The main content of Chapters 030-032 is based on the values of the Ark Empire, aiming to conceptualize and depict the policies and laws of the Ark Empire.
Some readers may find this section a bit dry, but I still insist on writing it for the following main reasons:
1. Enriching the Ark Empire and Expanding the Novel's Worldbuilding
First, I hope to use this section to systematically and deeply refine the national setting of the Ark Empire, turning it into a truly "living" nation, rather than just a backdrop for the protagonist's story.
For me, policies and laws are not just "rules." They are the external manifestation of a nation's spirit and values, as well as a reflection of its people's way of life and beliefs.
Only when these internal logics are clear and complete can the actions of the characters and the social atmosphere in the story feel realistic and credible.
Furthermore, this setting is not just for Elo’s story.
In the future, I hope to create a work centered around ordinary citizens of the Ark Empire, telling a completely different journey from their perspective.
To write such a story, the Ark Empire must have a complete, reasonable, and coherent national system, and its policies and laws are an essential part of that system.
Therefore, even if these contents may seem "off-topic" or "heavy" in the current storyline, they hold clear and long-term significance for me:
Even if only serving as a reference for future works, this part is worth taking the time to carefully refine.
2. Answering the Question: "What Kind of Nation is the Ark Empire?"
Although I am the author of this novel, I am also a reader.
In fact, I care deeply about this question: What kind of nation is the Ark Empire?
If we want to truly understand this nation, we should at least consider the following aspects:
—History, culture, policies and laws, and the people themselves.
Among these:
- History and Culture:
Since the Ark Empire is built upon the continuation of the real world, many of its settings are derived from the 21st century, a time we are familiar with.
Therefore, I believe most readers can understand this part through their own experience and existing knowledge.
- The People:
The dimension of "people" is something I plan to explore in more depth in the future.
Someday, I hope to write a standalone novel centered around ordinary citizens of the Ark Empire, showcasing their journey from their perspective, presenting the stories that Elo cannot see.
Their lives, struggles, and dreams may offer a more multidimensional understanding of this world.
- Policies and Laws:
While I understand that it’s difficult to fully present this section in just a few chapters, I still hope to provide a basic framework, so that readers can understand the ideals and beliefs held by the people of the Ark Empire through these rules.
Of course, I am also aware that policies and laws cannot fully reflect the true nature of society.
In the real world, many countries' laws are at odds with reality, and there is often a significant gap between "paper justice" and the "darkness" that exists in reality.
However, precisely because of this, laws and policies become an important expression:
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They represent people’s pursuit of an ideal society and serve as the answer to the question, "What kind of world do we hope the future will become?"
So, even if they are imperfect or incomplete, I still hope to use the depiction of the Ark Empire’s policies and laws to showcase the nation’s values and ideals, and also show everyone:
In this fictional world, there are people striving for their ideals.
3. Helping to Present the Character
I believe many readers have already come to understand that the protagonist is not a simple person.
His complexity stems from the multifaceted and conflicting values deep within him.
These values tear at each other, preventing him from being pure and making him grow from a boy into an adult who constantly struggles with reality.
Therefore, whenever faced with a problem, he is never able to make a decision easily; instead, he needs to repeatedly think and weigh the consequences.
In my view, the laws and policies of the Ark Empire, although unable to fully represent the protagonist’s entire personality, still carry a part of his values.
As tools for governing the nation, laws and policies typically represent order, reason, and justice.
They are vital to the functioning of society and an important means by which people defend their rights.
However, unlike the "positive" image represented by the law, the protagonist himself is not always positive, gentle, or steadfast.
Although, in the past chapters, I’ve tried to show his positive, gentle, and just side,
the truth is that deep inside, he harbors many struggles and contradictions that are difficult to put into words—
—It’s just that the previous story hasn’t provided the opportunity to fully expose these issues.
Thus, there exists a subtle and profound contrast between the Ark Empire’s laws and the protagonist:
On one hand, the law embodies the order he idealizes, although it is only part of his ideal and not the whole.
On the other hand, the law cannot accommodate all his thoughts, nor can it reveal the dilemmas and pain in his heart.
Those more personal and complex parts can only be gradually revealed in future stories.
Even so, the laws of the Ark Empire still partially reflect the protagonist’s inner self:
—Because the laws of this nation are based on the values of the Ark Empire;
—And the values of the Ark Empire, in turn, stem from the protagonist’s own values.
In other words, the laws of the Ark Empire are a projection of the protagonist’s idealized "order and justice";
They may even be a side of him he wants the world to see.
Therefore, although the law is insufficient for a complete understanding of the protagonist, it is still an important window into understanding him.
For me, supplementing these laws and policies is not only to enrich the worldbuilding of the Ark Empire,
but also to help myself, and all readers, gain a deeper understanding of this complex and contradictory character—
even if this understanding is still far from complete.
In fact, even though I am the author of this work, I cannot fully comprehend every aspect of the protagonist.
Throughout the creative process, I, like all of you, have been gradually writing and exploring, getting closer to him, understanding him.
Thus, adding this content is also my process as a creator of continuing to think and come to understand the protagonist.
4. My Personal Thoughts and Obsessions
Lastly, I’d like to share some of my personal thoughts.
Although a novel is a form of fictional art, I still hope to incorporate my own thoughts and imagination into it.
These ideas reflect my thoughts on contemporary society, as well as my imagination for the future.
Perhaps these thoughts and imaginations hold no real value in the present world, but I am still willing to think and imagine.
Because I firmly believe:
—It is precisely this constant thinking and imagining that has allowed human civilization to progress to where it is today, to the 21st century.
Just imagine—if throughout human history, we had never thought about or aspired to "human rights, freedom, and equality," would we have the world we have today?
Therefore, even if the laws and systems I depict have no significance in today’s society, they still represent my sincere reflections and exploration of the future, of an "ideal society."
Additionally, I have also been thinking about the future of novels and literature.
With the development of AI technology, AI can now create highly entertaining novels.
Not to mention, anime, movies, games, and other forms of entertainment, with their visual impact and excitement, are constantly challenging the status of novels.
So, what should be the future of novels and literature?
My answer is:
—Novels and literature must do what other forms cannot. Only then can they maintain vitality and value.
Of course, achieving this is extremely difficult, especially when trying to maintain literary value while also truly captivating readers.
I am the same way. I find it hard to read those "boring" pure literary works.
What truly captivates me are the stories that are exciting, intense, and emotionally moving.
Therefore, I want to create works that not only make me want to read them in one go, but also have thought and depth.
—Works that offer the pleasure of reading while also making people think.
Although it’s difficult, I still want to do it, because if I don’t, even I won’t be able to continue reading or creating.
It’s hard, but difficulty has never been an excuse to stop moving forward.
I can only find ways to solve the problem, try repeatedly, learn from each failure, until I write works that both attract and satisfy me, as well as captivate you.
This is the direction I have chosen, and it is also one of the main reasons behind writing this section.
—Aleo