Man on the ark, forced to become king

It's nothing more than instruction on magic or combat?

As the eldest daughter of the Taikoo Group, there aren't many things in this world that interest her, and improving her strength isn't among them, since she doesn't need to rush onto the battlefield to fight.

So she just secretly glanced at Chen's teacher, without really thinking about it.

Especially since this person was a little bit worse than she had expected.

When it comes to true powerhouses, it's probably the older, more youthful-looking seniors with white hair who are the best, right?

It's really hard to get interested in people who are too young.

"A one-year trade contract?"

After glancing at the annotations on the document, Lin Lu slapped her forehead, feeling as if she were sitting at home when trouble fell from the sky.

He never thought this could actually be done, nor did he ever intend to do it, so he was completely unprepared.

Taking Chen to Ursus, which I had promised to do long ago, wasn't a big deal. He was just a third wheel, so it was fine to bring him along.

The problem is the girl with the film who helped Chen get this contract... This is going to be very difficult.

To be honest, Lin Lu wasn't really sure about the value of the contract. He didn't have a deep understanding of this world, and most of what he knew revolved around Kazdel and Lungmen. It was difficult for him to assess the specific value, so he could only come to a vague conclusion of "a lot." He couldn't accurately judge exactly how much it was.

So, how should we compensate them?

Tell someone, "I owe you a favor?"

Isn't that a joke?

His connections are quite useful in Kazdel and Lungmen, but outside of those places... nobody will know who he is.

Therefore, it's better to be realistic.

'I'll deal with you later!'

Lin Lu glared at the little dragon man with a nervous expression, then forced a smile and asked, trying to appear as amiable as possible, "Beatlex, right?"

"Ah? Ah! Yes, I am Beatrice Swire, Adams Swire is my grandfather. You must be Chen's teacher? I'm sorry, Chen didn't mention your name. May I ask how I should address you?"

Coming to her senses, Swire put on a formulaic smile and asked politely.

Regardless of her thoughts, she still needed to show basic respect to the strong; she couldn't afford to embarrass the Taikoo Group in public.

"Just call me Lin Lu."

Lin Lu waved his hand casually, not caring about the form of address, but rather thinking about something else.

The one who was specifically mentioned... Adams Swire, this little girl's grandfather must be a big shot, the kind of person who is very well-known. Just the fact that he was able to give away a free trade agreement is enough to prove his strength. He might be a big tycoon no less powerful than Wei Yanwu.

This seems to make things even more difficult.

Compensation with money or something similar is out of the question. Even if we ask Theresis, who is far away in Kazdel, to pay for it, he has plenty of money.

The trouble with human relationships lies in this: simply trying to make up for it with money seems to be a bit disrespectful.

But what else... does he have to offer?

The items collected in the Great Blessing are definitely not good enough. People won't even look at the junk, and the slightly better ones are all quite dangerous, so they're not suitable for repaying favors.

Spells? Prayers? Combat techniques?

Even if he wanted to give it away, he couldn't, and the value of low-end goods that could be easily taught might not be equivalent.

So... what about lifespan?

The power of the golden tree condenses into dewdrops, which contain the power to prolong life.

Most of the Filins are not immortal beings. Those who can reach the position of this little girl's grandfather are mostly very old. For them, money is not important; what is important are things that money cannot buy, and life is one of them.

If lifespan were the only exchange, it should be worth the contract, right?

Moreover, the Golden Tree Dew is essentially the physical manifestation of the Golden Tree's life force. As long as there is enough energy, you can have as much as you want, making it a worthwhile exchange.

“Well then, Miss Beatrice, this contract is indeed something I urgently need right now. How close you and Xiao Chen are is your own business. Since it involves me, I naturally won’t take your things for nothing.”

Actually, it's not urgent, but the contract is already in front of us, so what other choice do we have but to say it?

Having decided what to exchange it for, Lin Lu was too lazy to beat around the bush and simply got straight to the point. She raised her finger and gently tapped it, and the golden leaves fell down, swirling and gathering together, melting into flowing liquid gold. Finally, it solidified into a semi-transparent sphere about the size of a thumb, suspended in mid-air, emitting a faint light, and the fluid substance flowing inside could be vaguely seen.

Golden Tree Dew Drops - Purified and Solidified Version.

It was only the size of a jujube, but the life force contained within it far surpassed that of the dewdrops that Wei Yanwu obtained, which could only be used to prolong life or treat injuries. Its life force was even enough to extend the life of someone nearing the end of their lifespan. The specific effects still need to be verified, since the life force required for the strong and the weak to maintain their survival is completely different.

However, if it's a regular film, it should be able to last for at least twenty years, conservatively speaking.

In fact, if we compare it to other things, in the eyes of some upper-class groups whose money has become just numbers, the value of the trade contract is now not enough to match that of this dewdrop.

Anything that can prolong life is priceless in the world. Let alone a mere one-year trade contract, even if the price were several times higher, people would still be scrambling to get it.

Lin Lu could roughly guess what was going on, but she didn't care.

After all, value is relative. For example, those people don't care about Lungmen Dollars, but they do need them. And the life they crave is insignificant compared to the Golden Tree that can achieve eternity.

crackle~

Subtle magical fluctuations rippled through the air. Under the influence of crystallization magic, pale blue crystals materialized out of thin air, overlapping and intersecting to form an irregularly shaped oval-shaped container that encased the dewdrops suspended in mid-air.

slap~

The crystal container landed on the stone table and was pushed in front of Swire. Its irregular shell reflected brilliant colors under the dual illumination of the golden tree and the sun.

"We will always remember Mr. Adams' help. Here is a small gift as a return gift for this contract."

"On behalf of my grandfather, I thank you for your gift."

Swire nodded cautiously, picked up the slightly rough crystal container with both hands, and wondered what it was.

It looks like it's formed from leaves that fell from that little golden tree... It must be the effect of some kind of magic?

It feels warm and comforting...

Is it a decoration? Or a magical artifact?

It looks quite pretty and even lights up; maybe I could put it by my bedside as a nightlight?

To be honest, despite the speculation, Swire didn't take it too seriously. After all, no matter how you looked at it, it was just something that Mr. Lin had casually made.

'It seems this child doesn't know what what she's holding means.'

Seeing that Shi Huaiya didn't even ask, Lin Lu chuckled inwardly, thinking it would be better to remind her, lest the child take it for granted and waste such a good thing.

"This is a golden tree dew. You may not know what the name means, so I can tell you its function."

Lin Lu paused slightly before continuing.

"It can provide enormous vitality. Once consumed, it can provide an ordinary Felin tribe member with at least twenty years of vitality, that is, extend their life by twenty years."

"So that's what it is—"

The little tiger listened attentively, instinctively wanting to say a few polite words, before realizing what was happening. His eyes widened instantly, and he froze on the spot.

Wait, what is that?!

Could it grant ordinary Felins an extra twenty years of life?

This is absolutely incredible!

Treasures capable of prolonging life are extremely rare in the world. Even the Primordial Group has never obtained one. Methods or items for prolonging life are basically controlled by powerful forces with long histories. The currency circulating in the market cannot match their value, and no one would trade them.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it priceless.

After realizing what he was holding, the little tiger immediately hugged the crystal container to his chest, as if afraid it would be snatched away. His cheeks puffed out, and after a long while, he cautiously asked, "Mr. Lin, what are its side effects?"

"side effect?"

This question surprised Lin Lu for a moment, then she shook her head and chuckled.

It's just a little gadget to extend lifespan by twenty years, how could it have side effects?

Who are they looking down on?

Let alone ten years, if he wanted, he could grant an ordinary person eternal life. In terms of life, the Golden Tree can truly do whatever it wants.

"It has no side effects."

"Hiss~ No side effects?!"

This time, Swire was truly thrilled. She didn't think Lin Lu was lying to her; such a clumsy lie was easily exposed and meaningless.

A treasure with no side effects that can extend one's life by twenty years!

If other large companies or conglomerates found out, they would definitely fight tooth and nail to get their hands on it, okay?

Long-lived species are ultimately a minority. For ordinary short-lived species, how many twenty-year periods does one have in a lifetime?

Twenty years is already one-fifth of their lives!

Those power-hungry old fogies will stop at nothing to get their hands on it. Compared to this Golden Tree Dew, a one-year free trade agreement is nothing at all!

If possible, those old fogies might even be willing to trade a complete landship for it, and if things went even better, a finished small mobile city wouldn't be out of the question!

It's priceless, truly priceless, not just a figure of speech.

Is it really possible for something as good as a pie to fall from the sky in this world?

Why didn't Chen say so sooner!

If her teacher had said earlier that he would exchange such a priceless treasure for a mere trade contract, she would have given him not just one, but a hundred!