Man on the ark, forced to become king

But after hearing the Pope's speech, she noticed the other cardinals looking at her, and she couldn't refuse. She was so anxious that her head was spinning.

The Pope's idea was good, but it was based on his lack of understanding of the Golden Tree and Linlu.

Knowing Lin Lu as she did, she knew that once that guy made up his mind, he would never change it easily.

He wants to bring Laterano into the Gold Tree and will not accept this kind of loophole-exploiting behavior.

The Golden Law replacing Lateran's existing laws is an essential step, and there is absolutely no room for negotiation on this. She doesn't have that much influence; perhaps it would be better to have Lani and Melina do it.

"Mostima, give it a try, I believe you can do it!"

The Pope encouraged her loudly, and Verine echoed, "Give it a try, Mostima. Whatever the outcome, no one will blame you."

"Well, that's fine."

All eyes were fixed on her. Mostima gripped the scepter tightly, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to refuse and nodded with difficulty.

She's taking the blame!

……

"This is... here they come? This time they've gathered their best fighters, planning an elite battle?"

Standing beneath the towering golden tree's illusory shadow in the wilderness outside the city, Lin Lu saw the city gates of the Holy City open and several people emerge. Just as she was pondering what spell to use next, she looked closer and discovered that Mostima was leading the way, followed by a tall, fat old man, and Cardinal Violet, who had just run back.

There were other people behind, but they didn't follow; they just watched from a distance.

what's the situation?

He considered many possible scenarios, such as Laterano gathering all the top experts and strongmen together for a chaotic battle, or Laterano using his hidden trump card, like the beam of light from before, to deliver a few powerful blows.

But the current situation was not what he had expected.

Why did Mostima show up when we were supposed to have a final battle?

Something seems off about this script.

Unsure of the exact reason, he didn't take any action. He opened a gap in the sealing barrier and watched as the three people approached. They stared at each other, none of them speaking first.

He was waiting for Mostima and the others to speak first.

Mostima didn't know what to say or how to say it, and the atmosphere became a little awkward for a moment.

King Ivangelista XI subtly observed the man not far away, his thoughts a jumble of emotions.

If he had met him under normal circumstances, he would never have associated the man in front of him with a super strong person capable of destroying a country.

But the truth is, they were just that strong, so strong that Lateran's army couldn't defeat them at all; not only could they not defeat them, but they were also easily slaughtered.

All I can say is that this is an absolute monster.

Lateran's world-renowned firearms technology was completely ineffective against this enemy, offering no advantage whatsoever. The entire military system built upon firearms became a joke.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems like there's nothing that can be done about it.

Lateran's firearms were primarily strong in terms of mass production and widespread availability.

Even an ordinary Lateran can easily defeat elite soldiers in ordinary armies once they obtain their own Guardian Gun.

After some training and mastering powerful firearms such as revolvers, their strength will increase significantly, making it easy for them to deal with enemies dozens of times their size.

This makes their mid-range military force exceptionally abundant, and the destructive power they can exert far exceeds that of the mid-range forces of other countries. Their long-range attacks also give them a significant advantage in war.

However, their shortcomings are also significant, namely, the lack of high-end military capabilities.

Compared to other countries, their high-end military capabilities are actually severely lacking, and the enemies they can deal with are limited to the range of firepower of firearms, with a clear upper limit.

This weakness is not obvious in conflicts with other countries, where the enemies are all within the range of firearms, are flesh and blood, and will die if hit. At most, they will suffer some losses, and by overwhelming the enemy with numbers, they can eventually be defeated.

Moreover, the losses on Laterano's side were not particularly great after they were eliminated, because firearms are reusable and can be inherited. They could take them back and train another expert in no time.

But this time, when he met Lin Lu, the shortcomings of his high-level martial arts were magnified infinitely.

Even their most powerful firearms couldn't pose a lethal threat; the disparity was too great, and simply overwhelming them with sheer numbers wouldn't work.

An enemy that can't be killed by firearms also possesses powerful magic capable of destroying cities—it's a perfect counter.

Laterano is just one holy city; a single spell can crush it completely, leaving it entirely within the enemy's attack range.

But Latland's guns can't hurt the opponent. With the balance of power shifting, how can they fight?

It was a complete rout; they had no chance against it.

"Lin Lu, I'm here to take the blame... I'm here to negotiate with you!"

A long silence ensued before Mostima finally spoke first.

"Uh, why you?"

Lin Lu was stunned. He realized that he couldn't handle this script, something he hadn't expected at all.

Logically speaking, even if it were a negotiation, it should be the Pope of Lateran who talks to him face to face. What does Mostima have to do with it? She's not even a cardinal; at most, she's an elite soldier.

"As you can see."

Mostima shook the scepter in his hand, forcing a smile.

"I am now the Pope of Lateran."

Are you kidding me?

This inexplicable development left Lin Lu increasingly bewildered. The golden tree behind him seemed to have turned into a bewildered tree, and he was the bewildered fruit that had fallen from the tree. He wanted to complain, but he didn't know where to begin.

No, what? You've become the Pope?

So careless?

Have you Laterano people really let yourselves go this far?

The papacy rotates, is it my turn this year?

Even jokes shouldn't be taken this far.

Following this procedure, you should discuss with the Colombian president and ask them to make room for you to move in.

Compared to you, their so-called free country is far from free.

"Various things happened in between, but that's how it is."

Mostima himself was also frustrated and felt uncomfortable all over, but he still mustered his spirits and began negotiations.

"If I were the Pope, would the Golden Tree's war against Lateran end here?"

Her words were so blunt they couldn't be more so; they lacked any political savvy and even basic emotional intelligence.

Of course, it wouldn't be like this with other people, but since the person being negotiated with is Lin Lu, it doesn't matter.

We're all family anyway, and we sleep in the same bed at night, although we haven't reached that point yet... But that's just how it is, so we can talk more casually and there's no need to go through all that fancy stuff.

"sure."

Lin Lu thought so too. When talking to his wife, there was no need for all those roundabout ways; he could just say whatever came to mind.

After a moment's thought, he replied, "Distribute the blessing of the golden tree, and the matter will naturally be resolved."

"No, what I mean is, can Laterano remain as it is, under the rule of the Golden Tree, but with its existing laws preserved?"

Mostima himself thought it was highly unlikely, but he still said it anyway.

As expected, Lin Lu's answer was exactly what she had thought.

“That won’t do. Lateran must come under the rule of the Golden Law. Otherwise, what’s the point of my trip? Just to make Lateran nominally belong to the Golden Tree? You should know very well what I want.”

"That……"

Then there's nothing more to say. If we can't reach a consensus on this point, what follows will be a life-or-death decisive battle.

It's highly likely that Laterano will die.

Just surrender... Mostima didn't really want to take the blame. Rather than being hung in history books and cursed by future generations for countless years, she would rather just fight back and die once. That would be an unavoidable event and have nothing to do with her, the pope who was taking the blame.

"Let's start the war. Wait for me a moment, I'll go back and gather the men."

With that, Mostima turned and left without any hesitation.

She had only one thought right now: she was tired, so let's destroy it, hurry up. Anyway, the battle was outside the city, and the entire holy city wouldn't be destroyed, so it didn't matter.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"

How can this person be so reckless?

Lin Lu had a bit of a headache. She grabbed Mostima's clothes and pulled her back. After thinking for a moment, she had an idea.

Actually, he didn't think much of a fight; it was part of the plan. What Lateran is doing now is something outside the script.

But when it comes to fighting, it depends on who you're fighting against, doesn't it?

He wouldn't care if he beat everyone else to death, but Mostima is different. What would it look like if he actually beat his wife to death on the battlefield?

Killing one's wife to prove one's path?

Although it's convenient to revive later, dying once is hardly a good thing. If conditions allow, it's better to avoid dying altogether.

Besides, he would feel quite uncomfortable if Mostima were actually killed here.

"Okay, let's sort this out. You old man over there, come here. You look like a pope to me!"

“Your Excellency, I am indeed the previous Pope. There is nothing more to say between us. Lateran will never submit to you.”