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

Chapter 29: Conflict Escalates, Twin Empresses' Plan to Assassinate Chen Qi?
"boom!!"

"Arrogant! Lawless! Reckless! Disregarding the laws and authority of Letania!"

"This kind of person wants to become regent? Watch me send Kim Yul-fa to arrest him for contempt of Congress!"

This time, the atmosphere in the Twin Towers was exceptionally heavy. None of the servants and guards responsible for serving the Twin Queens dared to approach the top of the towers.

After all, the tragic fate of that servant who dared to approach the top of the tower a few years ago, only to be blasted apart by the aftershocks of the Black Queen's Originium Arts, was still vivid in their minds.

However, while they dared not approach the very top echelons, these servants still had the audacity to discuss gossip in private.

Soon, the servants and guards, skillfully feigning their diligent work, secretly gathered together to discuss their increasingly difficult lives...

"The Black Queen is throwing a tantrum again... How many times has this happened this month?"

"Is this the fifth time? Ever since I came to the tower to serve Her Majesty the Queen, Her Majesty the Black Queen has never had a good temper."

A maid who had only arrived at the Twin Towers a year ago chimed in.

"Yes, I heard that this time the council of nobles, just like before, didn't reach any conclusions. It seems that Lord Qi won't compromise until he gets the position of regent."

Another guard, who arrived at the tower around the same time, also chimed in.

"But it seems the empresses are completely unwilling to let Lord Qi obtain the position of regent?"

"Who knows? We don't know what the two empresses are thinking. Lord Qi already controls the territories of the four major regions. Whether they grant them more or not is not up to them..."

"Yes, if only Lord Qi could rule over all of Letania, then we would all be better off."

"I know that. My family members work in a factory in Lord Qi's region. Their commissions alone amount to..."

"—Hey, what are you doing?"

However, it was Kim Yul-fa, a patrol officer, who interrupted the conversation of these guards and servants.

Faced with this person who held a very high position in the tower, the guards and servants all showed expressions of fear.

"Big, my lord."

"...Go back to your posts. After Her Majesty the Queen has finished venting her anger, you will need to clean up. Be ready to be dispatched at any time."

"Yes."

Under Jin Lufawei's orders, the group left with their heads down. Just when they thought they had escaped, Jin Lufawei suddenly spoke again.

"You, and you all, stay here."

Jin Lufawei stopped those people who had spoken well of Chen Qi during their previous conversation.

Even through the eavesdropping, everyone present could feel the coldness in Jin Lufa's eyes, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"This is the Twin Towers. Anyone who dares to discuss state affairs will be punished with twenty lashes."

"I suggest you be sensible. I'll go easy on you. Let the executioners handle it; that'll be enough to kill you."

"The rest of you, this is none of your business, step back."

"Yes……"

As soon as Jin Lufawei finished speaking, those who had escaped the disaster quickly fled the scene.

Before leaving, they couldn't help but feel a deep pity for their companions who were about to be whipped, hoping they could survive this ordeal...

However, once all the irrelevant people had left the scene, the cold aura emanating from Jin Lufawei quickly disappeared.

When he turned his gaze to the servants who had been left behind, he met their faint smiles.

"...Your Grace, please allow me to give you my greetings."

Jin Lufawei's low voice revealed the unknown identities of himself, and even the servants in front of him.

They were all spies sent to the Twin Towers by Gertrude's men, from the "Ministry of State Security"!

"So, what progress has your work made recently?"

"very nice."

A servant also took out a slip of paper from the bottom of his shoe, and after scanning the surroundings, handed the information to the Golden Law Guard.

“Recently, the servants and guards in the tower have been talking more and more about the twin queens.”

“We are deliberately guiding their thinking so that they can be turned against us when the adults need them in the future.”

"We also have some intelligence that we've gathered, and we've categorized it into those with high and low accuracy; it's all here."

"Well done." Jin Lifawei nodded in satisfaction.

"These people may seem insignificant, but they are the closest to the Twin Queens... Making good use of them might provide great assistance to Lord Qi's future actions."

"I will send your intelligence out. You continue to lie low and protect yourselves."

"—For victory!"

In a secluded corner, several spies with different duties and positions, but who shared the same ideals, expressed their loyalty and fervor for their leader in their own way.

How many other pawns, like them, are hidden in the shadows within this tower?
Perhaps this is a secret that will not be revealed until the very end.

And at this moment, we return to the top floor of the Twin Towers.

Only after the Black Queen had completely vented all the resentment in her heart did the White Queen, who had been resting with her eyes closed, finally speak and ask:
"Herlinmat, have you calmed down now?"

“If you’ve calmed down, then let’s have a proper discussion about how to handle Qi’s problem.”

Black Queen: "...I lost my composure."

"But I still can't stand it, Liselotte, do you understand?"

"He's practically an ungrateful Lupo!"

"We spared his life in court in the hope that he would be promoted to keep an eye on those lawless nobles for us!"

"But what about him? We've been so lenient with him, we didn't even hold him accountable for the death of Shi Tongling, the Marquis of Xuandi... and he still doesn't know how to restrain himself!"

"Four major regions! His ambition isn't satisfied with ruling four major regions?"

"What exactly is he trying to do?! Does he really think he can take over all of Letania?!"

From the moment she was created as a weapon to fight the Witch King until now, as the Queen of Letania, the Black Queen can't remember the last time she was so enraged.

The Black Queen was not someone who used her power to vent her emotions recklessly.

The only thing in this world that could quickly evoke her disgust and anger was anything related to the Witch King.

Now, she has another person connected to the Witch King, but one who is even more infuriating than when she faced the Witch King.

"Moreover, we can't just kill him like that."

The Black Queen said through gritted teeth:
"He's not just a hero of a mobile city anymore, he's practically become Letania's savior!"

"All the citizens in the region he governs are singing his praises! They say that only he can give them jobs and dignity!"

"If we just casually order his execution, the backlash we face will be unprecedented, and it might even... trigger internal strife!"

The Black Queen's voice trembled slightly, and in the trembling, there was even a hint of sobbing from anger.

This is understandable. After all, no matter how much she hates the Witch King, she can channel her emotions into powerful magic to kill him and vent her resentment.

But facing Chen Qi... this tough nut to crack, impossible to kill and impossible to defeat.

The Black Queen felt a strong sense of humiliation, as if she had no way to use her power!

“...Perhaps I did not consider this matter before, Herlinmat.”

However, although the White Queen was relatively calm, this queen, who always presented herself as benevolent, was now completely devoid of a smile. "Or perhaps, we underestimated him from the very beginning."

“We only think of him as an ambitious man, or even as a beast driven by hatred.”

"But unexpectedly, he actually possessed the unparalleled talent to support his ambition... Even we, who should have had the upper hand, are now hesitant and fearful of him."

Even the White Queen herself did not expect that she was originally just a popular representative from the common people to counterbalance the old aristocracy.

In just three short years, he has brought such enormous trouble to his rule!
I no longer need to be wary of the old aristocracy.

Because nearly half of the old aristocracy had been won over by Chen Qi's faction and become his staunch supporters!
Chen Qi now effectively controls the rule of four major regions.

A large number of heavy and light industrial enterprises are located within his region.

Although Chen Qi wanted the position of "Regent".

But in reality, he was already half the emperor of Letania!
Now they have to rely on the other half of the old aristocracy to consolidate their position, which has further diminished their popularity among the people.

The White Queen could see that their power was slowly dying.

The longer it goes on, the more disadvantageous it will be for them.

Moreover, they shouldn't expect Chen Qi to know when to stop.

In the past two years, his party has adopted an increasingly hardline stance at the aristocratic councils.

Everyone can see it.

He would not stop until he had them dethroned from the throne of Letania.

"But Letania... absolutely cannot fall under the rule of a war maniac like the Witch King."

"The people of Letania, having already experienced the Four Emperors' War... cannot withstand a second war."

The White Queen had already made up her mind.

"Since we can't win him over, we must find a way to get rid of this scourge."

"Lizelot, you agreed?!"

This time, the Black Queen showed a hint of surprise.

After all, in the past, on such issues, she always insisted on using swift and decisive measures to quickly suppress and eliminate all opposing forces before they could cause greater trouble.

In such situations, the White Queen would advise her to restrain her murderous intent and then persuade the other party to surrender with a benevolent and gentle attitude.

However, this time, faced with her sisters' uncharacteristically tough attitude, the Black Queen paused for a moment, then immediately perked up, even her voice becoming more lively.

"With your words, I'm relieved. I'll take the people of 'The Queen's Voice' right away—"

"Wait, Hildergard, do you expect us to bear the wrath of half of Letania and risk starting a civil war to kill him?"

However, the White Queen immediately stopped her sister's actions.

In the White Queen's mind, there was a more meticulous and less risky plan.

"He cannot die at our hands, or even at the hands of those who support us."

“Otherwise, everyone will think that we orchestrated the assassination attempt against him. We can’t let the people of Letania suspect us.”

"In that case, our power and the people's support will plummet."

"...You mean, send an undercover agent to assassinate him?"

Having said all that, the Black Queen gradually understood what her sisters meant and tentatively asked this question, a conspiracy that seemed very unlike what her sisters would say.

"...No. We don't have that much time left."

After pondering for a moment, the White Queen shook her head, explaining with a bitter smile:
"For our undercover agent to have a chance to assassinate Qi, he/she must infiltrate the core circle of the opposing party..."

"To be honest, by then, Qi will probably be confident enough to make us abdicate."

"Unless... we can find someone who is willing to create opportunities for us."

“That person must be a core member of Qi’s faction. If we have someone like that to cover for us, we might be able to arrange for an assassin to kill him.”

"Furthermore, if we can frame this person for the crime, it will inevitably cause internal strife within Qi's party. At that time, it will be much easier for us to deal with them."

"...Do such people really exist?"

After some thought, the Black Queen showed a somewhat troubled expression.

During these three years of competition, the Gemini Queen had long since come to know the terrifying "brainwashing" ability of Chen Qi's faction.

Even the nobles and merchants who were initially coerced, lured, and deceived by them.

In the end, however, they all became loyal subordinates who obeyed Chen Qi's every command.

They were all blinded by the lust for power and profit, rushing forward with their heads held high.

In such a fanatical party, are there really people willing to betray him, and even within the inner circle?
"There must be someone." The White Queen bit her lower lip, though she couldn't think of anyone either, she still muttered to herself, not giving up:
"Are there any key figures who joined his team relatively early on, but due to their abilities or other issues, weren't given important roles later on..."

"There must be such people, it's just that we haven't thought of them, or dare not think of them..."

However, after the White Queen's murmur ended, silence lasted for a full ten minutes.

They subconsciously turned their gazes to each other, the Black and White Queens, and almost simultaneously thought of the same person.

“…Gertrude?”

This unbelievable name echoed softly at the top of the platform.

However, the moment the Black and White Queens simultaneously proposed this candidate, they had no other options left.

"Will she really cooperate with us?"

"She is a vicious woman who will do anything to satisfy her lust for power."

Despite the Black Queen's concerns, the White Queen was full of confidence in her decision.

"According to some of our spies who infiltrated the 'Son of the Witch King,' Gertrude's military power was taken away after Prayer's party carried out military reforms, and he was no longer in charge of training new recruits."

"To this day, I have never heard of her holding any important position."

"Although she holds the title of duke, she has no real power..."

"As one of Qi's initial investors, she was absolutely indignant about this."

"Moreover, given her position among the 'Sons of the Witch King,' she can contact Qi at any time, and Qi's vigilance towards her is almost the lowest."

The more the White Queen muttered to herself, the more convinced she became that Gertrude was the only one who could carry out her plan!
Not only does she have a reason to want to kill Qi, but her capricious and power-hungry nature also makes her someone who can be persuaded!
Therefore, the White Queen, having made up her mind, immediately made her own arrangements.

"—Tell all the nobles that we have made a decision."

"At the next council of nobles, we will formally appoint Qi as the Regent of Letania!"

"In addition, send out our 'Queen's Voice' to secretly contact Gertrude."

Having determined the course of action, the White Queen immediately made her own arrangements, and with a smile returning to her lips, she was now full of confidence.

"Tell Gertrude that we will design all the plans and solutions for her, and ensure that her life will not be in danger."

"If she's willing to cooperate with us, Hildergard and I, we both swear an oath in the name of the Queen..."

"Qi's position as regent will be inherited by her!"

Chapter Two is here right on time!

Please give me your support! Please bookmark and read on. Your support is my greatest motivation!


(End of this chapter)