Man on the ark, forced to become king

A faint golden glow flashed and disappeared in the air. In the living room of the Lin Guang family, a giant bow and a heavy black iron arrow as thick as an arm fell out of thin air, their heavy weight directly smashing into the floor and creating a crack.

"This is……"

Black Iron Arrow!

Marna blinked, seriously doubting whether she was hallucinating due to overwork from working too much overtime.

The arrow, forged entirely from black iron, is both a weapon and a symbol—the symbol of the Unarmored Alliance.

In the entire Kazimierz, only one person can wield a heavy arrow of this caliber. The aura that was deliberately exposed from a high-rise building just now was indeed exactly the same as that person in his memory.

Because he knew who it was, he couldn't believe his eyes.

The position of Xuan Tie in the Wuzhou Alliance is gone just like that?

Isn't it too hasty?

He knew that person's strength very well. Even he could only be sure of victory when he got close enough to a certain distance. Yet, such a top expert in all of Kazimierz was gone just like that.

How long has it been since the aura appeared? Was it even a minute?

In such a short time, to accurately locate the Xuan Tie and then rush there, what kind of strength and speed would be required?

There's only one possibility for this to happen—the person who made the move was incredibly strong, strong enough to crush Xuan Tie, to end the battle in such a short time.

Could the person who handled this be the yet-to-appear Golden Tree operator?

"That senior has made a move; she should be nearby."

Shining's words confirmed Marna's guess: the sudden appearance of the Black Iron Arrow was probably also the work of that 'senior'.

Who could possibly do such a thing? Within the Golden Tree, there is actually a powerful figure whose strength far surpasses that of the Xuan Tie Grandmaster of the Wu Zhou Alliance?

Thinking about the mission that Shining was unwilling to explain in detail, Marna suddenly had a very bad feeling.

What exactly do these people want to do in Kazimierz?

The so-called mission is not...

"While I've been unable to move, they've become increasingly arrogant. When will the assassins of the Unarmored Alliance dare to point their weapons at Nearl?"

Cyril stepped down the stairs, and Margaret followed obediently behind him, looking much calmer.

The old man stopped in front of the giant bow, which was as tall as a person, snorted coldly, and turned to look at the night outside the window: "Marna, go tell Russell that some people are overreaching and should rein themselves in."

“But, Father, if Senior Russell finds out about this, the Securities and Futures Commission may have a direct conflict with the Business Federation.”

Marner's expression was grave, and he asked in a deep voice, "Father, are you sure you want to do this?"

"There are some things you don't know yet. Just do them, and you'll understand soon enough."

Cyril glanced at his granddaughter, who was following closely behind him, his gaze deep.

He had just learned of the existence of the Golden Tree from Margaret and understood what his granddaughter was planning to do upon returning this time.

But that matter was far too significant. Kazimierz was about to face a war, not the petty squabbles between the Securities Commission and the Business Federation, but a real war, even larger in scale than the great war against Ursus.

He must carefully consider which side he should ultimately stand on, as this is not only his personal choice but also concerns the future of the entire country and all its people.

Tonight is the time for him to consider.

Margaret said that the Golden Tree would give him, and all the high-ranking officials in Kazimierz, an irresistible reason, tonight.

So he waited to see what kind of reason would make them unable to refuse.

Compared to this incident, the internal conflict in Kazimir is nothing.

Chapter Forty-Four: Divine Body Transforms into Stars

"Cyril, how did you do that?"

In the living room of the Lin Guang family home, the elderly Kuranta, dressed in a black dress, sat on the sofa with her knight's sword, a symbol of her status, at her side. She wore shoulder and gauntlets on her left arm. Although she looked a little old, her azure eyes still held a sharp edge. Sitting there, she exuded an air of authority without being angry.

No one expected that after Marna's communication was sent to the Supervisory Council, the current chairman of the Supervisory Council, Ioleta Russell, the Grand Knight Commander of the Knights of the War, would come in person by flying vehicle, taking only two hours.

"Haha, what can I do when I have such a wonderful granddaughter?"

Cyril laughed heartily, his loose-fitting pajamas unable to conceal his bulging muscles.

“My dear granddaughter found me something very useful, and as you can see, I can pick up my gun and mount my warhorse again.”

"Ha, your luck is as good as ever. I thought you were getting old and dying."

Russell narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Cyril. His words were slightly sarcastic, but the smile on his lips was impossible to hide.

"Now that you're back, why don't we give you the position of Grand Knight Commander?"

"Don't joke like that, I have absolutely no interest in it."

Cyril waved his hand impatiently and sighed, "I've done enough. But you, coming all this way to me, aren't you worried?"

"To be honest, there were some, but seeing you like this, it's clear that my worries were unnecessary."

Russell didn't mind the teasing in his old friend's words; this was just normal communication between them.

"You had Marna contact me because you're unhappy with what the Lin Guang family has been going through in recent years? Have you been secretly complaining about me?"

"What's the point of complaining?"

Cyril chuckled and slapped the coffee table, making the wooden table tremble.

“I know you can’t control those people. If you could, things wouldn’t be like this now.”

"After experiencing the taste of power, how many people can control themselves? Very few, so few that they are almost non-existent."

“I’ve been lying in bed all these years, and I’m not completely unaware of what’s going on. The Business Federation has turned this country into what they want it to be, and they want more.”

"It won't be long before history repeats itself on this land, and we can't let it continue any longer."

"Right now, with the Securities and Futures Commission, the Knights of Faith, and you holding things together, they dare not act rashly and can still restrain themselves from going too far. But how many more years can you live?"

"After you die, who will take over this position?"

"No, none at all."

"Merchants will completely replace knights, and darkness will once again shroud the people of Kazimierz. We must prevent that future from becoming a reality."

"Everything will come to a complete end in our generation."

"You're still the same as before."

Russell sighed, not looking at his impassioned old friend, his eyes fixed on the cup on the coffee table, as if he had aged considerably in an instant, his straight back slightly bent.

As the chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Grand Knight Commander, she cannot reveal her vulnerable side to anyone, but she can be without such concerns with her old friends who once fought alongside her.

Only at this moment does she seem more like a human being, rather than a machine that exists solely for the stability of Kazimierz, unable to exhibit the slightest weakness or error.

"Do you think I don't want to? Do you think I don't know what tricks they're playing behind my back?"

"I know, I know everything, but what can I do?"

“I dispatched the Knights of Conquest to the border, allowing them to remain there permanently, never to return to the city, thus preserving the last glory of Kazimierz. I also relocated families who refused to compromise their principles to towns in the countryside, sparing them from persecution.”

“I maintain the conflict between Casimir and Letania, ensuring that those merchants do not give up developing their military. I control some of the power in the knightly competition, so that some outstanding children can have a path to follow.”

"This is the limit of what I can do. How can an individual's strength contend against the will of an entire nation?"

"If you couldn't do it back then, I certainly can't. Just maintaining the balance has exhausted all my energy."

"I am old, Cyril."

"..."

Looking at Russell's exhausted face, Cyril's lips trembled, but he calmed down.

Yes, they've all gotten old, so old they're unrecognizable. How many of those old friends are still around?

The tide of the times is rolling in; how long can the old guys of the old era hold on?

They're not young anymore.

"Then let's make way for the children."

After a long silence, Cyril looked up out the window. The city's neon lights shone brightly in the night, colorful and vibrant, just like this restless era.

"Now an opportunity is presented to me. I'm not sure if it's right, but it will soon prove part of it."

"If we succeed, the nobles and merchants will be crushed, the past will never happen again, the people of Kazimierz will be able to live a better life, no longer suffer oppression, and no longer need to fight tooth and nail to survive."

"The price is that the glory of Kazimierz will be gone, the existing order will fall apart and fall into the hands of others, and it will become unrecognizable."

"What are you hesitating about, Cyril?"

Russell paused for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled.

“You’ve really gotten old, Cyril. You’ve never been so hesitant before.”

"The glory of Kazimir? The collapse of order? The country falling into the hands of others?"

“I never worry about these things. Even if you add them all up to everything, it's not as important as feeding the people.”

"If anyone can do better and do what you said, I don't mind him standing at the top."

“We must face reality, Cyril. Nothing on the surface matters as much as Casimir’s life.”

These words are very blunt and can be considered heretical. Neither knights and nobles nor merchants would admit to them, because they are the beneficiaries of the past and present order, and they need those things to embellish themselves.