Man on the ark, forced to become king

With that, the white rabbit turned to leave the tent.

She is never one to procrastinate; once she has decided on her next move, she will act immediately.

"Wait, Yelena, I have something else to tell you."

Talulah straightened up, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes, and called to the white rabbit who was about to leave.

During the New Year period, she left the Ice Plains and returned to Lungmen, where she spent a reunion year with her family, and her identity underwent a subtle change.

Previously, she was a pawn and a subject of investigation in the Golden Tree Project, leading the infected to barely survive on the ice field.

Now, she is a disciple of the leader of the Golden Tree, and has the right and choice to leave the chessboard. The reason she stays here is entirely because she has chosen this path. She wants to save more infected people, do what she can, and help millions of infected people in Ursus get rid of slavery, discrimination, and oppression.

The ideals of the past have not changed, but with the support of the Golden Tree and the Dragon Gate, there is no longer any need to act as before.

Attacking Chernobog is no longer a goal that must be achieved as soon as possible.

So there are some things she plans to tell Yelena.

Even if she steps out of the game, she doesn't want to treat her former friends as mere pawns to be manipulated at will, leaving them to continue suffering inner torment without knowing anything about it.

"what's up?"

Upon hearing this, Yelena stopped and asked in confusion.

"It's about Mr. Patriot. I've learned some information."

"...You saw him, didn't you? During the few days you were gone."

Yelena turned around, surprisingly calm, and even revealed Talulah's departure from the Icefield.

"I……"

Talulah opened her mouth, wanting to ask how she knew, but she swallowed the words back.

Yes, why would she think that no one knew about her departure?

Shining created the illusion that she had never left by impersonating her. Ordinary Reunion members might not be able to see through the deception, but how could those who were truly close to her not see it?

A fake is a fake. No matter how perfect the disguise is, it is not the real her. For Yelena and Alina, who spend every day together and even often sleep in the same tent, it is easy to see through. They are not stupid. How could they not be able to tell the difference from their close friends?

She thought no one knew she had left, but in reality, they just hadn't exposed the lie.

"You're too easy to understand. Everything is written all over your face. Don't worry, apart from me and Alina, no one knows that you left the Reunion Movement. You don't need to explain. I have no intention of probing your secrets."

Yelena sighed, her gaze as if she were looking at a fool who had no self-awareness.

"You're not stupid enough to actually think we didn't notice, are you? In fact, if you had come back any later, we would have been ready to make our move."

"...My mistake."

Realizing she had done something stupid, Talulah was momentarily embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.

“I did see Mr. Patriot. He is well and has regained a healthy body free from Oripathy. However, for some reason, he cannot come back to see you now.”

Did you go to Chernobog?

Upon learning that Bozokasti was indeed still alive and had escaped the effects of Oripathy, Yelena's eyes trembled, and she couldn't help but clench her fists, almost unable to suppress the restlessness in her heart.

"No, not Chernobog. We no longer need to attack Chernobog."

Talulah raised her palm, and a golden light shone from her palm, bright but not dazzling.

“I went to the Golden Tree, met the lord who saved us from the Imperial Guard, and became his disciple. Mr. Patriot was there too.”

"The attack on Chernobog was merely a test for us, and we no longer need to complete it."

“If you want to see Mr. Patriot, I… I can take you to see the Golden Tree.”

"Was that why we received those supplies?"

Yelena's face was stiff and expressionless, and she still looked very calm. But if you looked closely, you could see that her fist was clenched tightly in her sleeve and was trembling slightly with excitement.

She finally understood why the Reunion Movement had suddenly received a large amount of high-quality supplies, both in quantity and quality, far exceeding what it had received before.

Of course, none of that really matters to her. What matters most is that Bozokasti is still alive, that they can really meet again, and that Talulah can take her to the Golden Tree right now if she wants to. There is nothing more joyful than that.

"Yes, the Golden Tree will provide us with support and help us survive on the ice plains. The large-scale operation of the Ursus army is related to the Golden Tree. Our role is to act as bait during this time. As for the specifics... I'm sorry, I don't know either. My teacher didn't tell me."

Talulah nodded, then looked cautiously at Yelena, her voice very soft.

"So, would you like to meet Mr. Patriot?"

"Being not."

Surprisingly, Yelena refused.

Under the astonished gaze of the Draco girl, the white rabbit gently shook her head, refusing the suggestion to go to the Golden Tree to see Bozokasti, explaining, "The Golden Tree gave the old man a new life, so I will stay here and do what I should do until the plan you mentioned ends."

Back then, during the battle against the Inner Guard on the ice plains, Bozokasti's condition was quite evident to all. The proliferating Originium crystals crystallized his flesh and blood, turning him into an immovable rock. That was the complete outbreak of Oripathy, and there was no cure.

Yelena knew that without the help of the Golden Tree, her father would have died long ago, like other late-stage Oripathy patients.

Since the Golden Tree brought the old man back to life, no matter how this miracle was accomplished, she would be grateful for the Golden Tree's kindness and remember it forever, even if it meant giving her life to repay it.

The Golden Tree needs bait, and she becomes that bait. Not only her, but all the Shield Guardians and Yetis will make the same choice.

Talulah said that attacking Chernobog was a test for the Golden Tree, meaning that the Golden Tree had expectations of her. So, whatever the Golden Tree's demands were, she would do her best to meet them.

Chapter 223 The White Rabbit's Operation

Good weather is rare on the Ursus ice plains. The sky seems to be perpetually filled with deep rain clouds, and snowflakes fall from time to time. The frigid land is constantly enveloped by biting winds.

Creep~Creak~

White snow boots sank into the snow, leaving footprints, but soon the holes were filled by snowflakes blown by the wind, leaving only shallow indentations.

Yelena tightened her cloak, looked up in the wind and snow, and breathed out a soft breath, leaving a trail of white mist in the air.

She had experienced snowstorms like this countless times in the past, so much so that she knew them all too well. But this time was different—she actually felt a chilling coldness in the wind that was hitting her, which was unbelievable for her in the past.

Controlling ice was a skill she had acquired years ago, when her Originium Arts were on the verge of going out of control due to Oripathy.

Severe Oripathy prevented her spells from being completely shut down, resulting in the loss of many bodily functions.

She is unable to make facial expressions, cannot feel cold, and even her sense of taste has deteriorated significantly. Even slightly hot drinks will burn her internal organs.

The magic that never dissipates causes her body to constantly radiate coldness, feel warmth, and experience uniqueness. These things, which are commonplace for ordinary people, are things she can only dream of and cannot attain. Only with the help of specially made candies can she get a little closer to them.

As her Oripathy worsened, the loss of her bodily functions became increasingly apparent. To this day, she has almost forgotten what warmth and cold feel like.

Even though she was wearing very thin clothes compared to other infected people in the Reunion Movement, she didn't feel uncomfortable or cold when she stood in the snow.

But now, she truly feels it.

A cool breeze swept over me, and a slight chill seeped into my clothes through the gaps—it felt incredibly real, without needing any external force.

All of this is thanks to the few golden leaves that Talulah brought back.

The leaves from the Golden Tree blessed the Golden Tree within her, making it grow several times stronger and giving it the ability to suppress Oripathy.

His body, which had been riddled with holes due to Oripathy and frequent use of spells, recovered its health in a short time thanks to the rich life force, and he would never again fall into a coma or become paralyzed due to overuse of Originium Arts.

The severely worsened Oripathy has also declined significantly under the suppression of the blessed power and is continuing to improve. Although it cannot be cured in a short time, it is much, much better than before.

Now, she can try to eat foods she never dared to try before, and has regained all the bodily sensations of being human. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she has been reborn.

It can be said that the appearance of the Golden Tree completely changed her fate. Not only did her deceased father come back to life with the help of the Golden Tree, but she herself also received great blessings.

"The golden tree, I really want to see it."

The mist drifted from the corner of its mouth and disappeared in the wind. The white rabbit mumbled softly, its ears twitched twice, and it continued to move forward.

Ahead, a wall made of stacked wood and stones came into view; that was the wall surrounding the mine.

Such a rudimentary wall could hardly be considered to offer any protection, but when combined with the Ursus troops stationed inside, it was enough to keep the infected inside the mine under control. This wall also demonstrated the attitude of Ursus officials and nobles towards the Icefield Mine—indifference.

Infected individuals are consumables used to collect Originium; they are waste products that are recycled. They never care how many people die in the mines, nor how much blood is stained with those unrefined, crude Originium ores.

Using local materials, setting up a fence, and sending out a few soldiers, one can build an Originium mine on the vast ice plains in just a few days.

Infected people who were expelled and captured from the city, as well as vagrants wandering outside the city, were all thrown into this place, like cattle and sheep being herded. The soldiers stationed here are the shepherds responsible for herding them.

In reality, the number of infected people inside the mines far exceeds the number of soldiers stationed there, because these rudimentary, primitive mines are almost entirely operated by manpower, with little to no modern machinery in sight.

Under such circumstances, a large number of people are needed to ensure that enough Originium can be collected within a transportation cycle.

Over time, the number of infected individuals could reach a hundred times that of the stationed troops.

With such a large population, if the infected can unite, they can easily wipe out the army stationed here. Even if the Ursus soldiers are armed with heavy firepower, it will be of little use. The difference in numbers is too great. They cannot fight against an enemy a hundred times their size, even if those people are unarmed.

However, this is something that can only be thought about.

The oppressed infected fear the power of the army. Years of harsh punishment have robbed them of their courage, numbing them and making them afraid to even think about how to resist. Even if some people see this, they cannot eliminate the infected's fear and cannot win enough supporters.

Therefore, it is absurd and ridiculous that Ursus could control such a large mine with so few soldiers.

Woohoo~

The howling wind cut through the gaps in the fence, creating a sound like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

Wading through the thick snow, Yelena approached little by little, finally standing under the fence. Dark gray ice crystals condensed beneath her feet, forming a staircase that allowed her to climb the wall. She then lightly stepped onto the staircase and jumped into the mine. The dark gray ice crystals she stepped on disintegrated and disappeared behind her.

Such reconnaissance missions are usually carried out by the Yeti Squad, who have extensive experience in this area and are experts in it.

This time, however, Yelena did not do that. She had the Yetis follow behind the main force waiting for news, while she went alone to carry out the reconnaissance mission.