Man on the ark, forced to become king

Gods are immortal and ageless. Even if they die, they will be resurrected in their graves as long as any trace remains. But if they are assimilated by the Year Beast, they are truly dead. All their thoughts, memories, and past will vanish, and all traces left behind will disappear. That is more despairing than the death of mortals.

"Xi, stand up."

For the first time since they met, Nian became truly serious and called out Xi's name, finally displaying some of the authority of an older sister.

“Fear won’t help; you need to face it.”

"me……"

Xi's body trembled slightly, her lips quivered, she wanted to refute but couldn't speak. She was terrified. Even with her strength, she couldn't use it when her mind was shaken. Now, she was no different from a little girl who was afraid of ghosts.

"Stand up! I don't want to see you become a madman like them someday. Besides, haven't I found hope?"

Nian pointed at Lin Lu, saying with certainty, "He is hope. You've seen it yourself. He possesses the power to truly kill a god. It's a tangible annihilation, not just the obliteration of a body through sheer force. This has never happened before."

"This power can annihilate us, and it can certainly annihilate the Year Beast as well. Since one of us is bound to die, why can't it be Him who dies?"

"If we work a little harder and find the right method, we can use Lin Lu's power to eliminate the possibility of Sui's resurrection from the root. At that time, we will just be ourselves, not fragments of anything, but completely independent individuals, and all nightmares will be relieved."

"We will eventually gain true freedom."

"..."

Lin Lu opened her mouth, thinking to herself, "I don't think I've agreed yet?"

What's with all this talk about the Year Beast and liberation...?

However, seeing the fleeting expression on Nian's face and her blinking, I decided to suppress these questions for the time being and nodded in agreement: "That's right, as long as we find a way, there's nothing that can't be killed."

It's rare for this guy to be serious, so let's not embarrass her. Let her show off in front of her sister for now, and we can deal with those other things later.

Although she wasn't entirely clear on the specifics, it was obvious that Nian coveted the power of destined death that he possessed. In any case, they had a decent relationship and could be considered friends. As long as a sufficient price was offered in exchange, Lin Lu felt that helping out within her means was no big deal.

These gods must have lived for who knows how long, they must be very rich, right?

Even if this guy looks poor and destitute, he might have secretly amassed a considerable fortune. After all, so many years have passed, he can't have gained everything and accumulated nothing, right?

"he?"

Xi looked up in a daze, her gaze involuntarily lingering on the half-exposed alien short sword. Whether she had figured something out or Nian's words had really worked, she calmed down considerably and stood up from the ground.

"Is this all you wanted to talk to me about?"

"That's part of the reason, but not entirely. Since we're not related, if you want someone to help you, you need to have something to offer, right? Now's your time to step up, understand?"

"Yes, yes."

Perhaps she had truly taken it to heart, for Xi nodded repeatedly and took the two-handed greatsword into her hands.

Which one should we cut?

This kid... why is he acting a little silly?

Lin Lu glanced at Nian, only to see her standing behind Xi, winking at them, as if to say, "I've brought him over for you, you figure it out."

To be honest, although Xi looks a bit silly and easy to fool, her strength is by no means lacking.

A god-level combat power would be considered top-tier in this world. Bringing it over would be a huge boost to the Golden Tree, especially its ability to create paintings and worlds within paintings. If used properly, it could be even stronger than an army.

He understood what Nian meant; she simply wanted to build a good relationship with them first, demonstrate their value, and have more confidence when seeking help in the future.

He doesn't dislike this kind of contact; he'd love to have more of this kind of good thing.

"Stop being so loud and boisterous!"

Seeing her like this, Nian couldn't help but slap his head and scold her. She's lived for so long, how can she still act like a fool?

"Hmph, you're the one who needs to tone it down. How can you be so undisciplined?"

Xi snorted, looking much more normal, and had regained some of the ethereal beauty she had when they first met.

"What's your name?"

She pursed her lips and asked in a low voice.

"Linlu, the 'Lin' in forest and the 'Lu' in dew."

"Alright, Lin Lu, let's not beat around the bush. You do indeed have the power to possibly do that. In that case, I will help you in exchange for your help in the future."

The long sword was sheathed, and the long hair danced gently as the body turned. The pure white space suddenly contracted, the scene changed, and the three of them left the world in the painting and stood in the dilapidated thatched hut. The painting hanging on the wall automatically rolled up and fell into the blue palm.

Xi put the scroll in her palm and spoke solemnly.

"I will not refuse as long as it is within my power."

The words were spoken directly, without riddles, rhetoric, or anything else in exchange, but Lin Lu was still very satisfied.

This level of combat power cannot be measured by money alone. If Xi is truly willing to help him in the future, then it is worth his assistance.

"Then it's settled. If you have anything to say, please speak freely."

As she spoke, Xi glanced at Nian beside her, a hint of disdain on her face.

“Nian is a carefree guy and unreliable when it comes to getting things done. If you have any problems, you can talk to me first. Since I’ve already agreed, I won’t just give you a perfunctory response.”

"Hey! I'm the older sister! Who's being unreliable!"

"Actually, it's nothing major. I'm planning to contact a theater troupe from Letania. They travel around performing all year round and will be stopping at the Kazdel border soon. They have something I want there. If there's any trouble, you can help out as needed."

Ignoring Nian's clowning protests, Lin Lu pondered for a moment and briefly explained the upcoming actions.

Old Li didn't bring back any news, and before making contact, he didn't know what was going on in that theater troupe.

"A traveling theater troupe from Letania? Got it."

Xi nodded slightly, indicating that she understood.

It has to be said that she does seem much more reliable than Nian when she's in her normal state.

"Let's go to Gouwu first and inform the authorities. After all, there's an agreement from back then, and it wouldn't be right to leave without saying goodbye."

"What era are we living in? Why are you still clinging to that outdated old-fashioned way of thinking?"

She spoke seriously, but Nian scoffed at it, seemingly not caring at all about the so-called agreement.

"It's hard to say how many people in the court still know about us. They've been secretly making a lot of moves over the years. If you ask me, we should just ignore them."

"Having been entrusted with a task, one must be loyal to it. Having fulfilled the promise, how can one break one's word?"

"Inflexible and pedantic! You're becoming more and more like those pedantic scholars full of malice!"

"A person cannot stand without integrity, and a gentleman's word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. You are the one who is unreasonable!"

"Stop, stop, stop! How did we end up arguing again?"

Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Lin Lu quickly stepped forward to stop them, feeling a great headache.

These aren't sisters, they're practically sworn enemies, natural rivals. They're in for a rough time.

"Xi, what do you want to do? Shall we go to Gouwu City and report your departure to the Yan Kingdom officials here?"

"Leave a letter stating your destination. The agreement from back then was that I would lend a helping hand when Yan Kingdom was in danger. Where I go is none of their business."

Recalling the guy who, without a word, used lightning magic to burn through the scroll she had painted, Xi's expression turned slightly cold as she offered a calm explanation.

She simply didn't want to cause trouble; it wasn't that she didn't have a temper, and she had long been dissatisfied with Yan's attitude in recent years.

It was the Sui Beast that submitted to the True Dragon of Yan Kingdom, not them. Strictly speaking, their relationship with the current Yan Kingdom court is only one of cooperation, with no distinction of status. Why should those people act arrogantly in front of them? If it weren't for... if it weren't for the fact that they couldn't defeat them, she would have trapped those people who came here to death inside the painting long ago.

Now that they're tired of staying here and want to move to another place, is it any of the court's business to interfere? Leaving them a letter is already more than enough; don't expect her to do anything more.

"Wow, it's quite something to hear you say that."

Hearing her say that, Nian's eyes sparkled, he clicked his tongue in amazement, and even wanted to touch Xi's head to see if she had a fever that had damaged her brain.

"If you can't speak, you can shut up."

"I'm just praising you. You should have done this earlier. Why put up with those lackeys? They know you won't dare to make a move. If it really comes to blows, what do we have to be afraid of?"

"Okay, let's do as you say. Let's go to Gouwu first and buy some local specialties and trinkets to take back. We've come all this way, we can't go back empty-handed. Besides, I'm a little hungry. How about we find a shop and try some Gouwu cuisine?"

Lin Lu clapped her hands to change the subject and prevent the two from starting to argue again. However, to her surprise, even when it came to food, they could still find something to belittle about each other.

"Sure, I wonder if you have any spicy dishes here? The hot pot in Longmen is still a bit lacking."

"Hmph, how rude! Autumn perch are incredibly plump and delicious, complemented by green hills and clear waters—a truly exquisite experience!"

Chapter 115 A Gamble Against God! A Desperate Shot in the Years!

It is called a letter, and it really is just a letter.

The three of them descended Huiqi Mountain and returned to the inn in Gouwu City where they were resting. Xi personally wrote a short letter of only a dozen words and threw it into the residence of the Gouwu prefect. She did nothing else.

As she said, the agreement from back then was that they would lend a helping hand when the Great Yan Dynasty was in danger. The rest were just so-called rules passed down over the years, which could be listened to or ignored.

After the letter was delivered, the group casually ordered some food at a small shop next to the hotel to experience the local delicacies. Since they had come all this way and had plenty of time, they weren't in a hurry to go back.

Xi was very satisfied with Gou Wu's dishes, but she only ate a small amount of each dish with restraint.

In contrast, Nian ate much more heartily, but the dishes here didn't suit her spicy food cravings, so she didn't eat much, and by the end, almost all the dishes on the table had ended up in Lin Lu's stomach.

After a satisfying meal, we bought a few small trinkets as gifts to take back with us, and then it was time to hit the road.

Lin Lu actually wanted to stay here a little longer, but Nian felt that Xi's letter might cause some trouble, so it was best not to stay here for too long.

Since she said that, it certainly wasn't without reason, so the three of them only strolled around for a short while before embarking on the planned route, their destination—Dragon Gate.