Directing on the Ark, Success If Not Banned

Chapter Sixty-Four: Kal'tsit: Theresis Can Have Friends?

Late at night, outside Londinium, Chen Huijie and her companions were now joined by reinforcements from Rhodes Island. Two Landships were docked here.

The reinforcements from Rhodes Island were led by Kal'tsit herself, along with another elite squad, and Amiya, Ascalon, Huang, and Outcast. This was undoubtedly Rhodes Island's strongest lineup at the moment.

Aside from "Rosemary," who remained at Rhodes Island due to unstable emotions and power control, this group represented almost all of Rhodes Island's high-end combat power. The fact that Kal'tsit had brought Amiya along showed just how grim the current situation was, even for her.

"As Scout said, there are five Emperor's Blades lurking nearby. Clearly, their objective is to eliminate Director Chen Qi, the threat causing unrest in Ursus."

After reviewing the current intelligence, Kal'tsit judged the situation to be grim but still within control. She said calmly:

"Your decision to wait for others to make the first move was undoubtedly correct. We don't have the means to forcefully attack Londinium, so it's better to wait for other factions to break the silence."

"But... so much time has passed, why haven't the Deep Pool or Ursus made any move?"

However, Amiya felt increasingly uneasy. She glanced at the current time. In less than three hours, it would be the next day... yet no one was making a move. Everyone was remarkably patient.

No, perhaps they were the ones who were least patient. Amiya's gaze shifted to Chen Huijie, who was anxiously pacing nearby, and Lin Yuxia, who, though silent, kept tapping on the table. It was clear these two were the most eager for action.

"—Perhaps they're thinking the same way we are. There's no reason for us to be discovered when we've already scouted them."

Kal'tsit made the correct judgment at this moment, but even so, they had to take the initiative now. It was almost the next day, and if they didn't act soon, internal disagreements might arise.

"Let's discuss countermeasures. We can't proceed with the original plan; that would only lead us into a trap set by an enemy who was prepared." Kal'tsit immediately gathered everyone to discuss tactics, but at that moment, an accident occurred.

"—Doctor Kal'tsit, the scanner indicates a large number of life forms have suddenly appeared ahead!"

Amiya, who was about to join the discussion, noticed that the Landship's detectors were showing many green dots. Unlike Chen Qi's mini-map, these couldn't display alignment or target names, only life forms.

"Such dense life forms... are they Originium Worms? Should we avoid them?" Amiya initially thought that such a large concentration of life forms must be Originium Worms, which they occasionally encountered in the wild, but she soon realized that was impossible.

"—No, these life forms... they have formation, advancing at almost the same speed!"

"And, and, the Deep Pool and the five Imperial Guards we detected earlier seem to be slowly retreating towards us!"

"Something's wrong." Kal'tsit instinctively frowned. She felt several familiar auras slowly approaching... but subconsciously, she felt it was impossible.

However, as the figures and footsteps ahead became clearer, it seemed Kal'tsit had no choice but to believe.

"But how is this possible..."

At this moment, even with Kal'tsit's experience, she couldn't comprehend the scene before her. What had happened? If it was just an escort... with Theresis's personality, he wouldn't possibly mobilize such a large army.

Or had he received intelligence in advance? Did he know they were all here? Was he deploying such a large force to capture them all?

For a moment, Kal'tsit felt a desire to retreat, because she knew that even with her elite squad providing support, they couldn't withstand a Sarkaz legion.

Moreover, they had the Bloodborne Archon and the King of Scavengers with them... If it were in the past, Kal'tsit would have ordered an immediate retreat. Their current strength was no match for Theresis's army.

But in the end, after a moment of panic, Kal'tsit quickly calmed down. After a period of silence, she calmly said to everyone:

"—Amiya, you stay on the ship. Everyone else, come with me to face Theresis."

"If Theresis wanted to catch us off guard, he wouldn't be walking towards us so openly. Clearly, he's not here to kill us."

After Kal'tsit and the others disembarked from the Landship, the first thing they saw was Theresis, accompanying Chen Qi and advancing at the same pace, like the most dutiful bodyguard.

Behind Theresis, the Bloodborne Archon and the King of Scavengers stood on the flanks, Talulah and Patriot were positioned in the inner two spots, and behind them followed the Landships carrying the rest of the Art Troupe, and a vast army of Sarkaz!

This formation caused Logos, Scout, and Ascalon, the three Sarkaz beside Kal'tsit, to become momentarily dazed. For a moment, they felt as if they had returned to the eve of the Kazdel civil war, when they had also witnessed such a Sarkaz army advancing with an overwhelming aura.

Kal'tsit, however, was different. This time, her thoughts went back further... to the war in Kazdel, where she had personally witnessed countless such Sarkaz armies being defeated.

But back then, she had the endless allied forces behind her. Now, she was the weaker party.

"—We meet again. The last time I saw you, you were standing beside Theresia."

"And the Crown Prince of Victoria. I didn't expect you to escape and even find the greatest enemy of us Sarkaz."

Theresis's gaze fell upon Kal'tsit and Vina. This time, his eyes flickered with the coldest gaze he had possessed in over two hundred years, but it was mainly directed at Kal'tsit.

Vina calmly watched the Sarkaz who had occupied her homeland. She wanted to feel some hatred, but it seemed she didn't – after all, she had been displaced before Theresis took Londinium.

Vina's gaze was more focused on Chen Qi beside Theresis. This was the first time she had seen Chen Qi – the famous creator and director of "Yes, Prime Minister," the "culprit" who had made her grind her teeth in anger countless times.

"...You have no hostility. You didn't choose to kill me immediately." Although Kal'tsit knew she was at a disadvantage and felt the Bloodborne Archon's hateful gaze, if not for some restriction, the Bloodborne Archon would have likely attacked.

Kal'tsit was certain it wasn't because of the King of Scavengers, nor Logos beside him who was of similar strength, but because Theresis had forcefully ordered him not to act.

"If this were not a battlefield, you would have died millions of times over." Theresis did not deny his hostility towards Kal'tsit with these words, but he still suppressed it.

"But I am not here with the intention of war this time. I am merely here to escort my friend."

"...Friend?"

However, upon hearing Theresis say this, Kal'tsit's face showed a look of astonishment for the first time. It wasn't just her; Logos, Ascalon, and Scout, the other Sarkaz, found the word coming from Theresis's mouth quite puzzling.

Even more puzzling was Chen Qi himself, because on his mini-map, Theresis's dot had indeed turned from gray to blue, symbolizing an ally!

Holy crap, this guy isn't kidding? Is the method Theresia taught that effective? We became friends just like that?

Chen Qi had to admit, this was the first time he felt his system's judgment was wrong. Who was Theresis? In the original plot, he was the one who wanted to kill Amiya but ended up nearly killing Kal'tsit and M3 with a single blow. He had even witnessed Kal'tsit leading allied forces to flatten Kazdel, and he had killed a low-level version of Kal'tsit back then.

Encountering him this time, Chen Qi thought it would be a case of enemies meeting, but they didn't fight? While it was a good thing, wasn't it a bit too unbelievable?

"Yes, a friend. Not just my friend, but a friend of the Sarkaz."

Theresis reaffirmed his words. Soon, however, he shifted his gaze from Kal'tsit, took a microphone device from the side, and immediately spoke:

"—To all the Deep Pool and Ursus's Blades lurking nearby, you don't need to hide. We are not your enemies."

"You should see the situation clearly now. Even if you all join forces with Rhodes Island, you're still no match for the Sarkaz Legions. Facing such an uneven war, why don't you reveal yourselves and witness this moment?"

"I believe that after you see this, you will definitely change your minds—otherwise, it's not too late for us to start a full-scale war."

Through the microphone, Theresis's voice instantly reached several kilometers around. Amidst an eerie silence, slowly, everyone heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

The Deep Pool contingent, led by Ablana at the forefront, moved step by step towards the center. On the other side, although the five Emperor's Blades were few in number, they exuded an oppressive aura many times more terrifying than the Deep Pool.

In an instant, four factions gathered here. Despite their different objectives, the source of all their intentions was a single person.

...Why do I have this feeling that I'm some ancient beauty who brought ruin to the country, being treated as "spoils of war" by a bunch of medieval barbarians, to be claimed by whoever wins? Chen Qi watched these four factions. This was the first time he had seen so many high-level Ark characters appear, but as the one being fought over, he didn't feel happy at all.

At this moment, Talulah, amidst the battle formation, immediately focused her gaze on Ablana at Koschei's reminder—the leader of the Deep Pool had made her feel threatened from the moment she entered.

"Oh my, you must be Director Chen Qi, right? The creator of 'Yes, Prime Minister'."

As Ablana and the Deep Pool approached the center, her gaze immediately fell upon Chen Qi, the only one among the group with Yan characteristics.

Soon, not only Talulah, but also Chen Qi and the observing Vina, felt a "greedy" expression in Ablana's eyes, unconcealed and seemingly impossible to hide.

Compared to Vina's strangeness, Talulah almost immediately rushed forward, her hand even resting on her sword hilt, standing beside Chen Qi and glaring at Ablana not far away.

This time, Chen Qi didn't stop Talulah, because he himself was unnerved by Ablana's gaze—she was a ruthless person who could kill someone and then bring them back to fight. How did such a venomous woman set her sights on him?

Did I just film 'Yes, Prime Minister'? Are the troubles I caused really that significant?

Chapter Sixty-Five: Sarkaz Friendship, Theresis's Royal Court Covenant!

"It seems everyone is here."

Theresis surveyed the surroundings, feeling that all those who might contend for Chen Qi were now present. He then clapped his hands, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

Soon, under everyone's gaze, a group of Sarkaz emerged from the army, bringing forward a group of people who had already been bound.

"Let me go! Demons!"

"You demons! If you kill me, you'll gain nothing!"

However, after all these people were brought forward, they all stared at Theresis and Chen Qi with furious eyes. Leading them was a white-haired woman with Aslan blood.

"You are..." Vina, also an Aslan, knew very well that in Londinium, the Aslan race must symbolize noble status, or at least had once been noble. Were these people brought by Theresis from within Londinium?

And there's another young girl... with the bloodline of a unicorn? Is such a rare bloodline still continuing in Victoria?

"A resistance organization, calling themselves the Londinium Resident Self-Rescue Army," Theresis explained their identities to everyone, stating calmly:

"When we were escorting Director Chen Qi out of the city, they planted Originium bombs at the city gate, attempting to eliminate both me and Director Chen Qi with them... what a delusion."

"They are naive and know nothing of true power, but they are noisy. Now, they have crawled out from the intricate sewers, attempting to attack us, which is their most unwise choice."

"And now, I have finally rounded up this resistance force."

Theresis said this, then gave a look to the Bloodborne Archon beside him. The Bloodborne Archon, looking displeased and somewhat resentful, said with a hint of grumbling:

"Finally managed to catch these annoying insects... but I can't enjoy the compensation from their blood. What a pity."

But even as he grumbled, the Bloodborne Archon's fingers moved slightly, and a crimson line flashed. Instantly, all the bound members of the Self-Rescue Army were freed from their restraints, regaining their freedom.

"Now, they are yours, Crown Prince of Victoria."

"I should have killed these people, but my friend dislikes seeing bloodshed, even though they attacked him. For that reason, I had no choice but to have them expelled from Londinium as they are."

Theresis pushed the Self-Rescue Army members towards Kal'tsit's side. Vina immediately caught Alda, who was at the forefront. Alda quickly noticed Vina's race and instinctively asked:

"You are..."

"Alexandrina Vina Victoria, Crown Prince of Victoria," Vina introduced herself briefly, then quietly said to Alda:

"The situation here is complicated. Don't speak for now. The most important thing is to survive. Everything else... can wait."

Vina's words quickly calmed Alda and her group. Everyone watched as the Self-Rescue Army members slowly moved behind the Rhodes Island personnel. Kal'tsit then continued to ask:

"Is this an act of goodwill, Theresis?"

"It's not goodwill, it's just that I don't want to see bloodshed in front of my friend," Theresis replied indifferently. He then quickly turned his gaze to the five "Emperor's Blades" and said:

"Emperor's Blades, the extension of the Ursus Emperor's hands. However, the place you are in this time may not necessarily become Ursus territory as it was before."

"...Even so, we will carry out our duty. The will of Ursus must not be defiled."

After a moment of mutual glances, one of the five Imperial Guards replied to Theresis with a completely emotionless tone. However, as soon as the Imperial Guard spoke, Theresis showed a cold smile and said indifferently:

"Defiled? When you speak of defilement, are you referring to the remarks in 'Yes, Prime Minister'?"

"But, as one of the main actors in this series, 'Yes, Prime Minister' completely satirizes Victoria's civil service system and does not mention Ursus's civil service system at all. What evidence do you have to accuse it of defiling Ursus's will?"

"'The Originium Tool Ban Order' in the fourth episode." However, the Imperial Guard did not expect that Theresis, the Sarkaz Regent, would not resort to force but adopt a diplomatic stance. After a slight pause, they immediately replied:

"The remarks regarding Infected individuals in it all allude to the Ursus Empire's policies on Infected people. What explanation do you have for this?"

"—Humphrey?"

As soon as the Imperial Guard said this, Theresis immediately understood that they had fallen into his trap. He almost instinctively called for the Bloodborne Archon using the title from 'Yes, Prime Minister'.

"Yes, Prime Minister." The Bloodborne Archon, who had already discussed countermeasures with Theresis, promptly handed a script to Theresis. Soon, Theresis, holding a copy of the script for the fourth episode of 'Yes, Prime Minister', said to the Imperial Guard:

"The script for the fourth episode is in my hands. Emperor's Blades, you represent the will of Ursus. So, do you dare to read the lines from this script aloud, from beginning to end, in front of everyone?"

"Implication? This episode's script doesn't mention Ursus at all. All the content revolves around Victoria. What reason do you have to believe this is an implication towards you?"

As Theresis spoke, the cold smile on his face widened further. His tone carried a hint of mockery as he said:

"Or perhaps—Ursus's foreign policy has become so fragile that it imagines an implication towards itself even from a script that satirizes Victoria? As the will of Ursus, you should know the true appearance of Ursus better, shouldn't you?"

"..."

However, as soon as Theresis said this, the five Emperor's Blades were instantly rendered speechless. They weren't from the Ursus Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin with, and even if they were, the Ursus Ministry of Foreign Affairs was more adept at military deterrence than reasoned debate.

Even so, despite not having the upper hand in the argument, the Imperial Guard did not back down from Theresis. One of them spoke up:

"...I didn't expect the Regent of the Sarkaz to be so skilled in sophistry."

"But even so, this is an order from the will of Ursus, and we are responsible for executing it. If you intend to stop us, we will carry out the order even if it means our deaths."

"—Then I hope you will witness this moment before you make your decision." Theresis's eyes grew much colder upon hearing this, but he still didn't fly into a rage, nor did he have the Sarkaz legions behind him make any moves. He simply said calmly:

"After you witness this moment, then you can make your decision."

As Theresis said this, under everyone's watchful eyes, he gestured with his eyes towards the King of Scavengers beside him. After the King of Scavengers understood, he took out a triangular green object from his bosom. It resembled a small, triangular structure.

"This is..."

At this moment, Kal'tsit, who recognized the item, was surprised. Chen Qi also noticed the object immediately and recognized it almost at a glance.

A Rougelike collectible?! I actually get to see the real thing this time?

The King of Scavengers raised it high, and a decaying voice emerged from his throat:

"The ancient Sarkaz Royal Court sacrificed themselves and gained power. Beginning with this, the Royal Courts ceased hostilities, made peace, and united against common enemies."

"This is the Royal Court Covenant. All Sarkaz must not defile it!"