People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Of course I believe in Agor's capabilities. But I don't believe in this ship."

Ernst gave a wry smile.

“I have to get it back to Iberia intact. I don’t know if Agor has that word in his dictionary, but it’s my responsibility.”

"Why should you be responsible for Iberia? As far as I know, you are the Prime Minister of Shelag, aren't you?"

Clementa asked with a smile.

Ernst responded with a smile:

"So, are you discussing a collaboration with Sherag?"

Clementine paused for a moment, then shrugged helplessly and nodded slightly.

After going around in circles, Ernst came right back to where he started.

Invite them to a feast, behead them, and then take them in as dogs. This three-step strategy will never be outdated, no matter where or in what era.

He wanted to invite Ernst to Agor, partly to give Ernst a little warning. After all, Agor had so many advanced things, and so many "wonderful" things that only existed in the imaginations of land dwellers. He believed that these things would definitely change Ernst's opinion of Agor.

This is what it means to treat someone to a meal.

By defeating the imperial court and using its superior technology to overwhelm the enemy's arrogance, it instilled admiration and respect in them, thus achieving three victories without a fight. Simultaneously, it secured an advantage for the maritime side in subsequent negotiations.

Judging from Ernst's attitude when he met her, he was not a easy person to deal with, and her actions were a case of trying to be polite first and then resorting to force.

Of course, she did admire Ernst.

In her view, Ernst was a typical talent whose abilities were limited by his birth. Even if he were in Argonaut, he would definitely achieve something, and much more than he would on land!

It's important to understand that the position of Consul in Agor isn't subject to age restrictions, and society there is a semi-utopian structure. Neither she nor Gretia are particularly old; Ernst might very well become one of them! Perhaps she could even witness the birth of the youngest Consul in history!

So she extended an invitation.

That phrase, "secret person."

Just take it as a joke. As Ernst said, Clementine might be curious about Ernst's background and achievements, but it's not to the point of discussing marriage after just one meeting.

She now feels more admiration and a slight fondness for this young man who will soon stand on the opposing side and in the future on the allied side. If Ernst agrees, she would indeed not mind personally acting as his guide and leading him on a tour of Argonaut, but that would be part of the strategy, with public interest far outweighing personal interest.

However, it seems that the "treating" has failed for now.

Beheading?

No, Clementa wasn't that kind of radical. She understood the crisis Agor was facing better than anyone. Although the god of the Sea Sith was dead, the Sea Sith was still evolving. This was clearly an unfinished war, and the Sea Sith side obviously still had more trump cards up its sleeve. At times like these, a powerful ally was better than a weak underling.

Killing Ernst would only result in two outcomes: either enraging the land or intimidating it. But either way, it would inevitably lead to the land's resistance against the sea and a loss of power.

At least, that giant beast that froze the sea is definitely not on Agor's side anymore.

While their land-based combat strength isn't exactly a mainstay, it's still decent. It's better than nothing, but having something is better than having nothing at all. Moreover, with the help of the land, searching for the relics of other prehistoric civilizations will be easier for them.

So, should we accept them as dogs?

Clementa really wanted Ernst to obediently stand on her side.

However, that's probably impossible.

Those people on land probably had the same idea. But none of them succeeded. Clementa had many impressive things to offer, but they didn't suit Ernst's taste, so it was better if she didn't offer anything at all.

Since that's the case, let's cooperate like this for now.

The fact that the invitation failed temporarily doesn't mean it will fail in the future. Ernst will come to Agor again eventually; Clementa can guarantee that.

As for why

Because she's going to go to land!

"Then, Secretary Ernst, don't you plan to take me on a walk around on land?"

Clementa showed no sign of discouragement, but instead proposed again,

"To be honest, I'm also very curious about the land. When you visit Agor, I'll personally guide you on your journey. So, how about I ask you to be my guide this time?"

"In layman's terms, how about we show each other hospitality?"

I didn't force you to be my tour guide!

Ernst wanted to roll his eyes, but he held back.

The other party's words were indeed watertight; even if Ernst wanted to refuse, the other party could list many reasons.

What: Since it's a collaboration, we can't do without understanding each other. What: Doesn't Mr. Ernst have any sincerity? What: In that case, I'll explore on my own, Mr. Ernst, please don't stop me, and so on.

Ernst couldn't refuse.

After all, compared to the potential problems of letting the other person act on their own, it's better for him to actually play along this time.

To use a phrase from my past life, cough cough, I was a land-based escort!

It's said to be an industry chain where young, beautiful women or handsome men accompany others on trips for five or six hundred yuan a day, or several thousand for higher-end services. They are professionally responsible for providing emotional value, which is very suitable for lonely but wealthy people. Ernst had heard a few old classmates mention it in his previous life, but he had never tried it.

He felt that this sounded a bit like a variation of the "one-day simp" or "renting a girlfriend (boyfriend) to go home for the New Year".

I hope it's legal.

Cough cough, what he's doing is definitely legal!

He's a snow leopard, with no ill intentions whatsoever, so how could it be illegal?

For some unknown reason, Ernst's old face flushed slightly, he coughed softly, and nodded.

“Of course, Ms. Clementa is curious about the land, so it is only right that I be the host.”

"To be honest, there have indeed been some events on land recently. Letania is preparing to host an international music concert, which may give you some novel audio-visual experiences that you can't find at sea."

Clementa smiled, nodded, and said nothing more. She turned around, gently tapped Sikunda, who had been staring at Ulbian for almost half an hour, and walked towards the shuttle.

She also had to keep her promise; she would send people to repair the Stutifaira. Naturally, she wouldn't stay with Ernst and the others indefinitely.

She will naturally reappear when she returns to Hong Kong.

Then, there won't be any more ice sheets hitting the dome of Myrialyum!

Ernst breathed a slight sigh of relief as he watched her leave.

He was a little tired. The last time he planned three steps ahead for every one he took was when he was negotiating with the Duke of Caesar.

The Duke of Caesar was a shrewd strategist with a keen political sense; he was not easily fooled and could only make constant trade-offs.

Clementa, on the other hand, has overwhelmingly superior stats.

The person is someone whose entire life can be seen at a glance, but the background is too deep, representing Argoll, which Ernst cannot ignore.

However, just as he turned his head, he met Talulah's gaze again.

Talulah looked at Ernst with a hint of anger in her expression.

Ernst was a little confused. You're actually angry? What are you angry about?

"What's wrong?"

Talulah pouted, "I'll tell Vina!"

Ernst: "???"

Chapter 764 The Birth of the Science and Technology Sharing Agreement

The people of Letania never imagined that one day they would be suppressed in their popularity.

This international music concert is doing really well. Just by posting pictures of the construction site, orchestra invitations, and rehearsal photos every day, they can generate a lot of traffic on TerraMedia.

Even publishing two formulaic news articles with no substance, such as "Elector meets with national delegation of a certain country," can garner a considerable number of clicks and significantly boost the Elector's reputation in the territory and in the political arena of Letania. What a wonderful thing!

Is media promotion really this effective? Does this propaganda stronghold offer so many advantages?

This is incredibly comfortable. It's like making money and gaining fame while lying on the ground. Plus, the Elector of Shitong, who was rumored to be seriously ill not long ago, seems to be in pretty good health. For a time, even the whole of Letania calmed down. The backstabbing and scheming stopped; everyone was busy taking advantage of this opportunity—those who wanted to make money made it, and those who wanted to enhance their resumes did so. Everything seemed to be thriving.

But who knew that when Elector Leopold woke up this morning and saw the news, the sky had fallen!

"What do you mean we've lost our buzz? What news could possibly be bigger than our Leitania International Concert?"

"What? Is the Battle of Londinium over and the new Emperor Victoria has ascended the throne? Or has Ursus declared war on someone again?"

Elector Leopold frowned, looking at his subordinate's troubled expression with suspicion.

"Could it be that Gaul has been restored?"

"No, Your Excellency the Elector."

Elector Leopold laughed heartily, picked up a glass of milk and took a swig: "I guess not."

The attendant chimed in in agreement:

"Your Excellency is wise; Iberia has returned to its golden age."

"puff!"

Milk gushed from his mouth like a fountain, spraying directly onto the attendant's face. Before the attendant could recover, Archduke Leopold snatched the newspaper from his hand and looked at the news about Iberia, which, for the first time in over sixty years, occupied the front page headline.

[The Stutifaira, Terra's largest warship, returns; Iberia may be poised to return to its golden age!]

Subtitle: [Another remarkable achievement by Ernst Shivaesh, further proof that the World Summit is contributing to peace in Terra!]

"Ho-!"

He gasped and flipped through several more pages. The Letania page, which was usually full of content about international concerts, was now almost entirely filled with all sorts of news about Iberia.

Military Section: "Columbia has built Terra's first large military Originium-powered airship, the 'Preserver,' which performed exceptionally well in this counter-terrorism operation."

Society Section: The Demise of the Deep Sea Church: Unveiling the Atrocities Committed by Deep Sea Cultists in Iberia, with Secretary-General Ernst's Special Approval Definition: Traitors!

Technology Section: "Colombia's emerging technologies are developing rapidly; should Letania learn from them?"

Culture Section: "The first international summit of all nations will cooperate, and Iberia may become a holy land for cultural exchange in Terra!"

Elector Leopold flipped through several pages before finally finding a news item about the International Concert in the music section, a feature unique to the Letanian newspapers.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, but after taking a closer look, he discovered that the content was:

Latest news from the International Music Festival: A mystery guest may be coming from Iberia!

Finished!

This hype is really over now!

They've been living too comfortably these past few days, completely ignoring what's happening in Iberia. Now, they're completely missing out on the limelight!

In fact, Letania wasn't entirely without opportunity to participate. At least, one of the empresses, the Ruthless Authority, wanted to send a few Golden Law Guards to join in the fun at that time.

At the time, she didn't think she could make any money from this trip to Iberia, but she felt that since Ernst had planned it, given his personality, he wouldn't let everyone lose money.

Even if she lost a little money, it wouldn't matter. Letania and she already owed him a favor, and it would be easy to repay it with a little manpower and resources. For an empress like her, it was a very worthwhile deal.

However, there is indeed a lot of opposition within the country.

Neither Elector Leopold nor Ivignad agreed to this.

They weren't without reason. According to them, Letania was already experiencing some internal turmoil, and with the International Concert just around the corner, it was unnecessary for them to be distracted by other matters. Besides, the anti-terrorism plan was Ernst's idea, so wasn't the International Concert also his idea? He entrusted this matter to you, so doing your job well is the right thing to do and won't disappoint him.

That makes some sense.

But for some reason, Herlinmat always felt that there was a hint of sourness in Ivignad's words.

Especially when he said, "He entrusted this matter to you."

It might not seem like anything, but even he could sense that Ivignad's eye-rolling, pouting, and hand-spreading gestures were a bit... strange.

Helene Marte inexplicably felt a little good.

However, she still accepted Ivignad's statement. As the "Queen in charge of military affairs," she did not involve Letania in the matter.

Elector Leopold thought the move was absolutely brilliant!

But now it seems he was wrong, and quite terribly wrong!

Moreover, if it were someone else, as an elector, he could openly and secretly write a letter to the newspaper, questioning, "Why do you always choose to report this kind of news?" The other side would naturally know what to do.

But Ernst, he really couldn't control it!

All the media in Terra depend on him for their livelihood! Even if Leopold can use his power to suppress the media in Letania, so what?

Ernst also had his own affiliated media outlet, the Rose Newspaper in Casimir, which is now a staunch supporter of Ernst! They also have business in Letania.

If you really push them too far, and you want to impose a ban, can you even ban foreign media outlets?

Leopold suddenly realized.