"This is pretty complicated... I'll have to sort it out for you properly."
Chen Siqi tapped her forehead, pondered for a moment, then said, "You know about the Frostplate Republic, right? Women there receive benefits so excessive they're absurd. That's a tactic the upper class uses to redirect social tensions."
"I don't know history." Qiu Ran shook her head.
"Fine—then we'll have to go back a long way. I'll keep it brief."
Chen Siqi leaned across the table, lowering her voice as she said:
"The founders of Frostplate, the Twin Queens Yali Qin and Moting Qin, were conjoined queens who seized power through a military coup. Then, by responding swiftly to the Malefic Calamity disaster, they became Frostplate's dictators, consolidated their forces, and preserved the safety of most Frostplate Citizens. In particular, they built a great number of Fusion Reactor Towers, helping Frostplate become one of the three most powerful nations after the sun vanished. Because of that, the Twin Queens became incomparably revered idols in the hearts of the Frostplate people."
"Three countries?" Qiu Ran asked in surprise. "Wasn't it the Four Nations?"
"Red Arrow came from behind and overtook them. No, it would be more accurate to call it revenge."
Li Aoz brushed it off casually. "I know the later history. The world powers were reshuffled, and a fierce war for resources broke out between nations."
"Since Frostplate was plagued by a pandemic at the time and had been unwilling to go to war, it suffered enormous losses after being forced into it. The Twin Queens, Yali and Moting, became deeply taboo about that World War. They believed the existence of men was the root cause of war and pinned every sin on men."
"And that became the opportunity for a new generation of female politicians to rise