People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Should I write a letter to my sister and mention this?

Chapter 148 Abrahana's Definition of Rewards

She brewed a cup of fragrant tea and sprinkled in a couple of goji berries. Abrahana took off her shoes, propped her feet up on her desk, leaned back in her office chair, and began reading the intelligence sent by Ahmoni.

"Your Highness Abrahana, as you wish, I have arrived in Sherag and begun to monitor the changes and developments of this mountain kingdom."

"Ernst Shivaish, whom you have your eye on, is indeed quite talented. According to the intelligence I have gathered, a year ago, Kjerag was a highly backward religious society, but just one year later, at least in Tukarim, the city most likely to become the future capital of Kjerag, modern production methods have been established."

"This process was, naturally, not smooth. Ernst suffered a backlash from the conservative forces and was once caught in a fierce battle, even facing a life-threatening situation. He was forced to participate in a religious inquisition with clearly impure motives, but in the end, he miraculously relied on the occurrence of a [miracle] to gain the opportunity to fight back. And with this opportunity, he defeated the representative of the conservatives—the Grand Elder of the Manju Institute, the highest religious organization in Sherag. He then divided the leadership position of the Manju Institute in two, keeping one half for himself and handing the other half over to his sister, the eldest daughter of the Shivaish family—Enya Shivaish, who is also the contemporary Saintess of Kalan."

"Combined with what we noticed about Ensiodoris Shivaish during our previous intelligence gathering on the Duke of Kessler, it is clear that under Ernst's manipulation, power has been centralized in the entire Kjerag, from the government to the economy and even the religious and cultural spheres. The Shivaish family has become the true nobility and de facto rulers of Kjerag."

"This is enough to prove his ability, but it may not be good news for you. Because you may find it difficult to gain Ernst Shivaish's loyalty as expected by offering him favors."

Abrahana pursed her lips, her expression showing some regret, but she didn't take it too seriously.

She had always been incredibly honest about her desires. She had to admit that she was indeed attracted to Ernst Shivaesh.

A person who is good-looking, intelligent, of similar age, has great potential, and can skillfully, even beyond what ordinary people can predict, manipulate political power to seek personal gain—this is exactly the "strategist" that Abrahana needs!

Abrahman lacks advisors. Although Ahmoni is temporarily filling the position, she is clearly struggling to keep up with the Duke of Wellington's think tank.

Abrahina, however, was not one to willingly submit to control. While the Duke of Wellington and she shared the same current goal—to establish a Tara kingdom and liberate the Tara from Victoria's enslavement—what about the future?

Abrahana knew that the Duke of Wellington's purpose in supporting her was to ensure she would continue to be his shadow emperor in the future kingdom, a shadow emperor unrestrained by the Duke of Castle and the other ducal alliances. She was merely a puppet pushed to the forefront, a rubber stamp to obey his commands.

This is not what Abrahana wants. The last person who tried to mold her into that kind of person was her adoptive father, whom she personally stabbed through the heart with a spear.

She was a true Drak, upholding her own pride and determined to control her own destiny. Therefore, she desperately needed a strategist with a broad perspective, capable of mediating between dukes and even turning the tables on them. For this, she was willing to spare no reward.

Ernst Shivaesh is that person.

This is why, even though she knew the Duke of Wellington was likely not satisfied with Ernst's handling of the matter, she still insisted on overcoming all opposition and persuading the Duke to accept the plan.

She is bestowing favors.

“It wasn’t the Duke of Wellington who approved, but Princess Abrahina.” Ahmoni’s words to Ernst were not only a riddle, but also the answer.

Unfortunately, it seems she approached Ernst far too late. Had she met him during the Holy Stone Trial and rescued him, she was confident she could have firmly secured his affections and made him fall at her feet. But now, Ernst's influence in the country appears considerable. The strategy of continuing to bestow favors to cultivate his gratitude before making private contact seems unlikely to work.

But that's okay.

Ahmoni clearly underestimated Abrahmana's thirst for "what she wanted," and also underestimated the scope of her definition of "reward."

"I hope my lovely sister won't let me down."

Abrahana muttered to herself.

"But what is a miracle?"

Aside from the description of Ernst's current situation, what attracted Abrahma the most in Ahmoni's entire letter was this word "miracle".

Sherag has a religion, worshipping a native god called Yeragand. Abrahana had heard of this. But it wasn't surprising.

It is not uncommon for many uncivilized regions to have their own indigenous deities, whose prototypes may be lightning, strong winds, or gods whose ancient powers have not been completely lost.

It wasn't that this type of belief didn't exist in the Tara region before. When Abrahana was collecting those lost Tara legends, she heard the elders tell a story about "a queen who lives in a kingdom formed by the shadows of the world, who is eternally young and beautiful, and who single-handedly fights against evil from beyond the heavens."

Everyone knows this is just a dubious legend, isn't it?

How could there be a kingdom in the shadow of the world, and how could there be a queen in a kingdom? Even if there were, why wouldn't she send troops to attack the real world? Instead, she would tirelessly fight against extraterrestrial demons for the people living on the surface world like a charitable volunteer. What would she gain from it?

Clearly, this is a myth that arose from the mythologizing of ancient heroes.

But a miracle did indeed occur in Sherag, and this miracle even played a direct role in Ernst Shivaesh's rise to power.

There are three guesses about Abrahim.

First, perhaps the miracle was essentially an exaggerated phenomenon created by exploiting the backward and ignorant scientific knowledge or Originium Arts that the Jeragund people didn't understand. This phenomenon was mistaken for a "miracle of Jeragund," which Ernst then used to turn the tables. Of course, it's highly possible that this was Ernst's arrangement.

Secondly, miracles might simply be unexpected events. For example, a sudden strong wind, a sudden bolt from the blue, or a sudden blizzard. These unexpected natural phenomena are easily interpreted by superstitious people as divine intervention. Ahmoni's description of the "miracle scene" is quite similar—a strong wind blew away the clouds, calming the hearts of every Sherag person, and divine writing appeared from the clouds, declaring Ernst innocent. This certainly sounds somewhat overly embellished and mythical.

Third, perhaps an immortal being has indeed made a move.

It's true that Kjerag has never experienced a natural disaster in its history. From this perspective, Kjerag does indeed possess some mystical aspects. It's not impossible that some reclusive, immortal beings lived in seclusion in those high mountains. Perhaps one of these immortal beings did indeed extend a helping hand to Ernst.

That's something worth thinking about and considering.

Most immortals dislike interfering in worldly affairs. Those immortals as passionate about leading Ursus, like the Black Serpent of Ursus legend, are truly a minority. What was Kjerag's plan in that move?

As for whether the "miracle" was truly a miracle, or whether the "god" was truly a god, Abrahana didn't consider that at all.

The gods, or behemoths, viewed humans as mere ants.

Throughout history, even the giant beasts closest to humans have treated humans as animals to be kept and possessed. It is laughable to expect them to have pity on the human group, let alone to help a tiny individual in that group.

Instead of believing that miracles are the work of giant beasts, it's better to believe that Sister Banana can make Prisoner win the resurrection match.

Unfortunately, Sherag didn't have recording equipment at that time, and everything could only be based on word-of-mouth accounts from those who experienced it firsthand. Abrahana couldn't see any concrete video footage. Otherwise, she should have been able to make a clearer judgment.

"Your Highness Abrahana, in addition to my report, your sister has also asked me to report some of her findings to you."

The ending of the letter made Abrahana raise an eyebrow slightly, lower her leg that had been crossed over, and a smile of interest appeared on her lips.

This is the first time that Lavshini has ever written to her.

She pulled out the next page of the letter and looked at its contents.

Sister, during my time in Kjerag, I became Prime Minister Ernst's secretary and learned a great deal from him...

Lavshini's letter was short, mainly consisting of greetings, an explanation of how good Ernst had been to her, and a closing expression of curiosity about the cultural heritage of Tara.

However, to Raphsini's disappointment, she didn't need to remind her; Abrahana had already started doing these things long ago.

Even so, Abrahana nodded in satisfaction.

"She's already a secretary. My sister's progress is quite fast."

"However, what is the meaning of this drawing at the end? Why was there a tail drawn here specifically? Is there doubt about one's Originium Arts?"

Abrahina looked at the vividly drawn Draco's tail that Raphsini had drawn at the end of the letter, along with the two expectant expressions next to it, with a puzzled expression.

This was the first time she had failed to see through her twin sister's thoughts at a glance.

The progress is quite significant, exceeding expectations.

Abrahana stroked her chin, recalling the Tara culture that Raphsini had mentioned earlier, and the Drak culture that represented the Tara culture. She nodded in sudden understanding, stood up, knocked on the table, and called to the guard at the door:

"Please contact the Duke of Wellington for me. I need a teacher of Tara semiotics."

This symbol must be related to the ancient symbolism (runeology) of Tara! Although it is unknown where Raphsini obtained this rune, the fact that she left it in the letter is clearly a form of showing off and provocation.

She couldn't fall behind her younger sister.

Open the book!

Chapter 149 Kal'tsit: Alright, alright, is this how you play it?

Shelag, Tukarim, government office buildings that have already been marked for demolition.

Hinterlea's voice came from outside the door, diverting Ernst's attention, who was confirming with Vina the reception of the upcoming Windermere envoy.

"Boss, the representatives from Rhodes Island have arrived."

Vina stopped talking at the right moment, stood up, nodded to Ernst, picked up the documents on the table, and turned to walk towards the door.

He opened the door, nodded to Hinterlea outside, and stepped aside amidst her slightly resentful gaze fixed on a certain part of her body.

"I'll be going now. Please have the Rhodes Island representative come in."

Hintria then looked away, making way for Vina's departure, and turned to the three representatives of Rhodes Island, saying:

"Ms. Kal'tsit, Ms. Amiya, and Ms. Kroos, please come in."

Amiya and Kroos nodded their thanks and went into the room. Kal'tsit lagged behind.

She stopped at the doorway, her eyes widening slightly as she watched Vina's profile as she passed by and her departing figure. A hint of wavering appeared on her usually calm and composed expression.

I am not wrong, right?

That looks like... an Aslan?

While strictly speaking, the Aslan are not a race truly distinct from ordinary Felin, deserving of a separate designation, they are a concept created to highlight their specialness and to establish their sacredness and authority. Therefore, an ordinary Aslan would be easily lost in a Felin colony.

But Kal'tsit isn't a normal person after all.

She actually followed the King of Kings through the pass a thousand years ago, and fought alongside the Nightmare Khan against the demons. Although she doesn't have any noble, heaven-reaching markings on her forehead, when it comes to recognizing things, she's practically a living encyclopedia of Terra!

She recognized that the person who had just walked by seemed to be an Aslan, so there was a 99% chance that she really was an Aslan. The remaining 1% was an accident. After all, Sherag was a small, poor, and freezing place. It was indeed a bit unbelievable that an Aslan whose ancestral home was in the desert and whose place of origin was in the core basin would suddenly appear.

Seemingly noticing Kal'tsit's gaze, or perhaps because Kal'tsit was standing there, refusing to go in, which was indeed delaying Hinterlea's work, she unusually took the initiative to introduce them:

“Ms. Kal’tsit is interested in Miss Vina? She is the Foreign Minister of Sherag, appointed by the Prime Minister himself. If you would like to meet and talk to her, you should have the opportunity at the dinner party in a couple of days to host the Duke of Windermere.”

"The Duke of Windermere?"

Kal'tsit turned around, her wavering expression gradually turning into one of loss of control.

"That Duke of Windermere in Victoria? The 'Double Blade of the Empire,' the 'Elector's greatest enemy'?"

Hinterlea nodded matter-of-factly: “Who else could it be?” She shrugged. “But Lady Kal’tsit shouldn’t get her hopes up too high. Duke Windermere himself is too busy with official duties to come to Sherag in person. It was his special envoy who came.”

Kal'tsit finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Oh, it was a special envoy! She thought it was Duke Windermere himself coming to Shelag.

Compared to the powerful Grand Duke personally visiting this mountain-surrounded country, the arrival of a special envoy was indeed less significant. After all, the Duke's extensive diplomacy was not uncommon, and Kjerag's strategic location at the crossroads of three countries made it not surprising that the Duke would come to make contact.

Rather, it was Scherrag who reacted more strongly to hosting a dinner specifically for the visit of a less important ducal envoy.

Noticing the change in Kal'tsit's expression, Hinterlea skillfully reversed it, saying:

"However, let me tell you a secret: if you want to attend the banquet, you'd better make a good impression on the Prime Minister. After all, the only person who can persuade Miss Defiance Windermere is my Prime Minister. If she doesn't want to invite you, no matter how much others plead, it won't work. She is the Duke of Windermere's daughter, after all."

The Duke of Windermere's daughter?

How many daughters does the Duke of Windermere have?

Kal'tsit subconsciously began reviewing her intelligence network in Victoria. Leveraging Heidi's connections across various social strata, this network was nearly as dense as the Duke of Caster's Grey Hat system. However, the accuracy of the intelligence wasn't always reliable, requiring analysis and verification from both Heidi in the middle and Kal'tsit at the front.

Soon, the answer emerged from the dense information in my mind.

The current Duke of Windermere, Her Excellency Amphilis Windermere, seems to have only one daughter.

In other words, the Duke of Windermere sent his only daughter, the heir to the title, as a special envoy to Shelag?!

This is perhaps even more significant than her personal visit!

Kal'tsit felt her breathing quicken. Yes, it had been a long time since she had felt nervous.

She had never been this nervous, not even when negotiating with Governor Wei Yanwu of Lungmen and with Theresis to put the evil spirits of the Tower of Babel back into the sarcophagus!

And to this day, she hasn't even met the Prime Minister Ernst in person!

"Kal'tsit, what are you two talking about outside?"

Noticing Kal'tsit lingering at the door, Kroos turned back and asked. Before she could finish speaking, she noticed Kal'tsit's somewhat strange expression. Her expression immediately turned serious. Taking Kal'tsit's hand, she lowered her voice and whispered:

"What happened?"

Kal'tsit opened her mouth, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out three large words through gritted teeth:

"nothing."

What else can we do? Tell Kroos that the foreign minister who just walked out the door might be Aslan, who has a right to inherit the Victorian throne, and that the only daughter of the Grand Duke of Victoria who will be visiting in a couple of days is the heir to the throne.

Even if it could scare Kroos, what good would it do her?

Before negotiations even begin, they're already putting pressure on their own people?

Kal'tsit would never do such a thing. Her reason told her that this series of seemingly coincidental encounters was very likely a deliberate arrangement by that scheming man, Ernst Shivaesh! He wanted to leak this information to Kal'tsit before the negotiations began, to make her nervous, and then cause her to act rashly during the upcoming transaction negotiations, leaving her at his mercy!

What a terrible man!