People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Victoria's representative spoke up, smiling and echoing her sentiments.

On the issue of who should represent Victoria, the Duke of Windermere unusually argued with the Duke of Caster.

She usually takes direct action.

But it was clear that she had lost out to the Duke of Kester. The man now sitting in that position was an old acquaintance of Ensioudis, Viscount Walton, whom Ernst had met once before.

As for why they didn't win the argument, the reason is actually quite simple—the Duke of Windermere wanted Daphne to be the representative.

Defiance, that's Defiance!

Regardless of DeFinn's abilities, is she even an adult? Since when has international politics become a table for children?

Even Ernst, in his opinion, would find it difficult to evaluate Duke Windmill's nomination. Just because Amiya, who is so young, can become the CEO of Rhodes Island doesn't mean that Daphne, at the same age, can thrive in a "grand international stage" like the World Summit, where "you're always ready to work."

Even if Ernst wanted to engage in favoritism, he would never agree to such an application; that would be tantamount to playing with the reputation of the World Summit.

It's not that Defiance's skills are lacking, but in this industry, age is indeed a very strict factor.

Ernst's rise to prominence at such a young age was due to his two lifetimes and the exceptionally unique political environment of Shelag. It was a miracle that was almost impossible to replicate.

Even so, when Ernst went on visits abroad, he was often asked about his "age". Every time someone praised him for being "young and promising", they were actually reminding him, intentionally or unintentionally, that he was still too young.

If Ernst makes a mistake, this "young talent" will turn into evaluations such as "too naive," "young and impetuous," and "impulsive."

Daphne doesn't have the same favorable conditions as Ernst. If she really wants to attend the World Summit and become a representative of Victoria, she should at least spend another ten years getting used to it.

Don't doubt it, ten years may seem like a long time, but for Definite, it's still too little.

Even then, she was only in her early twenties, just around Ernst's age. And by then, the system of the International Summit should have been largely mature; even if Dafion made a mistake, the system's inherent error-correction capabilities could help her rectify it. For her, that was the true golden age!

The Colombian representative and the Victorian representative usually didn't get along, but this time, surprisingly, the Colombian representative chose to support the Victorian representative's statement.

"Mr. Walton is right, this is undoubtedly a good thing. Colombia fully supports Secretary General Ernst's decision, and I have already sent a letter to His Excellency the President today, requesting that we immediately begin forming a Colombian delegation, and take this opportunity to spread Colombian music and culture throughout the land!"

He had barely finished speaking when the Ursus representative echoed, "ZhuanqUN: Nine-Square-Sand" Lu Si:

"Speaker Vit has already conveyed Ursus's stance on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor: Ursus will support any decisions made at the International Summit that do not harm Ursus's national interests. Moreover, this is a decision that benefits everyone."

As he spoke, he smiled.

"To be honest, Secretary Ernst really favors Letania. He visited Colombia and did nothing. But during his visit to Letania, he orchestrated a concert for all nations. If this had gone through, how much would Letania have benefited from it? Tell me, just how much of a benefit did that 'ruthless authority' give Secretary Ernst?"

"Cough cough!"

Ning Ciqiu coughed twice, interrupting the Ursus representative's unfounded speculation, and glared fiercely at the Ursus person who spoke recklessly.

She was finally convinced; these Ursus people were truly straightforward, daring to say anything! Such speculation might be kept under wraps in private, but bringing it up in this setting was tantamount to "uttering wild accusations"!

This won't do!

Such a straightforward person, who says whatever comes to mind, can only rise to a representative position in an environment like Ursus. If he were in Yan, he would probably have to experience firsthand what it means to be "treacherous in officialdom and to suffer from the consequences of his words" as soon as he entered officialdom!

The Ursus representative was initially surprised to be interrupted, but after glancing at Ning Ciqiu's expression, and then at the expressions of the Colombian and Victoria representatives, he realized what was happening and obediently shut his mouth.

Ning Ciqiu then took over the conversation, looked at the representative from Letania, and asked with some curiosity:

"Mr. Model, why do you seem a little unhappy? Don't you support the International Concert?"

The Leitanian representative who was called out was startled, looked up, and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

Was he making it that obvious? (仲Qun:棂四芜;6澌)

"I'm not unhappy, I'm just not feeling well."

This is a lie!

He was in excellent health, and breathing the fresh air in Shelag made him feel more relaxed than ever before, as if he had become several years younger!

He was simply worried.

After all, he was Ivignad's man.

Everyone at the Leytania's World Summit building was a confidant of Ivignad.

Leitania is different from Ursus. Ursus people use violence as a common means of resolving political problems, while Leitanians use violence as a last resort. These people under Ivignad are all so twisted and ruthless that even the legendary racer Akina would be unable to fathom their cunning.

They knew best what it meant when the three things—the concert of international music, Herlinmat's support, and Ivignad's failure to immediately express her opinion—were linked together.

Something has happened domestically; Empress Ivignad's scheme may have encountered some flaws.

After all, if there were no mishaps, the front page of Letania right now wouldn't be some "concert of all nations," but rather "Empress Helena personally visits Shiton, is it reasonable for the imperial power to interfere in the succession of the Electors?"

The ensuing public outcry will plunge Letania into controversy and turmoil. Subsequently, unable to find a solution, Helinmat will resort to the most extreme form of violence. This will further damage her reputation and standing among the nobility within the country!

but now

Let's think about how to protect ourselves if things change.

"Ugh."

Model let out a soft sigh and forced a smile:

"Of course I support the International Music Concert. Letania certainly supports it too! Music is the foundation of Letania, a long-standing tradition that is deeply ingrained in Letania, its underlying logic, and an inseparable part of us!"

Then came some difficult-to-understand statements. Things like, "If a Leitanian doesn't understand music, his life is a failure!", "To love music is to love Leitania, it's how Leitanians show their patriotism!", and "When I was young, I also wanted to form a band with my friends for life."

The car rambled on and on, leaving the other four representatives somewhat confused.

Model then excused himself by saying he was feeling unwell and hurriedly left the room.

The discussion concluded successfully, as everyone expressed their support for the International Music Concert, which means that at least the five permanent members of the Security Council have participated in this concert.

However, the four representatives who remained left with slightly different expressions.

The Colombian representative remained calm. He had long received orders from the Grand President to support Ernst's decision. He was simply putting it into practice; the opinions of others were irrelevant to him.

The Ursus representative seemed thoughtful, wondering if his joke had gone a bit too far. But in Ursus, making jokes like this, "with a touch of risqué humor," was a good way to build rapport.

Why is it not working here? It seems I should go back and consult Speaker Witte.

Victoria's representative and Ning Ciqiu exchanged a glance, both seeing the same suspicion in each other's eyes. Viscount Walton politely tipped his hat to Ning Ciqiu, who returned the gesture with a slight bow. Ning Ciqiu looked up, about to say something, when Viscount Walton interrupted her, saying:

“Miss Ning, you are still young, I know you have figured something out. But I advise you not to think about it so much.”

"That's Letania's internal affair. We, the people at the World Summit, only need to do our best to make this concert a success. There's an old saying in Yan: 'An army must have a just cause.'"

Ning Ciqiu was slightly taken aback, then bowed slightly to Walton again.

受★^七·路·泗)贰釦QuN：教了。

Indeed, they have a legitimate reason to interfere. The matter in Letania did not escalate to the point of reaching the World Summit, so what reason do they have to intervene?

The World Summit can indeed manage a lot of things, but the problem is that, often, it goes too far!

The best course of action now is to trust Mr. Ernst and carry out the plan he has laid out, which is this "concert of all nations".

This is the huge difference in vision and status; this is the charm of open strategy.

The World Summit allows us to sit back and watch the tigers fight. Even if we do nothing but continue with the schedule as usual, it can still push some people to their limits.

But who will be the one to jump out this time?

Chapter 695 Leopold: The Big One is Coming!

Elector Leopold, the Tower.

Elector Leopold was enjoying his peaceful breakfast when a few noises brought him back to reality.

"Your Excellency, it's a momentous event! Great news, absolutely great news!"

Beneath the tower, a nobleman shouted, waving a letter in his hand. His face was filled with a firm, confident, and joyful expression, as if the letter was not just a letter, but "peace for a generation"!

Elector Leopold's forehead bulged with veins. He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, then raised his hand and waved lightly at the servants who were waiting nearby.

The attendant immediately bowed and retreated, and as he turned around, a slender staff had somehow appeared in his hand.

Those who have a place in the Elector's Tower, even if they are just ordinary servants, are all powerful sorcerers in hiding! And those who can serve the Elector at any time, receive orders, and convey messages on his behalf, with almost the same duties as "secretaries," must not only be of noble blood as a basic requirement, but their strength is also beyond doubt.

The Elector waved his hand, and he immediately understood that the nobleman downstairs who had been disturbing the Elector's leisure time was probably not going to live past tonight.

Don't assume that nobles are hard to kill. In Letania, sometimes the gap between nobles is greater than the gap between nobles and commoners!

Many people would beg to die if Leopold made a move, regardless of whether he was a nobleman or not.

Soon, so soon that Leopold hadn't even decided whether he had wiped his mouth too early or whether he should eat some more, the first scream came from downstairs.

"Sometimes, I really admire the Witch King."

Elector Leopold scoffed, then resumed eating amidst the screams. As he ate, he muttered to his female companion across from him,

"The Witch King is dead, but many of the spells he left behind are still beyond the comprehension of even the modern-day Letania. Are those who call themselves masters of Originium Arts truly a bunch of charlatans, or is the gap between the Witch King and them really that vast?"

"What do you say?"

he asked.

Her female companion had already lowered her head in fear.

The heart-wrenching cries and pleas for mercy echoed in his ears from below the tower. Forget about having breakfast together; just looking at this "Leopold" in front of her made her shudder.

As for answering questions, that requires time to think. Clearly, she doesn't have the energy for that right now.

She was just an ordinary person, a newly popular "music star" in Leopold's territory this year. She gained the attention of Elector Leopold with her song "Starry Night". She thought it was a meteoric rise to fame, but now it seems that whether she can reach the top is unknown, but it is very likely that she will be smashed to pieces.

Leopold didn't seem to care much about the woman's fear.

He'd seen plenty of women like this; it was normal for her to be afraid. He wasn't a bloodthirsty person, and he found her reaction rather uninteresting.

Are screams terrifying?

No, it's not scary at all. Rather, this kind of reputation is beautiful, just like tranquility.

Tranquility is a kind of music, the breath of nature; listening to it can cultivate one's character! Screams are also a kind of music, a cry from the depths of one's heart! They can strengthen one's courage.

What? How can you be sure that screams are the cries of the human heart?

It's simple. If it's not screaming, then the torture wasn't severe enough. Look at the interrogation next door; isn't that how it works? Since both involve expressing one's innermost thoughts, what's the fundamental difference between an interrogation and a performance?

All I can say is that people need to be able to draw inferences from one case to another, learn from successful experiences in excellent fields, and then, more importantly, what he is thinking will naturally be "played out"!

After waiting a while, the woman in front of him still didn't stop or answer his question, so Leopold sighed.

It seems I'll have to reduce the number of "small-scale" services I do in the future; the quality is getting worse and worse.

Hopefully, next month's "big event" will have some interesting guests.

While reflecting on this, Leopold noticed the returning attendant and asked:

"How about it?"

The attendant bowed and said, "Sir, they have confessed everything."

Leopold rolled his eyes.

What did he say? What did he mean by "confessed everything"? He made it sound like he was actually using torture to extract a confession.

They did it entirely voluntarily, okay? Coming here early in the morning to play a piece for the Elector is a blessing that many people could only dream of for eight lifetimes.

Just a reminder next time, be careful with your word choice.

"Tell me, what happened? What good news?"

"News from the [Origin Corner]!"

Leopold practically jumped to his feet, beckoning to the guards at the door. The two guards immediately stepped forward and led the woman, still weeping in her seat, away. Leopold's expression shifted from relaxed to serious, and he pressed, "..."

"What is the source of this information? Is it reliable?"

He didn't immediately ask where it was, but rather he asked about the source of the information. It was only after finding out the source that he truly decided whether or not they should go looking for this Origin Corner.

The remnants of the Witch King's faction are not truly his loyal followers; they don't actually respect the Witch King that much, nor do they particularly desire his return. They are simply dissatisfied with their current rule.

Especially those at the very top, like Elector Leopold, whose family had a blood feud with the Witch King, belonging to the group that rebelled and murdered the king, deserving the extermination of their entire clan. If they really brought the Witch King back, was he planning to commit suicide?

The Horn of Origin is said to be the place where the Witch King's soul returned after his death, where he maintained his eternal rule, awaiting the day he would return to Letania. This news was spread by the remnants of the first Witch King, those who were truly "loyal only to the Witch King." Although few people take this rumor seriously anymore, it remains the basis and justification for the existence of the "Witch King's remnants" label. Therefore, Elector Leopold, the current ruler, has not bothered to refute it.

Now, someone suddenly reports that he has news of the [Origin Horn]. Do you think Leopold wouldn't take it seriously?

He was terrified!

If the Witch King really returns, I don't know if others will live or die, but he will definitely be the first to die!

He could only hope that this news, like countless other so-called news items related to the "Origin Corner," was fake news—completely unreliable and impossible to verify—which would be in his best interest.

The attendant, clearly living up to his reputation as a trusted confidant, immediately nodded and said:

"The source of the information is unknown, but it is said that a remnant of the Witch King's faction, who was lurking in Trilintelme, obtained the information first! And that remnant of the Witch King said that the information is highly authentic, as it was told to him personally by a relative who is very close to Ivignad, who said that Ivignad herself admitted to it!"