People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

However, in some ways, Kelsey's ability to make a quick decision was not a bad thing for Ernst.

The rapid deployment of the Rhodes Island landship means the reconstruction of Tucarim will be greatly accelerated. Considering their choice of Option Two—to be honest, Ernst hadn't expected Kal'tsit to choose the second option. It seems Rhodes Island's recent financial situation hasn't been very good—Ernst can also discuss with Ensiodis how they will split the payment after this transport mission is settled.

Incidentally, since Rhine Lab's main supply channels came from Trimont, Rhodes Island's mission naturally headed towards that technologically advanced city. Before Kal'tsit left, Ernst greeted the little rabbit Amiya, asking her to give her his regards if she saw Horhyah in Trimont, and also to express his condolences for her former boss.

A boss who can get a former employee to travel all the way back to Colombia just to attend his funeral must have some extraordinary qualities. It's only natural for Ernst, as Horhae's current superior, to express his respect for such a boss.

As for attending the funeral in person, Ernst didn't allow Amiya to do that. Well... how should I put it? A person's head is gone; the way she died is somewhat detrimental to the mental health of a minor. Let's consider that kind of thing when the real world can update with green blood and automatic human eye mosaics.

With Kal'tsit's situation settled, all that's left is the upcoming arrival of Miss Defiance Windermere.

Standing in front of the train platform, Ernst rubbed his slightly cold hands. News had just come from the border pass that Daphne's train should arrive in a few minutes.

It had been a while since Ernst had seen that little girl, and to be honest, he missed her quite a bit.

After all, he's a big boss who can guarantee millions of Victoria pounds every time he comes.

It's a pity Amiya left too quickly, otherwise the two children, who are about the same age, would probably have something in common.

Just as Ernst was lost in his memories, Vina spoke up from behind him:

"Ah, the train has arrived at the station."

Even before the locomotive's shadow, the train's whistle caught people's attention. The wondrous Originium energy, even when processed in the simplest form of combustion, could unleash astonishing power. Accompanied by a roar echoing through the mountains, the train's headlights illuminated the tracks shrouded in snow and mist, embarking on the final leg of its journey into Shelag.

Following a significant improvement in recent economic performance, Kalan Trade has also greatly enhanced the appearance of the Shelag Snow Country Express. The current Snow Country Express features an ochre-red exterior with gold trim and green artificial plant accents, giving it a color scheme reminiscent of Santa Claus's sleigh.

Needless to say, this was Ernst's opinion.

Enciodes, that tasteless fellow, initially wanted to change the Snow Country Express to a black and white color scheme. It's not that black and white is unattractive; the rocket-shaped Harmony Express trains Ernst worked on in his previous life were mostly black and white. But black and white mixed in with the already icy and snowy Shelagri, it somewhat lost its character.

And to be honest, the Snow Country Express wasn't going very fast to begin with, and with snow and frost all around, plus the possibility of stray ancestral spirits appearing at any moment on the surrounding mountains, it felt a bit like a hearse.

Ernst then suggested using the coat color of the traditional snow-mountain pack animals of Shelag, along with some decorative greenery and gold trim to enhance the sense of luxury, thus creating the current image of the train.

This was the first official run of the Snowpiercer after its renovation. Although it only underwent some renovations and the core components remained unchanged, it must be said that the visual experience has improved significantly.

Of course, Enciodes still harbored resentment that his proposal had been rejected by most people, including the Horn Peak.

As the train slowly pulled into the station and the doors opened, Daphne, completely disregarding the reserve expected of a special envoy, eagerly ran out of the train and immediately gave Vina and Ernst a big hug each.

"Miss Defiance, mind your image."

Ernst offered a somewhat helpless reminder. But Daphne shook her head indifferently:

"No need, Mom said it shouldn't be too formal. Otherwise it will cause you trouble, right?"

She pursed her lips, as if she had remembered something disgusting.

"By that old woman from the Chester family."

Ernst paused for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction:

"That would really trouble Duke Windermere."

"And what about me?" Daphne raised an eyebrow. It has to be said that compared to when she came to Sherag last time, when she was so wary and lurking, Daphne was much more lively this time, and even a bit more childlike.

Perhaps it's because I just went through a life-threatening situation last time, and I don't have that kind of concern this time.

Ernst reached out and ruffled Defien's hair in gratitude. Defien rubbed against Ernst's palm, enjoying the gesture, and then asked curiously:

"Speaking of which, when I first came to Shelag, your trains weren't even finished yet. By the time my mother came to pick me up, you were already able to arrive on time. This time it's even better; you've even renovated the trains. Who designed this style? It looks much better than that old white metal sheet. It's really nice."

Ernst glanced at Enciodis, who was standing to the side with his eyes downcast and seemingly lost in thought, and chuckled, "I designed it."

“Great taste. Sherag has been doing very well lately.”

"This is also thanks to the Duke of Windermere's care."

That's the truth. Without the generous multi-billion dollar subsidy from Wen Duoduo, Ernst's development plan would have been stalled at the hurdle of old city redevelopment. Not to mention establishing night schools, recruiting talent from all over, and even connecting with the Duke of Wellington and Columbia RheinLife.

Moreover, what is most commendable is that the Duke of Windermere has not interfered with Sherag's ideas to this day. Among the many Grand Dukes of Victoria known for their anthropomorphism, this is a miracle in that one person has raised the moral standards of the entire ducal family.

Praise be to Duke Windermere, whose place in my heart is now second only to Jeragund.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, to Ernst's surprise, Defein spoke first:

"Alright, this isn't the place to talk. Ernst, I'm not here just for fun either. Let's go to your office and chat."

Ernst raised an eyebrow and nodded.

..........

Sherag, Tukarim, Ernst's office.

"The Duke's joint campaign against Londinium was proposed by my mother, who hoped to resolve the Londinium problem as quickly as possible."

Curled up on the sofa, Defien curiously observed Raphsini, the only stranger in the room, who stood silently in the corner like a little fireplace, as she explained...

"It is a disgrace for Victoria to allow the Sarkaz to continue occupying Lentinium. The evacuation of the people of Lentinium initially received a considerable positive response, but after a few times, it began to be questioned as a publicity stunt."

At this point, Daphne shrugged, looking speechless.

"To be honest, does this even need to be questioned? The evacuation was just a show."

An empire that calls itself the hegemon of Terra has its capital occupied, and no one is willing to reclaim it. Instead, it keeps marketing its efforts to rescue the residents who already live in the capital, as if it were something to be proud of to let these people go from being noble "Londinium's lords are lords" to being destitute "Londinium refugees" and handing over their homeland to others.

Such behavior, in the past, might have been laughable simply for talking about it. The reason why the Duke of Caesar and other nobles' previous evacuations received widespread praise in the international community was precisely because of Ernst's speech.

The banner of humanitarianism downplayed questions about why the Londinium people were leaving Londinium. But as Ernst said, everything has its limits; this downplaying might work once or twice, but if it happens too often, people will start to question it.

Why must I be driven from my own homeland? Why do you, as the Grand Dukes of Victoria, not think about reclaiming our homeland, but instead keep making a grand and ostentatious retreat from a city that can never be completely evacuated?

Is it that you only have the ability to treat the symptoms, or that you simply don't want to address the root cause?

Once such questions are raised, public opinion quickly reverses course, conspiracy theories abound, and even past correct actions may be brought up for re-examination and accountability.

"In any case, whether it was Castells or the other nobles, they ultimately saved lives. Their actions were indeed malicious, but the final result cannot be denigrated."

Ernst sighed.

Was he helpless? From the moment he began his speech, he had already guessed this day would come. He had seen this kind of situation quite often; in the most extreme cases, even genuine acts of selflessness were twisted into disgusting conspiracy theories. In his past life, he had even seen some self-righteous onlookers criticize firefighters for grabbing a woman's breast during a rescue attempt, accusing them of trying to take advantage of their position to grope her.

They're not the ones whose relationship is dying; they're the ones spouting nonsense here.

“You’re right, saving people is the right thing to do.” Daphne nodded, agreeing with Ernst’s statement, but immediately changed the subject, “But continuing to let Kester put on a show is not a good thing either.”

"That's why my mother wanted to address the root cause."

Ernst nodded. Daphne, however, shook his head with a troubled expression and continued:

"But the only problem is that there are relatively few people who are willing to participate in this plan."

There are relatively few; to be precise, only Viscount Mister, Earl Morey, Earl Desmond, Earl Desbach, etc.

You may not know who they are, but they are subordinate nobles of the Duke of Windermere, essentially his vassals and staunch supporters.

Having heard Defien's words, Ernst roughly guessed that she, or rather the Duke of Newindermere, wanted him to do something.

"So, His Excellency the Duke of Windermere wants me to help persuade the Duke of Wellington?"

Daphne nodded: "Yes. Mother thinks that if she, known as the 'Double Blade of the Empire,' and the Duke of Wellington could publicly declare their participation in this operation, the other neutral nobles would certainly be inspired as well."

Moreover, if the Empire's Twin Blades really do take sides, frankly, what difference does it make whether the other minor nobles come or not?

The Duke of Windermere believed that with her alliance with the Duke of Wellington, as long as Castle and Godottin didn't cause trouble, she would be able to wipe out the audacious Sarkaz mercenaries of Lentinium.

It's a pity Kal'tsit left early; otherwise, if she had heard this, she would have told Defiance the story of how, two hundred years ago, she led a four-nation alliance and was directly defeated by a Sarkaz youth without any special bloodline, who was described as "unparalleled and took the head of ten thousand troops!"

Ernst pondered for a moment, then employed his inherent skills.

"Let me think twice."

Chapter 155 Changing Household Registration

The Duke of Windermere's proposal was very persuasive.

To be fair, if the Grand Dukes of Victoria could unite and put pressure on Lentinium, Ernst really doesn't think some of the Sarkaz mercenaries could withstand it.

"But to be honest, just from this idea, I can find at least five flaws."

Inside the room, Ernst, who was talking privately with Vina, shrugged, looking utterly speechless.

Upon hearing Ernst's statement, Vina was somewhat shocked: "Are there that many? It doesn't sound like there's anything wrong with it."

But Ernst shook his head: "First of all, it's already quite funny that the Grand Dukes of Victoria could unite."

For example, if you were to imagine the US and the USSR uniting during the Cold War, Ernst really couldn't think of any other scenario besides a possible "what if" world where the Third Prince was actually reincarnated on the moon.

Oh, alien invasion? Running into the Three-Body Problem timeline is also an option.

Vina's lips twitched. Unlike Ernst, she really wanted to refute him, and she was capable of doing so.

Because the Grand Dukes did indeed unite once, and it wasn't that long ago, only a little over a decade ago.

Yes, that's right. The material was drawn from her own experiences, and it would sound a bit like a hellish joke if she told it. So after thinking about it, she decided to swallow her words about filial piety and parental love.

Ernst continued:

"Based on this point, simply making such a deduction is an attempt to discredit Victoria."

The idea of ​​being neutral or unbiased is somewhat outdated; people who claim to be just bystanders often have a preconceived bias. But Ernst genuinely had no intention of criticizing Victoria.

There was nothing they could do; Victoria's actions had reached the point where even mentioning them once would get her arrested by the Grey Hat for "defaming the country" and "leaking secrets."

"Then, putting pressure on Lentinium is also absurd."

To put it bluntly, the Sarkaz of Londinium were nothing more than a group of mercenaries. Their ability to enter the city openly was only possible thanks to a duke who had already met his demise acting as their guide. Were the Victorians truly powerless against the Sarkaz?

Ernst, however, did not necessarily agree. After all, from the perspective of modern warfare, the gap between the Sarkaz and the Victoria was simply too great.

Whether in terms of weaponry, manpower recruitment, supply lines, or war experience, strategic resources, and national strength reserves, the two sides are not even in the same league.

The Sarkaz themselves should know this, so they are clever enough to maintain their "protector" image in the city of Lentinium, pushing forward the Lentinium City Council, which should have long since become a puppet, and claiming that everything is in order.

This behavior alone is enough to show that they were not actually prepared to directly occupy the Victorian capital and start a full-scale war with the dukes.

The only strange thing was that Ernst couldn't understand why they were dragging this out.

To use an imperfect analogy, the Sarkaz mercenaries are now like nomadic raiding parties. They take advantage of their employers' internal strife, seize a piece of land from them, and then don't leave.

Normally, the Sarkaz should have taken advantage of the infighting among the dukes to occupy Londinium, looted the place, and packed up the artisans, equipment, and if they had a long-term vision, scientists, intellectuals, teachers, books, etc. They should have also plundered the gold and silver, and then left before the dukes could react.

This is the only way to ensure maximum returns.

As for the damage done to Lentinium and the tarnished reputation, do the Victorians care about that? Do the Sarkaz care about that?

People won't empathize if it's not something they're fighting for themselves. Otherwise, the current occupation of Londinium brings even greater humiliation to the Victorians and more prolonged suffering to Londinium, yet no Grand Duke other than Windermere has shown any righteous indignation. As for the Sarkaz, their reputation is already bad enough; adding more to it is pointless. If it's profitable, wouldn't the Grand Dukes hire them anyway?

Therefore, in Ernst's view, their continued lingering in Londinium is the most unwise choice. It's tantamount to voluntarily abandoning the mobility of the Sarkaz mercenaries and opting to fight positional warfare against the experienced Victorians.

There are only two possibilities for them to do this.

First, the leader of those mercenaries has lost his mind.

Secondly, they hid something. And it was a large item, giving the Sarkaz considerable confidence, even the possibility of turning the tide.

Ernst hopes it won't be the second one, otherwise if Sarkaz can really hold off Victoria, then there will be a big problem.

The current international environment, while not ideal, is at least not completely rotten. If Victoria, the epicenter of the conflict, were to be destroyed by the Sarkaz...

There is no country on Terra that doesn't aspire to dominance. The sudden collapse of a hegemony, without another sufficiently powerful nation to step in and maintain international order, inevitably leads to an era of chaos and war, which is absolutely detrimental to the development of a small country like Shelag.

"Okay, okay, stop talking, stop talking."

Vina waved her hands repeatedly with a mournful face, as if she couldn't take any more blows.

Ernst was puzzled: "I was talking about Victoria, why are you sad?"

A flicker of panic crossed Vina's face, but fortunately, her long period of training had allowed her to quickly control her emotions. She immediately tried to cover it up:

"I am a Victorian."

Ernst didn't suspect anything and waved his hand: "It's alright, you can be a Sherag. I'm from the Shivaish family, I can help you add me to our household register."

Sherag certainly doesn't have that kind of advanced household registration system, but it does have a basic population register. In Vina's case, if she doesn't want to return to Victoria, Ernst can easily help her get registered in the Shivaesh family's household register.

Vina was stunned.

She thought about many things in that instant.

Ernst was still explaining:

“The household registration system in Sherag is quite lenient, just like Nosis Edwis. If you don’t want to give up your family, Victoria can also exist as a subsidiary family of the Shivaesh family, with yourself as the patriarch.”

Vina gave Ernst a deep look and nodded: