People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Defiance, would you be interested in going to Sherag again?"

"Huh?" Daphne was taken aback when she was suddenly called upon, but after realizing what was happening, she nodded eagerly, "Okay!"

“Be more reserved. Act like a proper lady,” Anferis reminded her.

Dai Feien coughed and nodded reluctantly: "If it is Mother's order, I will go to any harsh and cold place without hesitation."

"Then it's up to you. I'll prepare the gift later. As for the reason, just say that the Duchy of Windermere congratulates the reconstruction of Tukarim City."

Amphilis smiled.

The reconstruction of Tukarim was the reason Ernst used to refuse the Duke of Kest's visit.

Anferis had originally intended to make the trip herself. However, she was simply too busy with work at the beginning of the year, and the command headquarters had many important matters to attend to, so she couldn't get away. In addition, Ernst's refusal of the Duke of Kester had indeed pleased her, and she saw no need to personally visit him at this time and put Ernst in a difficult position.

Then let's just send Defiance. Anyway, Anferis had already figured out a long time ago that Defiance wanted to go see Ernst.

As for how much this gift will cost...

The beginning of the year is the most financially strained time for the duchy, as it involves checking and drafting the annual financial statements and budget. Even as a duke, Anferis couldn't just ask her subordinates to redo the budget she had just prepared on the spot.

This is somewhat of a torment for those conscientious finance officials.

So this amount of money can't be too high, and it has to go through her private account.

The Duke of Caesar offered 200 million? That's so little? That's not like her at all. Anferis thought that given Caesar's generosity, adding another zero to the amount would be entirely possible.

But since Ernst said two million, Windermere was happy to save money.

Based on the principle of absolutely disgusting the Duke of Caesar in every way, Anferis naturally had to give more.

"Five million, maybe."

Chapter 139 Rhodes Island, a Major Worker

Ernst did not yet know how Windermere reacted after receiving the handwritten letter. Several more troublesome problems lay before him.

"Mr. Ernst, could you help recruit some Sheragans to clean up those... things on the Matterhorn?"

Christen's voice was still trembling, and she didn't even mention the word "corpse" directly.

Ernst was genuinely surprised that a scientist could be so frightened by the scene. He had thought that someone like Christen would have a strong mental fortitude.

After all, Ms. Nastya, who came to conduct field research last time, climbed all the way to the top of the mountain without even changing her expression. She remained calm and composed.

"Don't even mention Nastya!"

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned it, because the moment she did, Christen felt a sharp pain in her head.

Kristen stated that she has no racist tendencies, but the Sarkaz race, she feels, is like some Chinese sports students on the internet. Things like falling from the 26th floor without feeling any pain, punching through a 10cm steel plate with her bare hands, or mocking the merits of Wu Song's tiger-slaying feat with a sliding tackle. If sports students mostly rely on memes and jokes, then the Sarkaz are truly extraordinary!

People really cannot be compared.

"Can Sarkaz's mental fortitude be the same as ours? Mr. Ernst, I almost lost two excellent clerks because of this. They have every right to complain and demand compensation for their emotional distress because you failed to clearly explain the conditions of the construction site."

"Shouldn't it be compensation for lost wages?"

Ernst muttered a complaint under his breath. But on the surface, he still apologized profusely.

"This is my mistake."

Although the majority of the responsibility should lie with Nastya, whose psychological resilience is completely different from that of ordinary people, an apology won't kill her. Christensen at least saved her some money on emotional distress, and she clearly lost money on this huge project, so giving him some face is only fair.

"I will arrange for someone to handle it," Ernst assured.

This is actually not a difficult thing. Colombians are short-sighted and make a fuss over nothing, but the Sherag people are all staunch theists. Jeragand, we're not afraid of any of this.

Besides, everyone's used to it. Over thousands of years in Shelag, even if there was only one sinner per year, thousands would have been hanged. And how could there possibly be only one sinner?

Putting everything else aside, the Grand Elder dared to openly allow Ernst to undergo the Holy Stone Trial. Was he some kind of founder?

Obviously not. As he said, it's "tradition".

Before Ernst, countless others had died because of this tradition.

Not everyone is as lucky as Ernst, who happened to be there at the exact time Jeragund woke up, and who was able to attract Jeragund's attention and have Him manifest.

The Matterhorn is just one example; it's the highest mountain in Kjerag and has no religious significance, which is why it has the most people hanging from it. This doesn't mean there aren't similar incidents on other mountains.

The people of Shelag are simple and honest. You might be walking down the street one day and look up to see your ancestor's statue fluttering in the wind. You might even have to say hello.

What Ernst found most challenging was the "transportation problem" raised by Christen.

"You and Nastya discussed using aircraft to transport supplies. To be honest, I can understand your thinking, but I have to say, it's a bit presumptuous."

Having entered her area of ​​expertise, Christensen's words became much sharper and more decisive.

"I can say that I know the most about the development of aircraft on this land. In my opinion, aircraft are far from being able to carry out long-distance, high-capacity commercial transportation technology."

"To be honest, even carrying people in an aircraft still carries great risks."

Ernst frowned, somewhat incredulous: "Really? How can you be so sure?"

Christen gave him a deep look, making sure Ernst meant no offense and that he probably genuinely didn't know, before simply replying:

"My parents died in a plane crash."

"........Feel sorry."

“It’s nothing.” Christen waved his hand dismissively. “For me, it’s better to carry on their wishes than to mourn them. To truly explore the skies of Terra.”

For some reason, Ernst had a vague feeling that Christen's seemingly casual remark was actually imbued with a deep obsession.

Is this why she was willing to bear significant losses in order to secure the Matterhorn Dome research station?

Ernst never thought there was anything wrong with persistence; he believed that someone who could persevere in pursuing their dreams was truly admirable. If he could, Ernst would love to witness the day Christensen's dream of flying came true.

But dreams are dreams, and people always live in reality. If the method of transporting building materials by large aircraft is rejected, then it seems that only roads or railways remain as the available transportation options.

A railway is definitely not an option. Just because Kjerag is not affected by natural disasters doesn't mean it is not affected by external ones. If a railway line were to be laid out on the wasteland outside, the maintenance costs alone would be too much for Kjerag to bear.

It's common knowledge that railways are unprofitable in any country. They can only generate hidden profits.

But for highways, that is, vehicle transportation...

"Rhine Life can handle the building materials supply, but transportation is not covered by the contract. I can give you a suggestion: ask your friends. Tukarim doesn't need many building materials, and if you have land-based ships, transportation will be easy to solve."

Although Christensen doesn't pay much attention to politics, that doesn't mean she's unaware of anything.

After its rise to power, Rhine Labs, like many other military companies, was required by the military to conduct research and development on some military projects. However, compared to those military enterprises that openly exposed themselves, Rhine Labs was much more transparent. With Saria handling the cleanup, they left no loose ends that could arouse suspicion. Therefore, they did not attract the attention of other countries.

Christen was well aware that Ernst had several "friends".

For example, the Lord of Wellington, where he recently gave a speech.

As long as a civilian land-based vessel can be rented, the problem of transporting building materials can be perfectly solved. As for the aircraft, it can be used as an auxiliary and subsequent research station.

Ernst nodded.

That shows his narrow-mindedness.

Not being a native of the area, Ernst believed that road transport could not match the capacity and speed of rail and sea transport. Therefore, when considering the transport of large-volume, high-quantity items like building materials, he subconsciously ruled out road transport.

But Terra is different from Earth. Terra's road transport also has a powerful weapon - landships, high-speed warships, and even mobile cities!

Land-based ships, as the name suggests, are ships that operate on land; roughly speaking, they are the largest type of maritime transport in terms of carrying capacity!

As long as we can get a land-based ship to help, the transportation problem will not be a problem at all!

But unlike Christensen's initial thought, Ernst's first reaction wasn't to seek a landship from a prominent Victorian noble like the Duke of Wellington or the Duke of Windermere.

Let's not even talk about whether they would lend you such a national treasure. Even if they did, would Ernst dare to operate it?

Kjerag is a vital passage between the three kingdoms. If the land-based ships bearing the marks of these two Grand Dukes of Victoria sail to Kjerag, it will be tantamount to putting a knife to the throats of the other two kingdoms, and Kazimierz and Letania will inevitably react.

Ernst had no intention of replicating the Sarkaz's glorious achievements by building a city and attracting a coalition army. In the end, he lost both the city and his men.

At that point, even Yeragand wouldn't be able to save it. Don't you see how the Sarkaz court boasts of being able to take on the Time Beasts, yet they didn't even flinch when Kazdel was destroyed?

He was wondering if there was a friendly force that was not closely related to any of the various factions, but happened to possess landships and had the opportunity to cooperate with them, and that could take on this commission.

Coincidentally, following the clues, Ernst actually found one in his mind.

"Rhode Island!"

P.S.: My cold is still not better, but my fever has gone down.

Chapter 140 The Amazing Organization: What kind of company is Rhodes Island?

Wilderness, Rhode Island.

Every time she stands on the bridge deck of this land-based ship, Kal'tsit always reminisces about the past.

Kazdel's rise and fall, and of course, one of those times she herself was even involved in.

People come and go at the Tower of Babel, and of course, the Doctor and even she herself put it back into the sarcophagus.

And Theresa's voice and smile. Of course, having failed to protect her and avenge the Doctor who was suspected of killing Theresa, Kal'tsit even hated her own abilities.

hiss--

Upon reflection, it seems there's nothing to reminisce about in the past.

Forget it, I don't want to.

The coffee in my mug rippled in the evening breeze, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. The steam had gradually dissipated, along with the dreams of the past.

The era of the Tower of Babel has ended; the era of Rhodes Island has just begun. Theresia left her a message, hoping this homeless traveler would consider Rhodes Island her home, and she swore:

"I will protect everything on Rhodes Island!"

"Dr. Kal'tsit, you're here."

Amiya's adorable, childlike voice, still intact after puberty, came from behind, and even the sound of her footsteps conveyed the heaviness in her heart.

"We haven't received enough orders today due to the trade war. If this continues, Rhodes Island might really not be able to hold on."

Kal'tsit silently took a sip of the cold, bitter coffee in her cup.

"Well, as long as operations don't stop, it's a success."

She turned to look at Amiya, her calm face expressionless, as if everything was expected and there was nothing to fear at all.

"It's alright, Amiya, I'll find a way."

Her tone was firm, but her heart wasn't as resolute as her words suggested.

Rhode Island's main business is currently Oripathy research and the production and sale of inhibitors.

Logically speaking, the medical industry should be a highly profitable sector anywhere, let alone for an incurable disease like Oripathy.

Many people might rationally think that since incurable diseases are incurable anyway, it's better to simply not treat them and save money. But in reality, let alone incurable diseases, even for people in a vegetative state who are barely clinging to life, the majority are still willing to spend a lot of money on treatment.

This transcends even poverty and wealth, and class distinctions. Because it is the purest form of human nature. If others feel sorrow for their kind, how can humans be an exception?

But capital and human nature have always been two unrelated concepts.

The market for Oripathy inhibitors is so highly profitable that it can't remain vacant indefinitely, waiting for Rhodes Island to dominate it. The reality is that this industry has long been divided up by several established pharmaceutical giants. Rhodes Island, this rising star, can only pick up scraps of market share from these established medical companies.

This has nothing to do with Rhodes Island's skill level or its inhibitor price. Even if Rhodes Island could announce, "Kal'tsit has stepped in and driven down the price of Oripathy inhibitors!", no one would buy its inhibitors.

Because there are no major distribution channels.

The wealthy and aristocratic individuals who can afford to purchase inhibitors on a large scale do not trust Rhodes Island, a new company with relatively low-priced inhibitors. They prefer to buy products from established, expensive companies. In their eyes, the only drawback of expensive products is their price; the more expensive the product, the more reassured they are.

Ordinary citizens and infected individuals willing to purchase low-priced inhibitors are often completely unaware of Rhodes Island due to competition and blockades among pharmaceutical companies. Even if they were aware, they might not be able to buy Rhodes Island's drugs in local pharmacies. As ordinary people, they obviously lack the capacity to purchase inhibitors on a large scale. Considering economic efficiency, Rhodes Island wouldn't make a special trip to a city thousands of miles away just for one or two injections—the cost of the medication wouldn't even cover the shipping costs!

This seemed like a dead end. But Kal'tsit was indeed quite resourceful; she offered a solution that was least likely to offend anyone and had the highest probability of success.

She began to integrate her knowledge of Originium and the research data left behind by the doctor who was an Originium researcher before she was put into the sarcophagus, and submitted papers to various scientific journals.

This move did help them break through the pharmaceutical companies' publicity blockade, because although the scientific and financial communities have related interests, they are not entirely in cahoots.

You publish papers, you write things, like in Tremont's scientific journal—they really publish! Even if pharmaceutical companies notice these articles and want to pay to have them removed or banned from further publication, the Tremont scientific community doesn't care about them.

Are you the president? The president protects Trimont, and the vice president visits Trimont every year for his inauguration. Who do you think you are, daring to restrict my publication of scientific papers? You're giving me too much face!

However, while Kal'tsit has some skills, she doesn't actually have many.

While this method can indeed bypass the blockade of pharmaceutical companies' capital and enhance Rhode Island's reputation as a "medical company," the process will be very lengthy.