Man on the ark, forced to become king

Lin Lu suppressed her smile and asked seriously, receiving an unwavering nod from the girl.

"Very well, from today onwards, you will be the first Forge Knight of the Golden Tree, and one of the future leaders of the Forge Knights."

"Forge Knight? What's that?"

Upon hearing this word, Skadi blinked blankly, somewhat unable to understand.

Knight… She’d heard that title from others before; it seemed to be some kind of profession in Kazimierz, something about riding a mount across the battlefield.

However, she used to be a deep-sea hunter, and even though she no longer needs that identity, her fighting style, honed over many years, cannot be changed overnight. No matter how you look at it, she seems to have nothing to do with the so-called knight.

"The Forge Knights are the most elite force of the Golden Tree. They only obey the King—that is, me. They are few in number, but each one is a strong warrior. You are the Golden Tree's strongest shield and its sharpest sword. Right now, only you in the Golden Tree are qualified to bear this title."

Legend has it that in Ursus, there are sayings like, "Five shield guards can slaughter a squad of knights, four inner guards can sweep through a settlement, three Wendigos can conquer a small town, two army groups can destroy a duchy, and a king can wreak havoc on a land."

In the Golden Tree, a squad of Forge Knights would have the power to destroy a nation.

Their formidable personal combat skills, the mysteries of the furnace, and the armor and weapons imbued with the power of gold grant them invincible strength.

Skadi has made a start here, and there's still much to learn, but Lin Lu is very optimistic about her future.

From her onward, the Crucible Knights will surely reappear in this world.

Aside from the still-nascent Blaze, both Saria and Bozoskasti are already highly skilled. They only need a few minor adjustments to be able to assume the title of Crucible Knight. Saria is slightly lacking in strength, while Bozoskasti has psychological issues and will need some time, though probably not too long.

As for Nian, Xi, Ling, and Theresa, they are already outside the scope of discussion. They are basically not considered human, but have already reached the position of gods, and are not within the scope of consideration.

"Elite troops, the sharpest sword... I understand."

In that case, Skadi understood—isn't it just the Golden Tree version of Deepsea Hunter?

Functionally, there doesn't seem to be much difference, so she should be quite good at it.

She took a breath and instinctively tried to sit up, but then remembered that she was naked and quickly stopped herself, saying in a muffled voice, "Then I will be the Forge Knight, and I will fight for you."

Chapter 220 Forge Knight Set

The great golden tree that grew from the land of Terra gave birth to the first Forge Knight. This was a beginning, just like the borderlands of the past, symbolizing the rise of the Golden Dynasty.

Skadi's fighting prowess is fully worthy of this title.

But what exactly is a Forge Knight?

Lin Lu didn't actually have a definite answer to this question.

During the Golden Dynasty, the Forge Knights who followed the First King, Gofrey, all came from the distant past, before the Golden Law dominated the world. Lin Lu returned to the Borderlands after the Elden Ring was broken, the Golden Law was in decline, and many demigods had broken out in the Fragment War.

That world war nearly destroyed the order established by the Golden Dynasty, with countless heroes and valiant figures perishing in it, and countless ancient texts and legacies lost in the war.

During that period, the Eternal Queen Marika was imprisoned in the Golden Tree, and Radagan, who shared a body with her, was also imprisoned and disappeared from the world's sight.

The First King, Gorgreir, having lost his blessing, led his old followers away from the Borderlands and into the depths of the Mist.

The gods and men who ruled the Golden Dynasty have all disappeared, and naturally no one knows what happened back then. Perhaps only the Forge Knights who remained in the borderlands know the scattered fragments of the past. Lin Lu, who returned to the borderlands later, naturally did not know either, and could only make inferences based on her battles with the Forge Knights.

The most important point is that Forge Knights are immune to Cursed Death spells that only work on Faded Ones; they are not Faded Ones.

Then, the Forge Knights do not bleed. Even if their defenses are broken, only fragments of energy will fly out of the wounds. After they die, they will not leave behind corpses, and it will be impossible to see the true appearance behind the armor.

Based on what she knew, Lin Lu made a deduction at the time: the Forge Knights were likely no longer human, or at least not all of them.

When they became Forge Knights, they had already undergone special modifications by the Golden Tree, breaking free from ordinary physical limitations and transforming into another life form.

As for the truth, Lin Lu didn't know, as he didn't have anything like the legacy of the Furnace Knights.

Therefore, Skadi, the Forge Knight, can only be created by the current Golden Tree itself. She will have some similarities to the Forge Knights of the Borderlands, but she will certainly not be exactly the same.

This is a knight belonging to the newly born Golden Tree, whose power must be stronger than that of the old furnace in the borderlands.

Lin Lu's idea was to let Skadi learn and comprehend the power of the Furnace of a Hundred Forms. The Golden Tree was currently in the Furnace of Life stage, making it very convenient to comprehend, and Skadi also had that ability.

Regardless of her intelligence, she possesses all the necessary qualities.

As an individual who emerged long ago from the Forge of Life, her affinity with the Golden Tree and the Forge of Life far surpasses that of the others in the Golden Tree; only Lin Lu and Melina can surpass her in this respect.

Therefore, if she puts in the effort to work hard in this area, she will definitely achieve twice the result with half the effort. Even if it takes a lot of time and effort, she can still make progress. At that time, her strength will also have a leap forward.

The power of the furnace is quite formidable.

In the past, life was intertwined and inseparable. The furnace of life represented all the power and characteristics of life contained in the golden tree, far more than simply growing wings or a tail.

If Skadi could truly master the art, she might be able to transform into other creatures, combining the best qualities of many different beings.

On this entirely new land, she can learn and utilize not only the myriad aspects of the Forge, but also things that are not found in the Borderlands—the various races of Terra.

Such as Vayfan, Sarkaz, Felin, etc.

It can be said that the heights she can reach in the future are even greater than those of the Forge Knights in the borderlands. To some extent, after mastering the Hundred Aspects of the Forge, she will be very close to the perfect individual that only exists in theory.

In addition, equipment is also essential.

The weapons and armor of the Forge Knights are no ordinary items either; they are made of living gold and are an integral part of their strength. Therefore, Skadi also needs a completely new set of equipment.

This equipment must be able to adapt to the power of the Furnace of a Hundred Phases and amplify the prayers of the Furnace of a Hundred Phases.

As for the things she brought up from the deep sea, there's no need to continue using them. While Agor's technology is indeed formidable, and the weapons he forged specifically for fighting giants are highly capable, they can no longer keep up with Skadi's growing power.

That sword couldn't compare to the divine weapons forged from the golden tree.

However, it would take some time to tailor-make a set of equipment for her, so Lin Lu planned to hand it over to Nian Nian, since she was currently the top blacksmith in the Golden Tree.

Although Kroos and her engineering department can also produce equipment, those things are only suitable for ordinary operators and are not up to standard, nor are they worthy of Skadi, who is a Forge Knight.

……

"Your equipment will take time to craft. Until then, you can make do with what you have."

While pondering Skadi's situation, Lin Lu led the bewildered girl into the Great Blessing.

Skadi followed closely behind, her eyes darting around as she curiously observed the interior of the Great Blessing. She seemed a little nervous, but upon hearing this, she quickly waved her hand and said, "I'm not in a hurry. I've used that sword for a long time, it's very handy, and I can continue to use it."

"That sword can no longer bear your power."

Lin Lu shook her head slightly, raised her arm, and golden light condensed out of thin air. A set of dark gold armor emerged from the light and floated in mid-air.

"You can wear this set for now, and change into it once your gear is ready."

"Armor?"

Skadi blinked, tiptoed over, and touched the surface of the armor with her hand.

Heavy and substantial was her first impression.

The armor didn't look new; it was engraved with patterns she couldn't understand, giving it a sense of historical vicissitude, and faint traces of battle could be seen on it.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that the shoulder armor is made based on the shape of some kind of animal head. It is similar to metal, but seems to be different. The material is engraved with patterns resembling tree roots, which converge at the chest area. The skirt armor is made of some kind of special material, and it is also painted with tree root-like patterns.

The design language of this armor is the pattern of vines and tree roots, which runs through the entire body, and even the top of the fully enclosed helmet has a structure that resembles tree branches.

When you touch it, it doesn't feel cold like metal; instead, it has a warm feel, like touching a living thing.

—This is a suit of armor that has seen countless battles.

After touching her, Skadi made a judgment.

Some things are hard to describe in words. She saw countless battles with powerful enemies reflected in this armor.

From her personal perspective, she really liked it, even though she had never worn similar heavy armor.

However, this set of equipment seemed too big for her. It was a giant suit of armor that was almost two meters tall, much taller than her. It was not hard to imagine how burly the person who had worn it must have been.

"This is the equipment of the Forge Knight, Zhiliuya. She was a powerful figure who followed the first Golden King in establishing a dynasty and was one of the two chief Forge Knights."

Lin Lu's eyes held a hint of reminiscence as she softly explained.

This suit of armor was his collection after defeating Silyua, and it had been hidden away in the Great Blessing for a long time. It is not an insult to hand it over to Skadi, the first Forge Knight of the Golden Tree.

"But it's too big."

Skadi withdrew her hand, compared the size difference, and wondered how she was going to put on the armor.

"The armor of the Forge Knight is not something simple."

Lin Lu waved her hand gently, and the armor that was suspended in mid-air automatically disintegrated. The main body of the armor fell from above and directly covered Skadi.

The armor on her upper body alone was enough to fit her entire body, and there was still plenty of space inside.

Skadi tentatively moved her arms and put on the armor. To her surprise, the heavy armor, which was much larger than her, began to shrink little by little, as if it were automatically adjusting to her body size. It quickly shrunk to a suitable size and was surprisingly lightweight, without affecting her movements.

After putting on the main body parts, the remaining combat boots, arm armor, and helmet also automatically fell off, shrinking to the appropriate proportions as she moved.

Within minutes, a complete set of Forge Tree Armor appeared on Skadi, fitting her perfectly.

"I feel that my strength has increased."

When Skadi put on her armor, she completely lost her girlish appearance, giving off a heavy and dignified feeling. The sound coming through her helmet was somewhat muffled.

However, her movements were not affected by the armor, and she remained very agile.

"The armor is also part of the Furnace Knight's strength. It is made of living gold and can repair itself. It also has the power to amplify the Furnace's hundred aspects and has a considerable amplification effect on the user. Once you master the power of the Furnace, you can become even stronger."

Looking at Skadi fully dressed, Lin Lu felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she were seeing a miniature version of Shiryua.

However, Skadi had more 'life' than Silyua. The Silyua she knew back then didn't seem like a person at all, but more like a shell acting on obsession.

"Now, the next thing is the weapons. There are two options to choose from."