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

Chapter 25 The Witch King's Old Friend, Fremont's Visit?

The funeral of the Elector Shi Tong, presided over by you, proceeded very smoothly.

The Electors and Twin Empresses from the other eight regions, as well as many nobles not belonging to the Shitong Territory, attended the funeral.

No one who attended the funeral could believe that an elector of a major region could be brought down by a commoner count.

But ultimately, after witnessing the twin empresses personally produce the evidence proving that Shi Tongling, the Elector, was colluding with foreign powers and suspected of treason, and publicly reading his deathbed edict expressing his remorse and willingness to pass the title of Elector to you, everyone fell silent.

Although everyone at the funeral knew in their hearts that the accusation of Werner's rebellion was most likely unfounded.

However, with absolute evidence and a decree of abdication that could not possibly be forged, all the necessary procedures for the abdication had been completed.

Legally speaking, you have completed the handover of the Electorate.

The only person who could prove that the edict was the result of coercion and inducement is already lying in his coffin, unable to speak again.

Therefore, regardless of what the Twin Empresses or the nobles think, and whatever the truth may be, you are the new Elector of Shitong Territory.

[After the funeral, under the seemingly cheerful but inwardly foul-mouthed guidance of the Gemini Queens, you successfully completed the ceremony to assume the position of Emperor.]

On that day, you completed your legendary journey from a refugee struggling for survival in the slums to a true monarch.

This achievement, which even the Witch King couldn't accomplish in Letania, makes your status as Elector irrefutable.

This also signifies that, in Letania, only two people truly hold a position and power above you.

[The Gemini Empress.]

However, you don't intend to press your advantage. You are very clear-headed. Although you have become an Elector of one region, the Electors of the other eight regions are not on your side. Their power is still something you need to be wary of.

Moreover, in your plan, you don't intend to pay a very high price to physically eliminate the Gemini Queens.

[This is far too difficult and not worth the effort. It would only lead the people of Letania to believe that you are merely a rebellious overlord, which would not be conducive to your continued rule.]

Your method of overthrowing the Gemini Queens' rule must be driven by the prevailing trend. You must deprive the Gemini Queens of all support, leaving them truly isolated.

At that time, you will be the true emperor chosen by the unanimous people and nobles of Letania!

However, after becoming an elector, you didn't rush to win over the other electors, but instead focused on consolidating your own power base.

[All subordinates who made outstanding contributions to the mission of kidnapping Viviana and besieging the tower have been rewarded.]

[Marcus, who faithfully provided you with this information, has not only been appointed as the Director-General of the Regional Transportation Bureau, but has also been granted the title of Viscount.]

The reason it wasn't granted the rank of Earl is simply because titles above Earl must be bestowed personally by the Twin Queens. Marcus's title is the highest rank you, as Elector, can bestow.

[And in the tower, when Marcus, who had been summoned and heard of your bestowal of honor upon him, was speechless with gratitude, having invented the party's only salute gesture, could only repeatedly salute you.]

No further words are needed; you know he will be loyal to you for life.

[As for the list of even higher rewards, you quickly compiled it and handed it over to the Gemini Queen.]

[And since this is your first bestowal as the newly elected Elector, it also concerns the power of other Elector heirs.]

Therefore, even though the Gemini Queen was extremely unwilling, she had no choice but to reluctantly grant her permission.

[Those earls, like Browfield, who resolutely carried out orders when you surrounded the tower, were all promoted to marquesses, and their territories and military power increased.]

[Among them, one person received the highest reward.]

This person is Gertrude.

[To this earliest angel investor, and the Count who made countless contributions to your party's development, you are now bestowing upon her the highest level of substantial reward.]

[The Duke.]

The news spread rapidly throughout Letania, causing a huge uproar!

After all, you're not like me, who knows how much Gertrude helped the party.

To the nobles and commoners outside the court, Gertrude's only apparent merit was being the only nobleman who generously sponsored your party before it was even recognized.

[A count, whose entire territory was taken away, suddenly became a duke, second only to the emperor, simply because he invested in the right person.]

This is extremely shocking news for everyone.

However, this is also news that is extremely attractive to everyone.

[Because Gertrude appears to the outside world to have received rewards far exceeding what she paid for, everyone now knows your sole criterion for employing people, as the new Elector.]

【loyalty.】

[Therefore, once everyone realized this, the nobles in the region whom you hadn't had a chance to contact quickly expressed their willingness to pledge their loyalty to you.]

Even some frustrated regions saw an opportunity with you and secretly wrote numerous letters expressing their willingness to pledge allegiance to you and their desire to act as your inside agents when you conquer other regions.

Even some of Kim's legal advisors, who were able to see the situation clearly, seemed to be wavering.

And this is the effect you hoped for after you generously rewarded Gertrude.

However, you failed to offer any praise to another member who also made significant contributions, arguably laying the foundation for your current victory.

Because you have an even more important task for her...

"Training the army?"

On this day, Viviana, who was struggling to learn how to care for a baby from the servants and had finally managed to coax the baby to sleep, heard Chen Qi give her a new appointment.

“That’s right, I want you to help me train a secret elite team.”

Chen Qi sketched out his future plans on paper, creating a diagram of the power structure for everyone after he became the Elector Marquis.

Looking at the words "Duke Gertrude" and "Assault Squad" on the map, Chen Qi had some new ideas.

"The assault teams that were formed in the past were just expanded under the guise of a police agency to appease the investigations of the Twin Queens and the Elector."

"And now, we have complete control over all the resources of a region, and we have the right to have our own army."

"A true army... composed of our most elite soldiers!"

"how do you want to do it?"

Jian gently rocked his body to keep Viviana asleep in his arms, while asking Chen Qi a question.

"I plan to cancel the assault squad's designation and form a team called the 'Guardian Army'."

Chen Qi wrote the words "Guardian Army" on the map, then drew two more lines, continuing to explain his thoughts while his hand remained on the map:

"The ordinary guards will continue to shoulder the original duties of the assault squad."

“We train them to military standards, putting them in charge of police affairs within the city, and they can also serve as a reserve force or city defense force in critical moments.”

"And the other 'armed guard' is the elite force we drew from the guard, which is the real army I envision!"

"...You mean you intend for me to train this armed guard?"

Regarding Chen Qi's plans, although he gained a lot of experience as a competitive knight in Kazimierz for a year, he still felt that he couldn't keep up with the pace.

However, when it comes to training, Jian has accumulated a lot of experience this year.

After all, in order to help Chen Qi expand his power as much as possible, Jian spent most of the year, apart from participating in competitions, in contact with the infected knights in the underground area.

Although compared to the competitive knight orders invested in by the Business Federation, the Infected Knights are poorly equipped, lack food and clothing, and are even unable to participate in formal knightly competitions.

But in order to win, they did put in more effort than the average person in terms of training.

Among them, Jian did come into contact with some members who were once legitimate knight families, but had fallen into this state due to Oripathy.

"If we use the standards I used to train them in Kazimierz, I'm afraid very few of them will be able to return intact."

"Fortunately, I did learn some training methods there that are suitable for the average person."

"—No, Jian, what I want you to help train is a more important and more elite team."

However, to Jian's surprise, Chen Qi's expectations of her were far higher than she had anticipated.

"It is no exaggeration to say that the team I envision should be a true elite force comparable to the Golden Law and Law Guard."

"If the Waffen-SS soldiers are geniuses who can take on ten men each, then every single one of the soldiers in the army you've trained will be a genius, one in ten thousand!"

As he spoke, Chen Qi drew a horizontal line on the paper where his name was, and wrote the name "Jian" on the other end.

This line signifies Jian's relationship with his direct subordinates, and further represents Jian's absolute position within the party, second only to Chen Qi.

Below the mace, Chen Qi also wrote the name of the team that had been entrusted with training the mace.

—Secret Police.

“Jian, I am handing over the Golden Law Guards that are currently under my command to you.”

“You will take them to Kazimierz, and you will be their head instructor. Help me to train them into a sharp, ruthless, and loyal team.”

"In the future, I need you, and I need them, to solve all the problems I can't handle. It will also be the most crucial step for me to overthrow the Gemini Queen."

After saying that, under Jian's gaze, Chen Qin's gaze towards her changed slightly.

Unlike his usual casual demeanor, which he only showed in front of her, Chen Qi's eyes were filled with expectation, rationality, and solemnity at this moment.

Jian realized that the current Chen Qi was not the doctor she had met in the slums.

He is now questioning her will as a king.

"Jian, may I entrust the future of Letania to you?"

"...Ha, trying to play these tricks on me?"

However, faced with Chen Qi's solemn gaze, Jian, after a lighthearted laugh, responded with the same level of seriousness. "I guarantee I will not fail in my mission... Your Highness."

During his year in Kazimierz, the mace did indeed change a lot.

But if we had to pinpoint the biggest change, it would probably be in "confidence."

In Letania, a country that only reveres Originium Arts, she is known as a "defective product who cannot use Originium Arts."

Upon arriving in Kazimierz, a land of knights where only true strength reigns supreme, Jian, relying on his martial arts skills and power, completed a tremendous transformation from a useless nobody to a "Black Knight."

Everyone praised him as a genius, a born martial artist.

Although Jian was not proud of such glory, under the constant praise, he became completely certain of his extraordinary strength.

This "confidence" makes her even more certain that she can definitely help Chen Qi.

"Furthermore, Your Highness, would you please grant me one more favor?"

"Please speak." Chen Qi nodded, agreeing to Jian's words.

The next second, however, the look in Jian's eyes as he stared at Chen Qi became even more serious than before, and he recited each word clearly:

"You've entrusted all your elite troops to me, so remember to take good care of yourself."

"In the future, the struggle between you and the Gemini Queen will definitely intensify. At that time, they will probably be even more wary of you and may even resort to some unscrupulous methods to get rid of you."

"...Don't die before I bring these secret police back to your side, understand?"

When the word "death" was mentioned, even Jian, who had defeated countless powerful enemies in Kazimierz, had a slight, almost imperceptible tremor in his voice.

But Jian wouldn't allow herself to show the slightest weakness or backing down here. She wanted to convey every word in her heart to this most important person.

"……I promise."

Hearing Jianna's heartfelt wish, Chen Qi's heart fluttered slightly, and he smiled and nodded, agreeing to this promise that he might not be able to keep.

I'm sorry, mace.

Now, I carry not just your wish, but the hopes of tens of thousands of people who have placed all their hopes on me.

If in the future, an opportunity arises that I must take risks to have a chance to seize.

I certainly won't hesitate.

Because I am no longer the person who first arrived in the slums, only shouldering the responsibility of teaching you.

Chen Qi, who had already apologized to Jian in his heart, hadn't had a chance to speak again.

The main hall of the tower was suddenly pushed open without warning.

As the sunlight shone through, an aged yet powerful voice broke the atmosphere between the two.

"What a wonderful atmosphere! The Elector who made Werner voluntarily abdicate and jump from the tower still has the leisure to talk about love?"

"I thought that a warmonger like you, who takes that old madman Witch King as his role model, would be just like him, completely ignorant of what 'love' is?"

"Oh, or are you really that old bastard's child from when he was young and still had the energy? Tell me, which mother's womb did you come from?"

"I'm really curious, who exactly is this woman who can make that guy Helhunzoren so infatuated?"

"I would posthumously award her a First Class Order of Merit before those two empresses! To commend her courage!"

"who!"

Who was it? How could she not even sense their footsteps?

With alarm bells blaring in her mind, Jian didn't even have time to get angry at the other party's vulgar words. She immediately handed Viviana, whom she was holding, to Chen Qi.

After Chen Qi held Viviana firmly in his arms, before he could even see who it was, Jian swiftly moved to the armor set up on the side of the main hall and raised a long halberd.

"Whoosh!"

The next second, with a whooshing sound, the halberd pierced through the old man's body and embedded itself in the tiles on the ground.

However, under Jian's watchful gaze, the old man's steps did not falter.

The halberd seemed to have never touched his body, but only struck his shadow.
"This……"

For a moment, even Jian was stunned, but as she watched the old man get closer and closer to Chen Qi, she no longer hesitated.

The next moment, accompanied by a whooshing sound, Jian raised his fist and charged towards the unknown old man!
“Foolish, arrogant, and presumptuous.”

"All you know is how to solve problems with brute force and recklessness. You won a championship title in Kazimierz, but didn't that teach you a thing or two?"

Just moments before the mace was about to strike the old man, his vulgar words still lingered in the mace's ears.

"Sure enough, this brat's assessment of you is spot on. You're only fit to be an instructor; you're not qualified for anything that requires a bit of brainpower."

"Noisy!"

Finally, enraged by the old man's words, Jian threw a punch.

But the next second, her vision was suddenly enveloped in darkness, and then the light quickly returned.

In the blink of an eye, Jian was almost touching the floor!
"This is……"

Although he didn't know how the old man did it, Jian realized that this must be the old man's "Originium Arts"!
This ability is like...

She was "exiled" to another space by this old man, and then it was as if she was teleported out of that space.

"boom!"

After finally managing to regain his footing, the old man was now standing in front of Chen Qi, their eyes meeting.

At this moment, Jian and Chen Qi finally saw the old man's full appearance.

He was an old man with long, pointed ears, and his beard and hair were all white.

His smart and appropriate attire proved that he was not of low status in Letania, but he did not have the long horns and animal ears that most people in Letania possessed.

But none of these matters to the mace.

After two failed attempts to test the waters, relying on his keen combat intuition, Jian had vaguely figured out the correct way to fight this old man!

"If the body is fake..."

"Then, perhaps the shadow is his true form!"

However, before Jian could charge forward again, Chen Qi suddenly spoke, interrupting her actions.

"Don't waste your energy, Jian. If he wanted to kill us, it would only take a moment."

"Hmm, not bad. You've got some brains."

The old man nodded, but in the presence of Chen Qi, the newly appointed emperor, he acted like an elder, looking Chen Qi up and down, carefully examining him before finally clicking his tongue in amazement:
"So alike, so very alike. No wonder the ostentatious sheep and the gloomy sheep suspected that you were Helhunzoren's biological son. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes."

"It's a pity. When I met Helhunzoren, that kid had already focused all his desires on his career and magic. Otherwise, I would really like to teach his own son a few spells."

"...So, Mr. Qi, who has the same long horns as Helhunzoren and is using his status as his son."

"If you really are that guy's biological son, tell me, do you know me?"

The old man, who had revealed Chen Qi's true identity in a single sentence, stared intently at him, as if trying to glean some memory from Chen Qi's eyes.

"of course."

Having seen it with his own eyes and already knowing who the old man in front of him was, Chen Qi felt no tension whatsoever.

He knew that the other party had come for him, but even more so for the Witch King... that is, for the country of Herhunzoren.

Therefore, he posed no threat to himself.

Furthermore, if he could persuade the other party, he would be an asset to him.

"The Lich King's mentor and close friend, who co-created the 'symphony' of all of Letania with the Lich King, and one of the leaders of the Sarkaz court."

“Mr. Fremont, you must have something to tell me before you come to see me, right?”

Fremont: "...Even in the Sarkaz, the number of people who know who this old man is can be counted on one hand."

"I had only heard that a guy who was suspected to be Helhunzoren's biological son had become the Elector, so I had to come out and support you."

"Looking at it now, you really are a threat. Those two bighorn sheep women might actually capsize here if they're not careful."

Fremont looked at Chen Qi, who was smiling so calmly in front of him, and who not only revealed his identity in a single sentence, but also seemed to have guessed his thoughts.

For the second time in his hundreds of years of life, he felt that there was something he "could not fathom".

The first thing that gave Fremont this feeling was the Witch King's talent and potential.

“I read your book, and it reads like something a warmonger would write who hasn’t had much schooling but whose mind is full of ideas about solving problems through war.”

“But since you want to be the emperor of Letania, I naturally want to see if you are worthy of the position that Herhunzoren once sat in.”

Fremont's tone softened, and he casually gestured for Chen Qi to sit down next to him on the steps.

“Tell me about it, child.”

"What path do you intend to lead this country that I and Helhunzoren have built together down?"

Another 6-word chapter! A new month begins, so please continue to support me, add it to your favorites, and keep reading!
(I'm begging for your support, rolling around on the floor!)



(End of this chapter)