Man on the ark, forced to become king

Why...didn't He sense even the slightest trace of a presence?!

Just a little bit... even a tiny bit would be enough. If He sensed even a trace of the Golden Tree's aura before entering the city, He would turn around and leave without hesitation.

But who would have thought that even when they were almost face to face, they still didn't feel anything?

Under the influence of his 'gold phobia,' Kosiché even began to suspect that the so-called Ice and Snow Music Festival was a trap from the very beginning, designed to lure him from the duchy and seize the benefits he held.

First Chernobog, then Talulah, what will He lose this time?

Lost in his own thoughts, Koschke seemed unaware that he had subconsciously accepted the inevitable outcome of losing something, as if that result was simply a given.

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"It really is my friend Black Serpent!"

In that brief eye contact, although the shadowy black snake that swirled in his pupils flashed by in an instant, Lin Lu still recognized in that short moment that the white-haired middle-aged man, Safra, sitting in a convertible and crossing the street below, was his brother, his beloved friend, the immortal black snake, Grand Duke Koschche!

In just a few seconds of eye contact, Lin Lu had already started planning what to do this time.

Mobile city?

Unlike Chernobog, St. Petersburg is the core city of Ursus, a major town adjacent to the imperial capital. Even if Black Serpent were to give it to the Golden Tree, it wouldn't matter, as the Golden Tree is not yet under its control.

A subordinate with good potential?

This isn't the Duchy of Koschche, so obviously not many people would be stationed here. As for those so-called 'snake scales,' Lin Lu really wouldn't consider them a threat.

So, does that mean money is all that's left to choose from? That doesn't seem so bad, does it?

What's wrong with you?

Lin Lu was thinking about how to gain some benefits, and what benefits he should gain, but from Theresa and Melina's perspective, all they saw was him suddenly acting crazy, jumping to the edge of the hole and looking down.

They didn't feel anything.

"It's the Black Serpent, or rather, the current Duke of Kosiché? He's down there."

With a smack of his lips, Lin Lu reluctantly withdrew his gaze, wishing he could immediately go downstairs and catch up with his friend. As the saying goes, "Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar?" He was already very happy—what if the friend ran away later?

"Kosice?"

Theresa's lips twitched; even someone as composed as her couldn't hold back her emotions upon hearing this news.

This Koschke... does he have some kind of navigation device on him that targets Lin Lu? How come he always manages to bump into her without her noticing, no matter where she goes?

Is this kind of luck lucky or unlucky?

With a very complicated feeling, she also moved closer and looked down.

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The Demon King! The Demon King of the Sarkaz!

Damn it, why did she dare to venture deep into the heart of Ursus, right beneath the capital? Wasn't she afraid of the news leaking out and incurring the wrath of the Empire?!

First, there was Lin Lu, who was almost becoming a nightmare, and now there is another demon king. Koschche's mentality is not calm. On the surface, he is calm, but in fact he is roaring wildly in his heart.

He desperately wanted to escape from this dangerous place right now, anywhere would be fine as long as he could get away.

Unfortunately, this idea could only remain a thought; He had nowhere to go.

In His country, in His territory, in the region where His authority is most manifested, how come He has become the fish on the chopping block? This is utterly absurd!

Clang!

Kosichä became increasingly angry, his thoughts becoming more and more chaotic. Even his straightened and taut body began to disobey his commands. His hand, which should have been on the support, landed on nothing. His balance was broken, and his stiff body tilted outward, causing him to fall directly off the convertible.

"The Duke has been assassinated! Seal off the scene!"

The streets, which had fallen silent as the convoy passed by, instantly erupted into chaos. The military and police following nearby immediately began clearing the area without explanation, attempting to find the person who had 'assassinated' the Duke.

In their eyes, this was an assassination attempt. Otherwise, why would the Duke, who was sitting perfectly fine in the carriage, suddenly make strange movements and then fall off the carriage?

If a duke were to die under their protection, everyone present would be thrown into the snowfield mines to mine Originium!

"I'll go, what's going on?"

The chaotic streets below did indeed look like they had been attacked at first glance, but Lin Lu knew very well that he hadn't intervened, Theresa hadn't intervened, and no third party had intervened.

In other words, the incident below was not an attack at all; it was actually Kosichek who lost his footing and fell off the vehicle.

This is a bit... cough cough.

Seeing the middle-aged man, Li Boli, who was surrounded, shakily get up from the ground, Lin Lu couldn't help but secretly give him a thumbs up. Even if it was acting, he really did it well this time. From the movements to the details, everything was impeccable, and it looked like he had really fallen hard.

If Lin Lu hadn't known Black Snake's background, she almost would have believed him.

How could the body of a dignified evil god suddenly fall off a car when it couldn't even stand properly? Even a dog wouldn't believe that if word got out!

Rather than the extremely slim possibility, Lin Lu was more inclined to believe that Kosichev had also discovered them and was therefore causing trouble again.

Why did he have to fall right when he was walking right under their hotel?

Noticing that a group of military and police officers had entered the hotel and the surrounding area to begin checking things, Lin Lu couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

His best friend, Black Snake, has gone astray! How could he resort to such despicable tactics?

Chapter 88 What Xi Wants to Say

"stop!"

At the critical moment, Kosiché, who was being helped to his feet, roared without any aristocratic manners, successfully stopping the military and police who were trying to search the surrounding area.

"It was just a minor accident, why are you all so flustered? What kind of behavior is this!"

"Don't they know what time it is? It's so noisy, and people still want to attend the music festival!"

"Everyone, behave yourselves! No disturbing the peace! Do you hear me?!"

Grand Duke Cosiché's righteous and indignant rebuke seemed to express his deep indignation at the reckless and arbitrary actions of the military and police.

The soldiers and police officers guarding the area exchanged bewildered glances, and the officer in charge quickly smiled obsequiously, "Yes, yes, Your Highness is right! We have truly felt your care for the people!"

"What are you all standing there for? Are you deaf? Get back in line and be careful not to disturb the peace, do you hear me!"

The officer could switch between two faces with ease; one moment he was all smiles, the next he was turning around and yelling menacingly.

But even with the officer's absurd attitude, no one in the military or police dared to say anything. They nodded obsequiously and retreated as quickly as possible, escorting the convertible, which had restarted, forward slowly.

The closer one gets to Saint-Germain Castle, where the emperor resides, the more pronounced the class differences become. Officials and nobles are layered upon each other, and no one dares to break the long-established ironclad rules. Even a minor military or police officer, in an obscure position, can exert absolute control over those below him.

As for why...

Everyone knows that in St. Petersburg, no one dares to ask why.

To survive, the word 'obedience' must be placed first.

"Whoo~"

The convoy moved slowly and stealthily. Kosichek quietly raised his eyelids to look up, and breathed a small sigh of relief when he found nothing was happening.

Thankfully, that guy didn't cause any trouble.

Is it because they are wary of St. Petersburg's defensive strength that they dare not take a large-scale action? Or do they have some other plan?

Kosiché had no idea; he hadn't had much contact with her and had too few available samples, so he couldn't deduce Lin Lu's thoughts.

Moreover, even if the calculations are made, they may not be useful. If an ordinary person's plan is to weave a large net with a clear structure, then Lin Lu's actions are like a gazelle hanging its horns, leaving no trace. Before the event occurs, no one can guess what she is trying to do.

Just like that encounter on the ice field, who knows why the leaves of the Golden Tree were on an infected person and appeared directly within the Reunion Movement, thus ruining his plans.

Both encounters ended in heavy losses for him, and—although there was no evidence, Koschche was 80% certain that the 'Golden Tree Phobia' that inexplicably affected many of his consciousnesses and even his physical body was also Lin Lu's doing.

Such a person, with bizarre methods and formidable destructive power, is simply an extraordinary being. In any case, Koschche felt he had no way to deal with Lin Lu and could only hope to avoid encountering her as much as possible.

Regardless of the reason why Lin Lu did not follow, Kosichev had already made up his mind to deal with all his affairs as quickly as possible after attending the banquet, and then quietly leave St. Petersburg by taking another route.

...Doing this might cause some financial losses, but compared to a small loss, the consequences of being caught by Lin Lu are obviously more serious.

That black sword...

Even now, Kosichello still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it.

That greatsword, seemingly summoned by some kind of magic, was its nemesis. Pure destruction and death resided within it, and so-called immortality meant nothing in the face of that sword.

Even if it were its true form, it would definitely die if it were hit. Koschche was very certain of this, which was one of the reasons why it chose to avoid Lin Lu.

The evil god is immortal; no matter how many host bodies it loses, it will return again. That's why it has enough confidence to regard the vast Ursus as a chessboard that it can manipulate at will.

But now, someone has appeared who can sever the immortal.

How can one not be wary and fearful when faced with an existence that truly has the ability to erase so-called immortality without even expending much effort?

In short, if possible, he hoped to avoid any further contact with Lin Lu for the next hundred years.

—The premise is that we can escape this time.

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The convoy carrying the Duke slowly drove out of the street. Kosichev thought that Lin Lu might not have chased after them because she was wary of the defenses of St. Petersburg, but that was not the case.

Lin Lu didn't chase after them for a simple reason—he was simply being held up by the hotel management.

Furthermore, since Koschke's aura has already been memorized, it won't be too difficult to find him no matter where he goes, as long as he doesn't leave the area of ​​St. Petersburg.

Therefore, Lin Lu was not in a hurry. She patiently discussed the compensation issue with the hotel management and changed to a suite.