Man on the ark, forced to become king

If Iberia could have done that, would Agor, whose technology far surpasses that of Iberia, have been so badly harmed by Haizi?

Most importantly, the Golden Fleet didn't accomplish anything in the end. Before it even made direct contact with the Sea King, it was wiped out by the Great Tranquility, and the entire Iberia was on the verge of destruction. And yet, it still claims to have conquered the sea?

Could it be that he's become so arrogant that he's lost his mind?

"Yes, we can."

When he said this, Mills' tone was unusually firm and resolute, and his bloodshot eyes shone brightly.

It is clear that he truly believes this.

"The Golden Fleet was the pinnacle of Iberia's technological achievements, the culmination of the nation's resources and the hard work of countless researchers. It can be said to be the most brilliant creation of that era."

"The entire fleet consists of thirty-nine ships. At the beginning of the design, thirty-eight of them were intended to serve as escorts and other tasks. Those ships were not particularly special. Although they used the most advanced technology, they were not enough to support the vision of conquering the sea."

"The most important part of the Golden Fleet is the giant ship at its core, named after gold. It is a behemoth built with the resources of the entire nation, a steel fortress floating on the sea, which cannot be destroyed even by natural disasters."

"It sounds very strong."

Hearing Mills say that, Lin Lu had a general idea, but to be honest, it didn't seem like much.

Judging from the description, the so-called golden behemoth is at most a marine version of a mobile city. Do you really think you can crush Agor and Haisi with something like that?

That's really overthinking it; Iberian scholars and high-ranking officials couldn't possibly be that ignorant.

The only explanation is that the golden behemoth possesses some unknown, high-powered weapon, giving them the confidence to rival, or even defeat, Agor and Haisi.

"With your power, you naturally wouldn't even look at a steel city. Even on the high seas, you could easily destroy it. However, the secret of the golden behemoth doesn't stop there. At its core lies the most powerful weapon created by Iberia, a weapon capable of overturning the world!"

Mills offered a small compliment before continuing his explanation, his eyes gleaming with a fanatical light.

"Indeed, we obtained fragments of technology from Agor, and it was through research based on these that Iberia achieved its later glory."

"However, we are not Argo's pursuers and successors. Through the efforts of countless researchers, we have finally created our own thing, a final weapon that Argo does not possess."

"In the blueprint we've created, we'll name it the Treasury."

"The Vault System is Iberia's ultimate secret. It has even transcended the realm of weapons. Activating it will unleash a catastrophe capable of destroying everything!"

"...I think you should focus on the key points."

Looking at the middle-aged man's fanatical appearance, Lin Lu had a headache. No matter how much this guy bragged, it was all just empty talk.

He just wanted to know where the Golden Fleet was and how it was deployed; all that boasting and nonsense was meaningless.

The ultimate weapon that can destroy everything sounds impressive, but its actual effectiveness is questionable.

If it's so powerful, where did the Golden Fleet go when the Great Tranquility arrived? And where is the so-called ultimate weapon? Was it dud?

Lin Lu could only say she was somewhat interested in exaggerated descriptions, but not much.

The main issue is that Iberia was completely overwhelmed by the Great Tranquility and nearly died on the spot. Such strength makes it hard to believe their boasts about the Golden Fleet.

"Of course, of course."

Mills shuddered, immediately realizing his mistake, and quickly nodded, ceasing his discussion of those vague and unrealistic things.

"The Vault System is actually a controller that Iberia has spent a lot of effort creating. Through our exploration of the ocean, we have located several dormant underwater volcanoes and combined Originium Arts with Agor Technology to create underwater bombs that can detonate volcanoes. We then buried these bombs in the volcanoes to create the central control system called the Vault."

"Furthermore, the main cannons installed on the golden behemoth were also set to a default target, which was a rather large underwater volcano, and only the power of the main cannons could detonate it."

"When the Treasure Vault System is activated by the key, all the underwater volcanoes buried in the deep sea will be detonated by the Treasure Vault System at the same time. At that time, destructive power will fill the sea, triggering underwater earthquakes, high temperatures will cause the seawater to boil, and toxic substances will mix into the seawater, wiping out all marine life!"

"With the Treasure Vault System in existence, even Agor cannot ignore the voice of Iberia!"

Lin Lu was shocked. He really didn't expect that the so-called ultimate weapon of Iberia would be such a thing. Even Lani looked at him like he was crazy.

What kind of depraved person would come up with such a suicidal plan?

So the Iberian leadership at the time knew that with their limited technological capabilities, they couldn't catch up with Agor, who had been developing in the ocean for countless years, in a short period of time, so they took a risky approach, right?

My technology is inferior to yours, my conventional army is inferior to yours, and my fleet may not be able to defeat you either, but I have a way to take you down with me.

Even if Agor possessed some powerful weapon capable of swiftly destroying the entire Iberia, the treasures carried by his golden warships would still allow him to make the entire ocean perish with Iberia.

A large-scale underwater volcanic eruption turned the ocean into an uninhabited zone unsuitable for life, resulting in the death of all living things.

When this power emerges, it becomes irrelevant whether conventional forces can defeat it. Even if I can't beat you, I can still drag you down with me. Agor probably doesn't want a desperate one-for-one exchange with Iberia and is likely to compromise and back down, then find a way to resolve the problem later.

It must be said that although this plan is crazy, it is indeed an effective means. If it is really implemented, it may bring unprecedented huge benefits to Iberia, gain valuable geographical resources and development time, and realize their ambitions in the future.

Unfortunately, ideals are beautiful, but reality is crueler.

Before the Golden Fleet could establish its deterrent power, it was destroyed under the influence of the Great Tranquility, which also plunged Iberia into collapse, thus ending the Golden Age.

"So, since you know the location of the Golden Fleet and probably have a way to open the treasure vault, why are you trading it to get the residents of Saltwind City to leave?"

Undoubtedly, this deal was unequal. A city of salt and wind was far less valuable than such a powerful weapon. It was like exchanging gold for steamed buns; the difference in value was too great, and Lin Lu couldn't help but have doubts.

"Because Iberia is gone..."

Mills trembled, his expression one of utter misery, his eyes shifting between hatred and pain, his voice filled with sorrow.

“Iberia is destroyed, destroyed by the sea we wanted to conquer, and I am just a coward imprisoned in Saltwind City, I can do nothing…”

"Even if I knew the secret of the Golden Fleet, I wouldn't have the ability to go to the high seas and open the treasure vault."

"But you are different. With your power, even the sea will fear your might. You can find that lost golden ship and unlock the legacy of the golden age. At that time, the ocean will submit to you!"

Chapter 244 The Dark Moon Hangs in the Sky, Stars Fall Like Rain

Could an underwater volcanic eruption kill Hai Si and Agor?

This is an unknown. Given the Hai Si's absurd evolutionary ability, it is unlikely that they will perish due to a volcanic eruption. They can probably adapt to the harsh marine environment through rapid evolution and survive even if their population declines sharply.

As for Agor, the hope of destroying a technologically advanced maritime nation through a volcanic eruption is even more remote.

Putting aside everything else, the fact that they were able to build cities on the seabed despite the immense pressure of deep-sea water demonstrates just how advanced their defensive capabilities were.

The seawater after the volcanic eruption may no longer be suitable for life, and the resulting earthquakes may destroy several cities and greatly reduce the Agor people's range of activities, but it is almost impossible to destroy them in this way.

However, even if the Iberian Treasury system fails to achieve their desired outcome, it will still deal a heavy blow to Agor and Haisi, and its value is still considerable.

After listening to Mills' explanation, Lin Lu thought for a moment and smiled, "In that case, I grant your request. Given the extremely high value of the golden fleet you contributed, I will also give you appropriate compensation."

"I can give you two choices."

"First, I will send people to get you and those who are willing to follow you out of Saltwind City and go to other places to establish a new home. During this time, I will protect your safety and provide basic living and building materials until you establish a new place to live."

"Secondly, you can stay in Saltwind City and join us. In that case, I can take responsibility for all the residents who are willing to join us. No one can harm you, and we also have a way to solve the problem of being invaded by the Sea Si."

After thinking it over, Lin Lu gave Mills two options.

He may have all sorts of flaws; he might be belligerent, irritable, and sometimes unreasonable, so he's hardly a good person.

However, he never mistreats people like Mills who bring huge benefits to the Golden Tree, or his own people who are willing to join the Golden Tree.

"I……"

Mills opened his mouth, looked up at the enormous dark moon that covered half the sky, clenched his teeth, and finally nodded heavily.

"If everything you say can be done, then I will persuade them to stay and accept your asylum!"

In his mind, Saltwind City would soon become a hotbed of conflict, and the Inquisition would never allow a mistake beyond their control to occur within Iberia, so leaving was the best course of action.

They could escape, but putting aside where they would survive, they couldn't resolve the physical deformities caused by consuming food provided by the Deep Sea Church over the years.

This is a very real problem.

They can leave, and perhaps even build a new city and continue living, but they can't get rid of the hidden health problems. Many of them will mutate into mindless, terrifying fish at some point without even realizing it.

He wanted the residents of Saltwind City to leave because he had no other choice. After all, physical mutation was a matter for the future; surviving was the most important thing right now.

However, this great being, who seemed to be a god, said he had a way to solve the corruption of the Sealings... so, taking another gamble became the best course of action.

If they win the bet, the residents of Saltwind City will be able to completely escape their nightmare and live freely without ever having to worry about turning into terrifying monsters again.

"A wise choice will soon make you realize how right you've been."

Lin Lu patted his shoulder, and a soft golden light enveloped him.

Mills felt lightheaded, lost all awareness of his surroundings, and floated aimlessly in a bizarre and surreal landscape.

This state didn't last long. Soon, he felt his body again, as if he had returned to many years ago. A sense of ease, so distant that he had almost forgotten it, welled up in his mind. When he opened his eyes, his vision was no longer blurry and cloudy, but became incredibly clear.

Then he saw another version of himself in front of him, a gaunt, emaciated middle-aged man with black scales on his arms.

"This, this is..."

"As you can see, your problem is very serious and can hardly be solved by conventional means, so I directly replaced your body with a healthy one. The nightmare that has been bothering you is no longer there."

Lin Lu reached into the void and pulled out a large cloak and two pieces of clothing out of thin air, throwing them onto Mills, who was completely covered by golden light, so that he wouldn't have to run naked in front of the whole city after the golden light dissipated.

Skadi and Borocasta are special cases. They are already extremely powerful, and reshaping their bodies requires not only a considerable amount of energy but also the restoration of their original power.

Mills was far inferior to them. His body was just an ordinary Liberi, with nothing special about it. It would be incredibly easy for the power of the Life Furnace to reshape a 'blank' body. After all, to put it bluntly, a body without any special powers is just a simple humanoid aggregate of flesh and blood.

It's no exaggeration to say that even a thousand of him couldn't compare to one Bozokasti.

“Thank you for your gift!”

After the initial shock, Mills was overjoyed and was about to kneel down in worship.

Before raising his hand, he reshapes a completely new body. Without a doubt, this is the power of a god. The evolution pursued by the Deep Sea Church is utterly insignificant in the face of such power!

Now he truly believes that these two deities are absolutely capable of solving the health problems of the residents of Saltwind City, and also of protecting the city.