In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 1 I, the Third Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty, begin the simulation.

"Welcome, Dr. Kal'tsit. How can I help you?"

"...Please retrieve all the files related to Dr. Chen Qi, thank you."

Inside Rhodes Island's archives, the head of Rhodes Island's medical department and Kal'tsit, who held the highest authority, were frowning as they flipped through the suspicious character file in front of them.

Name: Chen Qi
Sex: Male
Place of origin: Yan Kingdom

Age: 26 (Uncertain)

Race: Dragon
Severity of infection: Due to unforeseen circumstances, no testing was conducted.

Occupation: Rhodes Island Medic Operator (Six-Star)

[Character Profile: Formerly a physician in the Yan Kingdom, exact birthplace unknown, active within the Great Yan territory ten years ago.]

He traveled to various places including Yumen, Dahuang, Jiangqi, Shangshu, Gouwu, and Longmen, and during his medical practice, he offered free clinics extensively, gaining considerable influence among officials and ordinary people throughout the Great Yan Dynasty.

[During the Rhodes Island talks in Lungmen, upon recommendation in a personal letter from Lungmen's leader, Wei Yanwu, they were officially incorporated into Rhodes Island's medical department without undergoing any testing.]

At first glance, the character profile of Chen Qi, an operator who just joined Rhodes Island yesterday, doesn't seem particularly noteworthy.

He seemed to be just a doctor with a good reputation in the Great Yan territory. Because of his philanthropy, he was favored by Wei Yanwu, the ruler of Lungmen, who wrote a letter of recommendation and sent him to Rhodes Island.

However, Kal'tsit sensed something unusual in those three short lines.

Normally, an operator's biographical file would start from birth, but Chen Qi's earliest record goes back to ten years ago when he was a doctor in Yumen, treating soldiers for free.

Their birthplace is unknown, and their true identity is unclear, but they possess the "Dragon" race, which is only possessed by members of the royal family in the Great Yan capital.

Based on all the signs, Kal'tsit could naturally guess that the name "Chen Qi" was probably an alias.

This person's true identity is probably similar to that of Wei Yanwu, the ruler of Longmen, who held a noble status in the Great Yan Dynasty.

This doesn't frighten Kal'tsit.

After all, Rhodes Island is an internationally neutral power and one of the few powers in this land that possesses a top-notch medical environment for treating Oripathy.

It is not entirely incomprehensible that a few impoverished marquises or members of the royal family would come here for refuge and medical treatment.

But what puzzled Kal'tsit was that when she tried to use her own channels and connections to verify Chen Qi's true identity, she encountered greater resistance than she had expected.

First was Wei Yanwu, the ruler of Lungmen.

He entrusted his private army, the "Black Cloak," to deliver a letter to Kal'tsit.

To put it simply, he already knew that Kal'tsit was investigating Chen Qi's identity and advised her to give up her curiosity to avoid any negative consequences.

Kal'tsit could tell that what Wei Yanwu called a suggestion was actually a warning to her.

But that's not all.

The day after Kal'tsit received Wei Yanwu's letter, Rhodes Island welcomed another operator from the Great Yan.

Like Chen Qi, he was recommended by Wei Yanwu, the ruler of Longmen, through a personal letter.

After meeting Kal'tsit for the first time, the boy named "Zuo Le" said something profound to her.

"...There are some things that I hope you will not be too curious about. It would be best if the Great Yan and Rhodes Island did not have any meaningless conflicts."

"Unless, you intend to provoke a high level of vigilance in Great Yan, or to start a war between Great Yan and Rhodes Island, then that's another story."

War! War! War!

The moment Zuo Le uttered that word, Kal'tsit finally realized that Chen Qi's identity was probably far more complicated than she had imagined.

Are they descendants of kings, nobles, generals, and ministers?

Or is he a member of the royal family?

It couldn't possibly be the illegitimate child of a real dragon, could it?

“…Amiya.”

"Hmm? Dr. Kal'tsit, what's wrong?"

Inside the archives, Kal'tsit, who had contacted Amiya, the nominal leader of Rhodes Island, through the equipment, also asked the question that concerned her most.

What is Dr. Chen Qi doing?

Amiya: "Hmm? Dr. Chen Qi? I remember he was in charge of the physical examination of the newly joined operator Zuo Le today. He should be in the office with operator Zuo Le now, right?"

"Dr. Kal'tsit, what's wrong? Should I summon Dr. Chen Qi?"

"...No, that's not necessary."

Having been warned twice, Kal'tsit ultimately decided not to create any more unnecessary conflict.

Risking animosity with the Great Yan for Chen Qi's identity would not benefit Rhodes Island at all.

Kal'tsit thought that since the Great Yan allowed Chen Qi to stay on Rhodes Island, his identity shouldn't be that important.

Zuo Le's warning likely represents the intention of the higher-ups in the Great Yan Dynasty; they need Chen Qi, as their representative, to remain on Rhodes Island.

It's impossible that Chen Qi strongly desired to come to Rhodes Island, and that no one in the Great Yan Dynasty happened to dare to go against Chen Qi's wishes, right?
That's too unbelievable.

"...It's best to be more careful."

For some reason, Kal'tsit always felt a vague unease. Chen Qi's mysterious identity always made her feel that Rhodes Island would face considerable trouble because of him in the future.

……

"So, you were also sent by Lao Wei to protect me?"

Inside the private office, Chen Qi, with a pair of golden dragon horns and a crimson dragon tail peeking out from his white coat, was also looking at Zuo Le, who was kneeling on one knee in front of him with the posture of a military general, with surprise.

"I remember you're General Zuo's son, right? You've only recently become the candle bearer. Don't you people at the Year Keeper's Office have anything else to do?"

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I am here to protect you on His Majesty's orders."

Faced with Chen Qi's calm tone, Zuo Le, the descendant of a general and a young man who was already a candle bearer, showed no dissatisfaction whatsoever, but instead maintained a respectful demeanor.

"The Directorate of the Years is also thanks to Your Excellency. During your years of traveling in the Great Yan and inspecting on behalf of Heaven, Your Excellency has had a lot of contact with the 'Years'. Several of them have a very good personal relationship with Your Excellency, which has made the burden on our shoulders much lighter."

"His Majesty heard that after your travels, you did not return to Baizhao, but instead joined Rhodes Island. He hastened to order us to send our best men to protect your safety."

"defend?"

However, upon hearing this word, Chen Qi raised an eyebrow and teased in a subtle tone:

“I guess His Majesty didn’t send you to protect me, but is afraid that I will imitate Old Wei and never return to the capital for the rest of my life, so he asked you to take me back?” Zuo Le: “…This subordinate dares not presume to speak of His Majesty’s will, please forgive me, sir.”

Looking at Zuo Le, who was sweating profusely with nervousness because of his words, Chen Qi shook his head.

There was nothing he could do; Zuo Le was just following orders. Would he dare to disobey the imperial decree?
Moreover, Chen Qi could understand the emperor's thoughts.

After all, the throne of the Great Yan Dynasty is not an easy place to sit on.

While it may not compare to the golden toilet under the butt of some giant golden man, Terra, this small and treacherous place, also has a time bomb called "Year" under its golden toilet.

This requires the emperor of the Great Yan to have excellent qualities in all aspects. Therefore, whether he is the eldest son or not is secondary. Only the most outstanding prince has enough courage to sit on the throne.

Therefore, in the history of the Great Yan Dynasty, princes often engaged in deceit and intrigue, sometimes even leading to bloodshed.

However, the princes were generally not vying for the throne.

It was to distance himself from the throne!

After all, we've all benefited, so the last one who hasn't benefited is assumed to be the best, right?
At least Chen Qi knew that the current emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty had not voluntarily ascended the throne.

If it weren't for a certain former crown prince, now the ruler of Longmen, who fled back then on the charge of allegedly assassinating the true dragon, the throne would never have gone to him, the second son.

Even Chen Qi himself, if he hadn't taken the initiative to contact the fragments of "Sui" on behalf of the Great Yan in order to allow His Majesty the Emperor to sit on the throne more securely, His Majesty the Emperor would never have let him leave the palace.

Yes, some people, even after becoming emperors, still haven't given up the idea of ​​fleeing.

If it weren't for his last shred of conscience for the country and its people, he probably would have run away long ago.

Sigh, all Chen Qi could say was that even the Ming Dynasty emperor who dressed up as a general to go to war was more responsible than these two brothers.

"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you."

Chen Qi refocused his gaze on the real file that Zuo Le had handed him, and replied calmly:

"Tell Your Majesty that I have nothing to worry about. I am outside, and he is inside. This way, we each make the best use of our abilities, which is the best outcome for the Great Yan."

"In addition, I have already contacted Mr. Chongyue of Yumen and Miss Lingheshu who is living in seclusion. I am certain that neither of them has any intention of returning to 'Sui'."

"They've finally come to realize their own life and value, so who would want to lose it again? I can vouch for them for that, including that noisy, lousy chess player."

"Let him sit on that golden toilet in peace. The more we pressure 'Sui', the stronger their resistance will be."

Zuo Le: "...Yes, sir."

Hearing Chen Qi's response, which showed absolutely no respect for the emperor or even the supreme throne, Zuo Le's lips twitched slightly, but he dared not say anything more.

After all, in the entire Great Yan Dynasty, probably only this person in front of me... has the right to speak like that.

"Also, don't call me 'sir' here, understand?"

Chen Qi, who hadn't heard this title in nearly ten years, felt a little uncomfortable and instructed:
"Consider it protecting me. On Rhodes Island, there are a few people who might actually get angry with me if they knew my true identity."

"Zuo Le, you're only six or seven years younger than me, right? When we're on Rhodes Island, you can just call me brother or doctor or something like that."

"grown ups?!"

However, Zuo Le was startled by what she heard. Just as she was about to say something, she met Chen Qi's slightly serious expression and quickly shut up.

"...Yes, Brother Chen Qi."

"Hmm, that sounds much better."

In an instant, Chen Qi's serious expression returned to a smile.

"Alright, you can go back now. You don't need to come here often. I'll ask you for help if I need anything."

"Yes."

Zuo Le felt completely dazed and confused until she left Chen Qi's office and came to her senses.

He never imagined that one day he would be able to have such a close relationship with someone of that level, calling each other brothers?
If this were to reach the palace, he would likely be impeached by the ministers for overstepping his bounds.
"Your Excellency is so kind. No wonder Father once said in private that there were rumors in the palace that the Emperor Emeritus seemed to want to pass the throne to him..."

However, even though it was just muttering to himself, Zuo Le was so surprised by his own words that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly looked around and only breathed a long sigh of relief after confirming that there was no one else there.

Inside the office, Chen Qi, alone, lay lazily in his chair and softly spoke to the surrounding air:

"System, I want to check my panel and upgrade progress."

[Okay, retrieving the initial simulation template and system upgrade progress for the host.]

The response to Chen Qi was a lively female voice echoing in his mind, and soon, a virtual screen unfolded in front of Chen Qi.

Name: Chen Qi
Simulation Location: Yan Kingdom

Simulated Identity: Son of the True Dragon

Inherent entry: Medical Saint Body (5 stars): Whether it is a memory from a past life or an unparalleled talent, your medical expertise is destined to be ahead of this era.

Affinity (4 stars): Affinity that transcends status and class; anyone will find it easier to lower their guard around you.

[Congratulations, host, you have completed the initial simulation, fulfilling the prerequisite for the system upgrade. The system upgrade is complete, and new features have been added. The host can conduct the next simulation at any time.]

Son of the true dragon.

To be precise, he was the third legitimate son of the true dragon.

In other words, Wei Yanwu, the former crown prince who is now in power in Longmen, is Chen Qi's elder brother.

The emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty was Chen Qi's second elder brother.

This is Chen Qi's first identity after transmigrating to the world of Ark, having studied traditional Chinese medicine for nine years and worked as an intern for three years in his previous life.

"My second brother is really persistent in trying to get me to become emperor... I've already said I'm not suitable, and besides, what emperor abdicates to his brother?"

The thought of his two older brothers, who were eager to pass this time bomb to him so they could become princes and live a carefree life, and who, theoretically, were also subject to the strong pronouncements of the Great Yan Dynasty, gave Chen Qi a headache.

He didn't want to take on this mess either!

If he hadn't been the third prince, and hadn't been so young at the time, he wouldn't have had a chance to be chosen, whether by seniority or merit. He really doubted that his two brothers would have reserved the golden toilet seat for him!

"There's no other way..." Chen Qi shook his head, having made up his mind.

"In order for my good second brother to be able to sit on that toilet, I also have to prove that my staying outside is indeed more helpful to him and to the Great Yan."

"—System, I want to conduct the second simulation."

[Okay, this system is now operational and generating data for the second simulation for the host.]

This is a new work by Ziqian, a new author! Please give it your support, dear readers! *sobs*
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(End of this chapter)