Man on the ark, forced to become king

His thoughts went even deeper than Lescia's.

Were all those arrested really infected?

I doubt it. When extreme hatred towards the infected takes root in people's hearts, the mere fact that someone is infected is enough to plunge anyone into the abyss. The wheels of fate have already begun to turn, and no one will escape unscathed.

Even the high-ranking nobles and officials could not escape the vortex they themselves had created, a storm that swept across the entire country and was enough to crush anyone.

Once you label your enemies as infected, you can do whatever you want.

In this situation, whether or not someone is infected is no longer important.

However, extreme oppression will inevitably lead to the most violent backlash. This storm that has engulfed Ursus will drag this once-powerful empire into an abyss in the foreseeable future.

Resistance from the oppressed will crush everything, just as the Ursus overthrew the Eagle Empire that ruled them a thousand years ago.

"That person is not infected."

Lani crossed her arms and shook her head slightly, confirming Lin Lu's guess.

With her mastery of magic, she could easily sense whether someone was infected—compared to ordinary people, infected people's bodies are filled with Originium energy nodes of all sizes, and even the infected with the mildest symptoms have blood that is different from that of ordinary people.

This difference might require professional testing equipment to be fully determined by others, but in her eyes, it was crystal clear.

"Longmen is still better."

Melina put down her cup, her brow furrowing slightly. She still couldn't quite accept coffee, so she only took a sip before putting it back.

“Longmen is more vibrant than here. Here, all I feel is oppression and fear. Everyone lives in suspicion and anxiety, which is not good. It should not be the atmosphere of a city of this size.”

"Ha, just being labeled as an infected person will lead to violence, and your life will be completely turned upside down and shattered. Who wouldn't be afraid?"

"What's even more terrifying is that it only takes a single sentence to label someone like that. Misfortune can befall anyone at any time. This city has no future."

It's not just a lack of future, it's practically hell on earth.

The city's surface calm is maintained by the forceful oppression from a higher level, and even the slightest disturbance could trigger a chain reaction. If given a choice, no one would choose to live in such a city.

Unfortunately, they had no choice.

Before this, Lin Lu had never imagined that the living conditions of the people of Ursus would be so bad. What did those nobles and officials think of the common people?

Their slaves and leeks that can be harvested at will?

Perhaps the atmosphere in other cities is different from here, but judging from this one example, it probably isn't much better.

"Let's go out and explore, and see the local customs and culture of Ursus."

The magical barrier that had been used to block out the sound collapsed silently. Lin Lu raised her hand to call the shopkeeper, intending to settle the bill and then take a good look at the city and see just how corrupt this vast empire had become.

"Everyone, you must be from out of town."

The elderly Ursus owner approached with the bill, glanced cautiously out the window, and handed it over while whispering, "Take my advice: if you're traveling to Chernobog, you'd better leave as soon as possible."

"How to say?"

As she paid the bill, Lin Lu noticed the owner's fearful gaze seemed genuine, and curiously asked him a question.

"Hey, don't mention it."

The small coffee shop was empty. The owner glanced at the closed door and sighed, "Those big men have gone crazy lately. The city's security has suddenly become much tighter. In just the last few days, quite a few people have been arrested as infected and thrown into jail. None of them have come back. Nobody knows where they went. I'm just an old man and I don't know what's going on up there, but this is definitely not a good sign."

"So you'd better leave quickly, don't linger here, especially..."

The boss's gaze swept across Theresa and the others, hesitating before finally speaking.

"Especially since these girls are all very pretty, they might cause trouble. Those people are capable of anything."

"so."

Lin Lu nodded as she took the change, seemingly lost in thought.

The military and police responsible for maintaining urban security and social stability have become seen as oppressors and plunderers in the eyes of ordinary people, and it is easy to imagine what this city has become.

What they saw was probably just the tip of the iceberg.

Many worse things are happening behind the scenes.

"Thank you, we'll consider leaving here."

After politely thanking the owner, Lin Lu and her companions left the coffee shop. As they left the warm, comfortable room, a chilly air swept over them, just like the frost that had settled in the hearts of the local people.

The cold in Ursus is not just in the climate; it chills people's hearts as well.

Should we leave?

Tightening the scarf around her neck, Theresa asked in a low voice.

To be fair, she really wanted to change Chernobog's situation, but she knew it was impossible. In the face of a nation, an individual's power is too insignificant, and no matter how unwilling she was, she had to admit that she was powerless to change the status quo.

What else can they do besides leave?

If you stay there too long, not only will nothing change, but you'll also get yourself into trouble.

Out of rational consideration, she also felt that she should leave Chernobog as soon as possible.

"Leaving? There's no need for that right now; there are still many days until the Ice and Snow Festival opens."

Reflecting the hurried crowds on the street in her eyes, Lin Lu's eyes flashed with a cold light before finally returning to calm.

"What do you want to do?"

Lani suddenly spoke, her tone resolute.

She was probably the person who knew Lin Lu best; she could guess what he was thinking without even having to guess.

Lin Lu must be feeling very unhappy right now. He has always been capricious and does whatever he wants, which means that someone is bound to be in trouble.

Who's the unlucky one?

Of course, it wouldn't be these oppressed commoners, but only those 'noble lords,' such as the Marquis Boris, the lord of Chernobog.

"If you want, then I can—"

Unlike others, Lani never objected to Lin Lu's decision. In her eyes, Lin Lu was the most important person, and everyone else had to take a backseat.

So she won't try to stop them, but will choose to join in the commotion.

Even if Lin Lu were to say she wanted to conquer this city now, she would not hesitate to activate the Dark Moon Domain and let the laws of the stars descend upon it. As for what consequences this would cause, that was not within her consideration.

"No, you can't."

Hearing her say that, Lin Lu quickly waved his hand, stopping his wife's dangerous idea.

He was indeed very unhappy and wanted to chop off a few heads to vent his anger, but he never thought of letting Lani do it.

Good heavens, what if a true god were to expand their domain in Chernobog?

Putting aside the possibility of attracting a massive siege from Ursus's army, the city itself is unbearable. No matter how much restraint is shown, a god is still a god. The moment the law descends, those with weak wills will go mad, and Chernobog will become a true hell on earth, descending into chaos—that's not what he wants.

Moreover, resorting to violence alone will not change anything.

When they leave, what awaits the people of Chernobog will only be more horrific persecution and exploitation; what the rulers have lost will be exploited back from the bottom up.

He had a better idea than resorting to violence.

Top-down change is always much easier than bottom-up change.

Especially in a country like Ursus, where the ruling class possesses absolute military power and authority, a single word from a lord or noble can change many things. For the city's inhabitants, changing the existing oppressive atmosphere is simply too easy.

If he were to order a halt to the manhunt for infected individuals, a large portion of the mountain weighing on the heads of the people of Chernobog would be removed.

As for how to do this...

It was impossible to expect the Marquis of Boris to have a change of heart and repent; that would be tantamount to harming his own interests.

Even if he suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to make changes, it was impossible. The officials and minor nobles who were subordinate to him would reject his proposal outright. They would not allow their interests and power to be harmed.

However, that's only under normal circumstances; using unconventional methods is another matter.

When it comes to manipulating people's minds, who in this world is more powerful than the Sarkaz Demon Lord?

With Theresa's abilities, she could easily change the minds of Marquis Boris and his followers without them even realizing it, making them issue decrees that they would never issue in a conscious state.

Once the top leadership begins to change, all problems will be solved.

Under the dual constraints of the Golden Tree's blessing and the Demon King's power, even if those noble lords wanted to resist, it would be futile. Faced with absolute power, their usual hounds and armies could not provide them with any protection.

Therefore, what they need to think about now is how to find a suitable opportunity, without attracting the attention of anyone outside Chernobog and the higher-ups in Ursus, to secretly impersonate this person and turn all the city's high-ranking officials into puppets of the Golden Tree.

Chapter 56 Theresa's Ursus Food Science Popularization

How exactly to control the upper echelons of the entire city is a very serious question.

Lin Lu wanted to cause trouble, but she didn't intend to put herself and the Golden Tree directly against Ursus.

Therefore, this matter needs to be carefully considered.

But before that, there's one more thing to do—buy Chen a decent set of winter clothes.

I don't know what this silly girl was thinking. While everyone else was fully prepared, she came along wearing her usual clothes: a shirt, jacket, and shorts. The only things she carried were her wallet and the Crimson Sky Sword, which was in a musical instrument case.

Since the distance between Lungmen and Chernobog wasn't too far, Lin Lu didn't pay much attention to it at first. Besides, with her super Terran physique and the enhanced constitution from the blessing of the Golden Tree, she shouldn't be affected by mere temperature.

But once he arrived in Chernobog, he realized he was wrong, terribly wrong.

Although the distance is very close, the actual experience is like two different worlds.