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

Chapter 123 Xie Lag's New Path, Chen Qi's Final Edict
The war between Letania, Vitória, and Colombia ended faster than you expected.

Leitania, having routed the main Allied forces on the main battlefield, had perfected the art of blitzkrieg tactics.

In just ten days, they conquered the entire territory of Victoria and captured the capital, Londinium. The eight dukes were either killed, betrayed the king, or were captured.

However, the war was not over yet, as Letania declared war on Colombia.

The new king of Letania could not tolerate any betrayal, and therefore he was determined to make Colombia pay the price.

Ultimately, however, this war, which had not even begun, ended with Colombia's surrender.

Although he found Colombia's kneeling gesture somewhat unbelievable, the rational Emperor Letania chose to accept Colombia's surrender.

After all, in the far east, Letania could face an even more powerful challenge from a force known as "Ursus."

The Leitanian emperor, who wants to withdraw, needs time to consolidate his newly conquered territories.

This undoubtedly gives you valuable time to develop.

After the war ended, you had Enya, a saint, preside over a ceremony to mourn the fallen and to give thanks for Jeragund's protection.

Whether for political or social reasons, this ceremony is indispensable; it can help quickly bolster the confidence of the Shelag people.

[But faced with the devastation of post-war Shelag, your first priority was not to dedicate yourself to restoring the lives of ordinary people.]

Instead, they had Sherag's newspaper announce an extremely important piece of news.

[Shelag will establish an international bank called "Kalan Bank" in the name of the state!]

You've poured all of your last savings into this massive publicity campaign, determined to make sure that the elites, nobles, and entrepreneurs of every nation in Terra know about this news.

Thanks to your tireless efforts, a few days later, newspapers across Terra all carried headlines about "Kalan Bank" on their front pages.

[In the newspaper, you detailed the unique features and advantages of your international bank to everyone in Terra.]

First, "Kalan Bank" has a very precise target audience—it targets whoever has money.

[You passed the Karan Bank Secrecy Law specifically for these successful individuals.]

[In it, you mentioned that leaking customer information would be considered a criminal case, punishable by extremely severe penalties.]

Furthermore, no foreign political figure, other than the client, has the right to inspect any funds deposited in the Karan Bank.

[Unless the country has sufficient evidence to prove that the client has committed a crime.]

This undoubtedly greatly enhances the bank's most important aspect: privacy.

This is absolutely what every country, regardless of whether the source of funds is legitimate, values ​​most if they possess enormous wealth and fear being investigated or liquidated.

But how can we ensure that Sherag is able to protect its clients' privacy?

[Soon, on the second line of the newspaper, you provided the answer for these interested customers.]

Secondly, the Karan Bank is backed by Shelag, a "permanently neutral state" that even the current ruler of the Western continent, the Letanian Empire, acknowledges and cannot annex by force.

As a natural fortress and a nation protected by "Yelagand," Sherag has proven throughout history its ability to defend its territory against the strongest empire on Terra.

Moreover, the Sherag regime allowed him to avoid getting involved in any wars or political maneuvering as much as possible.

This also makes the local currency of Kjerag, the franc, have an extremely low inflation rate, making it a very solid safe-haven currency.

This undoubtedly struck a chord with the nobles and merchants who feared the devaluation of their own currencies due to Letania's rampant expansion!

At this point, those customers who were initially hesitant and observing have been completely swayed by your policy.

[And you press your advantage, using the third point to completely solidify their decision and get them to invest their money in your bank.]

Third, you have passed the law, guaranteeing that, apart from the tax laws of the client's home country, Kalan Bank will not levy interest tax on any overseas clients' deposits!

Moreover, Kalan Bank will offer the highest level of service to its private clients.

[Comprehensive professional services including offshore accounts, trusts, art storage, and more.]

[Even for clients with high enough tiers, accounts can be opened anonymously, further enhancing the confidentiality for Karan Bank's high-net-worth clients.]

Soon, news of the "Kalan Bank," a platform combining professionalism, high-end services, privacy, and security, spread like wildfire throughout the region.

All the merchants, nobles, and elites were astonished by this bank's incredible level of benefits and service.

Everyone was filled with a mixture of excitement and doubt—could this news really be true?

[After this eerie atmosphere persisted for a week, another bombshell announcement was made.]

[The Duke of Cactus, one of the eight dukes of Victoria, who was captured by the Sherrag during the war, deposited all his assets into the newly opened Kalan Bank.]

The following day, the Duke of Caesar, whose assets were all deposited in the Carlan Bank, was released without charge from the Sherrag prison and sent back to the conquered Victoria.

However, the returning duke has made no response to public speculation about whether his investment in Kalan Bank was a transaction for his freedom.

However, regardless of whether Caster was coerced or lured into voluntarily depositing the money in the Kalan Bank, the question remains unresolved.

[After receiving such a huge deposit, Karan Bank completed its IPO at an astonishing speed.]

[And just one day after the Duke of Caesar's return, even more significant news arrived.]

Mr. Beatrice, a business representative from Victoria, has deposited half of his assets in Kalan Bank!

Two major news items have made Karan Bank a top topic of discussion in various countries, causing a huge sensation.

[If we were to say it was the Duke of Caesar, we could argue that it was a combination of coercion and enticement in exchange for freedom.]

[Then the trust placed in Beatrix, this Victorian business tycoon, truly serves as proof of the credibility of Kalan Bank.]

However, they were unaware that Mr. Beatrice was Swire's maternal grandfather, Swire's close friend Chen Huijie, and also worked for you.

However, Mr. Beatrice's willingness to deposit his money in your Kalan Bank is indeed a very unexpected thing for you.

[Without a doubt, Chen Huijie must have played a role in this.]

Ultimately, however, Mr. Beatrice's willingness to deposit half of his assets in the Kalan Bank was largely due to the war, which made the old man fully realize the future of Shelag.

[To have transformed a small country into one capable of withstanding a joint attack from Victoria and Letania in just three years.]

Moreover, even after the war, they were still able to recognize their own position and choose to consolidate their country's status through financial means.

Your actions have earned Mr. Beatrice's approval, which is why he trusts you.

With the trust of business tycoon Beatrix, Kalan Bank's reputation in the business world skyrocketed!

Every day thereafter, Karan Bank received large amounts of deposits from various countries in Terra.

Whether it belonged to merchants, nobles, or even gangsters or assets of dubious origin, all were taken over by the Kalan Bank.

[There are even rumors that high-ranking Colombian government officials have opened accounts at Calan Bank.] [And to demonstrate respect for its VIP clients, Calan Bank had to expand just one month after its establishment.]

This frenzied influx of funds lasted for several months before Kalan Bank's business finally reached its peak.

During this period, the Karan Bank became the only building in Kherlag that was even more magnificent than a palace!

The enormous success of the Karan Bank even influenced colleges in Shelag and other countries.

Suddenly, finance became a highly sought-after major at universities around the world, with many finance students racking their brains to seize this opportunity and get a job at Kalan Bank.

However, they are likely to be disappointed.

[Although it took Kalan Bank less than a year to go from being completely unknown to becoming a global sensation.]

[However, during this year, the rapidly expanding Kalan Bank, in urgent need of high-end services for its elite clients, had filled positions with top talent from around the world.]

[It's not just financial geniuses; multilingual translators, financial sales professionals, art connoisseurs... even the messengers responsible for deliveries have to start as college graduates.]

In Kheraga, those who can get a job at Kalan Bank are rigorously selected; talented people from all over the world consider it an honor to work there.

While overjoyed by the continuous influx of funds, you remained grounded and didn't let success go to your head.

You remain very anxious about Sherag's future.

Therefore, shortly after the war ended, when the people were exhausted to the point of near collapse, you still chose to restart the state machinery of Shelag.

With this funding, you quickly launched the post-war reconstruction project in Shelag.

This time, however, you didn't rely entirely on the enthusiasm of the locals in Shelag.

[Shelag has sufficient funds to completely outsource these important projects to professional foreign construction teams.]

With ample funding, the Leitania construction team poured their hearts and souls into the project, delivering a high-quality result befitting Leitania.

The buildings and facilities destroyed by the war were rebuilt at an astonishing pace within that year.

[And you want more than just to restore Shelag's past prosperity.]

Your task now is to take Kjerag's tourism, foreign trade, and industrial capabilities to the next level!

In Kjerag, you allocated a significant amount of funds to establish numerous resorts and sanatoriums surrounding the area's beautiful forests and lakes.

And most importantly, there are artificial hot springs.

The end of the war allowed Kjerag's tourism business to return to normal.

[And in response to this, you've created a new advertisement for Shelag—a post-war soldiers' sanatorium.]

[In the advertisement, you heavily promoted the peace and beauty of Shelag, claiming it was the best place to help soldiers suffering from PTSD after the war recover.]

In this completely neutral country, there is no war, no smoke of gunpowder.

[It offers leisurely hunting, the chance to experience the local rural life, and steaming hot springs at the foot of snow-capped mountains—the perfect place for soldiers and officers to escape the war.]

Here, trade with Karan can bring them a full range of goods from various countries, the freshest ingredients, and currencies from all over the world can be exchanged.

[Following this advertisement, tourism to Shelag has once again boomed, with soldiers from various countries flocking to this land they had once attacked but failed to conquer for rest and recuperation.]

Of course, all of this has side effects.

[The war has just ended, and you're already turning around and making money off these executioners? This move has stirred up a great deal of resentment among the people of Shelag.]

In Shelag, brawls are frequent due to past wars.

As for matters concerning public security, you have entrusted Chen Huijie with handling them entirely.

[Soon, under Chen Huijie's impartial enforcement of the law, these public grievances were quickly suppressed, and the several incidents that arose were all handled fairly.]

Of course, Chen Huijie wasn't entirely unable to understand the feelings of her fellow villagers in Shelag; therefore, although she claimed to be upholding the law impartially, she still harbored some personal motives.

The fellow villagers from Shelag who actively caused trouble were not severely punished; most were dealt with through private settlements, fines, or detention.

[Only in rare and serious cases will Chen Huijie be forced to serve a prison sentence, but she will strive to secure parole or probation for these cases.]

These measures may reassure foreign tourists, but unintentionally, they have caused resentment among the residents of Shelag to build up again.

Even some of your fellow countrymen from Sherag called you a "traitor" and "a king who fights for the welfare of foreign executioners."

But faced with these comments, you, whose days are numbered, have become completely indifferent.

[With your injuries worsening, you were too lazy to even think, and simply responded to your fellow villagers from Sherag with the most basic and sincere words.]

"The people of Shelag have now quickly repaired their homes with the help of foreign clients, and are living a prosperous life thanks to their foreign clients' money."

"For the people of Shelag, foreign customers are our bread and butter."

"If anyone has any objections to my decrees, they should earn their own living by farming and raising pack animals, instead of using foreign customers' money."

With just a few words, you silenced all the fellow villagers from Shelag, and the public turmoil in Shelag finally subsided.

[And it was precisely because of your unprecedented "bread and butter" remarks in Terra that Sherag's trust level among foreign clients skyrocketed.]

Although the people of Shelag are increasingly dissatisfied with your rule, they can no longer bring themselves to complain when faced with piles of silver and income.

You gaze upon Sherag, which, within a mere year, has achieved a self-sustaining positive cycle and gradually become the economic and trade center of Terra, and you feel content.

This is the wealth you have given to Sherag.

[To lead a closed, religiously-based country to its current level... think about it, all you've done is enough to absolve you of the crime of usurping power.]

Even future kings of Kjerag, if they despise you, should still show you some respect.

It's all been worth it; you've done your best.

It's time to pass this responsibility to the next generation.

"...Summon Prime Minister Enciodes and all his ministers."

"I will convene a court assembly tomorrow."

A year has passed, and you feel your body growing increasingly heavy. Death is drawing ever closer, and you've made your choice.

Before you leave, you must be the "villain" one last time, delivering the final blow that could push Sherag back into folly.

"There is only one topic to be discussed at the morning meeting."

"—I, the King, hereby order my ministers to discuss and deprive the Holy Maiden of all political power and to completely remove Sherag's religious beliefs from politics."

(End of this chapter)