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

Chapter 30 The Twin Queens' Show
"So, there were 378 votes in favor, 77 votes against, and 145 abstentions."

"The proposal to promote His Excellency Qi, the Elector of Shitong, to the position of Regent of Letania has been approved."

"boom!"

A month later, in the council of nobles, as the speaker's gavel fell heavily, the entire hall was quickly filled with thunderous applause and cheers after a brief silence.

This means that your party's resistance has finally forced the Gemini Queens to compromise. Your power has instilled fear in them, yet they are powerless to change it.

That day, every newspaper in Letania rushed to report this major news.

Overnight, this bombshell news spread rapidly throughout Letania!

In your region, the people living here are overjoyed! They run through the streets spreading the news, cheering and celebrating the re-promotion of their leader.

Even many Letanians outside Chen Qi's jurisdiction felt a mixture of joy and envy at the news.

Jealousy stems from the fact that although you have become regent, they are not under your rule as a patriotic and benevolent regent.

[My happiness stems from the fact that you've become regent, your voice will carry more weight, and you might be able to improve their lives in the future.]

[—What if their region comes under your jurisdiction in the future?]

Amidst great anticipation, the Regent's investiture ceremony was held the following day at the Twin Towers.

[Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, dressed in military uniform, you ascended to the top of this tower, a symbol of the highest power in Letania, for the first time in your life.]

This time, both the Black and White Queens will be present to personally bestow upon you the scepter, seal, sword, and edict that only the Emperor of Letania is worthy of possessing.

[During the investiture ceremony, the Black and White Queen explicitly granted you the position of Regent, above all other elected princes, and formally placed the four major districts under your actual control within your jurisdiction, granting you ruling, judicial, and military power over these territories.]

[Furthermore, the Gemini Queens have publicly declared that you can "enter the palace with a sword and shoes, and bow down without naming your name" before them.]

In addition, apart from the twin queens, all members of Letania, including the Electors, must perform the same kneeling ceremony as when meeting the Letanian Emperor.

Such high-level etiquette and treatment were unprecedented in the history of Letania, where no subject had ever been granted such power by a monarch.

However, the Gemini Queen's sudden concession, and the unusually high level of etiquette, made you wary.

After all, you know very well that from the very beginning, you never expected to actually become regent.

The reason for proposing this motion is to have the Gemini Queen repeatedly reject it, creating public opinion that "the Gemini Queen is unwilling to follow the will of the people in order to maintain her own power," thus creating a favorable environment for her future power grab.

This time, the Twin Queens' concession is tantamount to declaring to all the citizens of Letania—you are now only one step away from the throne of Letania.

This will bring your prestige to its peak, and will convince all the nobles that the Twin Queens are powerless to stop you.

The impact this will have on the reign of the Gemini Queens will be devastating.

But why would they agree?

[And to go to such lengths to authorize himself in front of the entire population of Letania?]

You sensed something unusual about this.

"Congratulations, Regent. To the people of Letania, you are now equivalent to a third emperor."

"You possess authority and power comparable to ours. You have everything we have, and what we lack... you probably already possess, don't you?"

After the investiture ceremony, Chen Qi, who had become the regent, had a private meeting with the twin queens on the top floor of the Twin Towers.

But during this meeting, Chen Qi, who maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, felt a strange sensation in his heart.

Standing there proudly, he looked at the White Empress on the throne, who was restless and whose face was stiff with tension.

And there was the Black Queen on the other side, her angry eyes glaring at her as if they could spew flames, but she was gripping the armrest tightly, preventing herself from exploding.

The Gemini Queens' various expressions seemed to prove their helplessness towards themselves.

They seemed to have truly given in and made concessions, behaving like two weak empresses who, seeing that the situation was hopeless, wanted to but dared not lash out.

Everything before his eyes was exactly the scene Chen Qi had been hoping for.

It was also a scene that he felt wouldn't be strange even if it happened.

After all, he currently holds a huge advantage.

Regardless of his status as regent, the conscription system he promoted in the four major regions alone allowed him to unleash a mobilization force far exceeding that of the twin queens.

In addition, he controlled the entire Letania, including 80% of its heavy and light industries, as well as various enterprises and factories related to Originium and magic.

If he wants to start a war, the five remaining districts of the Gemini Queen are certainly not as well-prepared as he is.

Let's talk about public sentiment again.

He already enjoys popular support in Letania, and even if he were to usurp the throne today, it would be a popular choice.

The Gemini Queen and her royalists have a very slim chance of winning.

But Chen Qi's rationality made him feel that the Gemini Queen's current low profile was far from what he had expected.

After all, Chen Qi, being a time traveler, knew very well what kind of people the Twin Empresses were.

They never bowed down to the Witch King, and defeated him in both political struggle and strength, transforming themselves from weapons used by the nobles to the current queens.

Even if they knew they were destined to fail... they shouldn't have acted so pathetically.

They must have some kind of plan!
"...No, Your Majesty, you are mistaken."

To test the two, Chen Qi deliberately displayed some arrogance. He calmly gazed at the twin queens before him and said, word by word:

“There is something else in your possession that I do not have.”

"Qi, don't push your luck."

However, the Black Queen, who could no longer contain her temper, suddenly stood up from her throne. She stared coldly at Chen Qi, and the Originium Arts fluctuations in her palms were already visible.

But she still tried her best to control her temper, and asked through gritted teeth:

"You are already the regent, what more do you want?"

Faced with the Black Queen's aggressive demeanor, Chen Qi remained completely unfazed and unperturbed.

He deliberately revealed what he considered the most hypocritical smile, but what he said was his deepest, suppressed goal.

"I want your thrones, Your Majesties."

"boom--!!"

Chen Qi had barely finished speaking when, in the next second, he was met with an explosive shockwave!
The enraged Black Queen unleashed a dark Originium Arts attack on Chen Qi with a ferocious aura that seemed capable of destroying everything!

In that instant, in Chen Qi's vision, the pitch-black energy that destroyed everything seemed like a prehistoric beast with its blood-red maw wide open towards him!

"stop!"

The next second, at the White Queen's stern shout, a gentle platinum energy transformed into a shield and blocked Chen Qi's path.

The golden energy appeared soft, but it absorbed all of the Black Queen's destructive dark energy. The entire tower trembled violently, comparable to an earthquake, due to the Twin Queens' Originium Arts.

The intense tremors lasted for more than ten minutes. Only when the gentle light shield in front of Chen Qi disappeared did he finally see the scene before him clearly.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the Black Queen now held a strangely shaped spear enveloped in ominous, destructive energy.

The spearhead was only ten centimeters away from him, and the hatred and indignation on the Black Queen's face were clearly visible.

However, it was the White Queen who stopped all of this, standing beside the Black Queen and pressing down on her hand that was tightly gripping the spear.

"Lizelot!"

The Black Queen glared resentfully at her sisters and roared angrily:

"Mind your own business! I'm going to kill this ambitious bastard right here!"

"That bastard child of the Witch King! We cannot allow him to run rampant in our country!"

"--Snapped!"

The next second, a clear sound rang out in the room without warning, interrupting the Black Queen's words.

Chen Qi, who was not intimidated by the Black Queen's terrifying offensive, showed a surprised expression at the scene before him.

Even the Black Queen herself seemed completely unprepared, belatedly covering her burning cheek from the slap her sister had delivered, staring blankly at the White Queen before her.

“…Hildegard, you have disappointed me greatly.”

The White Queen withdrew her hand and spoke to her sister in such a cold tone for the first time, her eyes filled with disappointment and pity.

"Can't you see? We have no chance of resisting anymore."

"Most of Letania is now in the hands of the Regent, and we have no advantage whatsoever, not even in the hearts of the people."

"If he wants to overthrow us, can we still sit so comfortably on the throne?"

“You even wanted to lay a hand on him… Hildergard, you’re so stupid.”

The White Queen spoke coldly to her dazed sister in a tone of disappointment, even her voice carrying a hint of anxiety.

"Do you want Leitania to descend into civil war? Do you want this land beneath our feet, and its millions of citizens, to be plunged into endless catastrophe because of your impulsiveness?"

"In that case, what right do we have to be worshipped by millions of people? What right do we have to be called the twins who overthrew the tyrannical witch king's rule?"

"How are we any different from that self-centered, tyrannical witch king?!"

"..."

The White Queen's reasoned and well-founded words left the Black Queen speechless for a moment.

An eerie silence lasted for a long while.

In the end, the Black Queen put away her weapons without saying a word.

She simply walked silently to the balcony of the tower, and with her back to her sisters, expressed all her thoughts.

She didn't want to be like her sisters, bowing and scraping before Chen Qi. But her reason told her that this was the right choice.

Caught between pride and rationality, she ultimately chose to avoid the situation, preferring to stay out of sight and not interfere with the White Queen's decisions.

Seeing that her sisters had finally shut up, the White Queen standing in front of Chen Qi once again resumed her kind tone.

This time, however, there was a hint of resignation in her tone.

"Your Excellency, please allow me to address you in this way."

“Hildegard and I have long known that the throne is meaningless to us. The hearts of the people of Letania are with you, and we are powerless to change it.”

“But at least… Hildergard and I both hope that you can guarantee us a final act of dignity. We still have a purpose for Letania, for this country.”

"I have read your masterpiece. In your future plans, you will also take action against Bolivar and Syracuse, and you are even prepared to compete with Victoria and Ursus, right?"

"Then at least, the existence of me and Hildergard can provide you and Letania with more security."

"As long as we're here, Ursus and Victoria will definitely have some concerns, which will be more helpful for your future plans, won't it?"

"Um……"

The White Queen's rational analysis forced Chen Qi to admit that he was somewhat convinced.

Although Chen Qi's cautious nature prevented him from keeping any members who posed a threat to him, the existence of the Gemini Queens was indeed more beneficial than harmful.

The premise is that they will actually obey you.

Although Chen Qi had previously told Fremont that he would never consider letting them go until he found a way to completely subdue the Twin Queens.

But now, looking at that posture so humble, it could even be described as pleading with the White Queen, Chen Qi hesitated once again.

He decided to test the White Queen's sincerity once more.

“What you say makes a lot of sense, Your Majesty. With you all here, it’s a good thing for both my future plans and the people of Letania.”

"--but."

The next second, Chen Qi's tone suddenly turned cold. He stared coldly at the White Queen before him, whose expression had slightly changed, and said, word by word:

"How can I be sure you'll sit obediently on the throne, instead of stabbing me in the back while I'm leading my troops into battle?"

"After all, you also joined forces with the Electors to betray the Witch King, didn't you?"

"How can I trust someone who has betrayed me once, Your Majesty?"

"...I cannot answer this question with words, Your Excellency."

However, the White Queen had clearly anticipated Chen Qi's concerns.

Knowing full well that she couldn't persuade Chen Qi to believe her with words, she could only put on an act of letting Chen Qi do as he pleased.

"But at least, please give us a chance to prove it with our actions."

"...Then, I will grant your wish."

Faced with the White Queen's even more vulnerable posture, Chen Qi suppressed the mischievous pity in his heart and maintained the tough attitude of a superior.

He slowly extended a hand toward the White Queen, and then said nothing more.

Looking at Chen Qi's palm in front of her, the White Queen remained silent for a moment before slowly closing her eyes.

The next second, her tall figure suddenly dropped in front of Chen Qi.

"I, one of the Twin Queens, Liselotte Ivignad... swear once more."

One of the twin queens of Letania, the White Queen, actually knelt before Chen Qi on one knee!
With the most devout faith, she took Chen Qi's outstretched hand in her own.

With her head bowed deeply, a testament to her pride as Empress, she uttered her vow in the most sincere tone:

"I will dedicate my loyalty to you."

The next moment, Chen Qi felt a slight coolness on the back of his hand—it was the touch of the White Queen's moist lips kissing his palm.

At this moment, the White Queen's loyalty was almost begging, while the Black Queen was completely indifferent and self-destructive.

Everything is plausible; anyone in their position would have no choice but to believe them.

After all, the Gemini Queens, such a proud being, had actually bowed and scraped to him to this extent.

If this is a scheme, then they have certainly gone to great lengths.

"……very good."

However, after the White Queen kissed his palm, Chen Qi silently withdrew his hand, and a satisfied smile finally appeared on his lips.

He withdrew his hand and no longer made things difficult for the kneeling White Queen, leaving only a single sentence before leaving.

"I will come again next time."

“…Thank you very much, Your Highness the Regent.”

"boom."

As the tower doors slowly closed, Chen Qi finally left the room. However, the Black and White Queen waited for five or six minutes to make sure that the other party did not linger or make a surprise return.

"...This is the first time I've ever seen you so groveling, Liselotte."

However, it wasn't until she was certain that Chen Qi had left that the Black Queen, who was standing by the window, finally spoke.

But this time, there wasn't a trace of resentment or complaint in her tone after being slapped by her sister. Instead, she teased her sister's obsequious attitude.

After all, everything that just happened was an act they had planned beforehand to put on to deal with Chen Qi.

"Is it really necessary to go this far? Isn't this going a bit too far?"

"...He is a cautious man, Hildegard."

After rising from her knees, the White Queen resumed her usual calm tone and replied nonchalantly:
“If we don’t eliminate all his concerns, he won’t lower his guard against us, and he will certainly not reveal the flaws we want to exploit because of his complacency.”

"For us, if sacrificing our dignity can save the people of Letania from the ravages of war... then this deal is too good to pass up."

The next second, the White Queen, having regained her smile, didn't forget to turn around and retaliate against her sister who had teased her:

"By the way, I also want to thank you, Hildegard, your acting in anger was quite good."

"I'm not acting, I really want to kill him here. If you hadn't stopped me, I really would have done it."

The Black Queen suppressed her disgust, calmly returned to her throne, and casually asked:

"So, what should we do next?"

"It's simple, just wait for Gertrude's reply."

Having made all the necessary arrangements, the White Queen was now completely confident.

“Gertrude did not answer us, but judging from Qi’s reaction… if he knew we were trying to turn Gertrude against us, he certainly wouldn’t let us off so easily.”

"So Gertrude is probably still hesitating. If we give her another push... maybe an opportunity will arise."

……

Meanwhile, Chen Qi, who had already reached the bottom of the Twin Towers, was still replaying the scene of the Twin Empresses in his mind.

His rationality and emotions left him somewhat confused: had the Gemini Queen truly given in to him, or did she have other plans?

Just as Chen Qi was pondering this, a maid who was working happened to run past him.

The maid noticed Chen Qi as well. She bowed to him with extreme fear and then quickly walked past him with her head down.

But, just as the maid brushed past Chen Qi...

Chen Qi, however, heard the maid's whisper:

"Your Highness, Lord Gertrude has something important to report."

"Here are the details. Please review them and destroy them as soon as possible."

Chen Qi felt something being slipped into his hand by the maid, but he did nothing suspicious, not even turning his head.

It wasn't until they reached the outside of the Twin Towers that Chen Qi opened the note in his hand in a secluded spot.

On the paper was Gertrude's elegant handwriting.

"My dear Regent, I have obtained a confidential intelligence concerning the Gemini Empresses' new plan."

"It seems that the two empresses are getting impatient and intend to solve the problem at its root by targeting you."

"Fortunately, they were a little careless, which allowed me to intercept this intelligence message."

“Then I await your arrival at the Tower of St. Tung – Gertrude.”

Solve the problem at its root.

Isn't that him?

After Chen Qi noticed Gertrude's choice of words, he finally understood the key to the problem after a brief moment of thought!
The Gemini Queen suddenly showed weakness.

Gertrude suddenly intercepted "important intelligence".

When all the signs came together, Chen Qi felt a sudden sense of clarity.

Gemini Queens...you really are scheming.

And what should I say in return?

The first chapter of the day~
This chapter is way too long, equivalent to two or three chapters of other people's work. I wrote until late at night and then collapsed from exhaustion.

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(End of this chapter)