People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Ernst's lips twitched, and he glanced at Vina beside him. Vina straightened her chest, showing no intention of backing down.

The first rule for diplomats: You represent your country! Be confident!

Even if Sherag isn't big, you're not small!

Without disturbing Miloš, Ernst sat down to the side and waited quietly.

If Horhythm had returned, it would have been at least two weeks ago. Although the Terra Supermen all have incredibly good memories, Ernst wasn't sure if Miloch could remember.

But don't worry, it's just a matter of asking a few more people.

Having prepared for the possibility that Milo might not remember, before Ernst could speak, Milo suddenly said:

"Yes, I've seen this person before, and not long ago."

"Where?" Vina, who had finally gotten a chance to speak, immediately interrupted Ernst.

Milo blinked and recalled, "Three nights ago, in the science and technology park. He was with a Li Boli."

"I was just passing by... well, I was going to see if I could find any parts to build Dulin 259, and I heard them talking about something like demons and monsters."

"Demons and monsters?" Ernst couldn't help but exclaim.

Logically speaking, Milo should have no reason to lie to him, but what she said was indeed a bit too absurd.

Putting aside the bizarre idea of ​​scavenging for spare parts in a tech park late at night, does it mean that in your city of Dulin, custom parts are actually everywhere? (Indeed.)

Can demons and monsters really be discussed in the middle of the night in the Tremont Science Park by two people who clearly have secrets?

So, instead of Horhaya coming back, they're having a test of courage in Trimont? It's not even summer yet.

If you want to play, come back and play; Ernst can arrange it for you. If Horhaya wants something more exciting, Ernst can also ask Nas to help.

It is said that the demon can frighten children to tears, and the snow ghost can stop children from crying at night. So, if Ernst makes the demon and the snow ghost appear in Horhaya's bedroom window in turn, is there any chance that Horhaya's crying will turn into a Chopin nocturne?

Believe it or not, Ernst did have some artistic aspirations.

Ahem, I’m getting off topic.

"Could you be more specific? For example, what are they talking about, or which specific area of ​​the industrial park are they in?"

"Well--"

She fell into deep thought again, and after a while, Milo said somewhat uncertainly,

"They seem to be discussing... the Balrog?"

Flame Demon?

Upon hearing this name, Ernst broke out in a cold sweat.

He turned his head to look at the calendar on the wall, then looked down at the watch on his wrist.

Oh my god, is it already that time?

The Flame Demon Incident?

Chapter 181 Ernst: I don't know if I should know I don't know this.

The so-called Balrog Incident refers to a series of large-scale accidents triggered by an unforeseen incident during the Balrog Project, spearheaded by Rhine Labs. This accident resulted in almost all researchers involved in the Balrog Project, with the exception of a few survivors, contracting Oripathy. The awakening of the Balrog within the test subject Ifrit also indirectly led to a escalating conflict between Saria, the founder and head of the Defense Department at Rhine Labs, and Christen, the head of Rhine Labs, ultimately causing them to part ways.

The above is all the information Ernst knew about the Balrog incident.

Besides, Ernst knew nothing about the trigger for the Balrog Project, why it happened, when it happened, what the process was, or the inside story of the Balrog's awakening.

The complete lack of transparency in intelligence is the most troublesome thing.

Before Ernst arrived in Columbia, he had no intention of guarding against the Balrog incident. Firstly, he genuinely did not know the exact timing of the Balrog incident, and secondly, Christen was still in Sherag!

Christen's passion for the aerospace industry was undeniable. Ernst had looked up more than once on his way home from get off work and seen the temporary streetlights still lit on the Matterhorn trails. Although he and Christen did not meet often, almost every time, Christen would describe the progress of the research station's construction in an almost fanatical tone.

Therefore, Ernst really doesn't believe that a scientist who is now fully committed to the "Dome Project" would be distracted by the "Flame Demon Project" in Columbia.

But no matter how much he doubted it, when the word "Flame Demon" came out of Miloqi's mouth and was associated with Horhaiya, it meant that Ernst could no longer sit idly by.

If Milošević misheard, that would be for the best.

But what if she didn't mishear...

That's why Ernst Siwaeche is standing at the gates of Rhine Life at this very moment, just in case.

The security guards from the defense department had already gone inside to notify Acting Commander Seria. A short while later, Ernst saw the figure of the Columbian scientific superman emerge from the Rhine Life building.

Saria was wearing a long brown trench coat, a trendy style from Tremont that month, which somewhat broke Ernst's stereotype of her.

She extended her hand to greet Ernst and Vina:

“Gentlemen, Christensen has already spoken to me. You’ve come to Tremont to look for someone, right? Why not share Ms. Holhaya’s information with me? Rhine Lab can help a friend out in a small way.”

Vina was about to politely decline, as Ernst had suggested, when she saw Ernst smile and nod, taking out a photograph of Horhaia from his pocket and handing it to Seria:

"Then I'll have to trouble Director Seria for help."

Seria took the photo of Horhaiya, and after just one glance, she frowned slightly in surprise and looked at Ernst:

"this......."

Before Saria could finish speaking, Ernst, as if he had foreseen it, interrupted her:

“This is my employee. She was supposed to return to Shelag a week ago, but she hasn’t come back yet. I suspect she might be involved in some trouble in Tremont and unable to get away, or even being coerced by bad guys into doing dangerous things. But no matter what, she is my employee, and now that I’m here, I must bring her back safely.”

This statement preemptively characterized Horhaiya's actions.

Judging from Saria's expression the moment she received the photo, Ernst was almost certain that the information Miloki had heard about the "Flame Demon Incident" was absolutely true. Moreover, Saria had most likely already dealt with Horhaiya, either openly or secretly, and at the very least, had caught some of Horhaiya's weaknesses.

Ernst couldn't let her speak. Regardless of whether what Horhyah was doing was voluntary or forced, she was undoubtedly involved in a far-reaching experiment by Rhine Lab, and might even be connected to the Columbia military.

If Saria were to provide clues about Horhyah, that would be fine. But if she were to say something like, "I've seen this person before. Isn't she a spy?", then things would get complicated.

Leaving aside the issue of interfering with the internal affairs of Rhine Lab, a key partner of Sherag, should he say he knew about or didn't know about Horhyah's matter?

If Ernst knew about this and allowed his subordinates to act as spies or saboteurs, causing trouble for a prominent company in Colombia, what were his intentions?

If Ernst was unaware of the situation, does the fact that he now knows mean he has to make some statement? Will he find himself in a very awkward position?

Some readers may wonder, if Horhaiya was a spy from the beginning, and Ernst only found out about it now, what does it have to do with him? Why should he make a statement?

This is actually a very simple principle.

Just like in the original timeline, during the Snow Mountain Incident, Nosis Edwis arranged for Moshi, a mole originally planted under Hurlus's command, to attempt to assassinate Enshiodis during the Holy Hunting Ceremony.

Throughout this entire affair, Hugh Rose Blantau, who was Moshi's apparent master, was completely unaware of it.

But when the truth came out and Moshi was arrested, everyone demanded that the first person to speak out was still Hugh. SilverAsh even used this as an excuse to shift all the blame for Moshi onto Latatos and Hugh, labeling them as traitors like Actos.

The logic is simple: whoever is the subordinate is responsible. Even if someone else is giving orders beyond their level or giving orders secretly, and something goes wrong, when the boss wants to find someone to take responsibility, the first person to contact is your direct supervisor.

People only believe what they see as fact. As soon as they discover that someone has done something wrong and his boss has been punished for it, the nerves of the masses, which believe that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, will arrive at a very inverted cause-and-effect relationship—it must be that whoever was punished made a mistake!

Why would you get beaten if you didn't make a mistake?

Don't think this is outrageous; such comments are everywhere. They're ubiquitous, from top to bottom.

There are accusations of judges asking why someone helped a judge who didn't hit the victim, and then there's the "rat head and duck neck" incident, leading to a frenzy of self-reflection and a desire to dismantle the State Administration for Market Regulation.

When Ernst was a civil servant, he never got punched like that, but even if he hadn't eaten pork, he had at least seen pigs run.

The principle is to apply what one has learned to other situations. He knew very well that even if he wanted to settle accounts with Horhaiya for the trouble she had caused him, whether it was by firing her or severely punishing her to the point of making her scream and wail, he would have to deal with it internally after he captured the feathered serpent.

Externally, the situation must be contained, ideally minimizing the impact and resolving it altogether. Preventing the Balrog incident would be best, but if that's not possible, at least minimize its effects. The goal is to avoid attracting the attention of Rhine Labs and the Columbian military.

Otherwise, the impact would be too bad. He couldn't, and shouldn't, accept accusations that officials of the Shelag government were interfering in foreign military affairs or stealing scientific secrets!

Having already quickly formulated a battle plan in his mind, Ernst maintained a smile as he looked at the somewhat astonished Saria:

"Does Director Seria have any leads about her?"

"I........"

“Since you have it, that’s a great help to me. This isn’t the place to talk. I wonder if Director Seria could show me around Rhine Labs so we can talk as we walk?”

Ernst suggested.

Saria gave Ernst a deep look, then nodded:

"Of course, Mr. Ernst didn't have a chance to visit Rhine Life last time he came, and Christen was not here, so I'll do my part as the host this time."

She stepped aside to make way for Ernst:

“Mr. Ernst, Ms. Vina, please.”

..........

It was impossible to talk while walking. Seria simply led Ernst around the Rhine Life Building before arriving at her office.

Although she was the acting head, she did not work in Christensen's office.

Christen herself didn't use that place; it was too spacious for Saria. There were no punching bags, no boxing ring, no various fitness equipment, and no props suitable for her Originium Arts training.

Saria sat down in her office chair, frowned, and looked at the two guests who had also slowly taken their seats. She then voiced the question that had been lingering in her mind since earlier:

"Mr. Ernst, Ms. Vina, do you really not know?"

Vina shook her head blankly: "Know what?"

Ernst countered, "Should I know?"

Saria couldn't tell for a moment whether the two were speaking in riddles or genuinely knew nothing about it.

"Isn't Horhaiya your subordinate and colleague? Didn't you know anything about her or investigate her at all?"

Ernst shook his head: "I know everything about my subordinates. But only what I feel I should know."

"As for the investigation, you mean a background security investigation, right?"

“I’m sorry, Sherag doesn’t have the capacity to conduct that level of investigation at the moment. Besides, I don’t advocate conducting too many investigations on employees. As long as they are talented and don’t violate my principles, I can accept them regardless of their status.”

Vina immediately responded with "Mmm-hmm." After glancing at Ernst a couple more times, she continued to respond with "Mmm-hmm."

Try to analyze what kind of mood Vina's two "uh-huh" sounds reflected.

Ernst did this for a reason. Background checks are indeed a very important part of the recruitment process, but after much deliberation, Ernst still didn't implement this principle when hiring his own employees.

Firstly, based on his knowledge of the rules for vetting civil servants in his previous life, there were probably very few people in the entire Terra who could pass the test. Those who could pass were exceptionally pure and virtuous. Considering the rapid rate of corruption in Terra, Ernst's minimum age for recruitment would likely have to be lowered from high school graduation to birth.

Secondly, Sherag didn't have the means, and often it wasn't necessary.

Ernst has already recruited some of the purest people in the world, aside from babies—kind-hearted college students! If he's going to conduct a rigorous investigation, who knows what kind of investigation he might actually uncover?

Besides making himself miserable, could Ernst possibly find something better out of the mess?

Besides, what one has taken on must eventually be brought back to Sherag. Bringing Sherag back means that person will have to be under the watchful eye and scrutiny of Jeragand.

Although Jeragund doesn't have mind-reading abilities to see through people's bad intentions, as long as He is around, even if these people have bad intentions, they won't be able to cause any trouble.

As it turned out, before she started causing trouble, Holhaya hadn't really caused any. Ernst and she worked together quite well; a significant portion of the subsidies they got from Wen Duoduo were attributed to her.

Perhaps after this, Ernst will change his strategy and conduct a symbolic investigation. But as he said, it will only be symbolic.

A real spy can't be detected by any investigation. A fake spy... can there be fake spies?

Even among the overt spies, Sherag had quite a few. There was Defien, Rafishni, Ahmoni, Mandra, a skilled worker at the construction site who could loosen soil, mortar, and move stones, and Miss Ceylon, whose status as a corporate spy was uncertain.

One more or one less makes no difference. If someone is talented and can contribute their time, money, and effort to the development of Sherrag, Ernst will hire them without hesitation.

"OK then."

"I really didn't expect Ernst to react like this," Saria said, rubbing her head.

"So what are you planning to do here?"

“I’ll help you,” Ernst said. “Like I said, I don’t know what Holhaya is doing, but Director Seria, you might know.”

"So, you can totally 'use me' to find my missing employee without my knowledge and solve this problem for you, right?"

Chapter 182 Cleverly Making People You Shouldn't Offend Feel Like They Haven't Been Offended

Columbia, Rhine Life, Office of the Chief of Defense Department.

Seria looked Ernst over with great interest.

Ernst's words are interesting. Even if you don't know the truth, you can still offer help?

He's playing a clever game, wanting to protect Horhaya without actually getting involved.