In Ark Simulator, why do I always start out as a ruthless person?.

[In less than six months, a vanguard of 500 strong, capable and obedient members was trained by Gertrude.]

[And you also gave everyone in the Vanguard a gift that you had prepared long ago. ]

[You hand-drew a design of the Vanguard's uniforms and handed it over to the textile factory, which has now been built and officially opened for business, and asked them to make 500 sets of military uniforms.]

[And for this military uniform, you have only one design concept - to make it as handsome as possible without affecting its practicality. ]

[Sure enough, when you handed the vanguard uniforms to the 500 members, everyone's attention was attracted by the production and style of the uniforms. They couldn't wait to put on the uniforms and start working.]

[The next day, there was an extremely eye-catching view in every corner of the slum. ]

[Every street in the slums has a patrol team of five to six people. They wear well-made handsome uniforms, leather shoes, and weapons on their waists. They stand as tall as trees.]

[When a crime occurs on the streets, they rush toward the scene like wild animals. No matter what kind of thugs or robbers they are, they will be quickly subdued in their hands.]

[The arrival of the stormtroopers undoubtedly gave the citizens of the slums a sense of security, and they gained the love and respect of everyone.]

[As time went by, most residents of the slums had stable jobs, and the money in their pockets gradually increased, just like during the peak of the Witch King's rule.]

[In order to satisfy people's consumption desire, more shops and better quality rental houses gradually appeared in the slums. Many bars, hotels and entertainment facilities that were not available in the slums before or that people could not afford began to appear.]

[The slums that were originally filled with crime, darkness and poverty have gradually become the industrial center of several mobile cities under your efforts and planning, and have also become a real paradise where countless people can live a stable life. ]

[The noise and bustle of the outside world completely disappeared here. Order began to be established in this chaotic slum.]

[And now, only half a year has passed since Jian left. ]

[After establishing a stable rear base, you also feel that it is time to start your next step. ]

"The Mace won another victory in Casimir and sent us all the funds as usual."

Inside the beer hall, Chen Qi looked at the letter in front of him that Jian had sent him from Casimir, which contained all the achievements Jian had made in Casimir.

Now, Chen Qi already knows that Jian has passed the preliminary round of the knight competition and has started to challenge the top 16. She has learned a lot from each battle, and now she is definitely several times stronger than she was half a year ago.

On the other hand, Mace also mentioned in the letter that Casimir also has many infected knights who want to participate in the knight competition in order to turn things around.

They lack commercial sponsorship and can only survive in underground areas every day. Their life is difficult and they are not even qualified to participate in formal competitions.

They can only fight against other infected people in underground competitions secretly organized by some business associations.

In the letter, Jian said that she sensed the suppressed anger of these infected people and tried to talk to them about some of the society and ideas that you wrote and conceived in "My Struggle". Unexpectedly, the effect was unexpectedly good.

Mace felt that these infected knights might be a force they could rely on. If Casimir would not accommodate them, she might be able to bring them to Leithania to make a difference.

Chen Qi also wrote his reply to Jian in a flash.

"I believe in your judgment. Also, be safe. When you win the championship, you may become a thorn in some people's eyes."

“Use your own methods as much as possible to unite as many forces as possible.”

"I need your help at any time, mace."

Chen Qi wrote this reply with mixed feelings. He suppressed all his emotions again, turned his head and asked softly to Gertrude, who was also busy checking this month's taxes:

"Gertrude, have you ever met any nobles who have won military merits in war?"

"Ok?"

Gertrude, who was suddenly asked by Chen Qi, was stunned for a moment before she immediately reacted.

This guy... must have come up with some new idea that can be used to expand their organization.

"I did meet some of them at parties when my cowardly father was still alive." Gertrude answered quickly after reminiscing.

"Why, do you think they can take advantage of it?"

"Of course." Chen Qi smiled faintly, verifying Gertrude's guess.

Now, he had done his best to win over the infected, civilians, and merchants, and the only ones left were the aristocracy.

"I want to hold a banquet." Chen Qi calmly told Gertrude about his plan:

"We can't win over all the nobles to stand with us, but at the very least, we should win over all the nobles we can."

"Some... nobles who are looking forward to war like us."

PS: I’m rolling on the ground begging for collections and votes (patter patter patter)

I write one chapter a day because each of my chapters has 4k words (lying down). If I can test the waters, I will definitely write two chapters a day with 8k words!

I hope to test the waters (rolling on the ground)

Chapter 20 Blood, whiteness, and the symbol of invincibility!

"Well... this is Lord Qi's territory."

"Hmph, he has done a pretty good job of managing it. I originally thought it was just like a garbage dump, but I didn't expect that in his hands, it actually looks like a place where people can live."

On this day, Chen Qi's beer hall was closed for a rare day, and the interior was redecorated to be used as the venue for this aristocratic banquet.

To this end, Gertrude specially brought a lot of materials from her own mansion to decorate the beer hall like an aristocratic gathering.

The four earls specially invited by Gertrude this time were all lords from several nearby mobile cities.

And they all have one thing in common: their ancestors or recent generations have obtained their noble status through military merit.

This was not surprising, after all, their territories were on the border between Leithania and Casimir.

Although during the reign of the Witch King, Casimir and Leithania had relatively friendly relations, although their military strength was slightly weaker than that of their neighboring country Victoria and distant Ursus.

But this did not hinder the constant small frictions between the two countries on the border. For example, the four earls who were invited all became earls from small nobles without territory by fighting with Casimir.

"Count Gertrude, why hasn't your Count come yet?"

"Why did he invite us to the banquet? Tell us quickly, because I have things to do in my territory."

Facing the impatient question from Count Graufeld, who was wearing a military uniform and had a scar on his face, Gertrude, who was wearing a dress and leisurely sipping red wine, just responded patiently:

"Please be patient, Count Graufeld. I am preparing some small gifts for everyone."

"Besides... why are you asking me? Qi and I are just partners, so it's not appropriate for me to ask about his plans."

"Well, don't pretend here, Count Gertrude."

However, Gertrude's words had no effect on Graufeld and his group.

"Everyone knows that you were the first person to invest in Earl Qi. Without your support, Earl Qi might not be where he is today."

"Even people in my territory are spreading rumors that there may be some hidden affair between you two earls."

"You two are totally in cahoots with each other. Now that Earl Qi is not here, of course we have to ask you."

Gertrude: “…Really?”

After a moment's silence, Gertrude accepted Count Graufeld's words with an elegant smile.

"Please rest assured. I believe he will be here soon, and what he wants to discuss with you, the Earls, will surely make your trip worthwhile."

"...Humph, that's better."

Looking at Graufeld who had finally calmed down, Gertrude appeared calm on the surface, but she got the message she wanted from the other party's words just now.

Sure enough, from the outside world's perspective, Qi and he were completely in the same boat.

Moreover, to outsiders, this supporter is not only Qi’s right-hand man, but also the second person who can represent this organization!

Gertrude was very clear about her position. Qi was a great hero, and she might have thought of taking over his organization for her own use in the past, but after working with Qi for so long, she had completely given up this idea.

This guy is a monster with extremely strong mobility and active thinking that is hard to keep up with. I definitely cannot defeat him.

But at least, Gertrude had to ensure that her position in the party was unshakable.

Especially after Jian, the only woman who might threaten her position, took the initiative to go to Casimir, Gertrude felt that she was absolutely safe.

Nowadays, all the party affairs, big or small, cannot be separated from his operation. Even the stormtroopers, the backbone of the party, are trained by Qi himself.

Especially after the first stormtrooper was trained, Qi handed over more people to himself. "Holding military power" made Gertrude more confident in herself.

However, the "rumors" mentioned by Graufeld made Gertrude think more.

If this method can further consolidate my position...why not give it a try?

"Da da da."

"I am so sorry, my Lords, I am late because of some trivial matters."

Accompanied by the sound of footsteps, Chen Qi, who was also wearing a military uniform, with the First Class Iron Cross Medal on his chest and a rolled-up painting in his hand, finally came to the gathering place below from the room on the second floor of the tavern.

With his smiling face, as well as the blessing of his military uniform and medals, several earls with great military achievements who had been wary of Chen Qi no longer looked at him with disgust.

After all, soldiers have very simple minds.

In the army, military merit is always the only criterion for speaking. Even if these four earls have opinions about Chen Qi due to their class, they absolutely respect Chen Qi's merits.

After everyone exchanged pleasantries, Count Graufeld, who had been unable to hold back his words for a long time, finally spoke.

"Count Qi, you are really generous."

Graufeld's tone was obviously angry, and he asked Chen Qi while blowing his beard:

"We will move Visheim, and even the businesses in our mobile cities, to your territory."

"Now, I want to update the equipment of the soldiers in my territory to suppress the strike and demonstration of those workers. I have to send people all the way to this shabby place to place orders."

"We are so busy because of you, but you have developed this shabby place into something that is almost becoming the industrial center of our region!"

"Count Graufeld, please calm down."

As for the Earl's anger, Chen Qi, who had already anticipated this, remained calm as always, and replied with a chuckle:

"Today, I asked Gertrude to help me arrange this banquet just to explain my thoughts to you all."

"First of all, let me make my position clear - I have never asked my party to support strike marches in your territories, but if you want to solve this problem, I am willing to help."

"I can solve the problem of strike and demonstration without using force. I just need a few adults to do me a small favor."

"What help?" The four earls paused for a moment after hearing this and asked Chen Qi with suppressed joy.

However, Chen Qi only showed a mysterious smile and did not rush to reveal his purpose.

Instead, he talked about a seemingly insignificant matter with four earls who had made great military achievements.

"One of my informants in Casimir brought me some intelligence about Casimir."

"In Casimir, the problem of Infected oppression is very serious, and my informant is trying to unite the Infected Knights in Casimir to bring some minor troubles to Casimir."

"At that time, this group of infected knights may go to Leitania with the help of my informants and need our support and help."

"At that time, we may inevitably have some minor conflicts with Casimir's army."

"—You mean to say that Casimir might cause trouble for us?"

However, as soon as Chen Qi finished speaking and mentioned things related to the war, the four earls reacted extremely quickly and immediately understood the implication of Chen Qi's words.

In stark contrast to the previous depressing atmosphere, the four earls who smelled the scent of war suddenly became like wild beasts that smelled blood, rubbing their hands together, with excitement flashing in their eyes.

"Casimir? Haha, it's been a while since I fought them."

"I wonder if their knights still have the same fighting power as before, since they were treated as commodities by the Commercial Federation for competition."

"We've been holding it in for so long, don't let us beat them back too quickly."

All of this was within Chen Qi's expectations.

After all, ever since the end of the War of the Four Emperors, Leitania has no longer been able to launch a large-scale war. The several earls stationed on the border with Casimir have never had a chance to perform, and their titles have been delayed in being promoted.

Now, they finally have a chance to earn military merit. How could the four earls miss this great opportunity?

"My Lords, I admire your awareness in defending Leitania." Chen Qi interrupted again at the right time:

"However, although the four lords are courageous, I think that since we know in advance about the possibility of unrest, we should seize the time to prepare and be on guard against Casimir's army attacking at any time."

"Boy, do you think we old guys can't fight anymore?"

Chen Qi's words soon aroused the dissatisfaction of Count Graufeld, the most senior figure.

"No, Count Graufeld, you have made great achievements in battle. I admire your bravery and strategy very much." Chen Qi smiled and shook his head without any embarrassment.

"It's just that I think that since everyone wants to win, we should choose to be fully prepared. Only by winning a great victory can we show our achievements, right?"

"Hmm...you have a point."

Although Graufeld had a bad temper, he was not stupid. He nodded calmly and asked, "What is your plan?"

"It's very simple." In response, Chen Qi calmly said one word to the four earls: