Man on the ark, forced to become king

In that case, her speculations about the Golden Tree...

"Uncle, Aunt."

After many years, the memories of the past inevitably carry a sense of unfamiliarity, and mentioning this name again feels somewhat awkward.

Talulah gazed at the golden tree outside the window, a faint fire seeming to flicker in her eyes, and her tone became somewhat excited.

"Is that the Golden Tree? They're there? Huijie's teacher is there too?"

"There? That's the Golden Tree's villa in Longmen. You can think of it as a contact center. If you're asking about the Golden Tree's headquarters, they're not here. Huijie's teacher isn't here either."

"Just a contact center?"

Upon hearing Lady Wenyue's reply, the light in Talulah's eyes dimmed, and she unconsciously clenched her fists.

Within the Golden Tree lies a cure for Oripathy, something she has been searching for.

If possible, she really wanted to talk to Chen's teacher in person, not to beg for anything, but just to get an answer, an answer that would put her at ease and that she would fight for.

If a cure for Oripathy could be made widely available, even if it was just enough to prevent Oripathy from worsening like she is now, it would be worth her desperate efforts to achieve it!

But we still missed it.

Sure enough, such important figures are not so easy to approach.

"Aunt, I can't stay in Longmen, I have to go back!"

After learning that she wouldn't be able to see the person she wanted to see, Talulah calmed herself down and began to reconsider the things at hand.

Ursus's army is conducting a massive search across the ice plains; danger could strike at any moment, and she cannot afford to leave Reunion for an extended period at this time.

Moreover... after returning to Lungmen after many years, she suddenly realized that she was not as strong as she had imagined.

Memories of the past surfaced one by one, seeping into my heart.

She was getting scared; she was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would start to waver.

To change the current situation of those infected means to work with Ursus, a path that is extremely difficult, with almost no hope in sight, and allowing no room for hesitation.

"Let's eat something first."

Lady Wenyue smiled and patted Talulah's hair, sighing, "You've grown so tall, you're a young lady now."

"Aunt, I really can't—"

“I know, we know everything you’re doing in Ursus.”

Stroking Talulah's hair, Lady Wenyue sighed, her eyes filled with even more affection.

How could she not know what Talulah was up to in Ursus?

She knew everything that Wei Yanwu knew.

In fact, if Wei Yanwu hadn't said that Lin Lu and the Golden Tree would be there to support the two children, she would never have allowed Chen and Talulah to stay there any longer.

How powerful is Ursus's military?

Let alone Longmen, even the Yan Kingdom would have to be extremely cautious in dealing with it. How could a child possibly shake it?

Yes, child. In Lady Fumizuki's eyes, Talulah was just a child.

Although she has found her ideal and has something precious that she is willing to devote everything to over the years, she is still too young and knows far too little about the world.

Young people are always like this, thinking that what they see is everything, and that if they work hard enough, there is nothing they can't do.

But reality is far crueler than they perceive.

Just like their actions in the Ursus Icefield, everything was actually a scheme set up by the Golden Tree in conjunction with someone within Ursus.

"Your uncle and I will not stop you from doing whatever you want. Have you received a lot of supplies recently? Those things couldn't have just appeared out of thin air, could they?"

"Supplies... those things came from Lungmen? Not the Golden Tree?"

The Reunion Movement did receive a lot of supplies during this period, and it is thanks to those supplies that they have been able to survive until now.

Talulah initially thought those things were provided by the Golden Tree, a 'last meal' for the Reunion Movement.

So those things were actually given to us by Lungmen?

"Silly child, why is the Golden Tree giving you so many supplies? Can you really offer something in return?"

Lady Wenyue smiled and shook her head. With just one sentence, Talulah was stunned.

However, she didn't continue speaking; there were some things that weren't the right time to say.

"Let's not talk about that. The purpose of calling you back to Longmen this time is very simple: we want you to spend the New Year at home. After the New Year, you can go back. No one will stop you."

"Xiao Ta, your aunt only has this one small wish, are you really going to refuse?"

"..."

Talulah fell silent, unsure how to respond, and at the same time, she clearly recognized the gap between herself and Lady Fumizuki.

Madam Wenyue didn't say anything explicitly, but with just these two simple sentences, she laid out both the interests and the kinship, leaving Madam Wenyue unable to refuse.

Because of their care for her, Lungmen risked their lives to provide supplies to the Reunion Movement. This act of kindness touched a nerve with her.

From a self-interest perspective, the Reunion Movement does indeed need this support. It can be said that the supplies from Lungmen are their lifeline, which makes it even more difficult for her to refuse Lady Wenyue's request.

His words, a mix of soft and hard tactics, cornered her, leaving her with no choice.

“…Aunt, if I leave, I’m afraid that place won’t last even a few days.”

"Don't worry, Lao Wei has already left a backup plan there. There won't be any problems while you're in Longmen."

In fact, Lady Wenyue was unaware of any backup plan, but she knew Wei Yanwu well.

This time, although it seemed like a very crude way of stuffing people into sacks and bringing them back, since he brought back two children, he must have made corresponding preparations and wouldn't do anything that would make the children resent him later.

These words completely shattered Talulah's hesitation. With the matter having been discussed to this point, what reason did she have to refuse?

“I will stay in Longmen for the New Year, Aunt.”

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

In the lower city, at a small restaurant, the Rat King stared intently at a shameless dragon across from him, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

He was planning to close up shop early today, go home to reunite with his wife and children, and prepare for the New Year, but unexpectedly this guy suddenly came over and ate his snacks!

His daughter made it for him, and he couldn't bear to eat it!

"Hiccup, this must be Yuxia's cooking, it tastes good."

Wei Yanwu wiped his mouth with a tissue, leaned back in his chair, and perfectly demonstrated what it means to be 'shameless'.

He pretended not to see the murderous glare from his old friend and remained completely unmoved.

I knew you'd still eat it!

The Rat King narrowed his small eyes in anger, wishing he could grab his cane and whack this shameless old man on the head.

Bah! Governor of Lungmen, my foot!

"Wei Lao Er, you've been kicked out by Wen Yue again, haven't you?"

Suppressing his urge to act, the Rat King revealed a disdainful expression, his words like knives, piercing Wei Yanwu's heart, causing the governor's eyes to widen in disbelief.

"How could that be! I'm just bored and came to chat with old friends, catch up, is that not allowed? How could Wen Yue possibly kick me out? How dare she?"

"Heh, keep pretending."

Seeing his appearance, the Rat King guessed what had happened and sneered, "I know you too well. You're terrified of your wife, what a disgrace!"

"Hey! This is what we call a loving couple, you know?"

Wei Yanwu shook his head and defended himself, while retorting, "You're no better than me, are you? How dare you say that about me?"

"I'm different from you, my partner—"

The Rat King raised his head smugly, about to boast, when the cell phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

"Hello? No, no, I was just about to go back when Lao Wei suddenly showed up. I know, I know, I didn't drink, absolutely not!"

After carefully hanging up the phone, the Rat King looked up again and met Wei Yanwu's gaze. He coughed lightly and gave him a wink.

We're both equally bad, so neither of us should criticize the other!

Wei Yanwu understood immediately, nodded, and subtly moved on from the topic.

If we hurt each other on this issue, the final result will definitely be a lose-lose situation, with neither side benefiting and it's not worth it.

"Old Lin, I heard Yuxia wants to go to Victoria?"

"Yes, as children grow up, they inevitably develop their own ideas."

When his daughter was mentioned, the Rat King's expression softened considerably.

“It’s fine that she doesn’t want to take on my responsibilities. Our generation has experienced enough. Let the children decide for themselves. I’m not like you, keeping a close eye on Xiao Chen, as if you want to tie him up with a rope.”

"You know her personality, and besides, I've let go now, haven't I?"

Wei Yanwu shook his head, showing no intention of arguing.

When it comes to educating children, everyone has their own methods, so how can you tell which is right and which is wrong?

"Indeed, it's rare for an old rascal like you to have a moment of enlightenment. But I have to admit, you're really ruthless. How could you bear to throw a child into a place like that?"

"What's wrong? When you're holding on, you practically tie it to your waist, but once you let go, you throw it farther than anyone else?"