People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

She grabbed Natalia's hand and dashed away like lightning, completely ignoring the terrified look on Natalia's face, who was wearing a long dress and high heels.

Tatiana shook her head, both amused and exasperated, her gaze involuntarily drawn to a message scrolling across the large screen on the bulletin board not far away.

[Sherag News Flash: The former head of the Perroche family passed away at his home last night. The Perroche meat processing plant will be closed for three days in mourning. The Perroche family will be hosting a large banquet on their territory; all are welcome to attend. (No gifts required.)]

This is a short message, as its title suggests, a "news flash" and not even a proper obituary.

Most people who saw the message just glanced at it briefly before leaving excitedly.

Tatiana didn't think those people were there to mourn the old man, and she doubted that many were there to confirm whether he was really dead.

After all, in the eyes of many passersby, this old man was completely insignificant.

They probably valued the second half of the sentence more—the lavish banquet hosted by the Perroch family.

Seemingly worried that too few people would attend and the event wouldn't be lively enough, the Perroch family specifically added the words "No need to give gifts" in parentheses after the newsletter, giving this otherwise somewhat somber message a touch of dark humor.

But Tatiana was momentarily speechless.

Because that person changed her life.

Even on her way to Shelag, Tatiana thought of that face countless times, and his fierce and irritable attitude when he forced her and Rosalyn, who was less than a year old, to leave.

She wasn't even prepared how to face him again, not even with a single word.

But now, he is dead.

The former patriarch of one of the three powerful families, who held the power of life and death and acted as the arbitrator in this land, died just like that.

He died one night from illness. His death did not cause any great stir in Sherag. In fact, the ripples were so small that a grand banquet was needed to maintain his image.

She no longer needed to think about how to deal with that old man. The clichéd plot of the third-rate TV drama "Return to Perroche: Daughter-in-law and Old Bao's Father-in-law Outwit Each Other" did not appear. She didn't need to worry about anything. Everything changed so much that she was caught off guard!

Fortunately, the direction of change does not seem to be over yet.

Tatiana felt a sudden sense of relief. At this moment, she finally found the relaxation and comfort she deserved in this peaceful snowy landscape.

For no apparent reason, a trendy term she had frequently seen on television and the internet in recent years popped into her mind:

"An era has passed."

Chapter 993 Ernst's main character is someone who listens to advice.

Shelag, Tukarim, Shelag Government Office Building.

Latatos bumped into Actos at the door, somewhat surprised.

She and Holhaa had just returned from Victoria last night, where the proposal to establish a national logistics hub had been overwhelmingly approved by the Victorian Parliament, a huge development opportunity for Sherag. Her role as Minister of Commerce and Trade played a crucial role in this.

She could already imagine how happy Ernst would be when he returned and heard the news.

As soon as he stepped into the office building, he bumped into a dejected Actos and Jeston standing to the side comforting him.

Logically speaking, Actos shouldn't be in the office building at this time.

Or rather, he shouldn't be in the office building at all—he's the only government official with the authority to work from home! And Jeston, to help—cough, to assist—should be patrolling (or rather, strolling) sometime on a border road in Shelag with his bunch of awesome young men.

Latatos didn't mean to disparage Actos; his patrols had actually been quite effective during this period. At least, some Sarkaz illegal immigrants who tried to cross the border into Shelag to curry favor with Prime Minister Ernst were caught and deported.

They have made indelible contributions to border security!

He seemed to be in a good mood all day long. After all, while Jesston might not be good at much else, his social skills were exceptional. Latatos had never seen him with such a sighing expression before, and couldn't help but ask:

"Actoros, what's wrong? You look so unhappy today."

Actos looked up, and the dark circles under his eyes startled even Ratatos. He opened his mouth:

"Latatos? Don't you know what happened last night?"

Latatos shook her head matter-of-factly:

"I didn't watch TV last night."

After saying that, she seemed to remember something and added,

"I didn't check it this morning either."

Actos's lips trembled slightly, as if he were somewhat speechless, and he rolled his eyes at Latatos:

“I’m not in the mood for jokes right now, Latatos.”

Latatos was now genuinely nervous.

Because she really didn't watch TV.

She was exhausted when she arrived in Shelag last night, so she took a shower and went straight to bed. This morning before work, she organized the documents she needed to bring to the office and didn't have time to watch the news.

The time she and Horhaya spent away from Shelag was neither long nor short, exactly a week, or eight days including today. She really didn't know what had happened during that time!

Vina didn't send any emergency communications!

The officials in their Sherag government, all of whom have names, have a tacit special communication channel.

That is to call Jeragund the Great.

Ernst was very generous when distributing employee benefits. He gradually distributed all the divine stones, which meant that if anything happened, they could contact the great god Yeragand in an emergency and achieve long-distance communication.

This is much more convenient than the messenger system that the Terrans are used to.

Out of respect, they will not abuse this power. They will continue to do their jobs as usual, and will only use this "special communication channel" in case of major events.

But Vina remained silent, and the great god Yeragand did not issue any warning. Logically speaking, nothing serious should have happened, right?

Unless Vina and Jeragand are both too busy to handle it!

What could be keeping these two so busy?

A sudden, extremely ominous premonition rose in her heart, and Latatos grabbed Actos's arm, her voice rising several decibels:

"What exactly happened, Actos? Tell me!"

This was the first time Actos had seen Latatos so anxious. His face was full of surprise, but then he was moved.

He and Vina, Horhaia who had arrived a few minutes earlier than Latatos, Joyce, Hinterlea, little Dulinmiroqi, and even Miss Lola had all mentioned this matter.

Everyone just advised him to relax, that birth, aging, sickness and death are all part of life, and to accept the inevitable. Only Latatos was so concerned!

"Latatos, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Although you're a bit cunning, a bit treacherous, and a bit ungrateful, the bond between us fellow countrymen from Kjerag is still there!"

Actos wiped away his tears.

"I misjudged you before, you're such a good person—"

"Stop beating around the bush, just say it!" Latatos interrupted her through gritted teeth, her squirrel tail standing on end in anger!

Actos pursed his lips:

"My dad is dead."

"I am sorry for your loss."

Latatosson opened her hand, composed herself, her face showing regret and her eyes filled with sorrow. She bowed slightly to Actos, speaking with impeccable manners:

"I will have Hugh Ruth send the Browntau family's condolences. However, birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of life. You are not young anymore, so please accept my condolences and don't harm your health. Sherag still needs you."

After saying that, she reached out and gently patted Actos's shoulder to comfort him, then turned and walked into the office building.

Actos:

"Jesston, did I say something wrong?"

Standing to the side, Jeston instantly suppressed his barely suppressed smile and shook his head earnestly at Actos:

"How could that be, Lord Actos? Lady Latatos is known for her aloofness. According to Enciodes, he once tried to pay 100,000 francs to buy ten minutes of her time to hear more about his business plan, but she resolutely refused. This shows how much she values ​​time. Yet she still spent more than three minutes during her work hours to comfort you, even at the cost of missing work today. This shows that your value to her is far greater than 30,000 francs! Doesn't this demonstrate her respect for you, the Minister of Defense, and your father?"

Actos thought about it and realized that Jeston's words made sense.

She had witnessed Latatos's stinginess firsthand. Back when he was setting up the meat processing plant, he didn't want to consult Enciodes for advice out of pride, so he went to Latatos instead. But she actually wanted to charge him a "course fee"! And she asked for several thousand francs!

The fact that she's now willing to stop and wait for him for three minutes, which is worth 30,000 francs, for her father's sake truly shows how much she values ​​and respects him!

However, he always felt that something was not quite right.

Actos frowned and began to ponder deeply, making Jeston, who was standing to the side, break out in a cold sweat.

No, that can't be right. How could Actus figure out that he was being fooled?

Have I been slacking off lately? Has my skill level dropped?

Jeston's eyes darted around, and he was about to speak up to salvage the situation when Actos suddenly let out a cold laugh:

“Jesston, you’re not entirely right.”

"Latatos used to look down on me. The reason she's so respectful now is just because of my position as Minister of Defense, which makes her want to curry favor with me."

"After all, national defense is no child's play; it's far more important than his position as Minister of Commerce and Trade, don't you agree?"

Jeston paused for a moment, then opened his mouth wide, took a deep breath as if suddenly realizing something, and then exhaled:

"My lord, you are truly a genius! I have been negligent lately, and I did not even think of such a simple matter. Please punish me!"

Actos couldn't help but burst into laughter a few times:

"Not at all, Jesston, you're my right-hand man! I still need you and Guro to help me manage things at home!"

"Let's go, we've already gotten the leave slip from Vina, let's go back and give my dad a grand funeral!"

Jeston immediately chimed in:

"You're right, sir. Now that we have money, we must give our father a unique and grand funeral to make him happy!"

Actos's smile grew even more pleased:

"That makes sense, that makes sense!"

Listening to the sounds fading away outside, in Ernst's office in the Sherag government building, Vina and Holhaya, sitting in the main seats, exchanged a glance and shrugged helplessly.

"Enciodes told you, didn't he?"

"Holhaya asked."

Vina nodded gently:

"The rebellion? I told you. But don't worry about it."

"The traditional family of Sherag began to gradually disintegrate from the day the Kallan Trade was established. After Ernst promoted the establishment of Brontao Home Textiles and Perroch Meat Processing Plant, the coffin lids of their generation were already nailed shut."

"Now that they want to rebel, they can't find a single supporter even if they search the whole of Shelag."

Holhaya smiled faintly, sat down gently on the edge of the desk, crossed her legs and lightly tapped the ground, making no attempt to hide the disdain in her eyes:

"The only chance they can succeed in rebelling now is to request comprehensive assistance from at least two of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council."

"But given the BOSS's popularity, who would be willing to help them?"

Vina didn't refute Horhaya's words, nor did she need to; she simply changed the subject smoothly:

Instead of worrying about this, let's analyze something else.

She rubbed her head:

"Ernst wants to compile the Sherlag Code at this time, and he also needs to resolve some long-standing Sherlag cases and legal issues."

"This is actually a good thing, but Holhaya, you know the election is coming soon, right?"

"Ernst is rarely in the country, and now he's going to do legislative trials and purge those conservatives—things that offend people. Won't this cause problems during the election?"

Holhaya stuck out her tongue.

Vina's concerns were not entirely unfounded.

It is indeed true that Ernst was often away from the country. A person's political influence depends on how much they do in their field that can be seen, and among these factors, being seen is the most important.

Sherag is developing very well now. It can be said that in the entire Terra, in terms of living standards, only Laterano can surpass Sherag. However, Laterano is a well-established holy city, a paradise on earth. Being able to be compared with it is enough to prove how rapidly Sherag has developed in recent years.

But it's hard to say how much credit can be directly attributed to Ernst.

After all, this is "a collective effort," and without a doubt, Ernst was the one who contributed the most. Without him, Kjerag wouldn't have had such a favorable international environment. But the people of Kjerag might not be able to fully see or understand the concept of an international environment.

You can't expect a group of old farmers who have watched pack animals baring their teeth in the mountains for thousands of years to suddenly understand "international politics," "world situation," and "Sherrag's extraordinary position on the world stage" in just two and a half years, and to realize how important Ernst was in a series of extreme events.

Ernst once said that the greatest virtue of the Sherag people is their simplicity.

7 But Vina felt that their biggest flaw was also this word—simple and honest.

So honest!

Of course, if that were all, Vina wouldn't need to worry.