Man on the ark, forced to become king

Lin Lu never hesitated to assume the worst about someone who was good at scheming and plotting.

If it weren't for the fact that the modifications to Boris weren't yet complete, he would have wanted to go down and drag Kosich up for a thorough interrogation.

Yes, the serious kind of interrogation.

However, it seems he doesn't need to do it himself?

Sensing the approaching blessing of the Golden Tree, Lin Lu's expression was somewhat strange. Koschche not only didn't leave, but instead came this way.

dong dong~

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Kado's voice came from outside.

"grown ups?"

Perhaps worried about revealing something, he didn't say anything, but the bright aura of blessing was right outside the door, and Lin Lu could understand Kado's meaning without saying anything more.

"Let her in."

The door to the room opened with a click, and a woman dressed in aristocratic attire walked in with light steps, closing the door behind her without leaving a single crack.

When Theresa, who was busy, heard the sound, she looked up. Just a fleeting glance made Kosiché freeze, his steps suddenly halting, as if he were frozen in place.

"What, you're already so eager to start the second game?"

Lin Lu looked at her embarrassed expression with a mocking gaze.

Anyone could see that this guy was terrified of Theresa, or more accurately, terrified of the Demon King's power.

It makes sense. A malevolent god whose power is tied to consciousness happens to encounter a demon king who can directly control will and even soul. It's only natural that he would be afraid.

After all, even if someone else is a god, it would be difficult to really harm a monster that can split itself and infiltrate people's hearts, but the Demon King can. That's what he does, it's his specialty.

"I have no intention of being enemies with either of you. I think there should still be opportunities for us to cooperate."

Although it had only been a short time since their first meeting, Kosiché's attitude had already changed considerably.

She behaved extremely humbly, even lowering her head voluntarily; there was not a trace of arrogance in her.

"Trading? If you want to keep spouting these ridiculous self-aggrandizing remarks, then you don't need to continue."

Lin Lu walked over and looked down at her.

To be honest, it looks quite interesting from this angle, but when you think about this guy's true identity, the originally beautiful thing suddenly becomes not so beautiful.

"Gentlemen, there's really no reason for us to be enemies, is there?"

Kosicche did seem much more normal this time, and even his speech became much more serious.

“We have no real conflict of interest, and I am willing to apologize for my previous offense and offer adequate compensation.”

Chapter Sixty-Two: Catching Snakes at the Golden Tree

In Kosiché's view, 'face' is actually a very unnecessary thing.

To paraphrase an old saying from the Yan Kingdom, it means "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trivial matters."

How much is face worth?

As long as the goal can be achieved, such things can be completely forgotten.

She is a very pragmatic person, valuing results more than the process. As long as the outcome remains unchanged, nothing else matters.

For the 'Undying Black Serpent', it would be very unwise to become a complete enemy of the unfathomable man before him and the Demon King from Kazdel.

All she cared about was 'Ursus' itself; everything else, whether it was the conflicts of this world or the changes in other countries, was insignificant.

Therefore, it is still worthwhile to use a little bit of benefit to quell the dispute.

She has done this more than once in the past, and it wouldn't be wrong for her to do it again now.

"It makes sense."

Lin Lu had no interest in knowing what Koschche was thinking, nor did she bother to guess.

However, there was one question that he had just remembered—wasn't one of their purposes in coming to Ursus to find Talulah?

So, how did Talulah come to Ursus?

The answer is that Chen's sister, Talulah, was taken away from Lungmen by Koschei.

Koschei herself is right here, and it's now completely certain that the assassination attempt was a script she orchestrated herself. Therefore, she must know the specifics of Talulah's situation.

If they could get specific information from her, they wouldn't have to waste so much energy searching for her in the vast snowfields of Ursus.

Even the Ursus Empire hasn't fully explored that region; most of its territory remains undeveloped, making finding someone there like searching for a needle in a haystack.

In comparison, asking Kočice directly is extremely simple and convenient.

Or, try?

With the idea of ​​taking a shot even if there's no chance, Lin Lu thought for a moment and immediately said, "Indeed, we have no reason to be hostile, but your behavior just now made me very dissatisfied."

"If I'm not satisfied, I have a reason to take action against you."

"If you want to let this matter drop, it's simple. Just tell me where Talulah is... the child you took from Lungmen."

"Tallulah?"

Kosiche murmured the name softly, as if he wasn't very familiar with it, but his mind was in turmoil.

Talulah! Why would they mention that name?!

That was a crucial piece in her plan, an indispensable element!

Once the script is well-written, the play can be performed anywhere, whether it's Chernobog or any other city; they are merely stages to carry the script. Only Talulah, the most important protagonist, is irreplaceable!

Drak's bloodline, formidable strength, extraordinary potential, and unique identity... there is no other piece in this world more exquisite than Drak.

When she fully takes over Talulah's body, she will bring new life to the decaying Ursus!

But now, outsiders from Ursus have mentioned Talulah.

Whatever their purpose in searching for Talulah, it was unacceptable to Koschei. How could her long-planned scheme be ruined in an instant? This matter had crossed her bottom line!

“I haven’t seen Talulah in a long time.”

Without showing any emotion, Kosiché pretended to enjoy himself for a while before remembering and shaking his head, saying, "After she killed the clone I left in the Duke's mansion, she ran off to the wilderness. I don't know exactly where she is."

"For some reason, my body was basically powerless. After that child secretly used Originium fragments to turn himself into an Infected, he easily killed him, and then..."

"According to the customs of Ursus, if the previous Duke Kosiché died without any other descendants, she, as an adopted daughter, has the right to inherit the throne, even if she killed the previous Duke Kosiché herself."

"Therefore, none of the soldiers in the duchy dared to actually chase after or stop her. By the time my other body arrived, it was too late."

"You two are aware of the situation in Ursus. Most of its territory is undeveloped. Even I can't find a single person in the desolate ice plains; it's too difficult."

"Besides, there's no need for that. The only reason I took that child away was because I wanted Wei Yanwu to pass through my hands more often. What use is a child?"

"Even if I really had the idea of ​​taking over her body, I had countless opportunities to do so during the years I raised her, didn't I? Why keep waiting until she escapes before I can get her back?"

Koschke's explanation is very detailed and logically consistent.

However, Lin Lu did not believe it.

There weren't many reasons, I just didn't believe it.

He felt that Koschei, a cunning old fox, couldn't have such a simple reason for taking Talulah away. If it was revenge, there was no need to take her from Lungmen; killing her would have been much simpler and more convenient.

Therefore, there must be some other conspiracy behind this!

As for whether it really exists... that's not important. If he thinks it exists, then it exists! It has to exist even if it doesn't!

"I do not believe."

Those three simple words caused Kosic's expression to change instantly.

She wanted to continue explaining, to prove that she really didn't know Talulah's situation or location, but Lin Lu directly cut her off.

"I don't need or want your compensation. I only have one request: tell me Talulah's location, and then we will find her, leave Ursus territory, and you won't have to worry about our presence affecting your plans anymore. It's a very good deal, isn't it?"

Damn it, won't this affect my plans?

Once you find Talulah, you'll just take away the protagonist of the script I've chosen. Won't that have any impact?

Koschke wanted to curse, but he held back under the Demon King's intimidation.

“I really want to complete this deal, but I really don’t know where Talulah is. The snowfields of Ursus are so vast that it would be difficult to find her even now.”

"That's your problem. Didn't you say Ursus was an extension of your own hands? You can't even find a single person?"

Lin Lu shook her head slightly, becoming even more certain of her thoughts.

There's definitely something wrong with this snake!

Although she vehemently denied it and her reasons were plausible, perhaps even she herself did not notice that there was a very unreasonable loophole in her statement—from the beginning until now, her statement has always been that she did not know or could not find it, but she has never considered whether Talulah is still alive.

If she really knew nothing, then what made her think that a child could survive alone in the vast snowfields of Ursus until now?

"finished."

Theresa was born suddenly, and the black crystals surrounding Boris automatically disintegrated and dissipated. The Marquis shuddered, as if he had just woken up from a dream, his eyes still somewhat bewildered.

"My lords, does the organization finally need me?"

Perhaps having grasped the situation, Boris forced an eager expression onto his fleshy face, rubbing his hands together, wanting to approach but not daring to, and could only stand there asking questions.