Man on the ark, forced to become king

I don't think so.

Lin Guang was unwilling to think about the ugliness of human nature, but that didn't mean she was unaware of it. There were some things she had pondered when no one was around.

Perhaps she should find a way to continue improving her strength, build a pure knightly order that upholds the spirit of chivalry, and then return to Kazimierz?

In that case, perhaps I could do something for my family and my homeland...

Of course, the prerequisite for achieving all this is to survive, find a job, and have a stable place to stay.

With this as our foundation, the future is still a long way off.

Darkness will continue until dawn, and suffering is inevitable.

However, as long as we adhere to family precepts and are not afraid of hardship and darkness, we will surely usher in the light.

"We're almost there. I'm so tired. I'll treat you to drinks when we get back, if you get the job."

Suddenly, the motorcycle slowed down a little, and Huang straightened up slightly, sighing with some excitement.

Lin Guang snapped out of her reverie and shifted her body slightly to the side. Huang was a bit taller than her, so only in this way could she see clearly what was in front of her.

Under the deep night sky, dappled light falls on the ground, resembling a small town. The outline drawn by the dim lights is different from the architectural structure of ordinary small towns.

It's less of a town and more of a cluster of smaller buildings extending from the tallest building in the center, resembling more of a manor.

"This is the outpost. To get you in, we need to go through the procedures here, but the process here is very efficient, so it shouldn't take long."

As Huang maneuvered the motorcycle closer, he whispered an explanation to Lin Guang.

Lin Guang's first reaction was doubt. She looked up at the sky with the moon hanging in the sky and felt that she should not be mistaken. It was already close to midnight when they came out of the hotel. After walking for so long, it should be almost dawn now. Is it really possible that there are still people on duty to handle business at this time?

"Are there people here at all times?"

She couldn't help but ask, and received an affirmative answer from Huang.

"Yes, there are always people guarding this place, no matter the time. The royal court and our people are stationed here, which is very convenient."

Huang spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and didn't think it was anything strange.

In present-day Kazdel, the Golden Tree is located in a rather special area. Regent Theresis built many outposts around this area, which are interconnected and spread out around the 'office' to ensure that no one can enter the area where the Golden Tree can be observed without permission.

At the same time, these offices also replaced, to some extent, the Scars Mall, which had monopolized Kazdel's underground business before the Royal Court's re-establishment, becoming new gathering places and communication hubs for mercenaries.

Therefore, these places always operate normally 24 hours a day, providing services around the clock.

"follow me."

The motorcycle drove into the building complex and stopped in a spacious area that appeared to be a parking lot, where many vehicles of various shapes and sizes could be seen parked.

Upon hearing Huang's call, Lin Guang picked up the unconscious girl from the truck bed and followed, looking around with a hint of curiosity.

Just as she had guessed from the outside, the entire town was built around the largest three-story building in the center, surrounded by many houses with a very uniform style. From the outside, they looked like places for people to stay, and some of the rooms even had lights on.

In the very center of the town, a three-story gray building is brightly lit. Stepping through a revolving door similar to that of a shopping mall, you are greeted by a spacious lobby on the first floor, with metal plaques neatly hanging on the walls on both sides.

Completely different from what I had imagined a mercenary gathering place to be, this place was very clean and orderly, much like the hospital in Kazimierz.

Furthermore, there were chairs provided for temporary rest inside the hall, and at this time, some people were sitting on the chairs waiting quietly. Their clothing was relatively uniform, and they were very quiet, not at all like mercenaries who were irritable, impulsive, and unwilling to follow the rules.

Looking at the environment and atmosphere here, Nearl realized how terrible her previous thoughts were. She had made wild guesses based on a few hearsay. As a knight, she should not have been so arrogant.

She didn't know that her ideas were actually correct. Before, the mercenaries' gathering place was exactly as she had imagined, barely able to maintain the most basic order, and even now, many places are not much better.

This cleanliness and orderliness exists only around the Golden Tree and in the areas where the Royal Court is focusing its development; most of the rest of the area is still in the 'old era'.

After all, even if Kazdel were to be reunified and the royal court were to once again rule the country, it would not have the speed or ability to transform such a vast territory.

Huang didn't notice Lin Guang's ashamed expression. She was very familiar with the place and walked ahead to the service window at the end of the hall. Although this was not the place where she accepted the mission before she left, the design style of the offices surrounding the Golden Tree was very consistent. She could directly apply the experience she had accumulated in other places. She was very familiar with the place.

"There is only one way to obtain an entry permit, and that is to undergo assessment and evaluation."

"After passing the assessment, you have two choices: accept the spell mark and become a full member, or do not accept the mark and become an outer member. In the latter case, you will not be able to enjoy full privileges and can only accept missions here, which is equivalent to being a hired mercenary."

"Of course, if you have outstanding achievements in certain areas, you can also use them to exchange for resources. In this respect, formal members and peripheral members are exactly the same."

As they walked, Huang explained to Lin Guang in a low voice. The atmosphere in the office was very quiet, and she didn't dare to speak too loudly and disturb others.

They walked forward and eventually stopped in front of a window near the edge. Looking up at the light, they saw that the sign above the window read "Assessment and Evaluation Office" was very conspicuous.

Clearly, this is where the assessment and evaluation are conducted.

only……

"A spell mark? What kind of spell mark is it?"

Lin Guang felt some resistance to spells with restrictive effects, which is a normal feeling for most people.

People generally dislike being constrained, especially when the specific effects of such constraints are still unknown.

"Hmm... I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but it's basically something that restricts you from revealing sensitive information, and it also serves as proof of identity for official members, so it can't be forged."

Huang scratched his head, realizing that she couldn't explain it very clearly.

She had limited understanding of the effects of the golden tree's blessing.

“I am a full member. As for your situation… if you are a refugee or something similar, I recommend accepting the mark. The benefits you can gain are far greater than you can imagine.”

"Is that so? Then let's do as you say."

After a slight hesitation, Lin Guang decided to listen to Huang's opinion. Since he had said so, there should be no problem, right?

Throughout the journey, Huang has shown great kindness, and in return, she should reciprocate with her trust.

"Trust me, you will definitely not regret it."

Upon hearing Lin Guang's answer, Huang gave a thumbs up, very pleased, and quickly pulled Lin Guang to the window to collect a form.

Lin Guang handed the girl in his arms to Huang, took the freshly printed paper that still smelled of ink, read it carefully, and found that there wasn't much to fill in.

Common information such as name, age, and place of origin is not provided. All you need to write is your occupation, special skills, Originium Arts, and work intentions. Some notes are also provided next to them for you to choose from.

After a moment's thought, she picked up the pen that Huang handed her and filled in the words "knight," "battle," and "security work," leaving the Originium Arts blank.

Although she had considered Huang's suggestion to change direction, after thinking it over, she realized that she didn't seem to know anything other than fighting, and the basic knowledge she had learned in school was clearly insufficient for a formal job.

As for Originium Arts... she simply couldn't describe it in detail. The Originium Arts passed down through generations of the Nearl family is 'Light,' and each person's use of it produces different effects, making it difficult to describe accurately in words. She couldn't just fill in "Light," could she?

"Assessment complete. Please stand in the designated area and do not move... Okay."

She handed the form back to the window and, following the instructions of the salesperson inside, stood there for about three seconds. A warm light shone down on her, and she squinted slightly, feeling a little lost, until Huang came over and tugged at her arm, bringing her back to her senses.

"That's... all done?"

There was no practical assessment, no extra questions, she just filled out a very simple form, and then she was given a spotlight, and she became a formal member?

Although it might be impolite to think this way, Lin Guang was still very puzzled. Was the so-called assessment and evaluation a little too hasty?

“We have our own methods, we don’t need all that tedious formalities. I’ve also taken care of removing her mark. I hope she won’t blame me for making the decision for her when she wakes up. But when it comes to saving a life, it shouldn’t matter, right…”

Huang, holding the blonde girl, extended his hand to Lin Guang and laughed heartily.

"Welcome to Golden Tree."

Chapter 207 The Shock of the Golden Tree

The assessment of the Golden Tree was not as simple as Lin Guang had imagined.

The assessment process first requires verifying the detailed information of the test takers, and then evaluating their ability level and aptitude.

In other organizations, completing this series of processes would require several steps, which would be quite cumbersome and detailed, and would take several days to produce results.

However, at the Golden Tree, each office is blessed with the power of the Golden Tree. After being integrated with the Demon King's authority, the power of the Golden Tree can quickly obtain information through the analysis of individuals. Not much is needed; it is easy to ascertain the subject's physical qualities, bloodline potential, the approximate effects of Originium Arts, and whether they carry any malicious or impure intentions.

Lin Guang felt that she had only stood there for a few seconds, but in reality, after the light swept over her, she had already been analyzed from the inside out by the Golden Tree.

After receiving the blessing of the Golden Tree, the staff at the Great Blessing will obtain more detailed information based on the effects of the blessing. They will not only understand themselves better than Lin Guang himself, but they will certainly not be inferior to him.

And from then on, Nearl was under the control of the Golden Tree and could not violate its rules.

The process may seem rudimentary, but it can actually accomplish something that most organizations in the world cannot—preventing betrayals and leaks of internal information.

Lin Guang had no physical sensations about these things. She stared at Huang's outstretched hand, paused for a moment, and then reached out and grasped it as well.

So, does that mean I've found a job?

She thought to herself, feeling a strange sense of unreality.

“Let’s go. Now that we’re all on the same side, there’s no need for so many formalities. I’ll take you straight back to headquarters. Her condition can’t be handled here.”

Huang smiled and patted her shoulder, then carried the girl out of the hall. Lin Guang followed behind, and the two of them returned to the parking lot one after the other. It only took them a dozen minutes from arrival to departure.

The motorcycle carrying three people drove out of the office and continued forward. Sitting on the back seat, the cool night breeze brushed against his face, and Lin Guang finally broke free from that unreal feeling and asked the 'senior' in front of him in a low voice.

"What should I do next?"

The assessment was so simple it was baffling that the young knights felt somewhat uncertain, unsure of what to do after passing it.

Instead of racking your brains without knowing anything, it's better to ask Huang, a senior who joined the Golden Tree a long time ago. She must know a lot about the Golden Tree.

"Next? It'll be similar to what we just saw, right?"

Huang knew that her situation was different from the newcomers who joined Golden Tree through the office. She went directly from Lungmen to the Great Golden Tree, trained there for a period of time, learned some skills from several elite operators, and then joined the field operations department to start carrying out missions.

Like Nearl...

She thought for a moment and recalled the proper procedures before answering: "Once you arrive at headquarters, you can choose a department to join based on your preferences, but special departments, such as the medical department, research department, and engineering department, will require an assessment of your specific abilities."