Man on the ark, forced to become king

So he quickly tried to salvage the situation: "If you don't have a place to stay in Longmen, you might as well stay at my place first. My house is quite big, and besides my naughty children, I have several empty rooms."

"child……"

Skadi chewed on the word and shook her head slightly.

"No need, I can find any place, a park or under a bridge is fine. If it's too close, it will cause you trouble."

Hai Si's shadow always loomed over her; those things, she never gave up.

Getting too close to ordinary people will only bring them misfortune.

Therefore, she did not intend to stay in Lungmen. After receiving the bounty and buying supplies, she planned to leave immediately.

"Trouble? What trouble could there be?"

Old Li was somewhat dismissive of her statement, and even felt a little sorry for her.

Living in parks and under bridges are things only homeless people do, but this girl of her age seems very familiar with those places. You can imagine how much hardship she has endured.

What a damn world!

Cursing under his breath, Old Carp gripped the steering wheel with one hand, turned his head slightly, and smiled with a hint of pride: "I'm not afraid of any trouble in my area now. Don't let my appearance fool you, I still have some influence in Longmen."

He wasn't saying this to show off or to impress the young girl.

The Koi Detective Agency isn't too far from the Golden Tree. That area is arguably the safest place in Lungmen right now, bar none. Plus, with the big shots from the Golden Tree there, who would dare cause trouble?

During this period, housing prices in that area have skyrocketed, and many people have tried to buy a house through connections and back channels but still couldn't get one!

"No...you don't know, anyway, don't get involved with me."

Skadi shook her head again.

Her situation is different. Hai Si's attacks don't choose their locations, and land dwellers are not capable of dealing with Hai Si.

In order not to cause trouble for others, she had to go her own way.

In fact, this hitchhiking was already a small exception; otherwise, she would not have agreed at all if she had been really hungry and wanted to continue looking for a place to resupply.

"Alright, we'll talk about it after we get to Lungmen."

Old Carp didn't continue. He had already made up his mind to go to the Golden Tree after arriving at Dragon Gate.

With Miss Skadi's strength, there's a high chance she'll catch the eye of the Golden Tree, and then she'll be able to escape the miserable life of relying on bounty missions for a living...

Ok?

Thinking about this, Lao Li felt something was amiss.

He suddenly realized that he might have been a little too nice to Miss Skadi.

Although he is usually very kind, he wouldn't go to such lengths for a stranger he met in the wilderness.

There seemed to be something about Skadi that attracted him, making him unconsciously develop a great liking for her.

It's strange that even though it's our first meeting, I feel like we've known each other for a long time.

Realizing something was wrong with him, Lao Li immediately lost interest in chatting and fell into deep thought.

In the back seat, Skadi watched the scenery rushing past the car window for a while, pursed her lips, and couldn't help but think of the past.

Dragon Gate, New Year, Reunion, Family...

She used to have that too...

But now...

The greatsword was right beneath her feet; she had nothing left but this sword.

Even her comrades-in-arms died in that final battle, leaving her the only Deepsea Hunter left.

Is this feeling of emptiness... loneliness?

Chapter 195 The Temptation of Gold

"Sister Ling, why didn't you invite me to go to Yumen with you..."

Because of the large number of people, Wei Yanwu specially set aside a courtyard as the location for the New Year's Eve dinner. Although Longmen was a bit cold in winter, none of the people present were mediocre, so it didn't matter.

In addition, Melina specially summoned a wisp of golden light from the golden tree to envelop the courtyard, giving it a spring-like climate and keeping out all the cold. There was not much difference between the courtyard and the house.

He moved a chair over and sat facing away, resting his chin on the back of the chair, swaying back and forth boredly.

She had little interest in the Chinese New Year, a festival that originated from her.

Others celebrate the New Year for the joy of celebration, setting off fireworks to drive away the Nian beast, but she is the Nian beast itself, so she can't exactly drive herself away, can she?

It feels weird when I think about it.

Xi, however, enthusiastically joined in the cooking. Since the shadow of the Year Beast dissipated and a complete solution was found, her inner turmoil gradually dissipated, and she occasionally enjoyed going out for a stroll, becoming more and more active.

"What do you want?"

Ling leaned against a large tree in the courtyard, still with the same wine gourd he always carried. He would occasionally take a sip, gaze at the night sky, his eyes sparkling, lost in thought.

After listening to Nian's complaints, she turned her head and laughed, scolding, "You rascal, when I invited you to go, you complained about the desert sandstorms, and now you're complaining here. What use are you to the affairs of Yumen?"

"Your good husband, by leaving seclusion alone, drove away all the evil demons and monsters. He is unparalleled in his fame and has become completely famous. If I call you over, what can you do?"

"I'm not just bored."

As she sat back and forth in the chair, her eyes darting around, she suddenly spoke up: "Sister, are you perhaps envious?"

"Let me tell you, Lin Lu is truly unprecedented, and there probably won't be another like her in the future. If you're feeling bored or lonely, you'd better seize the opportunity; I wouldn't mind sharing with you—"

Boom!

His figure vanished, and he appeared beside Nian, punching her on the head.

"I see that you haven't improved in anything else over the years, but you've certainly grown bolder. You even dare to tease your older sister now!"

"I'm just telling the truth!"

Even after being hit, he didn't back down; he still held his neck high and argued vehemently.

"After all these years, don't you feel lonely? It's good to have someone to share life with. Always staying cooped up in your own little world will cause problems sooner or later!"

"How dare you say that!"

Boom!

A barely perceptible blush crossed her face as she threw another punch, this time with even more force.

"I have my own way of life, why should you worry about it?"

"You've still fallen for her..."

The sisters have been together for a thousand years. Nian could tell Ling's thoughts just by looking at her expression, but after being beaten twice, she dared not be presumptuous again and could only mutter softly. When she saw Ling glare at her, she immediately shut up.

"You, you, now that you're married, you should settle down. The world is in chaos these days, which is not a good sign. If you keep going like before and just drift through life, you might suffer in silence one day."

"Lin Lu is incredibly strong, unparalleled in the world. You and Xi can't keep holding her back. What would it look like if you just became pretty vases on display?"

Ling took a sip of wine and gave a soft warning.

Unlike the carefree Nian, she had a sense of crisis in her heart.

Demons ravage beyond Yumen Pass, divine calamities rage throughout the Yan Kingdom, and now the danger of the Sea Heir has been added to the coast. The vast Yan Kingdom is already fraught with crises.

With so many things coming together at this time, it's hard to believe it's just a coincidence.

Who knows, there are some troublemakers stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

In these chaotic times, even these born gods cannot be arrogant and complacent. They must act cautiously and must not indulge in pleasure or stagnate.

Not to mention, after the Year Beast was defeated, they were no longer gods. Their bodies, reshaped by the Golden Tree, were no different from those of mortals. Even if Lin Lu had the ability to retain the authority they had used for thousands of years, their combat power would inevitably be greatly reduced in a short period of time, and she would have to find another way.

Although Lin Lu is strong, she is still just one person and cannot always take care of him. How can we rely on her for everything?

To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. Whether human or divine, the key is to become strong. One doesn't need to be extremely strong, but one must have the ability to protect oneself.

"I know, I know."

Years passed, and he echoed the sentiments, though it's unclear how much of it he actually listened to.

Ling didn't continue speaking. He looked up at the sky, and just then, a huge firework exploded in the night sky, colorful and beautiful.

……

"It's been a long time since we've had such a lively atmosphere."

The women gathered together to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner, while Lin Lu and Wei Yanwu, the two men, had nothing to do, so they squatted down at the doorway and chatted idly.

Listening to the sounds coming from inside the house, Wei Yanwu couldn't help but sigh.

His governor's mansion had indeed not been this lively in a long time.

In previous years, New Year's Eve would at most involve Madam Wenyue personally preparing a dinner and then calling Chen over, and that would be it, nothing more.

Because of what happened back then, Chen didn't like him very much. After arriving at the Governor's Mansion, he would at most chat with Madam Wenyue for a few words, but rarely spoke, making it quite deserted and lacking any festive atmosphere.

Unlike this year, Chen has become much more talkative, as if he has let go of the grudges from back then. Talulah, who had been missing for many years, also returned to Lungmen, and the Golden Tree members also joined in. It was a scene of joy and harmony, lively and bustling, which finally felt like the New Year.

"Have one?"

Wei Yanwu looked around but didn't see Lady Wenyue. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and pulled out two.