People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Ernst seemed relieved, smiled slightly, and took Clementa's hand:

“It’s nothing, ma’am. It’s just that according to the social etiquette on earth, for a lady as distinguished as you, if you are married, I need to give you a kiss on the hand.”

This is a lie!

Talulah's eyes sharpened.

Others might not know, but she had been to Sherag and knew Ernst all too well what he was like.

Although her own prime minister has a lot of titles, she rarely puts in much effort for formalities. Talulah has never seen her give anyone a "kiss on the hand" greeting!

Not only him, but the Sherag people didn't seem to care much about this. They only showed any "formality" when it came to Jelagand. Just look at Mrs. Hugh Ruth of the Brantau family; she's married, isn't she? She still calls him "Ernst Brother" all the time. If Mrs. Latatos hadn't so easily shirked the Brantau family's responsibilities, she'd probably be running to Tukarim every few days! And Ernst never gave her a kiss on the hand.

Why did he suddenly emphasize this etiquette at this time?

To emphasize the solemnity of this meeting?

But after that broadcast, look at those deep-sea hunters, they all looked a bit ashamed. Is this meeting really still solemn?

This means Talulah's rank is low.

Although Clementine had no knowledge of ground-level etiquette, she immediately understood Ernst's meaning as soon as he spoke, and smiled and nodded at him.

"I see. It seems I know very little about the rules on land. Mr. Ernst, I hope you can forgive me."

The class representative highlighted the word "rules," of course. To be precise, it was "rules on land."

Was Ernst subtly giving her a warning?

Clementa didn't feel any ill will. Firstly, the other party's reminder was tactful enough, and secondly, Ernst's attitude was neither humble nor arrogant.

Agor may be arrogant, but arrogance is not the same as conceit. As an administrative officer like Clementsa, despite her youth, she may know just as much as those seventy or eighty-year-old Dengs on land.

After all, that's Agor. The environment shaped her.

What she was more curious about now was what those deep-sea hunters, who had collectively bowed their heads and fallen silent, had done to elicit this reaction from Ernst towards the Agorians—a reaction that was anything but kind, and that they were ready to take a hard line right from the start.

Did you pluck the hairs from his tail?

No one from the Deepsea Hunters answered. Laurentina smiled, Skadi pretended to be busy, Greta wondered if Clementa had heard her promise to sacrifice her mother, and Ulpian...

Ulpian was exchanging glances with the sheriff-like woman behind Clementa.

It's hard to imagine how they could just stare blankly without laughing out loud.

After observing the reactions of those around them, Ernst and Clementa almost simultaneously snapped out of their daze and looked at each other. Ernst spoke first:

“Then, Ms. Clementa of Agor, myself, and everyone here must need an explanation.”

"Why is Agor's city here? And why would a governor like you suddenly come to us? And..."

Ernst turned his head, his gaze bypassing Clementa and Siquinda behind her, and landing on the technologically advanced Agor shuttle.

"And what do you want to do?"

Clementine chuckled softly:

"Mr. Ernst, why be so wary? We have no ill intentions."

"We are both on this planet Terra, and we are both bathed in the blessings left by our ancient civilization. The Agor homeland is always watching the changes on the land. I can answer all three questions for you at once: why did the city of Agor appear? Why did I find you? And what do I want to do?"

"Because Agor wants to re-establish contact with the land."

"We will develop together, progress together, and strive for world peace together. Agor will spare no effort to help the land-based countries develop to the same level as Agor as soon as possible in order to cope with any possible crises."

As she spoke, her voice softened slightly, and she moved forward a step to Ernst's side, leaning in to whisper in his ear:

"Agor also hopes that a unified voice can emerge on land. We are willing to provide unlimited assistance for this."

This statement is both true and not true.

Agor did indeed have this idea. They had observed the arrangement and combination of land civilizations, and the internal strife and wars among the various great powers, for far too long. As the eldest son of the prehistoric civilization, the "big brother" of all Terrans, they believed they had the ability and the responsibility to lend a helping hand to this incompetent little brother.

Abandon war, embrace cooperation, shed prejudice, and experience unity. This is what Agor had long wanted to do on land, and she wasn't lying.

But the methods and processes might not be as "friendly and amiable" as her voice.

The great unity of the people of the world is a form of peace; even without people in the world, it is still a form of peace, isn't it?

Terra seems a bit too urbanized.

Of course, this is Agor's opinion.

Clementine herself did not entirely agree with this view. She personally felt that some of the important figures in this realm were perhaps a bit too extreme.

However, as a consul, she could only voice the "official" opinion at the official level. This whispered remark was not entirely a threat, but also a small "compliment" to Ernst.

Ernst's international summit, in the eyes of her and most of the Agorians, was immature, fragile, and "primitive," but for land-based civilizations, it was still a tremendous step forward.

They've united, which is quite remarkable. After all, some things, if you don't do them, others will force you to. Faced with the choice of reforming on your own or being "attacked by the Black Ships" and having your doors forced open, most people would choose the former.

In this way, those who clamor to use "Agor's power" to unite "the whole of Terra" will have to say less.

It's much quieter now, isn't it?

Ernst narrowed his eyes.

He sensed a hidden meaning in Clementa's words, but having just met her, he couldn't quite figure out how many masks were hidden behind the smile of this seemingly polite, gentle, and kind Agorian.

He wished it could only be one layer. Unfortunately, in this line of work, it's rare to see someone's real face.

Seeing that Ernst remained unmoved and did not react much, a hint of helplessness flashed across Clementa's face.

But she quickly cheered up.

It's alright, she's fully confident she can give Ernst a little shock from Argoll!

Let's start with this ship!

“Mr. Ernst, Argol has come with good intentions. But we are not here just for you.”

"We came here to communicate with terrestrial civilizations, including our old friend, Iberia."

She glanced at Carmen and Alfonso, maintaining her polite smile, and nodded slightly to them.

Ernst admired her for that.

After all, the attitude Iberia has had towards the Agors over the years is something that saddens the Sarkaz of Lateran and brings tears to the eyes of the infected in Ursus—it's something the entire land has witnessed. Since the Agors know about the World Summit and claim to have been keeping a close eye on the situation on land, they couldn't possibly be unaware of this.

But she didn't care at all.

The death of one person with eight lives is a number, and the death of ten thousand people is also a number. Consul Clement IV may appear benevolent, but she is indeed a competent politician.

Talulah quietly moved a little further away from Clementa.

She had just thought this woman was quite intelligent and wanted to get closer to absorb some of her wisdom.

Now it seems like I should stick with Ernst's stuff.

Not noticing Talulah's actions, Clementsa said solemnly:

"We will help you send this ship back to the port of Iberia. We will also arrange for engineers to carry out a full overhaul and maintenance, as a testament to the restoration of our once interrupted friendship."

"Please believe that Agor can mend a broken mirror."

Chapter 761 The First Person to Cooperate Between Land and Sea! (5k5)

Spilled water cannot be gathered up again, and a broken mirror cannot be mended—this is a principle Ernst has heard since childhood.

The meaning is quite clear: it's a warning to think carefully before acting, and to be prepared to bear the consequences once you've done something. Making amends afterward may achieve many things, but it can never truly resolve everything.

To put it bluntly, it's the same principle as "He who kills will be killed in return" and "Cause and effect, retribution is inevitable." It's just that the latter is more straightforward.

But Agor is very capable; Clementsa can openly offer Iberia a price: I can mend a broken relationship!

I know what you've done. I know you have Agorian blood on your hands. I know you're wary of me, an official of Agor, and even hostile towards me.

But it doesn't matter, Agor is magnanimous, Agor can forgive you for everything. As long as you adopt the right attitude and accept Agor's gifts.

Carmen was no longer young. She was not the headless queen of Gaul. She knew very well that every gift that fate bestowed had a price tag attached in secret.

Ernst made demands when he helped Iberia, let alone Agor?

Moreover, he had his own considerations.

Iberia has been inciting racial hatred against Agor for so long, and now they want him to reconcile with Agor? What's the difference between that and asking a failed art student to treat Jews as honored guests or asking Palestinians to voluntarily withdraw from Gaza?

This isn't something he could accomplish by himself, with just a few words or one or two instances of publicity. If he were to openly cooperate with Agor, the resulting turmoil in Iberia would likely be no less significant than simply bringing Alfonso back, revealing his identity, and supporting him as Emperor of Iberia!

So, he thought about it for only a moment before deciding to shake his head and refuse.

Iberia was surprised by Agor's goodwill. However, Iberia has no intention of cooperating with Agor again in the short term.

Carmen said calmly.

Clementine was truly speechless.

He truly hadn't expected Iberia to be so inconsiderate.

Frankly speaking, did Clementa have absolutely no issues with Iberia? Not necessarily.

Even if the refugees from Agor fled to land, they were still Agorians. Although Clementa might not recognize them, as a civilization that had gone through thousands of years of bloody wars before finally achieving a great reconciliation and unifying the entire ocean, Agor's national identity was actually quite strong.

When they hear that their compatriots are suffering abroad, not from the sea or any other natural disasters, but from persecution by people on the ground, suffering from displacement to severe torture, being destitute, starving, and dying by the roadside like a dried-up scale, do the Agorians not show any concern?

Yes, there are many.

However, their national structure and social management are so excellent that this resentment can be vented in places like the "battleground of wits" and other places where "discussions (and insults)" take place.

Even so, within Agor, there are those who hope to unite the nations of Terra by force, with Agor as the leader, and redistribute the planet's resources to address the Sea Crisis and embark on interstellar travel.

The prevailing ideology in Agor regarding the land, the idea of ​​"Agor as the leader, guiding the nations of Terra," is a moderate version of that ideology. Moreover, this ideology enjoys a very high level of acceptance within Agor, as evidenced by the speech Clementsa recently attended at the Arena of Wits.

Even so, Agor still gave Iberia plenty of face.

Fourth, we will not pursue the killing of our people. Because I have a strategic vision, I know that if I wanted revenge, defeating you few would be a simple crushing victory. But I don't want to spend another century dealing with your constant uprisings and internal resistance. That would lead to my war-weariness exploding and excessively high local governance costs. Therefore, I have chosen to cooperate with you as a compromise.

I extended an olive branch to the Universal Summit, and Ernst remained skeptical of me, which is understandable. After all, the Universal Summit is relatively new, Agor has had little contact with them, and they haven't witnessed Agor's greatness firsthand. We understand their feelings about making hasty judgments without understanding Agor.

But what about you, Iberia?

4. From your rise to your decline, which step was unrelated to Agor? Take this ship you treasure so dearly, for example. Could Iberia have built it? Didn't it rely on the design blueprints of Agor's engineer, Breogan, and the technology brought by the islanders of Agor?

You say you know nothing about Agor and are unwilling to have any contact with him, yet you are so satisfied with and fond of his creations. Isn't that a contradiction?

Clementa now understands why some Agorians believe that any interaction between Agor and the land, no matter how it begins, will inevitably end in war—it's simply impossible to reach an agreement!

Clementine sighed, about to say something more to offer some advice, when Ernst spoke up first.

"Lady Carmen, don't be so absolute."

"Ms. Clementsa is very sincere. Even if you personally disagree, you should still consider the opinions of the World Summit."

"I think this collaboration is worth discussing."

Q Carmen paused slightly, looking at Ernst with disbelief, her eyes seeming to ask, "What are you talking about?"

That's what "羅但尔斯特" means.

Whether or not Iberia should cooperate with Agor is not up to Iberia.

The World Summit has the final say.

Ernst couldn't stand by and watch Carmen cut off the sea-land communication route. Even he had just been observing, waiting to see what tangible "sincerity" Clementsa could offer besides empty promises.

Anyone can make empty promises.

What? Within three days, he can make Sherag surpass Gege and Vi. What? Agor will pay for all the countries of Terra to upgrade their status and be on the table. What? He will support the World Summit to "unify Terra". No matter how big the pie in the sky is, Ernst will not be tempted at all.

Even if you said you'd make me emperor after unifying Terra, I wouldn't be tempted at all.

Because these are all illusory.

Don't be fooled by Clementa's boastful words, as if Agor had suffered a great injustice. In reality, it's all just a simple rhetoric.

They only talk about how difficult things are for themselves, never mentioning the sacrifices they need from others, and stand on the moral high ground to point fingers and put others on a pedestal, forcing them to make decisions that are detrimental to their own interests but seem beneficial. Ernst also used this tactic a long time ago.

This was the tactic used to force the Duke of Kester to go to Lentinium to rescue the refugees.

But in reality, Agor's rhetoric works because of information asymmetry; others don't know the true situation at sea, making it seem like Agor is genuinely there for poverty alleviation and charity. Ernst, however, can see the real situation!

What is the real situation?

Looking beyond the surface, the essence of Agor is that it inherited many legacies of ancient civilizations, integrated all intelligent creatures in the ocean, and had a highly developed society and extremely advanced science. After living a peaceful life for thousands or tens of thousands of years, watching tens of thousands of years of war on land without any reaction, it began to frequently come into contact with the land in the last hundred years.

This is unusual.

Something unusual must be amiss; something truly bizarre must be haunted!