Arknights: Prime Minister of Kjerag — Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Yes, Prime Minister!You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

In Kjerag, time had a habit of slipping by unnoticed.

This pristine, snow-draped sanctuary, sheltered by the divine grace of the great Kjeragandr, remained entirely untouched by the apocalyptic Catastrophes that ravaged the rest of Terra. Here, no sudden storms of Originium tore families from their homes or swallowed cities whole. The people lived by the rhythm of the sun, working the frozen earth from dawn until dusk. Occasionally, they would travel down to the emerging town of Turicum to marvel at foreign trinkets, seeking a brief taste of novelty to pass their idle hours. To the common eye, it was as if nothing in this sacred land had ever changed.

As for the newly established “Kjerag People’s Congress” and the “Kjerag Government”? The average citizen barely gave them a passing thought. The populace understood only one thing: this new government supposedly represented Kjerag on paper, and even the Three Great Families had to afford it a thin veneer of respect.

But out in the snowfields, who actually cared?

Everyone still earned their daily bread within the ancient territories of the Three Great Families. The sudden appearance of a government hadn’t put more food on their tables or warmer coats on their backs. Perhaps the elders murmured about it over steaming cups of tea, but more often than not, their gossip centered around the man himself—Ernst SilverAsh—rather than the political machine he supposedly ran.

If one were to stop a local on the street and ask for their opinion on the Prime Minister of Kjerag, the most common response would be a blank stare.

“Who is the Prime Minister?”

A polite minority might scratch their heads and offer a vague, “He’s a good person, I suppose.”

Ernst was in no rush to correct this perception. His reasoning was entirely pragmatic: until Enciodes concluded his diplomatic and business trip to Columbia, the Kjerag Government was nothing more than a hollow shell.

A government with empty coffers had zero public credibility. Even the ancient statesmen of the east, who famously moved a wooden pole to the city gates to prove the weight of their laws, had to back their promises with heavy chests of gold. Without money, who would ever willingly work for you?

As for being handed the ultimate “good person” card by the general public—a reputation bordering on total irrelevance—Ernst couldn’t care less. He knew that soon enough, every single citizen in Kjerag would have his name burned into their memories. And from that day forward, it was highly probable that absolutely no one would ever call him a “good person” again.

Time marched on. Inside the modest, slightly drafty office building that served as the Kjerag Government headquarters, Ernst arrived precisely on time. He pushed open the heavy oak door, immediately greeted by the sight of his secretary, Miss Aurora, who had already clocked in and prepared the morning files.

The name Aurora might not command immediate recognition in Kjerag, but she held a different legacy in another timeline—as the stalwart Rhodes Island Operator who would one day carry the Doctor through the freezing hellscape of the Snow Mountain Incident.

Currently, as a beneficiary of the SilverAsh family’s elite talent cultivation program, Aurora had been sent to Columbia to study defensive engineering in extreme sub-zero environments. To put it bluntly, she was a civil engineering major. By all logical metrics, she had absolutely no business working a secretarial desk. Unfortunately, Ernst was severely short on trustworthy personnel. He had no choice but to temporarily anchor Aurora, his most fiercely loyal confidante, to this administrative role.

And she was, without a doubt, his most trusted ally. The reason was simple: Aurora’s application for overseas study had been personally green-lit by Ernst himself.

As an Ursus girl hailing from the Paleroche Family’s territory, Aurora’s background should have instantly disqualified her from Enciodes’s strict, highly calculated talent program. Enciodes was a ruthless capitalist; opportunities for Columbian education were astronomically expensive and exceedingly rare. Naturally, such investments were reserved for his own loyalists. There was zero strategic value in funding the education of a political rival’s subject.

But Ernst had recognized her name on the preliminary lists. In his past life, though he was merely an armchair tactician who experienced Terra through a screen, he had watched the hour-long, unedited video of Aurora hauling the Doctor through the snow. He had spammed the viral memes of her wearing that ridiculous, brightly colored floral winter jacket.

Call it fate, or call it a ridiculous coincidence.

Whether the timeline had shifted or Enciodes simply hadn’t intended to make an exception for her, Ernst couldn’t just stand by and watch this earnest, incredibly hardworking—and impressively well-endowed—girl have her dreams crushed by cold political pragmatism. So, under the cover of night, he had tracked down the family butler, Chester, swiped the key to Enciodes’s private study, and slipped inside. He had boldly penned Aurora’s name at the bottom of the ledger, leaving a brazen note: ‘I will cover this one’s expenses.’

It wasn’t exactly a masterclass in espionage, but fortune favored the bold. When Enciodes reviewed the ledger the next morning, he didn’t fly into a rage. He simply glossed over it, implicitly accepting his brother’s eccentric demand.

Thus, Aurora secured her ticket to Columbia.

Later, through channels unknown, Aurora discovered the truth about that night. In a heartbeat, she declined a prestigious invitation to join a Columbian scientific expedition, packed her bags, and returned to Kjerag to join Karlan Trade. The moment Ernst was elected as the first Prime Minister, she bypassed the corporate ladder entirely, submitting a active application to become his personal civil servant.and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Her engineering background was precisely why Ernst knew the truth about the “missing” steel shipments. As an expert in extreme-weather infrastructure, Aurora had calculated the exact tonnage of steel required for Kjerag’s current railway project. The sheer volume Karlan Trade was quietly importing vastly exceeded those projections.

Ernst shook off the snow, hanging his heavy winter coat on the rack by the door. He had barely settled into his leather chair when Aurora stepped forward, her posture crisp and professional, delivering the exact news he had been waiting for.

“Mr. Ernst, Master Enciodes just sent a message. Magnus Bank in Columbia has officially approved our loan application. The delegation is already en route, and they are expected to arrive at the Turicum pass in about two days.”

Ernst, who had been fighting off the lingering morning lethargy, instantly sat up straight. His eyes sharpened. “When exactly was this message sent?”

Communication on Terra was a nightmare. Thanks to the constant threat of Catastrophes and fractured geopolitical borders, laying down a global internet infrastructure was a literal impossibility. The Nomadic City Networks only linked up when two mobile cities physically docked with one another. For the rest of the world, international communication relied on the most ancient profession known to man: the messenger.

Whether they traveled by foot, beast, or armored vehicle, messengers always brought a delay. Even though Ernst was hearing this news right now, the Columbian delegation had likely been traveling for weeks.

“Two days ago,” Aurora replied, anticipating his realization. “Master Enciodes and his party should be arriving at the pass at any moment.”

Ernst let out a heavy sigh, lacking the morning energy required to curse Terra’s abysmal communication grid. He immediately pushed himself out of his chair, snatching his coat and hat right back off the rack before they had even warmed up in the heated room.

“Then we need to move, now,” Ernst ordered, throwing his coat over his shoulders. “This is the Kjerag Government’s first massive business deal. It dictates whether or not we actually get paid this year, so look alive!”

Halfway to the door, Ernst paused. He turned back, fixing Aurora with a deeply serious expression.

“Oh, and one more thing. Once we step outside, drop the ‘Master’title. Address me as’Mr. Prime Minister’or just’Prime Minister.’ That’s the standard they use over there. We need to project an image of Kjerag’s high civilization to our Columbian friends. We have to leave a flawless impression on those poor, wealthy souls… ah, I mean, our esteemed friends. Understood?”

Aurora’s lips twitched in a faint, knowing smile. “Understood.” She hesitated for a fraction of a second, her Ursus ears twitching slightly as she probed, “And what about in private?”

Ernst honestly didn’t understand her stubborn attachment to the old aristocratic titles, but he waved a dismissive hand. “In private, it’s just the two of us. Call me whatever you like.”

“Yes, Young Master!”

“Hmm?” Ernst arched an eyebrow, his tone rising in mild warning.

Aurora froze, her cheeks dusting with a faint pink before she instantly corrected her posture, bowing with perfect, elegant precision.

“Yes, Prime Minister!”

[Rhodes’s Note:

– Moved a wooden pole to establish trust: A reference to Shang Yang, an ancient Chinese statesman who placed a wooden pole at the city’s south gate and offered 50 pieces of gold to anyone who could move it to the north gate. He did this to prove to the skeptical public that the government’s new laws and promises would be strictly honored.

– Cloud player / floral jacket: A meta-reference to the protagonist’s past life on Earth, where he played Arknights. “Cloud player” refers to someone who engages with a game’s lore and memes via videos/streams without actually playing it. The “floral jacket” refers to a popular community meme dressing the character Aurora in a stereotypical, brightly colored Northeast Chinese winter coat.]You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.