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

Chapter 69 The Establishment of the Holy Empire of Letania, Vina's Unexpected Capture
The invasion of Victoria by Letania ended within 20 days with the collapse of the Victorian Empire. All eight dukes, except those killed in battle, surrendered.

At this point, the western part of Terra was virtually devoid of civilization, except for its lack of development.

[And then there's Sherag, who lives secluded in the snow-capped mountains, never having any contact with the outside world.]

All civilizations in the western part of Terra have submitted to you.

Once again, Letania, with its astonishing speed of expansion and formidable military power, has shocked all the nations of Terra.

And you, once again, have shown other nations your surging ambitions, and the powerful empire capable of realizing them.

The Casimirites, whom you had just conquered, were shocked to learn that the Victorians, whom they also loathed, hadn't even lasted 20 days.

An eerie atmosphere permeated the entire Kazimierz region.

Many Casimirians rejoiced at this, for they too had been threatened and oppressed by the Victorians' military.

Today, seeing the Victorians perish, most Casimirians feel a sense of pride and vindication.

But the sad thing is, in conquering Victoria, you also destroyed their country.

When Qazimir was first destroyed, many people believed that its demise was not due to Letania's strength, but rather to Qazimir's weakness.

After all, compared to Letania's ironclad onslaught, Casimir's Silver Spear Pegasus warriors were far too traditional.

Some Qazimirians even suspected that the Silver Spear and Pegasus were overrated, and that they had been misled by the Securities and Futures Commission's propaganda into believing they were a military superpower.

However, faced with the collapse of Victoria in less than 20 days, the Kazimir people, who had held out for two months, fell silent.

At this moment, they all realized that they had been conquered by a powerful empire.

[At this point, countless Kazimierzians, witnessing the booming economy, the increasingly large-scale knightly tournaments, and the ever-expanding goods, gradually began to abandon their thoughts of restoring Kazimierz.]

[In an instant, the entire nation of Ursus, which borders your empire, was shaken.]

Even the newly enthroned Ursus emperor, who initially advocated internal development and suppressed the military nobility, has begun to take you seriously as a significant threat.

The lands of Ursus are far too close to your empire.

Moreover, conquering Victoria, whose overall strength was almost the strongest in Terra, in just 20 days was a terrifying achievement that kept the Ursus emperor, who was completely ignorant of military affairs, up at night.

With a major war imminent, the new emperor was forced to once again rely on the military nobles, discussing how they should respond to the impending conflict.

Even the Yan Kingdom, faced with your aggressive steps toward conquest, has begun to discuss whether, in order to protect itself, it should participate in this world war.

After all, the Great Yan Dynasty was well aware that the Terra continent was fraught with danger.

The Ursus Empire's army is the most important bulwark against the "demons" of the north.

If Ursus's army suffers heavy losses, and if the "demons" of the North become rampant, who will be able to shoulder the responsibility of resisting them?

[The Great Flame Army had already expended a significant amount of military resources to guard against the "Year" and the giant beasts lurking within its borders.]

If another portion of troops were diverted to suppress the northern border, the burden on the Great Yan's military and logistical capabilities would become extremely heavy.

Such a heavy burden, if left unchecked, would be enough to bring down even the prosperous Great Yan.

Could it be that the Yan Kingdom is placing all its hopes on the fact that the Leitanian emperor will stop his conquests?

[If, when Kazimir fell, all the nations might have still harbored a sliver of hope.]

But with the fall of Victoria, every nation that has now unified the Western continent has "seen" your ambition to conquer this land.

[Having occupied the most fertile and wealthiest land on the continent of Terra, you will never stop here.]

However, you didn't seem to care much about what Ursus and Yan were discussing.

After conquering Victoria, you transferred Hildegard and Gertrude, who were originally stationed in Bolívar, to serve in Victoria.

After negotiations with the Colombian president, you brought the Colombian land that had been obstructing the connection between Bolívar and Vitória under your rule through a "land exchange."

[At this point, your empire is connected, achieving true completeness and interoperability.]

Soon, at the suggestion of several generals, realizing that the original name of your country could no longer bear witness to your great achievements, you chose to give your empire a new name.

The Holy Empire of Letania.

And you, having accomplished all of this, unusually did not choose to stay in Victoria until the local public sentiment calmed down.

Instead, you led your army back to Triinttelme, the capital of Letania.

On the way back, the people of Letania, who had long known of the emperor's impending return, welcomed you home with wild enthusiasm.

All the people of Letania learned from the newspapers that their great emperor had lifted the Breath of Kings, a power that "only an emperor approved by Victoria could lift."

[And at Victoria's royal tomb, he announced the conquest of Victoria.]

This was an utterly humiliating disgrace for the Victorians, enough to make them furious and feel as if their very bones had been broken.

[But for the Letanians, this was a glorious victory that washed away all the shame they had accumulated since the Four Emperors War!]

From the border of Letania all the way to your tower in Triinttelme, the roads are strewn with flowers given to you by the Letanians.

On both sides of the road, thousands of enthusiastic Letanians cheered you with all their might.

[Because so many Leitanian civilians came along the way to admire your splendor, the various mobile cities even had to concentrate their guards and set up positions on both sides of the road to maintain order.]

Along the way, you saw countless people cheering for you, applauding for you, saluting you, and even crying with emotion or kneeling on the ground.

Without a doubt, you have become the greatest emperor in the hearts of the Letanian people!

[Without exception!]

You raised an army to avenge Leitania, eradicating its shame and restoring its national strength and dignity, which it can be proud of most.

[You have achieved something no one in Letania, or even the entire continent of Terra, has ever accomplished—conquering half of Terra!]

You will become an object of admiration, respect, and relentless striving to surpass for countless emperors throughout history.

Your achievements have shattered the understanding of everyone on the continent of Terra, and the sheer scale of your empire is astonishing.

There is no one else in front of you.

[But after this triumphant return, few know what you, the greatest emperor, are truly thinking at this moment...]

"Jian, I want to stop now."

At the very top of the tower, Chen Qi gazed quietly at the vast empire he had built with his own hands, and spoke his heart to the person closest to him.

Chen Qi's words, however, made even Jian, who thought he knew him best, show a somewhat incredulous expression.

"...You mean you don't want to continue fighting?"

Who really likes war?

The continuous military campaigns had left Chen Qi exhausted, his brow furrowed with worry. He sat down on the soft sofa with a wry smile and murmured softly:
"Moreover, continuing the war will not benefit us at all."

"Now the only thing standing in our way is Ursus, but the country of Ursus... to be honest, makes me very uneasy."

[Perhaps due to the influence of your past life memories, even though you know Ursus is not the country you remember, you still have a strange sense of dread towards it.]

Your reason and intuition are telling you that even if Ursus is as dilapidated as a leaky house, don't kick it recklessly.

The steel torrent you possess, Ursus also possesses.

The numerous mines and resources you control are also present in Ursus.

Ursus may not be as wealthy as your empire, but it is a nation capable of dragging your country into an endless quagmire of war.

Blindly launching a war against Ursus is not a wise move.

Moreover, you are also wary of the little-known "demons" of the North.

This bizarre group of beings, whose power lies in "knowledge," can use pollution and assimilation to turn any creature that has knowledge of them and feels fear into a puppet.

[Then, these puppets become the perfect vehicles for them to spread pollution and expand assimilation.]

Even you, and the steel torrent forged by your mighty empire, cannot defeat these bizarre creatures.

Therefore, it would be better to halt the conquests at this time and focus more on consolidating the territory and appeasing the people.

"I do not want to leave my descendants a fragmented empire that will perish after only two generations."

"I want to pave the way for them as much as possible so that they can take over a stable country."

"What, you don't even have an empress yet, and you're already thinking about what to leave for your descendants?"

Jian shook her head with amusement, but when she was sure that Chen Qi really wanted to stop, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he greatly admired Jian, Chen Qin lacked the resolve to risk everything for his goal.

But Jian, who was always by Chen Qi's side, witnessed too many dangers and crises, and missed the chance to be with the man beside her.

Every war is like a gamble where you stake everything.

She watched Chen Qi with trepidation as he won the bets in thrilling ways time and time again.

Now, they have made a fortune.

Jian also increasingly did not want Chen Qi to continue gambling.

"So, my dear Emperor, do you have any candidates in mind for the position of Empress?"

"If you don't mind, I would quite recommend Viviana's birth mother."

Jian leaned against a pillar next to Chen Qi and offered his suggestion with great interest:

"She is a good woman, and she is also incredibly beautiful. Moreover, I think that for Viviana's sake, she wouldn't be too opposed to marrying again."

"Especially since the man who married her was the greatest emperor on this land."

"In that case, you will become Viviana's real father, and Viviana, whom you have carefully nurtured, can inherit your position in the future."

"...What you said is not wrong."

Chen Qi gazed at the woman who had accompanied him from the slums to the pinnacle of power, and at her words that analyzed the issues entirely from her own perspective.

Chen Qi couldn't help but smile slightly. But this time, this emperor, who was usually absolutely rational, surprisingly chose to be willful.

"But I still hope to choose someone I can trust and who can accompany me to be my queen."

"I don't need the Empress to interfere with my political judgments. All I need is a woman who understands me well and can tolerate my exhaustion."

"..."

However, Jian, unusually, did not respond to Chen Qi's almost explicit implication.

After a long pause, a smile finally appeared on Jian's slightly stunned, aloof face as he replied:
"Don't tease me, Your Majesty, I'll take it seriously."

"I am not cut out to be an empress. I am warlike and combative. I am neither a considerate and gentle woman nor a good advisor who can plan for the future."

"You'll suffer if I, a woman like me, become your empress."

"—What if I say I don't care?"

For a moment, the air at the top of the tower seemed to fall silent.

This time, even if he was deliberately feigning ignorance, Jian had no choice but to answer Chen Qi directly.

"...Qi, I'm willing to do anything for you."

"Whether it's protecting your safety, fighting for you, or repelling powerful enemies, I would be willing to die in your place."

"You helped me find the meaning of life, let me see a more distant view, and rescued me from that muddled life."

"I admire you, want to protect you, and love you from the bottom of my heart."

Jian turned his gaze solemnly to Chen Qi, a smile playing on his lips that was hard to describe as either bitter or happy.

"But, the one thing I cannot agree to is becoming empress."

“You’re no longer the Qi who sold beer in the slums and just wanted to be a doctor.”

"You need a woman who can do you a good job as your queen, not someone like me... who can't help you."

"On your shoulders lie the fate and lives of countless people from Letania, Victoria, Gaul, Tara, Casimir...

"They all need you, the emperor, to give them a stable life."

"If you become that kind of incompetent, cruel, willful, and indifferent emperor who treats human life like dirt."

"I will be the first person to take your life."

"...Usually, you protect my humanity, but this time, you let me be as rational as an emperor."

Chen Qi understood the meaning of the mace, and he was not discouraged.

Because he knew that Jian only said she was not suitable to be empress, not that she didn't love him.

That's enough.

So-called love, family affection, camaraderie... all these feelings have long since merged into a deep dependence on each other through years of companionship.

"...Speaking of which, Viviana wasn't in the tower when we came back this time. What was she doing there?"

"According to the maids in the tower, our princess seems to have started to patrol the streets while we are at war."

Thinking of this princess who was showered with love and affection, a faint smile appeared on Jian's usually aloof face.
"She seems to be inspired by Lappland and Texas, and also wants to prove that she can help."

"However, she has the Gestapo and Kim Jong-un protecting her at all times, so I think she'll be fine."

Just as Jian finished speaking, a soft knock on the door interrupted the atmosphere between the two.

Soon, with Chen Qi's permission, a Jin Law Guard pushed open the door and brought Chen Qi some unexpected news.

"Your Majesty, the diplomatic ambassador of Ursus and the envoy of Yan Kingdom, each carrying gifts, request an audience with Your Majesty."

"They said they were representing their country and came to Your Majesty to request an opportunity to explain the pros and cons for the sake of peace."

……

Meanwhile, in the lower town of Triinttelme.

Eight-year-old Viviana, dressed in simply decorated but exquisitely made clothing, listened attentively to the story told by an elderly commoner under the protection of several fully armed Gestapo officers.

"Grandpa, I understand the issue you raised."

"I will truthfully report to my father... ah, to His Majesty the impact of industrial pollution on the lives of people in the lower district."

"I think he will understand your troubles and do his best to improve your lives now."

"Thank you very much, Your Highness."

Around Viviana, a number of ordinary elderly people, women, and children from the lower town gathered.

Surprisingly, despite such a huge class gap, the common people here honestly told the princess about their troubles.

Clearly, this wasn't the first time Viviana had come to investigate the people's conditions and collect their opinions during Chen Qi's campaign.

Even the lower city, where a large number of workers and ordinary civilians gather, is very familiar with this princess.

Viviana, who had compiled all the collected suggestions into a booklet, looked at the booklet in her hand with great joy.

"Now, Father should notice me, right? I can be of help too."

"Lappland and Texas are already working hard, so I should grow up and be able to stand on my own sooner."

With this in mind, and under the protection of the Gestapo, Viviana continued her exploration deeper into the lower city with renewed vigor.

The deeper Viviana went into the lower city, the more directly she felt the difference.

Although the lower district can be considered somewhat orderly, it still lags far behind the prosperity and order of the central district.

But at that moment, Viviana's casual glance, a scene in a small alley, caught her attention.

It was an ordinary, narrow, dark, and damp alley, barely wide enough for one person to walk through, and the least noticeable corner of the city.

But right there, Viviana noticed a blonde girl leaning against the wall with a long-handled warhammer beside her.

The blonde girl was dressed in a rather fashionable street style, but she was covered in dust and looked extremely disheveled.

What struck Viviana even more was the girl's dazed and confused state of mind; she seemed like a walking corpse.

Even when water droplets hit her hair, the blonde girl remained completely unresponsive.

However, she still noticed Viviana's footsteps approaching her.

"……Who are you?"

The blonde girl instinctively gripped the warhammer beside her, forcing herself to speak as she questioned him.

However, Viviana was not intimidated by the blonde girl's wariness; instead, she noticed her fluent Victorian language.

Realizing that the blonde girl might be Victorian, and considering the recent political situation, Viviana became wary.

But she still chose to reply in gentle and considerate Victorian:
"I'm just an ordinary passerby."

"However, you don't seem to be a Letanian. Did you flee here?"

...Leytania?
So I've already arrived here?

However, it was only after Viviana reminded her that the blonde girl realized where she was.

But soon, when she noticed the fully armed Gestapo behind Viviana, a hint of hatred flashed in her eyes.

After more than ten days of fleeing, Vina was exhausted both physically and mentally, and was now like a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.

"So...you're here to arrest me, you lackeys of Letania?"

“You destroyed Victoria and drove us to the brink of despair.”

"But even so, we will not yield to you—"

Sure enough, they were Victorians who had fled here.

Only then did Viviana understand why the woman in front of her was in such a disheveled state.

But before Vina could muster all her strength to lift the hammer, Viviana, completely unaware of the danger, couldn't help but mutter to herself:
"But, destroy Victoria? I don't remember anything like that happening."

“I remember that Victoria only gave up resistance completely because all four dukes announced their surrender.”

"Varied--"

However, Viviana's words became the final straw that broke Vina's spirit, inflicting immense emotional trauma on this orphan of the Victorian royal family.

Upon learning the truth, Vina felt a wave of dizziness and collapsed forward, unable to support herself any longer.

"boom."

"Huh? What's wrong with you?"

Seeing Vina suddenly collapse, Viviana, who was encountering such a situation for the first time, was also at a loss and did not know what to do.

Fortunately, the Gestapo officers around her immediately surrounded her, and after sensing Vina's presence, they said:

"Your Highness, she collapsed from hunger and cold, coupled with long-term exhaustion."

"Your Highness, what do you intend to do with this remnant of the Victorian regime? Will you imprison him, or deal with him on the spot?"

"There's no need to be so brutal."

Eight-year-old Viviana quickly shook her head at the sight of these Gestapo officers who were always ready to take lives, and after careful consideration, she made her own judgment.

"No matter what, we can't just let her collapse here and be left to fend for herself..."

"Then let's take her back to the tower and let her recuperate properly."

"I also need to tell my father about this."

"Perhaps this Sister Victoria can help Father figure out how to change the Victorians' opinion of him in the future."

(End of this chapter)