People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Author: Bone, the Writer

Summary:

Imagine a country on this land where the religious leader is the eldest sister in a family, the economic pillar is the eldest brother, and the head of government and parliament is the youngest brother. Does this country have any hope for the future?

"In short, the Three Races Conference has decided that you will be the first Speaker of the Shelag National Council."

Ernst Shivaish sighed as he faced his older brother, Boss Yin, who was known for his inhuman behavior.

In this Arknights world where the timeline has veered off course, he just wants to ask the amazing netizens:

"Thanks for the invitation. I'm currently in Terra, and I've just become prime minister. How do I govern this quirky little country?"

Characters

A bizarre little country

Chapter One: In Shelag, Just Became Prime Minister

"In short, my dear brother, you are now the first speaker of the Sherag National Council."

The tall man in front of them, draped in a black windproof cloak, made this announcement, followed by a sparse clapping. The leaders of the Blanto and Perroch families absentmindedly moved their hands, making sure that when they clapped, they made an awkward but polite sound.

In contrast, sitting on the other side of the triangular seating area was the younger sister, Ensia Shivaish. The optimistic and energetic younger sister winked at Ernst with great excitement, clearly unaware that her revered older brother had just pushed her second brother into such a hellish position.

Ernst Shivaish pursed his lips and finally turned his gaze to the saintess who sat on the throne, representing the will of "Yeragand," who was also his sister, Enya Shivaish.

Their gazes met in mid-air, and genuine emotions flowed between them. Clearly, the Saintess was also looking at her. That gaze held a mixture of pity and anger. She clearly saw her as yet another sacrifice pushed out by her elder brother, Ensiodis Shivaesh, to satisfy his own ambition, just as she had been forced to become a Saintess years before.

Ensiodis, seemingly oblivious to Enya's hostile gaze, showed absolutely no desire to explain. Undoubtedly, this would further escalate the already strained relationship between them.

"What a misfortune for our family!"

Ernst Shivaesh let out a long sigh in his heart.

Other transmigrators either become princes in Victoria or knights in Kazimierz. At the very least, they can make a living in Lungmen, bickering and making a living with Chen Sir and Penguin Logistics.

I'm just so unlucky that I ended up in the snowy kingdom of Sherag.

That's fine then. Although he's just a casual player who doesn't know much about Arknights and quit shortly after the game launched, Ernst still has some impression of SilverAsh and Kjerag's story.

If nothing unexpected happens, he only needs to stay in Kjerag peacefully until his older brother, Ensiodis Shivaesh, also known as SilverAsh, develops his power, returns to Kjerag with the Kjerag Trade, launches the Snow Mountain Incident, and seizes power. Then, he can live a stable life by virtue of Shivaesh's identity, and maybe even use SilverAsh's money to go out and have some fun.

However, all these beautiful illusions were shattered the moment Ernst heard that Scherrag was about to establish a national council.

Clearly, the Terra timeline has veered off course to who-knows-where, and his already meager knowledge of games is utterly useless here.

"Fortunately, I wasn't completely unprepared."

Having vented his pent-up emotions, Ernst gave Enciodis an affirming look, stepped forward, and stood before the podium—clearly carved from logs and still smelling of wood varnish—to begin his glorious first inaugural address:

"Thanks to the Shivaesh family, the Blantau family, the Perroch family, the Elder Council of Manju, Her Highness Saint Kalan, and the great Jeragand for their cultivation and trust. It is an honor to stand here today, representing all the people of Shelag, to serve as the first Speaker of the Parliament and Prime Minister of this Shelag government."

"I believe that the problems facing Shelag today are, first and foremost, economic, secondly, military, and lastly, religious. And regarding these problems, I believe—"

Ernst took a slight breath, as if preparing for something, and then, a rapid-fire stream of words came from his mouth in an orderly manner:

"We need to reach new levels and new heights, and achieve new breakthroughs through new measures and new developments. To this end, we must pay attention to new methods, understand new forms, and clarify new requirements. Only in this way can we make good use of new skills, show a new look, and reach new heights in the face of new expectations and new relationships. New knowledge will create new things, and new practices will yield new results."

We must recognize its importance, understand its urgency, maintain our awareness, and take initiative. We must grasp the spirit of the times with a holistic and forward-looking perspective, adhere to practicality, and be particularly targeted. When faced with strategic and long-term tasks, we need to consider their complexity and difficulty, mobilize enthusiasm and creativity, and do things well in a planned and astute manner.

At the same time, we must not forget the importance of standardization, proceduralization, and institutionalization. Only under conditions of orderliness, scientification, knowledge-based approach, and professionalization can we normalize the rejuvenation of the population.

Be proactive, enthusiastic, strong, and patient; show sincerity and determination; uphold unwavering loyalty and impartiality with our sincere devotion to Jelagand; clearly distinguish between a sense of the big picture, a sense of crisis, and a sense of responsibility; emphasize a learning mindset and a drive for improvement; and ultimately cultivate a management mindset.

Find the right starting point, entry point, and end point; pay attention to the focus, connection point, key point, and emphasis on the key points, key points, and crucial points. These are the foundations for doing things!

Only in this way can a modern, powerful nation that satisfies Yelagand be built!

As soon as he finished speaking, the simple scene fell into an eerie silence.

However, this silence did not last long. Just a few seconds later, thunderous applause, much more enthusiastic than before, even startling the guards from various races outside the meeting hall, erupted. Leading the applause were none other than Latatos, the leader of the Brantau family, and Actos, the leader of the Perroch family, who had just minutes before treated Ernst with contempt and perfunctory indifference.

Were they moved by Ernst's earnest words and philosophical insights?

Obviously not.

Ernst knew very well that their joy was most likely because, after his speech, they could finally confirm with relief that they were indeed useless.

This is unavoidable. In a theocratic country, the religious leader, the Holy Maiden, is the eldest sister of the Shiva'ish family, the economic pillar is the eldest brother of the Shiva'ish family, and the prime minister and the speaker of parliament are the third brother of the Shiva'ish family. This is not just about having absolute power; it's practically as if the Shiva'ish family owns Sherag from top to bottom!

In other words, Kjerag has a simple and honest folk culture. In other countries, they might have already begun to engage in unsustainable exploitation.

Ernst certainly didn't want to be a scoundrel who exploited the people. Although he had been pushed into this position by his ungrateful older brother, now that he was in this chair and wearing this hat, he had to be a good person!

Or, try a different approach: at least be a good politician!

To achieve this goal, he clearly has a long way to go. The first step is to feign weakness to the enemy!

Despite the apparent fact that the Shivaesh family seems to have control over all of Sherag's affairs, Ernst knows very well whether they truly hold power.

Leaving aside the Blantau family, who are opportunistic and only seek to maintain a balance of power, the Perroch family alone controls one-third of the territory and more than half of the population of Shelag, and is responsible for protecting Shelag, while also holding military power.

There is still a long way to go to truly transform Shelag into the ideal country with a highly developed economy, a highly unified politics, a highly harmonious society, and a highly happy people!

In response, Ernst simply wanted to post on Zhihu, Tieba, Weibo, and Bilibili on the spot, pleading with the great netizens:

"I'm in Terra, and I've just become prime minister. How do I govern this peculiar little country?"

Chapter Two: My Sister is a Saintess!

Practice is the only criterion for testing truth.

Ernst knew that even if he could convey a message to the outside world and gain inspiration from the vast number of netizens, it would probably be of little use.

People on Zhihu will fabricate a story for him that solves nothing but elevates himself; people on Weibo will teach him how to start fighting internal conflicts within a country; people on Baidu Tieba will enthusiastically encourage him to start a left-wing revolution in a religious country; and people on Tieba will probably ask him which one has smellier feet, Enya or Enshia.

Of course it's Eunsia. Although she's not dressed very warmly, she's always exercising and sweating. She seems to have more of a charm than Eunya, who's always being taken care of.

However, Ernst had not personally confirmed it, since Enya had stopped living at home after ascending the holy mountain to become a saint, and Ernst only saw his sister a few times a year.

Without practice, one has no right to speak!

A proverb is a proverb, applicable everywhere. But theory is different. Clearly, whether it's engaging in confrontation or activism, such disruptive behavior is premature for Sherag at this point. It's likely that the moment he opens his mouth, the three major families, including his brother Enciodes, will decide that allowing such a fool to sit in the prime minister's seat is far too risky, thus ending his short-lived political career.

In Ernst's opinion, if Scherrag were to really do something now, there's only one thing he could do.

——Make money!

Entering the government office, which was converted from a single-story building, Ernst sat down in a creaking chair and asked the black-haired, twin-tailed girl, Katniss, who had followed him in:

"Miss Moshi, could you please show me this year's government financial report?"

Mo Xi was clearly taken aback, seemingly not expecting that the first thing this man, who could openly fart on the podium, did after stepping into the office was not to take a nap or eat something, but to ask her for a financial statement.

Fortunately, both her current boss, Hugh Rose Brantau, and her actual boss, Nosis Edwis, were completely uninvolved in accounting, forcing her to develop considerable financial skills. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she nodded, turned, and walked out the door.

Ernst shrugged as he watched her leave without closing the door.

He knew Moshi, the little girl with exaggerated twin ponytails, who was now a bodyguard under Hugh Ruth Brontaur, the second-in-command of the Brontaur family. Ernst didn't know who she was truly loyal to, but it certainly wasn't Hugh Ruth.

There are two people in Sherag who could not possibly recruit even one intelligent subordinate, one of whom is Hugh Luce. This is a fact acknowledged by everyone in Sherag, including his sister Latatos. And since this fact is still a secret to Hugh Luce, it only confirms its truth.

Therefore, Moshi's true allegiance is most likely to Latatos, but it's also possible he's a spy planted by the Shivaesh family within the Brantau family. As for why it couldn't be the Perroch family...

One of the two men was named Actos Perroche.

Brother Xiong is loyal to you, but you try to outsmart him?

However, this is actually not important. After all, Sheraq's total population is only around one million, 99% of whom are devout religious believers and farmers; expecting them to possess modern financial literacy is simply wishful thinking. So, if not Moshi, are you expecting the prime minister to prepare the financial statements himself?

Regardless of whose it is, it all belongs to Sherag, Sherag’s first prime minister, who declared that he wanted to broaden his horizons.

Soon, Moshi entered the office carrying a whole wooden crate.

"Oh!"

She placed the wooden crate on Ernst's desk, causing the old desk to groan under its weight.

Ernst pointed to the box: "What's this?"

Moshi replied in a serious tone, "The ledger."

Ernst's heart skipped a beat: "But what I need are financial statements, the kind with detailed income and expenditure records and dates."

Moshi replied matter-of-factly, "You can go to Lord Enshiodis to request one."

Ernst covered his face: "But isn't it empty?"

Mo Xi nodded and said seriously, "So you need to fill it out yourself."

Then why would I hire you? I'd rather find a decent young person and train them from scratch; they could even be considered my protégé!

Ernst thought to himself, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He had considered that Sherag's financial situation might be bad, but he really hadn't expected it to be this bad.

That's a fiscal deficit for them, but yours is fiscal disappearance!

It was hard to imagine that such a country could still exist and not perish. Ernst suddenly felt that his faith in the great Jeragund had become even stronger.

Perhaps sensing Ernst's distress, or perhaps feeling that it was inappropriate to have Ernst, who had just been put on the "tiger bench," calculate such a thing, Moshi kindly reminded him:

"Lord Ernst. Before the establishment of the National Council, Sherag was a three-race co-governance system. The Shivaish, Blantau, and Perroch families were secretly competitors, so naturally they would not disclose the financial situation of their territories to the other two families. But there is one place where the financial ledgers of all three territories are definitely kept."

Ernst looked up at Moshi and blinked his silver-gray eyes.

Yes, although the three races, being in a competitive relationship, cannot disclose their accounts to each other, Kjerag is not entirely divided among the three races.

Above him, as the Prime Minister of the Sherag government, there is a larger, more authoritative, and more ancient institution, isn't there?

"You mean Manjushri Academy? But isn't that a religious institution?"

Ernst realized as soon as he spoke that he had probably asked a stupid question.

It is common knowledge that religious institutions have always been involved in making money. When the treasures of the papal palaces in medieval Europe were unparalleled, their mathematical abilities were also among the best in the world!

At this point, Moshi also raised concerns:

"That being said, the Grand Elder of the Manju Academy is not an easy person to get along with. He is not friendly to the Shivaish family, who founded the Karan Trade, and it won't be easy for you to get the account books from him."

That's the truth. If it were someone else, given how conservative that old man from Manju-in is, he would definitely insist that the ancestral laws cannot be changed and refuse to hand over the account books kept by Manju-in.

But the person who wanted these ledgers was none other than Ernst!

The boy stood up confidently, took the coat hanging on the coat rack, put it on, and walked out of the room.

"It's alright, the Holy Maiden is my sister! My sister loves me the most!"

This sentence is easier to understand if translated.

Having connections at higher levels makes things easier!

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

Chapter Three: Saintess Enya Wants to Protect Her Younger Brother

Contrary to popular belief, the Matterhorn, the highest peak in Kjerag, is not the sacred mountain of Kjerag. The sacred mountain is actually another peak located at the border between the territories of the Shivaesh and Perroch families—Karlan Peak.

As the location of the Manjushri Institute, a religious institution, the Manjushri Institute manages the surrounding area and the hunting grounds for sacred rites, while the Perroche family is responsible for providing security to prevent those with ill intentions from trespassing on the sacred mountain and disturbing Jeragund.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, even for Ernst, the head of government, climbing to the top of the mountain and meeting Saint Enya in the Manjusaka Temple would not be an easy task.

But thankfully, there are always exceptions.

Ernst was inaugurated today as Speaker of the All-People's Assembly of Sherag and Prime Minister of the Government. Although the Catherine of Kalan was present to witness the simple ceremony, if Ernst is devout enough and willing to visit Jeragund in person at the Manjusangharaja after taking office, the Grand Elder would certainly not refuse.

Unlike the three major families, the Grand Elder of Manjusin was a man with a strong desire for power. He was indeed devout enough to never disobey any of the Yeragand's precepts, but beyond that, he was unwilling to give up any of the benefits he held.

This is why, in the original storyline, even when the Snow Mountain Incident had reached a point of no return, he still hoped that the Saintess Frostleaf could stand up and, in the name of Yeragand, call on the people to oppose SilverAsh's dictatorship.

Now that Ernst, a guy who was essentially supported by the three races and had more power taken from him, has taken the initiative to come and pay homage to him, he is naturally happy to see it happen.

When Ernst finally made it to the top of the sacred mountain, where no transportation was permitted, the Grand Elder was already waiting at the entrance of Manjushri Abbey. Upon seeing Ernst in his Victorian suit, he frowned slightly, but maintained a calm tone and said: