People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Knowing he was going to get raped tomorrow, what could Ernst possibly do but resist?

They'll probably just be startled for a moment, and then continue with their miserable lives.

"Then what do they want?"

Upon seeing Christine's denial, Justin frowned and asked, puzzled.

Christen recalled the words "Bridge Clip" Cliff had spoken to her on the phone a few hours earlier from Blacksteel, and replied:

"They want money."

"Huh?" Justin was taken aback, clearly not realizing that Ernst's goal was so pure.

“There’s more,” Christen gasped.

Justin breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew it wouldn't be that simple."

Christen pointed to the aloof, mature woman reclining in her chair, who hadn't uttered a word or shown any extra expression since the meeting began: "They want Nastya..."

When Nastia's name was called, she snapped out of her daze and looked at Christensen with a confused expression.

The confusion wasn't about "the other party specifically asking for me," but rather about Christensen's reaction: "They specifically asked to take me into the mountains, yet you didn't refuse on the spot, and even held a special meeting to ask me about it."

She scrutinized Christensen suspiciously, as if to say, "You're not really planning to sell me out, are you?"

But Christensen seemed completely oblivious to Nasti's expression, and once again delivered an epic pause:

"We worked with the engineering staff to help them with infrastructure construction."

To get rich, build roads first!

After a long silence, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, only after confirming that Christensen had nothing more to say. They exchanged glances and said:

"Approved; specific terms can be discussed."

Chapter Forty-Four: I'm Dancing on Three Eggs

"Hello, Ms. Nastya."

Ernst was in an exceptionally good mood after extending his hand and shaking hands with the cold-faced succubus in front of him.

Although the idea had been there since Cliff proposed it, the actual path to contacting Rhine Labs was not smooth.

Rhine Labs is a large corporation, both on Terra and on Earth. When a corporation grows large enough, the governments of smaller countries have little power over it.

In more serious cases, even the government can be influenced by such large corporations and may even become their puppet.

The most striking examples are the British East India Company during the British colonial era, the United Fruit Company supported by the United States in Central America, and the Commercial Association active in Casimir on Terra.

Ernst never used his government power to open any back doors for his brother Enciodes's Kallan trade, and he has been steadily and slowly reclaiming some of the profits from the various industries in Kallan trade that it monopolizes, also in order to prevent such a situation from occurring.

The establishment of an engineering department, the appointment of his confidant Lola as minister, and the invitation of foreign experts and teams to conduct overall planning and construction of infrastructure in Shelag were some of the specific actions Ernst took under this guiding principle.

However, preventing local capitalists from growing too powerful and influencing the government is one aspect. We can't attract more powerful and harder-to-control foreign capital just to check and balance local capitalists.

At least in the former case of seizing power, the spoils remain within the country; in the latter case, if handled poorly, it could become a rare occurrence!

Therefore, Ernst has maintained a considerable degree of observation and skepticism regarding the introduction of Trimont's large scientific research enterprise.

But the appearance of Horhyah dispelled Ernst's worries.

Aside from having a slight penchant for teasing the boss, the newly appointed secretary was indeed exceptional in every other way. Seeing Ernst's reservations about the collaboration, she succinctly explained the pros and cons to him.

“Boss, your concerns are valid, and your worries are quite farsighted. But I still have to remind you, without external help, can Sherag really develop entirely on its own? Or rather, can it really develop into the company you envision?”

Ernst fell silent.

Although Horhaya's words did not use any fancy rhetoric, they pointed out a simple and unadorned truth incisively.

Small in size, impoverished, intellectually ignorant, and technologically backward, Sherag's only advantage compared to the vast wilderness of Terra is the simple and resilient people, including those in Jeragand.

But this cannibalistic land won't give you any leeway just because you're a good person. Under the international rule of the survival of the fittest, simplicity is equated with ignorance, and resilience is equated with vulnerability.

When the British shattered the old dream of China's superiority with their naval guns, they did not realize how noble the Chinese people's thousands of years of learning about gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility were.

Jeragand is indeed a god, but even gods cannot protect Sherag forever. Ernst knew that a thousand years ago, the emperor of the Eastern Great Yan had used the full power of the nation to exterminate all gods who disobeyed his decrees. In today's world, with rapidly advancing technology, how many war machines can Jeragand's divine might withstand?

Ultimately, it all boils down to the same old saying that has been repeated countless times: "If you fall behind, you will be bullied!"

They're a hammer, but you're just a nail. They're not hitting you now because it's not the right time yet. If you don't get stronger, their iron fist will smash into your head sooner or later.

But if you become stronger, and the nail becomes hard enough, then his hammer won't be able to break it down.

Ernst, having lived for a long time in a society with a vast enough territory, a stable enough society, and a powerful enough country, was unaware of a cruel truth.

The fate of a small nation is a gamble. Winning doesn't guarantee success, while losing guarantees annihilation.

"And Sherag is dancing on three eggs."

He sighed slightly.

Enciodis, being a true native, recognized this principle earlier than Ernst, and thus Victoria was always present in his plans for the development of Kjerag. The fact that the second headquarters of the Kjerag trade was located in Victoria, Ascala County, and that Enciodis spent far more time in Victoria than in Kjerag, is proof of this.

If Ernst continues to hesitate, relying solely on the meager strength of Kjerag's homeland and Jeragand's trust to fight against Ensiodis, then his defeat is only a matter of time.

Because Enciodis, with the help of Victoria, can truly accomplish more practical things, bring broader changes to Sherag, bestow favors upon the people, and benefit society. Ernst, however, no matter how eloquent his words, empty talk cannot ultimately bring prosperity and stability to the nation.

So, in order to defeat his brother in this invisible struggle, and to take control of his own and Sherag's fate, it was time to abandon illusions and start taking risks.

Compared to Casimir, who was embroiled in fierce internal power struggles, and Victoria, who had already chosen her own spokesperson, Colombia was undoubtedly a better and more reasonable choice.

Moreover, this isn't the Colombian government, but Rhine Life. An ordinary tech company that Ernst hasn't found anything particularly strange about so far.

He can take more initiative.

Facing the cold wind of Tremont, Ernst grasped Nast's outstretched right hand, clad in a fingerless gloved hand, and spoke earnestly:

"Thank you for accepting our invitation. Welcome to Sherag, my friend."

Nasti looked at the handsome young man she was meeting for the first time with some confusion, pursed her lips, withdrew her hand, and said, "So enthusiastic towards a Sarkaz?"

"Are you ashamed of your race?" Ernst retorted.

Nastya shook her head. "Of course not."

Ernst smiled slightly: "Then of course, Sherag wouldn't discriminate against his friends."

Nasti paused for a moment, then suddenly became somewhat interested in this arduous and demanding job.

"Does God help those who help themselves?"

Realizing the implication in Ernst's words, she glanced at the boy in front of her again.

At least, this prime minister is quite interesting.

............

"Yes, this is the Shelag government office."

In the low-rise, single-story building used as the office of the Sherag government, the phone in the Prime Minister's office was answered by Miss Moshi.

Due to a literal shortage of manpower, she was recommended by Hugh Ruth to serve as the temporary head of Ernst's land-based scam.

Because of the prior reminder of the location of Ernst Scherrager's general ledger, Ernst readily agreed to the arrangement.

Although Moshi is definitely not one of Hugh Rose's people, it doesn't matter. Whoever she is, the government is just an empty shell now. The offices are so empty that even rodents could starve to death. With no other options, Miss Moshi will have to deal with the dense crowds of worshippers every day.

Moshi was also somewhat speechless at Hurlus's arrangement. What was this? She was arranged by Noxis to infiltrate Hurlus's circle, and then Hurlus arranged for her to fill Ernst's position. Was it all outsourced layer by layer?

Please, I'm a spy!

And I won't even get double pay!

With a helpless sigh, Mo Xi could only deal with the work at hand. After all, her two bosses were a rational madman who wouldn't listen to reason and a love-struck woman who was too obedient to reason.

"This is Karan Trading, and I am Enshiodis."

The deep, magnetic voice of Boss Yin came from the other end of the microphone, sounding somewhat serious.

The boss's boss is checking up on me?

Moshi suddenly jolted awake, sat up from the recliner, and replied:

"Boss? Ernst isn't here right now."

“I know, the email I sent to him is on its way,” Enciodes said slowly. “I’m communicating with you, the current acting head of the Sherag government.”

"The content concerns the arrival of the Duke of Victoria Windermere's husband and daughter in Shelag to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Tukarim train."

Chapter Forty-Five: The Missionary Son of Kalan to Princess Victoria: Gangmen

Colombia – Sherago, Terra Wasteland.

The bus bearing the Rhine Life logo was stopped halfway through its journey. The driver squinted, glanced at the figure riding a camel not far from the front of the bus, pulled out a loudspeaker, leaned out of the window, and shouted:

"Is it a messenger?"

"Yes, yes!" The young man, his skin tanned dark by the sun, nodded with a smile, took out his ID, stepped forward, handed it to the driver, and said, "Looking for Mr. Ernst? Is he in the car?"

The driver checked his documents carefully before nodding to the messenger.

"Wait a moment, let me ask the boss."

As he spoke, he left the driver's seat, walked to the back, and came to the row where Ernst and Nast were, asking:

"Boss, we've run into a messenger. He's looking for Mr. Ernst. His identity is confirmed; he's not one of those madmen from Rusthammer."

Nast nodded and explained to Ernst:

"It would be best to let him get in the car. It's not easy for a messenger to deliver a message in the wasteland."

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

Ernst nodded in agreement.

On the continent of Terra, where there is only intercity network and no true internet, messengers play an incredibly vital role in the flow of information. Thousands upon thousands of messengers travel daily between the nations of Terra, traversing vast wastelands, treacherous highlands, and dangerous swamps, delivering intelligence to countless households. They are the profession with the highest mortality rate in all of Terra, second only to the military.

They are also a group of true unsung heroes.

Even a desperate Sarkaz mercenary, if he encountered a messenger in the wilderness, would offer him a drink of water if he had the means. Since this messenger was looking for Ernst, there was even less reason to refuse him a ride.

Having received an affirmative answer, the driver returned to the driver's seat and opened the car door.

The dark-skinned, robust young man immediately boarded the bus and greeted Ernst:

"Young Master Ernst, it's been a long time."

“It’s Brother Weiss.” Ernst recognized the person at a glance.

His older brother, Weiss, one of Ensiodis's three most trusted confidants, was codenamed "Messenger." Slightly older than himself, Weiss was in charge of logistics and messenger operations for the Kalan trade.

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

He does indeed possess a courier qualification certificate recognized by governments of various countries, but as the head of a department and SilverAsh's confidant, Ernst rarely sees him personally delivering messages.

To run into him here was not only a surprise to Ernst, but also gave him a vague premonition.

Something big might be going to happen in Sherag.

As expected, the messenger Weiss approached Ernst, took out a handwritten letter from Ensiodes from his pocket, and conveyed:

"The master instructed that you return to Shelag as soon as possible to prepare for the arrival of foreign guests."

"Foreign guests?" Ernst paused, glancing at the envelope in his hand. Weiss nodded affirmatively.

Without saying anything more, he glanced briefly at the people on the bus, then turned around, quickly left the carriage, mounted his camel, and galloped off into the distance.

As soon as he left, Ernst immediately became the focus of everyone's attention.

"What foreign guests?"

Vina asked, somewhat excitedly.

There are pictures here, which can be viewed after the updated version

Ernst promised her the position of Foreign Secretary, a position she was quite satisfied with, one that would allow her to meet all sorts of people and gain diverse experiences. And this letter in Ernst's hands might very well concern her first reception of foreign dignitaries since taking office—how could she not be excited?

Ernst didn't shy away from the Rheinlife Engineering staff who were in the same car; in fact, this unexpected "diplomatic matter" gave him more confidence and leverage.

See? Our Sherag is quite capable and in high demand; it's not a money-loser!

So everyone, please don't be lazy with the project!

He opened the envelope, took out the letter, and unfolded it in front of Vina and Horhaya, who had come closer. It contained only a few short lines of text.