Man on the ark, forced to become king

For the ordinary people of Lateran, the war was like a summer downpour, coming and going in a flash. It was as if they suddenly started fighting someone and then it ended just as quickly, like watching a movie.

...and it was a movie whose power went out halfway through.

The only thing that made them feel somewhat involved was the Papal Palace's organization of evacuation for the people—which was actually just gathering the residents together for a large party. Some who lived far away or were engrossed in entertainment were even told that the war was over before they even reached their designated evacuation sites, and that everyone could go home.

As for who the war was fought against, how it was fought, and whether the war was won or lost, the general public didn't have time to know these things. In terms of physical perception, the only thing related to the war was the large magic circle that appeared in the sky, which had a very shocking visual effect, just like watching a blockbuster movie.

Then, the damage statistics released by the Papal Palace were even more baffling.

The report contained everything, even including the loss of a few pairs of shoes and socks, but it made no mention of personnel losses.

A war with no casualties?

That kind of thing sounds like a fairy tale; it's definitely not related to reality.

This unusual outcome sparked the curiosity of many Lateran residents. Before the Papal Court issued a statement clarifying the details, the already active residents, mainly the Sakortas, began to role-play.

They put themselves in the role of great detectives, trying to find the hidden truth—although the Papal Court had no intention of hiding anything; they were just temporarily busy finalizing the specific procedures and details for integrating with another legal system and had no time to compile battle reports.

In fact, even the loss statistics that were released were simply a list pulled from the warehouse ledger and posted out, which is why there was such an embarrassing situation where even socks were listed.

Lateran is only so big, with the majority of the population concentrated in the Holy City. Although the administrative system exists, the people who actually handle it don't understand it. Mostima once complained about those old men gathering in the Papal Palace for a senior citizens' tea party. This sounds like some kind of complaint or fantasy, but in reality, they really did do that.

With few capable people, efficiency is naturally slow. Optimistically, it will take at least half a month to finalize the specific plans and procedures. During this period, they will have no time to prepare detailed battle reports.

The people wanted to explore on their own, and the Papal Court was happy to oblige—rather than letting them idly wander around the city all day and give the guards something to do, it was better to let them out and find their own fun, thus providing a few days of peace and quiet.

The consequence of this was that, in the following days, numerous urban legends, both large and small, emerged in the holy city. For example, some people saw many people climbing over the city walls naked in the middle of the night, and others could see shadowy figures digging in the fields outside the city at night...

All sorts of rumors fueled the public's curiosity, and they began to wander around day and night, making the guards, who were supposed to have a few days of leisure, even busier. This also made the atmosphere on the streets more subtle, with groups of two or three people often seen whispering in places they thought were secluded.

But overall, the atmosphere in Laterano did not change significantly due to the war. In Lin Lu's opinion, compared to other countries on the continent, it could already be called a utopia.

The people here seem to be born with an optimistic nature. Everyone lives carefree, and laughter is the main theme of the holy city. It is as beautiful as a country that only exists in fantasy.

This is one of the reasons why he showed leniency towards Laterano.

In war, how can there be no deaths?

However, in the war that Lateran experienced, there was a truly surreal situation of zero casualties.

The reasons for this can be roughly divided into two parts.

The first reason is to save face for Mostima. After all, Lateran is her homeland, and there is no clear conflict of interest between the two sides. Therefore, within the scope of what she can control, Lin Lu will naturally not go too far.

The second part is Lateran itself.

Such a utopian country is a rare haven in this distorted world, and from her own perspective, Lin Lu doesn't want to destroy this purity.

In addition, the Lateran army was not large, only a few thousand people in total, and none of them were particularly strong individually, so resurrecting them was not difficult.

So he decided to go all the way and give the war a dreamlike ending that was almost impossible in reality.

He wouldn't do something like this if it were a country like Ursus or Colombia.

Once someone is dead, they are dead. Unless they possess special value or attract special attention, the Golden Tree will not waste its life energy to revive them.

However, people's joys and sorrows are not shared. Lateran was certainly happy, but Lin Lu was a little disappointed.

He had originally planned to take this opportunity to get a little 'reward' from Mostima, but he never expected that she would directly take the seat of the Lateran Pope and suddenly go from having nothing to do to being extremely busy, without even time to sleep, let alone do anything else.

The issue of compensation will naturally have to wait until later to be discussed.

With no other option, he went to the Papal Palace underground alone. Accompanied by the old pope, he took a look at the ancient device buried underground and discovered that it was a purely technological device. The Golden Law alone might not be enough to handle it. He would have to wait until the doctor had arranged his work and was free to come and provide technical support.

Before that, all he could do was wander aimlessly around the streets with Fiameta, that traitor—Fiameta wasn't there to keep him company, but rather to take her friend Remian out for rehabilitation exercises.

The two girls were snuggling together, and he stood beside them like a human-shaped backdrop.

This is really...

"Ugh……"

Life is tough, Lin Lu sighed.

He glanced up at the bright sun in the sky and noticed a seemingly popular ice cream shop not far away. After a moment's thought, he grabbed Fiameta from behind by the back of her collar and said quietly, "Go, buy me two big servings of ice cream."

"Why!"

Fiameta was very unhappy, as her savings were meager and dwindling with every penny she spent.

During the earlier battle, she fired a shot with her own gun, which felt great at the time, but the guard gun was also severely damaged and had to be repaired, which would cost a lot of money. To make matters worse, Mostima blocked her reimbursement application, which forced her to pay for it herself.

There are still people trying to exploit her?

Deceiving too much!

"This is your good fortune. Go now, don't you know how to please the boss?"

Lin Lu pulled her back a bit and threatened in a low voice, "If you don't buy it, I'll have Mostima transfer you to the logistics department to sweep the streets!"

"You're using this to settle personal scores, I, I..."

Fiameta knew it was a joke, but she was still a little uneasy, mainly because she had indeed been a double agent before, so she wasn't very confident.

One serving!

In the end, she chose to compromise, using bargaining to maintain her last bit of stubbornness.

"One serving then."

Since she didn't have to spend any money herself, eating was a bonus, so Lin Lu wasn't bothered. The bickering between the two made Remy Ann secretly laugh.

Her leg has indeed healed, but because she spent too long in bed, she can only walk slowly and simply now. She will need a period of rehabilitation to return to her previous level.

only……

As she watched Fiameta's retreating figure, a barely perceptible hint of melancholy flickered in her eyes.

She's fine now, but what happened in the past has ultimately changed many things and left a deep mark.

Fiameta has never let go of that matter.

Of the three, she had the deepest knot in her heart. Over the years, she had devoted most of her energy to tracking down that person, which had seriously affected her life. Continuing to search like this was too exhausting.

Moreover, that's not something she should bear.

"Time is a magical thing; it can take away many traces. There's no need to dwell on it too much. Perhaps one day, she'll figure it out herself?"

Noticing the subtle change in Remi's expression, Lin Lu lowered her voice and whispered words of comfort.

He knew some of the story between Fiameta, Mostima, and Remian, but not in detail. However, Fiameta's unusual behavior was easy to spot.

That incident from the past has become her inner demon, her obsession.

She desperately wanted to find her old enemy and exact her revenge.

There was nothing Lin Lu could do about this.

He could certainly spend some time finding that person and bringing him before Mostima and Fiameta, but doing so would not have any real significance.

Fiameta's obsession with revenge is less about resentment towards his enemies and more about regret for the past.

What she really wanted to do was not simply kill someone, but to make up for the regrets of the past.

Unless she figures it out herself and gets out of it, no one else can interfere.

"hope so."

Remien shook her head slightly, not continuing the topic, and instead asked about something else.

"How is Xiao Le doing in Longmen? We contacted each other a while ago, and it seems she has found a stable job and is able to support herself?"

"Ah, well..."

When the topic of Remule came up, Lin Lu hesitated, unsure whether she should tell the truth.

That child, well, it's hard to put into words.

He did find a job, and he personally arranged it, but it's hard to say whether a place like Penguin Logistics is legitimate or not.

Making a living is generally possible, but Texas has complained many times about Remule frequently asking her for money, which doesn't sound like she can support herself.

If that's all there is to it, it's not a big deal. It just means we're a little strapped for cash, nothing serious.

The problem is that Hoshiguma has mentioned more than once that Remula is becoming a regular at the Guard Bureau, and has been arrested and detained for reprimands quite a few times.

In summary, they make no major mistakes, but constantly make minor ones. When caught, they admit defeat and apologize, but after getting out, they dare to do it again next time.

In this situation, telling the truth wouldn't be a good idea.

If Lin Lu knew what kind of crazy her sister had gone through in Longmen, she thought Remy would probably have a hard time getting a good night's sleep. Maybe tomorrow she'd have to wheel herself to Longmen, grab some brat, and give her a good beating.

"Remuel... she does have a stable job. The company boss is a friend of mine, so it's quite reliable. The job suits her well. As for the rest... all I can say is that she is indeed a pure-blooded Lateran."

After careful consideration, Lin Lu decided to be more tactful and not to speak ill of the child from such a distance, since they had no grudge against each other.

"A pure-blooded Lateran?"

Remian paused for a moment, her expression becoming subtle. She subconsciously glanced at the pedestrians passing by on the street and fully understood the implied meaning of those words.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Lin, she must have caused you a lot of trouble."

"No, it's nothing. I think it's not a bad thing for a child her age to be a little lively."

Anyway, it was the officers of the Lungmen Guard Bureau and Texas who were the ones who suffered. Lin Lu fully demonstrated her magnanimity, patted her chest, and suddenly caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye.

Across from the ice cream shop he had just seen, a young nun in a habit emerged from the alleyway carrying an oversized bundle. She seemed a little tired; she put the bundle down, wiped the sweat from her brow, and her long, golden hair swayed slightly.