People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Ernst Shivaish. I never expected to meet you this way. Could you be the one to save Terra during the demon crisis?

No, it's too early to say anything like that. The ending she predicted hasn't changed, and she hasn't even had contact with Ernst yet. It would be too hasty to draw any conclusions.

Elki pulled himself out of his thoughts, looked at the Sarkaz girl in front of him, and said softly:

"Typhon, I'm counting on you this time too."

Typhon's face flushed slightly, it was hard to tell if it was from the cold or from embarrassment. She turned her head away, still not complaining about Elki having called her back specifically for such a small matter, she just pouted helplessly:

"When have you ever not troubled me?"

Elqi smiled slightly and said, "After you deliver the letter, I would like to ask you to make another trip."

Typhon nodded: "No problem, where to?"

"Take Ektilniel's reply, and my letter, and go to Shelag."

"Thank you for what?"

"Sherag".

Typhon was stunned.

Sherag? Where is he? Who's bigger, Sherag or Sami?

Chapter 261 The Most Special Guest (2)

Around the same time as Sami, the Iberian Tribunal, located at the southern end of Terra, also received an invitation from Sherag.

When Saint Carmen saw the contents of the invitation, his first thought was, "Is Ernstmo here to cause trouble?"

On this land, who doesn't know the current state of Iberia? Since the cataclysm of the Great Quiet, Iberia, once arguably the first Terran superpower, dominating Gaul and Letania, has been reduced to a cripple. Cultural disintegration, technological regression, drastic population decline, rampant cults along its coastline, and the surrounding seas. Even Gaul, after its fall, its capital Lingons was merely fragmented; one could still piece together a corpse. But Iberia's port cities are beyond repair!

In this situation, the Tribunal established by Carmen had to train the Punishment Army to guard against the Sea Heirs, while also arranging for the Grand Inquisitors to patrol the cities to prevent the foolish, treacherous Deep Sea cultists from summoning their own father, the Sea Heirs, ashore again.

Not to mention the Agor islanders lurking in various Iberian cities, as the politically convicted "culprits of the Great Tranquility," their political status in Iberia was essentially equivalent to that of Sarkaz laborers in the Ursus Empire's black mines—a prime example of being burdened with negative influences and universally despised. It could be said that the Inquisition's judges spent a small portion of their time investigating the Deepsea Cult's conspiracies, but most of their time hunting down the Agor people lurking in various locations, and these two tasks were almost never contradictory—almost all the Agor islanders had ties to the Deepsea Church, and this was no joke.

Of course, this doesn't mean that all Agors are bad people. After all, it's unreasonable to arbitrarily judge the good and evil of a race. There are always exceptions.

The problem is, Carmen and his Grand Inquisition no longer have the resources for "investigation." They figure that if ten Agorians are executed, some might be innocent, but nine out of ten will inevitably slip through the net. Instead of exhausting themselves investigating each one's background, it's better to arrest them all and send them to the Inquisition's basement to see the imprisoned Haisi. Those who react or resonate are traitors, and they'll be sent flying with cannons! Those who don't react or resonate are normal people, and they'll all be expelled!

See how much easier this is?

It's certainly more convenient, but it also highlights a problem – Iberia is truly doomed.

When a country is forced to maintain its fragile order through methods akin to white terror, its demise begins its countdown.

Iberia is now a country with no culture, no technology, a basically bankrupt financial situation, pitifully low central control over the localities, numerous internal conflicts, yet it still faces external pressures many times greater than those of Victoria.

However, we can't say that Iberia had absolutely no advantages. To put it humorously, the Great Tranquility wasn't entirely without benefit to Iberia; while it almost completely destroyed everything Iberia had in the past, it also destroyed all the old debts left behind by the Golden Iberia, didn't it?

Because the Great Tranquility was so devastating that it shook the entire Terra, the various infamy left behind by the Iberians during the Golden Age was essentially wiped out with this disaster.

Letania, having been ravaged by Iberia's fleet spanning half the map, had no intention of bothering them anymore. Even Victoria, the notorious troublemaker of Terra, felt that Iberia's mess was too stinky to stir up anymore. Even Ursus, a nation that would attack itself when it went mad, and which attacked anyone it could during its expansion, including Laterano, hadn't escaped Ursus's iron fist. But Iberia, in the way that Captain Patriot was listing his defeated enemies like a menu, didn't even have the right to be mentioned.

It's not that Iberia is untouchable, but rather that the Great Serenity is indeed a force to be reckoned with.

Ursus is scared too. Anyone would be trembling in that situation. If Iberia gets tainted, even someone who's not sick will get sick, and you'll feel numb if you go there!

But Iberia is already suffering from left-sided hemiplegia and right-sided epilepsy, brain death, and even some neurological convulsions. And these heartless Sherag people still invited him to participate in some kind of expo that "showcases your country's strong national power, rich culture, and advanced technology"?

Who are you secretly criticizing?

Carmen threw the letter in the trash right then and there. Don't ask, the answer is absolutely no such letter ever existed!

What kind of tiny, obscure country is Kjerag? I've never even heard of it, yet it dares to host a World's Fair?

If the letter came from either Victoria or Columbia, Carmen would probably go, because Victoria and Columbia currently wield considerable influence on Terra. One is in the inner circle, the leader of the Old World and the Terra hegemon; the other is outside the inner circle, a pioneer in exploring the New World, and doesn't get along with Victoria. They have a significant reputation and status among the nations and forces that Victoria has marginalized and suppressed.

Both countries issued appeals, and Carmen made a special trip there; who knows, she might even be able to get some food... no, some international aid—although there are still quite a few people in Iberia who dream of "we are still a great power in Terra," Carmen, as the current leader of the country, is more realistic.

The primary goal is survival. Compared to this goal, if we can't fill our stomachs or protect the dignity of our homeland, let's just sink with the port city.

Even if it were Casimir or Letania issuing such a call, Carmen might have to consider it. But Kjerag... it's not that Carmen looks down on him... well, Carmen just looks down on Kjerag.

He had a lot on his plate and was quite busy saving Iberia, so he really didn't have time to attend some kind of expo held by an obscure little country.

Don't let yourself travel a long way only to find a bunch of weaklings fighting each other. You went there to beg for help, but ended up becoming the boss!

Having composed herself after the letter had left her somewhat upset, Carmen was about to return to her work when her top disciple, the Grand Inquisitor Dario, walked in with another letter.

"That's really strange. I, an old man, rarely receive more than a few letters a year, but today I've received two at once?"

Muttering to herself, Carmen took the letter from Dario, glanced at the sender's name, and her expression immediately turned serious, her tone becoming more cautious:

"Kelsey?"

"This isn't just a year anymore; it could be a hundred years, and we might not even receive a single letter from her."

Carmen waved her hand, indicating that Dario should go back to work, as she needed to read the letter immediately. She then sat back down in her chair and opened the envelope.

Inside was Kal'tsit's delicate handwriting, somewhat out of place for her age.

[To Lady Carmen, it is as if we are meeting in person.]

[I am sending this letter for only one reason. Now, please pick up that invitation from Kjerag in the trash can, and lead your delegation to the World's Fair at the address and time given in the letter.]

We've been friends for a while, and I wouldn't harm you. This expo is fraught with hidden depths; you'll meet some people you'd never even imagine. If Iberia needs anything, this expo might be the best opportunity they have in recent years to acquire it.

[Your friend: Kal'tsit.]

The letter was brief, but Carmen read it for a long time.

He looked at it repeatedly, scrutinizing it with a furrowed brow, before finally confirming that it was indeed a letter from Kal'tsit.

When did that woman, known for her "absolute rationality," start saying such irrational things?

Or was this truly a rational judgment she made?

Carmen felt a strange sense of absurdity, a feeling even stronger than Kal'tsit's chilling understanding of herself—she even knew that she wouldn't even consider replying to or refusing a letter from Sherag, and would simply throw it in the trash after reading it.

Regardless, as one of the few people on this land who knew about "Kal'tsit's special qualities," Carmen still had to take Kal'tsit's advice very seriously.

He bent down and picked up the invitation that had been thrown into the trash can, carefully smoothing out its crumpled surface.

The more satisfying it was to throw it away then, the more embarrassing it is to put it back together now.

For Kal'tsit to send him, the de facto leader of Iberia, on a journey thousands of miles to Shelag with just a letter was indeed excessive. But sending a delegation was something he could manage, even with the current shortage of personnel in the tribunal.

“Dario is a reliable person, so let him go. He can also bring his little apprentice along. Even if he doesn’t gain anything, it will be a good opportunity for him to broaden his horizons.”

Carmen thought to herself as images of Dario and Elene flashed through her mind.

Chapter 262 The Strange Adventure of the Grey Hat!

Kjerag, seven days until the official start of the World's Fair.

The World's Fair wasn't just a one-day event; it was a long exhibition lasting a month. Admittedly, the exhibits showcasing the cultures, economies, and military strength of various countries could be viewed in two or three days at most. But how many people actually came to the World's Fair for these things?

The World's Fair is just a platform. On this platform, Colombians can meet and talk with Victorians, and Casimirians can see Ursus cannons and chariots. Everyone can communicate amicably, either becoming one or "fighting together." The various agreements and orders that result from this, and even the possibility of deepening mutual understanding, are the real highlight of this grand event.

Of course, the meaning was indeed meaningless to Grey Hat, who was not a Sherag.

He was just there to complete his own mission.

"The people of Kjerag have never publicly announced the guests attending the World's Fair, let alone the dates of their arrival in Kjerag. Their government is also quite secretive. I've put in a lot of effort, but I haven't been able to infiltrate them at all. It's really troublesome!"

Standing in front of the Kjerag train station, the man in the grey top hat muttered to himself, his face showing no trace of frustration or disappointment, but rather a smug expression.

"Unfortunately, Ernst was ultimately inexperienced and made a mistake. No matter how well he kept things secret internally, if not a single mole appeared in the government, what good would it do?"

"There are always some objective things that cannot be changed!"

"That's the train timetable!"

The grey top hat, hidden beneath a fleece scarf and an i? Sherag print grey hat, was slightly raised as the head gazed with unwavering confidence at the high-definition display screen above the train station waiting hall—arguably the most modern and sophisticated feature in Sherag!

The display screen shows the schedule of every train in Shelag today, including the special trains that travel through the snowy landscape of the Shelag Mountains.

"Based on my experience over this period of time, the Shelag Snowfield Special Train starts with the first train at 8:00 AM, running every two hours, then every one and a half hours in the afternoon, until the last train at 8:00 PM!"

"But today, the train interval has been changed to once an hour!"

Where did the vanished time go?

The man in the grey top hat smiled slightly, not even needing to answer this obvious question.

There must be some hidden train numbers among today's trains!

This doesn't mean that Kjerag specially prepared a new train that Grey Hat didn't know about, specifically to welcome the VIPs arriving in Kjerag. Rather, Ernst cleverly used this one-hour time difference to mix the trains carrying the guests with the regular train schedules.

This tactic is quite clever. If someone in the grey hat isn't careful enough or familiar with the departure times of the Sheraton train, they might actually be fooled.

However, it's a pity! Grey Hat can proudly say that even Ernst Shivaesh himself, the builder of the entire Snowfield Special Train, might not be as familiar with this route as he is!

Although this route was actually built by Ensiodis.

Snow Leopard CEO: "You?"

Ahem, getting back to the point, why?

"Hmph, I was using the Duke's funds and persevered for three months, taking every single train without missing a single day!"

The Snowfield Train was purely for tourism, with luxurious decor and a comfortable experience, even surpassing the Shelag government office building at one point (before its demolition). And since the Grey Hat guy could get his expenses reimbursed, he didn't mind. For three months, he truly didn't miss a single day, booking tickets on time, entering his compartment, and riding every single train each day!

It can be said that he knows everything about the Snowscape Special Train, from the details inside the carriages to the ingenuity in the private compartments, from the undulating mountains outside the window to the attendants coming and going inside the train!

He had even figured out which dishes on the Snow Realm train were delicious and which were slightly undercooked. With his excellent musical skills, he had built relationships with the train attendants, cooks, and even some Sherag people who frequently traveled by train by playing the harp in his portable case. As a result, he now had a nickname on the Snow Realm train: "The Harpist on the Train"!

It does indeed share a similar sentiment with his original code name—[Poet].

After all, the bards in Victorian fairy tales often carried a harp, wandering through fields and mountains, singing heroic epics and mythological stories.

As for his persistent insistence on taking the train, the Poet admitted that there was an element of gambling involved. After all, he couldn't be entirely sure that the invited guests would actually arrive in Kjerag by train. What if they, like Rhodes Island, entered Kjerag in their own landships?

Although, based on the poet's observations of Ernst's words and actions, he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would allow such a threatening vessel as a high-speed warship to enter Sherag, no one can really guarantee that others will act according to their predictions, right?

But he did it anyway.

Anyway, His Highness the Duke will reimburse you for both the train tickets and the food you order on the train...

Ahem, I misspoke. It should be, "Everything is for His Excellency the Duke!"

He's working hard, even though he didn't spend any money, he's putting in time and effort. It must be tiring to be on the road all day. Although he can sit still and eat delicious food, his life is probably more comfortable than his colleagues'. But that doesn't stop him from serving the Duke, does it?

Besides, didn't we make the right bet?

As a seasoned top hat who works under the notorious... no, the infamous Grand Duke of Custer, and who, despite her relentless exploitation and manipulative tactics, still manages to maintain her original intentions and consistently earn an "excellent" performance rating and year-end bonus by slacking off, no one knows better than him what kind of person the Grand Duke he serves is!

As long as you produce commensurate results, even if you pay several times the cost of others, the Duke of Custer will forgive you, recognize you, and praise you.

Conversely, if you fail to complete your work, even if you haven't spent a single penny and have even provided funds for the Duke of Caesar, the Duke will discard you like trash and fire you!

This is a true outcome-oriented thinker.

Now, the Grey-Haired Poet is only one step away from completing his mission.

Composing himself, he walked into the ticket hall with a calm expression, went to the ticket window, stood at the front of the line, and greeted the ticket seller, whom he knew all too well, with a "Good morning." The man in the grey top hat began:

"Good morning, Miss Nana. Here's a ticket for the early morning bus, thank you."

The ticket seller smiled brightly, a genuine smile, as she worked on the computer and asked:

"Is the harpist going to have to take the train all day again?"

The poet in the grey top hat nodded: "Yes."

"Today's ticket will be a bit more expensive, the boss added an extra train at the last minute," the ticket seller explained, frowning slightly and a little embarrassed.

The poet paused slightly, his expression a perfect blend of surprise and curiosity, and asked:

Did they say why?

"No, not at all." The ticket seller pursed her lips apologetically, then gritted her teeth as if making a decision, and said, "The harpist is a regular customer and often plays on the train. Everyone likes you. I'll just print your ticket this time, and you can keep the extra money!"

The man in the grey top hat was stunned; this time it was for real.

For some reason, looking into the ticket seller's sincere eyes, he suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

He quickly composed himself and shook his head: "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Nana, but a gentleman in Victoria would not do anything to harm his friend. If you did, wouldn't you be held accountable?"