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

Chapter 5 We want to have our own beer hall
mace.

A natural-born warrior, a triple crown winner in Kazimierz, a guard who can beat Nymphs on the head, a woman who can single-handedly withstand an avalanche and intercept the Victoria Elite Guard.

These titles all prove that Jian is a powerful woman who ranks among the top in the Terra continent.

But all of this has nothing to do with the current mace.

Now, she is just a seventeen-year-old girl, two years younger than Chen Qi, struggling to survive in the slums, waiting for her fate to change.

"So, what are you planning to do first?"

Jian led Chen Qi deeper into the slums, and along the way, she began to inquire about Chen Qi's plans.

I'm very curious about how the first step will be taken to overthrow... no, to save Letania.

[Especially, you said you wanted to give people in the slums a dignified life.]

This extremely high goal cannot be achieved simply by shouting slogans.

For Jian, you are her only hope of escaping the slums. Therefore, she wants to know how, in your vision, a power capable of rebelling against the Twin Queens could be cultivated from a chaotic slum.

"You're dealing with the Twin Queens, how do you plan to overthrow them?"

"Don't worry."

Chen Qi was not in a hurry at all. Knowing the vast difference in power between himself and the Gemini Empress, he had no rush to do anything that would expose his important plans.

"The Gemini Queens have just ascended to the throne, and now is a time when their foundations are unstable and they lack confidence in their rule."

"If we now have an army large enough to overthrow the Twin Queens, or top-tier combat power capable of fighting them, and strike them in the back when their rule is most unstable, the probability of success will be very high."

"But unfortunately, we don't have either of those."

"So you plan to start with these two points, right?" Jian nodded, having understood. Although she was illiterate, she knew very well from her experience living in the slums that force was the foundation for survival.

"As for the army, the slums don't lack people, but I don't think they'll listen to you."

With a detached smile on his face, Jian was also telling Chen Qi about the difficulties in his plan to succeed.

"As for those who can rival the Gemini Queens..." Jian's voice paused.

"...I don't think there are any people like that here."

"—Who said that?"

However, no sooner had Jian finished speaking than Chen Qi refuted him.

Under Jian's gaze, Chen Qi still wore that composed smile, and said in a calm tone, as if stating a fact:

"Isn't there someone right beside me who can rival the Gemini Queens?"

Jian: "...Me?"

For the first time, Jian pointed at himself with a look of astonishment.

I'm playing against the Twin Queens?

This wasn't the first time Jian had faced a challenge from a strong opponent.

While in the slums, she defeated many thugs and gangs who had been running rampant in the slums for years, despite her seemingly frail physique.

For Jian, challenging the strong is like climbing a higher mountain. This experience of achieving the goal and surpassing one's own limits is the only joy Jian can feel in the slums.

But the "peak" of the Gemini Queen... it has to be said, is still a bit too high for her at the moment.

It was so high that she had never even considered this possibility before.

"are you joking?"

"The Twin Queens are people who can even defeat the Witch King. I am just a defective product who can't even use Originium Arts."

Jian shook his head, clearly not taking Chen Qi's words seriously.

However, looking at Chen Qi's still composed gaze, Jian's heart involuntarily tightened.

What does that look in his eyes mean?
Does he really believe that he can rival the Gemini Queen?

Where does he get this confidence?

This kind of confidence... seems to be even stronger than her own belief that she can do it?

"Not all powerful individuals on this land rely entirely on Originium Arts, do they?"

"At least in my opinion, people who stick to the old ways and stop making progress, no matter how strong they seem on the surface, are nothing more than weaklings at heart."

"The naturally powerful Gemini Empress, in my opinion, may not be as strong as the ever-advancing Jade."

Chen Qi didn't linger on this topic, after all, he knew all too well just how powerful a mace could be in combat.

Although it's unrealistic to expect a one-on-one fight against the Gemini Queen.

But he couldn't tell Jian these words now; he had to give her the motivation and confidence to move forward.

And things turned out exactly as Chen Qi had predicted.

Although he did not answer directly, Jian could still sense his confidence and expectations for him... Jian, who had never been valued like this before, felt a strange touch in his heart for the first time.

But she quickly suppressed this feeling.

"Don't just say what I want to hear. I'm not going to fight the Gemini Queen for you."

"I just want to leave the slums. As for what you're talking about, the ideal of letting people in the slums live with dignity... I'm not that interested."

The impenetrable mind forged in the slums made Jian incredibly calm and rational.

She knew that he only wanted to use her to realize his vague and unrealistic ideal.

All she wanted was to use him to leave the slum and gain a dignified life.

There's no need for me to go to such lengths for him, even at the cost of my life.

At least for now, she has no reason.

"I don't want to fall and be shattered with you, nor do I think you can really achieve that dream."

"I just want to learn a skill from you, understand?"

Chen Qi: "--It's okay, I won't force you."

Despite Jian's feigned indifference, Chen Qi smiled calmly.

After all, the mace's words might deceive people, but the system won't.

Chen Qike remembered very clearly that the reason he was able to touch Jian's heart was because he said that he wanted everyone in the slums to live with dignity.

The reason Jian denied it was probably simply because she didn't believe he could do it.

Or perhaps, her difficult life in the slums made her unwilling to trust anyone.

However, since his words could move her, Chen Qi firmly believed that deep down, Jian still harbored a "great sense of righteousness" to save more people like herself.

It's just that this "righteousness" is bound by the chains of reality.

“I heard that there is an old saying in the Great Yan Dynasty: ‘When you are successful, you should help the world; when you are unsuccessful, you should cultivate your own virtue.’”

“I believe that when you, Miss Jian, no longer have to worry about where to find your next meal, you will understand that we are actually the same kind of people.”

Jian: "...Think what you want, I won't change my mind easily."

Jian did not answer; feeling somewhat agitated, she simply walked forward in silence.

Chen Qi, understanding the situation, remained silent and followed her deeper into the slums. [Jian has led you to the heart of the slums; this is her refuge.]

Along the way, you saw countless people, some ragged, others emaciated, whose eyes gleamed with greed and wariness as they saw you, clothed and well-dressed, walking down the street.

However, when they notice that what's beside you is a mace, they quickly suppress that thought.

You even noticed that many people were looking at the mace with awe, even worship... Clearly, the mace held a very prestigious position in the slums.

This makes you even more convinced that with the help of the mace, you can achieve your goal in the slums more quickly.

Recruit more like-minded people in the slums and build your own power base.

"Big Sister, you're back!"

"Ah."

When the group of people surrounded him, Jian was clearly familiar with them. He casually broke off a piece of bread from the paper bag and shared it with the people in front of him.

Although the amount of bread is probably only enough for a few bites.

But in this slum, a single loaf of bread is enough to trigger a looting frenzy, or even death.

"Take it," the mace said expressionlessly.
“Your wages alone can’t support such a large family… But with me here, those bullies and scavengers won’t dare to act recklessly here.”

"Don't complain about the small amount. I need to be well-fed to have the strength to fight, so you can go home safely every day without being extorted by others, understand?"

"Of course I understand! Of course I understand!"

The people surrounding the mace bowed and scraped, demonstrating their respect for it through their actions.

After all, this was the only reward they could offer him, given that they were penniless.

Chen Qi stood aside, silently observing the real scene of the slum before him, and the most authentic people in the slum.

...Only after the mace was no longer surrounded did Chen Qi smile and step forward to speak:

“Miss Jian, as I said before, we are the same kind of people.”

"...Don't misunderstand, I just thought that instead of facing a group of starving, crazy people who come to steal my food every time, it would actually reduce some trouble for me to share some with them."

Jian shook his head, looking at those who treated dignity as worthless in order to survive, and a trace of sadness flashed in his eyes.

"Look at them, Qi. Is this the person you want to win over to overthrow the Twin Queens?"

"They're all sickly from Oripathy, they don't even have the strength to fight back... Are you sure they can be of any use?"

Chen Qi: "...They are indeed sick, I can tell."

"But what they need is not doctors, no. Doctors can't save them."

[With Originium spreading across their bodies, their clothes disheveled, their faces sallow and emaciated... at a glance, you can tell that anyone here suffers from numerous ailments.]

You understand, the people in the slums all suffer from a disease called "numbness."

The monotonous daily routine had eroded their hope for resistance, and they hadn't even considered why they had fallen to such a state.

They just silently endured it.

[This alone makes it clear that these people are definitely not the kind of people you need to shake the rule of the Gemini Queens.]

But you didn't give up.

You are a doctor who specializes in treating "difficult and complex diseases."

Numbness does not mean the absence of anger.

But how do you reignite their anger and get them to follow you and gamble on a possibility?

This is not a psychological problem that a doctor can solve.

"Then what can save them?" Jian Wei raised her head curiously, looking directly into Chen Qi's eyes.

Chen Qi's answer to this was resounding and without any hesitation.

"It's about making them realize that they have the right to be angry, and that they could have lived."

"...However, it's too early to say that now. I don't have any credibility here. No one would be willing to follow someone who is new here and can't even support himself."

"So, I think our first priority is to establish ourselves in the slums and open a store that can attract more people and encourage them to spend money. What do you think?"

"Open a store?"

Upon hearing this term, Jian, who had absolutely no business sense, seemed a bit bewildered.

However, she soon realized that this might be a good idea.

After all, slums aren't without shops; convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and house rentals are all viable businesses in slums.

It's called a slum simply because it's home to a large number of infected people with meager incomes who are treated like laborers; it doesn't mean that slums are only about looting and killing.

Money still works here.

"The question is, where did you get the money to open the shop?" Jian asked.

"You don't have to worry about that."

Chen Qi patted the package his parents had given him when he ran away from home. It contained many things that were extremely useful to him—money, of course.

Moreover, his parents clearly foresaw their fate, and in the end, they transferred all of their family property to him.

This was more than enough for Chen Qi to survive in the slums and to run a decent business.

"So what kind of shop are you planning to open?"

Seeing that Chen Qi wasn't worried about money, and fearing that she would have to work as Chen Qi's laborer in exchange for his knowledge of human weaknesses, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is it a medical clinic?" Jian immediately thought of Chen Qi's strengths.

“I told you, Jian, the people here don’t need doctors.”

Chen Qi shook his head.

"Even if I open a clinic and lower the prices to the level that fits the slums, not many people will be willing to come for treatment."

"Besides, if I keep driving down the price, I won't be able to procure good medicine, and in the end, I won't be able to save them."

"...So what kind of shop are you planning to open?" Jian was a little confused.

However, at that very moment, an option from the system appeared before Chen Qi.

[If you're determined to establish yourself in the slums, then what kind of shop could serve as your "base camp" against the Gemini Queens?]

【A. Clinic】

【B. Cafe】

【C. House for Rent】

【D. Beer Hall】

"I think that for them, a real 'hospital' is a place where they can vent their emotions."

Chen Qi smiled slightly, his mind still made up, and said to the mace with a resounding voice:

"Of course, they also need a little stimulation to say things they wouldn't normally dare to say."

"Coincidentally, I can help them with this kind of stimulating 'drug'."

(End of this chapter)