Man on the ark, forced to become king

As far as he knew, since the split of the regime and the outbreak of civil war, the former Kingdom of Kazdel had become a mere shell of its former self. The mercenaries recruited by the royal nobles and the regent had fixed garrisons and barracks, while in the territories without nobles, wanderers of various races had established many free villages to stick together for mutual support. These free villages were essentially independent and did not clearly belong to any faction, so they usually did not have any organized armies stationed there.

But now he clearly saw many neatly arranged tents and well-dressed people on the outskirts of Ramtu—this place was likely under the control of the army. According to Scout's previous statement, the southern border was still under the control of Princess Theresa, so these troops were most likely also under the princess's command.

This is hardly good news; delivering supplies to free villages and sending them to military camps are completely different things.

The presence of troops indicates that the situation in this area is unstable and it could very well become a battlefield. Anything could happen. In Lin Lu's eyes, this village is practically a disaster with a 'trouble' sign hanging at its door.

Most importantly, if this place is controlled by the military, they will most likely no longer be allowed to enter and exit at will. Even entering normally could be a troublesome matter, and the recipient's situation is also unknown, which adds to the difficulty of delivery.

If the recipient and the military have a conflict and the recipient dies, then the mission will have to be declared a failure.

In other countries, this possibility is naturally unlikely, but in Kazdel, a similar thing is not only possible, but also very likely.

"What should we do? Should we just drive straight there?"

After assessing the situation ahead, Fiammetta slowed down and turned around to ask.

She naturally thought of everything Lin Lu could think of, and even more.

Ramtu is a dangerous place no matter how you look at it, and it's not a good idea to approach it rashly, but they have a compelling reason to go there, which makes things very difficult.

"Stop here first, don't get out of the car, I'll go and take a look myself."

Mostima's Sakorta identity and Fiametta's Lateran-branded weapons were particularly conspicuous. Before confirming the specific situation, Lin Lu dared not let them make direct contact with Kazdel's army. After thinking about it, he decided to go and take a look alone first, and then make a plan.

Since he had already accepted the money, he didn't want to give up the mission unless absolutely necessary. He would do his best to complete the task, even if it took more effort.

'If all else fails, then wait until dark and sneak in to look for them.'

Having made up her mind, Lin Lu put the small iron box, which was the item for the mission, on her person, got off the vehicle, and walked towards the free village of Ramtu, mentally considering all the possible situations she might encounter and how to deal with them.

But when he got within a few hundred meters, three people who came out of the pile of tents made him stop on the spot.

One of them was dressed as a mercenary, with striking bright red hair. Even more eye-catching were his companions, whose long, snow-white legs were captivating even from hundreds of meters away. They were none other than Hedley and Ines, the mercenary leaders they had recently extorted.

The other person talking opposite them was easier to identify—Babel Tower operator uniform, sniper rifle, and both his build and demeanor were very similar to Scout, whom Lin Lu had met in the border town. Lin Lu had ample reason to suspect that it was the same person.

Well, all the old and new grudges have come together now. The new and old enemies she had made since arriving in Kazdel have actually gathered together at the mission destination. This is a huge surprise, so surprising that Lin Lu doesn't know what to say.

It was already quite difficult to get into this place since it was occupied by the army, and now they've run into two enemies.

The situation with Scout is complicated and hard to predict. Hadley, who was ripped off yesterday, is definitely not in a good mood. If these two get together, they might not even get in; they could probably get beaten up on the spot.

Moreover, when they parted ways, they were clearly still at the back. A group of a hundred or so people shouldn't be marching very fast. How did Hedley manage to get ahead?

Seeing the two talking, Lin Lu fell into deep thought. He suddenly had the urge to turn around and leave and come back later that night, but after thinking about it, he still braced himself and went over to start a conversation.

There's a slight chance that the two of them might team up against me, but what if they do?

Besides, they might not be looking this way now, but they might have already noticed what's going on. If he turns back now and gets seen, wouldn't it make him, Lin, look scared? Guilty?

impossible! Absolutely impossible!

Is he the kind of person who's afraid of trouble?

When soldiers come, we'll block them; when water comes, we'll dam it. We can fight, but we absolutely cannot lose in terms of momentum!

Chapter 59 Kazdel Specialties

That is!

With his back to the camp, Hadley was the first to spot the approaching figure, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

He remembered this man vividly and had a deep impression of him. Yesterday, they had lost face in front of this man, not only paying the price of three hundred identification tags, but also losing his right-hand men. Now that they met again, it was like enemies meeting again, their eyes filled with hatred.

For a fleeting moment, Hadley almost lost control of his emotions, and his hand unconsciously touched his weapon.

"Ok?"

Scout turned his head and followed his gaze, and saw Lin Lu walking in this direction.

He harbored no resentment towards Lin Lu; on the contrary, he greatly admired her for rescuing civilians. In such a world, there are few people willing and able to do so, and each one is memorable.

Lin Lu did mention in that small town that the mission area was the southern border of Kazdel. Could it be referring to Ramtu?

Thinking of this, Scout had an idea. He felt this was an opportunity. He had been looking for a way to clear up the misunderstanding between the two sides. If he could start from this point, he might be able to dispel that radical idea.

However, he also noticed that Hadley's expression seemed a bit off, as if he was forcibly suppressing his anger. After thinking for a moment, he asked in a low voice, "Hadley, do you know him?"

"We know each other, we know each other very well. What, you know each other too?"

Hedley said this through gritted teeth, his gaze fixed on Lin Lu without wavering for a moment, the veins on his hand gripping the sword hilt bulging.

"...You two know each other, do you have a grudge against him?"

“Last night he got involved in a battle between us and another mercenary group. He was very strong. I used three hundred identification tags to escape, and he also took one of my men with him.”

As the figure drew closer, Hadley's emotions gradually calmed down, and he appeared much more normal, at least on the surface.

Although he desperately wanted to avenge W, he knew he was no match for that man unless... he could mobilize the garrison here to join the fight.

Therefore, now is not the time; he needs to be patient.

"This……"

Scout knew what usually happened to captured mercenaries, but without knowing the whole story, he couldn't say much. He could only pat Hedley on the shoulder to comfort him and then headed towards the other side.

"It's nice to meet you again, Mr. Lin Lu."

"Yeah, I didn't expect to see you here, Scout."

You can't hit someone who's smiling, especially since the mission might require the help of this Babel Tower operator. Lin Lu greeted Scout with a smile as well, as if she had no memory of the threats she had made to them not long ago.

The two exchanged a glance, tacitly agreeing to leave the topic behind for the time being, and neither of them brought it up.

"Is Mr. Lin Lu's cargo destined for Ramtu Village?"

"Yes."

Now that we've come this far, there's no point in continuing to hide it. Lin Lu readily admitted it and tentatively asked, "Is it still possible to get into Ramtu now? Don't worry, I won't do anything beyond delivering the goods."

“Well, it would certainly not work for others, but Mr. Lin Lu… it’s not impossible to make an exception for you.”

Scout hesitated for a moment, not making any definitive statements. Hearing him say that, Lin Lu immediately understood what he meant. Wasn't he just trying to make demands?

They didn't have much interaction. The only thing worth mentioning was the incident in the border town. At that time, he insisted that the evil spirit of the Tower of Babel apologize to the town's residents in person, which created a minor grudge between them.

Actually, this matter wasn't entirely unnecessarily open to discussion. He knew that the request was somewhat unrealistic; he was only doing it to make contact with the truly powerful figures at the top of the Tower of Babel in order to advance his plans. As long as this goal was achieved, slight compromises were acceptable.

"I know what you want, and I can compromise."

Lin Lu looked directly into Scout's eyes, a half-smile on her face: "No apology? Fine, but I need to meet that evil spirit from the Tower of Babel, or perhaps that princess. But the first one should be easier, right?"

"Well... I can only say I'll do my best."

Today, Lin Lu was undoubtedly much easier to talk to than she had been in the border town. Moreover, with his own army base behind him, Scout spoke with much more confidence and did not immediately agree.

"It's alright, just report it, I can wait."

Lin Lu absolutely had to see that person; that was his bottom line, and he wouldn't compromise on it. After all, his time in Kazdel was limited, and he had to finish arranging things in his plan before leaving—even if the plan was only finalized halfway through his journey.

If Scout really can't make this happen, then he'll have to rely on his own methods to solve the problem.

"I--"

Scout opened his mouth, about to say something, but before he could finish speaking, the bright sunshine suddenly darkened. He looked up sharply and saw that the once clear blue sky had been instantly stained with large patches of gray and black.

Thick dust gathered and floated, and the sudden movement of the clouds twisted into an unprecedentedly huge vortex funnel.

A fierce wind howled up.

The changes in the sky were so sudden, as if an invisible paintbrush had been used to smear ink across the earth. The divine power pressed down from the heavens onto the earth, and even the aftershocks were enough to make one tremble.

"Act of God."

Witnessing such a horrific apocalyptic scene firsthand, Lin Lu was also stunned.

He had learned about this disaster from books and materials; it was the source of Oripathy, a blade that destroyed civilization, a Damocles' sword hanging over the heads of everyone on Terra.

In order to combat natural disasters, countries have spared no expense in building mobile cities to escape disasters.

But don't natural disasters take time to develop? Why did they come so suddenly?

If every natural disaster strikes without warning, just like now, then even mobile cities will find it difficult to escape. How can one escape?

Perhaps we should be thankful that this natural disaster struck a more distant wasteland?

Otherwise, if such a destructive force were to strike directly, this village would be completely wiped off the map in an instant, leaving not a trace.

"Don't be nervous, Mr. Lin Lu."

Scout was also taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered and explained, "We predicted this natural disaster several days ago. In Kazdel, such natural disasters are very common. Perhaps they are one of Kazdel's specialties?"

Chapter Sixty: Natural Disaster Strikes

……specialty?

It has to be said that Scout's corny joke was quite well-told; Lin Lu almost laughed.

He glanced at the giant funnel hanging upside down in the sky, then at the vast earth where sand and stones were flying in the howling wind, and his lips twitched slightly. He felt that he couldn't respond to this.

You call this a local specialty? How about I bring back a couple of pounds of this as a souvenir when I go back?

However, he didn't dwell on a single joke.