People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Before she could finish speaking, Ernst gently shook his head.

The power struggles between queens are not something he, a foreigner, should get involved in.

He was indeed surprised by the compassion and righteousness of the Ruthless Authority, and he also lamented the scheming and machinations of Eternal Grace. But in the end, it was all just political struggle in Letania.

His current actions can still be described as "for the overall good of Letania," which is already the limit. Going any further would cross the line.

The Duke of Cactus and the Duke of Windermere next door are fighting so fiercely, yet he hasn't personally intervened, clearly choosing whose side to take.

Seeing this, Herlinmat slowly closed her open mouth and revealed an understanding smile.

Why aren't you a Leitanian?

"Cough cough!"

Ensiodis couldn't help but cough twice.

"It's just a few sentiments. Now that things have come to this, I don't expect the Prime Minister of Sherag to immigrate to Lettanya."

Helena was quite outspoken.

"It's a pity I didn't meet you sooner."

"Her Majesty the Queen!"

This time it was Elector Walner.

He gave Helinmat a wary look, but Helinmat had already turned away and seemed perfectly normal. It seemed that his previous remark was indeed just a sigh of appreciation for her talent.

It seems his worries were unnecessary?

I almost thought the high-level matches were about to turn into a peak tournament.

Ernst pursed his lips, remained silent for a moment, and only after Helenemart put down her knife and prepared to leave did he take a deep breath and finally speak:

"Her Majesty the Queen."

"When the International Concert opens, I hope to invite you to play the first beat."

Herlinmat paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

Was this a reminder that if she were to really fight Ivignad later, she would have to be careful and hold onto the biggest card in her hand?

"Thank you for the invitation, I will."

"The international music concert in Letania will naturally follow tradition, with the Queen leading the performance of the [Golden Orchestra]."

She paused, then said seriously:

"That empress will be me."

Chapter 693 Ivignad's Scheme

Letania, Triinttelme, the Tower of Eternal Grace.

Ivignad was still saying she wasn't in a hurry.

She just hasn't been able to eat much these past few days, and the first thing she does every morning when she wakes up is to check on news from Shi Tongling's side. She also has to ask around to see if any border troops have entered Beijing today for an armed pilgrimage. How can you say she's anxious?

No rush, really no rush!

Isn't it just that Herlinmat didn't follow the expected script? Isn't it just that Ernst inexplicably appeared in Shitong territory? Isn't it just that Letania suddenly wanted to hold some international concert, and she didn't know anything about it?

It's all a small matter!

"What's wrong with Her Majesty the Empress?"

The servant in the tower carried another untouched lunch back to the kitchen and inquired of the well-informed cook.

The cook didn't hold back either; he pursed his lips, made a sighing gesture, and imitated:

"I don't know either, but the Empress kept saying things like, 'I was here first, I wish I had gone,' and it sounded like that."

"Heartbroken?" The servant covered his mouth, an incredulous expression on his face.

The cook added insult to injury: "She's a bit of a complainer."

Lu didn't blame the servants for making such a story; the fact that Ivignad was in a bad mood had almost become a consensus within the tower.

At first, everyone thought that Her Majesty the Queen was worried about the other Queen's trip, but later they realized that Her Majesty the Queen was indeed worried about the other Queen, but not in the way they thought.

"I was here first, that's the truth." Ernst definitely knew Ivignad long before he knew Helimmat. While Ivignad was giving her righteous speech at the World's Summit, Helimmat was busy massacring the remnants of the Witch King's faction at home. Forget about being curious, Ernst never even mentioned her once.

But what about Z now?

She had clearly set a trap and laid an ambush, waiting for the enemy to enter, but unexpectedly, Helena didn't step into the trap as she had hoped. Instead, a snow leopard inexplicably appeared in the trap. How could she possibly explain this?

Ernst visited Letania. Ernst wanted to hold an international concert in Letania. Ernst also met the Queen, and they seemed to have a good relationship. These three things are all things to be happy about. Putting them together should bring more than three times the joy! But why, why did it turn out like this?

It's fortunate that Ernst didn't work in the tower of Ivignad, otherwise she would have exclaimed:

The "white" in "White Queen" is actually the "white" in "White Album"!

Of course, Ivignad was someone who could sit at the same table as the Duke of Caesar, and had almost become a completely political being. Naturally, she didn't have the tender side of a tough soldier like Helena. She simply felt sorry for the current situation, and found it very difficult to handle.

Unfortunately, with Ernst present, the International Concert's strategy, which simplified the complexities of the process, ultimately failed. Her near-confrontational move naturally incurred Helena Matt's wrath. Barring unforeseen circumstances, she likely won't be able to use such methods against Helena Matt for a considerable time to come.

The tricky part is that if the international concert succeeds, she may not only be unable to take action for a long time, but she may even never be able to take action again.

If Helena can fully capitalize on this wave of benefits, she will become a true authority figure—possessing both an iron fist and the ability to bring benefits to others, as well as considerable political prestige.

How will she cope then?

This is the issue that Ivignad has always been most worried about.

When she had just defeated the Witch King and decided to strike while the iron was hot, directly defying Elector Leopold and becoming Empress, she and Helena were indeed "inseparable," to the point that they made such an agreement.

Ivignad was in charge of political affairs; work-related social interactions and policy promulgation were all decided by her.

Helena is in charge of the military, remaining aloof from politics, protecting the peace and stability of Letania, while also providing support to Ivignad.

At the time, both of them considered this decision to be perfectly reasonable.

After all, the two women have different aspirations, different areas of expertise, and different personalities. This arrangement best brings out the strengths of both of them.

But what they didn't realize was that this allocation brought about a very serious problem.

The pen cannot grasp the gun, and the gun cannot control the pen.

for example:

Having exhausted all her options, Ivignad wanted to rely on the military to implement some reforms that would benefit the country and its people, but which faced enormous resistance. However, Herlinmat, who was ignorant of politics and did not understand that Ivignad was asking her for help, felt that the situation was not yet at a "critical moment" and refused her.

Helena, wanting to expand the military in the name of the Empress, hoped to issue decrees to improve soldiers' treatment and retirement benefits. Therefore, when she made these requests to Ivignad, Ivignad, completely unaware of the frequent border battles and the soldiers' hardships, simply felt that arbitrarily increasing soldiers' wages was unreasonable and illogical. She refused, saying:

"If you give soldiers a raise today, then tomorrow you'll come and ask for a raise for officers, the day after tomorrow you'll give the 9th logistics team a raise, and the day after that, will you even give the pack animals kept by the army a combat officer status and enjoy high salaries?"

That's actually not wrong. The national treasury only has so much money. You don't know the cost of living until you're in charge. If you dare to ask for more, you'll set a precedent, and others will dare to ask for more tomorrow. How will we live then?

But regardless of right or wrong, when there are many such examples, the rift between the two people becomes a real rift.

Ivignad was the first to realize this, so she began to gradually suppress Helimat and try to regain military power.

The problem is, she hasn't succeeded yet. And now, Helena, though a little late, has finally realized what's happening.

When a scholar encounters a soldier, reason is useless. Even if Ivignad has made countless preparations beforehand, as long as she doesn't take the final step and completely seize power, Helimat can instantly reverse the situation once she realizes what's happening.

Because the weapon of criticism cannot replace the criticism of weapons. Some truths will not come unless cannons are used, but once cannons are used, they can be accurately measured immediately.

Not to mention, she seems to be doing well now, but once the international music concert is successfully held, her favorable situation will immediately turn into a smooth one.

They sent all the packages to Helinmat.

Moreover, she racked her brains for days but still couldn't come up with a way to break the deadlock.

Ernst's plan was truly brilliant. He grasped the greater good, stood on the moral high ground, and relied on the very person in all of Letania, the only one Ivignad couldn't control!

Do you want Letania?

Then you'd have to hold a concert for all nations.

Do you think the Queen is a unifying force?

Then you should support Herlinmat's international concert.

Are you going to openly accuse us of not being united?

Well, I'm sorry, Helena is also an empress. If she wants to open it, there's really nothing you can do to stop her.

Why don't you try some extreme measures? I've heard that some extreme animal rights activists choose to run naked or go on hunger strikes in protest. Do you want to give it a try?

Can I try Ivignad?

Impossible! If she were to do that, her political life would be over!

Forget whether Helena will change her mind; millions of people in Letania simply won't understand him. This music festival benefits the nation and its people, boosting tourism, increasing foreign exchange, enhancing confidence, and cultivating character—it's all beneficial and without a single drawback. And you, a queen, are opposing it? What are your true intentions?

Sixth, you're just a lowly empress, yet you dare oppose music in Letania? You think you're worthy? We have other empresses to choose from! Get the hell out of here!

After racking her brains all day long, Ivignad still couldn't come up with a solution.

Fourth, some might ask why she didn't try to reconcile with Helena Marte?

Hmm, reconciliation? At this moment, you must be joking, right?

She knew perfectly well how ruthless her suppression of Helimat was, and how vicious her schemes for Helimat were.

If these things happened to her, she would never forgive the person who framed her, even if it meant death. Putting herself in the other person's shoes, why would she believe that admitting defeat would bring Helena's reconciliation, instead of being trampled on and then utterly annihilated without any power to resist?

At least for now, she's managing to maintain some semblance of dignity and has some ability to retaliate.

Moreover, she wasn't truly without any options.

Politically, Ernst had indeed taken the concept of open strategy to its extreme, and Ernst couldn't break it.

However, sometimes, breaking the deadlock can be achieved by looking for solutions elsewhere.

This is commonly known as an underhanded tactic.

"Horn of Origin," according to legends of the remnants of the Witch King, is the place where the Witch King went after his death. There he continues to maintain his rule, immortal, awaiting the day he returns to Letania.

That's utter nonsense. The Witch King is dead. Ivignad personally threw him out the window. His body was twisted and broken when he fell; he died a very undignified death. She examined it!

The "Horn of Origin" does indeed exist.

She originally intended to present this as a "final conspiracy," like poison, to Helena, so that she would touch and drink it.

She has even done half of the planning for the event.

For example, her involvement was undeniable in the sudden and serious illness of Emperor Shi Tongling. She was also prepared that when Emperor Shi Tongling truly could not hold on any longer, she would "play the good guy" and send the "newly found reclusive divine physician" to "prescribe the right medicine" to help Emperor Shi Tongling cure his illness and prolong his life.

I reckon it can be extended for about five years.

Five years was enough time for her to squeeze every last drop of value out of Shi Tongling, the Marquis who had narrowly escaped death and was now deeply grateful to her as his benefactor.

Unfortunately, it now seems that the original plan is impossible to realize.

In that case, it seems that the information about the "Horn of Origin" should be changed.

"Pass the message on to the remnants of the Witch King's faction."

"It's time to let them play a role."

Chapter 694 If I do nothing, some people will start to get restless.

Kjerag, the World Summit Building.

One of the major advantages of a system over an individual is that even if the founders and key figures of the system are no longer present, as long as the system itself does not have fatal flaws or contradictions, it can continue to operate according to its current logic.

The World Summit is an example of this.

Although Ernst, the interim secretary-general, was not present, the World Summit continued to operate and addressed many of the issues raised by the Terran countries.

Today, the agenda of the Security Council at the World Summit is a "concert of international cooperation".

To be precise, this wasn't really an "issue," just a small discussion. After all, on the surface, a concert really doesn't seem to have anything to do with terms like "international situation" or "national security."

As for the actual situation, the five major powers present all know it deep down, but none of them will openly reveal it. This is a tacit understanding that has formed among the five major powers.

"Everyone should know about the concert of international artists, right?"

A clear but firm female voice spoke first, setting the stage for the discussion.

The female voice came from a traditional Yan Kingdom costume, and she was the youngest of the five people present.

Needless to say, the person who spoke was Ning Ciqiu, who is also the spokesperson for the Yan Kingdom at the Shelag International Summit.

"Prime Minister Ernst has given us another great task. If this is accomplished, the prestige and reputation of the World Summit will likely rise significantly."