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

Chapter 93 The Fate of Sherag? A Plan Set Up for Rescue
The day after the funeral, you had Fiona take your younger siblings away from Kjerag.

Although you are extremely reluctant to part with them, if Enciodes and the others stay by your side, they will only become a weakness that hinders your actions.

Political intrigue is something that will never cease until the goal is achieved.

[Especially since you also know that your youngest sister, Encia, contracted Oripathy in the original storyline because of political machinations within Kjerag.]

Having learned from your parents' mistakes, you will never repeat them.

"If you need money, just send the letter back anytime, understand?"

“I know you’ve always been big spenders, but this time, I’ll do my best to meet your needs, so just ask.”

"Sherrag has his elder brother here, so you don't need to worry."

[At the moment of parting, after embracing each of your sisters who were reluctant to leave, you also gave Enciodes your final words of advice.]

"We must do everything we can to protect our family, my brother."

"Perhaps in the end, you will be the hope for all of us."

"—I will, brother, I definitely will."

To outsiders, it might simply be an older brother's worried concern for his good-for-nothing younger brother.

However, only you two brothers who know the truth truly understand the heavy burden you just spoke of.

[Aboard the only train in Shelag, Enciodes looked out the window at you waving goodbye, and made up his mind.]

"When the day of restoring order is over, brothers will return home."

"Brother, please take care of yourself until that day comes."

"Goodbye, brother!!"

"Goodbye."

At the only station, Chen Qi waved goodbye as he watched his beloved younger siblings gradually disappear into the distance amidst the roar of the train.

Chen Qi knew that this parting would mean they would not see each other again for at least three years.

But Chen Qi had no other choice.

It is now the end of 1077. According to his memory, four years later, "himself" in Letania will overthrow the rule of the Twin Queens.

Subsequently, this long-planned war will soon ignite, and the peace of Victoria will be shattered in less than three years.

Therefore, if Chen Qi wants to seize control of Sherag and cultivate his younger siblings into useful talents, this is his last chance.

In the following years, having seized absolute power, he had to develop Shelag into a force capable of self-defense as quickly as possible before the flames of war reached it.

What? Why are you in such a hurry?
Sherag is easy to defend but difficult to attack. He could have easily avoided this crisis by simply being a transparent and harmless regime.

If the opponent were not himself, Chen Qi might have harbored such wishful thinking.

Unfortunately, he knows himself to be a person with mild obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Even when playing a coloring game, he would never allow the colors of other regimes to be mixed in within his sphere of influence.

When he was Emperor of Letania, Chen Qi only caught a fleeting glimpse of the fate of the small town of Shelag from a single report.

Just a short sentence.

The main force advanced towards the western front of Victoria, passing through the Sherag area, a region easily defended and difficult to attack, posing a potential threat; therefore, it was annihilated.

They were subsequently annihilated.

Three simple words encapsulate the fate of a nation's people, and a landscape of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

This was a report that Chen Qi, the former emperor of Letania, wouldn't even have paid much attention to.

But this is the heavy burden that Chen Qi, now a citizen of a small country, bears on his shoulders.

"For the first time, I felt a little resentful of myself. Why was I such a perfectionist?"

"In a small place like Shelag, if you send a few thousand men to surround the foot of the mountain, how can they possibly cause any trouble? Why do you have to annihilate them?"

Under immense pressure, Chen Qi couldn't stop cursing himself in his heart.

However, after berating himself, Chen Qi regained his composure after taking a few deep breaths.

"Forget it, there's no use in wallowing in self-pity... There's no need to regret what I've done."

"It would be better to think of a way to seize control as soon as possible. That way, at least we can choose to surrender and avoid being annihilated in the future."

What? Why not fight Letania?
Don't forget, this is Shelag.

It's Sherag, a place that has fallen behind the outside world by thousands of years and is isolated from civilization!

If he could defeat the Leitanian army group in just a few years of development, then he wouldn't be leading a simulator system, but a Paradox Interactive system!

Chen Qi was very clear-headed and never had any excessive expectations of Xie Lag.

When faced with a powerful nation whose strength far surpasses their own, the only way for a small country to survive is to rely on the powerful nation as much as possible.

A fickle, small country that tries to profit from both sides will ultimately face destruction.

It was fortunate that Scherrag was spared the ravages of war during this world war.

He wanted to develop Shelag as quickly as possible, simply to demonstrate Shelag's value and make other countries feel that cooperating with Shelag was more beneficial to them than eliminating it.

Chen Qi simply hoped that the powerful nation that Sherag could rely on was Leitania, which he had once founded.

"But why haven't I seen any reports about Yeragand in the reports before?"

"Jelagand has no reason to stand idly by in the war that will destroy Shelag..."

Jeragand is the god worshipped by the Sherag people, and also the being served by the Manju Institute, a religious institution.

However, Chen Qi knew that Yeragand was not just a legend, nor was it a tool used by the Manju Institute to win people's hearts and control power.

This "giant beast," regarded as a god, does exist, and it has indeed been using its power to protect everything in Sherag.

But why did I not see any reports about Jeragand's "divine power" when Jeragand was destroyed?

"Could it be that she too was defeated by the Leitanian army?"

"Even the power of Yeragand is powerless against the air force and artillery of Letania?"

Chen Qi could only consider the worst-case scenario.

"pray."

However, just as Chen Qi was deep in thought, he suddenly heard Chen Huijie's clear and cold voice.

Seeing that Chen Qi was startled, Chen Huijie's face also showed a hint of panic, and she couldn't help but ask:

"Sorry, did I bother you?"

"It's nothing, Chen. I was just thinking about some things about the future."

Looking at Chen Huijie, who was willing to stay by his side as his right-hand woman out of sheer passion, Chen Qi's eyes were also a little dazed.

He seemed to see a resemblance to Jian in Chen Huijie.

Both are skilled swordswomen, both are strong women with cool personalities and unwavering beliefs.

Unlike Jian, Chen Huijie is not a completely cold person. In fact, she is better at management, training, and working independently than a bodyguard.

Moreover, she was chivalrous and righteous, hating evil as if it were her enemy, and was not like Jian, who only obeyed his orders.

But in a sense, she, like Jian, is a woman who constantly reminds Chen Qi about "humanity".

However, Chen Huijie's demands are certainly much more stringent. If one's own beliefs conflict with the justice she upholds, she might very well turn against one's own self.

In Chen Huijie's eyes, would her future plot to seize power be considered righteous or evil?
Chen Qi didn't know.

He could only leave all of this to Chen Huijie alone to experience.

"So, Chen, what brings you here?"

"—Just now, someone from the Manju Academy came to me and asked you to go to the Manju Academy as the acting head of the family to attend the Three Clans Council."

Unaware of Chen Qi's thoughts about Chen Huijie, she simply maintained the same rigor and seriousness she had shown when she was a superintendent in Longmen Police Station.

"Furthermore, they also claimed to have found the culprit behind the train derailment."

……

You went to Manjushri Monastery at the summit of Mount Kailash as promised.

[And there, the High Elder, Actos, and Latathos had been waiting for a long time.]

Meanwhile, there is another person you don't know well, but recognize, who is tightly bound with hemp rope.

That is the patriarch of the Edwis family, a minor noble family subordinate to yours.

[You learned from the Council of Three Races that he was captured by the Brantau family, to which Latatos belongs, and under their severe torture, Chief Edwis finally confessed to his crimes.]

The Brantau family also found several "eyewitnesses" who testified that the Edwis family was on patrol the night before your parents' accident.

However, since all the sinners had already fled Sherag, they could only capture the chieftain.

After all, assassinating the patriarch of one of the three great families is an absolutely intolerable crime in Sherag. Even if the patriarch was unaware of the plot, he still bears uncompromising responsibility. But you know very well that the people who murdered your parents were not from the Edwis family.

The two powerful families and the Manju Institute only managed to force this unfortunate patriarch to confess through torture and threats.

[By doing this, they not only appease the Sherag people, but also weaken your family's power.]

[This is an extremely low-level tactic, one that could even be described as treating you like a child or a fool.]

However, in Sherag's case, this was already considered a very meticulous plan.

And you know very well what you should do next.

In order to seize power, you must minimize your threat to the two major families and the Manjusin clan.

Therefore, as the player, you must also become a piece, accompanying these foolish pieces as they continue the game.

Until the day your game of chess seals the victory.

[Therefore, with the two family heads and the Grand Elder as witnesses, you gave the "culprit," the head of the Edwis family, a good beating.]

[Only after beating that poor patriarch black and blue did you, in your capacity as patriarch, issue the order with indignation.]

"Everyone from the Shivaish family, be here tonight!"

"I will kill this beast who murdered my adoptive parents with my own hands!"

"I will make the Edwis family disappear from this land!"

[Should I say your acting was superb, or is it that in a place like Shelag, where the people are so simple and honest, no one has ever witnessed real political maneuvering?]

[Thanks to your acting, Actos and Chen Huijie, who were initially unsure whether this matter involved the main branch of the Edwis family, were deceived by your performance and showed him disdain.]

[And Ratatos and the High Elder, seeing your fury, truly believe you've fallen into their trap.]

And so, in the dead of night in Kjerag, witnessed by the Shivaish family and the onlookers of Kjerag, [the incident occurred].

[The head of the Edwis family, his head tightly bound with thick burlap sacks and his mouth stuffed with thick burlap, was pierced through the heart by you, wielding a spear.]

That bloody and cruel scene, and your ferocious expression under the flames, are deeply etched in the hearts of all the Sherag people who witnessed it.

After avenging himself, you ordered the body of the Edwis patriarch to be cremated.

“The villain who murdered my adoptive parents does not deserve the protection of Jeragand.”

"I will burn his body and soul to ashes in the raging inferno! May he never be reborn!"

Your words, filled with hatred and malice, echo clearly in the snow-capped mountains.

However, no one knows that on the other side of that snow-capped mountain lies your true, hidden plan.

……

“Oooooh!”

As the sack on his head was removed, the man who had been escorted all the way to the mountainside by Horn Peak finally revealed his true face.

The man with a bruised and swollen face, pale with fear, was none other than the "deceased" head of the Edwis family.

With the burlap sack removed from his mouth, the head of the Edwis family, panting heavily for fresh air, looked around at the environment that hardly resembled an execution ground and said with lingering fear:
"Where am I?"

"—You are on your way out of Shelag, Uncle Edwis."

Behind the head of the Edwis family, Chen Qi, whose clothes were still stained with blood, arrived here with Chen Huijie.

Unaware of the truth, Chen Huijie, upon seeing the supposedly dead head of the Edwis family appear out of nowhere, asked Chen Qi the same question the head of the Edwis family had wanted to ask.

"Qi, what's wrong with you—"

“I know you didn’t do this, Uncle Edwis.”

However, without answering Chen Huijie's question, Chen Qi stepped forward and, while untying the ropes binding the head of the Edwis family, said softly:
"I know you were just coerced by Manjuin."

“You know very well that in Shelag, the people of Shelag are willing to believe anything the Manju Academy says, and you have no power to refute them.”

"Don't worry, your people have been secretly sent to Victoria by me in a train loaded with ore."

“I also sent your beloved son to Ensiodes’ side. I think they should have met by now.”

"Young Master!"

However, the head of the Edwis family, who thought he was going to die and was prepared to become a scapegoat for the dark side of Sherag, was filled with gratitude and his eyes turned red after he had narrowly escaped death.

On the snow, the patriarch, who was twice the size of Chen Qi, knelt down with a thud, kowtowing to Chen Qi while saying with tears of gratitude:
"Thank you, young master! You're willing to believe in us and protect our family!"

"My Edwis family is willing to die for the young master—no, for the master!"

Having said that, the head of the Edwis family, his eyes also red, raised his head and looked directly at Chen Qi, speaking with great passion:

"Young Master! I am willing to serve as a witness to expose the crimes of Manju Academy! They are the ones who killed Madam!"

"I don't need to be a witness." Chen Qi shook his head, then a serious smile appeared on his face as he said:

"But I do need you to die for me."

“Remember, Uncle Edwis, from this day forward, your family is expelled from Sherag, and your people are all dead.”

“You only have one surname, 'Shivaish'.”

"I want you to establish business relationships with Victoria's military, industrial and mining companies, and any other businessmen that we in Sherag need."

"As for the clansmen who are not good at business dealings... I have other plans for them."

"Ask Ensiodis for specifics; he knows what to do, understand?"

However, as Chen Qi finished speaking, the head of the Edwis family, who was already moved to tears by the fact that his people could live, was now so touched that he didn't know what to do.

Chen Qi looked at the patriarch, whose face was covered in snot and tears, frozen by the biting cold wind, looking utterly pathetic.

He even suspected that if he asked this patriarch to go to Chongmanzhu Academy alone, he would be willing to do it.

“The lord not only pardoned us, but also allowed us to become members of the ‘Shivaish’ tribe.”

"Such a great favor, such an honor—all 542 members of our clan are at your command, sir!"

……

"Qi? You knew all along that none of this was done by the Edwis family?"

Watching the Edwis family head's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Chen Huijie, who already had a bellyful of questions, couldn't help but ask Chen Qi curiously.

"Of course it couldn't be them."

Chen Qi smiled faintly and explained softly to Chen Huijie and Jiao Feng, who had vaguely guessed the truth:
"Edwis has long been under the protection of my family and has always been in charge of the book and ritual work of Sherag."

"They have no industry, no armed forces, and once they lose the protection of my family, their land will be divided and taken away by the other two major families."

"In fact, the eldest son of the Edwis family is my brother Ensiodes's best friend; the two are even sworn brothers."

"What reason would such a family have to murder my parents?"

"They were just scapegoats found under the torture and interrogation of the Manju Academy."

"—These bastards!"

However, after Chen Qi's reasoned analysis, Chen Huijie, who had fully understood the truth, frowned and said fiercely:
"They call this a place for worshipping gods, yet they're doing such despicable things!"

"Do they even deserve to believe in gods? I wonder if it would be disgusting to see such a filthy bunch worshipping a god!"

“…Miss Chen, please have some self-respect. By Jeragand, I am here.”

However, Horn Peak, a native of Shelag, responded to Chen Huijie's outspoken remarks with a sullen silence before replying in a low voice:
“Yeragand is watching everything. The Manju Institute’s dirty tricks will surely be punished.”

"……Feel sorry."

Realizing that her words and actions were inappropriate, Chen Huijie managed to suppress her anger only after being reminded by Jiao Feng.

But Chen Huijie was not a Sherag, and she had no reverence for the so-called gods. She simply said coldly:

"But I don't believe in karma or retribution; I only believe that justice must be served!"

"The Manju Institute must pay the price for their crimes; they deserve to be tried!"

"well said."

However, Chen Huijie's words quickly won Chen Qi's nod of approval.

Realizing that Chen Huijie was gradually siding with him, Chen Qi suppressed his vengeful rage and coldly replied:
"I will make them pay for their sins."

[Task 1: Eliminate the vigilance of other families and the Manju Academy (In Progress)]

[The Perroch family's level of vigilance towards you: 30%]

[The Blangau family's level of vigilance towards you: 70%]

[The Grand Elder's level of vigilance towards you: 50%]

[The success rate of the coup has increased to 10%. Please keep up the good work, host.]

(End of this chapter)