Victoria, Ascarat County.
Unlike Londinium, the city of ten thousand spires, Ascarat County was just an ordinary provincial town in Victoria.
Its ruler, Count Ascarat, was a man with little ambition.
He rarely involved himself in Victoria’s political struggles and had no desire to expand his territory.
Because of that, he had once been mocked by other nobles.
But the count’s stance was always clear.
If you ask me what’s most sensitive, it’s my political stance.
In time, that attitude proved to be a deeply sophisticated political philosophy.
When upheaval struck Londinium, Count Ascarat remained untouched, never drawn into the conflict between royalists and the new aristocracy.
But that was beside the point.
Ernest had not come to Ascarat County to visit a Victorian noble.
“Prime Minister, we’ve arrived.”
The driver stopped the car, stepped out, and opened the door for Ernest.
After a long, bumpy journey, Ernest stepped out.
Before him stood a modern building rising seven stories high, towering over the street.
“This is Karlan Trade’s headquarters in Victoria,” the driver explained.
He didn’t need to.
The sleek office building bore Karlan Trade’s silver logo, gleaming under the sunlight and reflecting a golden sheen.
Compared to this structure, the three-story building back in Turicum City, an awkward mix of modern and traditional styles, suddenly felt out of place.
And compared to Ernest’s own one-story government office, it was an entirely different world.
“What a waste!”
Ernest gritted his teeth.
Lara, standing beside him, immediately chimed in,
“Exactly, such a waste!”
She had lived through hardship.
During her time studying in Columbia, she had run away from home and received no financial support, surviving on part-time work while studying.
At her worst, she had gone days eating nothing but discounted cafeteria bread.
To her, whether studying or working, all one needed was a space, a desk, and a lamp.
If things got tougher, even a stone slab could replace the desk, and a candle could stand in for the lamp.
In short, conditions didn’t need to be perfect.
Even so, she had earned a doctorate in defensive engineering, becoming a scholar of remarkable talent and effort.
And precisely because of that, she found Karlan Trade’s extravagance deeply objectionable.
The people of Kjerag were still struggling, yet here they were, building such a massive office overseas, indulging in luxury.
What were they thinking?
“Damn it… I want an office building like this too.”
Lara instinctively nodded, about to agree, but as the words left her mouth, she froze and stared at him in disbelief.
Caught under her gaze, Ernest coughed lightly and tried to explain,
“If the office looks impressive, people working inside will feel better.
And if they feel better, their efficiency improves.
There’s scientific evidence for that.”
“But young master, does anyone actually feel happy because of work?” Lara asked, pouting.
Ernest paused.
“…You make a good point.”
Then he added,
“But still, as Kjerag’s Prime Minister, it’s reasonable for me to have an Originium heater in my office, right?”
“You can,” Lara replied, “but you’ll need to submit a request.
Government funds are sufficient now.
Once you file it, go through the approval process, and complete all procedures, the funds should be allocated.
You’ll probably be able to buy your heater by next spring.”
“Next spring?!” Ernest nearly choked.
“But I’m the one approving it.
Can’t we simplify the process?”
Lara shook her head seriously.
“You were the one who said the six hundred million fund would be made transparent to every citizen of Kjerag.
Do you really want them to see that the first thing you did with the money was use public funds to buy yourself a heater?”
Ernest fell silent.
For a brief moment, he felt he finally understood those people who refused financial transparency and treated public funds like their personal treasury.
Spending from the state coffers really was convenient.
With six hundred million, forget a heater.
He could build a hundred office buildings like Karlan Trade’s back in Kjerag.
But while he understood, Ernest still lacked the flexible moral compass to be a benevolent ruler, and could only purse his lips in disappointment as he muttered a complaint:
“Funny, isn’t it?
I have the authority to declare war on Victoria on behalf of Kjerag, yet I don’t even have the authority to buy myself a small heater.”
“That’s the system,” Lara replied in a businesslike tone.
Then she hesitated, softened, and leaned in closer to whisper by his ear, “But… if you really want one, I can buy it for you.
With my own money.”
Ernest looked at the Ursus girl with visible emotion.
Such kindness… he was already a workhorse for the people of Kjerag in this life. This story is hosted at g.com.
He’d just have to repay her in the next.
Just as the two of them were sinking into that oddly tender moment, a voice spoke up from behind them, cautious and tentative.
“Excuse me… is this Karlan Trade?”
Ernest turned around and looked over the tall blonde girl before him.
His brows knit slightly as he nodded, replying in a somewhat awkward Victorian dialect,
“Yup, this’s the place.”
Then, as if out of habit, he added something that sounded suspiciously like a pickup line,
“Hey, miss… have we met somewhere before?”
Vina opened her mouth, unsure how to respond.
It wasn’t embarrassment.
She was just… at a loss for words.
‘What kind of outdated, straight-faced pickup line is that?
For a moment, it felt like I was looking at my late father.’
After thinking it over, the ever-filial Vina forced a polite but slightly awkward smile.
“Sorry, sir.
I don’t believe we’ve met.”
His accent was so strange that it didn’t even cross her mind that he might be someone sent by the nobles to capture her.
Ernest didn’t dwell on it either.
He was, after all, nothing more than a casual player of Arknights.
The sense of familiarity he felt toward Vina mostly came from her being one of the early operators in the game.
But between the shift from 2D to 3D and her different outfit, without prolonged contact like he had with Enciodes or Enya, it was only natural he couldn’t quite place her.
Besides, ever since arriving in this world, he’d had that vague sense of déjà vu with far too many kemonomimi girls already.
If anything, it just proved that reading too many “books” in his past life had its side effects.
Although she found the two somewhat odd, Vina had seen them step out of the car earlier and could roughly guess their identities.
Thinking about her future, she decided not to overthink it and spoke directly.
“You two… are you here for the job as well?
The recruitment notice?”
“To be honest, I am too.
Why don’t we go in together?”
Ernest and Lara exchanged a glance.
Their eyes practically lit up.
Well, well.
What did I say?
Told you this would actually work.