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

Chapter 43 Threats and Intimidation

“The representative of the Syracuse XII family, the founder of the Grey Hall, Madame Sicily.”

"Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor of Letania."

"……Um."

You understand very well that when dealing with countries that you cannot afford to provoke for the time being, you should maintain courtesy and refinement, making them believe that you are open to cooperation.

When faced with a weak nation that you intend to annex, you must demonstrate your strength and assertiveness to show your resolve.

To put it bluntly, they are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong.

But for the governance of a country, this is the simplest and most easily understood ironclad rule.

Strength is the foundation of absolute confidence.

Without strength, you are destined to be beaten.

[But Madame Sicily understood this from the very beginning.]

She sees the current situation even more clearly than the Duke of Windermere, who is bewitched by you.

Knowing full well her precarious situation, Madame de Sicily humbled herself, kneeling on one knee and bowing her head in reverence, as a subject would when meeting an emperor.

As for the etiquette shown to the Madonna of Sicily, you simply sat on your throne and accepted it as a matter of course.

"Please take a seat, Madame Sicily of Syracuse."

"Regarding the purpose of your trip, I believe my Foreign Minister Fremont has already explained the situation to you beforehand."

"--Yes."

Madame Sicily made thorough preparations for this meeting, so that she would not be completely overwhelmed by this emperor, who was rumored to be even more terrifying than the Witch King.

But when she arrived at the scene, she was devastated to find that the situation was even more serious than she had imagined.

In particular, she noticed the helplessness of the black and white twins standing behind Chen Qi, now enslaved maids.

And all around her, the dangerous gazes from Jian, Gertrude, and others seemed to want to devour her.

But Madame Sicily did her best to remain calm.

As Syracuse's advocate, Madame Sicily still hoped to do everything possible to ensure Syracuse's independence.

“Mr. Fremont has conveyed His Majesty’s message to me.”

"His Majesty desires that Syracuse return to Letania's rule and once again become Letania's tenth district, is that right?"

"exactly."

Chen Qi answered without the slightest emotional fluctuation:
"Letania has existed for a thousand years, and Syracuse has been a territory under Letania's rule since ancient times."

"It was not until the reign of the Witch King Helhunzoren that Syracuse's independence was recognized due to internal and external troubles, as well as the complex factions within Syracuse."

"Therefore, the Golden Law (Letanian Law), which united the various tribes that had no sense of identity at the beginning of the founding of Letania, was destroyed because of the independence of Syracuse."

"If the Witch King hadn't revised the Golden Melody in time and successfully removed the Syracuse part, Letania might have fallen into chaos."

"The people of Letania regard this as a great disgrace."

"Therefore, I should follow the will of the people, reclaim control of Syracuse, and realize the unification of Syracuse and Letania."

"I want to make the Golden Melody complete again and restore the great territory of Letania."

"Your Majesty the Emperor..."

Madame Sicily understood that this was her only chance to persuade you.

She had prepared her explanation well in advance.

For example, the twelve families of Syracuse each ruled their own territories, making it difficult for them to form a unified force. Even after returning to Letania, the twelve families would still find it extremely difficult to submit to rule.

For example, Syracuse had already developed its own unique culture before independence, and forcibly reverting to it would be very costly to rule Letania.

[If all else fails, she can also represent Syracuse in forging a permanent alliance with Letania, agreeing to pay Letania a certain amount of tribute annually as a vassal.]

And what is your choice in this regard?

"Mrs. Sicily."

"I think you seem to have misunderstood something."

Before the options could reappear, Chen Qi's aura changed once again under everyone's gaze.

He frowned slightly, a hint of impatience in his expression, and said to the Sicilian woman in front of him in a low voice:

“I have never consulted you, or even the people of Syracuse.”

"I am merely informing you, the representative of Syracuse, as the Emperor of Letania, that I will reclaim the territories belonging to Letania, nothing more."

"If you disagree..."

Chen Qi paused slightly, but not because of hesitation.

Instead, he placed the empty water glass in front of him in front of Hildegard, indicating that she should refill it.

Looking at the water glass in front of her, Hildegarde felt a pang of displeasure.

However, she knew that this important negotiation had reached a critical stage, and although she was unhappy with Qi, she did not want to ruin the negotiation.

In the end, she patiently took the water cup and walked towards the kettle.

But, at the very moment she turned around...

Chen Qi's calm voice came again:
“...Then I will have our army seize Syracuse directly from your hands.”

“Slaughter all the families and civilians in Syracuse who opposed unification.”

"Until we achieve unification through violence and bloodshed."

"Bang."

As soon as Chen Qi finished speaking, Hildegard's fingers, which had picked up the kettle, trembled slightly in surprise, and the porcelain kettle almost slipped from her grasp.

In contrast, there was an almost deathly silence in the room.

Madame Sicily felt a chill run down her spine, a coldness seeping into her very bones.

Because she sensed the calm in your tone, a calm that seemed to disregard life itself.

You made her believe that for you, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of Syracuseans was just a matter of a blink of an eye.

You won't even feel a shred of remorse for how many lives your decision led to.

All you want is results.

And that is the message you want to convey to Madame Sicily.

"Madame Sicily, would you like to make a bet with me?"

Chen Qi's tone was eerily calm as he spoke to Madame Sicily in a detached manner:
"If you dare disagree with my proposal, leave my tower."

“Then I will immediately send my army to the mobile city of Syracuse.”

"And you, even if you unite the fighting power of all twelve families, you still can't withstand my army's attack for more than half an hour."

"...Of course I believe in the terror of your army, Your Majesty the Emperor."

There was no chance to say anything, and Madame Sicily understood at that moment.

This emperor had no intention of having a proper discussion with her at all.

He was determined to swallow Syracuse whole and plunge the people of Letania into a frenzy of worship for him.

Moreover, Madame de Sicily was certain that this ambitious emperor would not be satisfied with the mere return of Syracuse.

His clutches will inevitably extend to more countries in the future, countries that are stronger and have a longer history than Syracuse.

But because of this, Madame Sicily was well aware that her choice would determine the future fate of Syracuse.

He was about to board a pirate ship that would never stop until it was destroyed.

Boarding this pirate ship means that Syracuse's fate will be intertwined with that of Letania, sharing both prosperity and ruin.

If this emperor could truly defeat all the powerful nations in the future.

Syracuse would then flourish, and "guns and order" would be fully established there. But what if Letania were to fall in the war…

So what will become of Syracuse?
Madame Sicily couldn't make that decision; she dared not gamble with the lives of hundreds of thousands of Syracuseans.

But... now, does she have a choice?
Does she have the right to make a choice?
"...Your Majesty the Emperor."

"Although Syracuse is sparsely populated and has not been independent for long, every Syracusean has a strong sense of belonging to the land they stand on."

"If Your Majesty insists on conquering Syracuse by force..."

“I feel deeply that the price I have paid for Your Majesty’s rule over this land is not worth it.”

Seemingly sensing Chen Qi's gaze shift from calm to sharp, Madame Sicily broke out in a cold sweat, but still forced herself to continue:
"Moreover, Your Majesty may not know this, but I have quite a history with Lateran."

“When I returned from Lateran, Father Agniel from Lateran also came with me to Syracuse and established a church there.”

"If Your Majesty insists on using force..."

"Latland might misunderstand His Majesty's intentions. If Lateran then holds His Majesty accountable for this, His Majesty may face unnecessary trouble."

Lateran is the nation of the Sarkaz (Angels). Geographically, it is very close to Syracuse, Victoria, and Letania.

[In order to promote their doctrine of salvation, Lateran offered a degree of protection to countries willing to accept their advocacy and establish churches.]

Moreover, the biggest difference between Lateran and a certain papal country you were familiar with in your previous life is...

[Latland in Terra really does have an army.]

Furthermore, Lateran's military strength is by no means weak; in fact, it could be considered a powerful nation.

[And you understand, Madame Sicily's words, seemingly advice, were actually a veiled threat.]

Although Syracuse was weak, it was not a country to be easily subjugated.

If you are determined to slaughter Syracuse, they will resist with all their might.

Is this Madame Sicily's defiant stance born of guilt, or her genuine feelings?

This is a psychological game between you and Madame Sicily.

“… Mace.”

Chen Qi remained silent for a moment, then softly called out Jian's name and said calmly:
"Send Madame Sicily back to Syracuse."

"it is good."

As always, Jian was concise and to the point. Addressing the Sicilian woman, whose expression was frozen and who seemed about to say something, he calmly spoke:

"Madame Sicily, please."

"...Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty."

The negotiations, which were only halfway through, came to an abrupt end.

Madame Sicily, who had only intended to use this method to persuade Chen Qi not to indiscriminately kill, immediately sensed danger from Chen Qi's order to leave.

But with the order to leave already given, Madame Sicily had no chance to make amends, no matter how much she wanted to.

In the end, she could only leave the room with Jian, filled with unease.

But, just as the room door closed...

Chen Qi's furious roar echoed from inside the room!
"The Duke of Glauffield!!"

Chen Qi's roar was so deafening that the entire tower seemed to tremble slightly.

Just as Chen Qi's roar subsided, Madame Sicily heard a series of hurried footsteps growing clearer and clearer.

A general, dressed in military uniform with medals plastered all over his chest, hurried downstairs.

The general didn't even have time to greet Madame Sicily and the mace before he hurriedly tidied his appearance and rushed into the room.

"...Madame Sicily"

"what."

What brought Madame Sicily back to reality was Jian's cold, clear voice.

Looking at the startled and flustered Madame Sicily, who had completely lost her previous composure, Jian remained expressionless and said calmly:
"Please stay close to me, I am about to take you away from the tower."

"...Okay, thank you for your help."

However, although Madame Sicily appeared calm on the surface, she was inwardly terrified.

She realized that the assertiveness she had just displayed was a huge mistake.

Syracuse may face annihilation because of its recent mistake!

……

"Your Majesty, you summoned me? Is there some war going on?"

The Duke of Glaupfield rushed over. This military nobleman, who was one of the earliest to follow Chen Qi, has now become not only a duke but also the Minister of Defense.

And when everyone present, including Glauffield, believed that a war was about to break out.

The previous rage had completely vanished from Chen Qi's face.

It was as if all of this was just an illusion.

"...Sit down, Your Grace."

"I don't need you or the army to do anything for me now."

"I just need you to stay in this room for ten minutes."

For a moment, the Duke of Glauffield was completely bewildered, having no idea what his Emperor was thinking.

Only Gertrude and the Black and White Twins, who observed Chen Qi's entire process and tactics, could grasp the essence of this game.

"...Now, this Madame Sicily will probably not be able to get a good night's sleep."

"But are you sure you're okay with not making any preparations at all?"

In the end, it was Hildergard, the former queen who was once known as the "second Witch-king" and was most skilled in intimidation and deterrence, who broke the silence in the room.

Because of her expertise, she was certain that Chen Qi's intimidation would most likely succeed.

But as a former empress, she instinctively worried that something unexpected might happen.

But Chen Qi remained remarkably calm.

"When the cannons roar, gold flows in like water."

“If you can take territory with your mouth, don’t use your army. It’s not my wish to turn Syracuse into a wasteland with countless heads.”

"I just hope to extract some value from the land of Syracuse and to ensure that our rear is no longer a concern."

"Moreover, if we actually send troops there, it might incite a united resistance from the Syracuseans, wouldn't that be a losing proposition?"

Chen Qi had his own considerations. For him, ruling should be about the cost, not about dragging the country into a quagmire of war.

He didn't want to become like Mustache, who used inhumane massacres to achieve coercive rule.

What he needs is profit and a stable, long-term rule.

Besides, Syracuse is just a small appetizer.

His true gaze was always fixed on several powerful nations not far away.

Kazimir, Victoria, Ursus...

The three great powers are still declining amid internal strife, unaware that they are in the most dangerous and vulnerable position.

Meanwhile, Letania was constantly accumulating strength, going all out for the next big battle.

The smoke of the next great battle has already been ignited.

Chapter Two for today!

It's on the new book list! (Yay!)

But the increase in the number of favorites is still so slow, sob sob. I hope everyone can add it to their favorites and give it more support!
I'm begging for your support!
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(End of this chapter)