People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Ensiodis nearly had a vein pop out on his forehead.

He could guess what Enya had been observing; she was observing her own state, confirming what Ernst had just said to her.

But unfortunately, Enciodes had nothing to refute; he had indeed lost.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Ensiodes took the dagger he had prepared in advance from Horn Peak, stepped forward, bent down, and presented it to Enya.

"I will make weapons out of metal and offer them to Yeragand, praying for peace in the coming year."

"The current head of the Shivaish family, Enshiodis Shivaish, pays his highest respects to Jeragand."

He said in a deep voice, "A sincere heart may not necessarily be genuine, but at least the appearance is very convincing."

Enya reached out and picked up the knife without touching Ensiodes, then turned around and placed it in front of the divine stone.

"Your prayer has reached Jeragund."

Jeragand's voice rang out again, but instead of stopping immediately, he added meaningfully:

"Thank you for bringing me many believers from Victoria."

Ensiodis's bent-over body jolted violently, and his silver-gray eyes, fixed on the ground, widened to their limit.

The unsuspecting inhabitants of Shivaish were still cheering for their lord, because Ensiodis was the only one who had received Yeragand's "gratitude."

But only Enthyodes and a very few others could understand the underlying meaning of His words.

Those “Victorian believers” certainly do not refer to the Victorian employees currently at the Kalan Trade headquarters in Tukarim.

He was referring to the "Mountain Snow Demon" army.

His reaction was much faster than Ensiodis had anticipated! He had already discovered the presence of the Mountain Snow Demon army!

Even if Ernst hadn't disrupted his plans with the signal flare, even if his plans had been successfully implemented, even if Latatos and Actos had been branded as traitors who assassinated the saint, and even if the Snow Demon troops had successfully taken control of the situation, He still couldn't win.

For God is watching him.

He could have stopped himself from the beginning, but he didn't. He simply let himself go, and perhaps even watched the farce unfold with great interest before the outcome was decided.

He simply entrusted everything to his true adversary, Ernst Shivaish, to defeat him, rather than relying on divine power.

Ensiodis believed that Yeragand, a god, would not stoop so low as to become an information broker for Ernst.

With a heavy sigh, Ensiodis slowly straightened up, bowed to the Jeragund Stone, and turned back to his own group.

The competition was over, and he was utterly defeated.

The fact that his opponent had no reliance on God shattered his last remaining reason for self-comfort.

Ernst won decisively.

Even if he doesn't retaliate and settle scores afterward, it will be difficult for Enciodes to recover quickly and compete with Ernst again.

Enshiodis withdrew, but Enya did not announce the end of the Holy Hunt ritual.

She suddenly looked at Ernst beside her, and the two, as if by unspoken understanding, met eyes. The sacred bell in Enya's hand rang again, the beautiful music and her voice ringing out for the fourth time:

"Today, Yeragand bestows his heart upon the government of Shelag, a heart that beats in unison with the hearts of all the people of Shelag, thus ensuring that the government of Shelag is always of one mind with the people of Shelag!"

Ernst, the Holy Son of Kalan, Prime Minister of the Sherag government, and Speaker of the National Assembly, called out with a smile:

"Lola!"

The only person absent from yesterday's emergency meeting, the Minister of Civil Engineering at Sherag, and the only outstanding doctoral student, responded loudly:

"exist!"

The voice came from behind the crowd, from the edge of the square.

The crowd turned their heads in unison to look at the Ursus girl.

At that moment, Ernst also prayed:

"I will turn this sincere heart into brilliant fireworks, releasing them into the skies of Shelag, which have been protected by God for millions of years, and share with God the joy of the Shelag people at this moment!"

"Lola, light the fire!"

The girl crouched down, turned on the lighter she had prepared, and the warm flame touched the fuse laid on the ground. The dazzling flame shot down the cliff like a dragon.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Just as excited as when a rocket is launched, the people of Sherag looked up at the sky with either surprise or anticipation, and the explosions and flashes of light arrived as expected!

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

Countless fireworks in the shape of Jeragund exploded in the sky, mixed with a few in the shape of Ensiodis, and even rarer ones in the shapes of Actos, Ratatos, Mount Kalan, and Manjushri...

Although the afternoon sky somewhat affected the visibility and brilliance of the fireworks, the people of Shelag, who had never seen such a scene before, still watched with great interest and cheered continuously!

Even Ya'er, who was hiding behind the divine stone, couldn't help but peek out and look at the sky lit up with colorful lights. She covered her mouth and felt the frantic acceleration of her body's so-called heartbeat.

Ernst was right, no girl dislikes fireworks!

He even forgot to answer the customary question: "Your prayer has reached Jeragund."

He was captivated by it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after enjoying the fireworks, please remember that during the holiday, every registered Sherag family can come to the Sherag government office in Tukarim to receive a Harvest Festival gift from the government, including Yeragand mythology-themed window decorations, Great Flame couplets, and a limited supply of firecrackers!"

Ernst reminded him loudly,

"The firecrackers are only for children aged 12 and up. A user manual will be included!"

"Long live Ernst!" "Praise be to Jeragand!" "Long live the Sherag government family!"

The crowd surged up and down, cheers resounded, and Ernst felt a long-lost sense of satisfaction.

It must be said that these simple, genuine smiles are just as heartwarming as a top-of-the-line Originium miniature stove.

While Ernst was busy maintaining order at the scene, Enchiodes was also enjoying the fireworks display.

Horn Peak had returned to his side at some point, and the rugged yet meticulous man with full hooves looked up at the sky with a face full of relief and anticipation.

"Boss, fireworks are so beautiful, why don't we import some of these to sell in the future?"

"It seems that it can be used for more than just military purposes."

Ensiodis pursed his lips, and a relieved smile finally appeared on his somewhat cold and rigid face. He nodded slightly.

"you're right."

"Ernst has indeed provided a business opportunity for our Karan trade. Fireworks should sell very well in the future of Kerrig."

...............

As fireworks illuminated the desolate landscape of Kjerag, Duke Windermere's messenger finally caught a glimpse of the long-unseen silhouette of Liincarden.

The steel body of the mobile city crawls forward across the land, patrolling Victoria's long border.

The messenger couldn't help but speed up his carriage.

An inexplicable premonition urged him to deliver Ernst's warning to the Duke as soon as possible.

Chapter 90: How low can the moral bottom line be after a nobleman and a member of parliament get together?

Victoria, Londinium, room in the Duke of Cumberland's House.

The grand dukes who overthrew the tyrant gathered in the country's capital to discuss future national policies, strategize on important national affairs, help each other, and share intelligence. While they checked and balanced each other, they worked together to maintain Victoria's glory and ultimately propelled this great nation to an even greater position!

Of course, all of this is impossible.

The Dukes' secret meeting was essentially a formality. All the resolutions to be reached at this meeting had already been approved by a small group of several grand dukes.

The Duke of Cactus, the Duke of Goldington, and the Duke of Wellington—while this statement inevitably contains biases and misinterpretations—still have many who believe they represent the most powerful forces in Victorian politics, commerce, and military affairs.

The straightforward Duke Windermere was unpopular among the dukes. Even though Amphilis Windermere's strength was, in a strict sense, no less than that of the weaker Duke Godotin of the Triumvirate, and even slightly surpassed him, sometimes personality and emotions can determine many things.

A ruler is not the same as the state apparatus. The state apparatus, through the combined efforts of countless people, can reach a point where it focuses almost solely on interests and ignores personal feelings, making the most rational decisions. But a ruler cannot do that.

The Duke of Caesar, a member of the triumvirate, was well aware that if he could win over the Duke of Windermere, who also held the title of "one of the Empire's two flanks," his chances of gaining the upper hand over the Duke of Wellington in this triangular relationship would be far greater. And rationally speaking, if the Duke of Windermere were willing to accept the Duke of Caesar's suggestion and cultivate a good relationship with her, instead of foolishly remaining neutral, she would undoubtedly reap greater benefits from the vast intelligence and political network that Caesar had cultivated.

However, due to their personalities, emotions, and various private relationships, they both abandoned the "profit-maximizing" approach and chose confrontation instead.

But this is not surprising.

Just like the artificial intelligence in Ernst's previous hit science fiction movie lamented: "It is indeed a luxury to expect humans to remain rational forever."

If all grand dukes could focus on the long-term interests, perhaps the opening statement describing Kent Windermere's high hopes for the duke's secret meeting would not have been mere empty talk.

A week has passed since Kent Windermere arrived in Lentinium.

The first wave of messengers he sent back to the Duchy of Windermere should have already reached Amphiris, revealing the true nature of this secret meeting to the Duke of Windermere, who was still completely unaware of it.

"What was the topic we discussed yesterday?"

Standing before the full-length mirror in the Duke of Cumberland's mansion where he was staying, Kent Windermere stared at his somewhat listless reflection, frowned, and tightened his tie, forcing himself to look more energetic.

Although this would make his already depressed heart feel physically suffocated.

The adjutant beside him immediately replied:

"Your Excellency Kent, the motion concerns the restriction on the broadcasting and publication of content related to King Victoria by Victorian news media and publishers. This motion has been passed unanimously."

Did I agree?

Kent felt a throbbing pain in his temples, forcing him to squint.

It passed unanimously, so I must agree, right?

During his time in Lentinium, he had hardly had a single night of restful sleep. The proposals discussed by the dukes were becoming more and more radical, and those forbidden red lines seemed to have become a red carpet for a fashion show in their eyes. If they didn't step on them a couple of times every day, it was as if they had lost billions!

From convicting and trying royalist nobles who had been imprisoned for a long time for "minor offenses," to limiting the power of the Lentinium City Council, cutting the city's defense budget, and now directly and completely restricting any discussion of royal topics.

What do they want to do?

Mental exhaustion prevented Kent from pondering the true purpose of the Grand Dukes' actions. He could only sigh, take the top hat handed to him by the valet, put it on, and pick up his cane.

"Let's go to today's meeting."

"Your Excellency." The attendant suddenly called out to Kent, who was about to leave. Kent turned around in confusion and met the adjutant's worried expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

The adjutant said, “Excuse my bluntness, but you look very unwell. I suggest you excuse yourself from today’s meeting and go see a doctor.”

But Kent shook his head: "No, no need, I'm not that fragile."

Looking out the window at the towering Shards and majestic palaces of the central Oaktree district, he smiled with genuine pride.

"It is a great honor and a great mission to be able to personally participate in the meetings that determine the future of Victoria. Compared to that, what do my slightly unwell body matter?"

He pushed open the door and walked out of the room.

He will deeply regret this decision in a few tens of minutes.

The scene of the Duke's secret meeting.

Representatives of the Duke of Wellington, the Duke of Castle, the Duke of Stafford, the Duke of Cavendish, and several other grand dukes have already taken their seats.

When the late-arriving Duke Godottin entered the venue, burping from his drink, this round of secret meetings officially began.

The Duke of Caesar made no attempt to conceal her identity from anyone; she was the first to stand up, as if to solidify her role as the initiator and leader.

"Gentlemen, the topic we are going to discuss today is to completely eliminate the core support of the royalist forces in the city of Londinium, which is also the root cause of the city's current turmoil."

She paused, glanced at everyone present, and said...

"We need to discuss whether to abolish the system of steam knights."

Kent, who was drinking hot water to calm himself down, choked and started coughing violently.

The Duke of Caesar waited quietly for him to catch his breath before asking:

"Does the Duke of Windermere's representative have any questions?"

Kent raised his hand, took a deep breath, and asked with a serious expression:

"Steam knights are heroes of Victoria, and to this day, they remain a symbol of fine virtues and excellent qualities in many Victorian textbooks. Is it really necessary to abolish them?"

The Duke of Caesar smiled, his wrinkled face revealing not disdain, but amusement:

“You’re right, Lord Kent. But don’t forget, when we overthrew that tyrant, we also chose to lead the Steam Knights elsewhere.”

"Although it's hard to admit, the Steam Knights were never heroes of Victoria. They were heroes of Aslan, the king's lackeys. The true heroes of Victoria were those who devoted themselves to the future of the country, namely you and me."