People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

All she cares about is profit; she has no sense of shame.

A man can bend and stretch!

Ernst smiled and said, "I wonder if Duke Kester is satisfied with this explanation."

The Duke of Caesar nodded meaningfully: "I dare not be dissatisfied."

After seeing the Duke of Kester off, Ernst finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Although he exposed quite a few of his trump cards and network of relationships, it was still within an acceptable range. He accepted the challenge hastily this time, and to have fought to this extent was already a close call, a narrow escape from fate.

Moreover, in any case, today is the first time in history that Sherag has spoken with a standing and proud demeanor!

Ernst couldn't help but feel a little excited. In the verbal battle between Sherag and one of the Victoria fragments, I didn't lose! I lived up to my reputation as the keyboard god!

Let me give my acceptance speech. Thank you Vina for the combo moves, thank you Lafsini for your support, thank you special guest star Yeragand for her wonderful performance, and thank you to the people of Sherag for your support and love...

"Boss, I see the Duke of Cactus has left. Are you free now?"

Before Ernst could finish thanking everyone, Hintlaya's voice called from outside the door once again.

Ernst was in a good mood. He opened the door and looked at Hinterlea, who was working overtime with him at the reception desk:

"Hinterlea, what's wrong?"

Hinterlea put down the phone and said:

"Another visitor has arrived."

"The Yan people have arrived."

Chapter 276 The Grand Tutor of the Great Yan Dynasty and the Vice Minister of Rites

Shelag, Shelag train station.

The headlights of the last train dispelled the evening darkness, and the roar of the train echoed through the mountains like a magnificent symphony.

The thin old man sat in the private room, gazing out through the glass of the viewing window, as if he could pierce through the lingering darkness of the mountains and glimpse something deeper hidden within.

[The behemoth—Yeragand, specific form, specific powers, and specific time of its creation are unknown. Danger level: Low; Friendly rating: High; Last sighting location: Kjerag.]

The information provided by Si Suitai flashed through the old man's mind again, and he sighed softly.

The known information is still too limited.

The Si Sui Tai is the "relevant department" in the Great Yan Kingdom that handles matters related to behemoths. Unlike the other nations of the Terra Lands, which either revered or denigrated behemoths, the Great Yan Kingdom was the first to not regard "gods" as gods, but instead referred to them as "behemoths." Later, as the Great Yan Kingdom grew stronger and its influence expanded, the term "behemoth" began to spread widely and gradually became one of the official names used by the other nations of the land to refer to those magnificent creatures.

The Si Sui Terrace is no longer an ordinary institution that manages the strongest giant beast in the Great Yan Dynasty, "Sui," but has become the research and management center for giant beasts in the Great Yan Dynasty.

The giant beast scholars worked tirelessly day and night to analyze and study information on various giant beasts, while candlelight bearers roamed throughout the Great Yan, investigating and dealing with a series of events and disasters caused by the giant beasts. Sometimes, the scope of this investigation would extend beyond the borders of the Great Yan, spreading across the entire land.

Investigating behemoths located within the borders of other countries—whether this constitutes interference in their internal affairs—Da Yan believes it does not. This is because behemoths are unique creatures; some are arrogant, some indifferent, some are irritable and easily angered—even a few words can provoke them; others are inherently lazy, able to endure decades of digging and prodding.

But they all share a very common characteristic.

The behemoth has no homeland.

There is no such thing as a "giant beast of Yan Kingdom", "giant beast of Ursus", or "giant beast of Rembiton". There are only "giant beasts located within the territory of Yan Kingdom" and "giant beasts located within the territory of Ursus"........ Even "Sui", the strongest giant beast in the Great Yan region that has an inextricable connection with Great Yan, has never had any sense of belonging to the country of Yan.

Back then, He helped the court and army of the Great Yan Dynasty launch a large-scale hunt against other giant beasts, and he enjoyed the life-and-death struggle. In essence, he just thought it was fun and did not have any intention of being loyal to the emperor or serving the country.

What right do a bunch of ants have to demand His loyalty?

Of course, He accidentally overplayed His hand, and the giant beasts He had driven away or killed joined forces to cast a terrible curse on Him. Then, the Great Yan army mobilized all its strength and successfully completed the first war against giant beasts in the history of Terra.

Of course, from an objective point of view, it's hard to say whether this history has been "reimagined and embellished" by others.

Some people think so, because the power of "Sui" is truly terrifying. A giant beast led a group of mortals and defeated all the giant beasts in the Great Yan territory at that time. Such combat power, even if it was given a buff of -99% to all attributes and continuous blood loss by the resentment of the dead giant beasts, should not be something that a mortal army could shake.

One percent of 10000 is still 100. Even if there are 100,000 mortals with individual combat power of less than 0.00001, the total combat power is still only 1. The numerical difference is enough to erase the gap in operation. In the game's terms, you can push and pull and kick the boss like a ball, but it doesn't stop me, Marna, from wiping it out with my Water Chen ultimate move.

There is a kind of numerical beauty in behemoths.

However, some people think that there is no difference, because strictly speaking, the Yan soldiers during the Great Hunt in Terra are actually quite different from the Yan soldiers we know today.

Back then, everyone was a citizen of the gods, a citizen whose "divine power" had not yet dissipated!

An army composed entirely of divine beings, led by a powerful individual among them, united in purpose, could easily defeat a boss whose health has been depleted.

After all, the same configuration was enough to cripple Kazdel. It is known that even with a bunch of health packs sacrificed by Kitty Egg Roll, the health bar of the [Time-Sequence] behemoth could be completely wiped out. And at its strongest, the Protoss could overthrow and crush the Tikkaz, who at that time possessed the complete "Ten Royal Courts". Considering this, the combat power of the Protoss army cannot be compared with that of a modern army.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the demons are in such a miserable state now; their ancestors were once very wealthy.

Of course, the specifics of what happened back then are no longer visible to people today, and this land has yet to develop a magical artifact capable of reversing the flow of time. With the outcome already predetermined, obsessing over tracing back to the truth of what happened back then has become a thankless and arduous endeavor.

The Grand Tutor would not do such a thing.

He is a human being. If our ancestors won back then, then they won. Whether it was a direct confrontation, a sneak attack, or even if they took advantage of his sleep to ambush him in the middle of the night, that was still a victory.

There's a saying, "History is written by the victors." The Grand Tutor felt this statement was somewhat ambiguous, sounding more like a resentful excuse from the defeated.

If you asked him to say it, he would say, "Only the victors have the right to write history."

If the Great Yan had been defeated back then, there would be no Great Yan now. Writing history is an honor. People who read history do so with a bias, but those who write history do not. They insist on being rational and objective. Am I not stupid?

However, debating history was not the purpose of the Grand Tutor's trip to Shelag. Yeragand might know some details of that history, but he didn't care.

He was just visiting an exception.

"Grand Tutor, why do you say Jeragand is an exception?"

Sitting opposite the Grand Tutor, Ning Ciqiu, the Vice Minister of Rites, wrapped his shawl tighter around himself.

The weather in Shelag is very cold. Even though it's officially summer now, you need to wear at least two layers of clothing to get into Shelag. Ning Ciqiu grew up in the mild climate of southern Yan Kingdom, so she's not used to this weather at all.

Fortunately, Terra's constitution is strong and he did not experience any altitude sickness. Otherwise, Miss Ning Ciqiu would probably have been able to experience the newly established, highly advanced medical department in Shelag.

Ernst tried them and they all said they were great!

The Grand Tutor slightly turned his head to look at the Minister of Rites before him, who was also the daughter of his old friend. A slight smile appeared on his lips as he said calmly:

"Wear more clothes. If you catch a cold, your father will nag me again when we go back."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Grand Tutor." Ning Ciqiu nodded somewhat apologetically.

The Grand Tutor then said, "What I just said—that giant beasts have no nationality and do not belong to any particular country—is not without exception."

"According to Si Suitai's investigation, there are at least two exceptional giant beasts on this land. One of them is a giant beast of the Sami people, which they call the 'Grandfather Spirit.' It has a long history and its existence has been confirmed for a long time. It has always protected the Sami people and defended their northern defense line along with the beast lord, Anma."

"The North? You mean...?"

The Grand Tutor nodded:

"Evil spirits and demons are not unique to the Great Yan Dynasty; it's just that the defense line north of the Great Wilderness City has to contend with more than just those evil spirits."

Not only demons, but also those giant beasts that were driven out of the Great Yan Kingdom in ancient times, and... a combination of both, and giant beasts infected by demons.

The Grand Tutor's eyes flickered, but considering Ning Ciqiu's current position and her father's instructions, he chose not to elaborate.

She probably already knows, and if she doesn't, so be it. She'll find out sooner or later anyway.

Without dwelling on the topic, the Grand Tutor continued, "Another special case is the purpose of our visit to Shelag."

“The behemoth Yeragand,” Ning Ciqiu murmured. “The Si Sui Tai only recently entered information about this behemoth into its database; we know nothing about it yet. To come here so rashly…”

As soon as she said it, she realized her mistake and quickly tried to salvage the situation:

"I am not saying that there was anything wrong with the Grand Tutor's instructions."

"It's alright." The Grand Tutor waved his hand, indicating that Ning Ciqiu didn't need to worry about this minor slip of the tongue.

“I’ve thought about the problem you mentioned. Ciqiu, although our purpose in coming here is to try to communicate with Yelagand, let’s not forget that we were able to come here at the invitation of Sherag.”

"Are you talking about the World Expo?" Ning Ciqiu asked curiously. "A corner of Snow Realm, yet it hosts an expo that's called 'World Expo.' To be honest, I really don't know where Prime Minister Ernst's confidence comes from."

The Yan Kingdom delegation has been traveling all day, only sending an advance messenger to scout ahead, and has not yet obtained any information about the opening ceremony of the expo.

Terra does not have the drawbacks of long-distance communication.

However, compared to Ning Ciqiu's confusion and slight disdain, the Grand Tutor's expression was much calmer. He shrugged noncommittally and asked in return:

"Autumn is coming, that's a good thing."

“If the World Expo is truly attended by all nations, it means that Sherag’s influence is great enough. This international event naturally cannot be without Yan’s seat. Only by having you, the Vice Minister of Rites, and the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty come in person can we demonstrate the great Yan’s courtesy.”

"If not, then our arrival represents Yan's attitude and shows that we are giving Sherag face. Prime Minister Ernst is still young, but he is highly regarded in the government and has great potential. His future is promising. Our arrival adds two qualified figures to this World Expo, which is a timely help. Prime Minister Ernst is a reasonable person and will not forget it."

"In that case, we actually have a better chance of making contact with that behemoth Yeragand, don't we?"

Ning Ciqiu nodded in sudden realization: "Grand Tutor, your insight is brilliant. Prime Minister Ernst is also known as the Holy Son of Jeragund. Being on good terms with him is indeed a good way to get in touch with Jeragund."

This kind of thing is common in the officialdom of Yan Kingdom. Many people, unable to get close to her father, who is the Minister of Rites, turn to her for favors. At first, she was naive and would reciprocate with sincerity, but later she gradually guessed their motives. Now, if she has free time, she might still be polite and engage in such interactions, but if she is busy, she is tired of even trying.

However, she had accumulated this experience in life, but she had not yet brought it into officialdom or into her conduct in society.

As a newly appointed Vice Minister of Rites, she indeed has a lot to learn.

Ning Ciqiu was about to ask something when there was a knock on the door of the private room.

"咚咚-"

The Vice Minister of Rites frowned slightly. The golden-armored guards at the door had already set off, one hand on the hilt of their swords and the other unlocking the door.

The door to the private room slowly opened, and a melodious harp tune immediately filled the room.

Outside the door, a man in a grey top hat and a scarf that read "I love Shelag" let out a hearty laugh, glanced around the room, and then spoke:

"Hello everyone, I am the Harpist on the Train. Would you like to hear a harp performance?"

"Train service?" Ning Ciqiu was a little surprised, but she immediately switched to Victorian and replied, "Is the traditional instrument in Sherag the harp?"

"No, no, it's just my personal hobby. Listening to a beautiful piece of music during a busy journey allows my tired body and mind to rest for a moment. It's such a wonderful enjoyment. I just want to share this happiness with fellow travelers like me."

The man in the grey top hat shook his head and explained.

Ning Ciqiu turned her gaze to the Grand Tutor, who simply smiled and gestured for Ning Ciqiu to make the decision herself.

Ning Ciqiu pursed her lips and nodded:

"Alright then, Mr. Harpist, thank you for your trouble."

"Ok."

The man in the grey top hat smiled and placed his hand on the harp, his heart already as calm as still water.

This time it's people from Yan.

It's alright, I don't think I was that surprised.

Tsk, what's going on? Why does that sound a little sad?

As the music moved them, Ning Ciqiu and the Grand Tutor experienced a little tune with a touch of melancholy on the train.

Chapter 277 Want me to update? I'll explode!

Sherag, Tukarim, Ernst's office.

It was late at night. Ernst didn't have the habit of working overtime, but the people of Yan were really very enthusiastic. After arriving in the middle of the night, he didn't even plan to rest and immediately called Hinterlea.

Has Prime Minister Ernst gone to bed?

Ernst was also not asleep. Not only was he not asleep, but he had just seen off a very troublesome person and couldn't wait to go to bed.

Isn't this just a coincidence?

Ernst hadn't experienced this feeling in a long time, like his boss suddenly calling him in the middle of the night to discuss work tasks and plans.

Very good, Great Fire, which allowed me to return to Earth in 2024.

What else could Ernst say? He could only say that the Great Yan Dynasty was indeed very realistic in this respect. Ernst didn't dislike working overtime either. In his previous life as a civil servant, although it was nominally a proper nine-to-five job, where could a "humble public servant" have any real holidays? Sometimes, it really was just a matter of working overtime whenever it was asked.

Of course, overtime pay was indeed paid in accordance with the law, so Ernst didn't feel particularly averse to it. Besides, the person visiting this time was none other than the Grand Tutor, one of the three dukes of the Great Yan Dynasty, a truly elderly man. Since the other party was so enthusiastic, Ernst, as a young man, felt it would be impolite to send him away tomorrow.

The people of Great Yan value face above all else. If the other party gives face, Ernst will reciprocate, greatly increasing the chances of making friends. Having one more friend is always better than having one more enemy.

After Hinterlea led the people in, Ernst stood up to greet them, saying, "Please come in, make yourself at home."

"It's getting late. I've already arranged for a welcoming banquet. Your Excellency Grand Tutor or Minister Ning, you may rest for a while."

The words had barely left his mouth when the Grand Tutor and Ning Ciqiu were both taken aback. The reason was simple: Ernst was speaking Mandarin Chinese, the standard spoken in Yan.

Well, not entirely. You can hear a slight accent from the Shangshu region.