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

Chapter 133 Love rivals are extremely jealous when they meet each other

"Oh? Is this your second hometown?"

A few days later, Chen Qi, who had successfully obtained Theresa's overseas assignment application, also boarded the sightseeing train to Shelag with Jian and Encia.

This time, Zuo Le did not come with him. He needed to return to Baizhao in person to report your recent movements to His Majesty the Emperor of Da Yan.

Only after seeing Zuo Le with his own eyes will the emperor believe that you are truly safe and sound.

As for matters like the Emperor of Letania... you're not worried at all that Zole might leak them to His Majesty the Emperor.

After all, the Prince of Da Yan is the Emperor of Letania. Would Zuo Le dare to say such an unbelievable thing, and would the Emperor dare to believe it?
Even if his good second brother is willing to believe it, what can he do?
Could he possibly force a former emperor of Letania back onto the throne of Great Yan?

So, in that case, will the Great Yan rule Letania, or will Letania conquer the Great Yan?
Having already secured such a powerful ally for the Great Yan, it would be incredibly unfair for his second brother to allow him to return to be emperor.

Therefore, Chen Qi felt particularly relieved about Zuo Le's temporary departure.

He can finally relax and enjoy some time with his family and loved ones without being monitored.

"What second hometown? Shelag is my and my brother's hometown!"

Inside the private room, Encia, who had argued with Jian the whole way, couldn't hide her pride as she said to Jian:

"Although the wind in Shelag is indeed a bit cold, I dare say that there is probably no other place on this land more livable than Shelag."

"We have beautiful scenery and wealth here, and more importantly, we have Lord Jeragand's protection!"

"With Lord Jeragand here, we are the only nation on this land that can be spared from natural disasters."

As she spoke, Encia crossed her arms, carefully observing the mace's reaction, and said teasingly:

"Well, muscle woman, now you know how powerful Lord Jeragand is, right?"

"Is it too late to regret it now? If you run into Lord Jeragand later, no one will be able to help you—ouch!"

However, before Encia could finish speaking, Chen Qi, who was sitting next to her, pinched her cheek.

Chen Qi pinched Encia's cheeks, pulling them outwards, while also reminding her in an annoyed tone:

"Encia, didn't I tell you? Jian is your sister-in-law, so show her some respect."

“I’m warning you again, if you dare to stir up trouble in front of Yela when we get to Sherag, I’ll spank you until your ass is a bloody mess.”

"Ouch! Ouch! Brother—you demon! You've forgotten your sister now that you have a wife!"

"……Ah."

However, watching the brother and sister playfully bickering in front of her, Jian, who always had a faint smile on his face, felt a warmth in his heart and also focused his gaze on the snow-capped mountain in front of him.

After spending the last few days together, Jian has finally figured out Encia's personality.

Although I don't particularly like my sister-in-law, I'm sure she wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

Encia may have been verbally defiant, but in her heart she had already largely accepted her position.

If Encia really had any ulterior motives, it was probably that the sister-in-law she respected most was not herself, but that Yeragand.
But Jian didn't care about this.

Jian firmly believes that her relationship with Chen Qi is one that can transcend even life and death, and no force can separate them.

As for how to face that god who had fallen in love... Jian had already made two preparations.

On one hand, Jian learned about Jeragand's character from Chen Qi; she was a loving and tolerant goddess.

Jian believed that as long as he approached the goddess with a good attitude, he should be able to get along well with Yeragand.

On the other hand, what if Jeragund was a goddess who was unexpectedly jealous in matters of love?

Jian will also prove with her actions that she is not a woman to be trifled with.

For the past few days, Jian has been almost constantly in Rhodes Island's simulation combat room, fighting against all sorts of elite operators on Rhodes Island, making all the preparations to compete with the gods.

Even if I can't defeat Jeragand, I'll still do my best to pluck a few strands of hair from this goddess.

—Besides, this is Sherag. Even if this goddess wanted to attack her, could she really do so without any regard for the people of Sherag?
Because, regarding this confrontation with Yelagand, Jian was quite confident and fearless.

"Ugh——!"

"Okay, we're here."

With a roar from the sightseeing train, Chen Qi and his group finally returned to Shelag after more than ten years.

To avoid causing a commotion, Chen Qi specially prepared a black windproof robe for himself this time.

His tall and slightly thin body was almost entirely hidden under his black robe, revealing only a handsome face and a pair of conspicuous golden dragon horns.

If this outfit were worn in another country, it would be tantamount to having a "I am a spy" label stuck on your face.

But in the snowy and icy Xielag, Chen Qi's attire was perfectly normal, and he could even blend in perfectly with the local mountain patrolmen.

Stepping off the train, Chen Qi felt a familiar chill in the air and gazed at the Shelag train station, which seemed much larger than he remembered. His heart was filled with emotion and satisfaction.

It seems that under Ensiodes's leadership, Sherag is still developing steadily and positively.

“Jian, Encia and I need to go back to Shivaesh’s mansion first to visit Father.”

"And what about you? Are you really planning to go to the Holy Mountain alone? To see Jeragund?"

Chen Qi cast an uneasy glance at the mace beside him, his tone full of concern, and asked:
"Are you sure you don't need me to come with you? I think Yera would be more agreeable if I were by your side?"

"No need. If you were here, I feel the tension between us would only intensify."

However, meeting Chen Qi's worried gaze, Jian simply returned a relaxed smile and replied in a rather teasing tone:
"Besides, if you were there, and she and I were both forcing smiles and pretending to be friendly, would that be the result you wanted?"

"If we get really angry and I ask you a question like 'Who do you care about more?', will you be able to answer it?"

"If you really have the guts, then come with me. What do you say, Your Majesty?"

"..."

As it turns out, no matter how strong and decisive a man is, there are times when he is helpless in front of the woman he truly loves.

Faced with the soul-searching question from the mace, Chen Qi, the former emperor, surrendered without hesitation and obediently took Encia back to see his adoptive father.

Jian watched as Chen Qi, whose back had been teased by his sister for being "henpecked" and "good-for-nothing," and who had eventually become angry and grabbed Encia's cheek, gradually walked away.

Just then, as Jian was about to head towards the sacred mountain, a gentle, unfamiliar female voice suddenly rang in his ears.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Jian. I heard you've been looking for me?"

"...Yeragand?"

A sound suddenly rang in his ears. He glanced around and realized that none of the other tourists were giving him any strange looks. He immediately understood what was going on.

This was not a transmission of voices across a distance, but a direct dialogue with her spirit.

Is this divine power? It's truly amazing.

“I just arrived in Shelag, and I didn’t expect that the guardian deity here already knew about it.”

A cold smile appeared on Jian's face as he calmly asked in his mind:
"So, can I interpret this as a show of force against me, a foreigner?"

"—Then you've misunderstood, Miss Jian."

"Yelagand welcomes any outsider with good intentions."

However, although Yeragandna was beautiful, her words, which contained a hint of jealousy and defiance, clearly entered Jian's mind.

“But the one speaking to you now is not the benevolent deity named Jeragand.”

"She was just a girl who was jealous because she found that the man she liked actually had other female confidantes by his side."

Yera's answer was quite provocative, immediately making her stance of direct confrontation with the mace.

However, before Jian could respond, Yela changed the subject and said softly:

"However, please rest assured, Miss Jian."

“Since I am competing with you not as a god, but as a young girl, I will not use any divine power against you.” “You can rest assured to come to the top of the holy mountain. I will be waiting for you there by the colossus of Yeragand.”

"At that time, we might be able to have a proper discussion... about the man we admire."

A dangerous smile crept across Jian's lips as he answered decisively and coldly:
"I can't ask for it."

……

"Yela? Why did you let that woman go up the holy mountain?"

The summit of the holy mountain was unusually deserted today. Beside the colossus of Yeragand, only Enya and Yera were waiting there.

As for the reason, even Enya, who is a saint, is not very clear about it.

All she knew was that her second brother had been acting very mysteriously lately, and he always invited some seemingly professional staff members to gesture around in the palace, their faces beaming with excitement.

In the last two days, Enshia wrote to say that she and her brother were preparing to come to Shelag, but her second brother even blocked the road leading to the snow mountain.

His reasoning was that the Colossi of Jeragund needed maintenance.

But Enya never received a single repairman.

Not only the Jeragund Colossus, but also the palace, Ensiodis did not intend to let Enya get close. He only asked her to make do for a while and stay in the office next to the Jeragund Colossus for a period of time, as if he was preparing some kind of surprise.
But based on her understanding of her second brother, Enya could guess the general idea.

He's probably just setting up an unprecedentedly grand banquet to welcome his brother and Encia, right?

Enya, showing concern for her second brother and displaying rare emotional intelligence, wisely refrained from getting involved, allowing Enshiodis to vent his enthusiasm alone.

She stayed by Yela's side, waiting for the arrival of the "challenger"!

In fact, to show her support for Yela, Enya even started offering her advice and suggestions.

"You can do it, right? As soon as that woman reaches the top of the mountain, you can teleport her back to the foot of the mountain!"

"After a few rounds, won't she give up?"

"—And then what, my saintess?"

However, Yela shook her head, somewhat amused and exasperated by Enya's mischievous tricks, and softly replied:
"After your brother and sister have finished visiting their father, can I still use my power to teleport them all back to the foot of the mountain?"

"Besides, wouldn't that Miss Jian tell your brother on her?"

"Given your brother's stubborn nature, if he knew I was bullying her, he'd probably be resentful towards me, right?"

"I don't want to leave a jealous impression on your brother, Your Majesty~"

"Ugh... So what are you planning to do?"

Faced with Yera's earnest argument, Enya, her best friend, was at a loss for what to do. She could only puff out her cheeks and anxiously ask:
"Do you really intend to fight that woman with your bare hands, without using divine power?"

"...Enya, I'm not that violent, you know?"

In response to Enya's words, Yela gently shook her head, maintaining her composure and calmness, her eyes fixed on the steps ahead, and said, word by word:

"Victory achieved through violence is only temporary."

"Only when the other party is convinced can it be considered a complete conquest."

"I will use my magnanimity, my words, and my patience to influence this Miss Jian."

However, seeing Yera's confident demeanor, Enya, who was not very optimistic, opened her mouth but chose to remain silent.

After all, in Enya's view of love, any action that does not use one's own advantages to completely crush the enemy is a harbinger of failure.

But facing the confident Yera, Enya felt she had done all she could.

Ultimately, we can only wait and see if this goddess has the tactics and trump cards to back up her confidence.

"coming."

Just as Enya was feeling uneasy, Yela's suddenly serious tone forcibly brought Enya's thoughts back to reality.

Under Enya's gaze, a strikingly tall woman finally appeared at the top of the snow-capped mountain steps.

The woman, as Encia wrote in her letter, had beautiful blonde hair, but she did not have the repulsive face and exaggerated physique that Encia described.

Even without makeup, she still possesses a delicate and captivating appearance, as well as a slender yet powerful figure.

Without a doubt, she is a beauty who can rival Enya, who is a saint.

At the same time, Jian was also scrutinizing the two women in front of him.

Because of the similarity in their hair, Jian recognized Enya at a glance and focused more attention on Yera, who was standing next to her with a slender figure.

At that moment, even Jian had to admit that he seemed to be inferior to Yela in appearance.

Having reconstructed her body, Yera crafted her new form into a work of art that would be considered flawless by people from any country.

But in contrast, Yera exudes a divine aura that is always present, one that can only be admired from afar and not touched.

That kind of temperament... I've only ever seen one person with a similar aura.

Theresia.

That person was clearly a Sarkaz, yet she radiated a saintly love and compassion. This stark contrast was enough to captivate the hearts of most people.

However, what Jian didn't know was that his self-deprecating thoughts were almost entirely noticed by Yela.

Yera, who was more beautiful, exuded absolute confidence in every gesture and took the initiative to greet Jian in a soft voice:
“Miss Madam, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Jeragand.”

"Of course, you can call me Yela here, the head lady-in-waiting of the Saintess."

"……I see."

Looking at Yela's smug and confident smile, a smile also crept onto Jian's lips, and he suddenly spoke:

"I didn't quite understand before, but now I know why that guy is so obsessed with you."

“Oh? Please explain, Miss Jian.” Yela responded with a smile.

"...I had heard before that the Colossus of Yeragund was once destroyed by an avalanche, and the current statue of Yeragund is a reconstruction, which is different from the original Yeragund."

Before arriving in Shelag, he had done his homework thoroughly. Meeting Yera's gaze, which seemed to have realized something, he continued to tease her with a smile:

"I had seen the photos before and found them strange."

"Yelagand's chubby face in the photo doesn't look like that of a beautiful woman at all."

“I’m still worried that if Yeragand isn’t good-looking, the fact that he’s so infatuated with you is probably because your relationship with him has long transcended the limitations of appearance.”

"But now that I see it, I'm actually relieved."

"After a god dies, he can actually have an even better body made for himself."

"Then it's not surprising that I, an ordinary person who has only ever had a physical appearance, can't compare to the goddess's exquisite looks."

It’s over.

However, when Enya, who was watching from the sidelines, heard Jian start commenting on Yela's dark history right from the start, her heart skipped a beat.

Because she knew very well that this topic was completely taboo for Yela!
"boom!!"

Sure enough, no sooner had Jian finished speaking than a mountain in Sherag, somewhere in the distance, suddenly collapsed violently.

This collapse also proved just how turbulent Yera's heart truly was, despite her forced smile.

"...I see, so you came here to argue, Miss Jian."

Yela slowly opened her previously narrowed eyes, staring intently at the sneer-smiling mace before her. Her voice turned cold as she smiled and said:
"Now that you're prepared, shall we begin?"

"Let's debate with our words who is more important to Qi, shall we?"

(End of this chapter)