People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

But he had only been gone a short while when he returned, this time with a messenger by his side.

One, and not so ordinary, "messenger".

"Old man, my back isn't very good. If you touch me again and I get hurt, you won't be able to take the blame!"

A haughty, slightly roguish voice rang out. The wrinkled lich shook off the Golden Law Guard's hand, straightened his slightly wrinkled sleeves, looked at Helinmat before him, and raised his head.

"I've known your Queen for a long time, haven't I, Your Majesty Helinmat?"

Fremont

Helena was somewhat stunned; encountering this great lich here was entirely unexpected.

"What are you doing here, Ludwig University?"

"I came out on short notice. I asked someone to keep an eye on the Temple of Knowledge."

Fremont Road,

"Besides, you know my abilities. This distance is only a few steps away."

There was no boasting in his words; the long distance from Triinttelme to the border of Letania was just a few steps to him.

Because he's traversing the warp, which is somewhat like the Nether traffic in Minecraft. One step is better than seven!

Helena also came to her senses and asked somewhat warily:

"So, what brings you to Shi Tong's territory?"

Fremont sneered: Three

"Control your expression. I have no interest in the Elector or anything like that. I'm just here to deliver a letter for Ernst!"

“Ernst? Ernst Shivaish?” Herlinmat frowned.

"Who else could it be?"

Fremont nodded, put his index and middle fingers together, gave a slight shake, and a letter appeared in his hand. With another shake, the letter landed in Helena's outstretched hand.

"You don't need to ask me what's in the letter; you'll understand once you read it."

"Let me give you a heads-up: that kid is different from Fu Yang. He's kind-hearted and probably won't hurt you. So, just do whatever he asks you to do; it'll likely be good for you."

After Fremont finished speaking, he paused, then pursed his lips and said:

"Alright, the matter is settled, I'm not staying here any longer. Look at your guards, all of you looking like this. I didn't mean to make a move, did I? Do you want to fight the old man?"

Herlinmat coughed softly.

The Golden Law Guards who had surrounded Fremont immediately put away their various weapons.

Fremont then shrugged and his figure slowly vanished, leaving Helena alone, staring at the letter in her hand, somewhat speechless.

What kind of talk is that? What do you mean? He tells me to do whatever he wants, and I'll do it.

I am the Empress, how could I possibly listen to the words of a foreign leader?

However, let's take a look at the contents of the letter anyway.

Taking a deep breath, Herlinmat opened the letter.

[To Her Majesty Queen Letania]

Would you like to make music with me?

Chapter 687 If reform is necessary, then I shall set an example!

"I've never seen Shitongling so lively before."

Standing before the tower, Werner spoke with deep emotion.

The Queen has arrived, despite breaking the rules and causing much trouble.

Shi Tongling became unusually lively. This Elector's Grand Collection Area suddenly became comparable to the core of Leitania, Trinitylme—I'm referring to the number of military, police, and special agents.

The Queen's arrival could not be kept secret from anyone. Moreover, Helena herself had no intention of hiding it; she openly submitted the travel arrangements before her arrival and notified Werner to remember to hold a proper welcoming ceremony.

As a result, within a week, Shi Tongling held two extremely high-profile welcoming ceremonies, which made the nobles lining the streets and the commoners watching curious: was their leader going to die or ascend to godhood? Why had he suddenly become so popular?

However, it is worth noting that this time, there was an extra line in the itinerary document.

[Upon arrival, a meeting was held with Mr. Ernst Siwaish, representative of the World Summit.]

"This is a good thing for all of us, isn't it?"

Ernst shrugged and smiled.

He also managed to get a piece of the welcoming ceremony, standing alongside Werner to greet the arriving Queen.

"Attention, popularity, and fame are a double-edged sword. The news of the Empress's arrival, and its impact, will definitely spread throughout Letania as quickly as possible. If she is acting on her own initiative, for the sake of the [Heir to the Electorate of Shitong], then this attention will backfire and be enough to completely ruin her reputation."

"On the contrary, if she came at the joint invitation of you and me, as the central government of Letania, for matters related to the [International Concert], then this attention would become a free and incredibly effective form of publicity. Wouldn't you say?"

Walner nodded in deep agreement, looking at Ernst with an even deeper smile of appreciation.

This tactic is a typical political maneuver—if the outcome cannot be changed, then try to make the cause favorable to us.

Ernst had seen many politicians use this tactic in his previous life. The most classic example was the invasion of Gaza by the Squid. The invasion was a fact that they could not change, but they would shamelessly say that the other side attacked first and that they were just acting in self-defense in someone else's home.

Another classic example is the saying that the rice shortage wasn't their fault, but rather that too many foreign tourists ate it all. And the Paris Olympics' failure wasn't the government's fault, but rather that we French people were too relaxed!

These are all variations of this method, which are common and always effective!

In the end, they were powerless to reverse the arrival of the Empress. But why the Empress came is a question worth exploring.

Ernst always advocated for reconciliation. There's no need for a zero-sum game; a life-or-death struggle is unpleasant. Instead of direct confrontation, it's better to draw a common goal, then each person contributes their efforts to achieve it, and everyone can benefit—in other words, to make the pie bigger!

He believed that Her Majesty the Queen would understand his good intentions.

Even if you can't understand it, it doesn't matter. As a dignified and ruthless emperor, surely he wouldn't want his political credibility to go bankrupt like this?

As long as there's no desire to discuss it, there's a basis for discussion; and once there's a basis for discussion, then we can talk.

We can talk, we can talk. I can talk too. I can love Letania and share the Queen's burdens!

At the end of the red carpet, the "Ruthless Authority," whose expression wasn't as gloomy and terrifying as expected, strode in with his head held high.

Unlike Her Majesty Eternal Grace, whom Ernst met at the World Summit—a noblewoman in a golden and white dress, exuding elegance and grace—Ruthless Authority, like her name, places greater emphasis on the violence and absoluteness symbolized by the word "authority."

These two characteristics are most commonly seen between superiors and subordinates in the military. Herlinmat, dressed in a crisp military uniform, with a ceremonial sword at her waist and medals on her chest, moved with less of the aristocratic etiquette and more of the clean and efficient manner of a soldier.

She walked up to Ernst and Werner, nodded to them, and lingered on Ernst for a few moments, seemingly sizing up the somewhat young-looking Felin. Only when Ernst gave her a slightly embarrassed smile did she realize that she should look away, turn around, and face the numerous reporters and cameras below the stage, extending her hand to Werner and Ernst in turn.

"Crack!"

Flashes of light filled the air, capturing the moment. At the joint direction of Werner and Ernst, the title of this report had already been drafted: "Queen Lettania Meets with Delegates to the World Summit at Shitongling; New World Summit Project to Launch Soon!"

Walner was in charge of newspaper propaganda within the territory of Shitong. As an elector, even though his health was failing, he was not someone that a few media outlets could afford to offend before he actually stepped down.

Ernst was in charge of publicity outside of Shi Tongling's area, and you know what, he really had connections in that regard.

Do you remember Mr. McKee from Rose Newspapers?

After the journalist's death, the Rose Newspapers collapsed, its members scattered, and it plummeted to rock bottom almost overnight. But this former playboy did not succumb to despair. He sought out Ernst, offered his services as a pledge of allegiance, and persuaded Ernst to take Charner away. He then regrouped and began his struggle anew.

The journey from being a rich second-generation heir to a penniless second-generation heir and then back to being a rich first-generation heir is fraught with difficulties and setbacks. But Casimir was never short of opportunities. Moreover, he was practically part of Ernst's group, and after the old Rose Newspaper was liquidated, the Business Federation did not continue to target the new Rose Newspaper.

A year passed, and he actually managed to set up the business again!

Although the Rose Newspapers is still far from reaching the scale of his father's time, when it was one of the top businesses in the business association, it has at least established a firm foothold.

As for how he managed it, his own explanation was: "With you around, how could I lack news?"

But Ernst didn't ask for details. The business world is like a battlefield, and it's not without its dirty tricks, especially in a situation like McGee's, where things started off disastrous. Not asking was a way to save face for both sides.

In any case, he can now offer Ernst some assistance in the realm of media and public opinion.

As long as he continues as he is now, Ernst wouldn't mind giving him the opportunity to report firsthand on the International Concert.

As captured by the camera, Ernst and Hellenmat shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and then let go. Subsequently, the host, Elector Werner von Hochberg, extended his hand and gave a gentlemanly bow, welcoming the two into the tower.

The ancient and solemn gate, adorned with numerous magical runes, slowly closed, shutting out all the noise from the outside world.

The servants were also asked to leave temporarily, leaving only the three of them in the tower. This signified the start of the formal talks.

"Prime Minister Ernst, let's get straight to the point."

Herlinmat certainly had a military bearing; she didn't say a word, and before the three of them even reached the reception room and found a sofa to sit down, she asked somewhat impatiently,

What do you mean by the "concert of all nations" you mentioned in your letter?

"literal meaning."

Ernst shrugged and smiled.

"Leytania has magnificent symphonies, Colombia has trendy rock music, Casimir has electronic music that makes high use of modern technology and has a strong sense of rhythm, and Yan Country also has a variety of traditional music that is completely unfamiliar to this land but unique. Each country has its own unique musical style, so why can't there be a platform that allows people from different countries to experience the charm of music from different countries?"

Herlinmat paused, realizing that wasn't what she meant.

But Ernst's response made her a little unsure. Could it be that Ernst really hadn't thought that far ahead, and genuinely wanted to organize an international concert, but it just happened to be a lucky break and helped her?

So why did Fremont say those things?

Somewhat doubtful, Helena didn't voice her opinion directly, but instead countered Ernst's words by saying:

"However, as you know, this is unconventional. The people of Letania are not as accepting of foreign music as you might imagine."

"Yes, this is unconventional."

Ianster nodded, readily admitting it, but then he looked at Helena and asked in return,

"But isn't Her Majesty the Queen's presence here already unconventional and rule-breaking enough?"

"Since that's the case, and we're already here, wouldn't it be better to use your unconventional approach in a way that would benefit Letania rather than create an unpleasant situation with Lord Volner and get yourself into trouble?"

"You agree, don't you?"

Herlinmat paused, glanced at Ernst, and then at Werner beside her.

Walner nodded slowly.

Both he and Ernst knew what Helena was there for. Helena wasn't wrong either; she knew they knew she was there too.

There's really no point in testing her. Ernst has already been frank about the reasons, both the obvious and the real ones. The logic and the benefits have been laid out before Herlinmat, so what's there to hesitate about?

After a moment's thought, she smiled faintly and nodded.

"You truly live up to your reputation, Prime Minister Ernst. I think you make a very good point!"

“I am also the Queen of Letania. Since I have already broken the rules and the time for change has come, I should indeed set an example for Letania.”

"Your Excellency Ernst, please explain in detail what should be done about the International Concert?"

Chapter 688 Elector Marquis: I'm ready to lie down and let the big boss carry me!

"Since it's a concert of international music, the most important thing is of course the word 'international'."

Ernst defined it bluntly.

Many people may mistakenly believe that the most important aspect of a concert of international music is the music itself. But that's not the case. The truly important and captivating part of any large-scale event is definitely what lies behind the event.

Even in Ernst's previous life, the Olympic Games, and even in the fables describing the origins of the Olympic Games, would be said to have occurred when two nations were locked in a bloody war, resulting in heavy casualties, so the king decided to replace the war with an event with a lower casualty rate: athletic competition. This demonstrates that it is virtually impossible for such a large-scale event to be completely free of political influence.

While sports and art may indeed be inherently separate from or even mutually exclusive with politics, if the word "activity" is added after them, then they must serve politics.

This is why Ernst felt that a sentence in his previous life's political textbook was very apt: "Paying attention to politics is the responsibility of every good citizen." Because you may not care about politics, but politics will definitely care about you and will profoundly influence you!

The same principle applies to international concerts.

To some extent, Ernst was able to use the "Concert of All Nations" as a bigger contradiction to forcibly divert everyone's attention, essentially because the concert had the title of "All Nations".

It's not limited to Letania, but encompasses the entire Terra. If it were just some small concert, or a "Letania Concert," perhaps not so many people would care!

At the very least, the electors would have to weigh the importance of a Letanian concert against the position of an elector, thus preventing the entire plan from having the overt force of "it's not that I want you to do this, but that you feel you should do it this way."

As a former empress, Ehrlich clearly understood this principle.

Just like when an army finishes a battle and rewards its soldiers for their contributions, even those who didn't contribute much but merely held the line deserve a reward, "All Nations" is a double-edged sword, a threat to both the Elector and Letania.

Because this means that Letania "cannot and should not sweep all the awards!"

They are leveraging the power of other countries to suppress domestic conflicts. Since they have borrowed, they must repay.

For permanent members of the Security Council like Ursus, Yan, Victoria, and Colombia, which can also be called great powers, Letania must share this pie. This is not as simple as cutting a slice of cake for me and leaving some cream for you; it is a real, proportional distribution!

Ernst even gave a very vivid example:

"Laetonia has the most authoritative voice in classical music, especially symphonic music. The countries of Terra, Ursus, Victoria, and Colombia are all deeply influenced by the musical style of Laetonia. But Yan has not."