People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

Al did indeed meet Ernst's requirements for a guide—knowledge of Kjerag, knowledge of the Yeragand epics, a status comparable to (or even surpassing) that of the people of Rhodes, and the ability not to get lost within Kjerag.

But she is the head lady-in-waiting, a position that may not sound high, but we can call her a cabinet secretary.

The position of Saintess is rotated from generation to generation, and due to past conditions, the term often doesn't last very long. However, the head lady-in-waiting remains unchanged. Even Enya often consults Ya'er's advice on matters concerning the religion of Sherag. This is even more true for Ernst, the Holy Son who has largely ignored religious matters.

This is why Ernst felt that asking her to do this was making a mountain out of a molehill.

“The Holy Maiden has already agreed,” Ya’er said. “Besides, Holy Son, now that you are in charge of everything, you should give us some things to do, right? Staying in Manju Courtyard every day, even if we can see you doing things, will be very boring.”

The way you're saying that makes it sound like you've been staring at me the whole time.

Ernst mentally scoffed, but he couldn't deny that what Ya'er said was true.

After the death of the Grand Elder, the power of Manjuin gradually declined. The era of "asking Manjuin about everything: Is this in accordance with Gangmon?" gradually gave way to an era where Ernst was consulted on everything, big or small.

For Ernst, this was a good thing; the more people thought of him in more and more matters, the more his influence and power were expanding. But for Manjusaka, the situation was quite the opposite.

If this continues, even if Enya, as a saint, doesn't have any complaints about Ernst, it's impossible for the other members of the Manju Academy not to have any other thoughts.

Just as Ernst appointed Latatos to represent him in the Kalan trade and Aktos to be the Minister of Defense, the neglected Manju Academy really needed to find something to do.

After a moment's hesitation, Ernst nodded:

"Then please."

...........

Tukarim, Shelag government office building.

As Kal'tsit approached the door of Amiya and Kroos's lounge, she heard unfamiliar voices coming from inside.

With some doubt, Kal'tsit pushed open the door and immediately noticed the figure of a black-haired woman dressed in traditional Sherag attire in the room.

"Amiya? And who is this?"

She frowned, vaguely sensing that the woman in front of her was looking at her with a slightly strange gaze.

Amiya stood up and introduced herself enthusiastically:

"This is Ms. Ya'er, sent by Prime Minister Ernst to be our guide."

Kal'tsit nodded thoughtfully, stepped forward, and extended her hand: "Ms. Al, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Al'er smiled and nodded, stepped forward, and took Kal'tsit's hand, her deep blue eyes sparkling with mischievousness.

"Ms. Kal'tsit has quite the memory. Didn't we just meet?"

"Just saw him?" Kal'tsit was taken aback.

Ya'er nodded: "Yes, just now, in the main hall of Manju Courtyard."

A few minutes later, in Ernst's office.

Kal'tsit pushed open the door and entered, her face somewhat pale.

Ernst immediately stepped forward and asked with concern:

"Ms. Kal'tsit, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Kal'tsit waved her hand. "I'm here to give you an answer."

"What?" Ernst paused for a moment before exclaiming, "Cooperation? It's only been less than a day, and the Duke of Windermere's envoy hasn't even arrived yet. You can certainly reconsider, can't you?"

"I hope our cooperation will be pleasant for both parties, and there is no element of coercion involved."

Kal'tsit's lips twitched slightly.

Okay, well said!

Kelsey believed Ernst wasn't that malicious, but his elders might not be.

"No need. The terms you've offered are very generous, and I've already made my decision."

Kelsey said,

"Rhodes Island chooses the second option. Rather than dealing with Duke Windermere for an opportunity, Rhodes Island would prefer to secure a stable source of income right now."

“We can sign a contract, and Rhode Island will go to Columbia as soon as possible to begin the transportation work. We guarantee that the order will be completed quickly and without delaying the Tukarim project schedule.”

Chapter 153 Resurrect, My Flame Demon!

Columbia, Trimont, Melander Foundation.

Almost a year had passed since she left, and when she returned, Horhaiya truly felt as if she had lived through another world.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, this is Trimont. The rapid development here is beyond description. For a feathered serpent like Horhaia, who has a slight deficiency in lifespan, being able to live here and see new things every day is surely a good thing.

"There's no need to add any sad monologues to my story. Trying to guess my feelings isn't something you enjoy doing, Tin Man."

Looking at the tin man sitting alone in the coffee shop, playing sad music on his terminal, Holhaia revealed a mocking smile.

"Instead of worrying about my lifespan, you should worry about yourself. I heard that the moment your head was twisted off, I dropped a ton of government business and rushed back."

Pulling a cigar from his leather jacket, the tin man took out a lighter and joked:

Why don't I feel like you care about me this much?

"You're overthinking it. I haven't mourned your death for a single moment. I'm rushing back to Colombia to take over the title and stipend of the Melander Foundation's First Special Agent!"

Holhaya shrugged, sat down directly opposite the Tin Man, and watched as the Tin Man lit his cigar in front of the "No Smoking" sign and took a deep drag.

“Isn’t smoking prohibited here?” she asked.

"Anyway, I'm not going to throw up." The tin man, whose eyes gleamed red with an epic lung capacity, said with interest, "You're actually starting to care about these rules and regulations now? Is your civil servant life in Sherag too comfortable?"

“I quite like it there,” Holhaya said.

"Why? Where did you find your tribe's records?" The Tin Man asked, somewhat surprised. In his view, Horhaiya shouldn't be the kind of person who would show favoritism to one place.

The madness in this person's bones was unfathomable, even to him. To say something like "I like Sherag" made the Tin Man wonder if Ernst Shivaish had some ancient mental magic that had given Horhaya a little hypnotic shock.

But Horhyah's answer was also beyond his expectations.

"Why wouldn't I like a place watched over by God?"

"My lifelong wish is to restore the glory of my feathered serpent ancestors. But to this day, apart from the obsession passed down through generations in my mind, I don't even know what this so-called glory actually looks like. So I've devoted myself to studying history, hoping to find a trace of information about the feathered serpent people in the vast sea of ​​ancient texts. But..."

A hint of fanaticism appeared on Holhaya's face.

"But ancient texts are always lost or contain errors. What could be better than asking questions directly to living history, to living gods?"

What is God?

Omniscient and omnipotent? This definition is indeed vague. After all, times are constantly changing. Omniscient and omnipotent ten thousand years ago is no longer the same concept as omniscient and omnipotent today. Does this mean that an omniscient and omnipotent god also needs to learn a brand new concept?

If we set aside the concept of omniscience and omnipotence, Horhaeja believes that Jeragand is undoubtedly the best embodiment of the concept of "God".

It has existed for thousands of years, protecting Sherag through the long years, through the Age of Giants, the Age of Gods and the Age of the First Men, and up to the present day. It can summon wind and rain, thunder and blizzards, and even open up airspace suitable for flying machines.

These are all beyond human capability, they are miracles.

Therefore, after searching through all the books of Sherag but finding no record of the feathered serpent, Horhaia turned her attention to a being whose knowledge far exceeded that of any book—Yelagand.

“If I can ask Jeragund, if I can ask God, then my questions will surely be answered.”

She thought this way, and that was why she never left Sherag.

You won't find such a good opportunity anywhere else.

Other giant beasts don't care about human feelings, other giant beasts don't get close to humans, other giant beasts don't answer human questions, and other giant beasts don't even have a chance to see Him.

Only Jeragand, only Jeragand would do that!

As for her, Horhaia, as a close advisor to Ernst Shivaish, the chosen one of Jeragund, it was not impossible for her to win the favor of this god if she could please Ernst!

She must consider whether this is her only chance in this life! To restore the glory of the Feathered Serpent is our inescapable duty!

Seeing that Horhys's expression was gradually becoming somewhat fanatical, the Tin Man couldn't help but want to wipe away non-existent cold sweat.

hiss--

I was just joking, you're serious? Does Sherag really have a mind control device? I've only been an agent for a year, and I feel like I'm almost turning into a fanatic?

Knowing he couldn't continue on this strange topic, the Tin Man quickly changed the subject:

"Holhaya, you should know why the Melander Foundation summoned you back this time, right?"

Holhaia snapped out of her reverie and glanced at the tin man:

"Is it because your head was twisted off that I was temporarily needed to come back and help with the funeral arrangements?"

"Aren't you curious who could twist my head off?" Tin Man took another deep drag, causing his cigar to shorten slightly.

What's wrong? Why are you inhaling so intensely? Did you just get a head transplant and are you slathering e-liquid into it?

Thinking to himself, "Holliya doesn't play by the rules at all," he guessed:

“My old boss, Tremont doesn’t have many people capable of taking you down. Aside from those who aren’t here now, you can count the others on one hand. And among them, there are only two or three who could cause you conflict.”

She held up one finger: "Saria, the head of Rhine Lab's defense department, is that right?"

“Sometimes I really think it’s a shame you’re an intelligence agent,” the Tin Man sighed. “Yes, Saria.”

"Christen has only been gone a few days, who would have thought that Rhine Life would pull off such a big thing?" Tin Man shook his head in distress.

This piqued Horhaya's interest.

There aren't many things that would be considered a major undertaking by her old boss, so she immediately asked curiously:

"What happened? Did they accidentally turn the vice president into a monster? Or did they blow up an entire city block during an experiment?"

“Their research has violated certain taboos,” the Tin Man said.

"Isn't science supposed to be free of all taboos?" Horhaya retorted.

The red light in the Tin Man's eyes flickered, and his gaze towards Horhaiya brightened even more, his signature smoky voice becoming even deeper:

“They broke my taboo.”

Holhaya raised an eyebrow. Before she could ask any more questions, the Tin Man took a stack of files from his briefcase and threw them on the table.

“Take a look first. After you’ve finished, I’ll pass this stack of files on to a researcher at Rhine Lab. She seems particularly interested in this matter and is investigating it.”

"Since they can't directly interfere with Rhine Lab's affairs, they're planning to take action from within?"

Holhaya grinned.

"This doesn't seem like your style."

She picked up the file and looked at the file name.

[File Confidentiality Level: Top Secret]

[File name: The Flame Demon Project]

[Commissioned by the Colombian military, Rhine Lab is conducting a biochemical experiment using a fragment of the body of a confirmed extinct Sarkaz sub-race—the Balrog. Initially led by Palvis, head of Rhine Lab's Structural Department, the experimental subject, codenamed Ifrit, is unstable, and the project is progressing slowly.]

A month ago, the plan was authorized to be transferred to Rhine Life Sciences' new department: headed by Levy, the director of the Originium Life Sciences Department. The plan has seen unexpected progress.

Levi?

Holhaya frowned; he seemed to have heard Ernst mention this name before.

They seem to be his book fans?

She looked up at the Tin Man who was smoking heavily beside her, clearly preoccupied, and asked, "What do you mean by this unexpected development?"

The tin man raised his head, looked up at the ceiling, let out a long sigh, and slowly said in a tone that was hard to tell whether it was heavy or angry:

"That scientist's research has gone astray."

"The foolish military just wants to use the Balrog fragments to create a powerful biological weapon."

"And that guy, he wants to resurrect a real Royal Flame Demon!"

Chapter 154 Kal'tsit: Unrivaled, Take the Head of a Thousand Armies!

Shelag, Tukarim.

It must be said that Kal'tsit and her group arrived quickly and left just as quickly.

If Ernst hadn't known that Miss Al was a nice-tempered and gentle person, he would have thought that Kal'tsit had suffered some injustice in Shelag, which explained why she left so quickly and in such a disheveled manner.