People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Now that there are witnesses, when is a better time to slip away? He can tell the difference between a full meal and a regular meal.

Seeing that Roy's ability to slip away was even smoother than Little John's rhyme, Ernst slowly released the Jeragund Stone he had been holding and breathed a slight sigh of relief. He turned to look at the silver-haired girl that Lola was supporting.

After observing her appearance for a while, Ernst finally remembered where this inexplicable sense of familiarity in his mind came from.

Hey, isn't this Bai Jin, one of the four girlfriends of Donkey?

Why are you so bloated after just a few days?

Chapter Thirty: Hinterlea: What Snow Leopard Prince!

Kavaleriaki, Blacksteel Headquarters.

A faint ray of morning light pierced through the gap in the curtains, illuminating Hinterlea's somewhat pale face. The weak girl slowly opened her eyes, her blurry vision gradually clearing after a few blinks, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Where am I? I..."

Hinterlea suddenly opened her eyes wide and subconsciously tried to sit up, but her whole body was stuck in the soft bed and she could not move. As soon as she exerted force, a tearing pain came from her lower body.

"Ugh—" A suppressed groan escaped her lips, the pain instantly clearing Hinterlea's mind considerably.

"Where am I? Last night... after dinner, I was being followed on my way home. I tried to shake them off... then I was ambushed... I ran away... and then..."

Hinterlea rubbed her throbbing head; the dizziness from blood loss made her memory hazy. But from which fragment of memory she gleaned information, she should have finally rushed out of the dark alley, then seemed to have bumped into something and instantly lost consciousness.

It has nothing to do with the spacious and bright room it is in now.

Was I rescued?

Her gaze shifted slightly downwards, noticing the clothes she was wearing that had been changed, as well as the bandages wrapped around her arms and thighs.

The tearing pain I just felt came from here. It must be that the intense movements pulled on the wound, and my body couldn't take it anymore.

Trying to sit up smoothly from the bed, Xintelaya immediately noticed the large BS logo of [Black Steel International] on the door of the room and realized where she was.

"A branch of Black Steel International?"

She was stunned for a moment.

"Those mercenaries actually rescued people?"

"Although it is the truth, it is somewhat hurtful. Our company can file a defamation complaint against you and demand compensation."

A cold voice suddenly came from the microphone by the bedside, followed by a mocking tone.

"However, Miss Hinterlea probably doesn't have any assets left to use for compensation."

"What do you mean?" Hinterlea looked at the microphone on the bedside table.

The person on the other end of the microphone didn't answer her question, but instead continued speaking to themselves:

"As you said, Miss Hinterlea, Black Steel International is not a charity. We wouldn't save you for no reason. The decision to save you was made by our boss's guest."

As they were speaking, the sound of a door opening came from the other end of the microphone. The Black Steel member who had been speaking paused, as if he had moved away from the microphone, and his voice came through from a distance:

"Yes, Miss Hinterlea has woken up. She is in good spirits and her injuries show no signs of worsening. You may visit her at any time."

Is he talking to that "boss's guest"?

Hinterlea pondered. Her life had been simple; before becoming a knight, she'd been unremarkable, and even after, she'd remained unremarkable. She shouldn't know any of those important figures in Kazimierz. Why would a guest of the Blacksteel International boss be willing to save her?

Did some big shot have a change of heart? Hinterlea didn't believe it for a second. If the big shot really had such luxuries, she wouldn't have almost vanished just because of a job-hopping idea she hadn't even had a chance to put into practice.

Is someone targeting me again?

Although she knew it was immoral to harbor such suspicion towards her savior, Heartlea couldn't help but think this way. The image of the investor who had appeared before her several times, subtly and overtly telling her that if she obeyed and became a decorative knight, he would help her achieve her dream of great fame and fortune, naturally surfaced in her mind. A chill ran down her spine.

Even a fool could guess what that guy dressed in all those designer luxury brands was up to.

This was the reality of Kazimierz, a fact Hinterlea had fully grasped after last night's danger. After a moment's hesitation, she gritted her teeth and walked to the windowsill.

If her "savior" also has ulterior motives, then she can repay this kindness in the next life.

Several footsteps echoed down the corridor. Hinterlea leaned against the window, her gaze fixed on the tightly closed medical room door, as if she could already see a well-dressed beast stepping inside.

The door slowly opened.

Dressed in a formal suit, Ernst slowly walked into the room and immediately noticed the silver-haired girl standing by the window, her back to the warm morning light, gently raising her hand to brush the strands of hair behind her ear.

Four surprised gazes met in mid-air. Ernst asked:

"Miss Bai... Miss Heartlea? What are you doing standing by the window?"

Hinterlea opened her mouth, glanced at Ernst, then at the window behind her, before turning around and resolutely closing the window that was blowing in a biting cold wind.

"I...I'm a little cold, close the window."

Ernst was relieved and gave a humble smile:

"I thought you were upset about something. You're seriously injured and very weak. You can talk into the microphone and someone will come to help you."

Hinterlea gave an awkward laugh, then locked the window and doors tightly. Turning back, she leaned against the wall and, trying to maintain her composure, walked back to the bed and sat down gently.

What? You'd rather die than be defeated, and repay the debt in the next life?

Who said such a thing? To leave the debt of gratitude to the next life—how is that any different from a deadbeat who borrows money and doesn't pay it back? Aren't they ashamed?

Such a gentle, kind, and handsome benefactor saved you; it would be a terrible thing not to do something to repay him!

Unfortunately, I'm seriously injured right now, so making money in the short term is definitely out of the question. Perhaps I should just offer myself to him...

"Miss Heartlea?"

Ernst's call snapped Hinterlea out of her naming reverie, and a radiant smile bloomed on the girl's face as she answered:

"I'm here."

Ernst raised an eyebrow in confusion, but still handed the business card to the seemingly dim-witted young woman in front of him.

Why does she seem a bit different from what I imagined? I remember in the game she was described as a Platinum-ranked assassin, a ruthless killer, right?

Was it because you hit your head on the chest last night and it made you stupid?

I didn't put a UMP45 steel plate on my chest. Oh, right, I have a stone on my chest that was blessed by the god Yeragand.

Ernst suddenly felt a little guilty. If the collision resulted in further injuries or disabilities, the problem would be much bigger.

At this moment, Hintleya had already taken the business card Ernst handed her, glanced at it briefly, and her expression immediately turned to surprise:

"Speaker Shelag, the Prime Minister!?"

Although Kasimir is not a parliamentary state, Hintraya was well aware of what those two titles represented.

Even though the information she found described Shelag as just a backward, small snow-covered country, it was still a country! The leader of a country was standing right in front of her, and had even saved her life last night!

This is like something out of a fairy tale!

Hinterlea felt her heart racing, completely forgetting that she had recently mistaken "Sherag" for a fraud ring.

But after a moment of fairytale-like fantasy, Hintelia managed to regain a semblance of composure:

"Speaker Ernst, why did you save me?"

The assassin was from the legendary Unarmored Alliance. If those legends were true, then the Unarmored Alliance was undoubtedly a mysterious and terrifying local power in Kazimir. Why would a powerful figure in Sherag risk offending them to save him?

She held her breath, waiting for Ernst's reply. But Ernst's reply was unexpectedly brief.

"Because you are one of us."

"Protecting employees is the boss's responsibility!"

"And you, you came here with this job posting, didn't you?"

Ernst held up the job posting that looked like a scam advertisement.

Hinterlea was slightly taken aback, and her heart, which had been quite touched, suddenly felt a little awkward.

Well, if this job posting were more serious, the scene would be much more romantic, right?

She subconsciously thought of it, and at the same time felt relieved that Ernst didn't know that she later crumpled the notice into a ball and threw it in the trash can, and nodded heavily.

"I see, boss!"

"Please call me Prime Minister."

Ernst smiled innocently.

"Yes, Prime Minister!"

Chapter Thirty-One: Old Ma, Oh, Old Ma!

“Miss Hinterlea, although you now call me boss, there are some things I should tell you in advance.”

In the infirmary, Ernst gazed at Hinterlea, who was sitting on the bed, and said earnestly,

"It's easy to bring you into the Shelag government, but it's not so easy to get you out of Kazimierz."

Hinterea's current situation is not simple. As a competitive knight, she has been targeted by the Unarmored Alliance and her life is in danger at any time.

Ernst knew nothing about the Unarmored Alliance; he only learned about it from Blacksteel and Hinterlea.

They were a group of highly trained professional assassins, but their targets were not businessmen or politicians, but rather the knights of Qazimir. More specifically, the gladiator knights of Qazimir.

In urban legend, the Unarmored Alliance's spies are spread throughout the streets and alleys of Kazimir. It is managed by top assassins of the Black Iron, Azure Gold, and Platinum ranks. Once they have your eye on you, whether you are a splendid star knight or a down-on-your-luck, impoverished rookie knight, you are destined to vanish without a trace. Even if you are lucky enough to repel or escape an assassination attempt, the Unarmored Alliance will send even stronger assassins until your name is erased from their list.

Their motives are unknown, but according to the Blacksteel, the Unarmored Alliance has close ties with the currently thriving Business Federation of Kazimir.

This makes things even more complicated.

As the saying goes, it's not the thief you should fear, but the one who's eyeing you. Hinterlea is already on their list. Although Ernst and his men unexpectedly prevented the first assassination attempt on her, who knows when a second one might occur?

Perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow night, if Ernst lets his guard down for even a moment, the Unarmored Alliance's crossbow bolts will shoot out from a window of the high-rise building opposite the Blacksteel branch, piercing the neon-lit glass and the heart of Hinterlea.

It's important to understand that Hinterlea is currently severely injured, on the verge of death. Even with the help of miraculous medical Originium arts, it won't be a matter of a day or two for her to fully recover. Faced with a second assassination attempt, she has no ability to resist.

Ernst did consider taking Hinterlea directly away from Casimir, but upon closer examination, he realized that this was not a good idea.

Kazimierz is, after all, Hinterland's hometown, and the girl has many unbreakable ties here—family, friends. Ernst can't just let Hinterland sever all family ties just because he's hiring someone, can he?

Even when people scam people in the park, they still make you report back home every now and then to let them know you're safe!

Moreover, with Hinterlea gone, her family might very well become targets of retaliation from the Undead Alliance, who are enraged by the mission's failure.

In short, why would one risk spending a thousand days guarding against thieves, or even ruining one's life in the process?

"So, before I take you away, I have to deal with the Wuzhou Alliance's warrant for your arrest."

Ernst said earnestly.

"The Unarmored Alliance is an urban legend-like underground violent organization. Because such organizations are difficult to hold accountable, they can, to some extent, ignore the deterrence of foreign official forces such as Sherag or Blacksteel. But we are not necessarily completely powerless against them."

Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, especially since Sherag is somewhat all show and no substance. But looking at it another way, a dragon is still a dragon, and he shouldn't have lowered himself to fight a venomous snake in the gutter in the first place.

The best way to fight an idiot isn't to wait for him to bring you down to his level of intelligence and then let him defeat you with his wealth of idiotic experience. Instead, be straightforward and have his parents slap him twice.

"Since the Unarmored Alliance and the Business Federation are closely related, we can start with the Business Federation."

Hinterlea nodded, but then frowned:

"Are you going to deal with people from the Business Federation? I know something about that. I heard they're holding an investment conference recently, and if you get in, you can meet with the senior members of the Business Federation."

Ernst's expression stiffened slightly, but he forced himself to remain calm and asked, "An investment meeting? Politely asking about the price. I mean, the entry requirements."

"Hmm... I think it's around ten million?" Hinterlea thought for a moment before answering.

Ten million, one-sixtieth of the Sherag government's operating funds! Enough for Ernst to buy ten thousand high-powered, multi-functional Originium miniature furnaces made in Colombia!

Ernst suppressed the urge to gasp and waved his hand:

"Ahem, Hinterlea, you're thinking too simply. Since the Business Federation is the financial backer of the Unarmored Alliance, they're on the same side as the Unarmored Alliance. Trying to persuade them and then reach a reconciliation with the Unarmored Alliance through them would not only be a bottomless pit of expenses, but the chances of success are also extremely slim."

It has nothing to do with me being poor; the main point is to correct Cintlaya's illusions about capitalists.

If you give them money, they won't think you're good; they'll only want to get more money from you, because pursuing profit is the nature of all capitalists. Ernst wouldn't do something like adding fuel to the fire.

Hanging streetlights is the best way to deal with them! But if you can't hang streetlights, deterrence is much better than appeasement.

“I noticed that Cavaleliaki’s condition is very distorted.”

In normal capitalist countries, in a social environment where consumerism prevails, people will gradually be alienated into sophisticated extreme egoists. Traditional moral values ​​will be greatly impacted and shaken, and will be further deconstructed or even completely collapsed in the course of social development.

But Casimir exhibits a very strange phenomenon.

People still admire knights, and the moral principles that modern people would call strange: "sacrifice for others," "drawing the sword for the weak," "fairness over profit," and "responsibility over loss."