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

Chapter 88 A New Simulation, Sherag!

A week later, news came from the council of the new capital of the Duchy of Victoria that shocked everyone outside.

The Duke of Normandy, who went to negotiate with the Queen regarding the independence of the Duchy of Victoria, died suddenly in the palace of Letania.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Cactus, who was traveling with him, publicly announced in Parliament that he was resigning his dukedom.

He also placed all his armed forces under the control of Her Majesty the Empress.

However, before people could recover from the news that "the Duke of Normandy was murdered by Her Majesty the Queen," which was about to be revealed.

The next day, a new decree from Her Majesty the Queen was delivered from the Letania Palace.

From this day forward, the Leitanian army will be restored to its territory in Victoria, with complete and unrestricted sovereignty.

Faced with the massive army of Leitania marching towards Victoria, the long-dormant hearts of the Leitanian people were finally ignited once more!
Their queen finally showed a hint of the king they had been waiting for!

In reality, Viviana was unaware that her father's timely appearance had, in a sense, saved his rule.

While the Letanians are not like the Ursus, who can accept tyrants, they will never accept weakness.

However, the repeated compromises not only damaged Viviana's prestige but also caused the people of Letania to lose faith in their queen.

Now, countless eyes, both in the light and in the shadows, are watching her every move closely.

If Viviana were to compromise again on this matter of principle this time...

Whether it was the army that she had recently disbanded, or the ministers who were loyal to Chen Qi, the former emperor.

They might all use the Victoria incident to attack the Queen, or even force her to abdicate.

This time, with Chen Qi's assistance, she displayed an unprecedented level of toughness.

It truly rekindled the spirits of the Leitanians, who had long yearned for victory!
This victory also saved Viviana's precarious poll numbers, allowing her to regain considerable support.

This also allowed the old ministers who had followed Chen Qi to rediscover the Empress, whom they had previously regarded as a somewhat unworthy child.

"In the end, she was still the late emperor's adopted daughter. Even if there was no blood relation, she still learned some of the emperor's majesty."

"It's hopeless, it's hopeless. Let's just continue to serve him honestly, so that we won't be ashamed to face the late emperor in the afterlife."

Many of the scheming senior ministers abandoned their petty ambitions after learning that their empress had finally revealed her strength.

However, after the potential crises were resolved, Chen Qi was not as happy as he had imagined.

And the source of all this still comes from his beloved daughter.

"What do you mean she's going to Victoria and Kazimir to inspect the people's conditions and I'm going to take over her administrative duties for a few days?"

When Chen Qi, inside the palace, thought he had completed his final mission and was about to contact Zuo Le and return to Rhodes Island with Jian to report back,

Gertrude's words left him stunned.

"That's just the surface meaning, dear late Emperor."

Gertrude replied with a smile:

“Victoria and Kazimierz remain in turmoil, and Her Majesty the Queen needs to personally visit and reassure the local people.”

"During this period, it is natural to need a regent to be in charge of domestic affairs."

"It just so happens that His Majesty the late Emperor is still alive; these state affairs naturally require His Majesty's attention."

"...Let me ask first, how long will it take for Viviana to return from this inspection?"

As Chen Qi looked at the large stack of documents in Gertrude's hands, he felt a wave of suffering, so familiar to him, wash over him once again.

In particular, he knew very well that this stack of documents was just an appetizer.

Behind him, there were at least a dozen more stacks of documents of this size waiting for him to process!

For a moment, this emperor, who could even defeat demons, was so frightened that his face turned slightly pale and his whole body tensed up.

Gertrude's subsequent smiling response further solidified Chen Qi's resolve to leave.

"It won't be long, maybe two or three months."

"I'm retired!"

Upon hearing that he would be tormented by government affairs for several more months, Chen Qi completely broke down.

He quickly dropped the book he was still reading, moved away from his seat, and said to Gertrude with a slightly fearful expression:

"Besides, isn't there Hildegard? Can't she handle these administrative matters as well?"

"Marshal Hildergard needs to protect Her Majesty the Queen. You wouldn't want your daughter to suffer the same assassination attempt as you did during your inspection tour, would you?"

Gertrude had already prepared her words, and said with a smile:
"In short, within this tower, the only one now qualified to oversee the country and act as the emperor in reviewing government affairs is you, the late Emperor."

“If you don’t take responsibility now, the empire you’ve worked so hard to build will only decline.”

"However, please rest assured, Your Majesty the late Emperor."

As she spoke, Gertrude's slender figure approached Chen Qi like a water snake.

Only when they were almost breathing each other did Gertrude gaze intently into the mind of the king she admired, her eyes filled with intense allure, before smiling and saying:
"During this period, I will serve as your secretary and be responsible for assisting you in your work."

"……forgive me."

Looking at Gertrude so close to him, and her mature body pressing against his, Chen Qi could hardly laugh anymore.

"I can't stand Jian's side alone, and I haven't even explained our relationship to Jian yet."

"Ah, Your Majesty, you seem unexpectedly slow to grasp this matter?"

However, after hearing Chen Qi's troubles, Gertrude was slightly taken aback, but then couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.

"Given the strength with which that muscular woman was protecting you, do you think I could have entered your room without her permission?"

"So please enjoy yourself, Your Majesty."

Gertrude's slender fingers gently touched Chen Qi's chest, whose expression had slightly changed, and she whispered each word in his ear:
"You definitely won't be bored these next few months!"

……

"No, I need to find a chance to take a vacation right away."

"If I continue to stay in this tower, I'll die here sooner or later."

After being buried in seemingly endless political affairs for a month, Chen Qi couldn't take it anymore.

Whether it's physical or mental.

Having finally been relieved of the heavy burden of being emperor, Chen Qi, who now only wants to enjoy life, genuinely resists continuing to be emperor for even a second.

If he didn't want to watch his hard-earned, magnificent empire crumble, he would have genuinely wanted to follow Old Wei's example and run away immediately, leaving all the trouble to others.

As for the physical torture... well, that goes without saying.

Gertrude was not much older than Mace.

But Gertrude, being a noblewoman and raised as a victim of political marriage from a young age, certainly knew better than Mace how to... exploit someone's bones and marrow.

Chen Qi had considered resisting Gertrude's temptations, but his younger brother wouldn't listen to him.

After repeating this for a month, Chen Qi, finally on the verge of collapse, chose to put aside his official duties and go to a small room on the top floor of the tower to temporarily escape this tragic reality.

"I can't take it anymore, I really can't hold on..."

"What parade? Viviana is clearly fed up with politics and is using the parade as an excuse to leave all these annoying things to me so she can go on vacation!"

Chen Qi, who had long seen through his daughter's little scheme, was furious and made up his mind.

After Viviana returns from her pilgrimage, I'll have to find some reason to spank her again.

However, knowing that he would be found sooner or later even if he hid here, Chen Qi wanted to give himself a proper vacation.

Fortunately, he already had a system in his head that was perfect for escaping reality.

"System? Did you hear that? I'm about to begin the next simulation."

[The host's request has been received. The host is welcome to conduct the next simulation at any time.]

[Host, would you like to begin simulating term extraction?]

"start!"

[Received, extracting terms for the host...]

Several months later, Chen Qi activated his system again, wanting to experience a completely different life through simulation while extending his vacation.

As for the keywords... this time, Chen Qi made up his mind that he wouldn't care what keywords he got randomly.

He treated this simulation as a vacation, and no matter where the simulation took him or what ruthless characters he drew, he didn't care after making his selection.

Soon, the results of the keyword extraction appeared in front of Chen Qi.

[The extracted terms have been displayed to the host. Please select two from them as new terms for this simulation.]

[Family Harmony (4 stars): This sounds like an ordinary phrase, but it is often the long-cherished wish of countless people. Your family may not be wealthy, but they all truly love you and are willing to give everything for you.]

[Abandoned Baby (2 stars): The standard starting point for countless transmigrators. Orphaned and unloved, you might just attract the attention of some benefactors.]

[Business Ability (4 stars): You possess an exceptional talent for business. Will this bring you wealth?]

[Power of Faith (4 stars): You are the preacher of this land, willing to give your life for your faith, and possess a more steadfast will than ordinary people.]

【Emotionally Detached (3 stars): Emotions and human nature are both constraints. Those who achieve great things are not swayed by emotions. For you, the path forward is either a stepping stone or an obstacle.】

【Eagle's Gaze and Wolf's Gaze (6-Star): Whether in your past life or in Terra, your appearance has been seen as ominous, ambitious, and dangerous. This has given you unimaginable endurance and a decisive, deadly judgment.】

Where will you ultimately use this power? Will you become a slave to ambition, or will you be driven by a resolute determination to protect? It all depends on you.

"Holy crap, a six-star? I got one?"

However, why does this six-star item with such poor stats look so risky?
"Eagle-eyed and wolf-like?" Upon seeing this phrase, Chen Qi immediately thought of the name of a historical figure infamous for all time...

"No, no, no, that shouldn't be the case. I chose two keywords related to mustaches in the last simulation, but I didn't end up like him."

"In the end, it's just an entry; it all comes down to how you use it."

Chen Qi shook his head to himself, looking at the six entries of high quality this time, and began to struggle.

But first, he didn't hesitate to choose "family harmony".

This perfectly suits his desire to simply take a vacation and no longer want to do anything big.

Moreover, with this entry, the probability of him being forced to become a hardcore ruthless person in this and future simulations is greatly reduced.

After all, if everyone has a happy family, how many people would be willing to abandon their family and career to take a gamble?

In the end, Chen Qi found himself in a dilemma between the two terms: "Business Talent" and "Eagle-eyed Wolf-like Vision".

Logically speaking, if Chen Qi wanted to experience the feeling of a vacation, he should have chosen the [Business Talent] option.

However, Chen Qi stared intently at the six stars flashing on the [Eagle's Gaze and Wolf's Gaze], unable to make up his mind for a long time.

"...It would be such a waste to give up on a six-star affix after all this effort."

"Anyway, the terms can't determine what kind of person I'll become, and besides, I have the [Sinful Talent], so I probably don't need to do business, right?"

"You can commit a crime no matter what you do, and then there's business... I don't want to go to jail."

In the end, after convincing himself, Chen Qi couldn't contain his excitement and chose the seemingly dangerous "Eagle's Gaze and Wolf's Gaze".

"System, I've made my selection. Can we begin the simulation?"

[Wait a moment, Master. Before starting the simulation, this system needs to provide some prior instructions.]

[Due to your extraordinary encounter in the last simulation, you received the Witch King's legacy. However, in this new simulation, with your new identity, it is theoretically impossible for you to possess the Witch King's legacy.]

Therefore, in the next simulation, this system will temporarily lock your Witch King power, retaining only the "Stubborn Vengeance" attribute you acquired during your adventures and your Originium Arts talent.

[The explanation is complete. Host, may we begin the simulation now?]

"Understood, let's begin."

Chen Qi had anticipated this; if the new simulation could grant him the power of the Witch King, it would be far too terrifying.

[Randomly selecting a new simulated identity and location for the host.]

The random selection results are in.

[The host's current simulation location is... Sherag!]

The virtual screen in front of Chen Qi quickly locked onto a snow-capped mountain in the north of the continent, which was inconspicuous compared to his vast empire.

However, Chen Qi was not so calm when he saw the map presented by the system.

He discovered that the map was not the familiar layout of Terra.

It was actually the changed landscape of Terra that he had simulated!

But before Chen Qi could even ask a question, as the time marked in the upper right corner of the map continued to rewind, the map in front of him also rapidly rewound.

Ultimately, the various countries and territories on the map settled into a familiar structure.

And time stopped at the year 1060.

For some reason, Chen Qi suddenly remembered the pivotal moment when the Twin Queens overthrew the Witch King's rule and became the new queens of Letania.

That was in 1077.

In the previous simulation, he overthrew the rule of the Gemini Queens four years after their accession to the throne.

Chen Qi didn't understand why these thoughts suddenly popped into his head, but he was vaguely aware of it, enveloped by a sense of unease.

This simulation was also not easy for him.

[The host's current simulated identity is that of a member of... a family.]

[Extraction complete. Simulation is about to begin. Please prepare, host.]

(End of this chapter)