Man on the ark, forced to become king

He had just wiped out Dionysus's troupe on the border of Kazdel, captured His employees, and killed His avatar. This feud was now established, and Dionysus would certainly not hesitate to retaliate if possible. He would also not miss the opportunity to eliminate the threat completely.

However, one thing is one thing. The grudge between the Golden Tree and the God of Wine is a personal matter and has nothing to do with the Dragon Gate. If Wei Yanwu wants to ask someone to help, then according to the agreement between the two parties, he should naturally pay a price.

Anyway, the Longmen family is big and powerful, so why not take advantage of such a big dog?

"money is not a problem."

Wei Yanwu's tycoon-like demeanor was immediately apparent when he spoke. He waved his hand dismissively, pondered for a moment, and nodded: "As the ancient saying goes in Yan Kingdom: 'Prepare for a rainy day, take precautions before trouble arises.' Since this concerns the gods, we must be prepared for the worst. I will have someone draft a contract later, entrusting Golden Tree to support the security work in Longmen."

“As long as no deity intervenes, those former followers of the Witch King… are nothing but a pack of stray dogs. They will know what the consequences are for disobeying the rules of Lungmen.”

"As long as there's money to be made, there's no problem. Golden Tree will take on this commission."

Lin Lu's mood instantly brightened as she received another large sum of money.

It seems you can only make money by doing business with fat sheep. In comparison, Babel seems too stingy and miserly, never showing any signs of power.

Especially that hateful Kal'tsit, she's so stingy with every single Originium, unlike Old Wei who's so generous.

"When you find information about those people, include me in the operation. It's a private operation, and it's free."

"Mr. Lin, there's no need to waste your energy on these trivial matters. A few remnants of the Witch King can't cause any trouble in Longmen."

The Rat King shook his head, seemingly not thinking it was a good suggestion.

In his view, since that ancient god might make a move, Lin Lu and the Golden Tree behind her, as the only ones capable of fighting against His power, cannot afford any mishaps. How could they waste their energy on some small fry?

Of course, the fact that those former followers of the Witch King were able to connect with the gods shows that they were indeed quite capable. However, this is Longmen, their territory that they have cultivated for many years. They cannot tolerate a bunch of rats that everyone hates running rampant here!

"It doesn't matter."

Lin Lu picked up the slightly cool tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp. She stood up and walked towards the door, leaving only her deep voice echoing in the room.

"Chen Ke is my disciple. Those guys think they can die so easily? Dream on."

"..."

The Rat King watched the figure disappear into the courtyard outside, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly spoke up: "Old Wei, do they really have the ability to fight against a god? A complete, ancient god is probably something that even the imperial court has to treat with caution. That is not something that fragments can compare to."

"There are some things I can't reveal for now, but you can rest assured that they do have that kind of capability."

Wei Yanwu stared at the tea in his cup and nodded solemnly.

Hearing Lin Gerui ask this question, he recalled what he had seen and heard in Kazdel not long ago.

The ability to teleport across space, the dewdrops with unbelievable effects, and the never-before-seen magic system all demonstrate the mystery and antiquity of the Golden Tree.

He didn't know exactly who the members of the Golden Tree were or what their strengths were, but the abilities displayed by their leader, Lin Lu, alone were enough to make people wary.

The memory of that terrifying disease that caused the body to rot from the inside still sends chills down his spine.

What's even more terrifying is that they not only have the ability to fight against the gods, but they have also turned the gods' bodies into weapons for people to hold in their hands and use like tools. They no longer possess any of the greatness and glory of their former lives, something that even the mighty Great Yan Dynasty could not do!

If he had previously doubted whether the Golden Tree had just awakened from its slumber and had not yet recovered its full strength, then that conclusion could now be overturned—he had personally witnessed Nian and Xi, whom even the court feared within the Yan Kingdom, following Lin Lu's side.

Those two were never easy to deal with. Without sufficient strength as a foundation, no amount of flowery talk would be of any use.

By analogy, a clear fact is already before us—the Golden Tree, or rather Lin Lu, now possesses the strength to fight against a deity single-handedly, and thus can suppress two fragments of a deity.

Chapter 128 Evening: The Year is Still Laughing at Me!

"Hey, do you even know the way?"

Looking up, all that could be seen was a desolate wasteland, nothing but yellow earth and weeds, with not a single building in sight. Xi couldn't help but question Nian beside her.

Walking around in this environment all day was torture for someone like her who didn't really like going out. There wasn't a single decent spot in this wretched place, and the traces of the battle were everywhere, making it even more unpleasant.

"Lin Lu gave me the location, go ask him. How would I know him? I've never been here before."

He shrugged, rolled his eyes, and gave an extremely irresponsible answer.

It’s hard, the fist is hard!

Xiqi's chest heaved violently as she suppressed the urge to punch him, taking several deep breaths to calm herself down.

Sure enough, she and Nian were incompatible; she would be furious whenever she was with him!

"If you don't know the way, why are you leading me there!"

"You talk like you know the place. Why don't you lead the way?"

"I...hum!"

Xi opened her mouth, snorted coldly, and said nothing.

If you didn't know her in the past, then naturally she wouldn't know her either.

But the location Lin Lu gave us was only a general location. Should we just keep searching blindly like this?

Actually, she now seriously doubts whether Nian led them in the wrong direction, otherwise they should have found it by now, given their speed.

We've traveled for so long, we should be leaving Kazdel by now!

"What, you can't even last a day? When I travel around, I often spend several days at a time in the wilderness."

"Ha, I don't want to hear about your glorious deeds of wandering in the wild."

"Hey, what do you mean by 'wandering'? I'm working myself to the bone running around trying to find a way for you guys. If everyone stayed home like you, hiding in their paintings and ignoring the world, then they would be truly hopeless."

Nian raised his face proudly, looking very pleased with himself.

"So what happened? All my years of hard work weren't wasted, were they? I finally found a solution."

"If I hadn't brought Lin Lu here, you reclusive guy would still be holed up in the painting waiting to die!"

"..."

Xi opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't refute the fact. She felt very frustrated and turned her head away without saying a word.

Past experiences had taught her that if she tried to argue, Nian would definitely seize on it and ridicule her mercilessly. She wouldn't fall for it!

"See, if you can't win an argument, you just shut up. That's really boring."

Seeing that Xi turned her head away and didn't reply, Nian also felt a little bored.

The fun of bickering comes from two people giving and receiving responses; there's no fun if no one joins in.

"..."

Xi pursed her lips and remained silent. The more she paid attention to Nian, the more excited he became. Based on past experience, as long as she controlled herself and ignored him, he would quiet down on his own after a while. But if she responded now, it would never end.

The slender, pale blue dragon tail swayed gently. Xi reminded herself not to fall for Nian's provocations, and quickened her pace, not wanting to continue walking with Nian, lest she get angry again later.

But even though she thought that, Nian wasn't willing to let her off so easily.

The god of smelting and casting pulled out a steel folding fan from somewhere, smacked his lips, and quickly caught up. Under Xi's disdainful gaze, he leaned closer and asked mysteriously in a low voice, "What do you think of Lin Lu?"

how about it?

This is a strange question, at least Xi finds it strange.

Do we even need to ask what kind of person Lin Lu is to them?

They are able to escape the influence of the Year Beast and live in constant fear thanks to the power of the Golden Tree. Moreover, they will need to seek Lin Lu's help to completely eliminate the threat of the Year Beast. Under these circumstances, what else is there to ask?

If we had to make an evaluation, Lin Lu would undoubtedly be their greatest benefactor.

Although this help came at a price, isn't that how the world is?

If you want something, you have to give something first. Besides, compared to life, changing your allegiance is nothing. In fact, it's not even certain whether it counts as a price.

The harshness and restrictions they faced in Yan Kingdom far exceeded the constraints imposed by the Golden Tree; leaving that place would actually make things much easier.

"That's good, isn't it? He's capable, but he didn't impose any restrictions on you or me."

"that's it?"

Nian clicked his tongue, seemingly somewhat disappointed with the answer, but did not refute it.

She touched her lips with the iron folding fan in her hand, her eyes darting around, and suddenly asked, "What do you think, after this matter is finished, we should find an opportunity to meet with the other people and bring them over? They shouldn't refuse."

"Of course they won't refuse, but the Yan Kingdom's court will help them refuse. Apart from you, which of us can act freely? I've already caused trouble by coming down from Gray Mountain this time. If I go to find other people, those Celestial Masters will come knocking on my door."

"At worst, we can just pull them out and not go back. Their influence doesn't extend beyond Yan Kingdom. Besides, if a real fight breaks out, we might not be afraid of them."

"Yes, we're not afraid, but the ones fighting us might not be their people."

Xi said it casually, a hint of sarcasm playing at the corners of her lips.

Although they are nominally brothers and sisters, their relationship is not actually a solid one.

Everyone has their own ambitions, and we cannot force them to.

Just as there was a dispute between the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department regarding their issues within the Yan Kingdom's court, the twelve fragments also had their own differing opinions. Some of them were inclined to be closer to the Yan Kingdom and might not necessarily agree with her and Nian's actions.

If they make too many moves, it might lead to a scene of brothers killing each other, something those cunning and manipulative guys are very good at.

"..."

This time, Nian fell silent. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she knew that Xi's idea was right.

This matter cannot be brought to the forefront yet, lest it actually cause a direct conflict between Golden Tree and Yan Kingdom. After all, Longmen is still a city belonging to Yan Kingdom, and Wei Yanwu cannot openly defy the court. Once a confrontation is triggered, it will inevitably cause trouble for Golden Tree and Lin Lu's plans.

If we haven't even repaid the life-saving grace yet, wouldn't it be repaying kindness with enmity if we were to cause trouble again?

This is something that should never be done.