People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Shelag has not yet been invaded, but this is only because the three kingdoms are mutually restraining each other, making the cost of conquering and occupying Shelag far exceed the benefits.

But this is the case now, what about the future?

Ernst wanted to tell all the people of Sherag that while the political entity of a "nation" may be devoid of personal feelings, those who govern it are not.

It's not impossible for a monarch like the former Ursus emperor to reappear. When their desire for conquest overrides the interests of their nation, a low-return but personally satisfying "passionate war" is entirely possible. At that point, Sherag will not be able to rely entirely on Jeragand for defense!

Ernst didn't want to see the Boxers revolt throughout the country!

Sherag must become strong. Even if it cannot become the Switzerland or Singapore of Terra, it must at least become the Afghanistan of Terra, turning these mountains into a graveyard for all invaders!

"The merciful god Jeragund never asked the Sherag people to do anything, but are they just going to be like children who never grow up, nestled in the cradle of the mountains?"

“I am unwilling, and I believe that no ambitious, spirited, and devout Sherag man would be willing!”

A passionate voice rang out from in front of the sacred stone and spread throughout the entire square.

Ernst is now incredibly grateful for the speech contests he participated in during high school, and also incredibly grateful for the movies he watched that featured speech scenes.

Otherwise, given his experience as a civil servant, it would not have been so easy to stir up this emotion.

After all, it was a job that was so oppressive that you had to follow the rules.

As Ernst finished speaking, an unusual expression finally appeared on the faces of the taciturn people in St. Stone Square.

Ernst couldn't quite describe what that expression was.

Fanaticism? Pride? A drive to start striving for excellence right now?

Ernst's lips curled into a proud smile.

He raised his right hand and asked again:

"Should I be a pioneer revered by posterity, or an infant sheltered by its mother in swaddling clothes?"

"pioneer!"

A familiar voice responded loudly. Ernst looked over in surprise. The person who raised his right hand and answered Ernst first was none other than Enciodes!

The brothers' eyes met in mid-air, exchanging words of encouragement and gratitude, everything unspoken.

Once the first person spoke, and that person was one of the three clan leaders, the next second, a chorus of responses followed.

"pioneer!"

Aktos Perroche roared!

A few ripples of water appeared in the red eyes of the tall, burly Ursus man. He was always straightforward and genuinely admired Ernst's speech.

Although the Perroch family had always been responsible for training militia and protecting Shelag, no one knew better than the patriarch that Perroch's so-called protection was nothing more than "sweeping away wild beasts roaming around some settlements" or "regularly patrolling and clearing mountainous areas prone to avalanches." They were less like glorious guardians and more like local constables and policing officers.

But this Ursus man never lacked a restless heart.

Ernst's speech ignited his passion. For thousands of years, Sherag had been blessed and protected by Jeragand, free from natural disasters and man-made calamities. For this, Manjushri Temple held countless ceremonies to thank Jeragand, a fact he always considered perfectly deserved.

But how can we ever repay Jeragund's kindness? Simply sending a saint up the mountain and offering a little wine, rice, or tools to Jeragund each year as a token of gratitude—who are we trying to appease with such meager offerings?

It was always Manjuin who accepted those things, not Jeragand herself!

Now, he finally knows how to repay Jeragand.

Jeragand, who sheltered Shelag and treated the Shelagians like his own children, found no joy in Shelag's growth and prosperity, its dominance over the land, its people second to none. Nothing pleased Him more than the Shelagians living good, strong lives, able to proudly say to Him:

"We've grown up, now it's your turn to enjoy life!"

The flames in Actos's heart burned fiercely, like a small furnace that was about to overheat.

He declared with excitement and pride that rivaled anyone else's:

"Perroch will forever protect Kjerag! We will make the great god Jeragand proud!"

As soon as he spoke, the people and vassals of the Perroch family followed suit. Their voices, combined with those of the Kalan Trade and the Shivaish family, resounded almost throughout the entire holy mountain.

Ernst's gaze fell upon the last house, the Brontaur's.

The people of the Blantau family had already joined in the cheers of Perroch and Shivaesh, and Latatos's opinion was no longer important, but Ernst still wanted to see a united Sherag.

Ernst scanned the crowd of the Brantau family, but he couldn't find Latatos.

With a slight frown, Ernst felt a sense of foreboding and instinctively looked in the direction of Enciodes.

Just as he had feared, after the cheers resounded throughout the holy mountain, Silver Boss had disappeared into the crowd at some point.

Damn it, I was just touched by your support, and now you're gone in the blink of an eye. Can't we just stop messing around?

Ernst clicked his tongue and glanced at his watch.

At 10:15, there were 45 minutes left before the annual meeting of the three ethnic groups.

What else can we do but keep looking!

Mr. Silver, you better not get caught by me!

Chapter 81 Boss Silver: Let's settle this once and for all!

"What do you want from me, Ensiodis?"

Latatos, with one hand supporting the other, looked at the back of Ensiodis walking ahead of her, as if about to unleash the Tigazaperion Ray.

Boss Yin didn't turn around, but simply asked:

"How did you feel about my brother's speech?"

Latatos was somewhat unsure of Ensiodis's thoughts, so she could only tell the truth:

"It felt really good. His ability to evoke emotions and stir up feelings was above average. And to be honest, the way he was able to talk about these things and connect his faith in the great god Yeragand with the development of Sherag was so impressive that I couldn't help but applaud him."

This was something that surprised Latatos.

As a check and balance among the three families, Latatos Brantau was not without insight; on the contrary, within the bounds of tradition, she was even smarter and more capable than Enciodes.

Rather, it is an undeniable fact in Kjerag that before the Shivaesh family embraced modernization and introduced new things from abroad, the Brantau family played the role of merchants on Kjerag's soil.

The reason it's not working now isn't fundamentally due to Latatos.

She simply lost because industrial civilization outpaced agricultural civilization.

Having realized she was losing out to the Shivaesh family, Latatos slowly gained a deeper understanding of the outside world. This allowed her to appreciate how ahead of her time Ernst's "nationalistic ideas" and "political principles" were in his speech that day.

Compared to the later content that truly resonated with the Sherag people, such as "Make Jeragand Proud," those seemingly simple statements that set the tone were the real key.

Ensiodis nodded as a matter of course.

Ernst's performance today naturally surprised him. His first shout of "Trailblazers" was definitely not just a performance, but a heartfelt praise and affirmation.

But after shouting, he realized the problem.

“You’re right, Ernst’s speech was indeed quite good, at least a significant improvement over his inaugural speech, which was full of rambling nonsense. But he still has one big problem he hasn’t figured out.”

Ensiodis turned around and looked at Latatos, his expression serious:

"Sherrag doesn't have that much time left."

Latatos frowned, realizing something:

"What do you mean?"

“Literal,” Ensiodis said. “Ernst is too slow.”

“His thoughts do match his actions, but his actions are no match for the land of Terra now. Latatos, we have no time.”

“Our neighbors have started to notice Sherag.”

Latatos asked incredulously:

How did you come to this conclusion?

SilverAsh immediately replied, "Because the caravans of the Kallan Trade have already traversed all of Terra!"

"Within Victoria, the chaos caused by the execution of the king has gradually subsided. The noble dukes have completely taken control of the situation, and the royalist rebellion is no longer a big deal. Guess where they will turn their attention after they have completely stabilized the country?"

"The same goes for Kazimierz. Originally, the Merchants' Association and the Supervisory Council were able to check and balance each other, but as the Knights' Games have continued to develop, the Merchants' Association is becoming increasingly powerful. As for the Supervisory Council, although I don't know what other tricks they have up their sleeves, judging from the situation in the several Kazimierz border cities that my caravan has been involved in, the corruption within the Knights' forces is extremely serious!"

"As for Colombia, they seem the calmest, but they are the truly terrifying adversaries. The Great Frontier Movement has already demonstrated their ambition for land, and if Victoria and Casimir show their desire for Sherag, how can it possibly stand idly by?"

“We are already in dire straits! And Ernst is still planning to start from scratch step by step. I don’t disagree with his idea of ​​taking things one step at a time, but given the current situation, it’s too late!”

Enciodes asserted.

Latatos paused for a moment, looked at Ensiodis, and answered rationally:

"That's just your speculation."

“I know what you’re up to, Ensiodis. You want to win me over and do something at the upcoming tribal meeting?”

“I want to launch a vote of no confidence against Ernst,” Enciodes said. “I will nominate Nohis Edwis to take office and promote the full industrialization of Shelag. Not the small-scale industrialization he is currently undertaking, but a full industrialization with a focus on heavy industry.”

Latatos was taken aback, and almost burst out laughing:

"Do you know what you're saying? Who do you think will agree to this plan? Even if I help you, Perroch will oppose you. And not only that, even if the bill passes and Ernst steps down, do you think you and that government, which has no influence without Ernst as its 'holy son,' can implement everything you're saying in Sherag?"

"Why should I?" Latatos demanded.

Ensiodis gave Latatos a deep look and said:

"What if I had the ability to move things forward?"

"Impossible, Actos would object..."

"What if I have a way to suppress him even if he objects?"

Latatos paused, then widened her eyes in disbelief:

"Wait, no, you...!"

She suddenly remembered something Ernst had reminded Perroch, something that had caused a stir, and then been ignored.

Kalan Trade once "hid" a batch of steel.

This incident was used by the Perochi family as an excuse to suppress the trade between Shivaesh and Kalan, but it quickly fizzled out thanks to a plausible explanation from Nohis Edwis (the psychic).

Latatos Blantau only learned about the farce that took place downstairs at the Kalan Trade Building more than a week later. At the time, she didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was just another instance of Perroch making things difficult for her, something similar had happened countless times before.

At that time, the Holy Stone Trial, which was called for by the Grand Elder, was in full swing, and Ernst was being pushed to the forefront. There were priorities, so she temporarily put the matter out of her mind and hinted to her silly younger sister to go and help Ernst.

However, Ernst later benefited from the misfortune and didn't need to use the escape route she had prepared, so she completely forgot about that little incident.

But what if that piece of steel wasn't simply wasted, but actually "existed"?

Where can so much steel be used? What will it be used for?

Ensiodis smiled slightly and continued:

"And it's not just Actos, it's you too. Latatos, I know you're a smart person, but you also need to consider the interests of the entire Brantau family. In this respect, I think your sister is not as good as you."

"Why are you mentioning Hugh Ruth?" Latatos finally couldn't help but growl out.

If the disappearance of that batch of steel only sent a chill down Latatos's spine, then Ensiodis's sudden mention of Hulus at this moment made her break out in a cold sweat.

What does she mean by that?

Is Hugh Rose in danger? Or does he want Hugh Rose to replace me?

But how could that be? The Three Tribes Conference is not the Sherag government. The position of the tribal chief is determined by bloodline. Unless she dies, who can deny the sanctity of bloodline?

Except for Jeragund.

But does he have any way to get Jeragand to make a substitution?

Ensiodis didn't answer, but simply shrugged at her noncommittally and said:

"Don't worry, you have plenty of time to think. I just hope you can give me an answer before the Holy Hunt ends tomorrow."

"you!"

Before Latatos could finish speaking, Ensiodis turned around and walked resolutely toward Tucarim without looking back.

it's necessary.

He said to himself.

He always lost more than he won in his encounters with Ernst, and Ernst's position gradually became more secure, even indirectly strengthening the authority and credibility of the government that should not have existed in the first place.

If this continues, he will lose his chance to turn things around.