A Person on Terra, With No Books to Read

The next day, the Shapeshifter returned quickly. This time, Lady Sicilia's reply included a location and time, and the plan for Kazdel to visit Siracusa officially began. They would enter Siracusa as Lady Sicilia's companions.

The traveling party, besides Theresica himself and Shining, was primarily composed of Shapeshifters. However, since this was a visit, the Shapeshifters, while borrowing the appearance of Lupos, were fully armed. Their armor and weapons were newly produced and had not yet been marked with Sarkaz symbols.

Looking at these individuals, Theresica finally felt much more at ease. In his senses, they finally looked like a proper army, at least in terms of defense, surpassing those wild bandits.

Siracusa and Kazdel were not very far apart. The next day, Theresica arrived at the Siracusan border, where Lady Sicilia had already sent someone to wait for them.

The group switched to cars bearing Lady Sicilia's insignia and entered the fixed settlement of Siracusa – Volscian – without alerting anyone.

The cars, one after another, formed a small convoy and proceeded slowly down the street. Theresica's gaze, through the one-way tinted windows, curiously took in the surroundings.

Pedestrians on the road looked curiously at the convoy, pointing at the cars, but no one interfered with their progress. The cars maintained a steady speed, and pedestrians voluntarily moved to the sides of the street to let them pass.

It seemed that Lady Sicilia held genuine, significant influence in Siracusa.

As they entered the city center, there were fewer pedestrians, and the speed of the cars increased considerably. The surrounding buildings also became taller, giving Theresica a sense of returning to Earth.

"Your Majesty, what are you smiling about?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

Seeing Shining's curious look, Theresica quickly waved his hand.

He had actually seen the traffic lights by the roadside. They were about to turn red, but to ensure the convoy's passage, traffic management personnel quickly began restricting cars on the other road.

He had only seen such traffic control scenes on television before, and he never expected to experience such treatment today.

The convoy drove into a luxurious hotel in Volscian. Many people were standing in the outer garden, all dressed in black suits, making them stand out from the crowd and deterring ordinary people from approaching. This demeanor gave Theresica a sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of Earth's mafia.

The cars stopped in front of the hotel lobby. The hotel owner and manager immediately came to greet them. They didn't know who it was, only that Lady Sicilia had specifically booked three floors to host her partners.

The cautious attitude of the Siracusans made Theresica a little uncomfortable. When he went to Victoria, it felt like he was sneaking around, but here, he was instantly treated as an honored guest.

This must be the benefit of power.

"Lady Sicilia asked me to tell you that you can tour Volscian freely, and all expenses will be covered by Lady Sicilia. Tomorrow evening, she will invite you for a little chat."

The portly owner stayed by his side, lowering his voice consciously and doing his best to appear submissive.

"I understand. Thank you for Lady Sicilia's kindness. I look forward to meeting her. Please convey my thanks."

"It's no trouble at all. It is my honor to serve you..."

The thick wooden door of the suite closed, and the surroundings immediately became quiet. Theresica stood by the window, from where he could overlook more than half of Volscian's urban area.

"This city is really well-built," he said.

He marveled from the bottom of his heart. The various buildings in the city converged, truly giving him a sense of returning to Earth.

"Such construction doesn't come without a price," Shining said from behind him. "Siracusa has no Originium industry, no professional army, and no arms factories. It's difficult to achieve such development by exchanging all resources."

"I wish Kazdel could become like this in the future," Theresica said, turning his head. "Kazdel is currently building essential functional facilities and production facilities. We also need to have living facilities like Volscian in the future."

"That will cost a lot of money, Your Majesty."

"It's alright. When we have money, we'll build these living facilities."

Theresica wasn't being impulsive. Sarkaz workers were still being paid with food! Survival hadn't even been secured, so it wasn't time to talk about living.

"By the way, Shining, since there's still plenty of time, let's go out and take a look."

Although he wasn't being impulsive, he still felt a bit antsy. He hadn't been out shopping in 18 years!

"Your Majesty! This place is full of Lupos! I don't have absolute confidence in guaranteeing your safety."

"It's fine, it's fine, we'll just look around. Besides, didn't Lady Sicilia say we could move around freely? If she said it, it must be foolproof."

After Theresica's persistent persuasion, Shining finally agreed to go out. However, it had been too long since they had been on city streets. At an intersection without traffic lights, looking at the passing vehicles, Theresica couldn't help but show a hint of stage fright. In the end, Shining had to hold his hand to guide him across.

The two walked silently for a long stretch on the bustling street. Theresica led Shining into a shopping mall. While buying daily necessities like desk lamps, kettles, and electric fans, he also took the opportunity to sternly warn Shining in a secluded corner.

"What happened today must absolutely not be spoken of! Absolutely not! This is an order!"

People occasionally walked by. Their gazes fell upon them but didn't linger, only wearing smiles that made him increasingly angry.

Ah, Siracusa, I hate it! May it be destroyed!

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Chapter 22: The Elder

Under the hotel owner's bewildered gaze, Theresica returned to his residence with a large pile of daily necessities and stayed in. It wasn't until the next evening that a Lupo in a black suit delivered an invitation.

Lady Sicilia invited him to an opera house in downtown Volscian to enjoy an opera.

The private car sped down the street, and it didn't take long to reach the opera house. The area had been cleared. Except for the troupe performing alone on stage, the surroundings were empty. Only a single private box on the second floor had a slightly lonely light on.

Guided by a waiter, Theresica and Shining entered the private box. Standing there was an elderly, well-dressed Lupo. Her face did not resemble a leader at all; instead, it was more like the kind and benevolent face of an Earth grandmother.

"Hello, Lady Sicilia."

"Welcome, young king."

Amidst the opera's singing, the two began their conversation.

Theresica proposed his desire to import food from Siracusa, while Lady Sicilia stated her own needs.

"I need the Sarkaz army."

"Hmm? Lady Sicilia, why would you make such a request?"

Theresica was somewhat curious and confused.

"Leithanien has recently increased its border garrisons, which has made Siracusa's situation a bit unstable. For years, we've supplied Leithanien with agricultural products at prices far below Terra's average, which has also placed a considerable burden on us." Lady Sicilia spoke calmly, maintaining her usual kind, grandmotherly smile. "An accessible and competent warrior, I believe only the Sarkaz are most suitable."

"But this would put the Sarkaz in danger of war, and I don't wish to see that happen... Perhaps we could change it."

Theresica pondered for a moment and then suggested, "Kazdel exports weapons and armor to Siracusa, and you exchange them for food. How about that?"

"It's a good option, but the effect isn't significant."

Lady Sicilia seemed uninterested in this proposal, but Theresica had no intention of sending troops. He added a current, highly valuable bargaining chip.

"Originium, we can also provide you with military-grade Originium. Weapons plus Originium, and you conduct an exercise on the border. Perhaps Leithanien will become more restrained, or at least not so excessive."

"Mmm..."

Lady Sicilia's attitude softened somewhat. Siracusa had no Originium, let alone military-grade. She then added a condition: "The Sarkaz can only trade with me."

"No problem. Let's have the Sarkaz and you, Lady Sicilia, share the transportation costs. However, I also hope we can expand the scope of the trade a bit further."

Theresica and Lady Sicilia negotiated repeatedly, finally settling on a set of terms.

First, this was not a transaction between Kazdel and Siracusa, but with Lady Sicilia.

Kazdel would provide weapons, armor, and military-grade Originium, while Lady Sicilia would provide food and a large quantity of conventional medicines, all of which Siracusa could produce.

After reviewing the clauses several times, neither of them raised any objections.

Lady Sicilia received what she urgently needed, and Theresica brought back a large amount of food for the Sarkaz, also substituting some Originium exports with weapon exports.

In fact, Siracusa also performed well in areas such as law and education. Theresica wanted to propose sending exchange students, but after some consideration, he abandoned the idea.

Kazdel had only just ceased its conflicts; anywhere was better than here! Furthermore, cultural development had only just begun to recover. If exchange students were sent under these circumstances, would they be Siracusan or Kazdelian in a few years?

"Let's finalize the agreement..."

He was about to sign when Lady Sicilia raised her hand to stop him.

"Please wait a moment. This is a formal treaty, and signing it so casually is a bit hasty. Please wait a moment."

Lady Sicilia beckoned a waiter and whispered a few words to him. The man quickly ran off, and after a short while, an elder dressed in black entered.

"!!!"

Theresica suddenly felt the room brighten. Shining, who was behind him, immediately stepped forward, ready to engage in a desperate fight.

"There's no need for you two to be nervous."

"Indeed, there isn't. I'm not like those Sankta from Laterano."

The elder, following Lady Sicilia, also indicated their lack of hostility. "You can call me Father Agniel. I don't see any traces of Sankta blood on you. It's rare to see Sarkaz like this."

Since the other party had made their intentions clear, Theresica signaled Shining to relax slightly.

"Hello, Father Agniel."

He suddenly remembered something Kal'tsit had once said about the Sankta.

Sankta individuals all possessed firearms, and their strength was undoubtedly formidable. However, the Sankta were not enthusiastic about war, which made Laterano a neutral nation across all of Terra, second only to Kazdel. Moreover, the Sankta had an unusual obsession with laws and a strict judicial system.

As time progressed, when signing contracts, countries across Terra now preferred to have Sankta present as witnesses. Consequently, the Sankta established the Laterano Notary Office and the Universal Envoys, creating the Terra Court, handling international arbitration, and incidentally becoming Terra's diplomatic envoys.

'Lady Sicilia hid a trump card here?!'

Theresica's brow furrowed.

A treaty signed under Sankta witness meant that if anyone violated it, they would face Sankta punishment! For the Sarkaz, this could potentially escalate into a war between Laterano and Kazdel! In that case, the cost of violation would be unequal!

Older people really are different!

"I, Father Agniel, hereby witness the signing of this treaty. Do either of you have any objections to this treaty?"

"No."

"No."

"Then, are both of you willing to abide by the terms of the treaty?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Then, please sign your names. The Sankta hereby declare the treaty effective. Should there be any violations in the future, the law will judge the transgressors."

Theresica and Lady Sicilia exchanged copies of the treaty, while the original was entrusted to Father Agniel for safekeeping.

"Ah, is there anything else? Then I'll be going back to sleep."

"Please wait a moment."

Theresica suddenly called out to Father Agniel at this moment. He smiled sheepishly at Lady Sicilia.

"Lady Sicilia, may I borrow your space for a moment to speak with this Sankta priest?"

"Of course, please do."

Without any hesitation, Lady Sicilia left the private room. Now, within the small space, there was only one Sankta and two Sarkaz.

Father Agniel calmly sat down before the two of them, as if he held no prejudice against the Sarkaz, and asked, "What do you wish to talk about, young Sarkaz?"

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Chapter 23: An Attempt

"Why have Sankta and Sarkaz been in conflict to this day?"

Theresica looked at Father Agniel. "I couldn't find any relevant records in Kazdel. No one remembers why we started killing each other. I've always been curious and wanted to figure it out."

"This question... I don't understand it either."

Father Agniel spread his hands. "Generations ago, Sarkaz and Sankta were already enemies, locked in a life-or-death struggle. Sarkaz would hunt down lone Sankta in the wilderness, and Sankta would pierce Sarkaz hearts with bullets, rejoicing in it."

"But losing tribesmen, everyone's pain is the same. What's the point of all this? If... if it's possible, do you think Sankta and Sarkaz can achieve peace?"

Theresica carefully posed the question. Laterano was a religious nation, and priests were the administrators. However, priests rarely appeared outside of Laterano. For a Sarkaz to meet one was usually during a state of combat. Today was a rare opportunity.

Upon hearing the question, Father Agniel fell silent. He lowered his head as if in thought, or perhaps asleep. After a while, he looked up.

"I cannot give you an answer, young Sarkaz. What are your thoughts?"

"I think since we don't even know why we're fighting anymore, why should we continue? Can't we end it?"

Theresica said, "Kazdel now only has a small amount of weapons manufacturing capability; everything else is gone. No hospitals, no schools, no markets, not even decent houses to live in. And there aren't many people left. What benefit does Laterano gain from continuing to kill Sarkaz? Besides the thrill of killing, what else do they get? If it's truly for the thrill, then I suggest they take a break for a while, because if the Sarkaz are all wiped out, you won't be able to enjoy that thrill anymore."

"This is the first time I've heard such words. Killing them after letting them roam for a while? This is the first time I've heard someone describe their own people like that."