Man on the ark, forced to become king

Therefore, they should be indifferent!

"I--"

29 snapped out of her reverie and was about to say that he didn't mean it that way when she noticed that the man opposite her seemed to suddenly become inexplicably excited.

Above the shimmering golden ice plains, a massive crimson emblem suddenly unfolded. Exceptionally large claws, resembling horizontal buildings, emerged from the emblem, piercing through the shimmering golden seal and disappearing into the darkness beyond the light's reach.

Bang!

The snow on the ground seemed to tremble for a moment, as if some heavy object had fallen and struck the earth. Faintly, a strange and mournful roar seemed to come from outside the seal, but it was covered by the sound of the reverse wind and could not be heard clearly.

Is this... a spell?

29 stared intently at the enormous claw stretching across the sky, somewhat unsure of what to expect.

Firstly, he had never seen such a spell that summons a real body before. Secondly, the scale of this spell was beyond his comprehension. Even if well-prepared war sorcerers lined up to cast a spell comparable to it, it would be almost impossible for them to do so.

When I say "show off a skill," I really mean just one hand...

This one move alone made him extremely glad that he had chosen a friendly approach and hadn't launched a rash attack.

Otherwise... fighting against such a monster-level powerhouse is no fun at all.

Ow!Ow!

The roar amidst the swirling wind and snow grew clearer, and a wave of black mist suddenly surged outside the seal. Shadows like silt rolled and rippled, crashing against the seal and igniting large patches of golden light. The dragon claws that had extended into the darkness retracted, dragging the massive body shrouded in the black mist to a closer distance.

Without a doubt, it was a demon. Even if its size and condition didn't rank it among the top in terms of strength, it was still a rather troublesome and difficult enemy.

If we encountered it in the past, it would have taken at least a four-person team to drive it away, and even more people would have been needed to kill it completely.

But beneath that dragon's claws, the terrifying demons, the moving pollution, and fear were like a mouse caught in the palm of a hand, weak and powerless.

boom!

With a deafening roar, the demon's body was brutally shoved into the snow. Orange-red flames erupted from the dragon's claws, instantly melting large swaths of snow and evaporating the melted water. Black and white mists mingled together, the emblem vanished, the dragon claws disintegrated, and a violent burst of flames erupted, completely igniting the demon and turning it into a raging inferno.

The massive structure crumbled and collapsed in the flames at a visible speed, accompanied by a piercing wail. Ashes rose with the wind, casting a thin layer of gray over the earth.

In less than a minute, the demon that had been forcibly taken outside the seal had turned into ashes drifting in the wind. Apart from the sunken pits on the ground, there was no trace of its existence left. Its powerful, almost immortal life force had no effect whatsoever.

A demon died just like that, right before 29's eyes, dying like a joke, dying completely.

"..."

Heavy breathing came from the respirator worn on his face. After a moment of silence, 29 took a step forward and nodded emphatically: "You're right, we do need it."

Chapter 268 The Crown Prepared for Talulah

"See? Now we can talk."

Lin Lu clapped her hands, very satisfied. Sure enough, presenting the facts and reasoning was very effective.

"What do you need us to do?"

29 changed to a more respectful title. No matter when or where, the strong always enjoy more respect. The power of the person in front of him is enough to make anyone treat him with caution. Even the one on the throne now probably wouldn't dare to put on any emperor's airs. Even without considering the Golden Tree organization behind him, he alone is enough to stand on equal footing with the entire Northern Territory.

"Duke Kosiché, how much do you know about him?"

Lin Lu thought for a moment and then asked a question.

"That Grand Duke?"

29 was somewhat surprised and didn't understand why the topic suddenly shifted to those nobles, but he still answered based on the information he knew.

"We don't know much about Duke Koschche. Almost no one can glimpse the secrets that are hidden. His existence spans the entire history of the empire. He is ancient and mysterious. In the circles of the upper nobility, the Grand Duke is called 'the immortal Koschche.' Even nobles who are also Grand Dukes dare not provoke him easily."

“That’s right, the immortal Koschke.”

Nodding slightly, Lin Lu didn't intend to waste any more words and directly stated her purpose: "The current Duke Koschei has an adopted daughter who is currently on the southern ice plains of Ursus and is extremely dissatisfied with the existing order and oppression in Ursus."

"I won't go into those high-sounding words. Just know that she is my student. She has now established her own foundation and has an army powerful enough to influence the situation. She intends to end the internal strife in Ursus and establish a completely new order."

“However, I do not intend to directly interfere in the internal affairs of Ursus. Her own power and the foundation of the Kosiché family are not enough to stand against all the nobles and the emperor. If we can get the support of the Northern Legion, things will undoubtedly be much easier.”

"The next Duke of Kosiché? Ha, is she no longer satisfied with her title of Grand Duke and wants to sit in a higher position?"

29 clearly didn't quite believe in the idea of ​​a completely new order; he seemed to be laughing, as if mocking, or perhaps finding it amusing.

"If your request is for the Northern Legion to endorse the future Duke of Kosiché, then we can accept it."

The Kosiché family has a long history in Ursus, dating back to the very beginning of the empire, and its legitimacy is beyond question.

Nowadays, all nobles are pursuing power, so naturally they can too.

The Northern Legion doesn't care who the final winner is, as long as that person is Ursus, and the daughter of Duke Kosiché perfectly fits that description.

Since that's the case, then exchanging support for cooperation with Golden Tree is feasible. 29 himself has no objection, and he thinks that others won't have any objections either.

The only concern is whether this collaboration will yield sufficient returns.

For many years, the Northern Legion has remained in the harsh borderlands, far from the power struggles of the Empire. In everyone's eyes, they are absolutely neutral and do not favor any side. Therefore, they can ignore the existence of the Northern Legion and focus their energy on internal strife.

However, once the Northern Legion clearly expresses its support for a certain faction, the situation will change instantly. The neutral stance cannot continue, and the entire North will be labeled as the Duke of Kosiché. Consequently, the Northern Legion's access to supplies will be cut off by more than half.

After all, all the nobles knew the power of the Northern Legion. Such a behemoth was enough to give Duke Kosiché a leap in power and make him a formidable enemy. No one would be willing to use their own money to support the enemy.

If the Golden Tree's offer cannot exceed what the North has lost, then cooperation is out of the question.

"So, what can you bring us?"

29. He had many thoughts in his mind, but what he said was very straightforward, without any beating around the bush or probing.

Lin Lu also found this way of communicating very comfortable. He had seen all sorts of riddle-solving people and eccentric people in this world, and it was rare to find someone normal.

So his answer was straightforward: "You have enough resources and supplies to sustain the entire legion's operations, more than Ursus can provide, and you have the power to effectively suppress the demons. With our help, the demons' mental corruption and contamination will no longer affect you, and their immortality will be limited, allowing them to be killed normally."

"Is this enough?"

"Your generosity exceeded my expectations; it's more than enough."

29 only hesitated briefly before making a decision regarding the offer Lin Lu made.

It's just about choosing sides, nothing serious. The Northern Legion has never been afraid of external things.

Moreover, with such a powerful figure supporting him, even if this powerful figure does not intend to intervene personally, as his disciple, the new Duke Koschche will be able to receive considerable assistance and is very likely to realize that ambition.

In the process, the North can also acquire items that can effectively combat evil spirits, which is almost a sure-fire way to make money, so why refuse?

"Hmm... It's not very nice to say it like this, but can you represent the entire Northern Legion?"

Upon hearing 29's answer, Lin Lu nodded, but still had some doubts.

After saying all that, he seems to have overlooked the most important issue: whether 29 is qualified to represent the Northern Legion in finalizing cooperation. If not, then all the previous exchanges were in vain.

"I think I can."

29's answer was as firm as ever, without any hesitation, perhaps his identity was far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.

However, Lin Lu didn't say anything more. She just watched quietly as 29, after answering, led the other three warriors into the deep darkness and disappeared into the endless snowstorm.

Since 29 says he can, then he must be able to, even if he can't.

The power of the Golden Tree has only been revealed in the tip of the iceberg. As a wise man, he should eliminate the cost of deceiving a powerful figure.

The cooperation between the Northern Legion and the Golden Tree is now a foregone conclusion and cannot be changed. Lin Lu will not give them any room to back out.

Communication and cooperation are one of the means he can use, but not all of them; he also has more direct and violent methods.

and so……

"Talulah, are you ready to become the first Drak Queen of Ursus? Two army groups, the foundation of Grand Duke Kosichear, plus the Northern Legion, your teacher has prepared a rather heavy gift for you. Whether you can bear the weight of the crown is up to you."

Confiding softly to the night sky, Lin Lu turned her head to glance at Saria, who had been watching the whole time, nodded slightly, and then disappeared like a phantom.

He has resolved all the troubles. Now it's time for Saria and the children's story to unfold. He won't interfere again until they've grown enough.

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

"Huh? Where am I?"

Magellan was unaware of what had happened on the snowfield. When Lin Lu asked her if she wanted to see the Emperor, she didn't immediately understand and subconsciously nodded. As a result, she felt her body lighten and suddenly appeared from the howling snowfield in an indoor space that looked like a laboratory.

"Magellan?"

"Ok?"

A gentle female voice suddenly came from behind him. Magellan turned around instantly and met the gaze of a pair of brown eyes wearing black-rimmed glasses.

He wasn't very tall, wore a wing-like garment, carried books in his arms, had brown hair, and a few feathers on his head. He looked to be about twenty years old, a appearance Magellan was very familiar with.

She spends most of her time on fieldwork, so she doesn't know many people. She only has a few friends, and even if they haven't seen each other for a long time, she won't mistake one for the other.

"Hemer?"

"It really is you, Magellan!"

Himer's eyes widened in surprise. "Saria and the others really found you? You've been missing for so long, I thought..."

"Out of contact? Isn't that because Rhine Labs hasn't sent any field teams to contact me?"

Magellan scratched his head in confusion, somewhat puzzled.

She was very eager to reconnect with the outside world, so why does it seem like she actively cut off contact?

"But the information I received is that we are unable to contact the research station where you are located, and it has been determined that we are out of contact."