People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"It is truly an honor that Mr. Magnus has personally come to Kjerag for on-site research. I will not waste any more words. The government has prepared a welcome lunch for you all. Please do me the honor of joining us and sample the traditional cuisine of Kjerag. How about we eat and chat?"

The words he wanted to say were once again swallowed back down. Luther looked at the boy in front of him with surprise and nodded:

"Then we'll leave it to Prime Minister Ernst."

Ernst smiled and nodded, then turned to Lola and whispered the instructions:

“Take them to the Tukarim Grand Hotel. Order a table full of Shelag specialties.”

Having said that, before Lola could leave, Ernst grabbed her hand again and whispered in an even lower voice,

"Let's pick a cheaper place; we don't have that kind of budget."

Lola blinked, as if wanting to say something: "But..."

But Ernst interrupted firmly, saying, "There are no 'buts,' go!"

Lola could only glance at Magnus's delegation with pity and said, "Gentlemen, please follow me."

As soon as Magnus's men left, Ernst moved closer to Ensiodoris and questioned him with some dissatisfaction:

Why didn't you tell them to put on more clothes?

Ensiodis glanced at Ernst, his smiling expression conveying everything without words.

Clearly, this was a small act of retaliation, in retaliation for Ernst's mismanagement of the Kalan Trade Bureau upon taking office.

Making Magnus and the others freeze will obviously worsen their first impression of Ernst and Scherrag, but it won't hurt the overall situation.

“Do you know how important this is to me?” Ernst asked, frowning.

Enciodes nodded: "I know. But this is your business, not mine."

Even if Ernst didn't borrow (scam) money, didn't mess with his Sherag government, and just remained a puppet prime minister for several years, Enciodis wouldn't care; his coup plan wouldn't be affected in any way.

Rather, Ernst's current state of mind, where he genuinely tries to do something, might actually introduce some unnecessary variables into his plans.

The reason Enciodes didn't stop or even thwart Ernst's plan was simply because he could accept another person working for Sherag's future in their own way, because it was also a reflection of himself.

But this doesn't mean he should accept and help Ernst's plan entirely, especially before Ernst's current actions have yielded real results.

You tricked me once, so I'll return the favor once, and we're even.

In deciding the future of this country, we have a relationship of competition with cooperation, sometimes cooperating, always competing!

Seeing Enciodes's ambiguous, nonchalant expression, Ernst lost his temper. He could only purse his lips and change the subject:

"Can you reimburse me for this meal?"

Ensiodis was taken aback by the 180-degree turn in the topic and asked in return, "Why?"

"The government has no money," Ernst said, looking like a bachelor.

Ensiodis rolled his eyes: "I don't have any money either."

Unexpectedly, Ernst earnestly promised him, "It's alright, business banquets are all reimbursable. Just come to my office to collect the money later."

Ensiodis laughed in exasperation: "Didn't you say the government had no money?"

Ernst shook his head, giving him a look that said, "You don't understand at all, do you? Once the deal is done, we'll have money, right?"

If the deal falls through and you don't have the money, then my meal money will just be wasted.

Enciodes glared at his underling, utterly exasperated. "You know," he thought, "this guy, so full of grand plans, so confident and charismatic when he was swindling money from Columbia Bank, but when it comes to actually getting the money, he becomes so stingy and calculating."

You're just making empty promises. If you're going to lie to me, you might as well say you know Jeragund and that you'll give him fifty dollars to have him crown me a saint of Kalan.

Something seems off?

Ensiodis shook his head, forgetting the strange images that flashed through his mind, and said:

"I won't book anything that's too expensive."

Ernst waved his hand, giving him a knowing look: "It's okay, I had Lola order some inexpensive local specialties. It won't cost much."

After a two-second silence, realizing what Ernst meant by the specialty dish, Ensioudis covered his face.

I have to reimburse you for all of this? When did you become so stingy? People who don't know better might think I didn't give you living expenses when you were kids and that I mistreated you!

In response, Ernst simply wanted to clarify that saving money was not shameful!

In a place like Shelag, there's no money to be made even if he wanted to engage in corruption. If he doesn't work hard enough, where will he get the money?

Life is tough, please be kind and give us more gold coins!

Chapter Eleven: Capitalists Have Nowhere to Maneuver Because the Small-Scale Peasant Economy is Too Stable

The Tukarim Hotel, a newly built hotel invested in by the Shivaesh family, is specifically designed to accommodate investors and tourists. Because it is the only modern hotel in all of Kjerag, it has been given the rather undeserved titles of "Kjerag's largest hotel" and "Kjerag's oldest hotel".

While brand names are often an added bonus, the Grand Seraglio Hotel's services are far inferior to those of even a typical business hotel in a city-state. However, it's precisely this brand and reputation that has allowed it to maintain a spotless reputation with zero negative reviews. Guests who have stayed there not only don't complain, but often actively defend it:

"Stay if you want, don't stay if you don't, get out!"

"In a place like Shelag, it's already quite good to have a hotel like this. What are you still being picky about? Hotels abroad may be good, but are they in Shelag?"

"As a casual observer, to be fair, I think we should be more patient with the Tukarim Grand Hotel. While it has its flaws, as tourists who love Kjerag culture, we should accept them and encourage it to keep improving. Your negative reviews are pure malicious slander; are you trying to ruin Kjerag's tourism industry?!"

Although the style of the positive reviews was a bit strange, giving Ernst a strange sense of déjà vu, considering that even an Originium heater was a rare item for Seraphim these days, he still felt that perhaps the people who said these things really had Seraphim's best interests at heart.

But as the saying goes, the layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the details. While hotels may fool ordinary tourists, Colombian business tycoons like Luther Magnus can see right through them.

"Sherragh isn't doing very well. It seems Prime Minister Ernst really needs this loan."

He pondered this in his mind, while simultaneously making preparations.

"We can use this as an excuse to make a move at the dinner party later; maybe we can land a bigger contract."

After a short wait, Ernst and Enciodes appeared in the hotel corridor.

Ernst handed his coat to Lola, giving her a reassuring look, then turned around and immediately flashed a warm, spring-like smile. He walked up to Luther, extending his hand and saying:

"I'm so sorry to have kept Mr. Magnus waiting."

“It’s alright.” Luther shook his head, shook hands with Ernst, and then with Enciodis, who followed him. The three of them entered the private room one after the other.

Ernst, who had entered first, smiled and closed the door after the two had all gone inside. He returned to his chair and sat down, beginning with:

"We're all family here, so let's close the door and have a private chat."

This caused Ensiodis and Luther Magnus to subconsciously adjust their posture, straightening their backs more. They were both somewhat surprised when they realized what had happened.

Luther was particularly surprised; this was the third time he had been astonished by Ernst since arriving in Sherag, and this time was especially so. The reason is simple: politics is a discipline, one that requires time to mature.

Putting everything else aside, despite Ernst's young age, he doesn't act like a child at all. He's meticulous and methodical, quick-witted, and adept at smoothing things over. His use of official jargon and unspoken rules is as skillful as that of a seasoned veteran.

Putting everything else aside, this simple act of speaking behind closed doors is something that countless so-called "politicians" in prime-time Colombian TV dramas have spent their entire lives trying to learn but never succeeding in.

Enciodes, on the other hand, was more composed. Although he was equally surprised, he quickly regained his composure.

After all, he had already witnessed Ernst's bureaucratic jargon, which he had picked up from who-knows-where, once at the Three Races Conference, and had become somewhat accustomed to it. Knowing that Ernst was about to start his charade, he prepared himself to play the straight man at any moment.

Sure enough, after a slight pause, Ernst glanced at the two people present and said:

"To be honest, Mr. Magnus, I was chosen as prime minister by chance. I personally did not contribute much. It is all thanks to my brother Ensioudis and my sister, Saintess Kalan, that I am where I am today."

“The purpose of being an official is to make money. My brother made money from foreign trade, and my sister made money from religion. I am a shy person and have a lower generation, so I can’t compete with them. After thinking it over, I only found one way to make money.”

Luther raised an eyebrow, tilted his head slightly toward Ernst, and asked curiously:

"what way?"

Ernst stomped his foot forcefully and said:

"Squeeze some money out of the land."

"Scraping the ground?" Luther Magnus looked at the young man in astonishment, his eyes clearly saying: "The younger generation is formidable, and the future is promising!"

Young man, you're quite the expert! The real estate industry is a veritable goldmine. You knew to choose this path right from the start. You've not just widened your path, you've practically reached the highest heavens!

Luther's appetite was immediately whetted; he couldn't wait to hear what Ernst had to say next. As for whether Ernst would be able to acquire the land, he wasn't worried at all.

As an accomplished banker, he wasn't completely unprepared when he set off for Kjerag.

Although there is little information about this country due to its isolation, Luther still managed to get a general understanding of the power dynamics within Sherag through his connections.

In Shelag, who holds the most power? It must be the Holy Maiden Kalan of the Manjushri Monastery!

In Shelag, who is the richest? It must be Ensiodis Shivaesh, the chairman of Karan Trading!

Ernst immediately introduced himself: the Saintess was his sister, and Enciodes was his brother. In such a small country, the two most powerful and richest people were his relatives, and he was the rightful Prime Minister of the Sherag government. What was a little land grabbing?

If his older brother and sister were as ambitious, Luther could build a Magnus Tower in every city in Colombia, from the District of Columbia to the frontier!

Seeing that Magnus had taken an interest, Ernst was in no hurry and patiently drawled out, "But—"

"only?"

"But the people of Shelag are a problem. They say that every blade of grass, every tree, and even every stone in Shelag is a gift from Jeragand. Therefore, they don't allow us to buy or sell them freely."

"Ugh!" Luther chuckled dismissively. He thought Ernst was going to say something, but it turned out to be just this.

Young people are still young; they have the means but not the substance. What's so difficult about dealing with troublemakers blocking the land sale?

“That’s easy, Ernst, brother. I’ll teach you,” he called out casually, closing the distance between the two. “To deal with those troublemakers, you can hire some thugs to block their door locks at night, puncture their sewers, or simply set a fire when they’re not around. Make a ruckus and they’ll be in a real mess. Once they’re annoyed and scared, they’ll naturally leave.”

Ernst's lips twitched. Watching Luther's practiced ease, as if he had done it countless times, he unconsciously turned his gaze to Enciodes beside him, his eyes seeming to ask, "Are all capitalists this scoundrel?"

Enchiodes looked completely innocent. He hadn't done any of these things, so why was Ernst looking at him?

Ernst looked away, coughed lightly twice, and interrupted Luther's incessant rambling with a look of helplessness:

"Mr. Luther, this won't work!"

"Why?" Luther was completely confused.

Ernst gave him a reason he couldn't refute:

"Is it possible that Sherag didn't have any locks or sewers that could be blocked?"

What kind of place is Shelag? In most areas, the houses are just small huts made of wood, thatch, and stones. A few huts form a herder's settlement; everyone sees each other all the time, so there's no need for luxuries like locks. Let alone sewers. With only a few plots of farmland around the lake, the hay for feeding the pack animals alone requires fertilization. Natural, pollution-free fertilizer like "Oli Ge" (a type of fertilizer) can't possibly be flushed away through the sewers!

Luther was clearly caught off guard by this, and his "erudition" suddenly found itself useless.

Capitalists, because the small-scale peasant economy was too stable, had nowhere to unleash their wicked schemes; this was a fantasy version of the Qing Dynasty.

But then, perhaps feeling that it was his turn to speak, or perhaps realizing that he would really have to serve food to the two of them if he didn't say something soon, Enciodes looked at Luther and said with concern:

"Actually, there are ways. If the hard approach doesn't work, we can try the soft approach."

"Soft?" Luther didn't immediately understand what Ensiodis meant.

"It's just another way of saying it."

Ernst explained,

“Selling the land directly to Colombians like you would definitely not be accepted by the people of Sheraj. If they object and cause trouble, even at the Manju Academy, my sister will be in a difficult position to handle the situation. I won’t be able to sell the land, and I might even have to step down. Stepping down is not a good thing; how can I make money after stepping down? Therefore, the land cannot be sold!”

Ernst paused, then changed the subject, revealing a mysterious smile:

"But as long as you change the name, everything will be solved."

“Mr. Luther, may I borrow money from your bank in the name of the Sherag government, under the pretext of raising government funds?”

"As for the collateral for the loan, it's this piece of land."

Chapter Twelve: Ernst Wants to Sell Our Home!

"Brother, with such a large sum of money, we can do so many things!"

Once the contract was signed and sealed in the most valuable safe in the entire office, Ernst could no longer contain his excitement. He turned to look at Ensioudis, his eyes brimming with tears of emotion.

Even though he had lived a second life, had considerable political experience, and had witnessed the coldness and warmth of human relationships in society, this was the first time Ernst, as a time traveler, felt that he had "truly changed something."

The loan, totaling 6 million Colombian gold certificates, was a bargain compared to the six square kilometers of land Ernst had pledged as collateral. But for Sherag at this point, it was still a huge sum!

A single investment can give any dream a beautiful start and set the wheels of fate in motion – an angel round investment.

What do you plan to do with this money?

Compared to Ernst's excitement, Enciodis's expression was much more composed. Rather than embracing Ernst in celebration, he was more concerned about how the money would be used.

Ernst answered this question with almost no hesitation, replying decisively:

"Build a school!"