Man on the ark, forced to become king

Crackling sounds~ Crackling sounds~

Pieces of charred flesh fell off, revealing the newly formed, fair skin underneath.

In just a few minutes, the lifeless charcoal was replaced by new flesh and blood, and W returned to its normal appearance from a lump of charcoal lying on the ground.

Mudstone had no idea how serious W's injuries were. In her opinion, that state was basically just one step away from death. But now, a critically injured person had recovered right before her eyes, and in just a few minutes, it was simply a medical miracle.

She hadn't read many books, nor had she seen much magic; everything happening before her eyes was beyond her comprehension.

'That must be something very precious... They really have a good relationship.'

As his gaze fell on the bottle with some liquid left, Mudrock thought to himself, feeling a pang of envy.

She wasn't after the kind of treasure that could bring the dead back to life; rather, she envied the relationship between the two people.

Although she lacked knowledge, she could imagine how precious and sought-after a drug with such effects would be if it were available outside; it would essentially be a second life.

The fact that they shared such precious treasures without hesitation shows how close their relationship was; it was more than just friendship—they were sworn brothers who would entrust their lives to each other.

She really wants a friend like that...

However, it was just wishful thinking; she was merely an ordinary mercenary wandering the world, and friendship was a luxury for Sarkaz mercenaries.

"then."

"what!"

Mudstone snapped out of his daze, subconsciously raised his hand, and caught the glass bottle that was thrown at him. He exclaimed softly. Inside the bottle, he could see liquid floating and flowing, and even through the glass, he could feel the rich life force contained within it.

Why?

The girl held the not-so-large bottle, unsure of what to do next.

Why give her something so precious?

"Drink it. You must have used up a lot of your life force when you used the witchcraft just now. This stuff can replenish your energy."

Having fully recovered, W stood up from the ground wearing Ascalon's cloak, shook off the charred remains, took the clothes Ascalon handed her, and muttered as she put them on.

“That kind of ancient witchcraft isn’t something you can just use casually. Your method of using it is too crude. I really don’t know how you’ve survived until now… Your clothes are a bit tight around the chest.”

"You're lucky you have anything to wear. Who told you to grow up like this?"

Ascalon glanced at W's bulging chest and rolled her eyes. She had only brought a spare set of clothes with her when she came out, so how could she possibly have a suitable size?

"Is it my fault I'm big? So many people would kill for me!"

"whispering sound."

Ascalon had no intention of paying attention to the smug W. She turned to look at the wall and saw a girl holding a glass bottle staring at her with a hesitant expression.

"Drink it."

She could tell what Mudrock was thinking at a glance; such a personality was indeed quite rare for a Sarkaz.

"This person rarely values ​​anyone highly enough to warrant her using any desperate measures for you. There's no need to worry about such trivial matters."

"This, this is too precious, I don't need it..."

Mudrock answered weakly, feeling as if he were holding not a glass bottle, but a glittering gemstone.

Most Sarkaz mercenaries, especially lone wolves, are in dire financial straits. Their limited mission earnings are used not only to buy supplies but also to purchase and maintain equipment, so that they don't lose their lives due to sudden equipment damage.

Normally, she wouldn't even buy medical bandages, so when has she ever used such precious medicine?

Such a thing is too far removed from her; she wouldn't even dare to dream of doing it.

In particular, she didn't make any contribution. She attacked W before, and then just sat there and didn't help at all. How can she take other people's things with peace of mind?

"Just drink it! Stop talking nonsense and open your mouth!"

W walked over, buttoning his shirt, and impatiently snatched the bottle away, pulled out the cork, and grabbed Niyan's chin with one hand.

The girl's mind went blank for a moment, and she subconsciously opened her mouth. Then she felt something being poured into her mouth. It was a liquid, but it wasn't cold at all. It was warm and quickly slid down her throat.

Immediately afterwards, a surge of life force erupted from the stomach, rushing to every part of the body, replenishing all the energy consumed by the use of ancient witchcraft, and sweeping away the weakness and fatigue of the body.

How long has it been?

Since embarking on her life of wandering, since contracting Oripathy, she had never felt so good...

"how do you feel?"

Mudrock opened his eyes, which had been squinting comfortably, and saw W grinning and leaning close to him. He instinctively tried to move back, but found himself pressed against the wall with nowhere to retreat. He could only lower his head and whisper, "It feels... great, better than ever before. Thank you."

"Hey, we'll be on the same side soon, no need to be so polite."

"Our own people?"

"Yes, look, I saved your life, didn't I? You just drank half a bottle of my precious healing medicine, didn't you? That adds up to a huge debt. How are you going to pay me back? Of course, you'll work for me until you pay it off! Don't worry, as long as you work hard, you'll probably be able to pay it off in about twenty years."

"Two, twenty years?"

Mud Rock suddenly looked up, his head slamming against the earthen wall with a thud. He stammered, "But, but I didn't want to drink it. Twenty years is too much talk..."

She tried to find a reason to refuse, but soon realized with despair that what W said was true, and she had no confidence to refuse at all.

But, twenty years, could she live that long?

"Don't listen to her nonsense. That's just her nasty personality. She's just teasing you."

Ascaron walked over, pulled away W, who had a wicked grin on her face, pushed her aside, and gently comforted the panicked girl.

"The Originium Arts that manipulate the earth, and the ancient sorcery that shares life with rock creations, you must possess the bloodline of the Stonewing Demons. This is a rather special and ancient bloodline. Even the rebuilt royal court has been unable to make contact with them. Your existence is quite important to us."

"...Are you going to take me away?"

Mudstone clenched her fists nervously, her face slightly pale. She had an urge to escape, but reason told her that doing so was unrealistic.

W's strength had already been revealed in the previous battle; it was a power that she absolutely could not contend with. By extension, Ascalon, as her companion, most likely possessed combat power of the same level. With two powerful individuals guarding her side, she had no chance of escaping.

"It's not an arrest, it's an invitation. I'm inviting you to travel with us back to our headquarters, where the royal court will welcome your return."

"..."

Mudrock fell silent as he looked at Ascalon's outstretched hand.

Wang Ting was a familiar yet unfamiliar term to her.

Every Sarkaz knows of the Royal Court, but the Royal Court is so distant from their lives that it can only be found in the corners of their memories.

A sense of belonging? That kind of thing had been almost completely worn away by the brutal civil war, so the so-called return didn't evoke any particular feelings in Mudrock.

She just wanted to find a safe place to settle down and live a peaceful life until death, without getting involved in such complicated matters.

"Can I say no?"

"Of course, but I will report your situation. Others will definitely come to you in the future. Your bloodline is indeed very important to the royal court and cannot be ignored."

Ascalon spoke frankly, but the meaning behind his words was very clear—whether he agreed or refused, now that he had been discovered, it would be difficult for him to escape the royal court's notice.

The meaning wasn't hard to grasp, and Niyan understood it as well. His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Only a hint of sadness appeared on his face.

"Fuck off!"

W suddenly and abruptly interrupted their conversation, standing between Mudrock and Ascalon, separating them.

"You... what's your name again?"

"Mudstone."

Mudstone looked up at her and answered softly.

W nodded and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Didn't you see that Mudrock doesn't want to go back to that royal court with you?"

"That thing means nothing to people like us, so don't try anything like... how was it again? Moral blackmail, yeah, don't try anything like moral blackmail!"

"I saved this person, so naturally they should stay with me. This is none of your business, so don't even think about taking them from me!"

“Mudstone, don’t worry about what she says. From now on, you’ll follow me. Do whatever you want. If you want to fight, then fight. If you don’t want to fight, I’ll find you a job as a gatekeeper when we go back. Be a security guard.”

"Ah I……"

Mud Rock pointed to herself, somewhat confused. Weren't these two supposed to be close? Why were they arguing because of her? They didn't seem to be on the same side, did they?

For a moment, she was unsure who to believe and didn't want to make any choice.

However, from a personal emotional perspective, she was more inclined to believe W.

“W, you should know what her bloodline means to the royal court. You took action because you value her bloodline, didn’t you?”

Ascalon frowned slightly, sensing that things were getting tricky.

Many people in the Golden Tree know that W is a complete rascal who does whatever she wants. Her sudden interruption is going to be difficult to handle.

"What bloodline stuff? I just like her, is that wrong?"

W glanced at Ascalon and said with a sneer, "Don't give me any of that fancy stuff. Anyway, Mudrock doesn't want to get involved in the affairs of the Royal Court, so you should all stop trying to take advantage of her."

"The royal court will not miss out on the bloodline of the Stonewing Demon."

Ascalon was also at a loss with W, and muttered something under her breath. She hadn't actually thought about what to do right now, and was also a little confused.

She was just stating what Wang Ting might do, how did that ignite this mobile powder keg?

"Don't forget, before the royal court, whose orders should you obey first?"

In an instant, W's gaze sharpened, fixing on Ascalon with an inexplicable chill.