Man on the ark, forced to become king

Lin Lu glanced at it, took the cigarette, flicked two sparks with her fingers, lit both cigarettes, took a puff, and a cloud of smoke immediately rose from the doorway.

The two men squatted at the entrance, making the governor's mansion look like a roadside curb.

"I haven't celebrated a festival like this for many years."

Lin Lu also felt a bit emotional. There were similar festivals in the border areas, but ever since the Elden Ring shattered and the War of the Fragments broke out, the former order had vanished.

He returned from beyond the mist and saw only a bleak landscape, filled with madmen and monsters, and there was no festival to be seen.

If we had to pick one, only the Battle Festival in Red Lion City could barely qualify, but that was to fight against the corrupted Rataen. It was lively, but that was liveliness created by fighting, and it had nothing to do with the atmosphere now.

"Hi~hoo~"

Wei Yanwu, a cigarette dangling from his lips and a glint in his eye, casually asked, "You took Talulah as your disciple? What were you thinking?"

He was genuinely curious about this question, and he always felt that there might be some unknown reason behind it.

In his eyes, Lin Lu's style of doing things was unpredictable and baffling. She seemed to rely on force to solve problems, but in the end, it was discovered that behind those reckless actions, there were various plans.

For example, Kazdel, Ursus, and Colombia.

"You're just too scheming and calculating. You see everyone as someone with bad intentions. I'm just taking on a disciple, what kind of thoughts could he possibly have?"

Lin Lu understood his implied meaning and rolled her eyes.

This person likes to judge others by their own petty standards. I, Lin, have always been upright and honest. I am just accepting disciples. What bad intentions could I possibly have?

"If you say so, then it is."

Wei Yanwu stared intently at Lin Lu's face, extremely surprised at how thick-skinned this person was, almost comparable to the armored walls of Lungmen.

He's calculating? It's one thing for others, but how dare you, surnamed Lin, say such a thing?

"Don't overthink it, or you won't be able to sleep at night. I just took a liking to Talulah and accepted her on a whim. There's no need for so much fuss."

“Talulah is talented and has a better temperament. In my opinion, she will achieve more than Chen in the future. Chen has been protected by you too much and has not experienced much in all these years.”

“Talulah is different. She has been struggling on the ice plains for many years and has now found what she wants to do. She is determined and, with the guidance of a master like me, believe me, it won’t be long before she can beat you to a pulp.”

Lin Lu didn't care about the old dragon's prejudice. Anyway, he really had no other thoughts about taking Talulah as his disciple, so why should he be afraid of the old dragon's malicious speculation?

"Haha, I don't believe it."

Wei Yanwu crushed the cigarette butt under his feet, curling his lip in disbelief.

Talulah's Drak bloodline is indeed remarkable; her current strength is outstanding even among the younger generation. However, some things take time to develop.

The possibility of growing to be on par with him or even surpassing him is virtually nonexistent.

Back in the day, Wei was capable of single-handedly sweeping through the martial world of the Great Yan. If he were so easily surpassed by his successors, wouldn't all these years have been a waste?

Your Golden Tree is indeed very powerful, with many secret techniques, all of which are rare in the world, but you also have to be reasonable, don't you?

"I look forward to the day you get hung up and beaten by your own niece."

If he doesn't believe it, he doesn't believe it. Lin Lu was too lazy to argue with him. Time will tell.

Judging the Golden Tree with worldly perspectives will only lead to wrong conclusions.

With sufficient mental fortitude, one can control even greater power; the Golden Tree has a hundred ways to make one quickly stronger.

With Talulah's current unwavering will and the blessing of the Golden Tree, it won't be long before she reaches Wei Yanwu's level.

"I am waiting."

Whoosh~bang!

Fireworks exploded in the sky above Longmen, scattering colorful bursts that drowned out Wei Yanwu's voice.

The two people squatting at the door stood up at the same time and looked up at the sky.

……

Crunchy~

After being checked, the Beetle wobbled as it drove through the gate and merged into the main road.

On New Year's Eve, there were far fewer cars on the road than usual, making it feel rather deserted.

As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. People living in Longmen come from all over the world, but most of them are from Yan State, so the festive atmosphere is quite strong.

Enveloped in the festive atmosphere, even people from other places can't help but be infected and immerse themselves in the holiday spirit.

Therefore, on New Year's Eve, not many people were strolling on the streets. Those still on the road were mostly people like Lao Li, rushing back from outside to spend the New Year with their families. They were scattered and not many.

As night fell, Longmen was brightly lit, like a city that never sleeps. Familiar buildings came into view on both sides of the road, and Lao Li breathed a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely afraid the car would break down on the way, which would prevent him from making it back to Longmen today to celebrate the New Year with his children.

Fortunately, although the car had been driven for many years, it was of good quality. Even though it looked shaky and could break down at any moment, it still made it all the way to Longmen despite carrying heavy loads back from the wilderness. That made things much easier.

"What are those?"

Skadi, sitting in the back seat, looked out the car window and saw colorful fireworks exploding in the night sky. She blinked, a sense of curiosity rising in her heart.

This city is very big.

It was completely different from the towns she had visited. There were so many sparks in the sky, with a variety of colors, and it was quite beautiful.

...It's just a bit noisy, which she's not used to.

"Those are fireworks, a specialty of Yan Kingdom, used to celebrate festivals."

Old Carp casually explained that he was stepping firmly on the ground.

Normally, flooring the accelerator would definitely be considered speeding, resulting in a ticket and jail time. But now, it doesn't matter.

The car was carrying a girl whose weight was unusually high. No matter how hard she ran, she couldn't go very fast; this was the best she could do.

"..."

Skadi didn't speak. She looked at the tall buildings flashing by on both sides and instinctively recalled her old memories in Agor, momentarily lost in thought.

There are definitely differences.

However, this was the city that most resembled Agor that she had seen since coming ashore.

Seeing objects and thinking of people is inevitable.

However, she was soon pulled out of her memories by a strange feeling that inexplicably surfaced in her mind.

As the car changed direction, a glimpse of gold peeked out from between the buildings, capturing her full attention.

The body bursts forth with an instinctive desire, a longing to get closer to that direction.

As the car moved forward, the feeling became more and more pronounced.

"What's that? The golden one?"

"That's the Golden Tree, one of the wonders of Longmen."

As the car drove to the middle of the overpass, Lao Li glanced over there and answered with a smile.

"That tree grows in the middle of Longmen. It's not very tall, but if there's nothing obstructing it, you can see it from every part of Longmen, even the outermost city wall. Isn't that amazing?"

"My home is over there. You'll be able to see it more clearly when we get there. But it's best not to get too close. There are many guards there, and you're not allowed to approach freely within a certain area."

"The Golden Tree..."

Skadi stared intently at the golden light, as if she heard a voice resonating within her, urging her to move closer, even closer.

Her body's instincts yearned for that golden light, so intensely that it gave her a strange sense of loss of control, something she had never experienced before.

The atmosphere inside the car fell silent. After a while, the Beetle gradually approached the central city. The golden trees, which were only partially visible before, became much clearer at this distance, with their lush canopies and thick trunks now clearly visible.

The soft light shone down from the branches and leaves. Skadi could no longer contain herself. She flung open the car door, grabbed her greatsword, and jumped out of the speeding vehicle.

Chapter 196 Street Brawl

"Oh my goodness!"

Old Li slammed on the brakes and brought the car to a stop, but it was too late.

As he got out of the car, he saw Skadi leap off the overpass carrying that excessively heavy greatsword!

This viaduct is tens of meters above the ground. If you jump off like that, carrying such a heavy load, you'll be smashed to pieces.

However, the actual situation was not what he had imagined. Looking down, the girl carrying the greatsword landed on the ground and simply squatted down, yet she managed to withstand all the recoil. The concrete ground was smashed into a crater, and countless cracks extended in all directions.

Immediately afterwards, Skadi seemed completely unaffected, and took off running. Her movements were agile and extremely fast, and she disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"It's over!"

Old Li felt his blood pressure spike, and immediately forgot about the car. Several talismans slipped from his sleeve, radiating light and creating several footholds in mid-air. He then jumped down.

We have no choice but to give chase. Judging from what she said earlier and the direction she's heading, that girl is 100% headed for the golden tree. That's unacceptable!

For ordinary people, it would be fine, but it would be virtually impossible to break through the patrols and defenses around the Golden Tree.

But this girl has an extraordinary physique. She jumped from a height of tens of meters while carrying such a heavy weapon and was unharmed. You can tell from a fool how high her combat power is. Someone who can do such a thing is someone that ordinary members of the Guard Bureau could never stop.

If a conflict breaks out and a few more Royal Guard officers are killed, that would be a real disaster. The Royal Guard would definitely lock him up and make him eat pork chop rice, the 'accomplice' who brought in dangerous elements. That would be terrible.

Moreover, human lives are at stake, and he simply cannot stand by and watch such a thing happen.

While he was frantic with worry, Skadi, who was running ahead, could no longer suppress her primal instincts. Her eyes were fixed on that dazzling golden light, and she charged straight toward her target like a small car, smashing through the roadside railings and startling pedestrians who scrambled to avoid her.