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

Chapter 62 The Arrival of the Sarkaz, Theresis's Cooperation (Please Subscribe)

[After the Lightbringer Clan, the heroic family of Kazimir, surrendered, your rule in Kazimir was finally secured.]

You retain Russell, who surrendered on behalf of Qazimir, to continue governing the half of Qazimir occupied by Letania.

As for those merchants who chose to betray the "Business Federation" of Kazimir in pursuit of a freer and more open business environment.

You also gave them the promised return.

[In the Knights' Arena, the final barrier in Kazimierz has been broken.]

Most of these competitive knights, born into commoner backgrounds and supported and packaged by capital, can finally achieve a leap from commoner to noble through knightly competitions!

[You declare that the champion of the Knights' Tournament, regardless of status or birth, will be granted the title of knight and the rank of "Sir"!]

[Furthermore, you've lifted the restrictions on the infected, allowing infected knightly orders to participate in knightly competitions.]

Furthermore, if any infected individual wins the Knights Tournament, you, in the name of the Emperor, promise to grant them the same treatment and status as nobles.

At the same time, you did not forget to reorganize the army in Kazimir.

In this war of national annihilation, almost all members of the "Silver Spear and Heavenly Horse" guild perished on the battlefield.

The knights and nobles have lost their most powerful military asset, leaving a huge vacuum in Kazimir's defense.

[For these defeated and demoralized knights, you also implemented policies to inspire their fighting spirit.]

Military merit determines rank and title.

[In the Great Knight Territory, you publicly declared your intention to rebuild the "Silver Spear Pegasus" Knights from among the conquering knights.]

This Silver Spear Pegasus Knights will be personally led by Marna Nearl, the second son of the Nearl family.

The sole criterion for joining the "Silver Spear Pegasus" Knights is military merit!

Once you accumulate enough military merit to join the "Silver Spear Pegasus" as a war knight, you can be granted the title of baron and become a true noble!

In other words, joining "Silver Spear Pegasus" means you've become a new noble in Kazimierz.

[Your rule-breaking policy caused a huge uproar throughout Kazimierz.]

The Business Federation never expected you to be so generous, opening the entire Kazimierz market to them!

The knights themselves hadn't expected that simply obtaining a knighthood through the knightly tournament would be something they'd never even dared to dream of before.

And this Emperor of Letania was actually so generous to them?

[Not only can you get a knight title just by playing games, but you can even become a nobleman by winning a championship?]

Is there really such a good thing in the world?

Even the infected knights who had been turned against the enemy were overjoyed.

After all, none of these infected knights had actually been to Letania.

Their knowledge of the situation of the infected in Letania mostly came from the sword and some rumors.

For those living in the darkest corners of society, their belief in the mace stemmed from a "nothing can get any worse" mentality—a desperate act of self-destruction.

They never expected that you would actually keep your promise and improve the conditions for those infected.

Although the knightly arena still puts the infected knights at a disadvantage because they can't afford good equipment.

But faced with the allure of titles, the opportunity to compete fairly is an absolute blessing for them!

Moreover, Casimir is now part of Letania.

Even if you don't make it in esports, you can still support your family as a factory worker, right?

[In an instant, both the Business Federation and the Racing Knights were overjoyed by your new decree!]

[Just one week after the fall of the Great Knight Territory, the Commerce Federation announced that the Knights' Tournament would continue!]

[Moreover, this knightly tournament is absolutely the largest in the history of Kazimierz!]

Whether sponsored by the Business Federation or independent competitive knights, from infected individuals to seasoned warriors, everyone enthusiastically signed up for the knightly competition!

[And for the majority of the conquest knights, who were also born commoners and whose strength would never allow them to become "Silver Spear Pegasus" in their lifetime, your decree undoubtedly holds immense appeal.]

After all, in the past, there were only two ways to become the "Silver Spear Pegasus" in Kazimierz.

Either you were born into nobility, or you were born with exceptional abilities.

For the continent of Terra, where "nobles and high-ranking officials are truly born with their status," these two conditions are essentially intertwined.

Now, the newly formed Silver Spear Pegasus is less concerned with birth or strength, and only judges by military merit.

This finally gave the war knights, who had always been relegated to serving as meat shields for the Silver Spear Pegasus and supplementing the battle lines, and whose treatment was not high, a chance to rise in rank!

Of course, it's unlikely that this alone will make these knights forget their national and personal grievances.

This requires time to settle and, in some forceful measures.

On the one hand, you began to have the propaganda department broadcast the situation in the Ursus-controlled Qazimir region as news throughout the country.

On the other hand, the task of reorganizing the army was entrusted to an important surrendered general.

[Marna Nearl, who used her entire family as hostages to gain your trust.]

Although you know perfectly well that Marner has absolutely no loyalty to you.

[While Marna appears unaffected by the destruction of Kazimierz, she, like her niece Margaret, harbors a deep-seated hatred for you who destroyed Kazimierz.]

But Manna, who carries the lives of countless Kazimierz civilians on his shoulders, and the safety of his own family, would never dare to betray you.

That's enough for you.

You don't expect the Qazimirs to be as fanatical and loyal to you as the Letanians.

But as long as you hold a price they can't afford, you can make them work for you.

[And in the future, after you have personally extinguished all their hopes.]

They will then abandon their illusions and truly serve you.

[While you've conquered Kazimierz for a month, bringing enormous profits to the knightly arena, and you're beaming with joy every day.]

Even better news has reached your ears.

Fremont, whom you sent to Kazdel to negotiate with the Sarkaz, has completed his mission!

The Sarkaz are willing to assist you in exchange for Letania's support and protection of Kazdel.

[And, Fremont has brought you an unexpected guest.]

Theresis, the Regent of the Sarkaz.

"The Sarkaz Regent, Theresis."

"On behalf of the entire Sarkaz, I greet Your Majesty the Emperor of Letania!"

Clad in armor, with short, neat pink and white hair, the young but unspeakable Theresis made a deep impression on Chen Qi upon their first meeting.

As the regent of the Sarkaz, Theresis adopted a very humble attitude upon their first meeting.

Not only did they immediately salute Chen Qi with the traditional Letanian hand salute, but they also immediately raised their hands in greeting.

He then knelt on one knee before Chen Qi, who sat high on the throne, as a subject, to show his respect.

Before Chen Qi could even speak, the humble Therese immediately understood and explained the source of his excitement and exhilaration.

"The Sarkaz are a 'rootless race' rejected by all nations and races on this land."

"The Sarkaz only hoped to rebuild our country on the ruins of our homeland, but what they received was repeated destruction, trampling, and humiliation."

"I thought that the Sarkaz would never have any allies on this land, and that the rise of the Sarkaz would only be possible by the united Sarkaz."

"But now, His Majesty the Emperor of Letania is not only willing to provide protection for our people, but also to lead us to fulfill our wish to avenge all the countries that have humiliated us on this land!"

At this point, even Theresis, who was always portrayed as an iron-fisted and ruthless monarch, sounded somewhat agitated.

"We, the Sarkaz, are deeply grateful for His Majesty's generosity and for giving us the opportunity for revenge!"

"For the sake of our Sarkaz descendants, we shall serve His Majesty with utmost loyalty!"

Therese's truth to what she said.

When Fremont, one of the royal court's leaders and the Lich King, signaled your alliance to the siblings Theresis and Theresia, they were utterly astonished.

After all, the only connection the Sarkaz had with distant Letania was when Kal'tsit united with various nations to destroy Kazdel.

[There is only hatred between the two sides, and no interaction whatsoever. Why is Letania extending an olive branch to them at this time?]

However, after Fremont explained the situation to the siblings, they immediately realized that they had been drawn into a vortex known as "World War."

A Letanian emperor who aspires to unify the continent of Terra needs the Sarkaz as his weapons to accomplish his grand ambition.

In return, he will grant the Sarkaz the long-awaited protection and prosperity, as well as the continuation of their race!

Moreover, Fremont, the Lich King who had lived for thousands of years, offered his assessment of the brother and sister: "This kid's future achievements will definitely surpass that of Helhunzoren!"

"Helhunzoren only knows how to rely on his own strength, hoping that he can do everything and solve all the problems by himself."

"He regarded all those inferior to him as ants, and as a result, he was overthrown by the combined power of those he regarded as ants."

"But this kid is different."

The brother and sister vividly remembered the lich lord, a man of great knowledge and high standards, whose tone involuntarily revealed... pride when he mentioned the emperor of Letania.
It's as if the emperor of Letania he mentioned is a child he raised himself.

“This kid crawled out of the slums, so he’s not arrogant. On the contrary, he’s very good at some of the little tricks that even Herhunzoren couldn’t figure out.”

"He was elected by the common people, so he knew how to unite all the forces that could be united."

“I believe he can definitely go further and stand higher than Helhunzoren.”

“This is also an opportunity for us.”

"The fragile order that this land maintains is about to be reshuffled, and we Sarkaz cannot afford not to take sides."

"If we stand in the right position, the continuation and revival of the Sarkaz race may not be a distant fantasy!"

However, as Fremont had predicted.

The brother and sister, who hold the fate of the Sarkaz in their hands, still disagree on whether they are willing to follow in Letania's footsteps.

Theresis has always advocated revenge against all the nations on Terra that have inflicted pain upon the Sarkaz.

Completing this revenge will not only unite the loosely organized Sarkaz clan in their hatred of the enemy, but also bring together all of their strength.

[Furthermore, this war will make the nations of Terra understand that the Sarkaz are no longer a race they can manipulate at will; they now possess the power to defend their dignity.]

Dignity and freedom cannot be achieved through peace and begging, but must be built upon sufficient iron and blood.

[Even though the Sarkaz were originally the only race, Theresis was determined to wage this war.]

Now, with the powerful Letanian Empire, aligned with their goals, as their ally, their chances of winning this revenge have undoubtedly increased significantly!

The Sarkaz could use this war to exact their revenge in the least costly way, and in return, enjoy a long period of peace and prosperity.

[Although this emperor of Letania may soon settle scores with the Sarkaz after this war is over.]

But now, the best opportunity to start a war is right in front of them, and Theresis doesn't want to let it slip away.

Theresa, however, had a longer-term perspective.

She didn't believe the Letanian Empire could continue its victories indefinitely.

The Sarkaz could have capitalized on this turbulent international environment to rebuild their homeland as much as possible.

[And once this world war ends, all nations will be exhausted, which will be the golden age for the Sarkaz to continue.]

[If the Sarkaz race gets involved in such a world war and chooses the wrong side...]

The defeated Sarkaz will face an even more severe international environment than before, and may even... be wiped out along with the Letanian Empire!

Theresa didn't want to risk the lives of the Sarkaz race.

But ultimately, what made Tracy make this decision was a book that Fremont brought him.

That is the second half of "Mein Kampf," which you wrote.

[In this notebook, which has not yet been officially printed, you have written down many of your own ideas and insights.]

[In it, you criticized the bizarre political structures of various nations in Terra, explained the importance of a robust rear base for resource generation, and outlined a series of ideas regarding military reforms in Terra.]

And many of your ideas resonated with Theresis.

[And some ideas, which Theresis hadn't even considered, were like a treasure trove.]

[And it was your book that made Theresis decide to throw all the Sarkaz she could control into this war!]

Therese understands that you are similar to him.

Therefore, Theresis is even more convinced that you will be the Sarkaz's savior, and in the future, their nightmare.

Therefore, he chose to gamble everything, doing everything possible to seize all the benefits the Sarkaz could gain after this war.

All of this is for the sake of a war that will inevitably break out between him and you in the future.

But at least, until all of this comes to pass, Theresis is willing to stand by you.

That's enough.

“Then, welcome to the Sarkaz clan to fight alongside us, Theresis.”

Having already understood all of Therese's little schemes, Chen Qi concealed all his thoughts beneath a calm and composed expression.

He took the initiative to help Theresis, who was kneeling on one knee, to her feet. Both were monarchs who ruled with an iron fist and were known for their cold-bloodedness, and they had long seen through each other in their eyes.

However, for their own purposes, both kings tacitly maintained this "friendship".

"Now that the Sarkaz have joined forces with us..."

"Then we should work together and have a good discussion about what our next step should be."

Chen Qi looked at Theresis, the character he remembered most from the game, who was portrayed as a wise ruler. The thought of fighting alongside him filled him with emotion.

But he was mostly just curious.

What kind of talents does this Sarkaz regent possess, and how much can he contribute to his strategy?

"Right on my mind."

Similarly, Therese, who was also extremely curious about Chen Qi, had an intense thirst for knowledge shining in her eyes and bluntly stated:
"I also very much want to discuss with Your Majesty my ideas on governance, military reform, and other related matters."

"Okay, then..."

Just as Chen Qi was about to take advantage of the situation and have a proper talk with Therese about how to advance into Victoria.

A series of urgent knocks on the door broke the atmosphere between the two.

"Prayer—Your Majesty!"

The person who entered was Lappland, who was in charge of the intelligence department.

She was unusually anxious and was about to speak, but when she saw Therese was there, she immediately changed her mind and became even more respectful to Chen Qi.

"Lappland, what happened?"

Noticing the slightly subtle expression on Lappland's face, Chen Qi glanced at Theresis beside him and immediately said:
"It's alright, Theresis is an ally who stands with us."

"Tell me what information you have obtained."

"—Your Majesty, a message about Victoria has been sent from Duke Gertrude of Bolívar."

"Duke Gertrude seems to have evidence that Victoria is about to take action against us."

"They came so fast, they didn't even give us a chance to catch our breath."

Upon hearing that the intelligence was sent by Gertrude, Chen Qi no longer had any doubts, and his eyes became even more sharp.

Beside him, Therese, who also sensed the impending outbreak of war, wore an expression almost identical to Chen Qi's.

Victoria.

This superpower was naturally among the countries that destroyed Kazdel.

It seems that Sarkaz's revenge is about to begin.

“It seems that this time, we may have to rely on the power of the Sarkaz clan, Your Highness Theresis.”

Chen Qi turned his gaze to Theresis beside him, a slight smile playing on his lips as he asked:

“Then, Your Highness Theresis.”

"How many Sarkaz troops did you bring this time?"

“Not many.” Theresis said calmly, but her hand clenched into a fist with excitement at the prospect of revenge being so close at hand.

“Fifty thousand Sarkaz mercenaries, ten thousand royal court soldiers, as well as pardoners, three royal court lords, and a military council.”

Therese spoke calmly of the military force that was almost the entire Sarkaz nation's strength.

This military force is enough to make any nation on the continent of Terra pay a bloody price.

But Theresis was still not satisfied.

He turned his gaze to Chen Qi and revealed a plan he had been plotting for a long time.

“Your Majesty, if you are going to war with Victoria, I think my Sarkaz army can provide you with an opportunity.”

"An opportunity to take Victoria all at once."

(End of this chapter)