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

Chapter 167 Skadi: I Want to Found the "One Heart Society"

"No, this is absolutely not true!"

Compared to Skadi, who failed her studies and could only become an electrician, Goredia, who grew up with the mindset of "if you don't get first place, you're a genius."

But in this laboratory, being cultured became a kind of original sin.

After Goredia browsed through all of Hai Si's information on the computer in the experiment, she only spent less than half a day to figure out the logic that Skadi had taken half a month to understand.

In contrast, Skadi, who may seem dull at times, can quickly change course once she recognizes the enemy.

Grétia, who considered herself intelligent, found it hard to accept at first.

Chen Qi had somewhat anticipated this.

In terms of background, Goredia's origins can be described as the "upper three banners" of Agor.

The mother was not only one of the highest officials in Agor, but she was also a member of the Agor ruling body.

Goredia is a staunch supporter of the Agorian civilization and is the least likely person to question or betray it.

In terms of loyalty and personal character, Goredia, who was raised by her mother from a young age to be the best ruler, was perfect.

Although the mother and daughter had a terrible relationship, it is undeniable that Heratia raised a textbook example of a "model child".

As a warrior, Goredia is loyal, strong, rational, and ruthless.

As a consul, Goredia was extremely conscientious and always fulfilled her duties as consul with utmost dedication.

On the day they take office, every governor of Agor must swear an oath to the millions of Agorian civilians that they will "stand at the forefront of protecting civilians and fight to the death."

Goredia etched these words into her very bones.

Otherwise, as the governor, she could have easily stayed in the rear enjoying herself without any worries, and there was no need for her to undergo dangerous surgery and become a member of the deep-sea hunters.

But this was a ruler who was loyal to the Agorian civilization and genuinely proud to be an Agorian.

When she learned that the Agor civilization was established through plunder.

The belief he held for half his life that "Agor built his own civilization on the ruins of the old civilization through hard work" was nothing but a embellished lie.

Even Haisi was not the "born killing machine" that the Agor administration claimed.

These creatures are nothing more than dutiful life forms created by an old civilization.

Their uprising was purely a revenge act triggered by Agor's slaughter of them and his occupation of the "Blue Country".

Goredia's reaction was more intense than that of someone who had lost their parents.

People are not afraid to recognize their own despicable nature.

But what's terrifying is witnessing the moment when the faith you were so proud of and had upheld throughout your life crumbles.

This was the first time that the usually rational and ruthless ruler had so vehemently denied everything he knew.

"This can't be! It can't be true!"

"This is... Hai Si, yes! It's Hai Si! It's a false message fabricated by the Deep Sea Church using the language of a pre-civilization to mislead us!"

With her faith shattered, Goredia glanced around blankly before fixing her gaze on Chen Qi.

Even though she had felt a strange attraction to Chen Qi before, romantic feelings were insignificant compared to faith.

Goredia raised her long spear, aiming it at the throat of the composed Chen Qi.

Her action finally made Skadi, who was peacefully grilling fish, turn cold, and her tone became more warning:
"Swordfish, don't point your spear at my godfather."

"—He's not your godfather, Orca!"

Goredia gritted her teeth.

"Can't you tell? He's from the Deep Sea Church! He's even one of the bishops of that church!"

"He's probably a deep-sea hunter who betrayed Agor long ago, using his magnetic field power and this carefully laid net to deceive you, and countless other Agorians!"

"He wants to see our civilization shattered so that the Sea King can devour everything in this world!"

This was almost the same conclusion as Skadi's first reaction.

But Skadi and Chen Qi both knew that with Goredia's intelligence, she couldn't possibly be unaware of what the truth was and what the lie was.

She's just escaping reality.

"You're saying I'm lying to you?"

Meeting Gretia's trembling, dazed eyes, Chen Qi, who had been threatened, felt a pang of disappointment.

After all, the Goddess before him, devoid of all faith and nearly shattered, was a far cry from the Second Captain he remembered who had risked his life to save her.

"Then tell me, Miss Swordfish, why would I need to go to such lengths to deceive you?"

"You should be able to sense that with my strength, destroying Agor would be an easy task."

Why should I do something so strenuous and unrewarding?

"--Excuse!"

Goredia, who understood Chen Qi's reasoning perfectly, began to waver.

But, like a drowning person grasping at the last straw, Goredia argued unreasonably:

"This world is not lacking in some perverse disruptors! They revel in the sight of civilization collapsing and countless ordinary people sinking into misery!"

"To be able to associate with that bunch of beasts like Hai Si, your thinking is completely incapable of logic!"

"—Swordfish, put down your spear."

However, Skadi, having received no response to her warnings, frowned and slowly rose to her feet.

"Don't force me to knock you out again."

Although she knew that with her strength, Gretia had no chance of threatening her adoptive father.

But Skadi instinctively disliked that someone was threatening someone she cared about.

However, just as the atmosphere was becoming tense, Chen Qi, who no longer wanted to waste any more words, chose a simpler and easier-to-understand method.

"boom!"

Before the two women could react, a powerful magnetic field, as sharp as a knife, sliced ​​the spear in Gretia's hand in two!

The next second, in a daze, Goredia saw a hand slapping towards her cheek—

"Snapped!"

It was a slap that didn't exert any force, but simply brought a moment of clarity back to the person's mind.

Grandia stood there, rubbing her burning cheek, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared blankly at Chen Qi.

In Goredia's memory, no one had ever dared to humiliate her to this extent.

Even one's biological mother is not qualified.

After all, everyone knows that the consequence of humiliating Goredia is that she will hunt you down to the ends of the earth.

But this time, looking at the man who had first humiliated her, a completely different feeling welled up in Goredia's heart—

She felt a strange sense of relief.
It seemed that the slap the man had just given her had greatly lessened the guilt and pain in her heart.

It's as if this kind of treatment is something I deserve?
Deep down, she even began to desperately hope that this man could give her more of these beatings and blame, which would make her feel much better.

—Wait, what am I thinking?
Fortunately, as soon as this strange thought popped into Goredia's mind, she snapped back to reality and extinguished it.

However, with a huge crack appearing in her heart, Gretia was unable to maintain her usual aloofness in front of Chen Qi.

"...Have you calmed down?"

However, Chen Qi was unaware of the strange thoughts in Goredia's mind.

After seeing that Goreia's thoughts had returned, Chen Qi casually withdrew his hand and said coldly:

"Doubting reality and escaping the truth—are all the rulers of Agor like this?"

"If that's the case, even without Hai Si, it's only a matter of time before your civilization is destroyed."

"...What can I do?"

Now that things have come to this, Gretia, who has no choice but to accept reality, also turned her gaze away.

She didn't want to show her confused and vulnerable side to Chen Qi.

But her bewildered words still revealed her true feelings.

"I am the governor of Agor. What I can do is protect the civilians of Agor and maintain the continuation of Agor civilization."

"Do you want me to betray the Agor leadership?"

“Let me raise my spear, point it at those consuls, and say, ‘Step down, consuls, from now on we will rule Agor!’”

"Then what have I become?"

Goredia gave a weak, mocking laugh:

"Traitor? National thief? A parasite even more despicable than Hai Si?"

"I would rather die than become that kind of being."

Just imagining herself, who had dedicated half her life to the Agor civilization, becoming a traitor one day was unacceptable to Goredia.

"—Then go die." However, what Greta received was Chen Qi's reply, which was so calm that it made her heart tremble, after a long silence.

Looking up in disbelief, when she saw the disappointment in Chen Qi's eyes, Gretia felt a sudden, sharp pain in her heart.

What exactly is going on?

Why is it that this man, whom she has never met, can so easily make her infatuated?

What exactly did this man do to me?
"I have witnessed so many Agor people giving their lives to resist the Haisi."

"See how much time, sacrifice, and resources the country has invested in dealing with the Haisi crisis."

"And all of this is just to cover up a lie, to maintain the status and rule of those high-ranking officials, so that they can continue to openly possess 'Blue Country'."

"If you know all this and still willingly become a victim of these rulers, then you might as well die."

"At least this way, you can still deceive yourself into believing that you are a martyr who sacrificed your life for your country."

With his back to Goredia, Chen Qi said calmly:

"But if you know the truth and are unwilling to make any real contribution to changing the dangerous situation of this country, even if it means death."

"Death is your only way out."

“If you don’t even have the awareness to bear the infamy in order to save the country and the people, you are not worthy of being the governor.”

"You should reflect on your own actions."

After saying that, Chen Qi didn't turn his head to look at the silent Greta behind him again, but walked straight towards Skadi.

However, just as Chen Qi and Skadi brushed past each other, and Chen Qi was about to use his magnetic field power to remind his dull-witted adopted daughter what she should be doing now.

Skadi, however, had already begun to walk slowly toward Goredia.

...This little orca, though usually a bit slow, knows exactly what to do when it comes to crucial moments.

Having realized the wisdom behind his adopted daughter's apparent foolishness, Chen Qi stopped worrying and simply smiled before heading to a corner where he would not disturb the two women.

Meanwhile, Skadi had already walked up to Gladys, who was looking lost and dazed.

"swordfish."

Skadi gave a calm, soft call, and after confirming that Gladys's gaze was on her, she earnestly explained her thoughts again.

“I want to overthrow Agor’s top leadership.”

"You may not support me, but I will still do it."

"At the very least, I want to give an explanation to all the Agorians who sacrificed their lives."

“I will also return the ‘Blue Kingdom’ that does not belong to us to Haisi in exchange for the end of the conflict between the Agorians and Haisi.”

"I want the Agorians to use their own strength to build a country that truly belongs to us."

"This is the path I'm meant to take."

However, upon hearing Skadi's words—that she could be judged as a traitor or a member of the Deep Sea Cult in Agor—Gredia, now knowing the truth, had a completely different feeling.

But unlike Skadi, who is simple-minded and only follows orders.

Knowing full well the strength and terrifying potential of Agor, Gretia was not as confident as Skadi.

"...You can't do it, Skadi."

"Even if your strength is enough to rival all the deep-sea hunters, you are still no match for Agor's military power."

"The Deep Sea Hunters are merely Agor's vanguard against the Sea Siege."

Goredia taught Skadi these most basic common sense facts.

"When a fleet surrounds you with Level VI weapons, even the strongest deep-sea hunter will only perish."

"Besides, Skadi, even if you become so powerful that the army can't suppress you, I will not support your rebellion."

“Agor is in a perilous time. Now, even the smallest flaw could become the source of our civilization’s destruction.”

"I will never support secession, much less Agor's civil war!"

Having said all that, Goredia had made her stance clear: she was determined not to be a traitor.

However, Skadi only grasped a few reasons why Goredia was unwilling to help her.

In other words, if I can meet these conditions of Gretia, then she will have no reason not to help me, right?
"What if my rebellion is only directed at Agor's high command, and doesn't cause infighting within the army or split the country?"

"In that case, Gretia, would you be willing to help me?"

As expected, as soon as Skadi said this, Goredia's gaze immediately turned serious.

"Skadi, are you planning a coup?"

They were able to gain control of the entire Agor region without inflicting massive casualties on the army.

The only way to achieve this goal is through a high-level coup.

Indeed, only a high-level coup, taking control of all the rulers in Agor immediately and using force and their lives as leverage to force them to "voluntarily" step down, can prevent military conflict or even civil war.

However, in Agor's social environment, it would be extremely difficult to launch such a coup.

Putting aside the fact that Agor's ruling party is practically an ironclad unit, there's no way anyone would support Skadi's coup.

Without an inside agent with sufficient access to the ruling class, it would be impossible to overthrow Agor's ruling party in one fell swoop, making the chances of a failed coup extremely high.

At that time, all that is needed is for one governor to step forward and declare to the public that Skadi is a rebel, and the fleet will immediately besiege Skadi.

In particular, Skadi is just a deep-sea hunter, with low rank and little power.

Where would she find the resources and connections to gather a large enough force to stage a coup with her?
This seems less realistic than the idea of ​​her defeating the entire Argonauts by herself.

But... in Goredia's heart, a sliver of hope still lingered.

Since Skadi dared to suggest a coup, perhaps she already had a whole plan in mind?

However, the moment such a thought crossed Goredia's mind, she dismissed it.

No, no, no, what am I expecting?
That's Skadi, you know.

When I was working as an electrician, people often said that Skadi was a bit dull and liked to be alone.

How could someone like that possibly have a coup plot that even he couldn't have imagined? He's probably just overthinking things...

However, just as Gladys was denying this fantasy to herself, Skadi's crimson eyes flickered slightly, and without hesitation, she uttered the thought that had just surfaced in her mind.

"What if we could control Agor's fleet?"

"What you're worried about, Swordfish, is that my betrayal will cause many deaths in Agor's fleet, allowing Hai Si to take advantage of the situation."

"But what if we could get Agor's fleet to obey our orders and have the army join us in overthrowing Agor's leadership?"

"In this way, the fleet remains undamaged, and the ruling party collapses. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Greta: "..."

Listening to Skadi's grand plan with such an air of entitlement, as if it could be easily accomplished.

On this day, after being shocked for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Goredia had no choice but to re-evaluate her teammate, who was usually lost in thought.

For the first time, Goredia sensed a deep-seated cunning in Skadi's calm and composed demeanor.

For the first time, Goredia felt as if she had never truly understood Skadi.

This little orca, which usually gives the impression of being harmless and adorable... seems to be more than it appears.

"What exactly do you want to do, Skadi?"

"I want the commanders in charge of the fleet to stand with us."

Skadi answered without hesitation.

During this year, Skadi not only improved her strength, but also spent a lot of time being instilled with many historical secrets of the pre-civilization by her adoptive father.

According to his adoptive father, since he wanted to overthrow the leadership of Agor, it was necessary to learn some relevant experiences from previous civilizations.

Although Skadi slept soundly most of the time during her academic studies, when she was awake, the words went in one ear and out the other.

But once you hear it, it will leave an impression.

From her fragmented memories, Skadi quickly came up with a template similar to her own situation.

"If you, Swordfish, are willing to help, we can even replace the commanders of each fleet with members of our Deepsea Hunters."

“We can unite all those who are working with us through an organization.”

"How about we name the organization 'One Heart Society'?"

Skadi casually revealed her plan.

However, he did not realize how much his words had shocked Greta and Chen Qi, who was listening nearby.

Goredia was shocked to realize that she had truly underestimated Skadi.

This seemingly simple and honest girl actually harbors such a strong ambition!
Upon hearing who Skadi was imitating, Chen Qi was only stunned for a moment before revealing a smile that was hard to tell whether it was one of relief or helplessness.

After all, the person her adopted daughter wanted to emulate was hardly worthy of praise.

But at least, this simple-minded hunter now knows what methods he should use to achieve his goal.

(End of this chapter)