People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Because a bestselling book that has become widely known and even loved by people thanks to their efforts cannot be truly banned in this era of intercity networks, and the ideas that have been known and permeated people's minds will not disappear just because a book is gone.

Ernst believed that at that time, there would always be people on Terra who were willing to think and, inspired, would put forward a "manifesto" that suited this land.

Of course, these things are all in the future. After replying to Vina and instructing her to return as soon as she had finished her business, he said...

The second letter Ernst received brought his attention back to the present.

A letter arrived from Christensen, the general manager of Rhine Life.

Aside from the empty pleasantries, Christensen stated in the letter that Nastya had returned to Tremont and reported back on the findings of her trip to Kjerag.

This includes a phased order for urban redevelopment, a site visit to the Matterhorn and a site evaluation for a research station, and, most importantly for Ernst, when she can officially start construction.

For the general public, simply shouting slogans is useless. Instead of spending all day on TV and in meetings talking about GDP growth and policy benefits, it would be better to actually give each person a Kundan (a type of fried egg).

Ernst's Tukarim old town redevelopment plan has been in the works for quite some time, but apart from the factories that have been built according to the plans, there's still no sign of construction on the actual government offices, streets, and commercial CBD areas. This is fortunate, given the simple and honest nature of the people of Kjerag; elsewhere, Ernst would have been impeached long ago.

Christensen specified a particular time in the letter:

"Your Excellency Prime Minister Ernst, regarding the old town redevelopment plan in Kjerag and the construction of the Matterhorn Dome research station, I will be leading the preliminary team to Kjerag on February 15th, a month from now, to officially launch the project. If you have any objections to the timing, you can reply to me during this period for further discussion."

"April 1094, 2."

Ernst silently repeated the time to himself and ticked it off on the calendar.

This was the first time that such a city-scale construction project had been undertaken in the entire Shelag. He needed to inform Ensioudis of this date. Before that day, he needed to organize the relocation of the people involved in the first phase of the Tukarim old city renovation in an orderly manner, and the government and Kalan Trade would jointly handle the compensation and temporary housing arrangements.

Everything is done with the goal of not disrupting the normal production and lives of residents.

"BOSS."

A knock came at the door, and Holhaya pushed it open and entered, reminding her:

"The Duke of Windermere has boarded the train."

Ernst nodded and stood up:

"Let's go to the train station and meet our friend Victoria."

...........

Amphilis Windermere sat in the warm train carriage, feeling somewhat fascinated.

This novelty doesn't mean that the Duke of Windermere had never ridden a train. In fact, trains were considered an outdated and obsolete mode of transportation for the Duke of Windermere.

For private travel, they usually travel by private car; for official travel, they use small aircraft for short distances and high-speed warships for longer distances. The extravagance and luxury of a true Grand Duke are always unimaginable.

The reason for my感慨 (feeling of deep emotion) is because of the environment in Shelag.

As a military noblewoman guarding the frontier, Amphilis Windermere could immediately see the strategic significance of Sherag.

Located at the intersection of three kingdoms, surrounded by mountains, with a high altitude, it is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and is free from natural disasters throughout the year.

If Victoria could build a military fortress here, it would definitely be a dagger stuck in the throat of Casimir and Colombia.

But she quickly shook her head, banishing the thought from her mind.

Unlike most grand dukes, she was someone who valued personal relationships more than official duties. While it's difficult to judge whether this trait was good or bad for a duke, it was certainly a good thing for Ernst.

The Duke of Windermere never betrayed his friends.

Ernst, who saved her daughter once, her husband twice, and provided shelter for her daughter, was undoubtedly her friend.

The train roared through the natural barrier surrounding Sherag, and beyond the canyon lay a rare plain within the territory of the Shiva'ish family, to which the town of Tukarim belonged.

On this undeveloped virgin land, herdsmen drove herds of snow-capped mountain beasts and marmosets away from the train tracks, gazing at the technological behemoth from afar, their faces still filled with curiosity and anticipation.

Victoria's gaze met Sherag's gaze for a moment in mid-air, and Windermere noticed the herdsman raise his hand and wave in her direction.

He was greeting himself.

"hehe."

A slight smile appeared on his lips. Duke Windermere, who was always treated with the utmost respect as a conqueror and soldier wherever he went, had never before encountered a commoner who showed him such utter disrespect.

The train began to slow down, and the platforms of Tukarim train station appeared on both sides. Ernst and Defen were already standing on the platforms.

Amphilis Windermere stood up, straightened her clothes, and walked to the car door.

As the car door slowly opened, their eyes met.

Contrary to her usual behavior, Amphilis Windermere took off her gloves first, extended her hand, and stepped forward to meet Ernst.

The two hands clasped together.

The reporter from Kalan Trade immediately captured the moment with his camera.

This photograph was later titled "Prime Minister Ernst's First Time".

It also has a popular nickname – The Duke of Caesar in Victoria.

P.S.: The special effects on Marna's skin left me speechless.

The more I look at it, the more it seems like quotation marks. If you don't believe me, look at *Marner*.

Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Gold Coins Dropped by Duke Windermere

"mom!"

As soon as she returned to the office, Daphne excitedly rushed forward and hugged Anferis around the waist.

To be honest, she was really on edge when Ernst warned her to "be careful of Kester".

Sherag is safe, and with the protection of that frequently appearing deity, she isn't worried about anything happening to her. But what about the Duchy of Windermere?

Father led a delegation to Lontinim, while Mother stayed behind in the territory to oversee the border. Although everything seemed fine, this land was never short of unexpected events.

There's the pink-haired piglet who transforms into an orange camel, saving up for a lifetime to buy a shop, only to have it burned down that very night. There's also the city music festival that's going well, only to be suddenly informed that a volcano is about to erupt, forcing the entire city to relocate. If this land truly has a high-level narrator, then his twisted sense of humor must be off the charts.

Now, seeing her mother standing alive in front of her, Dai Feien couldn't express how happy and relieved she was.

"It's so good that you're still alive." She nuzzled her head against the big cat's lap. This made Duke Windermere, who was trying to be serious, purse his lips in exasperation.

She gently patted Defiance's head and whispered a scolding:

"How to talk."

Once Daphne had stood up straight again, she looked at Ernst with a slightly apologetic expression and said:

"Prime Minister Ernst, please excuse my poor manners."

Ernst shook his head:

"Not at all. I am quite envious of the Duke of Windermere's harmonious family."

That's the truth. Anyone who comes here and has such a restless, ambitious older brother, an older sister who wants to hit her brother with a bell, and a younger sister who's a little too lively would envy their normal family relationship.

None of them are easy to deal with.

The Duke of Windermere smiled wryly, taking it all as a polite remark from Ernst.

What's so enviable about a mother and son reuniting? Even if Ernst didn't have a daughter, did he not have a mother?

Ernst never dreamed that the boomerang he threw at Vina would one day fly back and hit him on the head.

"Please have a seat." Ernst led Amphilis to the sofa and said, "We have limited resources, please don't mind, Duke Windermere."

Amphilis shook her head slightly, as if it were perfectly natural.

It was certainly rudimentary. When she saw that the government office building in Shelag was just a small, one-story bungalow, she was even more shocked than when she first arrived in Shelag.

Although it was impolite, Amphilis subconsciously compared this place to the servants' quarters in the Duke's mansion.

The answer is far ahead.

Anferis lived in the operations command center most of the time, leaving her home mostly empty.

This gave her a strong sense of contrast.

She had originally thought that Ernst, who was able to communicate with giant beasts and was revered as a holy son in Sherag, must have top-notch personal qualities.

Luxury cars and villas are considered low-end; Anferis felt that they should at least be compared to Sargon's kings and chieftains.

As for the chieftain, well, everyone knows he's the richest man in the world, with nothing but a cloth over his head. Palaces and castles are commonplace for him; she's even seen some extravagant local tyrants who built crystal palaces from harmlessly treated Originium.

Ernst worked in this small bungalow, which also housed other departments of the Sherag government. The only space he could actually use was this small room, which was only about 20 or 30 square meters in size.

If it weren't for her rigorous Victorian aristocratic education and rich social experience, which honed her to an almost godlike level of facial expression control, she would have displayed an impolite expression the moment she entered the room.

She couldn't help but glance at Ernst a few more times.

Everyone knows that even in the poorest places, you can still squeeze some money out of them. If you're bold enough, you can collect taxes for ninety years and sustainably exploit the resources, privatize the country, or even sell out the country if all else fails. You can always get enough wealth to squander.

But Ernst didn't do that, which was enough for her to change her initial opinion of Ernst before she came to Sherag.

He doesn't seem to be entirely a charlatan ruler who relies on giant beasts; he is fulfilling his duties as "Prime Minister."

An interesting person.

“Prime Minister Ernst,” she began, “you should know very well why I have set aside my duties and come to Shelag in person.”

"Kent is currently recuperating in Lienkaden due to poisoning and will not be able to travel far in the short term. I am not disappointed by this outcome; on the contrary, I feel extremely fortunate and grateful."

“If it weren’t for your reminder to me through Defiance, Kent’s body wouldn’t have been able to hold out until he returned to Liincarden, and I would never have thought to send someone to look for him. If that had happened, I would have lost a trustworthy comrade forever, and Defiance would have lost a good father forever.”

Duke Windermere paused slightly, then gently took Daphne's hand beside him, easing her grip on his tail.

As if calming the anger rising in her chest, she took a deep breath, exhaled, and then continued.

“Windermere is always loyal and generous to his friends. Kent has agreed to the fees you have agreed to. I will transfer the funds to any bank account in Victoria that you may choose within three days. If you wish to use an overseas account, it will take a little longer.”

"Furthermore, the Duchy of Windermere is willing to open its doors to you. As far as I know, the headquarters of Kharlan Trading, the 'state-owned enterprise' of Sherag, should be within the Duke of Caesar's sphere of influence in Victoria, right? We welcome it to relocate its headquarters to the Duchy of Windermere, and I will order the exemption of its customs duties in any city of the Duchy of Windermere and its affiliated noble territories."

Ernst's eyes lit up.

It has to be said that the Duke of Windermere is very generous; this is much more magnanimous than simply giving money!

Although in the short term, even with the elimination of intercity tolls and tariffs, the competitiveness of goods traded by the Kalan trade in the Victoria market remains weak, the situation will be different in the long term!

Throughout history, when have merchants made the most money?

When there's a monopoly!

How can a businessman achieve a monopoly?

When officials and businessmen colluded!

Admittedly, the Duke of Windermere could not allow the trade in Kalan to grow to the point of impacting the entire economic system of the Duchy of Windermere, but even just protecting it and being able to get a share of the market in Victoria would be a huge benefit!

Most importantly, as long as Victoria doesn't encounter any major problems, this income will remain stable!

Kjerag desperately needs an industry that can reliably generate substantial profits. With Enciodes having already conceded defeat, nurturing the already established Karan trade is undoubtedly the best option.

However, Ernst still had to be careful.

He will keep this a secret for now and use it as leverage in negotiations with Enciodes.

The terms were simple: if Kalan Trading wanted the rights promised by the Duke of Windermere, it had to relinquish a portion of its shares and allow Ernst, or an agent of Ernst's choosing, to join the company's board of directors.

Otherwise, Ernst would rather start from scratch and build a state-owned enterprise from the ground up—although he has absolutely no experience in running a company, and it would be too slow and would greatly delay the time it takes to reap the benefits.

"Of course, this openness also has a political meaning."

"If you or 'someone' under your command encounters any problems, the Duchy of Windermere is equally willing to offer refuge and assistance. This is without expectation of reward."

She said meaningfully.

This is, of course, an allusion to the matter concerning Princess Aslan.

The Duke of Caesar had already shown his fangs, but she did it cleverly. Using poison was not easy to detect, and besides, Kent had been away from Londinium for a long time. Even if Anferis wanted to act, she couldn't find a suitable reason.

She couldn't just take Ernst's suggestion as evidence and declare war on the Duke of Caesar, could she?

With the dukes keeping each other in check, Victoria maintained a facade of peace, at least on the surface, as neither could bear the blame for instigating a civil war.

Retaliation is inevitable, but it can only be carried out underground. For example, it could involve spending 500,000 to fund the opposition within the Duchy of Caesar, secretly sending people to kill the "Grey Hat" members whose true identities have been discovered, and assassinating some officials and nobles in the Duchy of Caesar.

It's a pity that Caster was an old widow without a husband, otherwise Amphilis would have at least arranged an assassination plan for her husband as well.

Her methods were far more sophisticated than simply poisoning.

In addition, she also needed to be prepared, just as Kent had instructed.

If the Duke of Castells were to defy public opinion and challenge the other dukes to claim the position, she could raise a banner in his favor.

What big flag?