People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"It seems not."

Seeing that Clementa did not answer, Heratia sighed softly.

This is both bad news and good news.

The bad thing is, just as Clementa imagined, this means that Ernst will most likely be waiting for a higher price, and they probably won't gain much advantage in the upcoming negotiations.

The amount of money we need to spend may be much more than the budget allows.

Fortunately, Ernst did not immediately propose meeting the Preservator in exchange for leadership of the alliance, which means that the other party was also rational and clear-headed.

He probably also knew that if the land forces were to lead this defense line, the land nations would probably have to hold meetings for a month or two just to understand what [Sea Heir] was!

Things should be left to the professionals. Although Agor can hardly be called "professional" in fighting the Sea Siberians, he is certainly much better than the land civilization that knows nothing.

It is truly a blessing for the entire alliance that the mainland has such a clear-headed spokesperson.

Heratia sighed for a moment, then gave the instructions:

"In that case, let's get ready."

"You mean?"

"Invite Ernst to come to Milriaum for a face-to-face meeting."

The other party was waiting for Agor's response, and Agor was also waiting for Ernst's offer.

Ultimately, the matter must be resolved at the negotiating table face-to-face.

Heratia also needed time to prepare, to contact the other supreme rulers, and to make arrangements.

Negotiations require preparation, bottom lines need to be discussed, and the acceptable price needs to be negotiated. Meeting the Preservator is not something she can decide alone.

She also needs some time to persuade others.

"What are the plans for this period of time?"

"Clementa asked."

Heratia hesitated for a moment, then replied:

"Do the best, try to make Ernst happy and save face. Any requests within your authority can be agreed to."

The will of the state is not entirely the same as the will of an individual, and Ernst's will is even less likely to be the same as the will of the World Summit, unless he is mentally unstable.

The only one who knows about the "Preserver" is Ernst. Otherwise, Heratia doesn't think that those people on land who use the struggle for power and profit as a means of survival would let go of such an opportunity to write a blank check!

Those people might actually dare to directly demand leadership of the alliance!

In the end, Ernst was certainly representing the World Summit in the negotiations, but ultimately, it was Ernst who was negotiating!

It's obviously easier to satisfy Ernst than to satisfy them.

Agor could easily cater to their tastes; after all, it's a concert of international music, and Agor has far too many musicians and singers! And then there's Sherag—with Agor's capabilities, investing in such a small country would bring it to the same standard of living as Agor within a year! Agor could also fully satisfy Ernst's personal requests. As a superior civilization, they were confident they had a hundred ways, unheard of by Ernst, to test their officials!

Even with all of Agor's resources, it's still not enough to win over the snow leopard?

They have plenty of ways to throw money around!

P.S.: I think I posted this around this time last year too. The highest mountain, the longest river, five-time champion—truly deserving of the title. I was genuinely impressed last night. At 28, still able to initiate team fights in dire situations, confidently picking Galio for a 3v4—simply beyond words. Faker can dominate this game for many more years, but I probably won't be watching.

Bin too, back in 20 or 21, during the pandemic, I won a ticket in a lottery and flew to see the game. I even got his autograph. I saw him get a pentakill, switch teams, get stronger, but in the end, I still didn't see him win the championship. What a pity.

Chapter 777 Terra's Stress Resistance Champion

O Iberia, anti-terrorism base, office.

Standing on the windowsill, gazing at the calm sea and the rising city of Myrialyum in the distance, Talulah's eyes were somewhat unfocused.

Suddenly, she turned around and looked at Ernst, who was sitting at his desk, pondering the schedule of the international concert, and asked abruptly:

"Ernst, when are we going back?"

Ernst looked up, paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and raised an eyebrow:

Where do you want to go back to?

"Sherag."

Talulah blinked and answered matter-of-factly.

Ernst did not answer; he thought of that question again.

Where should Talulah go?

Returning to Sherag seemed like a good option for her. With him watching over her, she wasn't worried about Talulah doing anything strange. Besides, she had indeed grown a lot during this trip.

Hmm, you must have grown a lot, right?

5 At least, Ernst felt that after seeing Carmen in person and facing the various problems of Iberia firsthand, her way of looking at problems should not be so limited.

The concepts of black and white are like the yin and yang of Tai Chi. Even in the most clearly defined, either-or situations, the methods of black and white may still reflect each other. Most of the time, one can only navigate between them. Adhering to white doesn't necessarily mean abandoning black methods, and throwing oneself headlong into black doesn't necessarily mean completely losing the ability to use white methods. The Doctrine of the Mean is truly a profound and wise philosophy.

Ernst didn't expect Talulah to master the skills immediately, but at least she stood firmly on his side on the ship, which meant she understood that one's perspective is determined by one's position, wasn't it?

To be fair, Ernst didn't really want Talulah to stay in Sherag.

The stage of Sherag is still not quite suitable for Talulah. As for Vina, whose status is similar to Talulah's, the deed is done, and Ernst cannot let Vina leave, whether out of personal feelings or for Vina's safety. But Talulah has many other options.

Young people should go out and explore the world.

Lungmen, Ursus, Victoria—there are many places where she can shine. In Terra, a place where kings and generals have a certain air of authority, her identity as the daughter of the Red Dragon and a legitimate descendant of royalty, if used well, can play a significant role.

But it seems that Talulah doesn't have that in mind?

Ernst hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"Talulah, don't you want to go out for a walk?"

Ernst had expected Talulah to think for a moment before answering, but to his surprise, Talulah's reply was much more decisive than he had anticipated:

"Do not want to."

Talulah shook her head.

"I'm a little tired."

If Alina, or Bozokasti, or Yelena heard this, they would probably be so shocked that their jaws would drop.

Talulah, who endured Oripathy in the snowfield, used Originium Arts to make a fire for warmth, shared her food with everyone, and suffered hunger herself without ever saying a word of "tiredness," said she was a little tired.

But that was truly what she felt.

Physical fatigue wasn't a big deal; she had experienced far more extreme situations, so this current exhaustion was nothing.

She was mainly emotionally exhausted.

Everything Iberia experienced was vastly different from what Talulah had imagined when she arrived.

While in Sherag, she had heard countless times of Ernst's "renowned reputation": the people of Sherag praised Ernst as the Holy Son of God, the most beloved child of the great god Jeragand, who was bestowed with unparalleled wisdom, and thus was able to lead Sherag to greater and greater prosperity.

Talulah scoffed at this, for she had never believed in any gods. The Black Serpent was also a "god," and it had taught her countless methods, but as it turned out, the ability to use these methods properly depended on the person employing them.

She couldn't do it, but Ernst did. That means Ernst was amazing, not God. It's a very simple principle!

The Sarkaz say that Ernst is their benefactor, the only person in ten thousand years, who, despite being a different race, has shown them such care, even helping them establish a nation, giving them "living space," and allowing them to live ordinary lives.

Talulah admired him greatly, but every time she mentioned it to Ernst, he would say, "I'm not a benefactor." He liked to portray his relationship with the Sarkaz as mutually beneficial; he had indeed helped the Sarkaz, but he had also gotten what he wanted from them. Although, for the Sarkaz, the value of what they gave and what they received was completely disproportionate, Ernst said, "In a deal, it's about what you need."

Even if the value is unequal, if it's something I want, I'm willing to pay a high price for it. Complete fairness makes for poor transactions, and not all transactions are fair.

Talulah didn't quite understand this, but she felt that the Sarkaz probably didn't take this argument seriously; they thought Ernst was being modest.

People at the World Summit said that Ernst is the most outstanding young politician on earth today. People used to look down on Ernst because of his background, but he has successfully proven that a poor and backward background is nothing. As long as he achieves success, people will naturally regard his background as a symbol of his "innocence"!

Talulah thought they were right, but Ernst said it was flattery, a form of backstabbing. They were praising you so much just so they could push you into a trap when something happened.

Just listen to these kinds of comments, have a laugh, but don't take them seriously. Those who praise you won't hold back if you lose your value!

Talulah remembered this sentence, because she had learned her lesson the hard way. Those infected thugs—she had believed their sweet words, shared their food, and let them join the group, only to have it destroy the group's unity and purity, and almost kill Alina!

Talulah heard a thousand different versions of Ernst from a thousand different people, but no matter which one it was, they all received rave reviews, as if Ernst were truly a rare perfect person in the world, capable of solving problems that troubled everyone in a way that did not harm the interests of any party.

But after arriving in Iberia, she witnessed Ernst's "methods".

The counter-terrorism operation, the counter-terrorism forces, the counter-terrorism base—everything seemed perfectly legitimate. Talulah initially believed that they were there to maintain peace and expel the Deep Sea Cultists.

This is also the outside report: Ernst once again used the World Summit to do something very good for Iberia!

But this time, she wasn't just reading the newspaper; she was actually there. Beneath the surface, she saw the "costs."

The troops of the various nations were not all well-trained elites. Their sweep in Iberia was authorized by Carmen, and it was truly a case of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!"

The Deep Sea Church was wiped out, but for every hundred Deep Sea Church members wiped out, almost one civilian would die as a result!

Sometimes, counter-terrorism forces actually have the capacity to identify who are Deepsea cultists, but they are not Iberians and they don't care. They pursue higher efficiency, so if a family has both Deepsea cultists and non-Deepsea cultists, they will arrest them all.

Once inside the courtroom, under the Great Memory Restoration Technique, it's not the same anymore.

Talulah tried to ask questions and offer advice, and the counter-terrorism forces, out of consideration for her being one of Ernst's people, would mostly give her face and stop to listen to what she had to say.

But her suggestions are often not adopted.

“A thorough investigation would take too much time; we can’t stay here forever. But with the Deep Sea Cult, letting one go could lead to a whole bunch!”

"Furthermore, Miss Talulah, do you really think that a person would be completely unaware of what their partner of decades is secretly doing?"

"He may not be a believer, but they are accomplices. For people like that, even if they are accomplices, none of them should be spared!"

At times like this, Talulah would be speechless.

She couldn't refute anything. Even though she knew that some of the people inside might truly be innocent! They were just stupid and didn't notice! But she couldn't vouch for them either.

As for children advising and educating others, anyone who has seen the current state of Iberia would not utter such foolish words as "Why don't they eat meat porridge!"

These things will not be reported by the media.

They were busy singing praises before, then busy promoting international music concerts, and now they're busy promoting land-sea cooperation!

Talulah was indeed a little tired.

Ling saw a "1001st" Ernst, saw black within white, and saw ruthlessness and decisiveness beneath kindness.

She couldn't say she hated it, because, visibly, Iberia was getting better; order had returned, coastal cities had been recaptured, and residents were smiling more often. The breakup of some families had brought relief to many others who no longer lived in fear.

Is it truly heartless to accuse those who are smiling of being "uncommunicable"? Or should we use the argument that "life is priceless and no one has the right to take another's life" to condemn the soldiers who carried out counter-terrorism operations?

Or perhaps she simply began to doubt her past behavior of "only thinking from the perspective of the weaker party"?

The pain is real, the cruelty is real, but the love is real, and the kindness is real!

She was conflicted; this was unlike any education she had received or any ideas she had held in the first half of her life.

Talulah needs some time, a quiet enough environment, and someone who can answer his questions at any time, to think things through.

Ironically, the only person she could think of who met all these conditions was Ernst, the very person who had given her these questions.

Ernst nodded.

He could see Talulah's weariness; he felt the same way every night.

There are too many problems that cannot be solved, and people also have times when they are overwhelmed by pressure and give up on themselves.

More than once, he would vent his anger on his pillow and tail in the middle of the night, rubbing them and cursing, thinking, "Why don't I just activate [Heavenly Pivot] and explode it along with Terra!"

Anyway, as Precys said, he wouldn't die, and the [Lumberjack] couldn't do anything to him. Once he recovers, this memory will be automatically erased, and he won't remember what happened.

In a way, his death can directly declare his victory on any level and on any issue!

But he was the only one who won.

But whenever he had this thought, he would calm down.

It's not that I've come to terms with it, it's that I'm afraid.

Humans are social animals, okay? To put it bluntly, that would be really lonely.

What if when he revives next time, there's no civilization left in the universe? He'd have to start from scratch as a creator god? Besides being incredibly resilient, he doesn't have that ability!

Will there be another Precythus and a prophet who finds him? Will there be another family and a bunch of brothers and sisters in the snowy mountains? Even if he, like now, has completely forgotten everything about the previous civilization, forgetting is a terrifying thing in itself, isn't it?

The fear between life and death is immense. Young people don't think about what happens after death because the thought itself brings fear. The elderly, however, are at peace, not because they can understand it, but because they clearly realize that once you die, nothing remains.

Only Ernst, though dead, will return.

Therefore, he will be patient.

Let's forget about the explosion. At least let's live life to the fullest, without regrets.