People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Ning Ciqiu nodded slowly.

"Then now..."

Ning Shu waved his hand:

"Go see His Majesty the True Dragon; he will surely have many questions for you."

"This concerns the fate of you, me, and the Ning family. I originally wanted to test you a bit and teach you some rhetoric, but now it seems unnecessary."

Ning Ciqiu was stunned for a moment, thinking to herself, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

But Ning Shu had already turned around.

Ning Ciqiu could only bow again and turn to leave.

Yan Kingdom, Baizhao, Forbidden City Imperial Palace.

Zhenlong sat at the table, savoring the delicious dishes, but found them somewhat tasteless.

He scratched his backside, feeling increasingly uncomfortable sitting in that position.

I wonder when Mr. Ernst will arrive. I caught a glimpse of his face in the last video of the Preservator, and he looks much younger than in the photos.

She just doesn't look very energetic and appears tired.

Alas, he is probably the one who understands best how I feel sitting in this position!

I hope he comes soon!

While picking at the food with his chopsticks, Zhenlong didn't receive any news from Ernst, but instead received a report from outside the door.

"Special envoy Ning Ciqiu of the World Summit requests an audience!"

"Oh, an appetizer!"

The dragon was slightly pleased, adjusted its posture and tone, rubbed its hands together, and said loudly:

"Xuan!"

Chapter 950 What debt is the hardest for Yan Kingdom to repay?

“Mr. Ernst, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Lin Qingyan, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review of the Yan Kingdom.”

San Chao extended his hand to Ernst and shook it. Lin Qingyan sat opposite Ernst and carefully examined the person in front of him, Felin.

4. If inspecting local areas, cracking down on corruption and perverting justice, and preventing separatist rebellions are the duties of Dali Temple officials, then meeting Ernst is Lin Qingyan's personal interest.

Fourthly, it was also an imperial decree.

Ernst looked very young and didn't have the same imposing presence as Wei Yanwu. In fact, he even met Ernst's gaze with interest.

Even Ci Lin Qingyan felt a little embarrassed by the stare, and Ernst finally withdrew his gaze and slowly spoke:

"Excuse me, I was just wondering if the officials in Yan Kingdom have been getting younger lately?"

4 He didn't know many Yan officials, but based on his own experience, those who came down from the court to inspect were mostly veterans, often in their fifties or sixties, if not in their sixties or seventies.

However, the two Yan officials he knew, one was Ning Ciqiu, and the other was Lin Qingyan. Both of them looked to be no more than 30 years old.

Acting Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, that's a fourth-rank official, not young at all. Is there a trend of younger officials in Yan Kingdom?

Gou Linqing coughed:

"That's not true. There are many senior officials in the court. It's just that my situation is rather special."

Ernst understood as soon as he said that.

Another person with connections.

Seemingly unwilling to delve deeper into the matter with Ernst, or perhaps driven by the prevailing youthful mentality of "I want to earn everything I want with my own hands," Lin Qingyan quickly spoke up:

“Mr. Ernst, I have come by the command of the true dragon to take you to the Hundred Hearths.”

"But before that, the True Dragon has a few questions he would like to ask you. Do you have time now?"

Ernst nodded:

"Just ask."

Inside the palace of the Forbidden City of Baizao in the Yan Kingdom.

The dragon, seated in the highest position, smiled as he looked at Ning Ciqiu, who was bowing below with some unease.

"Minister Ning, do you know why I summoned you here today?"

Ning Ciqiu pursed her lips and lowered her head:

"I don't know."

"Rest assured, I have no intention of harming you. To be frank, if you can't even answer this question, then I'll have to reconsider whether the person I sent to the World Summit is truly intelligent."

Ning Ciqiu then quickly replied:

"About Secretary Ernst?"

"Correct."

The true dragon nodded in satisfaction.

"That's a quick reaction, isn't it?"

"I have many questions about this Secretary General, and I have sent a special person to Longmen to welcome him to Baizhao."

Do you know why?

Ning Ciqiu was silent for a moment before replying:

"His Majesty wants to use Secretary Ernst to do something."

This is not hard to imagine; in fact, there is only one answer.

The Emperor of Ursus, the Empress of Letania, the Duke of Victoria—which of them invited Ernst not to seek leverage?

Each country on Earth has its own problems. Some have internal troubles, some have external threats, and some have both. Often, it's not that they lack the ability or means to deal with these problems, but rather that they simply don't intend to.

In programmer's terms, one bug is a bug, but a hundred bugs can make it work! A mountain of garbage code is good enough if it even runs; what more can you ask for? If you randomly modify it and accidentally create some problems, what if everything crashes at once and can't be fixed quickly? What serious consequences could that cause? Haven't you seen the Victoria incident?

Normally, if nothing unexpected had happened, everyone would have just made do. But who knew, a cheese snow leopard appeared in the snowy mountains of Terra! Although he hadn't received much education and knew nothing about computers, he actually knew how to fix bugs!

At first, not many people trusted him, so he ran all over the land to build up his reputation. Gradually, people realized that he seemed to be really capable!

He revitalized Casimir, and Columbia placed great trust in him. Several grand dukes of Victoria were on good terms with him, and everyone seemed to think he was a good person! As for himself, although he could only manage to do a barely passable job most of the time, this paperhanger always did his best, so no one blamed him.

Once the World Summit, this large and complex organization, was officially established, people naturally placed even higher hopes on it.

He no longer needs to walk towards trouble; trouble will naturally come to him!

"So, what kind of person do you think Secretary Ernst is?"

Zhenlong nodded and asked again.

Ning Ciqiu pondered for a moment this time.

If we follow the reasoning just now, it sounds like Ernst was just a useful tool.

But that's what it means to be needed. That's the best niche for a "small country".

International politics is ruthless, and there is little room for sentimentality when national interests are at stake. The economy of a single city cannot compare to those behemoths, not to mention their military strength. The most important thing for a civilization to survive in a war-torn place is to demonstrate its value and be needed by others!

Therefore, after much deliberation, Ning Ciqiu replied:

"He is a man who can maintain peace on his own."

"I am maintaining peace on my own before order is formally established."

"Therefore, if Yan Kingdom does indeed have something that would lead to the collapse of national order and thus affect the peace and order of the entire Terra land, and if the True Dragon is willing to ask for help, I will do everything in my power to provide all assistance."

In response to the question conveyed by Lin Qingyan, which came from the True Dragon, Ernst gave the following answer.

Lin Qingyan frowned her beautiful eyebrows.

She subconsciously felt doubt and apprehensive about this "peace" that was maintained by one person.

In her view, peace was too grand a concept, while an individual was too insignificant. How could one person possibly maintain peace for a nation, or even for the entirety of Terra?

This statement is far too arrogant.

But she didn't think Ernst was the kind of person who would be arrogant or complacent. His expression and tone just now were more like helplessness than pride or arrogance.

Therefore, although the true dragon did not allow her to ask further, she still couldn't help but ask:

"Mr. Ernst, isn't this peace fragile?"

Shouldn't peace be built on...

She opened her mouth, but for a moment her mind went blank.

On what is peace based?

Military force? But Ursus's military strength is so great, yet they haven't been very peaceful. Wealth? Victoria conquered Gaul and established a hegemony, accumulating wealth that was once unmatched in Terra, but their rule only lasted a few decades before collapsing.

The Yan Kingdom was exceptionally peaceful, but even Lin Qingyan couldn't explain the fundamental reason for this peace.

Fortunately, Ernst understood her thoughts very well.

After all, his life in both his previous life and the first twenty years of this life were peaceful.

"Peace is built upon order. A well-ordered system that is accepted by the vast majority of people and can function sustainably will naturally bring lasting peace."

"Compared to other things, peace maintained by one person is indeed very fragile."

He nodded, agreeing with Lin Qingyan's idea, but immediately changed the subject:

"However, Lin Shaoqing, just as a hundred stoves are not built in a day, order cannot be established in a day or two, or even a year or two."

"Yesterday this place was a wasteland of war, a barren desert of civilization, and today it has become a paradise of order, a holy land of law. Is this possible?"

"The International Summit was formally established a year ago, but how many places in Terra are still engulfed in war? Has Sargon's ignorance been enlightened? Has Bolívar's war finally ended? Even in Iberia, which I have visited, has their war with the Haizi ended?"

"The World Summit can only do so much. I've merely set up a makeshift team. To truly establish an order that radiates throughout Terra, we need the support of the five permanent members. But why should everyone give Ernst face? You see, many resolutions made at the World Summit may benefit Terra, but they may not necessarily be good for the individual nations. And national will is ruthless and selfless. How can I change the thoughts and direction of a nation?"

"That is impossible."

Ernst took a deep breath and said earnestly: 3

"I can only try to change the small group of people who can influence the country."

He looked at Lin Qingyan:

"Then let me ask you, Lin Shaoqing, in the Yan Kingdom, what debt is the hardest to repay?"

Lin Qingyan was stunned.

The question was so simple that she found it hard to believe.

So all that strategic maneuvering, all that facing danger, all that macro-level international conflict, all that alliances between nations—it all boils down to this one thing.

She murmured:

"Human relationships".

"Oh, that's right."

Ernst nodded, a bitter smile on his face.

"The martial arts world is not just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions."

Chapter 951 True Dragon: I see you truly have the demeanor of the Great Yan Chess Saint!

Ernst never disliked people with exceptionally strong beliefs.

Chen Huijie and Lin Qingyan pursue justice, Nasti and many Sarkaz yearn for the future, Christen wants to explore the universe, and Manna, the former ranger knight, now only wants to protect his family.

Dreams have no inherent hierarchy; as long as one can pursue their dreams, even a villain can become a likable character in various works of art.

Of course, encountering such people in real life is another matter.

Ernst had already guessed what Zhenlong was thinking after hearing the gist of his question.

He was making up his mind.

The Yan Kingdom is simultaneously facing the problems of demons, the Hai Zi (Sea Heir), and the long-delayed Sui Beast. The current True Dragon also happens to be encountering a major upheaval unprecedented in a century on the Terra land. It is perfectly reasonable for him to feel hesitation, tension, or even fear.

In feudal times, imperial power was endowed with supreme sanctity. If a person became emperor, he would have supreme power, but he would lose the qualification of being a human being.

He cannot freely express his joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, nor can he have any doubts about his decisions, even if he is ultimately proven wrong, he cannot admit his mistake.

He was framed by a filter called "God," and "God" cannot make mistakes.