Man on the ark, forced to become king

“The situation in Shelag is different from what you think; we are a religious country.”

Since it concerned his homeland, SilverAsh felt he needed to explain himself to avoid leaving a bad impression on his partners.

“We believe in Yeragand, the god of the snow mountain, who created a pure land for the people of Sherag in the snow and ice, protecting us from natural disasters. Therefore, foreign ideas are considered blasphemy in Sherag.”

I don't sense how devout you are.

Lin Lu's lips twitched; she felt like complaining.

He didn't see a trace of religious faith in SilverAsh, and the implication in his words was that he didn't take that Yeragand seriously at all.

But according to him, the snow mountain god Yeragand, worshipped by the Sherag people, is a real person? Not a false god created by those small cults, but a true deity capable of driving away natural disasters?

Furthermore, this deity is quite meddlesome and has directly interfered in the development of Shelag? Is Shelag a true divine kingdom?

But that doesn't make sense. If the religious atmosphere there is really that strong, and there are even gods intervening, wouldn't a 'heretic' like SilverAsh be punished by the gods? How come he's still alive and kicking, running a trading company?

"Your god... Jeragand rules over Shelag? He forbids you from having contact with foreign ideas and technologies?"

"That's not true."

SilverAsh shook his head, his eyes flickering, as if he had remembered something terrible.

"The gods will not interfere with our development. In fact, we have not heard any divine pronouncements for a long time. The elders of Manjushri Temple interpret the doctrine by rejecting foreign ideas and technologies."

"They believe that Shelag has survived to this day under the protection of the great god Yeragand and will continue to survive. The snow mountain is the great god's holy land and pure land, and anything from outside the snow mountain is a desecration of the god's pure land."

"Heh~ Sorry, sorry."

Unable to hold back, Lin Lu burst out laughing. Although SilverAsh didn't say it explicitly, the meaning behind his words was self-evident.

In other words, the mountain god may indeed exist and may have manifested himself to drive away natural disasters for Sherag, but he does not interfere with the development of the country under his rule, and has not appeared for a long time, so his current situation is unclear.

The so-called doctrines and decisions are all based on Elder Manju's own interpretation of the gods.

Even elementary school students wouldn't believe such nonsense if it were told to them.

God said nothing and did nothing, yet you all understand everything? Are you all know-it-alls?

It's all because of their seemingly closest-to-'god' status that they can say whatever they want.

This is not the will of the gods, it is clearly the thought of humans!

The elders were afraid of outsiders and the development of Sherag, because they feared that such things could threaten their power.

By remaining closed off and claiming to be the spokespersons of the gods, they can do whatever they want, acting arbitrarily and supremely in the name of the gods.

Once Sherag enters a period of rapid development, just like the rest of the world, and the power of the grassroots people grows further, it will shake their originally deep-rooted rule.

There are no divine pronouncements; they are merely the product of human greed and lust for power.

Using the name of a deity to carry out ambitious deeds, doing such things right under the nose of a living deity—aren't they afraid of being struck by lightning?

Perhaps that Yeragand, like the wolf mother of Xurag, had long since stopped interfering in affairs, which is why she tolerated the wanton behavior of her subjects?

Or is there something wrong with Him that makes Him unable to manage it?

In short, a living deity is still very valuable.

Thinking about this, Lin Lu became even more interested in Sherag.

If there truly exists a deity in the vast snow-capped mountains who can dispel natural disasters, then He alone would be worth the combined value of the entire trade between Shelag and Kara, even if Shelag were entirely populated by barbarians dressed in animal skins.

"It seems you already understand."

Silver Gray seemed to have anticipated Lin Lu's suppressed laughter and didn't react. But he also wanted to laugh.

Those old fogies who can't let go of power and are stuck in the past are leading Sherag to destruction because of their own selfish desires!

"Yes, so that's how it is. It seems your situation is not too good, just like the rumors."

Lin Lu's eyes darted around, and after a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke up: "Then, Mr. Silver Grey, may we go and see the legendary Mount Kalan?"

Chapter 81 The Celestial Master at Yumen Pass Burns Down Evil Spirits

Mount Kallan, a sacred place in the hearts of the Sherag people.

That is the abode of the great god Yeragand, an eternal land surrounded by wind and snow.

Under the blockade of Manjushri Monastery, ordinary Sherag people could only worship the sacred mountain from afar, and anyone who approached or even trespassed on the sacred mountain would be considered a blasphemer.

Even with the current influence of the Karan trade in Shelag, it's impossible for an outsider to ascend the holy mountain. If Ensiodes dared to do so, he would be attacked on the spot, and no one would stand on his side.

Therefore, the limit they could achieve was simply to bring people into Shelag and give them a distant glimpse, without going beyond that.

Lin Lu understood his predicament and said that as long as they were taken to Shelag, it would be fine and she wouldn't make things difficult for him.

It's just a closed-off primitive country, still in the slash-and-burn stage, without even a decent modern weapon. Once we find a clear location and enter, what can those indigenous people do to stop us?

Let alone obstruction, based on SilverAsh's description of Kjerag's current situation, even if he led Lani and the others all the way up the main road to the Holy Mountain, 'no one' would notice.

As for whether the great god Yeragand will find out... that doesn't matter.

It's just a god, isn't it? Every family has a few gods.

Since Jeragand once saved Sherag, it means that Jeragand is a god who can communicate and possesses wisdom and reason. When faced with the Golden Tree group on a 'friendly visit,' there's a 99% chance that he won't do anything irrational.

Even if something happens to Jeragand during the long course of time, Lin Lu has a way to help Him calm down.

He was very skilled at making sure God had a respectable reputation.

Therefore, with enough confidence in this trip to the snow mountain, Lin Lu appeared very relaxed, basically not taking the matter to heart, and once she left the coffee shop, she immersed herself back in the atmosphere of the ice and snow music festival.

As for whether the impromptu trip to Sherag would affect the other purpose of the Ursus trip—Talulah, that's not something to worry about.

Leaving aside the fact that Chernobog is nominally under Ursus but actually now belongs to the Golden Tree, Talulah and Borocasti's daughter need to make proper preparations even if they want to cross the Ursus Army's defenses.

Military campaigns are not child's play, especially since they don't have many capable men at their disposal. To regroup their troops and break through the army group's blockade, it would take at least several months or even longer—this is based on the fact that Lin Lu has already sent a message to W, asking her to lead a team of skilled Sarkaz mercenaries to lend a hand. Until they reach Chernobog, there is no need to worry about that place for the time being.

This period of time is enough for them to take a stroll around Shelag and get everything they need to do done.

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Unlike Lin Lu, who was in a great mood and had the leisure to enjoy the ice and snow music festival, Silver Grey, who hurriedly left St. Petersburg, was at the other extreme.

While establishing a partnership with a potentially powerful and influential organization is certainly a welcome opportunity, the risks lurking behind it are equally significant.

The Originium Stove was the first transaction between the two parties, and also a test. Before that, he still had many things to prepare.

Of course, these things alone were not enough to make the president of Karan Trade leave Ursus in a hurry with a dark expression on his face.

—After the cooperation was set, he suddenly received an urgent message from Sherag: his sister Ensia Shivaish had been attacked, and his right-hand man, codenamed 'Messenger' Weiss, was seriously injured and fell into a coma. This was the main reason why he was so eager to rush back.

In SilverAsh's eyes, Kjerag, which should have been his homeland, was no different from a battlefield. Ever since he founded the Kjerag Trade and returned to Kjerag from Victoria, the stubborn conservatives had come up with all sorts of ways to target him.

At first, it was just minor skirmishes and public attacks, then small-scale frictions, but now it has escalated to the point where every means is used, with assassinations and sabotage occurring frequently.

SilverAsh knew perfectly well who was behind all of this, but he was forcibly enduring it.

But this time, those people have completely crossed his bottom line.

His two younger sisters, Enya Shivaish and Enya Shivaish, were his absolute Achilles' heel. For this reason, SilverAsh even arranged for the only skilled Black Knight he had recruited to stay in Shivaish's old house and ask her to take care of him.

But to everyone's surprise, even so, those people still found an opportunity and went so far as to attack his family!

Fortunately, Encia was not injured, otherwise SilverAsh could hardly imagine what he might have done.

Sitting in the speeding snowmobile, Silver Grey, his face grim, began to think about how to deal with the incident.

The Kalan trade is not yet capable of completely turning against the conservatives, but it still needs to take a big bite out of them!

—Provided that Weiss's life is not in danger.

If Weiss gets into trouble, it won't be as simple as just taking a bite out of a piece of flesh.

Thinking of this, SilverAsh subconsciously looked at the handbag beside him.

A paper bag bearing the logo of a well-known candy store in St. Petersburg may not look particularly fancy, but what it contains is quite important.

Those were gifts given to him by the man named Lin Lu; there were two items in total.

A golden leaf that looks like a work of art, it is said that if you crush it, you will receive a piece of military support from the Golden Tree—the kind that costs money.

The other is a drop of golden liquid in a simple little glass bottle, which is said to be able to instantly heal any physical injury, no matter how serious, as long as the person is not dead, without any side effects.

SilverAsh didn't see any reason for the other party to deceive him on such a matter, which made the gift all the more precious.

This golden tree dew is practically a second life. If this were taken to an auction in Victoria, it could fetch an astonishing price, its value far exceeding that of a mere 'gift'.

Yet, the Golden Tree casually offered such a treasure as a gift, showing its sincerity and making him understand the Golden Tree's power even more.

He originally didn't want to accept such a precious gift, but considering that Weiss was seriously injured and his condition was unclear, he still shamelessly accepted it.

After all, you can repay a favor later, but if you lose your life, it's really over.

Weiss was not only his confidant but also a close friend he could entrust with his life. Compared to his safety, the favor owed seemed insignificant.

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Yan Kingdom, in the northern border, outside Yumen Pass.

The reddish-brown soil stretched far into the distance, and the thunder that lingered in the sky had not yet dissipated. Some of its residual power fell from the sky and blasted craters of varying depths on the ground.

The old celestial master stood on the scorched earth, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. Before him lay a twisted and grotesque body on the battlefield, littered by the ravages of lightning.

Its body was dark black, with tentacle-like limbs sprouting from its main trunk, as well as many eye-like organs. A faint mist floated above it, and an ominous aura spread outward, turning the surrounding area pitch black.