People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

This is a serious matter: to get rich, build roads first! Ernst couldn't afford to take it lightly!

Since the other party extended such a warm invitation, Ernst naturally had no choice but to change his plans at the last minute and send a letter to Shi Tongling requesting a visit.

It is worth mentioning that this time he did not plan to pass through Trilintelme first, but planned to go directly to Hochberg in the territory of Ston.

Letania and Victoria share many similarities, one of which lies here. Because of the existence of powerful nobles like the Grand Electors who held immense local military, political, and financial power, the regions enjoyed a high degree of independence; even receiving state-level visits was a matter of autonomy.

Just as Ernst did not need to report to the council and the emperor of Londinium when he visited the homes of several dukes in Victoria.

It's not because the former is already defunct in name only, or the latter is confirmed dead, but because the system dictates that Ernst truly has no need for it.

During this impromptu visit, Ernst focused on business communication. He and Her Majesty the Queen of Letania did not have much in common at the moment. Moreover, Ernst still vividly remembered how the Queen of Letania, together with the Duke of Kester, had pressured Sherag at the last World Summit to take away the airships for use on the Londinium battlefield. Therefore, Ernst even felt a bit of resentment towards the Queen.

He had never met the Black Queen and had no particular feelings about her, but considering the current situation in Letania, it was best to avoid getting involved and causing as little trouble as possible.

"With neither Horhyah nor I here, you'll have to handle many things on your own, Vina."

Ernst instructed,

"I believe you are capable of this, but I also hope you can listen more, ask more questions, and think more. Some decisions don't have to be made by you alone."

During his and Holhayah's trip to Colombia, the Sherag government was primarily led by Vina in carrying out related work.

Vina did a good job. Although Ernst didn't subscribe to any "bloodline theory," he had to admit that Vina did have some leadership talent. During her tenure, while she didn't achieve anything particularly remarkable, she maintained stability in Sherag very well.

For a country, stability is more important than anything else.

But Ernst also heard some things.

Vina is sometimes too "decisive" when she needs to make decisions.

Making decisive decisions is a commendable virtue, but a certain degree of reflection, negotiation, analysis, and listening to opinions are also very important.

Why do some issues remain unresolved, and why are some solutions repeatedly delayed? The reason is simple: they involve the interests of many people. The more people involved, and the greater their interests, the longer the solution will require discussion.

In other words, sometimes when leaders make decisions, they not only need the courage to "make absolute decisions," but also need to leave room for "mediation and change."

Otherwise, some problems may seem fine at the time of the decision, but because the interests involved are too great, and there has been insufficient discussion and sharing of responsibilities, the decision is made, but the matter is delayed and becomes unmanageable, turning into a troublesome situation. Ernst saw many such cases in his previous life.

Of course, Vina hasn't made that mistake yet, but Ernst still needs to offer some reminders. Scherrag is a small country; large countries might make such mistakes many times, but for small countries, one or two such mistakes could lead to a financial crisis and a crisis of trust.

Vina was very humble and lowered her head upon hearing this. She didn't actually have any bad intentions. She just felt that sometimes, in some situations, someone needs to make the decision, take responsibility, and move things forward.

To put it bluntly, this is called "recklessness"; to put it positively, Vina has a strong sense of "mission"!

It wasn't because she was Aslan, but because she wanted Sherag to improve quickly and didn't want to disappoint Ernst.

"Then Ernst, who do you think I can consult?"

Without hesitation, Ernst answered directly:

"If you have questions about foreign affairs, ask Ratatos; if you have questions about domestic affairs, ask Lola."

These two candidates were ones he had already decided on long ago.

Latatos is the Minister of Commerce and Trade of Sherag, and besides Enciodes, she is the Sherag person who knows the most about the outside world—without a doubt, she knows even more than Lola. Moreover, she is a native Sherag person, able to think in the Sherag way, and her stance is definitely on the Sherag side.

Lola is the same. As the Minister of Engineering, she could have been much busier, but she was still active on every construction site, from large-scale infrastructure projects to helping people repair animal kennels. Her popularity and "face" among ordinary Sherag people were no less than those of the three major families.

If Ernst is not available, and a Sheragian assassin is needed to speak on Ernst's behalf, then Lola is definitely the best choice.

Why not choose Enciodes? Because Enciodes is not a member of the Sherag government, and there's no reason for the government to invite a businessman to speak.

Why not invite Enya? Well...

Enya's issue concerns Sherag's religious problems.

Although Kjerag's religion, and its reputation as "the purest place of faith in all of Terra," are now part of Kjerag's tourism appeal, Ernst has actually been working to downplay the connection between religion and government.

Separation of church and state, religion minimizing interference in government affairs, receiving government protection and funding, and serving as a purely spiritual remedy—this is Ernst's ideal of the best form of Sherrag religion.

Human affairs should be handled by humans. The great god Jeragund has protected Sherag for thousands of years, acting as both father and mother, warding off natural disasters and building a home. It's time for him to enjoy his blessings. We can't trouble Him with everything.

As for the title of Holy Son, he has no intention of passing it down.

This title was bestowed upon the leaders of the Shelag government, that is, themselves, during a special period and under special circumstances. Now, it has essentially completed its historical mission.

Throughout history, there had never been a "Son of God," only the position of "Son of Goddess" for religious leadership. Ernst did not want his successors to use this title to forcibly imbue themselves with a sense of sanctity, and to act arbitrarily, relying on the protection of the great god Jeragund, without placing the Sherag and its people first.

Without father, ruler, or law, one can commit evil deeds with divine protection. How is that any different from a tyrant in the snowy mountains?

Therefore, without involving religion or outsiders, Lollula and Latatos are undoubtedly very suitable advisors. Even if they cannot be all-around talents like Zhuge Liang, they are still capable individuals like Fei Yi and Dong Yun.

It's always a good idea to ask for their opinions on anything.

Vina nodded thoughtfully, wanting to say something more, but the next second, there was a knock on the office door, and Hinterlea's voice came through;

"Boss, Kal'tsit is looking for you!"

Kelsey?

Ernst was taken aback, then realized that it had been a whole day, and Kal'tsit should indeed be waking up by now.

She came to see me, so she probably didn't come to say goodbye.

Well, he does indeed have many questions he'd like to ask this insider.

He nodded to Vina, who pursed her lips, opened her arms, and decisively hugged Ernst, biting him on the neck, leaving a red mark. Then she released him and nodded.

"Then I'll leave first."

Ernst covered the lower half of his face shyly and turned away.

"Goodbye."

Vina left with a smile. Ernst then said:

"Invite her in."

Chapter 673 The Deep Blue Tree Project

"You still can't mention that name?"

Sitting on the sofa, Ernst asked questions while observing Kal'tsit's reaction.

Kal'tsit did not answer. This was taken as tacit agreement.

Neither affirmation nor denial was allowed, so she could only express her thoughts through silence.

Ernst got it, so he changed the subject:

"And what about the [Preserver]? Do you have any information about him that you can share with me?"

Kal'tsit then spoke;

"[Preserver] Trevor Friston, a human scientist from a prehistoric civilization, is responsible for executing the [Preserver] Project."

She paused, then suddenly said,

“I’m sorry, Ernst, I didn’t want to tell you these things so soon. But rather than letting you get overwhelmed by other complicated information, I think it’s best if I explain them to you.”

"I told you before that Terra is facing three major [disasters], you should remember 3?"

Ernst nodded: "[Hai Si], [Demon], and [Originium]."

“From the ocean, from the sky, and,” Ernst looked up at the Originium lamp in the room, “from all around us.”

Terra has indeed suffered many calamities. The disasters in the ocean and sky have effectively severed the two best directions for Terra's exploration. And the "Originium," which is the foundation of Terra's technology and upon which it depends for survival, is now the third calamity. If it were to erupt, it could at least send Terra back to the Stone Age, or, as Kal'tsit said, it could lead to the destruction of the world.

Ernst couldn't say whether the feeling of having one's technology tree overturned from the ground up and civilization destroyed overnight was more terrifying than the destruction of the world. After all, when he was born in his previous life, the Cold War, which was most likely to lead to the demise of Earth's civilization, had already ended, so he had never experienced the feeling of the sword of Damocles hanging over his head at any moment.

But Terra is blessed; they've matured, and they can have everything Ernst couldn't. It's a double blessing: the destruction of civilization and the end of the world.

"Of those three disasters, two are directly related to prehistoric civilizations, and the remaining one is indirectly related. Are you aware of this?"

Kal'tsit asked again.

Ernst hesitated for a moment before nodding.

If you ask him if he knows about this, he definitely does.

Although neither the Preservator nor the President directly mentioned this to him, Ernst could guess what it was.

The "debate" revealed the origin of the [Originium], and the [Law] beneath Laterano was also the cornerstone of the ancient civilization's paradise. The president of Columbia was their AI, and their ruins were scattered throughout Terra, omnipresent, and also brought countless troubles.

In this situation, if you were to tell Ernst that Haisi and the demons had absolutely no connection to the previous civilization, Ernst would not believe you at all.

The Terrans were a bit reckless, but they were clearly not up to the task of dying at this level; they couldn't even bring themselves to do something like that!

Seeing this, Kal'tsit breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She had a mixed feeling, not that she was against Gwenster seeking other sources of information, but that one day, the young man she thought "I think you don't know anything" could suddenly talk to her fluently, which gave her a sense of sadness that time had passed and she was getting old.

However, it's good that Ernst knows, as it saves her the trouble of explaining everything from scratch.

After clearing her throat, Kal'tsit got straight to the point:

"【Hai Si】, originally named the 【Deep Blue Tree】 project, was led by Luo, a biologist from a prehistoric civilization. The project aimed to create a 【Biological Ark】 with extreme survival capabilities through artificial intervention and genetic design. The goal was to use this biological ark as a vessel to survive a certain disaster."

The disaster in question naturally refers to the lumberjack mentioned by the "preserver".

Kal'tsit didn't say it directly, not because she was afraid that the Lumberjack had any ability to "know everything he says," but because she was still conservative and thought that an existence like the Lumberjack was still too far away for Ernst.

That was an unsolvable problem even at the end of the previous civilization, an insurmountable chasm for Terra now. The three catastrophes were already enough to overwhelm Terra; if Ernst knew that the three catastrophes were merely the threshold to meeting Him, Kal'tsit really couldn't be sure if Ernst would be affected by it.

She didn't want to see him become despondent and fall into despair.

Although Ernst already knew, and had even confronted Him.

It's a 50/50 split; he couldn't do anything to [Lumberjack 2], but according to Precyth, [Lumberjack] couldn't do anything to him either.

Compared to the "Lumberjack," which even Precy and Trevor Friston were reluctant to discuss and knew little about, Ernst was now more interested in hearing about something more practical, such as the "BioArk."

Judging from Kal'tsit's words, that thing was created through genetic ascension?

But what is its original form?

"The [Bio Ark] contains a complete natural system, within which humans can maintain the most basic life activities. This is completely different from the human life forms envisioned in the [Preserver] Project and the [Originium Project]."

Kal'tsit said slowly,

"But I'm sure you can tell from what I've heard. A complete natural system is large enough to accommodate the enormous size of survivors from prehistoric civilizations, and they are [biological beings]. In Terra, there is actually only one type of life that fits this description."

Ernst's expression turned serious. He silently took out the Jeragand Stone and placed it on the table. The stone did not glow; it seemed that the great god Jeragand's attention was not on it at the moment.

That's good. At least, not knowing means that He won't feel angry or sad because of how His "kin" are treated.

Kal'tsit made it very clear that this kind of creature might not be hard to find in the universe, but on Terra, there is only one kind—the behemoth.

"Using behemoths to transform them into biological arks, in order to withstand a catastrophe on the scale of the Big Bang, this is the [Deep Blue Tree] project."

"But the plan ran into problems. After Luo left, the growth of the Deep Blue Tree obviously went wrong. At a certain point, it lost contact with other projects and began to reproduce in large numbers of offspring."

"The behemoth transformed into the Deep Blue Tree possessed four powers—[BREED], [MIGRATION], [SUBSISTING], and [GROW]. After its departure, like the several [Years] agents currently residing in Kjerag, it seemed to have split. The fragments that split off were called [Newborns]. The Deep Sea Church, active in Iberia, revered them as gods and referred to them as [The Unmelting Iceberg], [The Corrupted Heart], [The Primordial Lifeline], and [The Spreading Branches]."

"And born from the [Newborn] is the [Sea Heir] of today. (Swelling/Transformation: 肆魃0珷)"

In fact, the [Sea Heir] is already the third generation. Compared to the first generation, the [Deep Blue Tree], which was directly modified and used as a [Bio Ark], and the second generation, the [Newborn], which was born directly from the [Deep Blue Tree], the things that can be called [Power] on them are pitifully few. They are not even considered behemoths. They are more like offspring of behemoths born after the power of behemoths dissipated, which is commonly known as [Elves].

Yes, if we have to say, Hai Si and Miss Muirses are actually of the same race.

However, because the first generation of Deep Blue Trees underwent "tool-like modifications" by the ancient civilization, who knows how much of their own ideas were added, resulting in them having no human-like appearance whatsoever, by the third generation, the [Sea Heirs] had lost even their beast-like appearance, each one looking bizarrely shaped. To say that they are the same race as Muels does indeed lower the average appearance of the "elves" race.

Therefore, even though this thought had crossed his mind, Ernst immediately shook his head and firmly distinguished between Muels and [Haisi].

A mule is born from a horse and a donkey, so shouldn't we count them separately?

Moreover, Ernst was very curious:

"What exactly is wrong with them? Is there any chance they can be fixed?"

If, as Kal'tsit claims, the Blue Tree was a project of the prehistoric civilization, and it has now spiraled out of control, didn't the prehistoric civilization leave behind any solutions?

If so, is it possible to regain control of the Blue Tree?

It may sound disrespectful, but Ernst is indeed very curious about a super behemoth whose genes have undergone a metamorphosis, possibly surpassing even level three behemoths like [Sammy] and [Sui].

Moreover, if this idea could be realized, with the existence of the Deep Blue Tree, at the very least, they wouldn't have to live in constant fear of evil spirits anymore, right?

Both Originium and Sealing Stone were designed by prehistoric civilizations to counter the Lumberjacks, but the Demons were not.

Although this thing is very high-class and quite bizarre, according to Kal'tsit, it is not as good as the [Lumberjack].

Does that mean that if one of the [Sea Seed] or [Originium] is mastered, one can contend against the [Demon]?

Ernst brought up the idea, but Kelsey shook his head, giving Ernst an unexpected yet reasonable answer:

"I do not know."