People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"The ownership of the land may be taken away, but the land is still here; it can't run away. As long as the person who gets the land never comes back, doesn't the land still belong to us?"

The person who acquired the land never comes?

Enchiodes frowned, somewhat puzzled by Ernst's meaning:

"How can someone get the land but can't come? Who are you going to borrow money from?"

Ernst said, "I'll lend to whoever has money."

“Victoria?” Ensiodis tapped the table.

Ernst shook his head: "No."

“Ursus?” Ensiodis asked again.

"Ursus is broke, there's no money left to squeeze!" Ernst retorted, then paused before stating his true thoughts.

"I want to borrow Columbia!"

“Columbia?” Enciodes murmured the name, then suddenly realized something and looked at Ernst in shock. “You wouldn’t be thinking of…”

Ernst smiled and nodded: "That's right, I plan to borrow from Columbia Bank, especially the kind of bank that everyone knows has connections with the military!"

This target may sound abstract, but Enciodis knows very well that in a country like Colombia, such a target is not difficult to find at all. He knows of at least a handful of banks that act as fronts for the Colombian military.

Ernst said slowly,

“Brother, you should also be very clear about the geographical location of Sherag.”

Shelag is in a very awkward geographical location. It is surrounded not only by continuous snow-capped mountains, but also by three powerful countries that are eyeing it covetously.

Victoria, Colombia, Casimir.

These are three countries that are all prominent on the Terran continent, especially Victoria, which is an old empire and currently the most powerful country on paper on the Terran continent.

With three major powers serving one Sherag, how could that be considered a small blessing?

This has always been a source of anxiety for Ensiodes. Having truly ventured beyond the mountains, he knows how vast the outside world is and how fierce the struggles can be. Sherag may enjoy peace and tranquility now, but what about the future?

If Shelag does not develop and become stronger, its future will only be a dark place soaked in blood!

"Tell me, if I, representing the Sherag government, applied for a loan from a bank that is well-known for its clear cooperation with the Colombian military, and secured the loan by pledging a six-square-kilometer plot of land, what would happen next?"

Ernst's voice was somewhat low, but his crossed legs and clasped hands exuded confidence. He believed that his brother, as intelligent as Enciodes, couldn't possibly be unaware of that answer.

"A piece of land of six square kilometers can be used to build factories, industrial parks, schools, and residential areas, and is naturally enough to build a military base."

Ensiodis said slowly,

“Everything the Sherag government and the banks do is normal commercial lending, but Casimir and Victoria won’t believe that reasoning. Even if that were true, they would believe in another, more significant possibility.”

"That means the Colombian military bribed the Sherag government and obtained a piece of land large enough to build a military base, thus infiltrating their own power into this strategic location at the intersection of three countries. At that time, they will oppose it, they will oppose it fiercely."

Ernst nodded.

This is a foreseeable future: when Ernst refuses or is unable to repay the loan, and the bank comes to seize the land according to the contract, he will face not only the honest and kind-hearted people of Shelag, but also the armed and pressuring countries of Victoria and Casimir.

Any explanation at the time was futile, because no one would believe that a bank with ties to the military, owning such a large plot of land in such a sensitive area, would be undertaking a development that would be completely "harmless" to the interests of the other two countries.

The ownership of the land will indeed be transferred, but all Colombians will receive is a stamped certificate; they won't even be able to see what the land actually looks like.

"Why didn't you choose Kazimierz?" Ensiodis asked.

“Because the merchants and soldiers of Kazimir are not of the same ilk,” Ernst replied.

"Then why didn't you choose Victoria?" Ensiodis asked again.

“Because Victoria is too strong, he might actually be able to attack,” Ernst said with a wry smile.

The only variable in this massive scam is whether a bank's purely commercial losses can sway the military to send troops to its aid. Victoria's existence serves as a layer of insurance; even if the Colombian military were foolish enough to protect a group of businessmen, they would have to consider whether they could afford to mess with Victoria.

As for Sherag, Sherag was actually the most innocent one.

The Ernst government did default on the loan, but it also transferred the pledged land to Colombia in accordance with the contract. It's just that Colombia itself was unable to take over the land. How can you blame me for that?

This is a legitimate business transaction. I'm acting in accordance with the contract. If you can't fulfill it, that's your problem. If you don't like it, go to a judge.

Oh, there are no judges in Shelag; the trial is decided by the Holy Maiden of Kalan.

The saintess is my sister!

Ensiodis pursed his lips; by now, he was almost convinced. But there was one thing he still couldn't let go of.

“Aren’t you worried about yourself? Once you do that, firstly, your reputation in Sherag will be ruined... Secondly, your safety will be in question. Once the Colombian side realizes what’s going on, they won’t let it go.”

He was Ernst's older brother after all, and he couldn't let his younger brother take that risk.

But Ernst shook his head; he knew all this all too well.

This was the only option available, since he was born in Shelag, a bizarre little country.

On this land, survival is a luxury, and development is no gift. For any nation aspiring to a brilliant rise, there are countless breathtaking power struggles behind the scenes. And for many more, the flames of civilization have silently faded into oblivion in the wilderness.

He didn't want Shelag to become like that, because it had the same long history, the same simple and honest people, and the same harmonious environment as his hometown in his previous life; it was his second hometown.

So, he slowly but firmly shook his head:

"Now that I've taken this position, I have only responsibility."

"Rather than make the people suffer even more, I'd rather suffer even more myself; I'll bear the blame."

"Trust me, brother, the branch won't break on the chameleon's arm."

P.S.: This is a 4000-word chapter. Please support it.

Chapter Nine is about the Prime Minister!

Time flies in Shelag.

This snowy land is protected by the great Yeragand. There is no threat of natural disasters that could take lives at any time and force people to leave their homes. People work at sunrise and rest at sunset. Occasionally, they go to the emerging town of Tukarim to see the new things that have come from the outside world. They pass the time with curiosity and leisure, as if everything is no different.

As for the so-called "Sherrag National Council" and "Sherrag Government," not many people actually pay attention to them. All that is known is that the government now represents Sherrag, and even the three major families have to give it some face.

But who cares about that?

Everyone continued to make a living within the territories of the three major families, and life did not change much due to the emergence of the Sherag government. Perhaps people would discuss its existence during their leisure time, but most of the time, they talked about Ernst Shivaish, a member of the Shivaish family, rather than the government itself.

If someone were to ask them what kind of person they think Prime Minister Sherag is, most would probably answer:

Who is Prime Minister Sherag?

A small number will politely reciprocate.

"He's a good person, isn't he?"

Ernst was not in a hurry to make his presence felt, for a simple reason: until Enciodis's trip to Colombia as his representative ended, the Sherag government was still just an empty shell.

What credibility can a government with no money have? Even Shang Yang's reforms, like the famous "moving a log to establish trust," required a reward of gold. Without money, who will work for you?

As for his "Who are you?" comment, which was even worse than a friend card, he didn't care at all.

Because soon, everyone in Sherag will be deeply impressed by him, and from now on, it is highly likely that no one will ever call themselves "a good person" again.

Time flies. In the small bungalow of the Sherag government office, Ernst, who was on time for work, greeted his secretary, Miss Lola, who had already arrived and clocked in early.

Some people may not be familiar with the name Lola. She also has another codename on Rhodes Island—Aurora, the girl who carried the Doctor away during the Snow Mountain Incident as a Rhodes Island operator.

As part of the Shivaesh family's talent development program, Lola was sent to Columbia University to study defensive engineering in extreme snow environments. She's practically a civil engineer, which seems completely unrelated to the secretary profession. However, Ernst simply didn't have many capable people under him, so he had to temporarily place Lola, his trusted confidante, in this position.

Yes, Lola was one of Ernst's few confidants. The reason was simple: Ernst had stamped and approved Lola's application for studying abroad.

As a Snow Mountain Ursus living in the Perrochi family's territory, Lola wouldn't normally have been able to secure a place on Ensiodis's tight talent development list. After all, SilverAsh is a capitalist, and opportunities to send people abroad for study are already rare. With such a large investment, he would definitely prioritize his own people, and there's no reason for him to cultivate talent for his enemies.

But Ernst recognized Lola's appearance at that time. The reason was simple: although he was a casual gamer, he had seen the video of Aurora carrying the Doctor for an hour (pure version) and had also used many of the then-popular Aurora Northeast floral jacket memes.

Don't you think it's a coincidence?

Although he didn't know if it was due to a shift in the timeline that Enciodes didn't intend to make an exception and include Lola's name on the talent development list, Ernst couldn't bear to see such a lovely, studious, and promising young woman's dream of pursuing education extinguished by reality. So he secretly found the family's butler, Chester, obtained the key to Enciodes's room, and sneaked into the study that night to add her name to the list, adding a note after it: "I'll cover this person's expenses."

This was not a very honorable thing, but fortunately, when Enciodes got the list the next day, he was not angry at all. He acted as if he had not found out and accepted the fact.

Therefore, Lola was also given the opportunity to go to Colombia.

Later, Lola somehow learned about what happened that night, so she declined the invitation from the Colombian expedition team, returned to Sherag, joined the Carlan Trade, and after Ernst was elected as the first prime minister, she took the initiative to apply for a civil service job.

This is why Ernst knew that a batch of steel had been concealed—as a graduate specializing in extreme weather snow engineering, Lola had a general understanding of the steel needed for the current Kjerag railway, and the amount imported by the Kjerag trade was significantly greater than that.

Ernst hung his warm clothes on the coat rack in the room and had just sat down in a chair when Lola came up to him and reported news that Ernst had been waiting for:

“Young Master Ernst, Master Enciodes just sent a text message. Magnus Bank of Colombia has accepted our loan application. They are on their way and should arrive at the Tucarim border in about two days.”

Ernst, still a little sleepy, immediately perked up and asked:

How long does it take to send the message?

In Terra, due to natural disasters and geopolitical factors, laying an interconnected network covering the entire landmass has always been a distant dream. The intercity networks of mobile cities only connect when two cities are linked, and most of the time, communication between cities and countries relies on an ancient profession—messengers.

Whether relying on foot or transportation, messengers are always subject to delays in delivering messages. Even though Ernst just received a message from Enciodis, the messenger might already be on his way for who knows how long!

"Two days ago," Lola reminded her, "Lord Ensiodis and the others should be arriving soon."

Ernst sighed, not having the energy to complain about the frustrating communication system on Terra, and immediately stood up, taking off his coat and hat, which hadn't yet warmed up in the air-conditioned room, and called out:

"Then let's go."

"This is the first big deal for our Shelag government, it concerns our salaries, so let's be more focused!"

As he spoke, Ernst seemed to remember something, stopped, turned around, and gave Lola a very serious reminder:

"By the way, don't call me 'Young Master' outside, call me 'Sir' or 'Your Excellency the Prime Minister'! That's how they address me there. We need to showcase the civility of Shelag to our Colombian friends and leave a good impression on our... I mean, on our friends, understand?"

Lola nodded knowingly. "I understand." After saying that, she hesitated for a moment, then cautiously probed, "What about in private?"

Ernst didn't know what Lola was so fixated on being called "young master," so he simply nodded and said:

"It's just the two of us in private anyway, so call me whatever you want."

"Yes! Master!"

"Hmm?" Ernst raised his voice slightly.

Lola was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what she meant and bowed slightly.

"Yes, Prime Minister!"

Chapter Ten: Saving Money, Not Shameful

Luther Magnus, one of Colombia's top ten outstanding entrepreneurs of the year, took over the presidency of Magnus Bank from his father at the age of 43. He vigorously promoted cooperation between Magnus Bank and the Colombian military, invested in and built numerous industrial blocks, and led Magnus Bank to stand out from the competition among a number of banks in the special economic zone in just three years. In the end, he surpassed Will Smith International Bank to become the most profitable bank of the year. He was therefore hailed as "the rising star of Colombian banking" and "the guiding star for young people".

Putting aside the descriptions of Luther Magnus's past in Enciodis's letter, the man standing before Ernst at this moment seemed rather unremarkable.

Ernst's first impression of him consisted of the typical beer belly of a middle-aged man, the monocle perched above his right eye (whether for decoration or actual use was unclear), and the black suit that didn't look very warm.

—I feel like someone who's extremely concerned about saving face.

“Prime Minister, isn’t Mr. Magnus cold? He looks like he’s shivering.”

Lola stood slightly behind Ernst, speaking in a low voice. Her hands were folded on her lower abdomen, her back ramrod straight, displaying an air of dignified elegance. Clearly, having studied at Columbia University, she was not at all as "rude" as Ernst had feared.

Why are you always so carefree in the office, bumping into me and stepping on me all the time?

Ernst suspected the girl was doing it on purpose, but he had no proof. He could only give her a resentful look, signaling her to keep quiet.

Luther clearly noticed the exchange of glances between Lola and Ernst. A smile appeared on his face, which was flushed from the cold, and he quickened his pace, bypassing Enciodis who was leading the way, to shake hands with Ernst and say:

"You must be Ernst Shivaish, the new Prime Minister of Shelag. So young, so accomplished, so very accomplished!"

Ernst also activated his memories of being a civil servant in his previous life, and immediately switched to a business-like smile, returning the handshake:

"You flatter me. I am only able to sit in this position because of the kindness of the people of Kjerag. As for you, Mr. Magnus, you are strong and magnanimous. I was worried that Mr. Ensioudis would forget to remind you of the weather in Kjerag, but it seems that even the cold wind of Kjerag is nothing to you!"

As he spoke, Ernst shook Magnus's hand firmly several times, looking earnest and admiring. This left Luther Magnus somewhat speechless.

He had just praised Ernst, intending to flatter the young man since he was young, hoping to make things easier to negotiate later. But after this round, Ernst didn't get the praise he deserved; instead, he was the one who ended up being praised.

Now that's a problem. He originally wanted to bring up the fact that Ensiodis hadn't prepared warm clothes for him, but now he couldn't bring himself to say it.

People have already praised you for not being afraid of the wind and snow, so you can't exactly say you're cold now, can you? You'd lose face!

"This kid looks young, but he's a tough one."

Luther made a silent judgment in his mind, and was about to speak up to regain his composure when Ernst beat him to it again: