People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Saria could understand Ernst's concerns. The Flame Demon Project was a special research project conducted by Rhine Lab at the request of the military. If Prime Minister Sherag got involved, it would indeed cause some unnecessary trouble.

But are there some things that you can simply say you won't get involved with?

Saria didn't laugh at Ernst's naiveté, because it was also her wish. With Sherag involved in the Balrog's plan, Ernst wouldn't be the only one facing trouble; Rhine Life wouldn't escape either.

But she felt that achieving Ernst's goal would probably not be so easy.

Well, since the two of them are now aligned on the same goal, and since Christen trusts Ernst, Seria doesn't mind giving him some trust and playing along with him in this charade until she's exposed.

Saria composed herself and began to speak:

"Thank you very much, Mr. Ernst. To be honest, Mr. Ernst, a friend of mine works for a company that is in some trouble."

A super summoning technique usable by people all over the world, even in other worlds: I have a friend!

Ernst smiled knowingly and nodded, saying, "I'd like to hear more."

Saria briefly explained the current troubles facing the Flame Demon Project, its nature, and the information her...friend currently possessed. Ernst fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

Before he could speak, Vina, who was standing to the side, nodded thoughtfully and spoke first:

"First of all, the Colombian military is absolutely not to be offended."

Both Seria and Ernst turned their gazes to Vina. Vina immediately became a little nervous:

"Did I said wrong thing?"

"No, please continue."

Ernst had witnessed Vina's growth during this time. Since she took the initiative to speak up on this matter, regardless of whether what she said was right or wrong, Ernst had to encourage her.

Moreover, she wasn't wrong. Rhine Life's primary objective in handling this matter was to "complete the mission assigned by the Colombian military." Only by fulfilling their mission could Rhine Life truly resolve this crisis.

Ernst was quite pleased that Vina was able to realize this so quickly.

However, what he didn't expect was that Vina's first reaction was largely because she associated it with the fate of her father for offending a meritorious nobleman.

It was only because nobles like the Duke of Caesar suppressed discussion about Frederick III, the last Lion King, that this emperor would likely have been the most controversial emperor in Victorian history.

To say that he accomplished nothing during his reign would be absurd. The things he did were all major events. He was present at the Battle of the Four Emperors, he commanded the conquest of Gaul, and Victoria's dominance in Terra was achieved during his reign. In fact, it can be said that he was very closely associated with it. There weren't many Victorian nobles who supported participating in the war and expanding the scale of the Gallo-Leytanian War. It was he who overruled the objections and pushed forward Victoria's decision to participate in the war.

But he also fully proved what it means to be a good person rather than just good at doing things.

The war plunged Victoria into misery, with the nobility filled with resentment and the populace in uproar. Instead of using the prestige of his great victory to appease the various social strata and seek to mend the rifts, he lavishly bestowed titles upon new nobles and supported new military aristocrats loyal to him, making it blatantly obvious that he wanted to use this to consolidate power and establish a dictatorship.

Even so, theoretically, it shouldn't be enough to overthrow him outright. But Frederick III was incredibly smug; the banquets started, the music and dancing continued, and he didn't stop at all. He even conspired with his nominal dukes to strike first and eliminate the powerful grand dukes.

Despite the eventual victory achieved through this series of actions, no one, from top to bottom, seemed satisfied. In fact, the situation had worsened.

This led to the Lentinium coup and her father's nickname, "Father of Colombia," which was on par with that of Gallocorsica I.

When Vina was younger and didn't understand things, she found it strange that even her aunt would stand up against her father, since they were relatives and siblings.

Now that she's grown up and seen a lot, Vina finally understands that her father's death was truly not unjust.

If he is satisfied with Victoria and the others, then everyone else must be dissatisfied. The inevitable result is that if he doesn't die, everyone else must.

Knowing who can be offended and who cannot, how to skillfully avoid offending those who can be offended, and how to skillfully make those who cannot be offended feel that they have not been offended—this is the most valuable thing Vina has learned during this period.

Seeing that Ernst agreed with her assessment, Vina nodded happily and continued:

"As the party that proposed the project to your friend's company, the Colombian military is essentially the client in this whole affair. As long as their requirements are met, even if there are flaws in the plan along the way, it will not affect the final result. But if their requirements are not met, even if this situation can be calmed down, your friend's company will be in trouble."

Saria nodded, but her brow remained furrowed.

"But if the plan has flaws, how can it be considered that the requirements have been met?"

"Director Seraya, the most crucial question here is whether your friend actually wants to hand over the results of the experiment to the Colombian military?"

Ernst continued.

Vina's explanation was actually quite clear. Perhaps she herself hadn't even noticed, but she did indeed apply what she had learned from him.

“We all know that plans can go awry and that the party that can be offended is the one that can be offended, while the Colombian military is naturally the one that cannot be offended.”

"If you're willing to hand over the experimental results to the Colombian military, then your friend just needs to follow this principle and let things take their course. Even if problems arise during the experiment, all that will be submitted to the Colombian military is a report of experimental failure. Experiments will always fail, and while this may displease them, it won't make them think that your friend's company didn't try its best."

This approach is commonly known as "dawdling."

Saria doesn't need to do anything; she just needs to watch things progress. She only needs to show her face at the beginning and end, make a few exaggerated movements, and show that she has done her best.

The so-called "mixed learning" refers to the ability to learn without getting stuck in the pot while lying down in Terra.

But before Ernst could speak, Saria shook her head:

“This won’t do. Putting aside everything else, my friend’s company’s investment in this project can’t just go down the drain. And my friend can’t just sit by and watch outsiders interfere with the company’s projects.”

This outsider, of course, refers to Horhaiya and the Tin People.

"As for whether the results of the experiment should be handed over to the Colombian military, I think Mr. Ernst has misunderstood this point."

“Tremont’s research enterprises are not subordinate to the military. The military provides us with resources, and we are responsible for research. Strictly speaking, we are actually in a cooperative relationship. Therefore, our research results are not handed over to them directly and then erased from memory. On the contrary, we share the technology with them and they carry out military-level development. The original technology will still remain with us, and we are free to decide whether to commercialize the technology.”

"Of course, there is usually a time limit in the contract. It specifies how long the technology cannot be disclosed to the public."

Saria said seriously:

“Research companies make money from research results. Even for a large company like Rhine Life, it is unacceptable to make a large-scale investment and get nothing in return. Not to mention that the project is not due to scientific and technological bottlenecks, but because of interference.”

Ernst nodded knowingly: "Then I understand."

"How to subtly avoid offending those you can, and how to subtly make those you cannot offend feel that they have not been offended. That is what Rhine Life needs to do next."

Ernst reached out and beckoned to Saria, signaling her to come closer.

Although somewhat puzzled, Saria stood up and moved closer to Ernst.

Ernst slowly uttered three words in my ear:

"Let's go fishing first."

...........

Stepping out of Rhine Lab, Vina took a refreshing breath of fresh air.

This was the first time she had put forward her ideas in such a setting and had them recognized, which gave her a slightly triumphant, dazed feeling.

In a good mood, she even wanted to cheer, but after taking only a few steps, she noticed Ernst behind her, walking exceptionally slowly.

"What's wrong?" Vina looked at her boss, whose brows were furrowed, with some confusion.

Even though a solution has been proposed and Rhine Labs has accepted it, why does Ernst still look troubled?

Ernst pursed his lips and explained:

“Vina, what I just said to Saria was advice given from the perspective of Saria and Rhine Lab.”

"But we and Rhine Life are on opposite sides, do you understand?"

Vina was slightly taken aback.

After a moment, she scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly and asked:

"So we need to make other preparations? Is there anything else I need to do?"

Ernst nodded, looking like a promising student, and said:

"I need you to make a trip."

"Where to go?"

"Special Economic Zone".

The Special Administrative Region, the capital of Colombia.

Vina's expression instantly turned serious, but to Ernst's surprise, without him needing to use any words of encouragement or motivational speeches, there was no sign of backing down in Vina's eyes.

She simply and firmly asked, "In what capacity?"

Ernst straightened his posture and replied seriously, "Sherrag, Foreign Minister."

Chapter 183 Luring the Snake Out of its Hole

Fishing, in essence, is an extreme sport undertaken by a group of brave individuals with the unwavering determination to never come back empty-handed. Challengers must face numerous trials, including being able to catch anything except fish, being mocked by cats, losing hooks and breaking rods, and the terrifying "I'm stuck in the Shu Road" (a reference to a notorious mountain in Sichuan), before finally reaching the ultimate realm of "catching fish and having a bountiful catch."

Throughout history, only the human emperor He Qiang has accomplished this feat.

just kidding.

The fishing Ernst and Seria were talking about was certainly not ordinary fishing. There were indeed quite a few fishponds in Rhine Life, but most of them were located in the ecological department's garden.

If someone dares to cast a line there, what you might catch isn't a fish, but rather a Director Muirsay whose size, mood, and state are all unpredictable.

Ernst was trying to catch the mole within Rhine Life.

According to Miloch's testimony, Horhaia appeared at the science and technology industrial park to meet with a researcher from Rhine Lab, and the matter they discussed was the Flame Demon incident.

There was a mole within Rhine Labs, a fact that Saria initially did not believe.

Firstly, since Ernst wanted to rescue his own troublemaking Feathered Serpent, he had no reason to lie to her about this. Secondly, as the one who first brought Saria to the fore when she noticed this incident, the Tin Man had approached her, attempting to use her to interfere with the Balrog's plans.

If he is not dead, or if he still has accomplices, and after being turned away by us, it seems quite likely that he would turn to other Rhine Lab employees of lower rank as inside agents.

Since she would not suffer any losses, and since the purge was something that the defense section under Saria's jurisdiction was supposed to do anyway, Saria immediately began preparations as soon as she realized this possibility.

You wouldn't believe it until you investigate! Once you start investigating, you actually find quite a few clues!

As Seria looked at the female researcher Liboli, who had sneaked into the office of the head of the structural engineering department, Palvis, in the early hours of the morning instead of going home, a layer of frost gradually settled on her face.

“Hermer........”

Saria immediately recognized the structural engineer who was clearly involved in stealing and leaking internal secrets.

Because Himer had absolutely no intention of hiding anything!

"Without wearing a mask, without makeup, and without any disguise to conceal their features, they simply walked into the room openly from under the surveillance cameras while wearing Rhine Labs uniforms, and then hurriedly slipped out again after more than ten minutes. This kind of operation was carried out three times in a row!"

Taking a deep breath, Saria was almost amused by her own anger.

"What, do you completely disregard Rhine Lab's rules, or do you think you can completely ignore the Defense Department's punishment just because you know me?"

Saria does know Himer, but the two don't have a very deep relationship.

When Himer joined Rhine Labs, Saria had met her once and thought she was a kind, down-to-earth, and very talented researcher.

But there are far more than a few hundred or a thousand such researchers at Rhine Life.

Christen never cared about these people. Although Seria was more approachable and easy to get along with than she appeared, she also understood and agreed with Christen's classic saying.

Genius is merely the threshold into the life of the Rhine.

Seria's later private interactions with Himer were limited to brief encounters in the corridor, where they would nod and exchange greetings. In contrast, Palvis held this student in high regard, mentioning and praising her on various occasions on more than one occasion.

After Christen went to Sherag and Seria temporarily took over as governor, she had even less contact with Himer.

An ordinary researcher would not have the opportunity to come into contact with the commander-in-chief on a regular basis, and a commander-in-chief would not usually bother to inquire about the situation of an ordinary researcher. Himer was valued by Palvis, so even if Saria occasionally thought of him, she only needed to ask Palvis casually, without having to personally go to the Structural Department incognito.

But now it seems she would be better off making more private visits!

Saria's somewhat somber expression chilled the atmosphere in the entire defense department office.

This isn't some kind of Originium Arts; it's simply the undisputed authority that Saria has established over a long period of time within the Defense Division.

The defense staff member beside her, responsible for retrieving the surveillance footage, was drenched in sweat and dared not even breathe loudly, until Saria finally spoke:

"Go and call Olivia Hemer, the structural engineer, for me."

The defense staff breathed a sigh of relief and rushed out in twos and threes, fully demonstrating the legendary truth that "whoever runs at the back is in the front row."

Saria's name was still useful within Rhine Labs, and given her current position as acting head, even when requesting personnel from other departments, it only took a few minutes. Soon, Himer, dressed as a researcher with the collar of her tight thermal underwear peeking out from her neck, arrived at the office.

When Saria suddenly called her to her office, she was undoubtedly nervous.

Saria, after all, had a notorious reputation, and Himeru herself had secrets to hide, making it even more difficult for them to greet each other naturally as they usually did.

It was Saria who spoke first, her serious expression and slightly angry tone sending a chill down Himer's spine:

"Hermer, I never expected us to meet here again. Why did you do this?"

The last shred of hope vanished as soon as those words reached her ears. How could Himer not know that the fact that Saria had invited her here meant that her scheme had been exposed?

Fortunately, she had made contingency plans for this situation, and the accomplice who advised her had already reminded her what to do if such a situation occurred.

She immediately countered, echoing the words of her friend, who was also a Liberi but had a long, fat tail: