People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

They can all become future social resources, or even more importantly, networking resources.

The last name Vina uttered made Ernst suddenly look up:

"Before I officially left Lungmen, Wei Yanwu took me to meet the head of a newly established medical company. Her name was Amiya."

Amiya wasn't a particularly special name in Vina's eyes, and her outward identity paled in comparison to the powerful figures represented by the string of names Vina had previously mentioned. But Vina still remembered her.

Because Amiya is special.

"She had just celebrated her twelfth birthday before I met her."

"This is the first time I've seen such a young [leader]. To be honest, even with Your Excellency's exception, I am still deeply shocked. In my mind, a leader should at least be a middle-aged man with wrinkles on his face, if not a dignified old man with white hair."

“But Amiya gives me a very mature feeling. She’s like…” Vina couldn’t find a suitable adjective to describe how she felt when she met Amiya. After some struggle and hesitation, she reluctantly pulled out a metaphor from her vocabulary that was hard to describe in terms of its merits or demerits: “Like a child who has been forced to wear a crown, a dress, and sit on a throne.”

A sense of mission and motivation drove her to display a mature demeanor, and she herself was actively trying to imitate adults, even wearing an ill-fitting coat for this purpose. However, her short stature, her childlike voice that hadn't yet broken down, and her somewhat naive responses when faced with Wei Yanwu's probing still made her seem somewhat inadequate.

Is there someone else with her?

Ernst suddenly asked a question that startled Vina, who then nodded in surprise:

"how do you know?"

"Amiya is always accompanied by a Filin named Kal'tsit. I feel that she is more like the leader of Rhodes Island than Amiya. Although she doesn't look very old."

Vina said, adding a clarification to her earlier statement.

She found it all rather strange. Was the leadership of Terra gradually becoming younger? She remembered that when her father met nobles at the palace, almost all of them were old men. How come she was suddenly encountering three young leaders?

Ernst did not answer her question, but instead asked with considerable anticipation:

"Have you seen a person dressed in black, with a hood, completely covered from head to toe?"

Vina thought about it carefully for a moment, then shook her head:

"No."

"Ernst, do you know that company?"

Ernst pursed his lips in slight disappointment, but didn't dwell on it too much.

It is now 1094. Although he has not played Arknights extensively, he is aware that the Chernobog incident occurred at the end of 1096 when the game was launched.

The doctor is probably still lying in his sarcophagus.

He replied:

"Rhodes Island, I've heard of it, but I'm not very familiar with it. But their medical company seems to be quite good at researching Oripathy. My sister Encia might have to go there for treatment in the future."

"Maybe I'll have a chance to go and see it sometime."

Chapter 103 Hinterlea, it's you I choose!

"The matter between Lungmen and Rhodes Island is temporarily settled. Vina, I have a very serious question to ask for your opinion."

What are your thoughts on expanding recruitment within the department?

Ernst asked.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs naturally consults with the current head of the ministry when recruiting. This is why he specifically wrote a letter urging Vina to return. Ernst didn't want to do the thankless work of parachuting in personnel; if the newly recruited diplomat clashed with Vina's personality and beliefs, he would suffer a greater loss.

Knowing that Ernst was talking to her about serious matters, Vina began to think about it seriously.

As the Foreign Minister, she's currently a one-woman army, and expanding her staff is inevitable. But to be honest, Vina herself doesn't have much experience managing a department. Naturally, she has no clue about the criteria for hiring.

After thinking for a long time (actually, her mind was completely blank), she finally tentatively said:

"Could we avoid recruiting people with aristocratic backgrounds in Victoria?"

She brought it up because of her sensitive status.

Ever since Mr. Kent, the Duke of Windermere's representative, visited, she had been worried that her Aslan identity might be exposed. But whether by luck or for some other reason, neither Kent nor the Duke of Windermere, who arrived later, seemed to mention her identity or background.

Didn't they recognize themselves?

Vina harbored a sliver of hope. But she also knew very well that if this was truly luck, such good fortune wouldn't happen every time. If Ernst recruited a few more diplomats with Victorian aristocratic backgrounds into his ranks, it would only be a matter of time before her true identity as Foreign Minister was exposed.

The "online celebrity's image dies upon meeting the real person" phenomenon refers to a discrepancy between their public persona and their actual appearance, resulting in a social death. She goes a step further, emphasizing that her image and reality are completely genuine, so a "death upon meeting the real person" is a more physical phenomenon – she simply "falls asleep immediately!"

She loves the atmosphere of Sherag and her current life, so she hopes to keep this secret for as long as possible.

Fortunately, Ernst just rolled his eyes when he heard her somewhat strange condition.

Come on, aren't you giving Sherag a little too much credit?

I'm still thinking about whether I can poach a couple of Victoria's top soldiers, but you're already offering to hire nobles instead.

What's the difference between you, a college graduate, saying, "We don't accept the top scorers in the entire province!"

Not to mention, if some nobleman were to actually come, Ernst would have to doubt whether he could keep him in check.

These Victorian nobles are no pushovers. Didn't you see that just a few days ago, two dukes in Lentinium were killed in a bloody fight?

However, Ernst only kept these complaints to himself.

Although he, as prime minister, is now showing signs of becoming a critic, the enthusiasm of his subordinates cannot be dampened. The fact that Vina dared to set such unreasonable conditions, even if they seem outrageous, just shows that she has high expectations of our Sherag.

We don't even look at nobles; the starting point is a princess, prince, saint, or some kind of orphan from a great family!

Just kidding. If we really brought these people here, there'd be no point in developing Sherag anymore. Just like Daphne, collecting protection money every day would be enough for the Sherag people to live a life of luxury.

After composing himself, Ernst asked in a serious tone:

"I've noted that down. Are there any other conditions besides that?"

Vina shook her head; she really didn't have any other requirements. As for personality traits, she felt it wasn't really necessary to mention them. Firstly, people can fake it; listing "enthusiastic and kind, positive and motivated" in job requirements is like listing "cooperative with colleagues, enthusiastic and eager to learn" on a resume—it's all just empty words that recruiters and interviewees have already exhausted.

After all, who would actually ask, "Are you kind?" during an interview?

To truly understand someone, you have to meet them, talk to them, and spend time with them. That's why almost every job, except for manual labor, has an internship period.

Although often, internships and interns are used in ways that deviate from their original purpose.

Ernst nodded:

"I'll be going to a few Victorian-speaking countries for some research and investigation soon. Would you like to come with me?"

Inspection tours and research trips are, frankly speaking, just publicly funded tourism.

After much deliberation, Ernst decided that before posting the job advertisement and starting the open selection process again, he should take a gamble and see if he could draw two SSR cards.

His target was also clear: countries where Victoria is the official language, namely Victoria, Colombia, and Rembitt.

The last one, Rembit, is still uncertain. Ernst has heard that the area has been quite turbulent recently, with an independence movement stirring things up. If it is indeed dangerous, given his current sensitive position, it is not appropriate for him to get involved.

Of course, besides the country, there was another special place that had not escaped his sight.

Siesta, an independent city-state.

In fact, it is necessary to clarify one point here: on the land of Terra, although there are several ancient countries such as Victoria, Sargon, and Yan, the country is not the most common concept; independent city-states are.

It should be said that, in the modern context, the social collective referred to by the concept of a nation-state was, in the past, simply independent cities. Several nations originated as collections of independent cities. Furthermore, even today, some mobile cities that nominally belong to a particular nation still retain, to varying degrees, customs that are uniquely their own rather than their nation's.

This is also the biggest difference between Terra and Earth in the geopolitical sphere.

In addition to the political entities of nations and international organizations, Terra also has the concept of independent city-states.

From the day he became prime minister, Ernst never stopped observing the independent city-state of Siesta.

Siesta shares a similar geopolitical environment with Kjerag, situated between the three major powers of Victoria, Iberia, and Sargon, and thus bearing pressure from several of them.

However, compared to Shelag, Siesta has a unique advantage – two of the three major powers surrounding it are in dire straits.

Since the Great Tranquility, Iberia has been in a state of stagnation, its external expansion in recent years has essentially ceased, and there is even a clear trend of gradually shrinking its sphere of influence. Moreover, the domestic situation is also desolate. The empire that once could send a fleet across half the continent to attack with a mere insult from Letania is gone forever.

As for Sargon, emmmmmm, Ernst has a hard time evaluating this country.

It's like a fusion of Türkiye, the Middle East, and Africa. And the fusion is quite sophisticated.

He's like a husky among dogs, a goofball among countries, a conservative mindset from the Middle East, and an excellent matching system from Africa. He didn't learn any of the good things, but he sewed up all the bad things.

It's full, really full!

If it weren't for the fact that an ancestor was a figure like the First Emperor, who also withstood the Heavenly Path of the Nightmare Khan and gave the Nightmare Khan a "sir," this kind of divine operation, and rushed to the southern scorching land, they would have lived a prosperous life for a while. With some of their ancestral wealth, Ernst couldn't understand how such a country could have survived for thousands of years without being divided up by the emerging powers around it.

As for the remaining one, Victoria. Logically speaking, with both competitors seemingly on the verge of collapse, Victoria should have easily defeated Siesta.

But as we all know, well, Victoria hasn't been having a peaceful time lately.

It has to be said that Siesta is truly blessed with good fortune. Despite having nothing, it has managed to develop by relying on an Originium mine and a coastline (actually a lake shoreline).

But as Ernst said, Siesta did not develop entirely in a cowardly manner; it also had its own diplomatic strategy.

The independent city-state of Siesta is nominally under the protection of Colombia.

Ernst was very interested in this place, which is why he specifically included it in his itinerary for this trip.

Even if we can't find anyone, it would be good to visit Siesta and learn from their advanced experience.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Ernst wanting to go swimming! His Excellency the Prime Minister acts entirely out of public interest, without a trace of personal motive.

If you don't believe me, ask Vina.

“No,” Vina replied.

To Ernst's surprise, the blonde girl shook her head: "Never mind, I just got back from Lungmen and want to rest. Perhaps you could consider taking other colleagues out... cough cough, for a visit?"

She was indeed really tired. She had been eating rich and fatty foods for almost two months, and she felt like she had gained weight.

Putting everything else aside, she could clearly feel that her top was a bit tight; even buttoning it up took her ages, and she had to worry that it might suddenly burst open at any moment. This wouldn't be a problem in a private setting like chatting with Ernst in the office, but in a diplomatic setting, it would be extremely impolite!

She went out representing Ernst and Scherrag; she couldn't let her own family lose face.

During this time, she plans to exercise more and adjust her diet to try to get back to normal, so that Hintelia won't see her eyes looking at her like she did this morning, with a gaze that says, "How could you do this!"

Ernst didn't insist and nodded.

After seeing Vina off, he had just stepped out of his office when he encountered Hinterlea walking towards him.

The Kuranta girl suddenly bumped into Ernst, a flicker of panic crossing her face, but she quickly composed herself and stepped forward, saying:

"Um, boss, are you free right now?"

“Go ahead,” Ernst replied.

Hinterlea took a breath, pulled a portable Originium massage patch from her bag, handed it to Ernst, and said somewhat embarrassedly:

A belated Harvest Festival gift!

Ernst paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered that Hinterlea had come to see him on the eve of the harvest festival.

So much happened during this harvest festival that Ernst almost forgot about the agreement.

He reached out and took the massage patch from Cintrea. It was a Columbia product, with functions similar to the massage patches that were popular for a while in Ernst's previous life. It would heat up when applied to the body, and the small device inside could also provide a massage. Although the effect might not be that great, it was indeed a token of Cintrea's goodwill.

Ernst was somewhat moved.

Although Terra is now a real world and everyone has their own lives, he understands that, but the feeling of being remembered still warms his heart.

Although Hintelia isn't very kind-hearted, she's actually very warm-hearted! Much warmer than Vina!

Having accepted the gift, Ernst was obliged to reciprocate, as is the tradition of the Harvest Festival.

I don't have anything to give as a gift, but perfect timing, we're still one spot short for the publicly funded trip!

Cinderella, it's the one!

Chapter 104 Levi: Compatriots!

Colombia is a very, very nice place.

With rapid economic development, ever-advancing technology, and vast potential for expansion, Colombia has clearly forged a new path compared to the established empires in the core region.

You guys just stay in the inner circle and quietly die, I'm off to explore new lands!

A stable social environment, a relaxed cultural atmosphere, and continuously innovative science and technology are key factors attracting talent. As a newly emerging country, Colombia didn't initially possess these strengths. But why is Terra's matching mechanism so exceptionally effective?

Despite its social stability, the Great Yan Dynasty harbors a strong xenophobic sentiment, and to this day, the only truly open gateway to the outside world remains the Dragon Gate. The culturally rich and diverse King Victoria was hanged, nobles rebelled, and even the capital could not be guaranteed stability. The persecution of ethnic minorities within the country was horribly brutal. Ursus, with its relatively advanced science and technology, focused all its technological resources on warfare, developing a whole host of weapons, yet it couldn't even provide farmers with a tractor.

"I never imagined that after coming into this world, I would choose to conduct my research in a country modeled after the United States."

The Soviet scientist, sporting a proud, center-parted hairstyle that resembled that of an old friend, sarcastically remarked.

His strangely accented Ursusese left his assistant completely bewildered.