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

Chapter 17 The Letanian Version of "Mein Kampf"

After a trial that ended without major incident, what you gained was far better than you expected.

[You bypassed the process of enlightenment at Dragon Field and obtained the title of Earl. Moreover, this did not sever your ties with your organization members; you remain the sole savior in the hearts of the vast and helpless people of Letania.]

[Your party has become a formal, legal organization, and after winning this nationally televised trial, it has begun to expand at an astonishing rate!]

You have given hope to all the helpless and powerless common people of Letania, who had no one to stand up against the government and the powerful nobility. They all firmly believe that only you can protect them.

[Especially after the Twin Queens approved of your actions, this has further convinced the people of Letania of this.]

[Many civilians and infected individuals have even traveled long distances, specifically from other mobile cities, to seek refuge with you.]

In the short period of just over a month you've been recovering from your injury, your party has expanded to over ten thousand members.

[This number is terrifying in the context of Terra. It's roughly one-twentieth the population of a small mobile city.]

[And the standing army of Letania, a small mobile city, including guards, police, and other armed forces, numbers only about a thousand.]

This means that as long as you can find a way to solve the weapons problem, you can seize control of a mobile city by force.

Now, members of an organization of this size are all gathered in your mobile city.

This isn't even the most terrifying aspect of your organization's development.

In court, you voluntarily give all of your earldom's territory to the families of the fallen soldiers. Those who do not wish for the territory can exchange it for an official position or title, as well as money as compensation.

This has led to many members of your organization transforming from civilians and infected individuals into knights, executives, captains of the guard, tax collectors, and other pillars of the organization.

Although their official positions and titles were not high.

But under your meticulous planning, they began to become a force that permeated the capillaries of a mobile city.

You now possess a group of mid-level officials and nobles who are utterly loyal to you and have the power to influence the operation of a mobile city.

Furthermore, as time goes on, they will promote and win over a large number of grassroots cadres and subordinates. These people will become new members of your organization, further expanding your control over this mobile city.

Of course, there are also families who desire territory but fear they lack the ability to manage or defend it, and therefore dare not accept it.

You gave them a perfect answer to this.

You can manage the territory on their behalf.

Of all taxes levied on the territory, you shall only collect 30% as an administration fee, and the remaining 70% shall be given to the families of the martyrs as their due compensation.

This division was far more favorable than the 50/50 split between the emperor and the nobles under Letanian law, and naturally, no one refused.

[And regarding the territory you govern, what most people didn't expect was that you didn't choose some extremely wealthy areas, but instead unhesitatingly designated the entire slum as your territory.]

"I really don't know what you're thinking. There are so many fertile places that you could have been your territory, but you chose to be a slum count."

Beside Chen Qi, Jian gazed at the beer hall, which had remained largely unchanged until now, and after a moment of silence, voiced his guess:
"Are you worried that after you leave the slums, the people in the organization will think that you are no longer one of them?"

"Ok?"

Chen Qi, who was writing something with his head down, looked up in surprise when he heard that Jian could actually analyze this point.

However, after the unexpected event, Chen Qi felt mostly joy.

Although he had been training Jian as the organization's "number one combat force" ever since he learned of her identity, he believed that a steward who was skilled in both literature and martial arts was definitely more useful than a mere warrior.

Chen Qi never gave up on cultivating Jian's cultural literacy, which is why he always made sure Jian could read and write.

Looking back now, it seems that although my approach to educating Jian was rather laissez-faire, it was still quite effective!

Hasn't he already learned to grasp the crux of the problem?
"Being able to say that, Jian, even if you asked me to go to jail again, I would be willing."

"However, you still haven't told me everything. I have many other considerations for choosing the slums as my territory."

"Jian, in your opinion, in terms of prestige and public support, do I have a greater advantage in the rich district or the slums?"

“That’s a slum, of course,” Jian replied without hesitation. “We built this place up bit by bit.”

"Moreover, you are a thorn in the side of the rich and nobles. The Gemini Queen even approved of your strike. They probably hate you the most."

“That’s right.” Chen Qi turned his gaze back to the book he was writing on, and then told Jian his plan:
"And if I, an earl who is a thorn in the side of the rich and noble and has no foundation, were to choose a wealthy district as my territory, would the rich and noble people living there really obediently submit to my rule?"

No, even if we persuade them to comply, we might not even be able to collect taxes. Chen Qi muttered to himself.

"From this point of view, the slums are more attractive to me than the rich neighborhoods."

“At least, I have enough reputation in the slums that people here are willing to follow my will and obey my rule, and they will not deliberately cause me trouble.”

"-- When it comes to ruling a piece of land, don't look at its wealth first, but rather whether the land is one you can rule and digest."

"As long as we can effectively extract resources from a piece of land, then that land has value to us."

“No matter how rich a piece of land is, if the people there do not support you, it will only make the cost of our rule very high, and we will not be able to make ends meet. It is better to abandon it and not use it.”

"Public opinion is the most important thing."

"Public opinion, huh..."

She murmured the word for a long while before nodding as if she understood.

But soon, a hint of helplessness crept into Jianna's gaze as she looked at Chen Qi, who was focused on writing.

This guy is always so smart, and no matter what kind of predicament he faces, he is always so calm... as if everything is under his control.

But what about yourself?

Have I really been of any help to him so far?
Jian recalled what Chen Qi had told her when they first met: in his heart, she was a powerful woman who could rival the Twin Queens in the future.

But is this really the case?
A few of the Gemini Queen's confidants alone surrounded and besieged her, leaving her powerless to fight back.

If I had been stronger back then, Qi might not have been injured, nor would she have been imprisoned.

In that case, Qi might not have benefited from misfortune and gained such high prestige today.

But Jian always felt that if this riot were to succeed, Qi should have a second, better, and smoother plan.

After all, he has always been so adept at it.

I was prepared to die for him... but I still couldn't help him.

A strong sense of unwillingness made Jian unconsciously clench her fists, and at this moment she finally made up her mind to tell Chen Qi her decision.

"Pray. I need to leave Letania for a while."

"..." Chen Qi paused for a long time before he finally understood the meaning of the mace.

"Where are you going?"

“Kazimir,” Jian answered decisively, making no attempt to conceal his purpose, stating it bluntly:

"I heard that it's a land of knights, and there's a knightly tournament there. It seems that the strongest knights gather there."

"I want to go there for a few years to hone my skills, win a few championships, earn some prize money, and become stronger so that I can come back and help you better."

"—Of course, that's assuming you haven't failed or ended up in jail by then."

At this point, a smile appeared on Jian's lips, and he made a teasing sound for the first time.

Jian believed that Chen Qi would definitely not fail.

She was even more convinced that Chen Qi shared her belief that her trip to Kazimierz would definitely not fail.

After all, they both believed that they could rival the Twin Empresses on their own.

"...Yes, I agree."

As expected, Chen Qi agreed very readily, without even trying to stop him, and simply nodded with a smile.

All of this was the outcome Jian had anticipated.

...But, for some reason, Jian felt a little disappointed, along with a strange resentment.

You bastard, I was one of the first people to follow you, right? You're just letting me go like that?

They didn't even stop me, or ask me a single question?
Although they were already used to Chen Qi's in control personality, after going through hardships and life and death together, they had long since developed a tacit understanding that required no further words.

But this time, Jian began to show some of her own emotions, just like a woman.

"...Don't you have anything to say?"

Huh? That's my own voice?
Before Jian could even realize what was happening, Chen Qi, after a moment of surprise, finally understood Jian's mindset.

So, even a mace can have a temper.

Fortunately, Chen Qi was understanding and did not expose Jian's rare little scheme.

Instead, he picked up the manuscript he had been writing and handed it to Jian.

"Then, mace, you should take this with you too."

"What is this?" Quick-witted, Jian grabbed the manuscript to cover his embarrassment, only to find it filled with Lytania's writing.

At the very top, the title of the article is clearly displayed.

Thanks to his studies over this period, Jian was able to recognize these Leitanian characters.

"...Mein Kampf?"

"These are the books I've been working on by myself while I was recovering from my injury." Chen Qi didn't hide anything and openly shared his thoughts with Jian.

"This record shows my life trajectory, my understanding and beliefs about political parties, and my expectations for the future."

“I want to distribute this book within our party, one copy for each person, and then have some literate people read it to everyone regularly, so that the public can better understand the purpose and goals of our party.”

"This is the original manuscript. You should take it with you to Kazimierz as well."

"Perhaps, in Kasimir, you can meet many people like you, like us, who suffer from oppression. Then, you can use this book to attract more people who are willing to stand with us?"

"Oh right, it's about time. I think it's time for you to learn some knowledge about acupoints."

"There are also some medical books. Knights are prone to injuries in competitions, so you need to learn some basic medical knowledge and methods of disinfection..."

"Wait, where did I put all my books? Wait for me, I'll help you organize them..."

It was only later that I realized I had so many things to tell Jian, and so many things I couldn't let go of.

Chen Qi went from being carefree at the beginning to becoming increasingly talkative, and even started busily organizing all the books that would be useful to Jian when she went to Kazimierz.

If there's anything Chen Qi regrets right now...

He regretted starting the lesson with literacy.

If I had known she was going to Kazimierz to participate in the knightly competition, I should have taught her about acupoints and emergency medical skills earlier, as these are the most useful knowledge for Jian.

However, looking at the usually composed Qi, she became so anxious and uneasy in front of her for the first time.

After a moment of silence, Jian, who witnessed all of this, revealed a smile of relief that he himself had not noticed.

She had already obtained a satisfactory answer from Chen Qi's actions.

She herself was equally important to him.

It is enough for me to know this.

Having figured this out, Jian carefully folded all the original manuscripts Chen Qi had given him and put them in his pocket. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he stepped out of the beer hall.

祈。

wait for me.

The day I return, I will be just like you, a hurricane powerful enough to overturn Letania!
"—Jian, I just finished organizing all the books, you..."

However, five minutes later, Chen Qi packed all the books and luggage he had prepared from his room.

The mace was long gone, leaving only an empty beer hall.

Looking at the deserted scenery before him, Chen Qi felt a rare sense of reluctance and emptiness, but he quickly suppressed it.

He simply didn't have the time to think about things like romantic relationships.

The fate of the Leitanian people now rests on his shoulders.

Jian has already decided to make a big splash in Kazimierz.

So, before I return with the mace, I must build my own career in Letania.

Now, Letania...

I'm finally about to take that groundbreaking first step!