People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Laurentina even had the time to share an amusing anecdote with Ernst. In the past, Deepsea Hunters were divided into four teams. The captain of the third team, Ulpian, was the original Deepsea Hunter and also the strictest. He established a rule for his team:

Before each mission, he would hum a melody to his hunters. After the mission was over, he would have each of the surviving hunters repeat the melody and offer their opinions.

Those disgusting scum in the sea don't appreciate art; memorizing melodies is enough to prove "who I am." Ulpian would use this method to judge whether a hunter should be killed and left to dry on the rocks.

Skadi is an exception.

It's not that Skadi can't sing. As a member of Team Three, Skadi has a beautiful voice, as has been proven during past talent shows when the Deepsea Hunters gathered together.

Skadi is an exception because Ulpian doesn't ask her for feedback on the music; as long as Skadi can still hum the tune, she's considered to have passed.

Ernst was somewhat curious: "Why?"

"Because Skadi's evaluation was a bit too harsh."

Laurentina smiled.

"Or she might not be able to say a word for a long time, which would also be a waste of time, wouldn't it?"

Ernst couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Skadi.

There was no embarrassment on her face at all, as if Laurentina wasn't talking about her at all.

Perhaps that's what makes Skadi special; she believes it's true, and since it's true, saying it won't seem strange to anyone.

However, perhaps because Laurentina mentioned Ulpian, Skadi's ruby-like eyes showed a rare hint of disorientation.

She was thinking; her thoughts had drifted far away, no longer here.

"how about you?"

Looking at the bodyguard who insisted on following, Ernst asked.

"You're from the second team, right? What are you good at?"

Laurentina skipped two quick steps to Ernst, her toes lightly touching the ground as she gracefully twirled and spun several times.

"The second team likes to dance. How about my dance moves?"

Her dancing skills are not good.

Ernst wanted to say that, but even though he didn't know much about dance, he could see how graceful Laurentina's dance steps were.

People's perception of beauty changes with the times, but at least for now, the Agor civilization's understanding of beauty does not seem to be as different from that of land dwellers as their values.

Ernst couldn't help but think of several of Scherrag's old friends who loved to dance.

Like Miss Ceylon, Hugh Rose, and Jeston.

Yes, Jesston. Ernst never expected that such a burly, strong man would enjoy dancing.

However, compared to Laurentina, his dancing skills are indeed not very good.

Ernst clapped his hands: "Very beautiful."

"Thank you for the compliment." Laurentina lifted the hem of the nun's skirt and bowed to Ernst.

"Can I speak with Precys through you?"

Ernst asked.

Laurentina blinked, then asked with interest:

"That depends on what you would like to ask, Mr. Ernst?"

"Didn't she say she would answer all my questions?"

"Did He say that? Maybe." Laurentina smiled. "But I didn't. I'll decide for myself whether or not to pass on your message."

Ernst raised an eyebrow.

Well, it turns out it wasn't Precys who lied, but rather you, the call forwarding guy, who was trying to steal the call!

However, on second thought, Ernst also realized that this was Laurentina subtly reminding him.

She is not a puppet of Priscilla; she has her own consciousness and is fully aware of herself.

The girl was clever; she knew that no matter how many times she emphasized this point in front of Ernst, it would be seen as sophistry. It was better to let Ernst gradually prove this point through various details.

But that would be even stranger, wouldn't it?

If Laurentina wasn't directly manipulated by Priscilla, why did she accept the guard assignment? What benefit would it bring her?

"Mr. Ernst is a very interesting person."

Perhaps sensing Ernst's scrutinizing gaze, Laurentina suddenly spoke, uttering a somewhat puzzling "praise."

"Your thirst for knowledge is so strong, it's almost on par with those old men at the Academy of Sciences."

“I didn’t even ask you why you came to Iberia, why you set up a military base on the coast, or what you wanted to do with the ocean. But you seem to care a lot about why I should protect you. It’s as if if I don’t know why, my protection becomes something sinister.”

Ernst was momentarily speechless.

What Laurentina said is actually not wrong.

She came to protect herself, the immediate reason being that she accepted a commission from Precys in her mind, and the fundamental reason being that she was assassinated by the Deep Sea Church organization, which attracted Precys's attention.

Why she came, and what benefits she could gain from this job, were not Ernst's concerns. The one making the deal with her was Precys.

Precys has a lot to offer. As the creator of Originium, and qualified to be called the "creator" of the world of Terra, Ernst finds it hard to imagine what price she couldn't pay. Some of the rewards she could offer might even exceed Ernst's wildest imagination. It's not surprising that she could sway Laurentina.

As the beneficiary of this deal, he can simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of the labor, just as Laurentina said. Digging deeper wouldn't actually benefit him, and might even be somewhat detrimental.

The reason why Ensther was so concerned about this matter was more because of the special nature of Pryseth and his own profession.

The desire for control is not just about controlling subordinates, but also about controlling the direction of events, the future, and everything in the world.

Ernst didn't want such a big uncertainty as Precys in his plans, so instead of thanking Laurentina for jumping out and shouting, "I'm here to help you!", he was filled with wariness.

This is due to her personality and habits, but when applied to Laurentina, it seems somewhat lacking in romantic understanding.

She's no innocent girl; in her actions, she's a classic enigma, always leaving things unsaid and forcing you to guess. Even if you're lost in your own thoughts, she'll never offer a definitive explanation—that's exactly what she loves to do.

This kind of person is inherently incompatible with Ernst's personality. And Laurentina is different from another famous riddle teller, Kelsey. Hackie's current friendly attitude towards Ernst stems from countless bristling, hissing, and fainting episodes over the past two years! It can be said that it was slowly trained by Ernst's intense love for cats.

Laurentina and Ernst were meeting for the first time. As Agorians, and deep-sea hunters who spoke frankly about everything, their mindsets differed somewhat from those on land. Moreover, Ernst was a product of genuine cunning and deception, and subconsciously projected this onto Laurentina, naturally leading to a lack of understanding.

Fortunately, Laurentina's comment was only slightly sarcastic; the hunter struck a perfect balance, avoiding offending Ernst while still venting his frustration. Seeing the apologetic look on Ernst's face, she slowly continued:

"Actually, if Mr. Ernst is really curious, I can tell you."

"The answer is actually quite simple."

She held up one finger, grinned, and her shark-like teeth looked somewhat frightening at first glance, but paired with her stunningly beautiful face, they also appeared rather unique and adorable.

"One for one. We help each other."

"If I guard the treasure for the Creator for a while, I can get the Creator's help for nothing. I don't think I'm losing out."

Chapter 731 We, Levi, have plenty of technology and ruthless skills!

As it turned out, with Laurentina around, Ernst's trip to Iberia was indeed much safer.

However, Ernst believes that this is partly due to the fact that counter-terrorism elites from all over Terra have been arriving in Granfalo.

The ocean is deep and mysterious, and the Deep Sea Cultists are treacherous and cunning, but when it comes to true treachery and cunning, they are far inferior to the leaders of the Terran nations, whose schemes are more numerous than a hornet's nest.

Not to mention them, even Ernst, as the one being protected, understood why Iberia had been so peaceful during this period when he saw the group of "immortals" and "artifacts" sent by the Terran kingdoms.

“I understand the logic, but isn’t Colombia going a bit too far?”

Standing next to Ernst, Carmen looked up at the giant airship slowly flying across the sky, her face filled with shock.

Ernst wasn't much better off.

After the first World Summit, he did indeed keep his promise and distributed the research data on airships to the nations of Terra as a reward for joining the summit.

At the time, many people worried that handing over this information might directly escalate the future war situation on Terra. But in fact, Ernst himself was not particularly afraid.

Not to mention that airships themselves have many flaws, even in the previous life, airships basically withdrew from the historical stage after the Hindenburg air disaster. Not to mention that in Terra now, the environment in the sky is many times worse than on Earth. It is difficult for an airship to fly for a long time, let alone be used for war.

The Sarkaz airships next door are made by sacrificing their ancestors. It's like those keyboard warriors in Zaun; they've turned their parents and eighteen generations of ancestors into weapons, so you can't look at them with ordinary eyes, right?

Even if, hypothetically, the nations of Terra were to have scientists who could overcome these technical hurdles and actually build airships capable of being deployed for search and rescue missions or used in warfare, Ernst wouldn't be worried. After all, there aren't many nations that have the capability to conduct scientific research, build airships, and maintain them.

Why doesn't the Shelag build high-speed warships? There are many reasons, but the inability to maintain them is certainly one of them.

A few high-speed warships alone would cost enough to maintain a medium-sized army in annual maintenance alone. Not to mention the construction and repairs after battle—for a small country, this is completely unnecessary, a losing proposition! And how many small countries on this land can be more developed than Shelag?

Therefore, only major powers can do this, and among the major powers that can do this, only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council have the courage and the need to do so.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council are themselves the maintainers of the international summit system. Their strengthening is not only harmless to Ernst, but also beneficial.

Therefore, in the final analysis, this is also a "bidding problem". It seems that everyone has a chance, but in reality, the person who will win this "bid" has already been secretly determined!

However, Ernst himself did not expect that Columbia would be developed so quickly.

He figured that given Colombia's current situation and needs, there shouldn't be any rush to build its own airships. But who would have thought that just over six months after the World Summit, and before the end of 1095, Colombia had already assembled its airships.

Dude, are you really that enthusiastic?

However, Ernst also noticed the differences between this airship and the one in Sherag.

The airship in Sherag largely retained the design of Earth's airships from Ernst's memory. For example, although it had been modified and concealed, it still had a huge balloon-like main body and a relatively small passenger cabin below. The airship in front of them, however, looked more like the Sarkaz airships that had appeared in Londinium.

The biggest difference between the two is that the latter looks less like an airship and more like an airborne aircraft carrier. It is the kind of space carrier that Ernst often saw in science fiction movies in his previous life. It is a real "high-speed warship that flies"!

Its specific combat capabilities are still unknown, but its appearance certainly shocked the crowd gathered in the base below.

Ernst bared his teeth, hissed slightly, nudged Carmen beside him with his elbow, and teased:

"Man, it seems this base needs to be built to be bigger."

Carmen turned around and looked at Ernst with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

His previously serious, even solemn expression relaxed with that joke.

Yes, what is he worried about?

The airship and the people gathered here are not their enemies, but their allies. It was only through great effort and at a great cost that they managed to gather these allies from various countries.

Iberia should be grateful that, during its weakest period, these former most powerful rivals were willing to help it without holding grudges, instead of kicking it when it was down!

It should be thankful that all of this is because it joined the International Summit in the first place, instead of stubbornly opposing it.

Perhaps before, Carmen might have had some doubts about the decision he made, but when the real firepower pierced the sky and brought the truth with it, his doubts were completely dispelled.

Fortunately, he chose to cooperate and agreed to Ernst's request. Otherwise, without needing any other countries, Iberia couldn't imagine any means to defend against this airship!

"Thank you for the World Summit."

He had never been so sincere before.

"Thank you too, Mr. Ernst."

The other party clearly has the strength to beat you into submission, yet still chooses to reason with you peacefully, and even puts himself in your shoes, not pursuing the matter of his assassination attempt, thinking of you and offering advice. Doesn't this deserve a word of thanks?

"I will arrange the venue."

Nine Cards promised.

4. Iberia has little to offer but plenty of land. It's sparsely populated, located on the coast, and has flat terrain. Building an airship landing pad on a slightly elevated spot wouldn't be difficult.

Lin's arranged!

Seeing that he was so cooperative, Ernst nodded with satisfaction and turned to look at the airship that was gradually descending.

3. As the airflow kicked up dust upon landing, the enormous airship, resembling something out of a science fiction movie, slowly descended its hatch. However, to Ernst's surprise, those who emerged were not a high-ranking Colombian official, nor the president, nor even a Colombian military personnel, but rather Nasti, Levi, and the four members of Rainbow Team!

"Mr. Ernst!"

Noticing Ernst waiting at the door, Nast immediately went up, took Ernst's hand, looked him up and down, and then asked:

"Are you alright? Where's the assassin?"

"I'm fine. The assassin has been eliminated."

Ernst Road,

"How did you get out of here? And Levi and the others, isn't that a Columbia airship?"

“Yes.” Nasty nodded. “This is a Columbian airship, and I’m just in charge of testing it. After all, my technology is used on it.”

She pointed to the bottom of the airship.

Amidst a host of mechanical structures that Ernst couldn't decipher at all, a halo emitting a pale blue glow was hidden. While not exactly eye-catching, it was certainly not one that someone familiar with the area would miss.

The Gravity Defiance Device is Nasti's technology and a key component that enabled Kazdelnia, Terra's first aerial mobile city, to successfully roam the skies!