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

Chapter 40 The Rebirth of Letania, and the Movements of Various Countries
A few days later, almost every country on the continent of Terra learned of a major news event that shocked its leaders.

The twin queens of Letania were overthrown once again, just four years after overthrowing the Witch King's rule!

The once invincible twin queens have now been reduced to servants of the new emperor, a fact that has sparked an explosive discussion throughout Letania.

The new king of Letania was a commoner emperor without a surname, named "Qi".

This caused an uproar among the high-ranking officials of various countries.

[A commoner overthrew the powerful twin empresses?]

This is something unheard of in any country on the continent of Terra.

Because in the world of Terra, whether you are born strong or not, in a sense, determines your potential.

Just like Originium Arts, some people are born with an extremely high aptitude for Originium Arts, allowing them to become powerful casters faster and easier than ordinary people.

[However, some people have inherently low adaptability to Originium Arts, and even if such a person dedicates their entire life to it, they may never be able to become a qualified caster.]

In the continent of Terra, only those born with powerful genes can become strong.

This is an unchanging truth of this land.

[Although there are also countries like the Great Yan, whose policies are more lenient, allowing even commoners to rise to high positions as long as they possess genuine talent and ability.]

However, imperial power was still completely dominated by the naturally powerful bloodline of the true dragon.

Moreover, in Letania, a nation where the nobility monopolizes upward mobility and values ​​Originium Arts above all else.

It's virtually impossible for ordinary people to rise above their circumstances.

But now, a commoner with neither strong Originium Arts skills nor knowledge of magic or music has become the new emperor?

[And judging from the jubilant scenes in Letania, he was also deeply loved by his people?]

But before the world's top leaders could recover from this shocking news, an even more significant announcement arrived.

This time, however, news from Letania has put high-ranking officials and even those in power in various countries on high alert.

On the very second day of his ascension to the throne, he ordered the arrest of five electors and nearly half of the nobles of earldom and above on charges of "participation in a rebellion."

High-ranking officials from various countries remain silent in fear.

Because it's almost impossible to do.

Everyone knows that Letania is a loosely organized nation comprised of various nobles.

It could be said that Letania is a nation of nobles.

The nobles held control and military power over the towns and mobile cities of Letania; within their territories, they were the local emperors.

Therefore, none of Letania's emperors, not even the Witch King, had ever carried out such a massive massacre of nobles.

After all, once the edict is issued, the arrests might not even begin before the nobles, in order to protect themselves, raise an army in rebellion.

Moreover, this was such a large-scale arrest, involving half of Letania's high-ranking nobles and more than half of the Electors!

If the nobles were to band together and rebel, it would be a devastating civil war for Letania.

[While high-ranking officials from various countries were discussing the impending outbreak of an unprecedented civil war in Letania.]

A few days later, news that sent chills down their spines arrived again.

[Leytania's internal purge of its top officials proceeded with unexpectedly smooth success!]

The counts and marquises who participated in the rebellion didn't even have time to resist before being arrested by their own guards and quickly sent to Triinttelme.

The well-informed, or perhaps more astute, dukes and electors, seemingly aware of their inability to resist the new emperor, chose to flee Letania with their possessions.

But their fates were either that they failed to escape or that they were arrested and brought to justice by Kim Yul-fa.

[A few lucky nobles who managed to escape to neighboring countries all perished for various unknown reasons, such as poisoning or car accidents.]

All the nobles who were arrested were executed by being cut in half at the waist the following day in the central square of Trinityl!

None of his family members survived; they were all executed.

This massive internal purge, which should have triggered severe turmoil, came to an end in just three days.

[And even more alarming news keeps coming in.]

After a large number of high-ranking nobles were executed, their lands, for which no one inherited them, were confiscated by the state.

[At this point, the "state-owned territory" under the new emperor of Letania was already larger than the territories held by the remaining electors and nobles.]

But the new emperor was still not satisfied with the status quo.

[A few days later, the new emperor of Letania issued a decree that was considered revolutionary for most countries in the land.]

All land and all power belong to the state.

You declare that all nobles' titles, privileges, and social status will be retained, along with ownership of their mansions and management of the tower.

However, all noble territories belonged to the state, and they only had "delegative administrative power" over their respective jurisdictions.

Nobles no longer had the power to control "private armies"; all armies were under the control of the emperor and officers directly appointed by the emperor.

Every mobile city must have facilities such as courts and city councils subordinate to the state. Nobles can participate, but no one has the power to make final decisions.

All cases, whether civil or criminal, were to be tried by the courts; nobles no longer had the power to punish, execute, or exile criminals privately.

The state abolished the noble council and replaced it with a "parliament." Nobles could still participate in politics, but their eligibility to participate in parliamentary discussions depended on the official positions assigned to them by the state.

[The reaction of the remaining nobles in Letania to this policy, which was tantamount to uprooting the nobility, left the high-ranking officials of other countries dumbfounded.]

Perhaps it was because of the example of the nobles who had been executed before, or perhaps because their armies had been taken away, leaving them with no power to resist.

Ultimately, the new policies were unanimously approved by all the nobles in Parliament.

Thus, in less than three months, the new King of Letania had completed his control over Letania's military, political, and territorial affairs.

[Laetonia has stood for a thousand years, and the feats that all the wise rulers of the past could not accomplish have been achieved in the hands of this new emperor.]

[A unified nation, obeying only the emperor's will, was thus unified.]

The leaders of various countries were deeply shocked.

Soon, the leaders of various countries sensed an impending danger emanating from Letania's series of earth-shattering reforms...

"This is incredible! I never imagined that the Witch King would leave behind such a bomb before he died."

In the Grand Knight Commandery of Kazimir, the head of state, the Grand Knight Commander—Ioleta Russell—was pacing back and forth inside the Council of Assurance, feeling deeply uneasy.

As a nation directly bordering the powerful nations of Letania and Ursus, the Grand Knight Commander naturally hopes that these two nations will remain perpetually in a state of semi-death.

Originally, this wish had already been fulfilled for her after the Four Emperors' War.

In the war between the Four Emperors, Letania paid the highest price but received the least reward, and its fortunes declined as it failed to reap the benefits of the war.

Furthermore, with the death of the incredibly powerful Witch King, and thanks to the diplomacy of the Twin Queens, relations between Kazimir and Letania had already begun to stabilize. As for Ursus, there's not much more to say.

Since the death of the old emperor, Ursus has been embroiled in a prolonged civil war.

During this period, Kazimierz experienced rapid economic development because it did not participate in large-scale wars and its internal knightly tournaments were in full swing.

Although the rivalry between the knights of Kazimierz and the knights of the Merchant Guild was intensifying.

However, Kasimir's overall national strength has steadily increased in comparison.

But then, the sudden fall of the Twin Queens and the series of earth-shattering reforms in Letania made the Grand Knight Commander sense danger.

That was the smell of "war".

"Grand Knight Commander, are you worried that the new emperor of Letania will go to war with us?"

Inside the custodian council, a knight commander offered his opinion to the high knight commander, who had a furrowed brow.

"I believe that you, Grand Knight Commander, have nothing to worry about."

"The new emperor of Letania purged a large number of nobles. Although he has completely seized power, he has also lost many experienced nobles."

"Although the blood clots in Letania have been removed, they have also lost a lot of blood internally and are at their weakest."

"I think that in the short term, the new emperor of Letania should be unable to wage war against us."

"...If that's the case, then it can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune."

However, the Grand Knight Commander's vision was undoubtedly much longer-term.

She didn't entirely believe that the new emperor wouldn't have thought of this before slaughtering these nobles.

Although he didn't know the details, the Grand Knight Commander thought about the nobles who had been arrested and brought to justice by the army and the Golden Law Guard without any effort.

And those nobles who, even if they managed to escape, died mysteriously from various accidents.

Such terrifying efficiency and execution made the Grand Knight Commander not believe that Letania's "capillaries" had truly lost their ability to function due to the death of the nobles.

It is likely that this new king of Letania had already chosen his successors for these positions long before this massacre took place.

The Grand Knight quickly made a decision in his mind.

This rumored son of the Witch King is probably an even more troublesome and terrifying opponent than the Witch King himself.

"But that's not all I'm worried about."

The Grand Knight Commander, his brows furrowed, turned his gaze to the enormous virtual map before him—a map of the continent of Terra.

Her gaze was fixed on the lands of the two countries named "Syracuse" and "Victoria," and she murmured solemnly:

"What worries me more is that this Witch King's descendant is probably not satisfied with Letania's current territory."

"Grand Knight Commander, are you saying that the new emperor might launch a war against us, or against other countries?"

Another knight commander asked incredulously.

"I think he must have such ambitions."

The Grand Knight nodded, his eyes fixed on the moving city bordering Kazimir and Letania on the map, and said:
"If I remember correctly, his name is 'Qi', right?"

"The 'Black Knight' Mace, who won three championships in our previous knightly tournament, is a close associate of this new Queen of Letania."

"At the same time, she was also a spy who had infiltrated our ranks."

"During his time in Kazimierz, Jian was keen on turning our infected knights against us and spreading the ideas of that new emperor."

"That book, it's called 'Mein Kampf,' isn't it? I also had someone buy me a copy in Letania and read it once."

"...This is an emperor who is more terrifying and more insane than the Witch King."

The Grand Knight Commander shared his assessment of Inori.

"He not only wants to reclaim Syracuse, which has already become independent, but also wants to extend his reach to Bolívar, a colony that was once owned by Letania."

"If Syracuse were to return to Letania, Letania's 'Golden Melody' would be complete once again, and their national strength would rise to a new level."

"After that... I'm afraid we'll have a hard time avoiding another war with Letania."

"Does he really have the guts?" the knight commander couldn't help but ask.
"Letania's mobile cities are extremely difficult to conquer because of its towers and the 'Golden Symphony,' but the level of the Letanian army... is really not impressive."

"With the strength of the Letanian army, how could they possibly be a match for our valiant 'Silver Spear Pegasus'?"

"That's all we can hope for."

The Grand Knight shook his head, hoping that none of this would happen too quickly.

After all, unlike Letania, which had just rebuilt its internal structure, the social situation in Casimir had fallen into complete stagnation.

Almost all of Kazimir's economy has fallen under the control of the Business Federation.

In this environment, the knights' pay, logistical support, and other necessities for their expeditions all depend on the whims of the Commercial Federation.

At this point, if war breaks out, Kazimir, whose internal and external forces are not in sync, will find itself in an extremely unfavorable situation.

Just as the Grand Knight Commander was filled with worry, there was a series of urgent knocks on the door of the meeting hall.

"Come in."

The doors to the meeting hall were immediately pushed open, and a messenger rushed in, panting, and said to the Grand Knight Commander:

"Great, Grand Knight Commander, there's new news from Letania!"

"What is it?"

Since Qi ascended the throne, several countries surrounding Letania, including Kazimir, have been watching his every move.

After catching his breath, the messenger anxiously reported to the Grand Knight Commander:
"Ley, the new emperor of Letania, has just sent a request to Victoria!"

"He demanded that a referendum be held in several mobile cities that Letania was entitled to during the Four Emperors' War but did not have control over!"

"We demand that Victoria's representative reconsider with him the war benefits that Letania should receive in the Four Emperors War!"

They're here already?!
The Grand Knight Commander, who was momentarily stunned by the news, quickly realized the seriousness of the matter.

"From the very beginning, it's Victoria... one of the top military powers on this land?"

"Such boldness, this new emperor of Letania is truly extraordinary."

The Grand Knight Commander had to admit that he might have guessed wrong.

This war will likely come sooner than she anticipated.

This is the first chapter today; there will be another update tonight!
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(End of this chapter)