People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

In the infirmary, Holhaya, who was "seriously injured and forced to recuperate," personally accepted the dismissal notice handed to her by the Tin Man.

[Notification Regarding the Expulsion of Ms. Holheimer, Member of the Mehrand Historical Society]

With just that one short line of text, Horhaya understood everything.

Members of the Melland Historical Society—that's what these agents are referred to as.

Since the founding of the Meland Historical Society, there has never been a case of "expulsion from membership." The agents' fates are usually either to retire successfully and live a secluded life in the countryside, or to have their identities exposed and physically "retired."

In a way, she was the first member to be expelled from the membership but not die. In a way, she set a precedent?

Holhaia glanced at the tin man with a wry smile. This boss, who was practically devoid of any expression, unusually offered a simple explanation:

"This is a direct order from Lord Melander Selene."

Melander Selene, founder of the Melander Foundation and a hero of the Colombian War of Independence, was described as "one of the most likely men to become president," without a vice president.

However, after the War of Independence, Melander Selene voluntarily gave up the opportunity to run for president, handing the position directly to Mark Max, and retreated behind the scenes to establish a foundation, gradually becoming the "shadow" of Colombia.

If Vice President Wilson, acting on the will of First President Mark Max, pronounced a death sentence on her public persona, then the orders from Melander Selene brought by the Tin Man brought an end to her life in the shadows.

The two most powerful people in Colombia take turns serving you; how could you not be blessed?

Holhaya shook her head with a wry smile.

"It seems that I really have nowhere to go now."

Saying goodbye to one's life of the past few decades is not an easy or pleasant thing. If anyone present knew this feeling better than Ernst, it was undoubtedly him.

He experienced the same situation twice, and even more intensely.

One time was when he was transported to another world, forced to abruptly bid farewell to the world of "Ers". The other time was when his parents passed away and Enciodes went abroad to study, forcing him to wake up from his comfortable life and pick up things he had lost for a long time.

Ernst offered words of comfort, expressing his empathy:

"It's okay, you can always go back to Shelag."

"My current predicament is largely due to your meddling, boss, isn't it?"

Holhaia glanced at Ernst, but her tone held no resentment; rather, it carried a hint of relief.

"But this is for the best. Now I can finally do what I want without worry. You have to take responsibility for the mess you've made of my life, Your Excellency."

Holhaia's tail coiled around Ernst's waist, but before she could take a step, Vina slashed hard at her tail.

Both Athrun and Felin have very sharp claws. One future Rhodes Island operator even had her hands mutated into claws like Wolverine's due to complications from Originium disease.

This pinch caused Holhaya's charming face to immediately wrinkle up, and she almost bit off her tongue that was licking her lips.

"Vina!" Horhaya propped herself up and looked at Vina, but before she could react, Vina shut her down with a single sentence.

"You were just expelled from some association, not banned from entering Colombia. Don't make it sound like a life-or-death situation. It's so nauseating."

Vina rolled her eyes and looked at Ernst:

"Your Excellency, Horhaiya is injured and needs to rest. Today's visit has already lasted long enough. Perhaps we should leave now."

As she spoke, Vina made no attempt to hide anything and moved closer to Ernst, whispering in his ear:

"It has nothing to do with personal feelings or anything like that. It's just that if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way, right?"

Since we've already coordinated with Vice President Wilson to say that Executor Holhaya was injured in the Balrog incident, it's best to treat her as a wounded soldier. There are quite a few people in Tremont who are paying attention to the follow-up of the Balrog project. If the secret is exposed, it will be embarrassing for more than just one or two people.

Ernst glanced at Vina with a hint of helplessness.

He's not stupid; of course he can tell that Vina's words clearly indicate she's a little temperamental.

That's just how Horhaya is; she always likes to say things that are easy to misunderstand. But actually, if given the chance, Ernst thinks she wouldn't have the guts.

After all, her smile has a bit of a devilish charm, just a bit too big, so she'd be more like a big devilish devil.

But Vina's words made sense; she had indeed progressed rapidly and had learned to "leverage" others to achieve her goals. Ernst, on the other hand, couldn't afford to embarrass himself and President Wilson by making a fool of himself.

So in the end, he nodded, told Holhaya to get some rest, and then left the ward with Vina.

As soon as he stepped outside, the Tin Man and Saria, who were already waiting there, stopped him and Vina.

The Tin Man stared at Ernst, looking him up and down, then took out a tin box from his pocket, took out a cigar, and stuck it into his mouth.

This is his usual opening line before he gets down to business. To him, e-liquid is like lubricant, making his thinking even more efficient.

But before he could even take out his lighter and light it, Saria frowned and pinched it out.

Smoking is not allowed in the building.

Xi Ren was taken aback and subconsciously wanted to retort: ​​I smoke but I don't exhale smoke, it's all digested internally, so it doesn't pollute the environment. Why do you want to stop me?

But seeing Saria's serious face, and her right hand, which was gloriously injured after she knocked down the Balrog with three punches, the Tin Man's mind was immediately filled with the "accident" that his previous body had experienced at the end.

After a brief silence, he wisely chose to remain silent.

It wasn't from the heart; he simply learned to reconcile with the world. The statement "Smoking is harmful to health" doesn't just mean that smoking can kill you; there's also a tiny, slight possibility that smoking can cause various unnecessary accidents leading to death.

Why make things difficult for yourself?

He coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, and the tin man said somewhat awkwardly:

"It's time to talk about that Balrog."

Chapter 202 The Tin Man: Please accept him, I'm serious.

How to deal with the Flame Demon is indeed a troublesome problem.

The Sarkaz who had just won the revival match clearly underestimated the excellent matchmaking system of the newly independent Columbia region in the Terra region. He tried to show off as soon as he entered the game, but was immediately boosted by Rhine King. He came out like a god of war, but ended up with a standard "god of war jump" and "god of war sleep".

This somewhat tragic ending clearly left a considerable psychological scar on Mr. Balrog, so much so that even today, though he has awakened, he has never tried to escape from the laboratory.

Because the door to the laboratory where he was imprisoned faced Seria's office.

Ernst's assessment of this was that it "is consistent with the original work."

How can it not count? Wasn't the Balrog incident in the original timeline also quelled by Saria? The character didn't change, the location didn't change, the event didn't change, all the variables were controlled, and the result was exactly the same. Isn't that normal?

Perhaps the only difference is that this time, the outcome will be better.

Seria did not fall out with Christen because of this. With her as a staunch supporter of the Grand Chamberlain, Ferdinand's influence in Rhine's life would rise later.

While Ifrit had almost no screen time, she truly "won by default," having all her Oripathy absorbed by the resurrected Balrog, becoming the first person in Terra's history to be completely cured of Oripathy. Moreover, according to the physical examination Palvis conducted on her afterward, due to having been housed by the Balrog, her mastery of fire-based Originium Arts was far superior to that of ordinary people, reaching a genius level.

Out of remorse, Saria has decided to sponsor Ifrit's future life and related studies. This orphaned Safra girl will have the opportunity to freely choose from all the higher education institutions in Terra, whether it is the Technological University of Trimont or the Magic Academy of Letania. As long as she works hard enough, Rhine Lab will take care of her funding and background.

As for Himer. On the very night the Balrog Project ended, Saria, exhausted and injured, found Himer.

Ernst heard from the ever-present Muirsey that they talked until dawn that night, and the last answer Seria got from Himer was, "I need to think about it."

The answer was less than satisfactory, and Ernst was even a little surprised. Given Himer's character, which showed she was willing to give up her promising future for Ifrit, she shouldn't have refused this arrangement.

But after thinking about it from Hamer's perspective for a moment, Ernst understood. She was worried that Rhine Life, "that dark hand," was using it again.

Is the so-called "Trimont Science and Ethics Committee" an organization that Seria genuinely wanted to establish to oversee such inhumane experiments, or is it a mouthpiece used by Rhine Lab to define "what human rights are" and defend its own illegal actions?

To Ernst, who knew Seria's character to some extent, such concerns seemed somewhat unfounded. But from Himer's perspective, it was quite normal for her to think this way.

Forcibly pushing forward the experiment resulted in an unexpected outcome. Not only did she get injured, but she also attracted the attention of the Vice President (researchers at Himer's level have no access to the people around the Vice President, let alone know the true purpose of the Vice President's visit). At this time, she pretended to put forward this proposal, and then acted as if she wanted to "compensate herself" by throwing this position at me. No matter how you look at it, Saria seems to have ulterior motives and wants me to take the blame.

Ernst couldn't help with this misunderstanding. That was something Saria had to resolve herself.

Of course, it's not a big problem if it can't be solved. The council president doesn't necessarily have to be Himer; Seria can recommend someone else from among her acquaintances. Ernst's recommendation of Himer for the position was merely a small personal motive.

At worst, if Himer loses her job, she can just bring her to Sherag. Although the research level and conditions in Sherag are worrying, at least Himer can use a sledgehammer to crack a nut and become a teacher to help Miss Ceylon share the burden and teach students.

Everyone has dreams, and each person's life is unique. But if we must point to one person who hasn't found a proper place to live, it must be the Flame Demon himself.

This Balrog, who shouldn't have been fully resurrected but instead became Ifrit's spirit, gained a body thanks to Ernst's remarkable fellow countryman and officially won the resurrection match. But this was only the first step in his return to Terra.

The second step is to confirm his allegiance.

Of course, this has nothing to do with his own wishes.

"Your Excellency Ernst, Lord Melander Selene has already demonstrated his sincerity."

Without cigarettes, Tin Man could only fiddle with his lighter, popping the cap open and closing it again, trying to calm his restless little hands.

Although he seemed to have a lot of free time, his words were full of information.

“Miss Horhaya was my most capable subordinate and a valuable asset to the Melland Historical Research Society. Her departure is a great loss to me, but since it is Lord Melland’s request, I have no choice but to comply. However, considering the great sacrifices we have already made, could you please consider our proposal?”

Ernst was speechless upon hearing this.

What does it mean to make such a great sacrifice?

Holheimer was someone he tricked into marrying. If we're talking about doing someone a favor, it was Vice President Wilson who gave the order. Ernst had already repaid that favor in advance by posting a speech.

President Wilson was pleased. He had obtained the speech, suppressed the military, and the political world had won big. He himself had won twice, and the matter was naturally considered closed.

Now that they're coming back, you're all coming over saying "we made a huge sacrifice." What? Trying to have your cake and eat it too?

Colombians are incredibly rude!

Ernst's expression changed slightly, and he spoke:

"You said."

This was absolutely not because Ernst was a coward; it was simply because it was a suggestion, and there was no harm in listening to it.

Since the Tin Man is making such a big fuss about sacrificing Horhyah for him, if Ernst's guess is correct, his proposal must be something like, "Please agree to hand over the Balrog to the Melander Foundation for management, how about that?"

That's how transactions always are.

If that's the case, Ernst has no reason to refuse.

He wasn't even after the Balrog in the first place, so even if he kept it, it wouldn't be of any use. Besides, the Balrog was originally created by Columbia's Balrog experiments. He only lent a hand in the experiments, preventing Theresis from plundering the research results. The fact that Columbia specifically came to ask for his opinion was already a favor, so he could easily give Columbia face in return and agree to it.

In this way, he first used the Balrog experiment to get Holhaya back from President Wilson, and then used the Balrog to give the Melander Foundation face. In a way, he actually got the best of both worlds!

genius!

Seeing Ernst nod, Xi Ren felt relieved and solemnly said:

"The Melander Foundation requests that the Balrog be temporarily detained in Kjerag. What do you say?"

"Okay, fine, since you've put it that way, there's nothing I can do... huh?"

Ernst paused, then suddenly realized what he meant and asked incredulously:

"What do you mean? Detained in Shelag?"

The tin man took a small step back, his eyes flashing, and explained:

"The word 'detention' may not sound pleasant, but the Melander Foundation has absolutely no intention of insulting Sherag by referring to it as a prison. If Mr. Ernst is concerned, we can use a more appropriate word."

“That’s not what I’m concerned about.” Ernst frowned. “Doesn’t Columbia want the Balrog?”

The tin man shook his head: "No."

He spread his hands, a matter-of-fact expression on his face: "Of course not, Mr. Ernst. Otherwise, why would Horhaia and I, as representatives of the Melander Foundation, have been persistently trying to stop the Flame Demon Project?"

"Resurrecting a Sarkaz who is completely unfamiliar with the rules of modern society but possesses immense power is undoubtedly a ticking time bomb for this country. The unexpected events that occurred during the Balrog experiment have confirmed my thoughts, and Lord Melander fully agrees with my decision. In addition, the mysterious Sarkaz who appeared at the end of the experiment, Mr. Ernst, you should be able to guess his identity quite well, shouldn't you?"

Ernst nodded silently.

Of course he knew.

As for why the Tin Man knew that Theresis had been there, that was beyond Ernst's knowledge.

He might be an old acquaintance of Therese, able to recognize Therese from just those fleeting black shadow screenshots on the surveillance footage. Who knows?

The Tin Man shrugged: "That's right. Mr. Ernst, Columbia has no intention of getting involved in the many problems within the Sarkaz, so getting rid of the Balrog, this hot potato, is undoubtedly the most reasonable choice."

So you're passing it on to me?

"You have this ability, is there a more suitable choice than you?" Tin Man wanted to make a smiling face, but unfortunately Tin Man didn't have that function.

But his message was still conveyed.

The fact that Ernst displayed power in the laboratory that even Theresis feared is enough to show that he has the ability to suppress this resurrected Balrog. And Ernst's cooperative relationship with Kal'tsit is probably no secret to Melander, the "Shadow of Columbia." Moreover, even if something unexpected were to happen, with Sherag thousands of miles away, Columbia would be completely unaffected.

The Tin Man, however, had a very clever plan.