CK Simulation, Creating the Style of Tsukino Fumi

Page 123

Upon learning that Nero had gained the ability to see the future, Quinn immediately returned to the Roman court from the Palatine Hill, where he witnessed Nero approving various official documents and national policies with astonishing speed.

Even after just a brief observation, Quinn knew that Nero had already seen far too much using her futuristic vision. She had lowered taxes in the various Roman provinces, given preferential treatment to ethnic groups in the provinces and regions that Rome had conquered, raised the army's income, and even changed the taxes for nobles. It was as if she was willing to lower national taxes in order to increase the income of the people. Such a decision was truly shocking.

In Quinn's memory, even the general amnesty and the usual practice of allowing the people to rest and recuperate when a new emperor of a great Eastern country ascended the throne could not compare to the 'benevolent' decree issued by Nero at this moment. Her decree had practically abandoned more than half of the Roman Empire's tax revenue for the next three years, and this was only what Quinn had seen.

Such a shocking decree naturally met with opposition from her court advisors and the general of the royal guard. However, Nero, sitting on the throne, displayed an unprecedentedly tough attitude. With a wave of her hand, she threw a court advisor who had stepped forward to remonstrate into prison, immediately accusing him of embezzlement, bribery, and endangering the foundation of the state.

The emperor's resolute attitude left all the nobles and servants in the Roman court looking at each other in bewilderment. His tutor, Seneca, frowned deeply, not understanding what had provoked Nero to make such a decision. It could be said that at this moment, Nero could no longer be considered a normal emperor in the eyes of the courtiers who belonged to the emperor's faction.

She went mad, completely disregarding the future of the empire.

Even the senators couldn't understand it. In terms of actual interests, these senators were actually beneficiaries of Nero's new policies. They owned a large amount of land and property in the empire. Although Nero's tax reduction policy would make it almost impossible for them to obtain wealth from the people during the years the policy was implemented, their families' various industries were making a fortune. It could be said that they had not suffered any losses in the first place, and could even have gained more benefits.

However, this benefit comes from a decrease in the national treasury's fiscal revenue.

All previous Roman emperors had longed for increased revenue for the treasury, which is why they were so fiercely opposed to the Senate. Now, Nero's unusual behavior was unsettling. After all, they had prepared themselves for the new emperor, who had the backing of the divine ancestor, to impose various restrictions on the nobility in terms of national policy. But in fact, she not only did not do so, but also granted the senators much power, just as she had promised them when she took the throne.

It was obvious to everyone that within at least the next three years, this new emperor's reputation would surpass that of all previous Roman emperors, making him a 'sage' in the eyes of the world. However, everyone could also foresee that this so-called 'sage' title would be a poison to the Roman Empire itself, because Nero's actions at this moment were entirely at the expense of the national system in exchange for the monarch's personal prestige.

But Nero did it anyway.

It seems that in her eyes, the country's tax revenue was completely irrelevant; as long as her own reputation for virtue could be known overseas, everything else could be discarded.

This was an act of mortgaging the future of the nation, making those in the court who were originally loyal to Nero begin to feel that they had pledged allegiance to the wrong person, and that such an emperor would inevitably be punished in the future. But at this moment, no one dared to raise any objections, not only because Nero had already given them a warning by taking an advisor, but also because they noticed Quinn, who had appeared in a corner of the palace at some unknown time.

Since the Roman gods did not protest against Nero's actions, it means that Nero's behavior at this moment was tacitly approved by the gods. Therefore, they had no reason to object.

However, Quinn remained silent because he had a general idea of ​​the reason for Nero's unusual behavior. After observing for a long time and listening to the details of Nero's adjustment of tax policies in various provinces, he discovered that while many provinces of the Roman Empire received lenient benefits, only a few provinces were exceptions.

That was the province of Judea, with Jerusalem as its capital.

Of all the welfare policies Nero implemented in the conquered foreign provinces, only the province of Judah maintained its previous tax rate, and even slightly increased it. This previously unnoticed differential treatment was particularly striking in Quinn's eyes. (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

After all, he already knew from the simulator's prompts that Nero intended to take action against the Jews.

At this moment, she had already begun to create a situation unfavorable to the Jews.

In the Roman Empire, provincial rebellions were commonplace. As a vast empire that had conquered the entire Mediterranean and controlled most of the European continent, Roman emperors could not rule the continent with the near-immortality of Europa II. Therefore, dealing with the rebellions of various foreign provinces was a problem that all Roman emperors had to face.

During Nero's reign, the largest provincial rebellions were those of Britain, Badavi, and Judea. Now, Nero has adopted a policy of appeasement towards Britain and northern Italy, implementing unprecedented benevolent governance. This indicates that, in her eyes, the Jewish rebellion is far more deadly than the British and Badavi rebellions.

It's hard to tell whether her thinking stems from the Sixth Beast's dissatisfaction with Catholicism or from her foreseeing a future that Christians will call the Great Red Dragon, but one thing is clear: she wants to take action against Jerusalem.

She intended to hasten the Jewish rebellion, bringing the discord between the Jews and the Romans to the forefront in advance, thus forcing the Jews to initiate a rebellion and providing her with a pretext for war against Jerusalem.

You're starting to think that Nero might actually have your blood in her veins; after all, her current behavior is a bit too much like a player's.

As a former Paradox Interactive player, Quinn saw through Nero's thoughts almost immediately. The underlying purpose of those policies that represented the emperor's great concessions was exactly the same as how Paradox Interactive players would win over other nobles before taking action against a noble territory within their own domain to prevent rebellions from breaking out in other low-loyalty territories when they took action against the target territory.

Nero was doing just that.

This is a thought that no normal monarch would entertain; it's a notion only a self-proclaimed "god" capable of controlling the entire situation would have. If anyone else did this, Quinn would laugh, but Nero is different now. She possesses the Sixth Beast and the ability to see the future, meaning she might actually be able to do it. And if she does…

Quinn was a little scared; he sensed that the human was rubbing his fists together, ready to elbow him.

So he waited for the court session to end, and until the Roman courtiers had dispersed, leaving only Nero and Seneca, the emperor's teacher and chief advisor, in the audience hall, before Quinn appeared before Nero.

"Nero."

Quinn's call drew Nero's attention. The young emperor blinked, her face full of excitement. Lacking any airs of a ruler, she darted down from her throne and came to Quinn's side. "Your Majesty, the blessing you bestowed is truly wonderful. With this blessing, I will soon be able to deal with all the threats to the empire's future and resolve any future rebellions once and for all."

This one sentence proved everything. Nero's intentions were exactly what Quinn needed. She truly intended to prevent the Roman Empire from facing the crisis of provincial rebellions in the future, which almost made Quinn breathless.

"...A threat to the future of the empire?"

Seneca, who had watched Nero grow up and taught him as his teacher, had originally planned to privately persuade Nero to change the recent national policy after the court assembly. However, after hearing Nero's few words, his thoughts had changed. Although the man did not know what changes had occurred in Nero, based on just a few words and Quinn's presence here, he had roughly figured out the situation.

"Yes, thanks to the blessing of the Divine Ancestor, I can now glimpse the future and know the threats to the empire. Teacher, I know you have many questions about my decisions, but you can rest assured to support me. With the power to foresee the future, I have no weaknesses!"

As Nero confidently declared, Quinn hesitated to speak.

Now that things have come to this, the Sixth Beast is not a blessing but a curse, and I can no longer bring myself to say things like I just wanted to use you as bait.

"My Lord God, please assist me and let the Roman Empire regain the glory of the Age of Gods! You who bestow this power upon me must also hope that I can become the restorer of Rome!"

Is this...is this right?

Faced with Nero's expectant gaze and Seneca's look of sudden realization, Quinn's forehead began to bead with cold sweat.

Chapter 294 Saving Humanity from Fire and Water, Don't Ask Where the Fire and Water Came From

Temple of Medusa.

Quinn sat before the statue like a contemplative sculpture, while the towering statue of the goddess of the land looked down at Quinn's pained face with pity in its eyes, as if it were lamenting his fate.

"So, why did things get to this point?"

Quinn muttered to himself, as if speaking to the sculpture in front of him, while Medusa herself stood helplessly behind him, wondering what her husband was up to now.

"If you're going to talk to me again, at least face me, right? What happened to him this time?" Medusa first complained about Quinn's behavior, which was far removed from both gods and humans. Then she looked at the other people in the temple and asked Quinn what was going on. But when she turned to look at the others, she found that their expressions were not very good either.

Princess Aika Sajou, who is usually confident and sunny, is now much like Quinn, huddled in a corner of the temple like a moldy mushroom, looking dejected. You can faintly hear her saying things like "Why?" and "This is discrimination." Even Europa II is pacing back and forth with a furrowed brow and great anxiety.

Medusa's gaze finally settled on Arcueid; now, Arcueid seemed to be the only one who was relatively normal.

"Perhaps... he suffered a blow?" Arcueid scratched his head.

As someone who witnessed the entire process of the Sixth Beast possessing Nero, Arcueid was somewhat disappointed that Nero didn't choose her as his host, thus failing to satisfy her curiosity. However, it wasn't enough to devastate her. Therefore, she couldn't quite understand the thoughts of Ayaka Sajou and Europa II. As for Quinn… Arcueid was even more perplexed. In her memory, Quinn's behavior was quite normal when he saw Nero being possessed, but after returning from his trip to the Roman court, Quinn seemed to have gone mad. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another context: "You Lin, where are you going to sing about the sky? Are you Lin here or not…?")

“I wasn’t hurt.” Hearing Arcueid’s words, Quinn felt slandered and stopped pretending to be a stone statue. “The one who was hurt was Sajyou Aika. She was the summoner of the Sixth Beast, but as soon as the Sixth Beast possessed Nero, it gave Nero a clairvoyant ability, making it seem like she was the third party. Europa II’s situation was similar…”

As someone with a close connection to the Sixth Beast, Europa II was still quite shocked when she heard that the Sixth Beast had granted Nero the "Clairvoyance." Although she wasn't as shocked as Ayaka Sajou, who had personally summoned the Sixth Beast, she was still quite shocked. After all, when she was possessed by the Sixth Beast, she didn't get anything good. Instead, the Sixth Beast kept sucking her blood, trying to use her as food to nurture itself.

When someone like Nero, who did nothing but conjure up the Sixth Beast out of thin air and even had it feed him, appeared before them, it was perfectly normal for these two women, who were connected to the Sixth Beast, to feel a little unbalanced.

“But I’m different,” Quinn emphasized. “I simply couldn’t resist.”

Couldn't hold back what?

Medusa's gaze toward Quinn turned somewhat dangerous.

“Nero said she hoped I would help her make Rome great again, and then she held my hand and said she wanted to go to Jerusalem herself and hoped I would go with her. To be honest, she was so sincere at the time that I softened and couldn’t help but agree.” Quinn covered her face. “You know me, Medusa, I’ve always been weak against people who are too sincere.”

In particular, the person who said this was Nero.

Quinn already felt somewhat guilty towards Nero.

Nero's death in the wilderness and the rebellion was inevitable in history, and it was also clearly stated in FGO that if Nero survived after three sunsets, she would become Beast 6. It was because of these two factors that Quinn felt that Europa II's plan was feasible. However, in reality, when Nero was possessed, Quinn would use lies to comfort her and make her accept the possession of the sixth beast. This behavior was because Quinn did not know how to tell Nero that he had planted a time bomb on her.

Now that Nero truly sees the Sixth Beast as a blessing, believing that she is being given a chance to save Rome and herself, Quinn is even more at a loss as to how to explain the situation to Nero. In a sense, he has shot himself in the foot.

When Nero asked for his help, Quinn knew very well that he had a solution that could turn the situation around.

That is to speak frankly with Nero and open your heart to him.

But when Nero looked at him with such anticipation, Quinn hesitated. Even the most hard-hearted person would soften and hesitate when faced with the sincere plea of ​​a girl whose fate was already fraught with hardship and would be made even more difficult by his interference. Moreover, this girl trusted him implicitly.

Quinn sighed again as he thought about what had happened.

However, Medusa was no young girl after all. After listening to these guys' words, she roughly figured out the experiences of those things she hadn't witnessed firsthand. She looked at her sighing husband and said, "Isn't this a good thing? Anyway, it won't do you any harm by agreeing, otherwise you would have refused long ago. And... since you've already agreed, it means you've already made up your mind, right?"

Medusa saw through your intentions. When Nero invited you to help her, you could have refused, but you agreed anyway.

Hesitation and a soft heart are the main factors, but more importantly, it's because your goals align with Nero's. You had already planned to go to Jerusalem because, according to Mary, Jupiter is currently hiding in that holy city. Jupiter is your trump card to deal with the fully-formed Beast 6 in the future. Once you decide to actively summon the Beast 6 and anchor a Beast Egg that you can control, going to Jerusalem to find Jupiter will be your next step.

Now that Nero has requested your assistance ahead of schedule, it will allow you to monitor the growth of the Sixth Beast without interruption.

What's really bothering you is that you're starting to hesitate about how to deal with Nero.

[If Nero were truly bewitched by the Sixth Beast, then you could wait without any qualms for the Sixth Beast to fully develop within her. Once Nero becomes the Beast Six, you could then, together with Jupiter, use overwhelming force to forge a master-servant contract with the Beast Six. However, Nero has taken the path that troubles you the most. She is clearly not corrupted by the Sixth Beast; she retains her true nature, and her behavior is highly similar to yours. You see a reflection of yourself in her.]

You were once someone who would use everything at your disposal to change your fate. In a sense, Nero is your past self, and deep down you hope that Nero can escape his fate and have a better future.

[Nero's fate and the normal course of human affairs are like a scale placed before you. You are searching for a suitable point of leverage to keep the scale in balance, which is causing you great distress because you have already made your decision.]

[As a greedy player—you want it all]

[Now, the only thing that can stop you is that you need a solution that can satisfy your desires, a method that can simultaneously satisfy your selfishness and the normal functioning of human reason. This is something that Arcueid, Ayaka Sajou, and even Europa II cannot provide for you, because they either have too little understanding of human reason or insufficient knowledge of the restraint force. Arcueid, who has some understanding of both, is not particularly good at thinking.]

You look at Medusa, hoping she can give you some inspiration, but you know the chances are slim, because Medusa isn't the type to use her brain much.

However, when you express your worries and concerns, Medusa actually provides you with ideas for addressing your current anxieties.

Why don't you ask other people?

"The others?" Quinn was taken aback.

“Not all the gods went to the Inner Sea of ​​Stars. Didn’t I tell you? There are other gods still walking on the earth. Rome’s stability to this day is not solely due to me.” Medusa reached out and flicked Quinn’s forehead. “Have you forgotten that Rome’s success today is not entirely due to you alone? I may not be very smart, but there is a god who has a lot of ideas.”

Quinn suddenly realized he had completely forgotten that.

His relationship with the Greek gods was not simply that of a believer and a deity. This meant that he rarely asked the gods for anything, let alone received their assistance as often as other Greek heroes. This lack of experience almost made him forget that the Greek gods were the kind of people who were so human that they were unreasonable.

In the eyes of the Greek gods, the importance of humanity, which they favored, might actually be higher than the normal functioning of human reason.

If one were to pray to the Greek gods for help...

“I will go to Jerusalem with Nero, and Mordred will come with me. Medusa, I need your help. Contact Mars and Aphrodite, and ask them to contact Zeus in my name. Tell them that I am in Rome now and I want to talk to them about the future of the beasts and mankind.”

Without any hesitation, Quinn abandoned his brain and sought external assistance.

You've made your decision.

[Since you're going to cause trouble, then make it big once and for all. Since Nero wants to restore the glory of the Roman Age of Gods, then show her what the Roman Age of Gods was like, and what the value of being favored by the gods truly means.]

As for the Greek gods... you believe they will respond to you and join you in saving humanity and Rome from disaster. As for where the water and fire will come from, you can only say...

Don't ask.

Chapter 295 Jerusalem

In the original history, the Roman Emperor Nero was regarded by Jews and Christians as a great enemy of faith, and as the embodiment of the great red dragon and the great harlot in the Book of Revelation. This title originated from the extremely harsh and high taxes he imposed on the various foreign provinces of Rome. In addition, his licentious personal life made it natural for the Jews to regard him as the great red dragon.

But things are different now.

When Nero announced his upcoming trip to Jerusalem, the governors of the provinces along the route from Rome to Jerusalem spontaneously held celebratory banquets to welcome him.

This was an act of genuine concern from the provincial governors. You sing of the plum blossoms, but the plum blossoms are empty; your plum blossoms are here, but are they not...?

Faced with this rare emperor who chose to significantly reduce taxes after ascending the throne, these provincial governors, who were essentially vassal kings, were naturally overjoyed. After all, they didn't care about the Roman Empire's treasury revenue, only about the situation within their own jurisdictions. Nero's tax reduction policy could fill their private coffers and satisfy their personal needs. An emperor who could satisfy their desires would naturally win their hearts.

Even the governor of the Jewish province was extremely pleased with the arrival of this pagan emperor.

This situation, so different from history, was precisely the effect of Nero's previous policies. Even though the Jewish province had not received any notice of tax reduction, the Jews naturally had expectations, thinking that other provinces had received such benefits, that Nero would reduce the taxes borne by the Jews when he returned to Rome after visiting Jerusalem.