Man on the ark, forced to become king

On the other hand, always relying on others is not a good habit. Even if the mountain behind you is strong enough to shield you from all the storms, it is ultimately not truly your own.

For a fledgling bird to grow, it needs to acquire something that belongs to it.

Therefore, Saria didn't say anything extra, silently spreading her Originium Arts and blessing everyone in the team.

She is skilled in many things, possessing profound expertise in both physical combat and pure magic. She can fulfill all roles in a team on her own, and even less commonly used group support spells can achieve remarkable results.

As for the rest of the team, they were completely intimidated by the 'Golden Tree Leader' and dared not say anything, keeping their thoughts to themselves.

Moreover, they are all outstanding young people who would be considered geniuses anywhere, so they naturally wouldn't always rely on others.

Therefore, everyone consciously obeyed Saria's orders, and with the blessing of Originium Arts, they set off at top speed, accelerating across the desolate ice plains under the guidance of the golden light.

"Tsk, the smell of decay."

Lin Lu, suspended in mid-air, watched the group heading away in the direction indicated by the golden light. She tilted her head slightly and made a sniffing motion. The avatar only has sight and hearing and does not have the complex senses of a real body. Naturally, the sense of smell does not exist. The reason for this gesture is just a habitual reaction.

Sometimes, 'taste' doesn't necessarily have to be perceived through the sense of smell, because the essence of that abnormality comes from the spiritual level; alien demons are such things.

The doctor revealed a lot of previously undisclosed secrets, covering all aspects of the Terra world. While the information about demons wasn't entirely absent, it was extremely scarce, so scarce that it was impossible to extract any valuable information. Even the ancient popsicles that survived from an era too distant to be recorded in history knew very little about their nature.

Those monsters, which are different from humans and even inherently opposed to all known creatures, are walking sources of pollution. They become powerful because of what is 'known', and their very existence causes nearby creatures to become distorted and deformed, turning them into claws that extend terror.

That kind of stench and malice that seeps into the soul, once witnessed, will never be forgotten.

Lin Lu has dealt with demons quite a few times so far, and has some understanding of them. Although the scent permeating the ice plains is very faint, in his eyes it is no different from fireflies in the dark.

This land is slowly changing.

The existence of evil spirits is rejected by the world, so they cannot invade existing civilizations on a large scale. They can only rely on the passage of time to pollute the surrounding environment with their own power and transform it into a filthy place where they can move around.

This desolate ice field, which should have been fortified by the Ursus army, is undergoing this process—slowly, faintly, but undeniably real.

Is it a breach in Ursus's defenses, or is there some deeper reason? No matter how you look at it, this is not a good thing.

As pollution spreads, it means that evil forces lurking on the fringes of civilization are beginning to extend their claws into territories that do not belong to them, and that the borders of civilization are shrinking.

Of course, this pollution is not irreversible. Regardless of whether other countries on land have the ability to effectively remove the pollution, the Golden Tree can find a way. In the areas covered by the Golden Law, all abnormalities will be expelled, and the corruption of evil spirits is no exception.

However, Lin Lu doesn't plan to deal with the Icefield issue for the time being. Let the emperor and politicians of Ursus worry about it; that's their responsibility anyway.

It remains to be seen how long this thousand-year-old empire can hold out, given the rebellion of two army groups, the deaths of three grand dukes, the presence of the immortal Black Serpent as a traitor, and the rampage of evil spirits on the border.

"Internal and external troubles; even the strongest fortress cannot resist decay from within."

With a soft sigh, Lin Lu suppressed all her thoughts and began chasing after the team that had disappeared into the night.

Now is not the time to disperse my incarnation. After all, I haven't finished what I promised the Emperor, and I should see it through to the end.

In the worst-case scenario, by the time Saria and the others arrive, the Rhine Labs field operator will have already collapsed and become a corpse. That will be the last time this avatar will serve its purpose.

For the Golden Tree, death is far from the end. Whether the person rescued is alive or dead has little impact. Even if it is a corpse, as long as it is put into the Furnace of Life, it can come out lively and energetic in the blink of an eye. At most, without the blessing of the Golden Tree, the resurrection process will be a little more troublesome.

-------------------------------------

"What is it...?"

Holding the penguin pendant that emitted faint ripples in her hands, Magellan huddled in the corner, with the remaining drones blocking her way, providing a negligible sense of security.

The monster, whose outline could only be seen vaguely, was parked not far away. Outside the range of the pendant's ripples, the drone had little effect on this unknown creature. Fortunately, the pendant was there, which allowed the situation to remain temporarily stable.

If given the opportunity, Magellan would really like to study this unknown creature, which she had never seen before, in depth, and ideally capture it to enrich the sample database and provide more material for scientific research.

But it's clear that no matter how curious or how strong her desire to explore is, she can only dream about it. She can't even protect herself, so what else can she talk about?

Right now, her top priority is figuring out how to get out of this predicament.

Magellan had no idea why the pendant in his hand contained such a strange thing, capable of suppressing monsters he had never seen before, nor did he know how long the pendant's effect would last.

But she knew that nothing could last forever. Even the convenient and easy-to-use spellcasting units needed to be replaced with Originium Cores periodically to function properly. This pendant would inevitably run out of energy eventually. What would she do then? Just wait to die?

This is the desolate Arctic wilderness, where there is absolutely no support, not even anything to look forward to. To survive, she must find a way to drive away or kill the monsters or escape before the power of the pendant runs out.

How to do?

Clutching the pendant nervously, Magellan's mind raced as she tried to find a feasible solution, but she realized with despair that, given the existing conditions, she seemed unable to do anything.

"Woo..."

Lingering outside the ripples' influence for a long time, the monster, whose shape was no longer clearly visible, seemed to be getting restless. Its sharp claws kept scraping the ground, leaving marks, and its howls, like those of a wild beast, echoed in the not-so-spacious room.

A monster is a monster after all; its patience is limited. It cannot wait indefinitely. It will either retreat temporarily out of fear of the pendant, or it will go berserk and launch a forceful attack after its patience runs out.

Clearly, the latter is more likely to become a reality.

hum!

Suddenly, a dazzling golden light shone from the darkness outside the door, blurring Magellan's vision for a moment. The golden light pierced through the broken door and struck the rippled pendant directly. The golden halo replaced the black and gray ripples and spread rapidly in all directions.

Compared to the faint ripples that were almost impossible to discern accurately, the burst of golden light was much more conspicuous and gave the monsters a much greater sense of intimidation.

The dazzling golden light fell on the monster's blurry outline, like boiling water poured over ice and snow. Some things that were not clearly visible were melted directly, emitting screams of agony.

The stench of burning permeated the air, while the golden light that pierced through the darkness expanded its influence from the high-hanging overhead band, forcibly carving out a pristine, untouched haven in the pitch-black night.

opportunity!

Magellan's dim eyes suddenly lit up. In the instant the unknown monster was temporarily stunned by the sudden golden light, he mobilized its remaining drones, putting their functions into a state of complete overload in an instant, unleashing even greater power.

Ice mist filled the air, lasers crisscrossed, and a barrage of bullets rained down. After completing their attack missions, the floating drones broke through the security protocol and gathered together, slamming into the monster's head.

Blow up!

A flash of fire appeared, and the metal that made up the machine and the miniature Originium structures that provided power all transformed into destructive force that tore flesh apart, engulfing the invisible monster. The scorching airwaves slammed into Magellan, nearly blowing her away.

The air was filled with the nauseating smell of burning flesh.

"hold head high!!!"

However, the power of the drone's self-destruction did not seem to seriously damage the enemy. Instead, it drove the enemy into a state of madness and berserk rage. The mournful cries echoed in the night. Magellan felt a stench and a bloody wind rush towards her. The enormous force acted directly on her body, penetrating the protective suit hidden under her clothes, and instantly turned her into a rolling gourd.

If it weren't for prior anticipation, and if one were still clinging to the pendant while rolling, one might have lost even their only means of survival.

Even so, Magellan felt a buzzing in her brain, her vision turned into a blurry, chaotic blur of light and shadow, and the sounds falling into her ears were chaotic and indistinct. Even breathing made her chest feel a sharp, burning pain. The only thing that made her feel a little better was the golden light emanating from the pendant in her hand.

"Magellan!"

Faintly, Magellan, who was clutching the pendant tightly, seemed to hear someone calling her name. Her vision was filled with gold, and a warm feeling flowed through her body like water, dispelling the pain.

"Mudstone, investigate the scene! Huang, break through here! Qiu Bai, Chen, seal off the enemy! Jiaweier, rescue them!"

boom! !

The roaring chainsaw struck the metal, its brute force tearing open the outer wall of the research station, creating a huge gap.

The crimson sword light stood out like an ink brush against the golden glow, striking the humanoid monster's body and spraying out large amounts of filthy black blood.

The grayish-white enamel rapidly spread across the ground, encompassing a large area around it. From nothing to something, it covered the enemy, which was difficult to see directly with the naked eye, with a layer of powder, making it clearly visible from the air.

Boom!

The multi-purpose riot shield slammed heavily to the ground, and Saria stood like an impenetrable wall blocking the direction facing the enemy. Behind her, Gavial roughly tore open a twisted hole in the wall, and his thick crocodile tail, with a flexibility disproportionate to its appearance, wrapped around Magellan's leg, dragging her out of the now-ruined house.

The sudden shaking made Magellan a little dizzy. Miss Penguin tried to open her eyes wide, and what came into view was Saria's back holding a shield.

As she had done many times before, she stood there like an insurmountable mountain.

For a moment, Magellan, stunned by the attack, felt an urge to cry.

She never dared to dream of such support, but it actually arrived! And it was the person she remembered as the most reliable!

The head of the defense department personally led the team—what a dream lineup!

Sure enough, the previous communication interruption was just an accident. Rhine Lab had not forgotten her, nor had it forgotten that there was such a research station on the vast ice plains!

Chapter 264 The Golden Seal

"how are you feeling?"

For a qualified Adaklis warrior, being able to skillfully use one's body to attack is the most basic requirement. Even the tail that grows on one's back can serve the same purpose as an arm. Even though Gavial always boasts that she is a highly skilled doctor, she is not lacking in this ability.

In contrast, Magellan's experience of being dragged out of the hole in the wall like cargo by his tail was not so pleasant. Fortunately, with Saria's calcification on his body, he did not suffer any further injuries besides the bumps and impacts.

"Ah... ah?"

Magellan shook his head, and the blurry double vision gradually returned to normal. When he looked up, he saw dark golden vertical pupils right in front of him, and a wild face very close to his eyes.

"Are you... alright?"

Logically speaking, it would be virtually impossible to emerge unscathed after being hit with that kind of force. Magellan didn't think her body was tougher than the steel walls of the research station, as evidenced by the torn clothes on her chest and the damaged inner protective suit—she had been injured in the previous attack.

But now… touching the tear in her clothes, Magellan was surprised to find that, let alone any wounds or bleeding, she didn’t feel even the slightest bit of pain.

Is it because of Saria's Originium Arts?

"I don't know what that thing is either. It's very powerful and can hide its form. You can go join the battle; you don't need to worry about me!"

After realizing he was completely unharmed, Magellan shivered in the cold wind outside and cautiously began to speak.

Even though Saria's presence was reassuring enough, she hoped to deal with that monster of unknown species as soon as possible.

Moreover, Saria simply planted her shield on the ground, the aura of her magic spreading out around her, but she herself showed no intention of taking the initiative to attack, seemingly planning to hand the battlefield over to others.

"Don't worry, with Saria watching over things, there won't be any problems. There's no point in me, the doctor, joining in when no one is injured. You need a thorough examination more than they do."

"what?"