I said before? Ursus needs a defeat, or perhaps even a bitter victory. We must cast off the burden that has been sucking blood from Ursus and make that mediocre emperor lose his prestige. Only in this way can I continue to climb the ladder, and the powerful country you dream of will be able to break free from this aging and dilapidated body.

"Yan Country is the toughest thorn bush around us. When an old, giant bear lunges at the bush, it will only be pierced and covered in sores. We can use this opportunity to remove the maggots crawling all over our skin and start anew."

Kasheina's eyes lit up, but she still asked tentatively, "Aren't you afraid of being wiped out by the Yan Nation?"

Victoria glanced at Kashena speechlessly: "You are Black Snake, so don't ask questions that insult your intelligence. Also, have you finished processing the documents I assigned to you?"

"We'll talk about the documents later." Kashiena squinted her eyes and ran behind Victoria, pinching his shoulders. "I have a great plan. Are you interested in joining in?"

"Nice plan? You?" Feeling the soft embrace above his head and the gentle taps on his shoulders, Victoria cooperated and lay down on the office chair. "Isn't this another sneaky conspiracy?"

"No, this time it's an open conspiracy." Kasheina chuckled, thinking Victoria was teasing her. "I was able to think of this opportunity thanks to you awakening me to the potential of the infected. Remember that doll I mentioned to you before?"

Victoria looked up in puzzlement. "A doll? Is it the one called Tallulah?"

"She has now joined the infected guerrillas and is preparing to lead the growing guerrillas to the south." Kashena smiled.

"Don't you think this is a good opportunity? The anger of the infected is spreading across the south, and those rising nobles would never guess we're behind it. If we handle it right, we can not only slow down the reformists, but we might even be able to leverage her identity to do something. Don't forget, she's the puppet claimed by Yan Nation."

"It sounds like it's worth playing with." Victoria rubbed his chin, but he was thinking about something else:

"But you haven't assimilated her yet, have you? Is it too late?"

"A year is enough. It takes some time to pave the way for people to change their thinking, doesn't it?" Kashena smiled confidently. The resources she had invested before were not wasted. Tallulah had accumulated a lot of negative emotions in her heart. She just needed to find the right time to detonate her, and a perfect incarnation would be completed.

"A year should be enough." Victoria thought for a moment, and finally accepted Kashena's invitation. "Let them develop freely for a while. Once the situation in Luxembourg has stabilized, I can secretly provide them with some 'help'."

Unexpectedly, as soon as Victoria said this, Kasheina shook her head. "No, we don't need your help in that area. Just consider it as investing in our cause. Leave the subsequent support plan for the guerrillas to me. As for you, just provide them with wisdom and make sure they can cause enough trouble."

"Provide wisdom?" Victoria looked up at the Ursus map. "You want me to travel thousands of kilometers to provide wisdom to an infected guerrilla group?"

Kashena smiled. She reached out and gently stroked Victoria's collarbone. "Do you think I wouldn't notice? Your learning of Dorothy's Originium skills could be considered an accident, but the theft of my authority by someone else—do you think you could hide it from me?"

Victoria chuckled, cupped Kashena's hand, and sniffed it gently. "I'm not sure, so I haven't tried it yet. Your power is different from your Originium skills. I'm not sure if using it rashly will consume something extremely important to me. For example, sanity, for example... soul."

"A wise decision." Kasheina nodded. She indeed didn't sense any signs that Victor had used his power. "It's amazing that you were able to hold back. After all, even I'm not sure what the consequences would be if an ordinary person rashly separated their will. However, I don't mind sharing this power with you. Do you want to learn?"

This was a lie. As an immortal black snake, Kashena had never considered sharing her power with others. But she also knew that Victor was no ordinary person. Whether it was the orderly expansion of his consciousness or the strange power he possessed, it suggested that Victor was a person who could not be reasoned with by common sense.

Besides, Kashena could not stop Victory from learning this power, and her power would not be diminished because of Victory's learning.

In this case, instead of breaking up with this promising young man, he might as well continue to increase his investment in him under the guise of teaching. He believed that he had already understood Victoria's preferences.

Once Tallulah was under His control, He didn't believe Victoria could refuse three stunning young ladies with different styles. When it came to controlling people's hearts, He boasted that no one in all of Terra could match Him.

"Learn the power of split will?" Victoria was somewhat tempted. Although he didn't know whether his cheats and special abilities could be inherited by his clone, this ability was indeed a way to achieve immortality that could break free from the shackles of lifespan.

Eternal life without any price, it's definitely worth learning. Of course, if satisfying this insatiable lustful black snake is considered a price, then learning this ability is truly hard work.

"Deal, I think I have no reason to refuse." After thinking for just a few seconds, Victoria decisively accepted Kashena's invitation.

Even though there may be hidden traps, even though learning this power may be far more difficult than imagined, the opportunity for eternal life is right in front of him, and Victoria believes that no ambitious man will refuse this invitation.

Kasheina smiled with satisfaction. She gently cupped Victoria's cheek and rested her mountain pillow on Victoria's head. "Then let me lead you to open the door that belongs to the extraordinary."

PS: I’m so sleepy and feel a little lacking in energy lately.

(It must be that readers didn't vote enough, it's definitely not Hokusai's fault.)

Wine and Meat: 15 The Nature of Greed

"The statistics are out."

A week later, Miss Dorothy, who had been keeping a close eye on Rossia's belongings, dropped the report in her hand, stretched lazily with a sense of relief:

"The four towns have similar inventory holdings, roughly around 10 million rubles. Katago (the town where Rossiya is stationed) is relatively poor, with only a little over 9 million rubles, while the other towns have 12 million rubles each."

"Over 10 million? That's a pretty good number." Victory took the document with a smile, his eyes expressionless. However, Kashiena, standing next to him, couldn't help but spill the coffee she had just taken.

"Puchi~~~ Ten million? That's a lot! It's less than one million Longmen coins, right?"

"It's a bit low," Dorothy shrugged, walked over to Kashena, and picked up her own cup of coffee. "But considering Rossia's long-planned troop expansion and the expenditures in preparation for war, this number is still reasonable."

"Then the question comes to you, Kashena." Victor pushed his glasses and looked at Kashena, whose eyes were smiling. "How's the progress on your side? Have you found out about the slush funds of these officials?"

"Of course." Kashiena paused for a moment, then answered as Dorothy finished her coffee, "Taking into account nepotism, the guy with the least hidden savings probably has around 20 million."

The next second, the evil-minded Miss Kashena saw the black fountain as she wished.

"puff--"

Dorothy's eyes widened, not even caring about the coffee stain on her shirt. "How much? Twenty million rubles? How dare they?"

"It's 20 million Longmen coins." Kashena corrected with a smile:

"As those mayors said, Rossiya's internal developments have never been reported to Luxembourg. Even the taxes are symbolically paid by Rossiya as a representative. Furthermore, those extra soldiers weren't funded by Rossiya alone, so the money embezzled by those officials and wealthy individuals is far greater than you can imagine."

After hearing the two secretaries' reports, Victor smiled instead of getting angry. "They've deceived their superiors and subordinates, imposed heavy taxes, and it seems these guys are far more daring than we imagined. But thanks to their audacity, I have the legitimate opportunity to eliminate the remaining minions of Rossiya. A-Tao, allocate funds and recruit troops. I'll take my men to Rossiya to collect the money next week. Kashiena, prepare the notices for posting. This is a just act to root out this incompetent, so don't let the other officials down."

"Pretending... Got it, I'll spread the news to every corner of Rossiya County that Governor Victoria cracked down on corrupt officials in the first month after taking office." Kashena rolled her eyes in annoyance, casually pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to the flustered Dorothy, and received the girl's sincere thanks as she wished.

You see, she has to thank us.

Victoria nodded in satisfaction. "Very good, let's handle this matter this way for now. By the way, where are the infected guerrillas?"

"They've changed their name to the Reunion Movement," Kashena reminded her. "They just left southern Woden last week and are now playing hide-and-seek with the Fourth Legion. I estimate they'll be able to escape to the southern region in another month."

"A month? I see." Victoria rubbed his chin and nodded thoughtfully. "I've already gotten a good idea of your power. A month should be enough for me to learn... How about this? Once they've settled down in the south, let me know. The sooner you join the team, the better."

Kasheina was a little surprised: "Have you mastered split consciousness?"

"Almost there. I'm quite confident in my learning ability." Victoria nodded, and his two eyes suddenly looked in different directions, while his eyeballs moved along different trajectories, as if two consciousnesses were sharing one body.