People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Ernst pursed his lips, but ultimately, out of consideration for Viviana, he reminded Werner:

"Your Excellency Werner"

The gaunt-faced Grand Elephant snapped out of his reverie, looked at Ernst, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes:

"Ok?"

"Be careful," Ernst said earnestly.

Walner paused for a moment, then laughed heartily.

"Thank you for the reminder, but Prime Minister Ernst, how many of these threats do you think I've faced in my lifetime?"

He patted his chest, and his thin body seemed to burst forth with a bit of strength.

"I'll say it again—I'm not dead yet, and Shi Tongling can't turn the world upside down!"

Chapter 683 Let's Start a New Game

On the way out of Hochberg Tower, Ernst's expression was not good.

Although Werner uttered such heroic words as "As long as I live, you will always be my subjects," Ernst couldn't help but feel that he was planting a flag on himself, giving him a sense of "Next time, death will befall the city!"

Letania is certainly not a good place, but it is also very Terran.

Ernst usually stays in Sherag, and his recent trips have all been to places like Colombia. He's almost forgotten what most of the countries in Terra are like.

Not every country possesses advanced technology and an almost anthropomorphic level of morality. In many places, the social rules are even somewhat counterintuitive to Ernst, a time traveler. Most of the Terran countries are ruled by powerful feudal rulers who don't talk about civilization and the future like the Grand President does.

Here, nothing is done without a profit, any means are considered a tactic, ruthlessness is considered a virtue, and lawlessness is considered the ultimate ideal!

In this situation, when Werner said those words, Ernst was genuinely afraid that he might die the moment he turned around.

Hopefully, this elector can hold on a little longer.

"Leytania is really not a good place, is it?"

A familiar voice came from not far away, interrupting Ernst's thoughts. The young snow leopard raised his head and looked at his older brother, who was standing not far away waiting for him.

Ensiodes slightly raised his hand in greeting to Ernst.

Ernst arrived, but he did not leave Letania.

Whether it was helping Viviana or the business plan, it was all handled by Kalan Trading in the beginning. Although Walner later invited Ernst, the latter lacked experience and expertise in business operations and clearly needed an assistant, so Enciodis was not in a hurry to leave.

Competition and cooperation always complement each other. After competing with each other on and off for so long, they are now in a different place and they are surprisingly in sync, knowing that it is time to "cooperate".

Ernst walked over to Ensiodes, looked around curiously at the roof and then asked: "Four..."

"Where's the mace?"

"He went to a concert."

Enciodes's lips curled into a smug smile, but he was too embarrassed to show it directly to Ernst, so he masked it with a calmer, deeper voice.

"You didn't know that Shi Tongling was going to hold a concert, did you?"

“That’s true. Werner didn’t intentionally hide it from us; he himself might not even know about it yet, but that doesn’t escape my eyes—”

Ernst raised his hand to interrupt him: "Actually, I know."

Enciodes paused, the commentator abruptly stopped, but quickly regained his smile and continued:

"That's true. He can keep the Queen's visit a secret for a while, but not forever. If he still has any control over Shitongling, he should know by now. But Ernst, the concert I'm talking about isn't that one—"

“I know that too.” Ernst shrugged again, interrupting him. “An elector from the remnant faction of the Witch King is also going to hold a concert in Shiton, and the target may be Walner.”

Ignoring Enciodes's somewhat stiff expression, Ernst continued:

"Not only that, I can also guess a little about the preparations they are making now."

"One is Arturo Gialo, a wanted criminal from the Lateran Notary Office. Originium Arts can liberate a person's inner emotions and desires, allowing emotions to dominate reason for a short period of time."

"What kind of desire is strongest in the entire Shitong territory right now?"

Ernst paused for a moment. This could be a rhetorical question or a rhetorical question.

Because both of them knew the answer to this question very well—the desire for power.

The life and death of the Elector symbolized the transfer of power. Countless carrion vultures were already waiting on Walner's still-intact body, ready to feast on him as soon as the ailing old deer took his last breath.

Arturo's presence, and her music, will accelerate this process.

For those people, it's not that they can't eat it raw.

Now it was Ensiodis's turn to feel a chill run down his spine.

He had been in Shitongling for so long, dealing with all sorts of shady characters every day, and in the end, he only managed to glean this little bit of information from their words. How come Ernst knew everything in less than a day?

However, he soon breathed a sigh of relief.

That makes sense, given the unequal access to information between the two. It's normal that Enster knows more about such important "official" matters.

His advantage lies in his understanding of the middle-class nobility and the common people at the bottom, as well as his relatively free "unofficial" identity.

There are places Ernst can't directly investigate, or even go to in person, that he and Jian can do on his behalf. There are things Ernst can't do, statements he can't make, that he can do for him, and speak on his behalf.

For example, Enchiodes was certain that Ernst couldn't possibly know about this:

"The caravan I left in Trintelme sent me its last message a day ago. It seems that the one who has set off for Shitong territory this time is that [Ruthless Authority]."

Ruthless authority, or rather, the Black Queen, the gloomy sheep in Fremont's words.

Known for her ruthless, decisive, and uncompromising military style, she is almost a complete "villain" compared to Ivignad, who is more adept at diplomacy.

This is why her reputation within Letania is not high, at least not as high as that of the White Queen [Eternal Grace].

Furthermore, with less frequent warfare in Letania in recent years, and the power struggles in Bolívar largely taking the form of proxy wars, the Black Queen's public appearances have been significantly less frequent compared to the White Queen, who directly represented Letania at the World Summit. Rumors are even circulating that "Her Majesty Helena only wants to be a Grand General and is about to abdicate."

Of course, Ernst did not believe such news. Moreover, he did not believe that such news could have spread "among the common people".

Ernst knew all too well how strict Letania's censorship was. Mentioning the Witch King, whose ashes have long since vanished, would get him summoned for questioning by the Golden Law Enforcer, let alone directly spreading rumors about the current Queen.

It's hard to say whether this kind of "prophetic" thing wasn't deliberately thrown out by some people with ulterior motives, and spread with the help of Pinduoduo.

Ernst was indeed surprised that this time, it would be the "Ruthless Authority" who would personally attend.

He almost instinctively felt that it should be the [Eternal Grace] who came, because although Shitong was currently in turmoil due to the succession issue, it was still a major region of Letania, and the Elector of Shitong himself had no intention of rebelling. Under these circumstances, it should be much better for the White Queen, who was good at diplomacy and appeasement, to come than the Black Queen.

In particular, with the new Elector ascending to the throne, he will almost certainly establish a relationship with the powerful figure present. Given the White Queen's cunning, it's unlikely she would simply hand over an Electoral District to the Black Queen for nothing.

Or is Ernst overthinking it? Is the close relationship between the twin queens not just political propaganda, but truly that good? Can two tigers really share one mountain?

Ernst was a little confused for a moment.

He did have a vague idea, but it was something too far-fetched.

If it's true, how long has the White Queen been planning this? Isn't her ambition a bit too grand? Is this really a good thing for Letania right now?

So what are your thoughts now?

Enciodes asked, pulling Ernst back from his near-endless reverie.

Ernst pondered for a moment.

Leaving is definitely not an option. Whether Werner did it intentionally or unintentionally, they've already been dragged into this mess. Even if he wanted to extricate himself now, he might be ambushed and forced to return by the Queen or the remnants of the Witch King's faction.

Ensiodis's intelligence also confirmed his guess:

"The route for the caravan to leave has been blocked, and now Shitong territory is a no-way out."

"Otherwise, guess why the last message I received was from a day ago?"

Ernst remained silent.

He pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and made a decision.

"Since outcome 8 cannot be changed, let's try to make the reasons as favorable to us as possible."

The sealing off of Shitongling signifies that the power struggle between the Empress and the remnants of the Witch King's faction has reached its climax.

However, they themselves are a variable. Because of the presence of Ernst, the Prime Minister Serrager who was summoned by the Elector of Störös through his own initiative, this game may come to an abrupt end, but more likely, its intensity will further escalate.

Furthermore, with the White Queen potentially plotting against everyone behind the scenes, Ernst didn't believe things would be resolved easily.

Once a fire starts, it doesn't care who it burns.

In that case, the variables must naturally be changed.

“We are the outsiders, and in this situation, we are the only ones who are completely outside their plans. We must seize this rare initiative.”

Ensiodis raised an eyebrow, asking with interest and even a hint of excitement:

"You mean, get involved?"

"Enter the game?" Ernst shook his head.

The idea of ​​getting involved and winning against fate is something best left unsaid.

To defeat someone else within their own rules is easier said than done. Moreover, how long have they been paving this road? Surely they haven't considered even the slightest variable?

It's important to understand that the more complex a plan is and the more people involved, the more likely problems are to arise. Therefore, if a conspiracy is destined to be complex, it must leave enough room for error.

In this situation, can one or two people, plus Kal'tsit, who are all four of them, change anything beyond that threshold?

The answer is obvious.

Therefore, there is only one other way.

"Let's start a new game!"

Chapter 684 The organization has already decided that you will be in charge of the International Concert.

The communication terminal rang, its ringing sound breaking the harmonious atmosphere of the music room and interrupting the melody flowing from Czerny's fingertips.

Gertrude snapped back to reality and looked apologetically at Czerny in the room, only to find that the composer had no intention of turning around. His long, slender fingers were suspended in mid-air, as if waiting for the noisy person to leave on his own.

Gertrude pursed her lips, took out her terminal, and closed the door to the music room as she answered the call.

Czerny breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He did have the urge to swear just now.

He had been practicing the piano for many days since arriving at Shitong, but he had not made any breakthroughs in his inspiration.

He would never play "Dawn and Dusk" lightly. To use that song, which is mixed with regret, inner scars, and endless longing, to please those nobles would be a desecration of his dear friend and also a desecration of his own musical ideals.

Geniuses always have something different about them, and this is one of the few things that makes him proud as a musical genius.

He would not back down on this point, even if Gertrude asked him to—in fact, the fact that she had promoted "Dawn and Dusk" without his consent, which had brought him his current fame, had made him feel disappointed and angry with his benefactor.

But that doesn't mean he won't repay the kindness.

After all, he was a benefactor who had supported him for so long and met his needs in almost every aspect of material conditions. Even if they couldn't be friends, Czerny wasn't the kind of person who couldn't distinguish right from wrong and would repay kindness with ingratitude.

He was constantly searching for inspiration to compose a new piece and give it to Gertrude.

He would allow Gertrude to play this new piece as she pleased, and even help her perform it at the concerts of nobles. He would even directly give Gertrude the copyright, but on the condition that he would not credit her.

Moreover, after this song, the debt of gratitude was repaid, and from then on, the two of them became like strangers.

Today, he finally found a tiny bit of inspiration for the piece, and for this reason, he tacitly allowed Gertrude to lean against the door and listen to his composition, since the piece was originally written for her, and if she was satisfied with it, it would save him some effort in making revisions.

But who would have thought that Gertrude would enter the music room without turning off her terminal!

Perhaps for a minor noble like Gertrude, this was quite normal. After all, for them, how to survive, how to maintain their dignity, and when to make progress were the true reflections of their daily lives, while music was only a small part of it.

But for a musician like Czerny who values ​​music so much, the fact that he didn't directly yell "Get out!" shows he really had a lot of class!

Fortunately, he held back.

3 He repeatedly told himself: "Inspiration must not be interrupted, inspiration must not be interrupted! This is also a test in the creative process. Now that people have left and the door is closed, it's okay, keep going!"

But the next second, just as he was about to catch his breath and get back into focus, a piercing scream suddenly came from outside the door:

"Yes, it's me! Gertrude Strolo!"

It happened in a flash, very quickly.

Czerny's mind went blank.

"Gertrude!"

He gritted his teeth and stood up, about to go out and scold the guy shouting outside the music room, but before he could move, Gertrude pushed open the music room door and rushed in:

"Czerny, stop playing and come with me!"

"Our chance to turn things around has arrived! Lord Ernst wants to see us!"