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

Chapter 89 A Bizarre Little Country and an Unlucky Son

On your first day, you were born in a regular hospital in Victoria.

On the very first day of your life, you gave your biological parents and doctors a tremendous shock.

As you are held joyfully in the arms of the doctor who delivered you, your infant instincts cause you to turn your head to look at your mother behind you.

And so, in front of everyone, you performed the amazing feat of spinning your head 180 degrees.

Chen Qi: "?"

No? Dude?
Is the eagle's gaze and wolf's look a realistic depiction?

Although you were born into a large population of Lupo (canines), this astonishing skill terrified your mother, who had just given birth, so much that she fainted.

[Your cultural background is insufficient for them to understand what a "wolf-like gaze" means; your father, almost instinctively, considered you an unlucky son.]

And so, on the very first day of your life, your father abandoned you on the streets late at night.

In the dead of winter nights in Victoria, even people wrapped in coats struggle to ward off the damp, chilly wind.

[And you, wrapped only in a thin sheet, will, without fail, become yet another soul lost on the land of Victoria within a few hours.]

But just as you were about to die in the cold wind, your body was gently lifted up by a pair of warm hands.

And then you saw the person who picked you up.

[He was a young man named Fei Lin with grayish-white hair, the ends of which were covered in black, and dressed in rather luxurious and exquisite clothes.]

Beside him, a young woman with almost identical hair was quietly watching you with a curious yet pitying gaze.

"What a pitiful child... abandoned in such a place."

"It's despicable that Victoria, a symbol of civilization, had such irresponsible parents."

You heard the man speak in Victorian with a mixed accent.

"Madam, what do you think?"

"Should we send this child to an orphanage, or find an older brother for our future children in advance?"

"You already know the answer in your heart, so why are you asking me?"

The kind woman responded to her husband's question with a gentle smile.

[And it was at this time that you learned your parents' true identities.]

Your adoptive father is Olafell Shivaish, the head of the Shivaish family, one of the three great families of Kjerag.

And your mother is Elizabeth Shivaish, who has the blood of the Victorian Caesar family.

You are their first child in the true sense of the word.

From that day on, you were adopted by this kind couple, and a week later, they took you to your real home—Shelag.

"Okay, okay, even if they're not biologically related, as long as their parents are alive, it's still a kind of family harmony, right?"

Chen Qi shook his head, amused. He hadn't expected that even though he had chosen "happy family," he still couldn't escape the starting point of being an abandoned baby.

However, does this mean that I have taken over the position of the boss's elder brother and become their elder brother?
Wouldn't that mean I, as the eldest son, would inherit the Karan trade in the future?

However, as soon as the idea popped into Chen Qi's head, he laughed at his own whimsical thought.

"...No, no, no, what are you thinking? I'm just an adopted son, how can I compare to a biological son?"

"I guess this couple is raising me as their future son's head housekeeper? An adopted son who wants a share of the family fortune? Dream on."

However, despite this, Chen Qi still felt a great deal of goodwill towards the kind couple.

After all, if you give birth but don't raise your child, you can repay the debt by cutting off a finger; but if you raise your child before giving birth, it will be difficult to repay the debt for generations.

The fact that this couple was willing to adopt me, an abandoned child, is already an immense act of kindness.

This simulation was just something I wanted to do to live a peaceful life and give myself a break.

Such a start is not bad.

[Sherag, a unique and peculiar small nation amidst the fierce competition for supremacy on the continent of Terra.]

At a time when almost every other country has long embraced industrialization and is beginning to show signs of decline due to internal friction.

[The religious kingdom of Shelag, nestled in the snow-capped mountains, seems to have been forgotten by time, remaining stuck in a feudal, conservative, and self-sufficient tribal life.]

The people here worship a god called "Yeragand".

They firmly believed that Yeragand protected this land, shielding them from natural disasters and Originium.

They even firmly believed that Jeragund was omnipotent and could protect them from invasion and war.

In a sense, although their guessing process was somewhat flawed, the result was correct.

[Shelag is bordered by Casimir to the north, Colombia to the west, and a large country like Victoria to the east, yet it has never been harassed by war for thousands of years.]

But this has nothing to do with Jeragund.

[This is purely because Shelag is deep in the snow-capped mountains, isolated from the world, with a harsh climate, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and even lacks basic transportation and electricity.]

Here, people communicate mainly by shouting, keep warm mainly by shivering, get around mainly by walking, and maintain order mainly by shouting "Yelagand above."

[This is such a poor, remote place that no country would want to waste its military resources to occupy.]

Therefore, while the continent of Terra was engulfed in flames and smoke several times, the secluded Sherag remained a haven of peace, where people lived carefree lives.

[But your father is a unique individual in this remote and impoverished village.]

He left his hometown to study in Victoria, where he witnessed true civilization, industry, and technology.

He realized that Sherag had been left far behind by the times.

[We have also come to realize that the future safety of Shelag cannot be secured by repeated wishful thinking or the disregard of other countries.]

[Shelag may be isolated from the world, but it possesses abundant mineral resources and is situated at the crossroads of great power rivalry.]

The reason why major powers haven't extended their reach to Kjerag is simply because their technology hasn't reached the point where they can easily and cost-effectively swallow Kjerag up.

Furthermore, Kjerag posed virtually no threat to their rule.

But how long can the isolation and peace of Shelag last?

Perhaps a hundred years, or even a few decades, this strategically important location of Shelag will be annexed by another country.

How will the backward Shelag resist the superior armies of other nations at that time? What will the future hold for the people of Shelag?

[With this sense of crisis, your father, after marrying a woman on the fringes of the Victorian aristocracy who shared his ideals, returned to his hometown, Sherag, full of passion and erudition.]

But he was quickly disappointed.

[Shelag has been isolated from the world for too long; the people here have become accustomed to its rules and its simplicity.]

They showed not interest in the outside industry, technology, and theories your parents brought back, but rather fear and rejection.

Other feudal and conservative families began to ostracize the family your parents belonged to.

Even the Manjushri Institute, a religious institution, showed hostility towards the industrialization and reforms proposed by your parents.

Some people believe that your parents are disrupting the life the gods had already chosen for them, and that their actions will incur the wrath of Jeragund.

[However, some people worry that your parents will destabilize the order of Shelag, further undermining their position and rule.]

Despite the disappointment you felt in this environment, your parents did not give up on their dreams.

Within their own territory, they implemented relatively mild industrial reforms, intending to gradually allow the Sherag people to adapt to the technology they brought.

And you are yet another unexpected treasure they stumbled upon during negotiations with Victorian merchants.

After your parents brought you back to Shelag, they immediately carried you on their backs and, braving the arduous snowy trails, climbed the sacred mountain of Shelag.

To become a citizen of Sherag, one must gain the approval of Jeragand, also known as the Manju Institute.

Although the elders of Manju-in Academy were very dissatisfied with your parents' reforms, they still showed acceptance and kindness towards you, their little life.

[And so, under the supervision of the Grand Elder of the Manju Academy, you officially became a member of Sherag and received your own name.]

[Pray to Shivaesh.]

[Upon receiving your name, you danced with joy amidst everyone's jubilant gaze.]

Then, still a baby, you made another wrong decision.

Overjoyed, you once again performed your 180° head turn in front of everyone.

In the blink of an eye, the once peaceful atmosphere within the Manjusaka Courtyard was plunged into a deathly silence because of your performance.

[As the Grand Elder of the Manju Academy, who had never left the snowy mountains but had read countless ancient books, the Grand Elder almost immediately drew a conclusion about your unusual phenomenon.]

"The look of a wolf!"

"According to ancient records, only a select few of Luper's beast kin can possess this extraordinary appearance!"

"Ancient texts record that these Lupo beasts are cold-blooded and ruthless, yet this child has such a face; this is an ominous sign!"

"Head of Shivaesh, in the name of the Grand Elder of the Manjusaka, I request that you take this ominous child away from Kjerag and leave him to fend for himself!"

"If we allow him to grow up in Shelag, he will surely turn against Shelag in the future!"

[In Shelag, an ancient and closed religious state, the Manjushri Institute wields almost absolute power.]

As the Grand Elder of the Manju Academy, his vast knowledge made him almost a god in the eyes of the people of Sherag.

Your adoptive parents don't know whether the "wolf-like gaze" the Grand Elder spoke of is genuine or merely a pretext used by the Grand Elder.

However, regarding your issue, if your adoptive parents choose to compromise, at least in the short term, their family will not suffer open repression from the Manju Academy.

After all, in the land of Sherag, to reject Manjushri Temple is tantamount to rejecting God and the oracle of Jeragand.

But your parents still chose to persevere for you.

Perhaps they dare not openly condemn the ignorance and closed-mindedness of Manjushri Monastery on the land of Shelag.

But they shouldn't go so far as to abandon the lives they saved just because of a single sentence from the Grand Elder.

[For this reason, your parents faced immense pressure and overcame all opposition to keep you in Shelag.]

That day, as an infant, before your parents took you away, you inadvertently turned your head again and looked at the Grand Elder behind you.

You sensed a hatred in the Elder's gaze.

Six months later, another baby was born into the Shivaish family.

This is your adoptive parents' biological son, and your nominal younger brother, Ensiodis Shivaish.

Two years later, you, who could already walk and were beginning to babble under your parents' guidance, gained another little sister.

Her name is Enya Shivaesh.

Two years later, you were four years old and could already read, when you gained a new little sister.

Her name is Enshia Shivaish.

[It wasn't until your parents had two sons and two daughters that they felt their family was finally complete and stopped adding new members.]

That day, your mother, holding newborn Encia in her arms, called you to her bedside alone.

"Qi, look, this is your new little sister."

"From now on, you are the only older brother to your younger siblings. You are their protector and their greatest support."

"Promise Mom that no matter what happens, you will protect your younger brother and sister, okay?"

You agreed without hesitation.

When you agreed, you saw a relieved smile bloom on your mother's face.

"Come here, Qi, give your sister a hug."

You carefully took the swaddled Encia from your mother's arms.

Looking at Enshia, whose eyes were barely open, yet who smiled at you the moment she saw you, a surge of emotion welled up in your heart.

[And of course, you also noticed Enshiodis and Enya, standing outside the door, peeking at you with curious eyes, and at your sister in your arms.]

At that moment, you felt a sense of mission welling up inside you.

You want to protect this warm family.

You wanted this family bond to last forever. But even at only four years old, you already knew that this was difficult to achieve.

The hatred you felt when the First Elder stared at you and your parents during your infancy remains etched in your memory to this day.

You understand, the Grand Elder hates you, hates your parents even more, and even hates this entire family.

Furthermore, there are quite a few families in Sherag who are hostile to you. If you want to protect this family, you must become strong.

On that very day, having made up your mind, you made a decision that surprised your parents.

You are going to study in Victoria.

Your request would be a considerable expense for any family in this impoverished and remote country of Shelag.

[Especially since you are only an adopted son, in the eyes of most parents in Sherag, and even the heads of large families.]

Investing such a huge amount of money in an adopted son with whom there is no blood relation is not worthwhile.

However, your adoptive parents readily agreed, and your adoptive mother even used her remaining connections to secure a place for you at Victoria Royal College.

Furthermore, to protect your safety, they have chosen a bodyguard for you from within the family.

A young guard named Matthias Yerk.

Of course, you're more used to calling him by his codename, Horn.

[At this point, in the early hours of the morning, you had stuffed all your saved pocket money under the pillows of Ensiodis and Enya respectively.]

[Under your parents' arrangement, you quietly embarked on your journey to study in Victoria.]

But, just as you followed the footsteps of the horn and reached the halfway point of the mountain...

But you heard it—a tearful cry from above, from your younger brother and sister.

"elder brother--!"

"Remember to come back soon!"

"We're all waiting for you at home!"

That day, you looked up blankly at the mountain, where you could vaguely see your younger siblings in their pajamas, reluctantly saying goodbye.

Moved to tears, you could only force yourself to continue walking down the mountain.

You don't want your younger siblings to see your vulnerable side as their older brother.

At five years old, you passed the written exam with excellent grades and entered a prestigious primary school in Victoria as an outstanding student.

At six years old, your intelligence and focus set you apart from your classmates who were born into aristocracy and received excellent educations.

In the same year, you successfully skipped a grade in school thanks to your excellent grades.

At nine years old, you skipped a grade again and entered Victoria Royal Secondary School.

At eleven, you completed your secondary education. Based on your excellent grades and your status as a distant relative of the Caustel family, your headmaster is willing to write you a letter of recommendation.

The Shivaish family's businesses in Shelag are primarily in mining, and due to the country's isolation, entry and exit are extremely inconvenient.

Therefore, your principal and teachers all assumed you would choose to pursue further studies in mining, transportation, or logistics.

However, your choice greatly surprised your principal.

You have chosen the Royal Guard Academy of Victoria.

That was an academy specifically for training officers and soldiers for Victoria, gathering a large number of noble sons and Victoria's best recruits.

You know very well that, at all times, force is the sole standard for measuring the right to speak.

Only by possessing your own army can you guarantee your family's status and power.

However, in the closed country of Shelag, not all members of the three major families have the power to control the army.

Of the three major families, only the Perroche family, with the most conservative political stance and the most devout faith in "Yeragand" and Manjushri, has the right to command the army.

Of course, while you call it an army, in your eyes, Sherag's army is nothing more than a group of poorly equipped but physically strong locals.

However, even so, this very force is enough to protect Shelag.

Furthermore, due to their inability to adapt to the harsh climate and terrain of the snow-capped mountains, even small units were easily wiped out by these soldiers adapted to mountain warfare.

You may know how to formulate a grand strategy, but you really lack experience in tactics and troop training.

Therefore, you need to come to the Royal Guard Academy to learn sufficient tactics and command skills.

[This way, you will have the opportunity in the future to train a portion of the Shiva'ish people into soldiers who can protect their clan.]

Of course, it would be best to recruit a few classmates from Victoria to go to Sherag and become your right-hand men.

[However, you're not really expecting much from this possibility...]

At the same time, you also expand your network within the Royal Guard Academy.

You introduced Sherag and your family to many classmates, hoping to attract several noble classmates and persuade them to cooperate with your family.

In this way, you can not only expand your family's business.

[Through these noble investments, Kjerag could also see improvements in areas such as transportation and industry.]

But you were soon disappointed again.

Although there are quite a few nobles within the Imperial Guard Academy, the reason they choose to become soldiers is simply because their status within their families is not very high.

Moreover, even setting aside transportation, electricity would be a huge problem in establishing a partnership with Shelag.

This means that if they want to seize the market and mineral resources of Shelag, they must first spend a large sum of money to solve Shelag's backward infrastructure problems.

No nobleman would be willing to engage in such a losing proposition.

But you didn't give up.

Through your persistent probing and communication, you finally found a classmate in the academy who was very interested in Sherag.

[A Vaivaan girl named Fiona Yang, studying in the Vanguard Class.]

Although she was not born into nobility, and wasn't even a future military officer.

[But when you describe the customs and culture of Shelag, and its isolated environment, to this girl, who is three or four years older than you.]

[Instead of expressing disdain for your hometown like her classmates, she praised it with shining eyes.]

"Really?! It's true that Qi's hometown has snow all year round?"

"That's wonderful! In my hometown, we rarely see snow throughout the year. I really want to visit Qi's hometown!"

Even after you described to her the scarcity of supplies and the inconvenience of transportation in Shelag, she still found good reasons to continuously express her envy.

"There's nothing to grow on the snow-capped mountains? Well, you've come to the right person!"

"My hometown has vast farmlands! Oh, I almost forgot, the snow-capped mountains are high and cold, it seems like wheat can't be grown there?"

"But it's okay, I'll send a letter to my family and ask them to send some seeds that can be grown on the snow mountain!"

"If you need any food, Qi, feel free to contact me. I'll give you a discount if you buy in bulk."

"Oh, speaking of which, we haven't exchanged contact information yet, have we? Hurry up and tell me your number!"

The sunny and cheerful Fiona is your first friend at the Guardian Academy.

[He is also the first friend willing to lend a helping hand to your hometown.]

[Through Fiona, you obtained many plant seeds that Kjerag didn't have, but which can be cultivated in Kjerag.]

For example, barley, potatoes, radishes...

You immediately sent all the seeds to your parents and received detailed instructions from Fiona on how to plant, fertilize, and harvest these crops.

After more than a year, you received a reply from your parents.

Following Fiona's planting experience, your parents successfully harvested their first crop on their land.

Although the production figures differed slightly from Fiona's estimates, this is undoubtedly good news.

[But to your surprise, the letter revealed that after your parents grew their first batch of grain, their immediate reaction was to distribute it all to the various families.]

They demonstrated the yield of these new products to the various families and popularized how to eat and cultivate these grains.

[As it turns out, your parents' judgment was correct.]

[The land of Shelag may be averse to industry, but in this resource-scarce place, where even the clan chief can only afford simple meals on a daily basis.]

The grains you brought have gained the approval and favor of the Sherag people at an astonishing speed.

In the letter, your parents repeatedly lamented their negligence, having forgotten the crucial issue of food for the people of Shelag.

But his words also revealed a deep sense of pride and honor in you.

They say that now all of Shelag knows that this grain was brought to them from abroad by the eldest son of Shiva'ish.

This not only greatly eased the people of Shelag's prejudice against your family, but even made many conservatives who previously disliked your family feel grateful to them.

Even you, whom the Grand Elder of Manju Academy deemed an "inauspicious child," have earned the gratitude of countless people in Sherag because of this achievement.

But you can't be happy about it.

[Because you noticed that your parents didn't mention Manjushri Academy's reaction in their letter.]

Such a tremendous achievement is also extremely important to Manjuin.

If they harvested this grain, they could easily distribute it to the people as a "gift from the gods of Jeragund," thereby gaining more faith among the people and consolidating their position.

Now, your parents have bypassed Manju Academy and are enjoying the fruits of their labor all to themselves. One can only imagine what Manju Academy is thinking.

[Especially the Grand Elder, who utterly despises you.]

He never considered you a member of Kjerag, but rather a sinful child destined to turn against Kjerag.

Of course he doesn't want to see you, especially since your parents' reputation in Shelag is growing.

In your letter, you repeatedly reminded your parents to be careful, especially about the safety of your younger siblings.

You're starting to get increasingly anxious.

During your two years at the Royal Guard Academy, your relationship with Fiona grew stronger, and under her guidance, you began to make more friends.

[One of them is someone you know.]

[Fiona's roommate, Chen Huijie, the niece of Wei Yanwu, the ruler of Lungmen, and also studying at the Royal Guard Academy.]

This young woman, who is not yet the senior superintendent of Lungmen you know, still retains a chivalrous spirit.

With Fiona's introduction, you and Chen Huijie quickly became acquainted.

[After learning that you wanted to return to your impoverished hometown and defend it after completing your studies, Chen Huijie expressed great agreement with your aspirations.]

[And envy.]

Chen Qi, who knew the truth, was not surprised.

If nothing unexpected happens, Chen Huijie is currently in a state of shock after Koschei was expelled and her half-sister Talulah was forcibly abducted.

She harbors deep anger and resentment towards Wei Yanwu, who forced her mother to marry her father, causing her to experience a childhood of neglect and lack of parental love, and who turned a blind eye to Talulah's abduction.

She is working hard now, but she is also very confused.

She didn't know what she was fighting for or what she was striving for; she was simply persisting because of her burning passion for justice.

Therefore, it is perfectly normal for her to feel envious of Chen Qi, who has clear aspirations and a firm will.

Two years have passed quickly. You, Fengdi, and Chen Huijie have all graduated from the Royal Guard Academy with outstanding grades.

However, just as everyone was about to go their separate ways, unsure of where their future lay, you found the two of them with a clear purpose.

[After graduation, you immediately invited two close friends to the back courtyard of your dormitory.]

There, facing your two friends who arrived as promised, you didn't hide anything and frankly expressed your thoughts to them.

“Fiona, Chen.”

"Would you like to come with me to Shelag?"

“There, I have a very difficult and important mission to entrust to you.”

(End of this chapter)