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

Chapter 8 Destined
Marcus was born into an ordinary family in the city. His parents were both employees of the mobile city, and his older brother was a guard in the mobile city. He was the second son in the family.

However, due to the outbreak of the "Battle of the Four Emperors", his elder brother was conscripted into the army, while he served his full term because he was under the age of sixteen.

Years later, the war ended, but Marcus and his family, who had been eagerly awaiting their brother's return, received only a medal, a pension, and a death confirmation report.

According to the laws of Letania, if a hero dies in the line of duty or for the country, his family can inherit his title and property. If he does not have a title, they can inherit his official position and better treatment.

Because of his brother's sacrifice, sixteen-year-old Marcus inherited his brother's position and became the captain of the mobile city's guard, with double the salary and allowance.

He once felt immense honor and pride in his position.

Because he knew that his position not only represented him as the guardian of order in this mobile city.

It also represents the will of his deceased elder brother.

But the minor upheaval that occurred in the past few days has once again affected his life as the captain of the guards.

The Witch King is dead.

After the Gemini Queens ascended the throne, their first task was to eliminate all the remaining forces of the Witch King and to investigate those who were suspected of being favored by the Witch King and had significant promotion records.

Unfortunately, Marcus's promotion came during the final period of the Witch King's reign.

His elder brother also died on the battlefield during the reign of the Witch King.

Fortunately, Marcus's position was not high, and he was well-liked within the guard, so he was not suspected of being a "talent favored by the Witch King".

But ultimately, perhaps to avoid suspicion, or perhaps for protection, Marcus was transferred overnight from captain of the guards to a regular guard in the slums.

The slums are the areas that guards least want to be responsible for in all of Letania's mobile cities.

The infected and the poor there are not worth much money, and violence is rampant. Even guards are likely to be robbed or even killed by rioting mobs.

Especially after Marcus had only been in office for a few days, he heard that a colleague had his skull smashed and had collapsed in the slums. He felt the stark contrast firsthand, a contrast so intense that it was hard for him to accept.

Why have I fallen to this state?

Why is the merit of my own brother, who is clearly a hero who sacrificed his life for the country, not recognized?

I inherited my position from my brother, so why am I now considered a "suspected member of the Witch King's remnants" in their eyes?

Tormented by these unanswerable questions, Marcus was no longer as loyal and dedicated to protecting the citizens as he had been in the past.

He drank and gambled day and night, and even used his position as a guard to extort money from civilians—because without doing so, his salary would not be enough to support his family and his drinking.

Marcus thought that this self-destructive life would continue until he died one day from alcohol or a mob.

Until that day, he received an unusual appointment.

"Recently, a new tavern called 'Big Braukeller' opened in the heart of the slums."

“It is said that a large number of idle people gather there, and we suspect that it may become a new stronghold for slum violent groups, which could further exacerbate the unrest in the slum.”

"So, the commander orders you to go deep into the slums to investigate this tavern. Investigate the truth discreetly, and do not expose it. Do you understand?"

Marcus understood that this was clearly a high-risk job with little pay.

Therefore, he didn't have the intention of conducting a serious investigation at all; he just thought that going to a less prestigious hotel to drink would be a way to appease his superiors.

—Until he met that person.

In the chaotic and noisy bar, as soon as the voice of the man standing on the stage rang out, all the noise would automatically subside.

At that moment, he seemed to be the protagonist of the bar, and even the world.

Marcus listened to the man's speech from the audience, somewhat skeptical.

Gradually, Marcus's attention was drawn to the man's speech on stage.

The man said that their increasingly worse-than-life situation was not their fault, but rather the result of the misrule of the twin empresses and electors.

He said that those who fought and bled for Letania deserved preferential treatment.

It was the Gemini Queens who, in order to please the Electors and consolidate their positions, offered the wealth that rightfully belonged to them to the Electors.

He also said that they should resist, they must resist.

We cannot let the heroes' blood be shed in vain, nor can we let them bleed and weep.

The people of Letania will fight to the last moment for themselves and for the country they love!
Letania should be protected by those who truly love her!

Below the stage, Marcus listened dumbfounded to the man's treasonous and shocking speech, which could even be considered "treason" in the city, yet he felt a surge of hot blood boiling in his chest, making him feel surging with emotion.

Because the man on stage finally spoke the words he had kept hidden in his heart for so long, but dared not utter!

The man seemed to see right through him; every word he spoke struck a chord deep within him, making him unable to resist clapping, shouting, and cheering him on.

During that speech, Marcus cheered with such fervor that his hands swelled up from clapping so enthusiastically.

But when the man called on everyone to join their resistance, Marcus, who was already overwhelmed with excitement, was pulled back by his own rationality.

I am different from them.

The reason these people are willing to gather together and rebel against the Twin Queens is because they have nothing to begin with.

But what about yourself?

Although I have suffered unbearable injustice, I still have a family and loved ones.

I cannot be like them, giving up everything to gamble on a future that is destined to fail.

But Marcus had to admit that he admired their courage.

Especially that man named "Qi" who dared to say those words and led them in rebellion.

So the next day, Marcus arrived at the tavern as promised, becoming yet another guest who came specifically to hear Qi's speech.

He thought that even if his own stance wouldn't allow him to support Qi,

But at least, he can support them in his own way.

But today, just a second before Marcus was about to push open the hotel door, his shoulder was suddenly pressed down by someone behind him without warning.

"—You're Marcus, right?"

"There's someone you're really interested in who's also looking for you. How about you do him a favor and meet him?"

Although the tone was one of negotiation, the power that Marcus felt he couldn't resist made him realize that he had probably been exposed.

Just when Marcus thought he was about to die, he was taken to the back entrance of the tavern.

And there, a figure that Marcus knew all too well was quietly waiting for him.

"You are……"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Marcus."

Chen Qi looked at the unfamiliar face in front of him who had applauded his speech yesterday, and maintained a calm and gentle smile.

“I think I should get to know you, Mr. Marcus.”

Chen Qi gestured with his eyes for the man holding Marcus to lower his guard, and then personally poured Marcus a glass of wine.

These were just ordinary little gestures, but Marcus found them incredibly strange.

Qi, who is a natural leader on stage and can easily incite the emotions of hundreds of people, actually has such a friendly and kind side.
Even so, Marcus's anxious heart calmed down a bit, and he subconsciously relaxed his guard and replied:
"Have we met? No, I don't think we have..."

“It was in the army. A comrade-in-arms who fought alongside me in the Second Army mentioned to me that he had a younger brother named Marcus.”

Chen Qi didn't give Marcus a chance to refute; with just a simple sentence, he directly struck the softest spot in Marcus's heart.

"It's a pity he didn't survive. When we found him, his heart had already been pierced by the Gauls."

"Later, my comrades and I applied for a second-class medal for him. I think you should have received it by now."

"...Yes, I got it."

Upon hearing the mention of his brother, Marcus's mental defenses crumbled almost instantly. He merely gave a bitter laugh, and said sarcastically in a resentful tone:

"But what good is that thing? Can that *Letanian slang* thing compare to my brother's life?" "He died on the battlefield because of that thing, but the government doesn't recognize his achievements at all, just because the medal was awarded during the time of the Witch King!"

"He fought for his country and died on the battlefield, but what's the point?! What's the point?!"

In his last words, Marcus's voice was like a roar, venting his resentment and injustice.

The taciturn Jian, looking at Marcus's almost unsteady figure, didn't know how to speak and could only remain silent.

"—No, it's not meaningless, Mr. Marcus."

"This means that your brother is a hero of Letania. Perhaps the higher-ups won't remember a lowly soldier like him, but the people of Letania will remember who protected them."

Chen Qi helped Marcus up by the shoulder so that the burly man could look him directly in the eye.

"And everything we do is to ensure that the blood of heroes is not shed in vain."

"Mr. Marcus, are you willing to fight alongside us one more time for your unjustly accused brother and for Letania?"

However, the moment Marcus, with tears in his eyes, looked up, he finally saw Chen Qi's full appearance up close in the darkness.

His gaze was immediately drawn to Chen Qi's horns, which were marked with blood streaks.

For a moment, Marcus's eyes glazed over.

He had seen those horns before.

Or rather, I've seen people who look a lot like those two horns.

The man in the portrait that could be seen in almost every household in Letania had horns that were very similar to Chen Qi's.

That was the portrait of the Witch King.

In an instant, a terrifying thought popped into Marcus's mind.

Looking at Chen Qi, whose gaze was resolute and who seemed like a born leader, ready to fight for Letania.

The image of the arrogant, disdainful witch king in the portrait, seemingly the most powerful and authoritative figure in the world, gradually merged with the figure before him...

"you you you……"

The terrifying speculation echoed in Marcus's mind, making his tongue tie itself in knots.

After all, his conjecture was simply too absurd and terrifying.

Unfortunately, Chen Qi was unaware of Marcus's excitement and assumed that Marcus was hesitating.

This was within his expectations.

“Relax, Mr. Marcus, we don’t need you to abandon your family and business, much less charge into battle—I will not let our heroic brothers bleed again.”

"All you need to do is use your connections and relationships to provide us with some inside information."

"For example... are there any commoners who, like us, have been harmed by the Gemini Queens' policies and could be absorbed by us?"

"Even the disgruntled minor nobles who are dissatisfied with the overthrow of the Witch King's rule... these are all people we need."

After saying that, Chen Qi seemed to think that wasn't enough, so he added his own bargaining chips.

"Of course, we won't let you work for free. For every piece of useful intelligence, I'm willing to give you 50 ducats."

"Although it's not much, please believe me, this is the limit I can offer, and our funds are not very abundant—of course, you can refuse now."

"We will not harm you. You can go home with peace of mind. Our organization does not force anyone to join."

After Chen Qi finished speaking, he felt that he had shown enough sincerity, and the rest was up to Marcus's own wishes.

To Chen Qi's surprise, Marcus calmed down unexpectedly after taking a few deep breaths.

He only asked Chen Qi one question.

"Excuse me... if you really intend to overthrow the Gemini Queens..."

Aren't you afraid that people will say you are traitors?

"...Treason?"

However, Marcus's question made Chen Qi and Jian laugh.

Needless to say, Letania never treated her well, and overthrowing Letania was purely her personal interest.

As for Chen Qi... he is indeed a Letanian in this life, but his understanding of "nation" far surpasses that of everyone else in this world.

“Mr. Marcus, a failed rebellion is treason, but a successful rebellion is revolution.”

"I don't want to whitewash our actions, but I know that justice will prevail. Whether we are remembered in history or infamous, history will give us a fair judgment."

“Mr. Marcus, don’t look at me. Think about what’s happening around you, what you’ve seen. Do you think our actions are treason or a revolution fighting for justice?”

This is not a difficult problem.

As soon as Chen Qi finished speaking, Marcus's mind was almost automatically filled with all the injustices and anger he had experienced and witnessed since the overthrow of the Witch King.

He remembered again the hundreds of people, just as indignant as he was, fighting to save themselves in that small beer hall.

The answer gradually emerged in Marcus's mind.

He understands.

Everything I've done can never be wrong!

"I understand."

"Long live the Witch King!"

Almost the instant he understood, Marcus, his blood boiling, instinctively saluted Qi, whom he believed had some connection to the Witch King, in the manner of a soldier.

But the next second, Marcus felt something was amiss.

After all, he had now betrayed the Twin Queens, and such a military salute to the supreme ruler of Letania was not appropriate to use here.

Having decided to betray, one must change all past habits, including the way one salutes.

At that moment, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, Marcus recalled a scene he had witnessed in the tavern.

The gestures of those who raised their fists or wine glasses after Chen Qi finished his speech, to show their agreement.

Marcus immediately thought of a new way of saluting that best suited them.

He stood ramrod straight like a soldier, and under the bewildered gaze of Chen Qi and Jian, he raised his right hand!

"Long live Letania!"

Chen Qi: "..."

...Why this particular posture?

I don't remember the Leitanian military salute being like this, right?

You, Marcus, are you trying to make fun of me?
Chen Qi stared at Marcus's all-too-familiar movements with mixed feelings, but he couldn't bring himself to stop the new member's enthusiasm...

...But perhaps, this is destiny.

If all the Letanians need now is a frenzy, then this may be the inevitable outcome.

If I were to actually take this path, I would be much luckier.

After all, this is Terra.

The Terrans probably can't compete with themselves, who have so much historical knowledge to back them up.

—Besides, the Jews have no objections, so what can he say?

In the end, Chen Qi, having given up all hope, also raised his arm in response to the excited Marcus in front of him.

"Long live Letania!"

(End of this chapter)