Man on the ark, forced to become king

Theresa blushed slightly, but quickly regained her composure and stated her thoughts in a very serious manner: "What I mean is, could the Tower of Babel and the Golden Tree establish a more stable cooperative relationship? You've already met Kal'tsit; she highly praises some of the things you possess, which is indeed what we've been seeking all along. I think our cooperation can go deeper."

As she said this, she looked calmly at Lin Lu, though she was actually a little uneasy inside.

After witnessing those two completely different flame powers firsthand, she had more thoughts about the Golden Tree. No matter how many reports you read, nothing beats seeing it for yourself.

The Golden Tree, possessing that power, coupled with the mysterious blessing that can suppress Oripathy... Just as Kal'tsit intended, the Golden Tree is both a threat and an opportunity for the Tower of Babel at this moment.

This is undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble; if they win, they might be able to go much further down that path.

If we fail... it won't be any worse than it is now, right?

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Matter Here Is Over

"Then, happy working together."

Beneath the slowly moving landship, Theresa waved goodbye to Lin Lu, watching him mount his horse and disappear on the horizon with the sullen little mercenary before turning her gaze away. A streak of crimson blood appeared at the corner of her mouth, and her slender body trembled slightly before calming down after a few minutes.

"Cough, I don't know how much longer I can hold on, I have to hurry..."

Softly murmuring, Theresa took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, and shook her head with a bitter smile.

The essence of the Demon King's power is to exchange life for power. Even the Sarkaz royal family, who are born with longevity, are powerless to avoid it. The stronger they are, the closer they are to death.

She has held the position of Demon King for a long time, longer than the lifespan of many ordinary people. This power has been developed to its limit. In this state, let alone using it actively, even if she does nothing, the extraordinary power will bring enormous pressure to her body. If it weren't for the sealing ring on her finger, she probably wouldn't even be able to maintain normal movement.

This is the price of gaining power.

She had to admit that she had underestimated the 'Golden Tree' and its leader. The flames they controlled were, in essence, no less powerful than the ancient demon king's power inherited from the Sarkaz, and perhaps even stronger. So, after meeting them, she still forcefully used the demon king's power to crush the spiritual will contained in the Blood Demon Sorcery: Blood Feast, to avoid weakening her side's momentum.

Only when people stand on equal footing can there be a basis for cooperation.

The situation at Babel is not optimistic. To avoid being looked down upon, it is essential to demonstrate one's strength.

So far, the results seem pretty good... well, maybe that has nothing to do with it.

Thinking about Lin Lu's completely undisguised intentions, Theresa felt inexplicably blush.

She could sense that the man didn't care how strong she was or how strong Babel was. What he truly valued was 'Theresia' herself. The fact that their in-depth cooperation was able to be finalized so smoothly without any obstacles was probably due to this reason.

To be honest, she had never encountered anything like this in her hundreds of years of life. She was only able to remain calm because of her past experience. In reality, she had no idea how to deal with it.

Some things have nothing to do with how long you've lived. You won't suddenly understand something you've never encountered before, even if hundreds of years have passed.

Before this, Theresa had never even thought about this. She had too much on her mind to care about anything else.

but……

"However, choosing me would not be a wise move."

Although she didn't know how to respond to this sudden affection, Theresa knew very well that Lin Lu's thoughts would ultimately be in vain. A dying person has no right to think about such things.

Her body could no longer hold on. This broken shell had long been overwhelmed by the pressure and could no longer respond to anyone's expectations. No matter how intense the emotions, they would eventually perish along with her life.

'Once the cooperation between Babel and the Golden Tree is truly stable, let's have an open and honest talk with him.'

Thinking this to herself, Theresa suddenly felt like a wicked woman in fairy tales and novels who was good at deceiving people. Knowing her own situation, she did not take the initiative to explain, but instead harbored the intention to take advantage of Lin Lu and wanted to use her intentions to make the Golden Tree and Babita have a deeper connection.

—This is absolutely terrible, and it's not fair to Lin Lu.

But what could she do?

In the end, she was just a dying person. No matter how much she hated power struggles, she had no choice but to do them for the sake of her companions.

"I hope you can keep going, Kal'tsit. This is the last thing I can do for you..."

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

Lin Lu was unaware that Theresa, standing beneath the landship, was enacting a mini-drama in her mind and deeply agonizing over it. He, on horseback, was secretly calculating his gains from this trip and how to secure more benefits in future collaborations.

Theresa's proposal for deeper cooperation was exactly what he wanted. He didn't mind having as many tools as possible.

Regardless of Babel's motives for cooperation, they cannot grasp the most essential things; learning only the superficial aspects is ultimately harmless.

Therefore, this cooperation has absolutely nothing to do with him taking a liking to Theresa. He will not give up any of the benefits he should have received because of personal feelings. It's best to keep public and private matters separate.

"Lin Lu, if there are any more combat-type missions later, and you think I'm capable of handling them, then let me carry them out."

W's sudden words interrupted Lin Lu's thoughts. He was stunned for a moment, somewhat surprised, and then shook his head in refusal.

"Your mastery of Flame Prayer is not yet proficient enough to form an effective combat force. For now, you only need to learn it. Moreover, we may not receive any combat-related requests for some time."

The Dragon Gate is a large and powerful organization. Even if they have a real need for force, it's not something that someone at the W level can satisfy. As for the Tower of Babel, it's a military organization and violent institution under the Demon King's command. It lacks everything except strong fighters.

Therefore, it is foreseeable that for a long time to come, the cooperation between the Golden Tree and Lungmen and Babel will mainly focus on research and the supply of specialty products, and will not require much military force.

"Practice makes perfect."

This time, W was unusually stubborn; she turned her head away defiantly, her expression resolute.

"Let me go. The battlefield will make me more mature."

"No, the battlefield doesn't need another one of you."

However, no matter how much W pleaded, Lin Lu had no intention of compromising on this matter. Everything else was negotiable, but this place was something he could never rest easy about. He felt uncomfortable if he didn't keep an eye on things with his own eyes.

On such a large battlefield, anyone can be cannon fodder. No matter how close the interpersonal relationships are, they cannot be immune to real and real damage. W always wants to run to the battlefield to make some achievements. In Lin Lu's opinion, she is far from good enough. Just being able to put down two bombs is far from enough for her to gain a foothold on the battlefield. If she wants to participate in such combat power and ensure a certain level of safety, she should at least be at the level of an elite operator in Babel Tower.

If she goes out like this and dies on the battlefield, wouldn't that be a huge loss for her?

Chapter 100 Chen's Dilemma

We finally managed to bring them back, and they even have the aptitude to learn Flame Prayer. We can't just let them die meaninglessly in the meat grinder like cannon fodder; that would be a complete waste.

Therefore, Lin Lu not only did not agree to W's request, but after returning to the Golden Tree, she also specifically instructed Mostima and Fiameta on this matter, telling them to pay more attention to her and not let her find a chance to run away.

Actually, if it weren't for the many things to deal with in Lungmen, Lin Lu would have liked to bring W directly to Lungmen and teach him right under her nose. However, W's dual identity as an Infected and a Sarkaz would make it difficult for him to move around in Lungmen, so she had to give up on the idea for the time being.

Rather than coming to Lungmen and being cooped up in a room like a cage every day, it's better to stay in Kazdel, where at least there's a large enough space to stretch your legs.

'After spending a few more days in a place like Kazdel, I'm starting to feel a bit out of place in Lungmen...'

Stepping out of Wei Yanwu's mansion, which had been specially designated for planting golden trees, I was immediately confronted by the bustling traffic and lively crowds of Longmen, and for a moment I felt as if I had stepped into another world.

The carnage and bullets flying everywhere and the bustling Longmen were like two completely different worlds. Even Lin Lu was stunned by it. However, he was only stunned. He quickly came to his senses, sighed, and hailed a taxi to go straight to the apartment he shared with Chen.

Originally, with the property that Wei Yanwu had specially allocated, she didn't need to rent this apartment anymore. However, considering that this month's rent had already been paid, and that the landlord was unlikely to return the money he had taken, Lin Lu decided to stay here until the end of the month. After all, she couldn't let the money go to waste, and she had to plan carefully.

Click~

The door lock clicked open, and Lin Lu was momentarily stunned by the not-so-spacious apartment space. Then he saw Chen Zheng, dressed in a very revealing outfit, half-lying on the sofa, his long, thin dragon tail hanging down along the edge, looking somewhat languid.

Good heavens! He actually saw Chen, who wasn't at work, on a weekday!

Lin Lu's first reaction was, 'Did I remember the date wrong?'

How could a creature like Chen possibly be home on a weekday?! She's more precise than the Guard Bureau's electronic alarm clock!

"Teacher... you're back?"

Just as he was standing at the door, he noticed that Chen had moved over there. He quickly stood up from the sofa and greeted her somewhat awkwardly. It was clear that she was still not quite used to the change in how she addressed him.

"Ah, you're back. If you're not used to it, don't force yourself. Just call me by my name like before. I don't care about that."

Lin Lu smiled and waved her hand. After confirming that the date on the electronic calendar on the wall was correct, she asked curiously, "Why aren't you at work today? Are you on vacation again?"

"No, I specifically asked for leave."

Chen's answer was unexpected; she would take leave from work and stay at home, which was simply unbelievable!

Upon hearing this answer, Lin Lu even wanted to go up and touch her head to see if she had a fever.

"Snapped!"

As expected, the outstretched hand was slapped away. Chen's eyes widened, and he sat back on the sofa, unusually deflated. After hesitating for a while, he leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "Teacher, do I really have no foundation in learning magic at all? I feel like I've already learned the Bloodflame Blade you taught me on the way, but I just can't use it."

Ah this...

So that's what's been bothering me. No wonder Chen looked different today, less energetic. He must have suffered a major setback while studying prayer.

but……

When this matter was brought up, Lin Lu's expression suddenly turned strange.

He suddenly remembered that, if he remembered correctly, he had only told Chen the specific method of using the Bloodflame Blade on the way back, and had not had time to use the holy seal necessary for prayer on her before rushing back to Kazdel.

In terms of learning difficulty, Bloodflame Blade is not a particularly difficult prayer. Even if one lacks talent, this type of enchanted prayer can be mastered with some effort. However, there is one absolutely indispensable condition: in this world, to use prayer, one must possess a holy seal, which is an item containing the power of faith. It doesn't have to be very strong, but it is essential. Otherwise, no matter how proficient one is in the theoretical knowledge, one cannot use any prayer.

That is, Chen's current situation.

She had mastered all the details of using the Bloodflame Blade, but without the Holy Mark, those things could only remain at the theoretical level. No matter how hard she tried, they could not become a reality. What she lacked was not talent, nor effort, but a 'key'.

As for why she wasn't given the holy mark at the time...

Lin Lu could only say that the situation was extremely urgent at the time, and he didn't have time to think about Chen at all.

However, although that's how things are, it can't be said so truthfully. If he knew that the reason why his efforts over the past few days had yielded no results was due to someone's carelessness, wouldn't the hot-tempered Little Dragon Man have already lost his temper on the spot?

"Well, don't underestimate yourself. On the contrary, your talent for prayer is exceptional, far exceeding my expectations. You should know that learning to pray is not a simple matter. Even the most basic prayer requires a long time to learn from scratch and master its theory. The fact that you have mastered it in just a few days is already a sign of genius."

"Really?"

Chen was a little unsure, mainly because she had tried many times in the past few days, but hadn't even seen a trace of prayer. Under these circumstances, it was really hard to believe that she was a 'genius'. If she was a genius, how could this be?

“Really, the reason you can’t pray isn’t your fault, but because you’re missing the most crucial key. You should blame me for that. I expected it would take you at least half a month to master the theoretical knowledge, but I didn’t expect it to be so fast… Here, you can use mine for now.”