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

Chapter 21: Chen Qi's Opportunity to Become an Elector?

"It's snowing... Has another year passed?"

"Time flies! Has it really been a year since we ruled Letania?"

In the Twin Towers, the Black Queen, dressed in a magnificent military uniform, quietly observes the scene of snow falling heavily outside the window.

Only when she looked at the entire city of Trinitylme covered in snow could she briefly escape the anxiety of her political duties.

"This year has been quite bumpy, hasn't it?"

As sisters created together, the White Queen naturally understood the Black Queen's inner turmoil.

Or rather, it was precisely because the White Queen was more adept at politics that she understood what the Black Queen was worried about.

"A year has passed, and thanks to Qi, our control over the nobles has finally begun to take effect."

"They finally couldn't stand the constant harassment of strikes and demonstrations and were willing to make some compromises with the people in their territory... We have finally taken back some of the concessions we made to the nobles in order to ascend to the throne."

"Although this process will be long, perhaps ten or twenty years, before we can slowly regain firm control of Letania, it is better than doing nothing."

"But is that remnant willing to give us ten or twenty years?"

The Black Queen's words brought the White Queen back to reality.

Clearly, the Black Queen is more anxious about the increasingly out-of-control troubles than about future plans.

"You mean, Qi?"

"Who else but him?"

The Black Queen's tone revealed an undisguised murderous intent. Although she and Chen Qi had never met even once in a year, she harbored a deep-seated hostility towards him.

This naturally includes the Black Queen's aversion to Chen Qi's long horns, which are identical to those of the Witch King.

Although reason told her that Qi could not possibly be a descendant of the Witch King.

But the long horns still made it difficult for the Black Queen to control her emotions, and she regarded Chen Qi as a major threat.

What truly makes the Black Queen hate him to the core is Chen Qi's recent actions.

Chen Qi, together with several earls, carried out military, political, and economic reforms in their respective territories as if seeking revenge. As time went on, it was impossible to keep this from the twin empresses.

Almost everything Chen Qi did was a relentless test of the Black Queen's sensitive nerves.

"You've read his books, haven't you? That guy makes no attempt to hide his ambition."

The Black Queen paced back and forth angrily, saying:
"What about establishing a dictatorial government, militarizing Letania, developing its military industry, expanding its army, and even reclaiming Syracuse and Bolívar..."

"I think he just wants to become the second Witch King! He'll start wars everywhere like the Witch King, bringing devastating disasters to this land!"

"And this guy is already doing it!"

In a fit of anger, the Black Queen casually drew a musical note in the air, and in the blink of an eye, a pre-drawn map of Letania appeared before the Twin Queens.

On this map, the territories of the nine electors of Letania, as well as the lands of different nobles, are all marked with different colors.

On the map, the red area representing Qi has now occupied a large portion of the border.

What's even more surprising is that, compared to the Elector Werner von Hochberren, who actually controls this region, Chen Qi's territory already covers about half of the region!
"Only one year... I wonder what kind of poison this remnant gave those nobles." The Black Queen stared at the red domain controlled by Chen Qi on the map, her eyes filled with undisguised killing intent.

“Gertrude alone is one thing, but we took away the territory that her family had held for generations. It would be better if she colluded with the remnants.”

"But why—we paid such a high price to win the support of these nobles, and what about him?!"

"What exactly did this guy do to get so many nobles to ally with him and be willing to take his orders? They even handed over their private soldiers to him for training?"

The Black Queen couldn't understand how Chen Qi had managed to tame this group of greedy nobles, or what methods he had used or what benefits he had promised.

Having dealt with these nobles countless times, I know their stubborn and complacent nature well. How easy is it to get them to spit out even a little of the meat they've already eaten?

But how did that guy manage to do something that none of them could?

"Could it be... some kind of mind control Originium Arts?" Unable to figure it out, the Black Queen could only guess at a reason that she thought could explain everything.

Fortunately, the White Queen, unable to bear her sister's incessant chatter any longer, gently interjected:
"I think he probably relied on his personal charm alone."

"After all, if he really was controlling people with Originium Arts, with our strength, it would be impossible for us not to notice."

Moreover, the ability to control so many people's Originium Arts... If Qi really has such terrifying abilities, he wouldn't need to develop his own territory at all; he could just start a rebellion.

But the White Queen understood her sisters' concerns, and after some contemplation, she quietly expressed her judgment.

"Actually, I have been sending people from the 'Queen's Voice' to investigate the truth in Qi's territory."

"The mobile cities under Qi's jurisdiction have long since returned to order, and he has moved a large number of factories, businesses, and newspapers into the mobile cities under his control, thus solving the major problem of unemployment."

"They told me that all the citizens there loved him so much that they were almost fanatical, to the point that anyone who dared to say a bad word about him on the street would be torn to pieces by the passersby."

"He's really good at publicity; that's how the newspaper is supposed to use him, right?"

The Black Queen clearly understood Chen Qi's method, and she had to nod in agreement that this was something they had been neglecting for a long time.

The twin queens are pragmatists, and as rulers, they do not expect the common people of Letania to fully understand their policies and the helplessness behind them.

As the Queen of Letania, her inability to control the nobles only makes her appear weak and incompetent, which in turn unsettles the people.

But Chen Qi clearly didn't have this concern.

In the hearts of the citizens, he was a hero who resisted exploitation and a man who rose from commoner to earl. In terms of public opinion, Chen Qitian was more approachable than the twin empresses created by the Elector.

Moreover, Chen Qi knows how to make good use of the media. When it comes to publicizing his achievements and contributions, the public is much more accepting of him than they are of the policies he has implemented for the Gemini Queens.

"That's not all." The White Queen shook her head, her brows furrowing slightly as she spoke:
"According to the Queen's Voice, Count Qi has put a lot of effort into propaganda, with posters about him and his party plastered all over the streets and alleys of the mobile cities under his control."

"Moreover, whenever a nobleman was willing to entrust his mobile city to his jurisdiction, he would give a speech in the most prominent place in the city, wishing that every citizen would know that it was he who brought them benefits."

"And he also used this method to implement his new policy... The Queen's Voice said that he implemented a policy called 'conscription' in the mobile cities under his jurisdiction."

"He made every suitable man in every mobile city, or woman who was willing to join the army, undergo a period of military training."

"Forced service?" Upon hearing this, the Black Queen frowned, her tone becoming increasingly incredulous as she asked:
"How come the citizens aren't protesting under such policies?"

"Unfortunately, the truth is quite the opposite." The White Queen shook her head solemnly and said:
"This policy is very popular in the mobile cities under his jurisdiction."

"Although I don't know the details, it seems that under his policies, the treatment of serving soldiers is comparable to that of the private armies of nobles..."

"This is impossible!"

However, faced with these messages brought by the Queen's Voice, the Black Queen gritted her teeth, shook her head rationally, and asked the most crucial question.

"Where did he get so much money to arm the army?"

"Even if all the nobles are willing to lend their full support, and all the merchants are willing to share their profits with him, how long can he sustain this?"

Even the White Queen shook her head, seemingly puzzled.

"...The Queen's Voice did not find any clues about this, but there were some subtle clues."

"Qi is developing a large-scale military industry in the mobile city, as well as projects like the warlock's staff, and there has never been a shortage of orders."

"Much of the funds probably came from other regions, as well as from countries with internal turmoil such as Bolívar, Syracuse, and Victoria."

"—You mean, he makes money off people from other countries and produces weapons for their armies?!"

The Black Queen's eyes widened upon hearing this, and instantly, a powerful surge of black energy, accompanied by her rage, almost immediately engulfed the room. "This is treason!"

"The weapons the enemy used to kill our people were actually manufactured by ourselves?! I will have this traitor cut in half at the waist and displayed to the public!"

"Calm down, Hildegard." The White Queen, looking at her sister who was gritting her teeth and practically wanted to kill Chen Qi immediately, finally spoke with a slightly more serious tone, asking calmly:

"To execute such a popular and respected count, whom we personally helped to establish, without any reason? Do you think there isn't enough turmoil in Letania?"

"Do you have evidence to prove that he is plotting rebellion or treason?"

After the White Queen finished speaking, the Twin Towers fell into an extremely eerie silence.

After silently suppressing her emotionally charged Originium Arts outburst, the Black Queen finally managed to utter a muffled sentence after a long while:
"...Then we can't just let him expand like this."

"If this continues, this guy could become the Elector through a coup."

"If his status is elevated again and his territory is expanded, what will happen next... Liselotte, I think I don't need to say more, right?"

"Of course I understand."

The White Queen nodded. Although she had promoted Chen Qi to counterbalance the aristocratic faction, she now had to admit that Chen Qi's expansion speed... had already threatened their rule.

This is an existence even more terrifying than the Witch King. He may not be powerful, but his ambition, ability, and the ideology he firmly believes in will drag everyone into the abyss called "war" once they sweep across Letania.

What's even more frightening is that such a powerful dictator is now enjoying popular support.

“...I intend to send a team of ‘Queen’s Voices’ to Qi’s territory to gather evidence of his collusion with foreign powers.”

After a period of silence, the White Queen finally made up her mind and revealed the plan she had been planning for a long time.

"In addition, I plan to send another batch of Golden Law Guards to the Elector of Shi Tong, so that he can be more vigilant against the possible armed coup by Earl Qi."

"Werner von Hochberg?"

The Black Queen also softly uttered the name of the young Shi Tongling Elector, but after hearing the White Queen's plan, she still frowned deeply and hesitantly voiced her concerns.

“His father died in the war to overthrow the Witch King, so we let him inherit his father’s title of Elector.”

"I remember he fell in love with a commoner woman, but he had to give up because he couldn't get his father's approval."

"Yes, he is still very young, so he needs our protection."

The White Queen nodded. She wasn't particularly interested in these gossips; they weren't things she needed to focus on when making arrangements.

However, despite her supposedly foolproof arrangements, the White Queen felt a sense of unease... After all, Chen Qi was an opponent she had never encountered before.

Moreover, there was something else that the White Queen was very concerned about.

Qi's former second-in-command, Jian, went to Kazimierz a year ago and became a competitive knight.

Now, a year later, with his absolute power and martial arts skills that suppress everything, he has become the new champion of the Kazimierz Knights Tournament!
The title "Black Knight" brought Kazimierz to an immense influence, like an earthquake.

But none of this mattered to the White Queen.

What she was concerned about was why Qi had sent Jian, his right-hand man, to Kazimir.
Is this a seemingly insignificant move? Or is it a crucial move that could determine the fate of the entire game?
……

"Bang bang bang."

"Come in."

Chen Qi, who was eating potatoes and checking the year's financial expenditures in his own beer hall, immediately put down his work after hearing a knock on the door.

Although he now holds a high position of power, Chen Qi still lives in the beer hall he owns, without changing the rhythm of his previous life.

Of course, his beer hall has now become the core area of ​​the party, and the constant flow of people is no longer what it used to be.

Now, only cadres and core members of political parties are qualified to enter this beer hall.

As the wooden door opened, Chen Qi finally saw the person who had arrived, and greeted them with a hint of surprise in his eyes:

"Oh, it's Marcus. What do you need me for?"

"My lord! Victory!"

Upon seeing Chen Qi, the newcomer immediately raised his right hand in the most standard military posture and addressed Chen Qi with an extremely fervent tone of worship.

This was Marcus, who had helped Chen Qi get to know Gertrude and was once a slum guard.

However, a year later, Marcus, who was among the first to join the party and made great contributions, and who was good at interpersonal relationships, had been appointed by Chen Qi as the "Director of the Logistics Management Department".

This was a lucrative position, as Marcus was responsible for overseeing all logistics and transportation within several mobile cities, as well as transit registration.

Even whether the goods can be transported or detained is entirely up to Marcus.

Although this job was considered a lucrative one, the opportunities to report directly to Chen Qi, the supreme leader, were few and far between.

Therefore, Chen Qi was also very curious about what had happened to Marcus that made him come to see him in person.

"What's wrong, Marcus? Why did you leave your post to report to me?"

"My lord." Upon discussing work, the ever-loyal Marcus immediately suppressed his fervent gaze and earnestly reported to Chen Qi:
"Some time ago, my office received a rather strange transit application."

"The goods listed on the transit application are 'fragile,' but the shipping location and delivery address make me feel it is necessary to report them to you."

"Oh?" Mentioning this, Chen Qi finally became interested, composed himself, and stared intently at Marcus, asking softly:
Where did the goods come from? Where are they going?

"The shipping address is in Marigold Alley, a very quiet street beneath the tower of the Elector of Shi Tongling," Marcus replied calmly.

"The delivery address is in a small town on the very edge of our border with Kazimierz."

As if afraid Chen Qi wouldn't understand, Marcus continued to explain the value of his intelligence, saying:
"My lord may have forgotten, but I remember that he once asked me to keep an eye on news about the Elector Marquis, saying that you were very interested in the rumors about him falling in love with a commoner woman, so..."

"—No, you've done a great job, Marcus, a truly remarkable one."

Before Marcus could finish speaking, Chen Qi, who quickly realized the importance of the news, stood up abruptly and immediately summoned the vanguard guards inside the beer hall.

After everyone had arrived and raised their hands in salute, Chen Qi solemnly gave his orders.

"You must quickly send messengers to inform all the counts of the mobile cities as fast as possible, instructing them to retain only the basic garrison forces and bring all other troops to Viseheim."

"Marcus."

"Yes!" Marcus quickly stood at attention and replied.

“I require you to track the movements of this ‘cargo’ at all times, stay in constant contact with me, and use every means at your disposal to delay its transport.”

"Please rest assured, sir! Marcus will do his utmost!"

"Okay, once it's done, I'll promote you to Director of the Transportation Bureau!"

Chen Qi was very excited and thrilled. He had waited so long and finally got this rare opportunity.

This... gives him the opportunity to skip all the formalities and become the supreme ruler of one of the nine districts of Letania, the Elector!

But after the initial excitement, Chen Qi forced himself to suppress his emotions. After barely regaining his composure, he issued his first command.

"Go and fetch Gertrude. Tell her I have an important task for her!"

Another 5-word chapter.

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(End of this chapter)