People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"The arrow is on the string; it has to be released."

He wasn't unaware of Matthorn's concerns; on the contrary, he thought about them even more deeply.

Ernst and Enya, he knew he owed them something. From the moment he dragged Enya into a political conspiracy and forced her to become a saint, to the moment he went to study in Victoria alone, leaving Enya to be cared for by Ernst alone, and then to the moment he returned and put Ernst in that position again, he owed them a great deal.

If judged by the moral standards of a perfect person, he wouldn't even qualify as a good person.

But on the other hand, he had no choice but to do it.

This is his mission. It wasn't imposed on him by anyone, but rather a responsibility and mission of the times that he consciously shouldered.

Those who have never truly left Sherag or traveled to countries like Vitória or Colombia will never understand the feelings of awe and inferiority that arise when standing in front of skyscrapers in a foreign land.

While the people of Sheraco were still bouncing on the backs of pack animals, spending a day and a night to traverse steep mountain roads, Colombians' high-speed trains could already connect the city's north and south poles in thirty minutes.

While the Sherag people were still diligently farming and making warm clothes from linen and animal hides, Victorian clothing had already evolved into works of art that expressed personal emotions, reflected personal taste, and even showcased national power.

The cruelest thing is that while Sherag was still wielding a broadsword to test its lethality against a hoe, the high-speed warships of the great powers were already capable of destroying an army of thousands or even tens of thousands with a single shot!

Some people might turn this inferiority complex into self-pity, but SilverAsh decided to transform it into motivation. Why can they do it, but I can't?

How does Kjerag fit in on this land? Even though no one has asked this question yet, SilverAsh has asked himself it a thousand times in his heart.

Why can't Sherag be a strong country, a country that Sherag people can be proud of? Should a mere excuse about "objective conditions" deprive Sherag people of their right to self-reliance and their belief in struggle?

If no one else is doing it, then he will do it; if someone else is doing it, then he will compete. He is confident that he will not do it worse than anyone else!

Because this is the path he has walked!

No one forced him, a man who had struggled his way up from a small and weak country, to shoulder such a heavy responsibility; he chose this path himself.

If this path inevitably forces him to choose between family and country, then all he can say is, "My love is this country!"

I have already pledged myself to the country, and I can no longer pledge myself to you!

Enciodes glanced at his subordinates, knowing that it was normal for such ideas to be misunderstood. So after his initial few explanations, he gave up on trying to explain himself.

I don't need you to understand, I only teach you to obey.

Watching Horn Peak bow and retreat, Enciodes looked at the mace before him.

This black knight from the Kazimierz Arena is a weapon that chooses its master; she has accepted herself, she has chosen herself, and Ensiodis will not allow her to be tarnished. Therefore, she is the commander-in-chief of this operation!

"Jian, the Holy Hunt ceremony will be held tomorrow morning and end at noon. After it ends, I will, as planned, accuse Arctos and Latatos of conspiring to support Ernst in an attempt to assassinate me during the Holy Hunt ceremony in order to seize the position of patriarch of the Shivaesh family in Holy Stone Square."

"Valese and Moshi will cooperate with me to take control of the Perroch family and the Blantau family's power respectively at that time, and spread the news."

Vales is a general in the Perroch family, while Moshi is a favorite of Hulus Blantau. The former's voice will inevitably cause chaos in the Perroch family, while the latter will make it easier for Enciodis to control Hulus, the only heir of the Blantau family.

Haha, who told Latatos to never get married or have children?

"Once the news spreads, you can go up the mountain in a legitimate name."

Enshiodis said.

"Won't your younger brother and sister resist?" Jian asked with a smile.

She was confident that there would be no problems on her end; the only problem would be on Ensiodes's side, at the Holy Stone Square.

"What if he performs another miracle? Do you have a way to fight Jeragund?"

Ensiodis pursed his lips; this was also his biggest worry.

If Jeragand didn't exist, all of this would have been a natural progression. But Jeragand performed a miracle during the Trial of the Holy Stone, proving that its gaze had never left the land of Sherag.

If Ernst really does summon Jeragand again, with the power of the gods, Ensiodis's meager mountain snow demon army has no chance of winning.

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked:

"Jian, what kind of god do you think Jeragand is?"

Jian raised an eyebrow and replied, "Compassion."

This is the only assessment she can offer.

That Jeragand was truly unique. From ancient times to the present, at least in the history I know, there has never been a god personally intervening to prevent a judgment.

Not to mention that before this, Yeragand had genuinely protected Sherag for thousands of years. It was a region free from Oripathy, and even with its year-round snow cover and surrounding mountains, it could be considered a pristine paradise.

Ensiodis nodded: "That's my only chance of winning."

"This is a race against time."

"Although Ernst is favored by Jeragund, I have never heard of anyone who has the ability to directly invoke the gods. We can only act quickly, then end it quickly, make it a fait accompli, and then negotiate with Jeragund."

Ensiodis said,

"Since Ernst could get Jeragand to agree with his reform ideas and acquit him, I'm sure I can persuade him too!"

He has always been so confident, a courage that seems to have been inherited from Gaddafi and Nidru.

However, according to common sense, his thinking is not wrong.

God is God after all, not a personal maid to be ordered around. It is already astonishing that a mortal can attract the attention of God. If one could talk to God anytime and anywhere and summon God to appear, that would not only be a fantasy, but an astonishing feat!

God is God, but what, do you think God is your mother?

Jian nodded and said calmly, "A very bold decision."

Enciodes said, "Besides that, it is a token of action."

He opened the drawer, took out three signal flares of different colors, and showed them to Jian.

He explained, "I will carry these three signal flares with me as command signals for the operation. When the time comes, you will follow my command signals to carry out the operation."

He pointed to the yellow signal flares: "The yellow ones, once ignited and launched, will explode into the shape of a snow demon, signifying that things are proceeding as planned. I will arrange for the Matterhorn to be released after the Holy Hunt."

He then pointed to the blue one: "This blue one, when lit, has my portrait on it. It means there's a problem here, and the operation is suspended. Awaiting further instructions."

He picked up the last red one and said, "And this one, this red one, when lit, shows the image of the Jeragund statue. It means I've failed. At that time, don't ask anything, retreat immediately! I'll find a way to escape! Understand?"

“Understood.” Jian nodded seriously. He couldn’t help but admire Ensiodes’s ingenious ideas.

Using fireworks as a means of communication, a method never before employed by Sherag, not only solved the problem of slow messenger delivery, allowing the Snow Demon troops and she to know the action orders immediately, but also prevented the possibility of the messenger or the messenger beast being intercepted or the orders being tampered with.

Most importantly, the instructions cannot be misread!

After all, there have never been any fireworks in Sherag, let alone fireworks featuring the Snow Demon, Ensiodis, and Jeragand!

The Snow Demon represents SilverAsh's forces, his strength, and the successful execution of the plan.

His own portrait represents a problem he himself is facing; if plans change, they need to be suspended.

The statue of Jeragand represents a reversal. Needless to say, whether Ernst summoned Jeragand again, or the two families or Enya turned the tide, the plan has failed. At this point, preserving the Snow Demons' strength and retreating quickly is the most sensible choice.

Everything was well-organized and easy to understand!

Having confirmed that Jian knew the secret and that no one at the scene could have leaked it, Enshiodis extended his hand and shook hands with Jian one last time.

Everything is going perfectly; we're just waiting for the sacred hunt ceremony tomorrow.

Fireworks light up the sky – operation a success!

Chapter 84 Ernst: Blizzard, this is Cordick!

"So, the BOSS means that Ensiodis wants to attack us?"

Holhaya sat on the desk with her legs crossed, looking completely at ease.

"I thought the boss called us over to pay our salaries, but it turns out it's for overtime, which comes at a different price."

Ernst rolled his eyes: "If I fall from power, forget about your salary, you'll probably lose your job too. What will you do then? Go back to Columbia?"

After he finished speaking, he remained silent for a while, then looked at Horhaiya, whose eyes were practically overflowing with laughter, for a moment, before finally nodding in defeat:

"Okay, you can go back to Colombia."

Holhaa's talent is considerable, even exceptional in some aspects, and she wouldn't have trouble making a living in Colombia. Moreover, in terms of living standards and working conditions, Sherag, who doesn't even have a small stove, certainly can't compare to Colombia, where everyone has started using central air conditioning.

But her nonchalant attitude naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of Hinterlea, who was standing next to her.

Unlike Horhaya, Hinterlaya's living conditions in Kazimierz were far from ideal. If she were to return, and with the Unarmored Alliance keeping an eye on her, she would definitely be unable to continue as a gladiator knight, and might even have to live in constant fear of being assassinated by the discovered killers.

As for the Supervisory Board, Hinterlea had absolutely no intention of enlisting as a knight of war. As a Kazimierz who was used to city life, who would want to go to the front lines and deal with those rude Ursus people if given the choice?

Besides, Cheese Leopard had saved her life, so she had no reason to just run away.

Therefore, she was a staunch Sherag supporter, and seeing Horhyah's sarcastic tone, she immediately said:

"Then you can go back to your Columbia! I will definitely stay by the boss's side and be with him until the very end!"

Hey, Brain Gold, did you even think before you spoke?

I was so confident of victory, but in your words, I'm like Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu, facing a dead end and left only to wait for death.

You're really exaggerating my skills! You should at least have some faith in me!

Unaware of Ernst's resentful gaze, Hintley turned around, her expression resolute and determined, and volunteered:

"Boss, I used to be a gladiator knight, and my archery and fighting skills are pretty good. I can help you take out that Ensiodis. Don't worry, even if I get caught, I will never betray you!"

What kind of defeatist strategist's remarks are these! When people assassinate, they either come and go without leaving any survivors, or they leave no one alive. Even if they are heretics, they still accomplish their mission. How come you're already thinking about entering the defeat cinematic to farm the "Unyielding to the Death" achievement?

Moreover, putting aside the fact that Ensiodis and I have a somewhat superficial brotherhood, even if you wanted to kill him, could you actually do it?

Ernst thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook his head.

Hinterlea looked touched: "Do you think that my risking my life made you too worried?"

Ernst answered honestly, "I think you can't beat me."

Hinterlea was still a little unconvinced: "How can you say that? I'm quite capable! The other side is just an entrepreneur, like those spokespeople from business associations who sit in offices. How powerful can he be?"

Ernst replied somberly, “But the corporate dogs working for him are fierce; you probably know one of them.”

Hinterlea was taken aback. How did she know someone from Sherag? "Who?"

"He's a knight. I heard he played in your knightly competitions for a few years and was quite well-known, though he only won the championship three times in a row?"

Ernst recalled,

"Oh, her title seems to be 'Black Knight.' So, are you confident?"

Hinterlea suddenly took a few steps back, looking embarrassed and sweating profusely. Her expression instantly shifted to sunny and fawning as she looked at Horhaiya and said:

"Let's talk about running away. Miss Holhaya, could you introduce me to a job at Columbia? It would be even better if you could bring the boss along."

If you can't bring it all, I'll take a few of your clothes with me. When I make some money, I'll build you a cenotaph over there. I can only repay this kindness in the next life by marrying you.

"Based on my estimate, the probability of Hinterlaya finding an office job in Colombia is 83.33%."

Joyce, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

"But the chances of Joyce Moore leaving Kalan are 0%! As long as His Excellency the Prime Minister hasn't fired me, I won't leave my post!"

Look at those college students! They should learn from them what it means to have high moral standards and character qualities cultivated by people who have received higher education!

Let me take another look at you bunch of rebellious guys, especially you, Comrade Huo. You're just like that Comrade Wei who never comes back after going out on fieldwork. Your thinking needs improvement. I'll give you a good make-up for your lack of cadre education in the future!

Ernst mentally cursed his colleagues, who represented the full spectrum of officialdom, before speaking:

"Actually, you don't need to worry so much. We have people watching over us, so this matter won't escalate much no matter what."

Ernst pointed to the top of his head as he spoke, and Holhaya immediately understood what Ernst meant.

The Prime Minister is already the highest-ranking official in Sheraco's name. Who could be above him?

Of course, it's our beloved and great First Citizen—the great god Jeragand!

Ernst has already made contact with Him, so what is there to hesitate about?

"You should have said so earlier, BOSS. I was almost thinking about packing my bags."

Holhaya jumped down from the desk, looking quite excited.

"The great god Yeragand has responded to you, so we are sure to win. Compared to the divine power of a behemoth, what is the mere Ensiodis?"

Ernst glanced at Holhaya, who was playing hard to get with him, and continued:

"But He will not directly suppress the rebellion. In theory, we still have to resolve this matter ourselves before it escalates."

"Of course, I won't let you put yourselves in danger. You are all pillars of Sherag that I recruited (or tricked) with great difficulty. The future government will need your contributions, so in this operation, I only need you to do one thing."