Man on the ark, forced to become king

He gently placed the little doll on the bedside table, and the great King of Stars lowered his body, trying to maintain a level gaze—the witch still had a strong sense of pride. In the past, she would secretly put books on the chair just to have this little quirk of looking down from above. If he looked at her from above now, he might get bitten.

"I've been awake the whole time. I've felt everything you do to me every day! Humph!"

With a cold snort, the witch, who was only twenty centimeters tall, stood up from the cabinet and took two slow steps. It was clear that although she was very flexible when controlling her arms, her walking movements were still somewhat stiff and uncoordinated.

"Luckily, it was made with great care. Where is this place?"

Seemingly having adapted to her current body, Rani lifted the brim of her hat slightly and began to look around at her surroundings. The unfamiliar furnishings greatly surprised even the noble Princess of the Moon.

"Before I couldn't control my body, I couldn't see outside. These decorations... I've never seen them before. My king... Where are we?"

"A whole new world."

Lin Lu stretched out his palm, and perhaps guessing what he wanted to do, the princess hesitated for a moment, then jumped onto his palm and was placed on the windowsill, next to the swaying golden sapling.

"The Golden Tree...you brought it with you too?"

A doll is a doll after all; it can't make detailed expressions. But you can tell from her tone that Lani really dislikes it.

"It's just a sapling that grew from the golden seed. It's not the original one. There's no golden law or Elden Beast hiding inside. It's quite nice as a bonsai."

"Is this considered a king's hobby?"

"Let's just call it that, or more precisely, a souvenir?"

Lin Lu smiled nonchalantly and spread her hands, saying, "Consider it a commemoration of the past. There's no need to call me 'King.' My princess, there is no longer any King of Elden."

"Okay, then, Lin Lu?"

Lani uttered two words awkwardly, then curiously leaned closer to the glass window, peering at the scene outside.

Buildings rising from the ground, billboards flashing in various colors, bustling crowds, and metal boxes I'd never seen before moving along the road...

A completely different cultural landscape from the border region suddenly appeared before our eyes, leaving even the most ancient and wise men speechless.

"What do you think? Isn't it a magnificent city? The machinery, technology, and steel creations are amazing, aren't they?"

“I have seen far more magnificent cities. The Divine Tower is larger than any building here, and Fam Azra, which hangs high in the sky, is even more spectacular. But... it is indeed very interesting and prosperous, more prosperous than Rodel in the Golden Age. What do they believe in, and what laws do they follow?”

The doll's mouth opened slightly, and the shock of the otherworldly culture left the princess stunned for several minutes before she spoke again.

"There are no gods or men who manifest the law here, nor are there kings who rule over everything. Many countries stand on this land, each with its own set of rules. People are born and die normally. This is... the world of humans. If you'd like, I can tell you about it slowly."

"Of course, I'm interested."

The princess nodded reservedly, and Lin Lu casually pulled over a chair, sat down by the window, and began to tell what he knew.

In fact, his understanding of this unfamiliar continent of Terra was not comprehensive; what he knew was only based on what he had seen and heard over the past few months.

This is obviously not comprehensive, but it is sufficient as a brief, preliminary explanation.

"A world without gods? Perhaps this is what it should be like. Even if it's not beautiful, at least they can die freely and there are infinite possibilities."

After listening to the introduction for more than ten minutes, Lani raised her head, looked at the bright sun hanging high in the sky, and made this comment.

That's not entirely wrong. If we're talking about who's worse, then the situation in the border region is definitely worse. Everything is bound by imperfect 'laws,' and even a normal death is a luxury. That's undoubtedly abnormal.

"So, what do you intend to do, my king?"

Turning around, the doll's bright eyes met Lin Lu's, who was casually leaning back in her chair, and the deity who once held the laws of the stars and moon asked this question.

"Save some money first and buy your own house here? Ideally, a three-bedroom apartment, or even a bigger one, then have a completely new body and have a few more children?"

Lin Lu counted her thoughts on her fingers, her tone uncertain, before finally putting her hands down and smiling nonchalantly.

"Let's take it one step at a time. Why think so much? I don't have that much of a desire to dominate, nor do I want to fight for supremacy with anyone again. To be honest, that would be pretty boring."

"Who, who wants to have a child with you!"

If it weren't for the fact that the doll's body lacked that function, Princess's face would probably be as red as an apple, and she would even be stuttering a bit when she spoke.

The petite doll kicked the arm resting on the windowsill and hurriedly turned her back.

"Hmph! Is that all the ambition you have? Where is your kingly demeanor? Since this is a completely new world, shouldn't we do something about it?"

"Then what do you intend to do, my princess?"

Lin Lu almost laughed at her haughty demeanor, but he held back. He knew very well that the witch was just being stubborn; she wouldn't actually do anything.

"This world has its own unique culture and technology, as well as Originium Arts, which are similar to magic. You should be very interested in it, right? However, the limitations of a doll's human body are still too great. I can find some theoretical books for you to read now, and we can consider putting them into practice once you have a physical body."

Chapter Three: The Furnace's Many Facets - Terra Custom Edition

“I can already sense...this world floating around me is not ordinary.”

Lani's four hands were clasped together, and faint dark blue light appeared on her palms and then quickly disappeared. But this fleeting glimpse of dark blue had already covered a small area on the windowsill with a thin layer of frost.

"The magic could be cast normally, without any barriers, and the magical power remained. In that instant, I clearly sensed the power of the Radiant Stone—do you know what that means, my king?"

"The power of pyroxene? There's no pyroxene here, only Originium—"

Lin Lu scratched her head blankly, then suddenly realized what Lani meant.

"Are you trying to say that pyroxene and Originium are the same thing? That's a bit of a stretch. Pyroxene doesn't cause Oripathy, and the colors are different too."

"External appearances can be easily changed. The sample size is insufficient to draw a definitive conclusion. However, there is no doubt that there must be some kind of relationship between pyroxene and Originium. Don't forget Master Yazler and Master Ruthert."

Those two Origin Magicians whose bodies were corroded by pyroxene, and whose skulls and brains were even pyroxene-turned.

Upon hearing this, Lin Lu suddenly had a realization.

Yes, how could he not have thought of that? Pyroxene can also corrode the human body, and the color of Pyroxene is not fixed. It can be blue, green, or red. So why can't it be the yellowish-black color that Originium exhibits?

However, it would be too arbitrary to conclude that they are the same thing based solely on this.

However, before he could think further, Lani's voice rang out again in a low voice.

"My king...look at these people walking the streets, their bodies adorned with all sorts of inhuman features—cat ears, bull horns, feathers—does anything remind you of anything? The tools used by the Forge Knights—"

"In the past, life was a mixture of different things, without distinction between them; this was the melting pot of a hundred forms."

The witch's voice seemed to come from a distant heaven, like a bolt from the blue, and the meaning it contained caused Lin Lu's thoughts to go blank for a moment.

The Many Faces of the Furnace... The Many Faces of the Furnace...

In the past of the borderlands, the original golden tree was closer to life in nature and was called the furnace of life. In that era, life mixed together, and various non-human characteristics appeared on people. What they specifically manifested was the appearance of the various races in the world of Terra.

However, as the saying goes, speculation is just speculation until sufficient evidence is obtained to support its claims.

A king is a king after all, and he won't be swayed by mere speculation. Lin Lu quickly calmed down and put those thoughts aside for the time being.

Whether it is or not... we'll have a chance to find out later.

He intends to restart the Forge of Life, which means he cannot avoid the existing power system of this world.

"Alright, my princess, we'll have plenty of time to study these issues later. Now, how about we go for a walk?"

Lin Lu stretched and extended an invitation to the witch standing by the window.

He had been living here for several months, but Lani was only just able to move around. Fortunately, she was on holiday today, so they had plenty of time to go down and explore, see the local customs and culture of Lungmen, and experience some new and interesting things. Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the doll's body, Miss Witch would not have the opportunity to experience Lungmen's special food street for the time being.

As for cleaning the house... we'll talk about that later.

"Go out for a walk? My current condition isn't very stable."

The petite doll shifted slightly upon hearing this, its sculpted face revealing no expression.

Although even the smallest details are exquisitely crafted, a doll is still just a doll; it is ultimately an inanimate object with a soul attached to it, lacking any lifelike function.

"Since it is the king's invitation, I cannot refuse. Let's go out and take a look."

Oh dear, the tsundere type isn't popular anymore...

Lin Lu wanted to laugh. After leaving the border area, the Moon Princess, who had gotten what she wanted, seemed to have let go of her old shackles and become more humane... or rather, Her Highness had always been very humane, but she was used to hiding herself in a thick shell.

This won't do. It seems it's time for the noble deity to make some small changes.

Thinking this, Lin Lu suddenly reached out and picked up the doll standing on the windowsill, then gently placed it on her shoulder.

"Yo-ho~ Lift me up high~"

"I'm going to kill you!"

After a commotion, Lin Lu successfully got four small handprints on her face through her reckless behavior. She then chuckled and took on the role of a coachman, driving her princess away.

Passing through the living room, Lin Lu glanced at Chen's tightly closed door and then quietly looked at the little doll on her shoulder who was sulking with its head turned away. With a cheerful mood, she opened the door to the rented room, and a few strands of bright red white hair immediately came into view.

Bang!

The door slammed shut instantly, and the smile on the visitor's face froze.

"Hey! What kind of attitude is that?!"

A slightly hoarse girl's voice came through the security door, making Lin Lu's head throb. She wondered why this troublemaker had come knocking on her door again.

"Who's making such a racket outside?"

The door behind him opened, and Chen poked half his head out of the room, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, just a friend came by."

Lin Lu quickly waved her hand, opened the door with a conflicted expression, went out, and then quickly closed it again.

"Nian, could you please keep your voice down? This is a residential area, not Longmen Square."

"I'm used to it."