People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Because love is also a form of devotion. No less than the devotion of any fanatic.

Ya'er paused, then changed the subject:

"Enya is chanting scriptures. Are you looking for her? Would you like me to call her for you?"

“No need, I really came to pray.” Ernst shook his head and said, “It is said that Manjushri Temple is the closest place to the great god Yeragand. If I pray here, he may hear me more clearly.”

Ya'er raised an eyebrow and reminded her with a smile, "Gods don't have an age."

Ernst shrugged. He took out the divine stone from his pocket and placed it on the altar in front of Ya'er. He also took out a bottle of Orange Storm he bought in Colombia, a packet of rose seeds he bought in Victoria, and a knight's medal souvenir he bought in Casimir, and placed them on the altar together.

Ya'er, standing to the side, stared blankly as Ernst offered her gifts as if he were restocking a product, somewhat bewildered:

"What are you trying to pray to me..., Your Excellency Jeragand?"

Ernst answered in a very serious tone:

“Pray that He will study fluid mechanics.”

Ya'er: "........?"

Putting aside what fluid mechanics is, is it even necessary for Jeragand to study it? What's the use of it?

Without even a moment to answer Ya'er's questions, Ernst clasped his hands together and began to pray.

"Great God Yeragand, are you there?"

"Not here." Jeragand's voice replied instantly, as if she were right next door blocking the door.

Ernst paused, somewhat amused. "You're replying even when I'm not here? What, do gods have automatic replies?"

"Then I'll come back later?"

Yeragand was silent for a moment, then his voice softened and he asked in a gentle, refreshing tone, "...What is it? Speak."

"I'd like to ask, can you change the weather in Shelag?"

Ernst got straight to the point and asked,

"If I asked you to create a calm zone of airflow over Kjerag, would that be possible?"

Although Ernst had made a bold claim to Nastya, he wasn't actually sure whether the flying machine method was feasible.

This involves a very important issue—Terra's sky is different from Earth's sky.

On Earth, airplanes can ascend to the stratosphere, where the atmosphere is dominated by horizontal movement and lacks water vapor. There are no factors such as wind, clouds, rain, or snow that affect airplane flight. The temperature is lower, and the relatively stable atmospheric environment is conducive to stable flight.

Terra, theoretically, should also have a stratosphere, and considering that Terra's ecological environment is not much different from Earth's, the difference in atmospheric structure should not be too great.

There is only one small problem.

That is the stratosphere, which is 10 kilometers above the Earth, while Terra's sky limit is only 6 kilometers.

Six thousand meters above Terra's skies lies an enigmatic entity known as the Isolation Layer. It seems to have existed since ancient times, having been called by many names, such as "Star Pod" and "Sky Canopy." At the Isolation Layer's location, electromagnetic signals and Originium artifacts are affected, either going out of control or crashing. Terrans have had pioneers attempt to study the Isolation Layer, but its operation remains a complete mystery to them.

There are many speculations, but none of them can be explained logically, let alone a breakthrough.

The stratosphere, at altitudes below 10,000 meters, almost limits the capabilities of aircraft as a means of transportation—under complex weather conditions and turbulent high-altitude airflow, it is difficult for aircraft to achieve stable operation.

The risk was too great; the parents of that Commander Christen gave the entire Terra a lesson by setting off fireworks with their own lives.

Even Ernst would have a hard time figuring out a solution to this.

However, the inability to break through the pod layer that covers the entire sky of Terra does not mean that Ernst cannot find another way and directly create a "simulated stratosphere" below the pod.

This sounds incredible, but it's not entirely impossible, because the First Citizen of Kjerag clearly has the ability to control the weather within Kjerag.

If Yeragand can achieve this, even if it doesn't solve the problem of aircraft for the entire Terra, at least in this corner of Sherag, the dream of putting aircraft into use will no longer be a dream.

At that time, the problem of transporting supplies that has plagued the Sherag people for thousands of years will also be solved!

After listening to Ernst's account, Jeragand fell silent.

Ernst was unsure of Jeragund's intentions. In such matters, he wasn't afraid of denial or affirmation, but rather of silence. Building an airport and purchasing aircraft was a considerable expense. Even if Ernst could reach a cooperation agreement with Rhine, trading Kjerag as a test flight site for cheap and advanced prototype aircraft, the construction of the supporting facilities alone would still be a substantial sum.

He couldn't help but ask:

"How is it, Great God Yeragand?"

After a long pause, Jeragand finally responded:

"I will give you an answer about this matter through the Divine Stone in a few days."

Ernst opened his mouth, thought for a moment, and then simply nodded without saying anything more.

I was asking for a favor, so there's absolutely no reason to rush me. It's already a huge favor that Yeragand's mother was willing to help.

Opening his eyes and exiting his meditative posture, Ernst looked at the altar. The rose seeds, Orange Storm, and Knight's Medal that had been placed there at some point had all disappeared, and Ya'er, who had been waiting in the room, was also nowhere to be seen.

He frowned slightly, and his suspicions were gradually confirmed.

In Sherag, Jeragand has countless clones and the power that "if I don't want to, others will have a hard time realizing that I am Jeragand."

But Ernst always sensed Jeragund's presence.

Now it seems his guess was correct. Yeragand must have an avatar hidden within the Manjusaka Temple—perhaps an elder, perhaps a maidservant, or perhaps Al...

Well......

Ernst shook his head.

Never mind, it doesn't matter who Jeragund's human counterpart is, does it?

God has always been watching us silently. Why do we have to go to such lengths to uncover His identity, besides satisfying our own vanity as great detectives? What other effect does it have?

I feel that giving God some local specialties from other places would make her happier than this.

Thinking this, Ernst stood up and walked out of the Manjusaka Academy.

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

Meanwhile, in Shelag, Tukarim, the Shelag government office building (it wouldn't be surprising if it were labeled as a dangerous building someday).

Dressed in a traditional Manjushin dress, Ya'er appeared out of nowhere in the corridor, seemingly oblivious to everyone around her, while the praying crowds and Rhine employees passing by did not react to her sudden appearance.

It was as if they hadn't noticed her at all, or as if she was meant to be there, blending seamlessly into the environment, perfectly natural and without any sense of incongruity.

She looked up at the room numbers on the bungalow, went through them one by one, and finally stopped in front of the engineering department's door. The biting cold wind blew in and obediently opened the door for her.

Nastya and Lola were in the room.

Noticing the door open, Nastya and Lola, who were discussing the airport site selection, both looked up at the doorway.

Lola, a local, immediately recognized Ya'er's attire: "An adult from the Manju Academy?"

Nasti frowned slightly: "Manju Academy, isn't that your religious institution? What's she doing here?"

The doubts and wariness that had just arisen in her heart were dispelled by Ya'er's soothing voice:

"Don't worry, I'm just here to ask you a few questions."

"Does anyone here know anything about... fluid mechanics?"

Without even a moment's regret for her low level of education, the one who rushed to the engineering department was her diligent and studious mother, Yeragand!

PS: Fourth update complete! Please subscribe, brothers!

Each post contains over 3000 words, and today's update has 12000 words.

If this were a standard 2000-word chapter, I'd be releasing six chapters today. I've been writing since last night until now.

PS: Next up is the bizarre governance of this small country. First, I'll deal with the three major internal families, then write the novel, build an airport, and witness the rise of this small country!

Chapter Fifty-Four: Let some people be enlightened first, and let the enlightenment of the first lead to the enlightenment of the rest.

When the billions of dollars in subsidies from the Duchy of Windermere were deposited into the account that Kjerag had just opened at Magnus Bank, the massive infrastructure project in Kjerag began.

First, basic building materials were transported into Tukarim via the Tukarim railway line built by the Karan trade. Due to the limited length of the railway line, these materials had to be transported by traditional snow mountain pack animals after entering Sherag, crossing mountain roads to reach the territory of the Shivaish family.

The purpose of these building materials is undisputed: to construct the first primary school in Sherrag, a project Ernst had long planned.

In fact, Ernst hesitated between prioritizing infrastructure development and education, as this was inherently a contradictory issue in Sherrag.

If infrastructure construction is to be prioritized, where will the workers come from? You can't expect a group of old farmers and hunters who have spent their lives dealing with the land and wild beasts to suddenly become enlightened and know how to build roads, how to control the proportion of cement, and how to safely use those Originium machines that are somewhat difficult to operate, can you?

They don't even know how to apply glue.

However, outsourcing the entire project or simply hiring large construction companies would be quite troublesome. The biggest issue, of course, is cost. Besides cost, the xenophobic sentiments of the Sherag people are there, and it's hard to say they won't cause trouble again, like they did with the Magnus Bank people, and surround the construction site.

That would truly be a losing proposition.

But if they prioritize education, while building one or two houses isn't difficult, whether the people are willing to come and learn is a problem. Ernst could call for or even force learning in the name of the government, but for the people of the Peroch family's territory, just getting to the Shivaish territory is a long journey, requiring several hours or even more than ten hours on rugged mountain roads. By the time they arrive, it will be dark, and they won't have learned anything, and then risk traveling back in the dark?

Isn't this just pure torture? If this were done once or twice, even if the Sherag people didn't rebel, Ernst himself would have to curse himself for being such a scoundrel.

After weighing the options, Ernst accepted the suggestion given by Enciodis.

"It is unrealistic to expect Sherag to rise to prominence in a short period of time."

“Even if you have great prestige among the people of Shelag now, and even Perroch and Blantau have to obey you, you should remember that they obey you as a person, not your Shelag government.”

"The Three Races Conference has never been truly dissolved."

Ensiodis aptly pointed out:

"For any politician, the top priority is to stabilize their base of support. Only when the base of support is stable can they expand their influence outward."

Enchiodes phrased it rather tactfully, but Ernst still understood what he meant.

Whether he wants to prioritize infrastructure development or education, he should start with Tukarim, where the level of civilization and openness is relatively high, and gradually expand to the entire territory of the Shiva'ish family. This would allow the people in the Shiva'ish family's territory to experience the benefits of development and progress, and become staunch loyalists, before considering extending his influence to the territories of Perrochi and Blantau.

In other words, let some people get rich first, and let those who get rich first help those who get rich later.

That's a truly imaginative and bold proposal.

But Ernst couldn't think of any other way. Winning people's hearts couldn't rely on Jelagand either, otherwise, just like now, people would only respect Jelagand and Ernst, not the government. Once they disappeared, the entire government would be nothing but a name, completely devoid of credibility.

"Then let's focus on improving education in Tukarim first."

Ernst said slowly,

"The transportation conditions in Tukarim are not bad. Although there are no proper asphalt roads, at least it doesn't turn into a muddy mess after it rains. In addition, the population of Tukarim is increasing rapidly. I think we should prioritize building a night school, what do you think?"

Night school, as the name suggests, is a school held at night. It was a stopgap measure that emerged during a period of rapid national development due to a shortage of talent.

The workers toiled in the factory during the day and attended night school in the evenings to learn basic knowledge. It wasn't anything particularly profound, but it helped them transition from simple laborers to skilled workers. During this time, their children could also attend classes, solving the problem of unsupervised children wandering the streets and gradually improving the overall quality of the next generation.

Of course, since night school is not a full-time formal school, the knowledge taught is often to meet the technical gaps in factories, and there is no specific subject classification. Therefore, such schools are ultimately only "temporary" and are only suitable for mass-production technical workers, but cannot cultivate real talents.

"But that's enough."

Ensiodis affirmed.

Ernst nodded as well:

"The role of one or two geniuses has been overestimated. What truly supports the development of Shelag is the large number of basic skilled workers."

It's a very simple truth: even if there were ten or a hundred more geniuses like Lola or Dr. Columbia, they still wouldn't be able to pave the entire road through the snow-covered mountains or dig a tunnel through them.

Perhaps the first road in Shelag will be named after them when it is built, but Ernst will always know who the people who built it really were.

The Great Wall belongs to the Ying and Zhu families, the Forbidden City belongs to the Zhu family and the Aisin Gioro family, but no one ever commemorates them. The only thing worth commemorating is the Monument to the People's Heroes!

"So, what is the name of this night school?"

“Hmm…” Ernst pondered for a moment before replying, “Spark Night School, I guess.”

It is the faint light that illuminates the road at night, the spark that ignites the first lamp that transforms Shelag from ignorance to enlightenment, and the first flame destined to spread the fire of civilization and wisdom across the snowy landscape in the future.

Its existence as a night school is temporary, but its spark will never be extinguished.

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

Shelag, Manju Academy.

This was Horhaya's first time climbing this legendary holy mountain since arriving in Shelag.

The piety and reverence of the Sherag people for the holy mountain is beyond doubt. Now that Yelagand has clearly manifested his power at the Holy Stone Square, the number of worshippers on the holy mountain is even greater every day. So much so that Horhaya marvels that the winding mountain road is like a smooth road for the devout believers.

But her purpose in going up the mountain was not to pray to the god of the Sherag people.

She was fulfilling her purpose: to find her past.