Man on the ark, forced to become king

"Old Hei, I'm telling you the truth, why don't you believe me?"

Lin Lu stood up from the sofa, walked over to Kosic, who had just sat down, hooked her arm around his neck again, and whispered, "Everything I said is the truth. If you don't believe me, then I'll have to take your heart out and show it to you."

? ? ? ? ? ?

Kosichrie was completely confused, wondering if he hadn't heard clearly.

Listen, listen!

What do you mean by "take my heart out and show it to me"? Is that even human language? Why don't you take your own?

"Speak your mind!"

Anger simmered within him, and Kosicé hardened his stance, removing the arm draped over his neck and reverting to his aloof, ducal demeanor.

Don't be such a bully!

Once, twice, three times—have you really turned Him into a pushover?

Even if the Demon King were here today, he'd have to stand up for himself! If he had the guts, he'd wreak havoc in Ursus's city. He might die, but that wretched guy wouldn't get away with it either!

"Haven't I been saying this all along?"

With an innocent expression, Lin Lu shrugged and paced around for a few steps before saying, "Look, we don't have any deep-seated hatred for each other. It's just a small conflict, nothing serious."

"You want Ursus to be great again, and I need more resources to restore my strength. These aren't mutually exclusive, are they?"

"Isn't cooperation more in our mutual interest than mutual hostility?"

"You want to make Ursus rise, but you don't have enough power. I have enough power, but I don't have enough money. Isn't that complementary?"

"As long as you can bring enough resources, the Golden Tree can provide you with military support, and we can discuss other forms of assistance as well. Even if you need a suitable body, we can help you recruit one, guaranteed to be better than the ones you've trained before!"

"..."

After hearing these words, Kosic said something and fell into deep thought.

It seems... that's really the case?

Indeed! His conflict with the Golden Tree started with a minor offense, and then there was the Talulah incident. Compared to the benefits the Golden Tree could bring, that was nothing.

It's just a body. If the Golden Tree can find a better one, then it doesn't matter whether Talulah has one or not. All he wants is a body that can exert enough power to guide and change Ursus. Who it is doesn't matter at all.

As for the resources the Golden Tree desires... its accumulated resources over a thousand years are no joke, it can fully support them, and if it can gain control of Ursus, then that will be even less of a problem.

As long as Golden Tree doesn't intend to get involved in Ursus, then they really don't have any conflict of interest, and cooperation... doesn't seem like something that can't be discussed?

"Tempted yet? Don't just think about it, take action, Old Black!"

Lin Lu slapped Kosich's back repeatedly, laughing enticingly, "Whatever you need, the Golden Tree can give you. As long as you have money, nothing is a problem!"

"Why should I trust you?"

Indeed, the Golden Tree is very powerful and has a high chance of fulfilling all their promises, but for Kosiché, this would be like asking a tiger for its skin.

It was precisely because the Golden Tree was so powerful that he felt a great sense of crisis.

The temptation is great, but the risks are equally great.

Cooperation must be based on equality; otherwise, it is unilateral plunder. Is there equality between him and Lin Lu?

Obviously not.

While cooperating with the Golden Tree might yield what he desires, Lin Lu could easily snatch it away, potentially costing him his life.

"Value, your value is enough for you to believe in me."

When dealing with an old coin like Kosiché who is good at playing tricks, nothing else matters. He has long been accustomed to measuring everything in the world by interests and gains and losses, including himself.

Lin Lu isn't good at dealing with this kind of person, but she can still reason with them.

"What good would it do to kill you? None. Your life or death is of no importance to the Golden Tree."

"On the contrary, a living collaborator can bring us more benefits. As long as you still have value, then you are safe."

"Value? That's a very realistic way of putting it."

Kosic gave a cold laugh, but did not refute it.

These words are harsh and realistic, but he falls for them.

In his eyes, shared interests are indeed the strongest relationships in the world, far more reliable than so-called feelings.

Those with sufficient value will not be discarded; the incompetent will only be swept into the trash heap. That's just how reality is.

So, can he bring enough value to the Golden Tree?

of course can!

Honestly, Kosichre felt he had the ability. Could such a vast country as Ursus not satisfy the appetite of a private organization?

Even if Lin Lu wanted to plant that towering tree that appeared in the memory battlefield in Ursus, Ursus would have enough land to accommodate it!

Having figured this out, Koschke suddenly felt that Lin Lu's smiling face wasn't as annoying as before, but rather more pleasing to the eye.

Being enemies with this guy is certainly a terrifying thing, but as an ally, he is reliable enough.

Think of the unparalleled martial arts that I saw in the battlefield of memories, honed to perfection. Think of the formidable strength that easily crushed three inner guards and defeated the Red Dragon with just one avatar on the icy plains. If this is not reliable, then what is?

Lin Lu has already reached the pinnacle of humanity, enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with gods, or even surpass them!

On this land, he is undoubtedly one of the few people at the very top of the food chain!

With such a powerful figure present, even the demons of the North...

"Demons, the Golden Tree, can they rival demons?"

Thinking of this, Kosicé pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked an unrelated question.

"Demons? Heh."

Lin Lu turned around, stood with her hands behind her back, and from Kosichek's perspective, only half of her face could be seen.

An invisible aura spread out, and the ancient deity, who had lived for thousands of years, suddenly had a strange feeling that he was not facing a person, but something of a higher level.

"These mere grains of sand are not even half as big as me, what is there to fear?"

"Your vision is too narrow, so narrow that you can only see this corner of Ursus and cannot see the wider world."

"You think you understand me? But have you ever considered that what you see is only what I want you to see? Have you ever seen the real me, or the real golden tree?"

"You have neither the knowledge nor the ability to even imagine that you know nothing about power."

After saying this, Lin Lu felt refreshed and relaxed. She turned around mysteriously, patted Kosichek on the shoulder, and then collapsed like sand, dissipating into a faint golden glow and disappearing, leaving only a golden leaf spinning and falling, and a sentence.

"If you've thought it through, this leaf can contact me. However, my patience is limited, and I hope to hear good news soon."

"...Did I even have a choice?"

The person had already left. Koschche reached out and caught the falling leaf, holding it in his palm. The darkness in his eyes grew thicker and thicker until it completely engulfed his pupils.

"The Golden Tree..."

-------------------------------------

After putting on a show in front of the old snake and then establishing a perfect mystical stance through the blessing tradition of the Golden Tree, Lin Lu grinned, unable to contain her smile, and skillfully embraced the slender waist in front of her.

"ah!"

The sudden attack made the girl let out a soft cry, her long, cherry-pink hair swayed, and she tilted her head to look behind her, a blush rising on her face.

Only then did Lin Lu realize that the person in front of her was not Lani or Melina, but Theresa.

but……

It doesn't matter, since they're all our own anyway.

After skillfully explaining her actions, Lin Lu hugged even tighter, showing no intention of letting go.

"What the heck? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

Theresa blushed, but did not break free.

It was just a hug, their relationship... isn't that big of a deal, is it?

Convincing herself of this, the princess gently turned her body so that the arms wrapped around her waist could hold her even tighter.

"I remember happy things."

Feeling the warmth in her arms, Lin Lu casually explained, glancing around. This was a corner on the edge of the Ice Lantern Festival venue, below the hotel where the dukes held their meetings. Perhaps because the location was too remote, although she could hear the noise from not far away and see the flashing lights, there was no one else around.

In this case……

My gaze shifted back to the face of the person in my arms; that touch of pink was so dazzling that it made me want to take a bite.

"..."

Seemingly guessing what Lin Lu wanted to do, Theresa closed her eyes slightly, her eyelashes trembling, and lowered her head slightly, but still did not break free.

What else is there to say?

Lin Lu's lips curled up, and she was about to move forward when she felt the sky suddenly brighten. Then a huge whooshing sound swept across the sky, and the buildings around her suddenly trembled, with a series of shattering sounds.

Boom!

Huge pieces of building debris crashed down. Lin Lu, carrying Theresa, dodged the falling debris and looked up at the hotel, her eyes flashing with cold light.

Very good...very good...