People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

He possessed the star maps from back then, but how many stars in those maps had been erased by the [Observer]? He had a considerable amount of technology from previous civilizations that he could pull out, but Christen had no ability to use those technologies involving [soul] and [information]. He could offer some things to ensure Christen's safety to a certain extent, but only to a certain degree.

Even the ancient civilizations of humanity needed to stabilize their minds with the Gray Nails and use special shuttles to ignore the corruption of the demons when dealing with the demons of the warp. No matter how capable the Preservator is, can it conjure two of them out of thin air for Christensen?

No matter how advanced Terra's materials science is, it still can't compare to the level of previous civilizations—the difference is immeasurable! Even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients!

Therefore, after Ernst finished all the preparations, he still had to give a final reminder:

"Kristen, we can still make a substitution."

"It is indeed dangerous outside, but you don't necessarily have to go there yourself to explore."

"If you really want the title of number one, I can help you find someone willing to take your place."

Christensen suddenly stood up, walked around the coffee table, and went to the sofa next to Ernst.

She bent her right knee, half-kneeling on the soft sofa cushion, her left leg straight on the floor, her high heels clicking. Her upper body leaned forward, almost completely pressing against Ernst, the rise and fall of her chest clearly visible. She reached out and cupped the back of Ernst's head, her fingertips digging slightly into his silver hair. Ernst's head was forced back, his neck stretching taut, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he swallowed. His chin lifted slightly, a fleeting expression of surprise, panic, and shyness crossing his face. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but the words of advice he had just uttered had vanished from his mind due to the interruption of his train of thought.

Christensen's long, golden hair cascaded down, her pale purple eyes reflecting Ernst's tense expression. Her cold, serious demeanor melted instantly, and as if by instinct, she gently blew a breath towards Ernst. Their breaths mingled in the close proximity, the air seemingly frozen in that moment, until she slowly, with a hint of teasing in her voice, broke the ambiguity:

"Before I came here, I also had top scholars in Columbia conduct a risk assessment of this operation. In the probability section they gave, they only wrote one word—'miracle.' This is a euphemism; what it means is that only a miracle can make this plan a complete success. But they were afraid of offending me, and they were also afraid of offending you who supported this plan, so they dared not use specific data, or even use 'impossible' to describe the chances of success."

"But I don't care, you know, I've always been good at turning their 'impossible' into the title page of my papers."

She paused slightly, then suddenly changed the subject:

"And do you know what I like most about you, Ernst?"

"It's about your ability to judge people."

She chuckled softly.

“You know what kind of person I am. From the first time we met in the conference room, you knew what I wanted.”

"The price you offered me was never fair, but you knew how to leverage your strengths and exploit my weaknesses. You knew I wanted a platform to explore the universe, so you gave me the Matterhorn. You knew I wanted to collect more data, so you launched Project Star. You knew how groundbreaking my ideas were on this earth, yet you still showed me understanding."

"Why? I've thought about this question many times."

“Your background is so ordinary, your education is so clean, you've never even been to Columbia before, and you know nothing about the isolation layer or the universe, yet you can understand me, accept me, and even explain those basic things to me. Even Seria couldn't do these things.”

She lowered her head slightly, close to Ernst's ear: Jiu

"I once thought you were omniscient, and I once felt that you were probably the person in the world who could understand me the most. I have no shortage of supporters, but you are the only one who understands me, so I like you."

As she spoke, she suddenly smiled: [The character "汃" appears to be a typo and doesn't translate directly.]

"But now it seems that I was also wrong about some things."

With a gentle pull of her hands, she straightened Ernst's head, which had been slightly turned to the side, and looked him directly into the eyes: Si

"Should I be happy or unhappy? You don't seem to fully understand what Christen wants to do, and you don't seem to fully understand me."

"It's okay. I don't dislike the feeling of exploring and uncovering secrets, and I don't dislike letting you experience that feeling too."

"It's my pleasure."

She lowered her head.

"Kristen, you go first—uh—"

Before Ernst could finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped, his eyes widened, and his gray pupils contracted sharply as he stared at Christensen, momentarily speechless.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes—:

Christensen showed no sign of stopping. She reached out and put her arm around Ernst's neck, seemingly quite satisfied with his reaction. She only stopped slowly, satisfied, when she saw Ernst's face turn red and his expression become somewhat dazed.

Christensen let out a long breath, a conqueror's smile on his face.

She pressed down on Ernst's shoulders, propping herself up with her own slightly limp body. The flush on her face seemed to have no effect on her spirits; on the contrary, it gave her a greater sense of triumph. Looking down at Ernst, she licked her lips and whispered:

"Do you understand now?"

"I will definitely come back, because I've fallen for you."

Under Ernst's gaze, she propped herself up on the sofa, put on her high heels that had fallen off the floor with her movement, waved goodbye to Ernst, and muttered a short sentence that was hard to tell whether it was a provocation or flirtation:

"Do you want to use your permissions to stop the project now, or wait until I send you a Morse code love letter from above the clouds?"

"It's okay, I'll still go even if it's canceled, and I'll still send love letters."

Ernst sat on the sofa in the lounge, somewhat lost in thought.

There was a knock on the lounge door. Vina greeted the person and entered, a hint of confusion on her face.

“I just saw Miss Christensen hurrying out. When did she arrive in Laterano?”

The World's Fair has officially begun, and the third satellite launch program should have entered the final preparation stage. According to Vina's understanding of Christensen, shouldn't the big golden retriever be at the Columbia launch site right now, eagerly waiting for the launch time?

How could she possibly find the time to sneak away to Laterano without anyone noticing? That's really not like her, is it?

Ernst glanced at Vina, then looked away with some shame, and coughed lightly.

“She came to express her gratitude. As you know, we are the only ones who supported her, the head of Rhine Lab, in personally conducting this experiment.”

Mark Max was approached by Ernst through personal connections. Ernst was also responsible for securing support and sponsorship for the Star Project at the World's Fair and the World Summit. Without Ernst's help, Christensen would have had to resort to clandestine methods, even illegal and criminal activities, to obtain a slim chance of success.

From this perspective, Kristen's initial investment in Ernst did indeed yield substantial returns. The two could be said to have mutually benefited each other.

Ernst's eyes betrayed a strong sense of guilt, and he seemed a little ashamed.

Fortunately, none of the meddlesome painters from the Scherrager family were present, otherwise, tomorrow we might see some world-famous painting like "Miss Vina in Lateran".

Kristen, Ernst never realized she was so bold before?

Oh no, she's always been incredibly bold. If I'd known this would happen, I should have been on guard against her doing something like this.

After her series of moves, Ernst is now really itching to try it himself.

I feel depressed, really depressed. Don't laugh, you'd feel depressed too if you were in my shoes!

Vina didn't notice the slightly conflicted expression on Ernst's face; there was a reason she suddenly knocked and came in:

"Ernst, your guests have arrived. Federico and Arturo, which one would you like to see first, or both?"

Ernst thought for a moment:

"Let's go together."

Federico Gialo and Arturo Gialo are twins who aren't actually that closely related. Arturo is the older cousin, and Federico is the younger cousin.

This Arturo was a talented woman, and her life was exceptionally beautiful. Her long, straight, and smooth black hair cascaded down to her waist, and her gray-brown eyes seemed to be bathed in the soft light of broken harp strings. She often wore a black and gold Letanian-style dress and vest, paired with a short skirt with gold-patterned lace trim. The folds of the skirt concealed faint scarlet patterns, which, together with her black suspender stockings, formed an astonishing absolute territory between her thighs.

Undoubtedly, her beauty is an unparalleled weapon, possessing an innate allure. Her identity as a Sarkaz adds a mythical, sanctified quality to this allure, creating a strange balance. If one disregards her past actions, even if she were a bedridden cripple, she could still command countless admirers with her frail beauty.

But she wasn't paralyzed, and in fact, she was exceptionally energetic.

She used Originium Arts at a funeral, driving mourners mad. Her playing of the violin in the Tara region sparked a small-scale populist rebellion. Invited by a Sargon chieftain to hold a concert, she ended up turning it into a memorial service for him. She has never concealed these crimes; her misdeeds are numerous and the evidence is irrefutable!

Before Ernst caught her, she even wanted to go to Letania to attend the Elector's concert, showing no awareness of being a wanted criminal and even displaying a bit of arrogance, as if she were the only one who was sober in a world of drunks.

She was the second most troublesome person for Ernst among the saints.

What? You're asking how someone like Arturo can only be ranked second? Then who is the number one player?

Then we have to talk about that old saying of ours.

"The Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix—possessing either one is enough to secure the world." Where there is a Crouching Dragon, there is bound to be a Young Phoenix. When Arturo, a Crouching Dragon, was born into the Jialuo family, it was destined that their family would produce a Young Phoenix in no way inferior to her.

Federico Giallo, from the Lateran faction, with a lawful stance and an extremely conservative personality, is quite handsome. He is a seven-foot-tall man with silver hair, a chiseled face, and sharp features. Standing there, he looks like a Minoan-style marble statue.

The only pity is that the marble statue cannot speak, while he unfortunately has a mouth that can speak.

On their first meeting, Ernstmann was accused of violating Lateran law and order, and all sorts of things that should and shouldn't be said, and things that should and shouldn't be made public, were brought out for judgment. To put it nicely, he was impartial and incorruptible; to put it bluntly, he was rigid and inflexible.

King Ivangelist XI was clever; he appointed Federico as an enforcer, ensuring Federico's talents were fully utilized while preventing Ivangelist from driving him to his wits' end. But then, for some inexplicable twist of fate, the Law chose him as a saint!

He's even more difficult to deal with than Arturo!

Arturo, he really did commit a lot of crimes. Putting aside everything else, his arbitrary use of large-scale, mind-interfering Originium Arts in important situations, stripping away rationality from humanity, and treating instinctive desires and physiological impulses as truth and promoting them extensively, already constitutes the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means.

To put it bluntly, where in this land of Terra isn't there something disgusting and terrible? Who hasn't experienced a bad mood or felt frustrated and unsuccessful? Everyone is truly trying their best to live, even if they're not doing well, even if they often joke that "it would be better to die," but the preciousness of life and the string called reason are always tightly intertwined, forming complex yet vibrant lives.

As for Arturo's idea, how many failed art students and generals would Terra need to produce? Is Terra enough to kill them all?

Her actions would constitute a crime in any country. When she loses the protection and the shield of those in power, she will have to pay the price for her indulgence! Even if she were to be publicly tried tomorrow, Ernst would have no objection whatsoever.

Because in his eyes, she was not a beautiful girl, nor a famous musician; she was a wanted criminal, and an extremely dangerous one at that, who caused chaos wherever she went.

But Federico was different.

He was "correct"; he was without a single blemish. No matter how much you disliked him, you had to admit that Federico's actions complied with every single law.

Trying to engage in a logical debate with him is virtually impossible. After all, the law is the baseline of morality, and people cannot debate "the law itself."

Ernst was having a headache about how to question him.

"Hello, Mr. Ernst. (Good day.)"

The two entered the room and greeted Ernst with unusual politeness. Arturo wore a faint smile, the kind that evoked a contradictory mix of wanting to tease and protect her, though the reason was unclear. Federico, on the other hand, was expressionless, like a cold machine.

If we disregard the fact that Federico is still handcuffing Arturo's wrist and pressing down on Arturo's shoulders and arms like he's escorting a prisoner, then this scene is indeed a rare and beautiful picture of sisterly affection and brotherly respect.

Ernst nodded slightly, gesturing for them to sit down.

Arturo didn't feel awkward at all. He gently shifted his body, signaling Federico to let go, and tried to sit on the sofa.

But before she could even sit up, Federico pulled her back to her feet.

Federico's face bore the familiar rigidity, and his gaze at Ernst was devoid of emotion, yet it brought back some unpleasant memories for Ernst.

Ernst had a bad feeling.

But before he could even stop Federico from speaking, he heard him slowly say in a cold and serious tone:

“According to Lateran law, the interrogation of prisoners should be conducted in the prison and in a special interrogation room. Mr. Ernst, your behavior is inappropriate.”

Ernst's lips twitched: "I've already spoken to your Pope about this."

“I know,” Federico nodded. “It is because you made the application in advance that I brought the wanted criminal Arturo here.”

“But Mr. Ernst, I judge that this place does not meet the requirements to serve as a temporary interrogation room. The soundproofing here is poor, there are no special countermeasures against Originium Arts, and there is an unrelated person present.”

Unrelated personnel?

Ernst instinctively followed Federico's gaze.

Vina, standing in the corner, blinked before realizing what was happening, and pointed to the tip of her nose in surprise:

"me?"

Federico nodded without any hesitation:

“Yes, Miss Vina. I have not received any notification regarding your participation in this interrogation, nor should you have submitted an application to the notary office or the Papal Court to observe the proceedings before I depart to interrogate the wanted criminal Arturo. According to Lateran law, any temporary addition of public officials should be submitted in writing to the corresponding department of the Papal Court in a timely manner. You are in violation of this rule and should not be present.”

Vina's lips twitched.

She was speechless. She had specifically brought Federico and Arturo in, and according to diplomatic practice, as an "intermediary," she should also have the right to listen in and offer suggestions during the negotiations.

But she couldn't find any reason to refute Federico. After all, custom is custom, and law is law. Although Vina didn't understand Lateran law, Federico's confident assertion didn't seem like a lie.

After thinking it over for a long time, she could only ask in a wry smile:

"Then I'll go?"

"Thank you for your cooperation." Federico replied instantly, even giving Vina a polite nod.

""

She glanced at Ernst, who waved his hand, signaling her to be patient. He's coming.

“Fedric, Vina is a diplomat of Shelag, and she enjoys diplomatic immunity.”

As soon as Ernst finished speaking, Federico looked at him and then said:

“Mr. Ernst, there is currently no clear legal interpretation regarding the scope of application of the Lateran provisions on the immunity of diplomatic personnel. Based on the specific circumstances of His Holiness the Pope’s personal order, I judge that this matter concerns the national security and major secrets of Lateran, so I am raising my objection. I hope you can understand.”

Thorn (Hedgehog Folding Substitute ★≈Buy: Two Deaths Forty-Three, Ernst: "")

Federico hasn't stopped; he's still firing away.

"At the same time, I would also like to offer you some advice. As an interrogator, you do not have a professional license or relevant work experience, which may lead to oversights in the interrogation methods and procedures. In addition, given the risks and potential hazards of using this as a temporary interrogation room, as mentioned before, I sincerely suggest that you change the interrogation room, select more professional interrogators, and conduct rigorous interrogation preparations to deal with the wanted criminal Arturo. I hope my advice will be helpful to you, and I hope you can understand."

Ernst: "Oh, this."

From what you're saying, you're suggesting I get replaced along with you?

Chapter 1009 Human-Machine Friends and Terrorists

Chatting with a human-computer interface is a real test of one's mental state.