Man on the ark, forced to become king

'Koschke, you're an idiot.'

'Wait, wait, wait! What are you waiting for! Things have gone wrong already!'

'Greed, greed, greed! I've finally gotten myself into this mess! How could I not control myself!'

Regret, extreme regret. Kosichek is now filled with regret. He desperately wants to travel back in time to a few tens of minutes ago and strangle the version of himself who came up with this plan!

He knows this leaf so well, he even dreams about it at night!

He probably won't be able to forget it for the next few decades. On the cold ice plains, he summoned his inner guards, took over the body of the red dragon, and was confident of victory. But then a weak and ugly infected person pulled out an identical leaf from his pocket!

The man's clone emerged from the radiance of the blooming leaves, slicing through the guards like chopping vegetables, then effortlessly dodging all the attacks he was using to control Talulah's body, and finally crushing a wisp of his consciousness with a strange greatsword summoned by magic that could directly kill immortal gods!

It was a night like a nightmare!

Now, the same leaf appeared again, right in front of him, appearing without warning inside the heavily guarded Duke's Council. The aura emanating from it was enough to instill fear in anyone who looked at it.

There is no such thing inside Ursus, and I have never heard of it.

No need to guess, there's no doubt—

—That man has arrived.

He could have had countless opportunities to quickly end this pointless and stale meeting, escape through secret channels back to his territory, far away from this godforsaken place, and nothing would have happened.

Because of a momentary inability to resist greed and wishful thinking, a terrible mistake was made, and they actually encountered a treacherous situation.

He should have realized that this guy wouldn't waste time with him and would definitely catch up as quickly as possible!

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

I f***

"..."

The frenzied outburst within him came to an abrupt halt. Kosiché's slightly trembling body froze, and he even held his breath.

A heavy weight pressed down on my shoulder; it was a hand, a hand that was being washed and was unfamiliar to me.

Kosiché could feel that terrifying golden power swirling behind him, as hot as the sun, as if it would burn him to ashes.

A gentle breeze blew by, and a nightmarish voice sounded from behind, sending a chill down Kosiché's spine and triggering his phobia of golden trees.

Good evening, my friend. It's been so long, I've missed you dearly.

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Black Serpent's Overbearing Aura

I don't want to see you...

'If possible, it's best if we never see each other again, even until we die!'

For immortal gods, never seeing each other again until death is a very long time, but Kosiché didn't dare say this out loud and could only keep it to himself.

There was nothing he could do; the man was standing right behind him, with one hand on his shoulder. At such close range, it would be difficult to run away, so how could he dare to say anything carelessly?

"My good brother."

Behind the exquisitely crafted, ornate chair, Lin Lu draped an arm around Kosich's neck, affectionately pulling him back, and laughed, "I rushed over as soon as I saw you, I didn't even have time to eat properly, how about it, aren't you touched?"

"..."

Feeling the pressure on his shoulder, Kosiché forced an awkward but polite smile, his body growing increasingly stiff.

I dare not move, I dare not move...

You've already put your hand on my neck, and the intense golden power emanating from it is more conspicuous than the lights in the room. How could he dare to say a word?

"Um, and who is this?"

Awakening from the allure of the vibrant life force, Duke Nicholas looked toward Kosiché's location, hesitating for a moment.

Anyone with eyes could see that the young man who somehow got in was very familiar with Kosiché. His mannerisms were also very casual, and he didn't seem to have a superior-subordinate relationship. Instead, he seemed to be a very good friend.

Such casual physical contact is something that not just anyone can do in their position; it would be a very offensive act.

However, Kosic's reaction was merely a slight darkening of his expression; he did not show anger or obvious dissatisfaction, which was quite intriguing.

Who exactly is that young man?

The next Duke of Kosice, or...

"Don't talk nonsense, my good brother, you understand?"

The arm around his neck tightened its grip and then loosened, a soft whisper sounding in his ear. Kosich's eyes sharpened, his mind racing. He seemed to understand why this guy had deliberately chosen this time to appear—what was he up to?

This clearly shows they guessed what he was planning to do and wanted to get a share of the profits from this!

Damn robbers!

Kosiché has lived for over a thousand years and has robbed countless people, but he has never been robbed before, not even once!

But recently, luck seems to have turned against him. First, one of Chernobog's clones, carrying several snake scales, went to Lungmen. As soon as he left the city, he encountered a strange pillar of light and evaporated on the spot.

Then came Lin Lu, that jinx! I was robbed twice in a short period of time! Each time, I suffered heavy losses!

Oh, this is the third time now...

But he had no choice. The situation was beyond his control, and he was not as skilled as others.

Even if he had a thousand grievances in his heart, he dared not show them, and could only nod almost imperceptibly to indicate that he understood.

“Mr. Lin is my friend. You can trust him just as much as you trust me. This time, it was he who brought back crucial evidence from the southern ice sheet, namely this leaf.”

Kosiche spoke while thinking, and soon came up with a plausible answer with great ease, his face calm and composed, showing no sign of panic.

“As I said before, what can make someone live forever is a person, or more precisely, a being with intelligence. You can think of him as an individual with great power, or as a god walking on earth, it doesn’t matter.”

"The key point is the method he used—this golden leaf is a treasure that can prolong life. Each golden leaf can extend the life of an elderly person who is about to die by ten years. There are at least a hundred of the same leaves on the ice field. Their effects vary slightly, and they are carried by a group of infected people."

"Therefore I say that as long as you obtain them, you can extend your life by at least a thousand years."

As soon as he finished speaking, seeing the dukes' thoughtful expressions, Kosich glanced to the side without making it obvious and added, "My suggestion is that you can send people to search the ice plains, but don't provoke that powerful being, and don't even think about capturing him. He's a strongman who can fight against several of the inner guards. If you don't want to suffer losses, stay far away."

This sounds like a piece of advice, and it certainly means it.

However, having dealt with such aristocratic politicians for over a thousand years, Kosice knew them all too well.

If you directly tell them what methods you can use to deal with an unknown entity, it will not only fail to have a positive effect, but will also make them wary and think it is a trap.

To get them to take action, describe the value of that location as much as possible, then explain its dangers, and advise against making an enemy of it.

That would only fuel their inexplicable competitive spirit. This tactic works very well and never fails, especially for the Ursus nobles who are used to war and plunder.

This kind of person is someone who responds only to force and not to persuasion.

Sure enough, not long after he said that, the short-tempered Duke Romanov became displeased and arrogantly said, "God? There is no such thing as a bullshit god in this world!"

"Our army has fought in many countries and has a distinguished record. How could we not defeat a so-called god wandering on the ice plains?"

"Now that he possesses such an ability, we must make him work for Ursus!"

"What's so great about being able to defeat the Imperial Guard? The so-called Imperial Guard is nothing more than the emperor's private army. They can scare those little guys, but they can't scare us."

Nikolai and Ulrich didn't speak, but you could tell from their eyes that they thought the same thing, they just didn't say it outright.

Arrogant fool.

Kosichrie could only describe these guys' stupid behavior in this way.

They still live in the glory of the past, believing that Ursus is still as powerful as it was during the reign of the late emperor, capable of conquering other nations and plundering countless riches and territories for them.

Such an idea is utterly foolish.

Since they were prepared to die, Kosiché had no reason to stop them.

There's a saying in Yan that goes, "Good advice is hard to persuade a damned ghost." In his eyes, these arrogant and conceited fools were on their way to their deaths and were not far from them.

If before it was only a possibility of heavy losses without necessarily harming the individuals involved, then after Lin Lu decided to intervene personally, the outcome became very clear—these guys were doomed.

All the wealth and treasures they accumulated in their lifetimes would be taken away by that man and become nourishment for the ancient giant tree to grow.

The deaths of the three grand dukes were of great benefit to the emperor, and also to Kosice.

"I have given you my advice. You should think about it carefully."

Adding fuel to the fire, the immortal black serpent was adept at such methods. He said something indifferent, which immediately made the dukes even more arrogant.

“We will get what we want; that’s not your concern.”

Count Nicholas waved his hand dismissively, his gaze returning to the golden leaf, his eyes burning with intensity.

There are many treasures in the Ice Plains, but those are things of the future. Without something in your hands, it's as if you don't have it. But this one is right here, gleaming with life force. Its rich vitality is so tempting that he can hardly control himself.

"Can you trade me this leaf? I'll offer you a price that will satisfy you."

"..."

Kosiché wasn't surprised by this. Given these people's greed, they would never give up such an immediate benefit. However, since the source of this golden leaf wasn't him, and with the rightful owner right beside him, he didn't dare to make a decision on his own.

...This was truly a headache for the snake; in the past thousand years, it had never felt so frustrated.

“Sell it to them, sell it for a higher price, and split the profits 20/80.”

Lin Lu didn't move, but her voice rang out directly from the bottom of her heart.

In an instant, the ancient, cold power flashed and disappeared in some unseen shadowy corner.