People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"The living conditions of the Sarkaz are indeed deteriorating, and there is no bottom to this deterioration. Just as Miss Horhyah said, the lowest level of treatment humans can give each other is enslavement, but for the Sarkaz, the Terrans have no bottom line; there is an even lower level than slavery."

Ernst clicked his tongue and nodded knowingly.

Kal'tsit's meaning was clear: in the eyes of the Terrans, the Sarkaz were on the verge of being considered less than human. There is indeed a difference between how humans treat each other and how humans treat animals. The most obvious difference is that if a human kills another human for the first time, the instinct of kinship will make them feel uneasy and panicked; the so-called nausea, vomiting, fainting, and other unpleasant states are precisely due to the influence of this instinct. But if a human kills an animal for the first time…

Do you remember how many ants you crushed when you were a child, lying around in flowerbeds or under roadside trees when you had nothing to do?

You don't remember, just like DIO never remembers how many slices of bread he's eaten.

The Sarkaz's current situation is that of a Terran creature somewhere between a human and a beast. To put it nicely, they are gorillas that can be kept in captivity; to put it bluntly, they are humanoid creatures that you can kill without breaking the law.

After all, the law is meant to regulate social interactions between people. If humans are sentenced to death for killing animals, wouldn't that be going against the natural order?

Ernst disagreed with this idea, and even though it was Terra's established "rule," he found it difficult to adapt to or accept it.

Just because it's always been this way doesn't mean it's right!

However, to be fair, this "current situation" did indeed reduce Ernst's psychological burden considerably.

Even if he's a complete scoundrel, if he really brings over a bunch of Sarkaz laborers, at least let them experience the baptism of advanced capitalism, like 007. It's not like they used to be, where saying they're doing something feudal is an understatement. If you really want to evaluate them, Ernst thinks they're almost degenerating to the point where they have to rely entirely on animal rights to survive.

That's why they say there's no harm in comparison.

Alas, Sarkaz! Alas, the Royal Court! Alas, Theresis!

Despite his complaints, Ernst still sought opinions:

"So, Ms. Kal'tsit, are you suggesting I hire some Sarkaz labor?"

To everyone's surprise, Kal'tsit immediately shook her head: "I didn't say that."

"Every pitiful person has something hateful about them. The Sarkaz's current predicament on this land is not without reason. It is superficial to rashly judge the issue of stance based on right and wrong, good and bad. I believe Mr. Ernst does not want such shallow advice. In my opinion, the question of whether Shelag needs Sarkaz labor needs to be considered in conjunction with Shelag's actual situation. It requires a more systematic and comprehensive analysis, along with the attitudes and levels of support of Shelag's local residents and Jeragunda for this policy. Only through a comprehensive consideration can a policy that integrates the opinions of all parties, is based on the overall situation, and does not ignore the opinions of the people be perfectly implemented."

Ernst paused, and after a long while, he finally spoke:

"what?"

“I mean…”

Keep it brief!

Kalshika paused, then rolled her eyes, looking somewhat aggrieved: "This matter needs to be discussed further."

Hey! After discussing this for so long, this is the answer you give me? Then what did I come here for?

If you had even the slightest opinion, you wouldn't have remained completely silent, would you?

Ernst didn't necessarily need Kelsey to give any decisive advice, nor was he in such a hurry to make a decision immediately after hearing Kelsey's opinion—that would be a rash, irresponsible decision. However, Kelsey's words did seem somewhat perfunctory!

Seeing Ernst's displeasure, Kelsey could only say:

“Mr. Ernst, Miss Holheimia’s information is accurate, but it is somewhat outdated.”

“If this were last year, what she said would have been absolutely correct. In fact, the situation might have been even worse. Fifty Victoria pounds? It's no exaggeration to say that in the middle of last year, a Victorian could have driven a truck into the Kazdel settlement and filled it with young Sarkaz girls for just a few pounds. But…”

Ernst knew that when a sentence contained the word "but," it meant that the content preceding it was not very important.

Could there really be anything that could change the Sarkaz's situation? Ernst couldn't think of anything for the moment. What could Kal'tsit possibly be?

Under Ernst's gaze, Kelsey's expression flashed with embarrassment for a moment, but she almost immediately returned to normal, revealing a fact that would likely leave Daphne and Vina with mixed feelings:

“But, Mr. Ernst, things are different now than they were last year… Ever since Theresis and the Military Council entered Lentinium, the red-light district is now lined with Victorian girls…”

Ernst opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

Only then did he suddenly realize that he and Horhaya had overlooked a very important fact.

Defining a group's situation based on race is far too broad. In reality, even if you are a noble lord of Londinium, you might be reduced to a subservient prostitute in a red-light district when war comes. And even if you are a universally reviled Sarkaz, whose social status is equivalent to that of a "warm-hearted man," you might become a superior person whom everyone depends on when war breaks out.

It is incredibly difficult to keep fate on the right track, but it is disgustingly easy to destroy it.

Kal'tsit understood this principle all too well. Throughout her life—no, for many lifetimes—she devoted herself to ensuring that Terran civilization progressed on a gradual, orderly path, curbing any potential technological explosion and eliminating any threats that could disrupt or disrupt the civilization. To this end, she could seize crucial technological data, or simply launch an expedition against the Sarkaz homeland under the pretext of "potentially threatening the civilization's development!"

Ernst didn't understand.

No matter how much you see, hear, read in history books, or learn in political classes, it doesn't matter.

He had never truly experienced war.

As one in 14 billion people who have never experienced war, no matter how much they boast, it's all just empty talk. Yet, the achievement of enabling 1.4 billion people to engage in empty talk is a feat many nations dream of.

With a heart full of emotions, Ernst nodded, understanding Kal'tsit's meaning.

The issue of labor force indeed needs to be discussed again.

Because there is no war in Terra.

The Sarkaz, which he longed for, was now experiencing a rare period of growth. Theresis had taken over Londinium, and the Military Council had begun to call upon the demons to join in the grand undertaking. Although the future was uncertain, the Sarkaz now had something to look forward to.

The hardest people to persuade are those who have hope. They will risk their lives for that tiny bit of hope, fighting until they seize a glimmer of life or are crushed to ashes!

But what even Kelsey didn't expect was that Ernst knew about the timing of this "reconsideration." And it wouldn't be long from today.

At the end of 1096, only two years and a few months had passed. On the scale of the development of Terran civilization, it was but a drop in the ocean.

However, he, who once held some expectations and grand ambitions for this moment, now suddenly feels suffocated.

As the old order is reduced to ashes in a time of renewed upheaval, a once-in-a-century upheaval emerges again. War—a war without regard for cost, consequences, or casualties—is the kind of perilous situation that this corner of Shelag faces.

He understood Lateran’s sense of urgency perfectly; it was a sense of crisis that every small country with extremely poor geopolitics would have.

What should we do?!

The Sherag Plan is urgent!

The World's Fair has officially opened!

Chapter 260 The Most Special Guest (1)

One month before the start of the World's Fair.

After traversing thousands of miles, Ernst's letter finally reached two countries located at opposite ends of the world.

Sami, with Iberia.

Sami doesn't actually have a unified government in the strict sense. Just as Mayor Herman of Siesta said, Sami is actually a larger version of Sherag. Not only is its natural environment basically the same as Sherag's, but it also has a giant beast and its master that are friendly to humans.

However, unlike Shelag, which at most had a "poor geographical environment that was at risk of being invaded at any time," Sami was already under invasion.

After the Ursus Conquest era abruptly ended with the sudden death of the late emperor, the deep-seated contradictions accumulated within the Ursus Empire due to the war gradually surfaced. Lacking the benefits of war, the original military elites began to stir. While the overly powerful military was Ursus's sharp sword against external enemies during wartime, when peace arrived, there was no sheath within Ursus to hold it back.

When the blade was turned against them, the Ursus people finally understood the helplessness and despair of the people of the countries they had conquered.

The military, which had become too powerful to control, eventually chose to go its own way. The Great Rebellion was a landmark event in which several army groups dissatisfied with the government's current policies took advantage of Ursus's disastrous defeat in the Ursus-Eastern War, questioning whether there were treacherous people in the emperor's inner circle, and marched on Saint-Germain, ultimately plunging the entire Ursus into war.

After this massive rebellion, which resulted in over a million deaths and injuries, ended, the emperor managed to regain control of the situation, but he completely lost control of the empire's borders. The empire's territory was effectively fragmented. The main reason why Emperor Fyodor did not hang himself like the Lion King of Victoria was that he learned from the Lion King's mistakes and always maintained a firm grip on several powerful army groups, doing the work of the Zhou emperors during the Warring States period and the Tang emperors at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

By controlling an army, the emperor ensured he couldn't be wiped out overnight. If any warlord rebelled, he could authorize another warlord in the emperor's name to attack them. After eliminating the rebellious warlord, his spoils would be redistributed, with the emperor keeping a portion and rewarding the "meritorious officials." As the saying goes, when two poets clash, one will inevitably be injured; the emperor, reaping the benefits, always comes out on top. In this gradual and methodical way, the emperor could slowly but successfully reclaim power.

Some might ask, aren't you afraid that the warlord you support will become too powerful after he destroys another warlord?

In fact, there's nothing to fear. After all, the emperor's power remains undiminished. Even if you become too powerful, as long as you don't reach the point of a single region opposing an entire country, it simply means the emperor has given more authority to a few more warlords. The emperor is actually quite happy with this arrangement, since the more people there are, the more dispersed the power becomes.

The Ursus strategist who proposed this plan was highly capable, because generally speaking, as long as the emperor doesn't act recklessly, this plan shouldn't lead to any major unforeseen problems. Of course, this is only theoretical. Because this plan is limited to the power struggle between the emperor and warlords; which dynasty, the Western Zhou or the Tang, truly fell at the hands of warlords?

One city was breached by a third-party alien force, while the other was utterly annihilated by a certain "Soaring General" of that third-party force, who "trampled the bones of officials throughout the streets!" These are exceptions. Of course, if you're a true, invincible military genius like Xiang Yu, then disregard what I said.

Once the internal problems were largely resolved, the Emperor of Ursus had to find something to do externally. Allowing the warlords to fight amongst themselves would only lead to internal strife, which, while beneficial for national centralization from a macro perspective, would be a political hurdle to overcome.

People don't want to live in a country in a civil war forever. If the fighting continues, everyone will start singing "We all hope the old emperor will come back."

Necessary external expansion to ease tensions and prevent the Ursus people from "losing their self-confidence" is still very necessary.

But given Ursus's current situation, the fact is that the emperor, as the central figure of the empire, has already lost confidence.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, Ursus suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Blood Peak against a backward Eastern Kingdom. How could the decision-makers at the central command believe in the current combat effectiveness of the Central Army Group?

Furthermore, if the emperor sends out an army group to attack Kazimir and it is defeated and suffers heavy losses, it could break the balance that has been painstakingly established in the country. But if a warlord's army is sent out, it is not a waste of internal resources, but an opportunity to expand the supply chain. What if some short-sighted warlord actually manages to take it down?

Those are war heroes, won't the emperor reward them? What reward would satisfy them? They already have money, and they occupy the land, what can Fyodor offer? Could he perhaps appoint a co-emperor and start a joint rule between Eastern and Western Rome... no, Eastern and Western Ursus?

That's impossible, of course. If Fyodor did that, he would truly become a sinner for all time in Ursus. When he dies and goes to the Empire of Consciousness, his father might even grab him by the neck with one hand and whip him like a top with a copper-headed leather belt in the other!

Where should Ursus attack in order to ensure that it doesn't significantly disrupt the domestic power balance while also alleviating domestic conflicts?

This place must meet two conditions. First, it must be weaker than the Eastern Kingdom, so weak that even the Ursus Emperor, who suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Bloodpeak, would think, "It's a good place for us to attack!"

Secondly, the place must be big and poor enough that people don't have much of an appetite, so no one will fight over it and the conflict can drag on for a long time!

The shameless Fyodor scribbled on the map and eventually found a country that perfectly met both requirements.

Needless to say, this country is the subject of our episode on quirky little countries – Sami!

Ahem, I've gone off-topic.

In short, under Ursus's persistent policy of "taking a bite but not coming in," Sami was forced to make some reforms.

Among them, the most eye-catching thing is that this closed country has finally opened an interface to the outside world - on the other side of Ursus, facing Colombia, a small settlement called "Chapat" has begun construction as a port recognized and opened to the outside world by many Sami tribes.

Ernst's letter was naturally sent here as well.

But as soon as the letter arrived, an unexpected little problem arose.

When Ernst sent the letter to the Sami, the Sami had so many tribes and no unified leader. He also had no connection with any Snow Priest, which made him really unsure of who to send it to. So he immediately consulted Horhaya, but she didn't know either this time. After several twists and turns, he could only write "The most famous Snow Priest of the Sami" in the recipient's column on Kal'tsit's advice.

And that's where the problem lies.

Who is the most renowned snow priest among the Sami people?

There is only one answer—the guardian of the Winterfang Mountains, the most beloved child of his grandfather's spirit and his mother Anma, the enemy of the demons, the leader of the Tree Scar tribe, the common hero in the hearts of the Sami people, and the fastest man in all the Sami, "Wood Crack" Ektilnir!

But Ektilniel clearly did not live in Chapat. In fact, among all the Sami tribes, he was the most xenophobic, the most opposed to the Sami opening up to outsiders, and the most opposed to the tribe's southward migration.

As a radical who believed that "the truth about the demons should be told to all the Sami people so that they can overcome their fear and fight the demons," Ektilnir has been leading the warriors of the Tree Scar tribe on the last line of defense of the Wintertooth Mountains, watching day and night for any unusual movements coming from the Infi Icefield. There is a chance that he will appear in Chapat, but that would only mean that the demons have already attacked and the front line is rushing towards Chapat!

This leads to a paradox.

No one dared to identify Ernst's letter except Ektilnir, but Ektilnir wasn't even there, and no idle Sami would be willing to carry a letter from beyond the borders, traversing the entire Sami region from south to north to deliver it to Ektilnir...

Well, not entirely.

"Elchi, did you really call me here just to deliver a message?"

The Sarkaz girl, with two pairs of large horns and described only as having a childlike face and huge breasts, smoothed her long purple hair, which was covered in snowflakes, and looked at the Cyclops in front of her, who was much taller than her, with some disbelief.

Cyclops are anomalies among the Sarkaz. They possess the seemingly amazing ability to foresee the future, but because they can only see a pessimistic future, they genuinely believe that "the Sarkaz are doomed." Therefore, they left Kazdel early on and adopted an attitude of not interfering in the internal affairs of the Sarkaz.

Elki, however, was an anomaly among the Cyclopes. For some reason, she saw more than the other Cyclopes. So she saw the ending of "Terra's destruction" at a glance, and even saw some specific processes. Therefore, she lived in seclusion, repeatedly pondering and trying to find a way to reverse the situation.

But recently, even though she hasn't done anything yet, she's noticed that the future she sees has undergone some slight changes.

The change wasn't actually that big; Terra's future was still being devoured into nothingness by the terrifying demons in her eyes. But the process did produce some minor changes. For example, Terra, which hadn't been able to unite until the demon crisis broke out, seemed to have united this time.

Although it's not very useful, it's still a very important signal!

Elchi immediately began collecting all the news that had recently happened in various parts of Terra, and finally selected five people from among those who had been relatively active recently.

The very active Sarkaz leader Theresis, the very active Duke Victoria Kester, the very active Rhodes Island leaders Amiya and Kelsey, the very active Colombian scientist Christen, and the very active Sherag Prime Minister Ernst.

It's said to be five people, but there are actually only three. The Sarkaz have no human rights in Terra, and Duke Caesar is an anthropomorphic being, so these two can be ruled out.

As for the remaining three, Elki felt all three were possibilities. Rhodes Island, which had recently become active, inherited the ideals of Theresa, the gentlest demon lord in Sarkaz history, and was dedicated to peace on Terra. This could indeed lead to a future deviation in Terra's unity. Columbia scientist Christen Wright had long been renowned, and her Dome research project had been making headlines recently. If it succeeded, it would mean Terra had opened the door to the outside world beyond the isolation layer. Whether affairs outside the isolation layer would help unite Terra was unknown to Elki, but she couldn't rule out the possibility. And Ernst, although in Elki's eyes he was the least noticeable of the three—after all, she only knew of one of Ernst's speeches—was still a possibility.

Elki also tried to make a prediction using his own prophetic abilities, but to be honest, it wasn't very helpful.

All I see are tragedies: Rhodes Island is destroyed, Kal'tsit is dead, Amiya was killed by the Sarkaz. Christensen crashed his plane, and even after opening the isolation gate, he was swallowed up by what was outside. And Ernst... the prophecy shows only blankness.

As if his fate was being disturbed by some higher, more elusive being, his prophecy presented a state of utter emptiness, a situation that had never occurred before and was indeed quite strange. But isn't emptiness, in a way, also a kind of tragedy?

Elki decided that since he couldn't tell which of the three people had caused the change in his prophecy about Terra's future fate, he would try to contact all of them.

She then inquired with the Rhine Life Sciences research staff at the Chapat office, and what she found out shocked her!

"Chief Christensen? She's in Kjerag. The Dome Project is being carried out on the Matterhorn in Kjerag. She's been in Kjerag for quite some time now."

"Rhodes Island? You mean that land-based medical company that helped transport building materials? Hmm... I don't really understand why a medical company would take on this kind of transport order. Aren't their research capabilities quite high? Oh, sorry, I digress. They should be in Kjerag now, right? The building materials were ordered from Kjerag, so they should already be there."

"Ernst? Which Ernst are you talking about? Ernst Shivaesh?"

Alchi still remembers the look that Rhine Life Sciences research staff member gave him. It was the look of someone looking at someone who was mentally challenged.

"Sarkaz, are you out of your mind? Where else could Prime Minister Shelag be if not Shelag?"

Elki was completely speechless.

Now that things have come to this, even a complete idiot would be able to tell who the "source of the disturbance" is.