Doctor will never die in a hellish situation.

"Anyway, he's in Lungmen, so he's a target that must be eliminated. If we can really find a weakness because of this, the scene of a longsword piercing the mentor's chest will be very interesting."

"Right? Talulah!"

With a low murmur, the tyrant of the Reunion Movement closed the file, a sinister smile appearing on his face.

The inscription on the title page reads: "Royal scientist Sergei, father of Misha and Broken Bones."

Chapter 9, Section 185: Let me see who that liar is.

By the time Qin Duanyu woke up, the sun had already reached the horizon, and Lin Guang had already gone through the process of going from nervousness to shyness, then from shyness to calmness, and finally getting used to it.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble." He quickly let go of her hand and said apologetically to Lin Guang.

"It's alright, I'm your knight, it's only right that I do this," the girl said calmly, shaking her head.

Seeing her nonchalant attitude, Qin Duanyu finally put down her arms and secretly rejoiced that she had hugged Lin Guang. Perhaps with her straightforward and honest nature, she wouldn't even think about it that way.

Outside the vehicle, several shield guards were setting up tents, while Vika and Oleg were discussing their upcoming itinerary.

“Miss, at this speed, we should reach our destination by noon tomorrow.” Oleg confirmed their location, then looked at the map and said confidently.

"It's much faster than expected, so let's get some rest early today." Vika nodded, unable to hide the excitement on her face. Then she turned around and said something in Ursus, and the Shield Guards cheered "Hurrah!" Their work efficiency nearly doubled.

Soon, after the meat on the campfire was cooked, an Ursus man took out several bottles of clear liquid from the trunk. He couldn't understand the writing on the bottles, but he thought the little bird logo was quite cute.

"Bosh, Lai, Little Bird Vodka!" Valentin shoved a bottle in front of Qin Duanyu and said in his not-so-standard Yan language.

"No, no, no, thanks, but I can't drink alcohol." Smelling the strong smell of alcohol, Qin Duanyu quickly shook his head. He couldn't even stand ice cream with alcohol in it, let alone the "water of life" produced in Ussart. He was afraid he would fall asleep for the entire trip after drinking it.

Looking to the side, Vika, the Ursus girl, goes without saying. Although she didn't chug the bottle like her subordinates, she wasn't much slower. Nearl also poured a large glass and drank it down heartily.

"I'm so sorry I can't drink." Feeling the mocking glances around her, Qin Duanyu helplessly spread her hands, venting her resentment on the barbecue.

"Doctor, aren't you curious about what we need your help finding?" Vika sat down next to Qin Duanyu, her face slightly flushed from the alcohol, making her look incredibly cute.

"Do you finally feel it's time to talk?" Qin Duanyu handed her a cup of black tea and asked with a smile.

Now that we've come this far, even if he and Lin Guang really do have a mole, it would be too late to notify the outside world. Therefore, Vika decided to be open and honest in order to reduce mutual suspicion.

“Yes, I need your help to find an ancient altar hidden there.” Vika thanked her softly, took the cup, and took a sip to sober up.

"An altar?" Qin Duanyu raised an eyebrow and asked with some doubt.

In Terra, apart from Laterano, other regions only have some very rudimentary primitive beliefs, similar to the local gods and river gods he had before his transmigration. Apart from oral legends, there are no written records.

In particular, countries like Ursus have no fertile ground for religion because they are home to monarchs known for their strength and iron fist, who would not tolerate anything that might threaten their power.

As far as he knew, only Argo and Shelag had formed religious organizations of a certain scale; the rest of the regions had been largely lost to history.

However, he vaguely remembered that when he set up camp, the surrounding area was flat land. The sudden appearance of this situation in the hilly terrain was most likely the work of human beings, and it was indeed possible that it was a sacrificial site of a lost religion.

"Legend has it that as long as you enter the altar and complete the corresponding rituals, you can obtain the power of the gods." Vika's eyes showed longing, like a child looking forward to a birthday present.

puff!

Qin Duanyu spat out the tea in her mouth, and the flickering campfire reflected the girl's displeased expression.

"Sorry, sorry, I would have believed you even if you said some ancient king's treasure was buried here. Divine power? If such a thing really existed, what would be the point of developing technology? Everyone could just worship gods." Qin Duanyu shrugged and said irritably.

He had been worried that Vika's elaborate and cautious approach might be a pretext to kill him and cover up any secrets or treasures she might have found through his connections.

After all, based on the movies and novels I'd read in my previous life, the possibility wasn't low, so I secretly decided to dawdle and pretend I couldn't find it.

Qin Duanyu now felt that the girl in front of him had gone crazy from playing games. She had traveled all the way to the Reunion Movement's territory, making such a big show of things to distract them, all for something so vague and unrealistic.

Instead of wasting time like that, you might as well play a few games and get some satisfaction from conquering the world.

As a fine young man born under the red flag and raised in the spring breeze, he has always been influenced by materialism. Although he respects those who have faith, he feels that it is just a psychological comfort.

As the Internationale says: To create human happiness, we must rely on ourselves!

“Chernobog means ‘Black God’ in ancient Ursus. It is said that He represents negative forces such as darkness and death and is worshipped by the Ursus people living nearby.” Vika calmed herself down and said, quoting classical texts, “The current Chernobog mobile city gradually developed and evolved from the small settlements of the past. That is its original place of origin.”

"Isn't this kind of historical research normal? Many cities evolved this way, right?" Qin Duanyu sighed. Although it shows that there was indeed some kind of belief near Chernobog, it doesn't prove the existence of supernatural forces or anything like that.

Ancient people believed that seeing lightning meant the gods were angry. If they built a city called Thor nearby because of this, does that mean they could still find the Mjolnir nearby?

“If that were all, I wouldn’t believe it either. But the archaeologists did find valuable artifacts in the altar. It’s just that something happened later, and the research plan was put on hold for a long time.” Vika showed the notebook in her hand. Looking at the slightly yellowed pages, it was indeed an old thing.

"Tch, these days, so-called experts and professors are all experts at conning people. They're shameless enough to pull off some random antique scam to swindle funding. Tell me, who exactly is this fraudster?" Qin Duanyu was even more disdainful upon hearing this.

But even if she was scammed, it didn't matter. Old Wei had already given her the money, so she could just treat it as a camping trip.

“It’s Mr. Tyrael, a renowned academic giant. He used to work at the Chernobog Institute and spent a long time in Ursus, where he was in charge of the research on altar artifacts, so his authenticity is beyond doubt!” Vika said earnestly.

Tyrael?

Isn't that me before I lost my memory?

Qin Duanyu was stunned, and felt a vague unease.

Chapter 10, Section 187: Vika Wants It All

"It seems the Doctor has also heard of that gentleman's reputation. It's a pity Ursus couldn't retain such talent." Seeing Qin Duanyu, who had initially looked unconvinced, suddenly shut up, Vika assumed he believed the contents of the notebook and said with a mixture of pride and regret.

If that hadn't happened, Mr. Tyrael would probably have been the chief scientist of the Royal Academy of Sciences by now, right? Unfortunately, Ursus, in every sense of the word, failed to keep him.

"I've not only heard of him, he's standing right in front of you." Qin Duanyu pursed her lips, but didn't say anything more.

Qin Duanyu himself didn't even know what kind of person he was in the past.

In the eyes of scholars like Lamb and Skyfire, he was a brilliant scholar, while in the eyes of Scout, Ace, and others, he was a trustworthy commander who could bring victory. It seemed like he was a pretty positive figure.

But the real situation is definitely not that simple; his silence doesn't mean he doesn't understand.

When Amiya first crawled out of the sarcophagus in Chernobog, her eyes held not only joy and anticipation but also a hint of awe. The same was true for Ace and Scout later on.

However, as they spent more time together, the fear hidden in everyone's hearts gradually dissipated, and their daily lives became silly and absurd. Warfarin, on the other hand, was quite special, always looking at the delicious food with that kind of gaze...

"Doctor?" Vika called softly, rousing him from his thoughts.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something else. Where were we?" Qin Duanyu said apologetically as she came back to her senses.

"What do you think of the outcome of the handling of the border situation in the Kingdom of Sami?" the girl asked in a deep voice, smoothing her silver hair that reached her chest.

“I’m just looking... well, I think Sami will most likely back down,” Qin Duanyu said jokingly, then quickly added when he saw Vika raise her fist.

To see how powerful the bear girl is after drinking, just look at Winter; he doesn't want to be used as a punching bag.

"How so? Sami gained a huge advantage in the previous war, so they should be even less likely to give in this time." Vika's eyes darted around as she asked, feigning ignorance.

"What's the use of winning battles if you're still severely weakened and unable to launch a counterattack in the end? You end up losing territory and paying reparations, and you're defeated without even being defeated?" Qin Duanyu said with a hint of sympathy. It's one thing that Sami's national strength is weak, but it just so happens to be next to Ursus.

Although they fought desperately to resist being completely annexed, Sami was almost completely drained and it will take decades to recover. It will be difficult for them to be as tenacious as they were in the last war.

It's important to understand that when the new emperor of Ursus ascended the throne, a major rebellion broke out, and over a hundred generals were executed. The lack of effective command greatly affected the army's combat effectiveness.

The delegation's visits to various countries largely cut off external aid to the Sami Kingdom. Even if, out of a desire to exploit the bear, they secretly provided some supplies and sent some mercenaries, it was a drop in the ocean.

Moreover, what Ursus is asking for this time is just some frozen wasteland on the border, which has no value other than minerals. As long as the people on Sami's side aren't out of their minds, they will definitely be willing to exchange it for time.

"If that's the case, it should be a good thing, so why are you so dismissive?" Seeing Qin Duanyu's somewhat disdainful tone, Vika suddenly used polite language, appearing as if she was humbly seeking advice.

Qin Duanyu's speculation was similar to her expectations, but Ursus's victory without a fight would undoubtedly increase the people's cohesion and pride, and also resolve domestic conflicts. Judging from his tone, it seemed like a foolish move.

“Besides gaining some temporarily useless land, doing this will only incite resistance among the Sami people, forcing them to unite more closely and forcing the entire country to work together as one,” Qin Duanyu said with a frown.

Today they cede five cities, tomorrow ten, using land to appease Ursus. This is like adding fuel to the fire. Judging from the ambition of that Ursus emperor, he will definitely not give up so easily. However, due to the constraints of other major powers, they cannot take action against the pitiful Sami Kingdom in the short term.

This gave Sami a precious breathing space. It is foreseeable that in addition to focusing on recovering his strength, the hawks will undoubtedly gain support from the grassroots, which may even incite extreme revanchism or something even more terrible.

At that time, Ursus will be facing a monster eager for revenge. No matter how small it is, it will not be a problem for it to bite off several large chunks of flesh and make Ursus feel pain. Moreover, even if it forcibly occupies the territory, it will probably waste a lot of Ursus's resources, just like the Imperial Graveyard in another world.

“If it were you, what would you do?” Vika asked calmly.

"Forcing Sami to expand the art academy's enrollment... cough cough, a two-pronged approach of economic infiltration and cultural influence." Qin Duanyu coughed a few times and said casually.

"How exactly should we do it?" Vika's eyes lit up, and she leaned closer.

How to do it? Take advantage of the opportunity to redraw the borders, relinquish some claimed territory, and instead have the Sami Republic grant them most-favored-nation status. Encourage domestic merchants to invest and do business there, squeezing out their domestic industry and commerce. At the same time, import domestic cultural products, especially targeting young people…

Just like that night in Siesta, the thought of capturing Kronin and Herman alive and all sorts of terrible things surfaced in Qin Duanyu's mind.

"He just learned a few things from the keyboard warrior and spouted nonsense. Don't take it to heart." He suppressed these thoughts, shrugged, and said helplessly.

Is it that they genuinely don't know, or that they simply don't want to say?

Vika nodded and didn't delve any deeper, but a thoughtful look flashed in her eyes. If someone else had said this, she might have taken it as mere theoretical talk, but she had heard about what this person had done in Kazdel.

Just then, cheers came from the side. It turned out that Valentin was performing a saber dance. Qin Duanyu immediately went over to watch with great interest.

“Uncle Oleg, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to recruit the Doctor as my advisor. Even if he disagrees, I’ll still drag him back!” Vika said in Ursus as she watched Qin Duanyu’s retreating figure.

“Then I’ll gather the Shield Guards right now…” Oleg’s hand went to the saber at his waist, but Vika stopped him with a look.

“If I kidnap the Doctor now, how will he be willing to help me when we go to the altar? I want both the legendary power and him!” Vika clenched her little fists, looking confident of victory.

……

Although the Ursus people enjoy drinking, these well-trained shield guards are naturally different from ordinary street drunks. They stop drinking when they are satisfied and quietly return to their tents to rest and recuperate.

Qin Duanyu lay in her sleeping bag, recalling the news she had just heard from Vika.

Stone Coffin Research Institute.

Even though she only mentioned it casually, the word immediately popped into Qin Duanyu's mind, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't recall any more details.

After drinking, the Ursus men slept soundly. Without external interference, Qin Duanyu also gave up his aimless thinking and quickly fell asleep.

In the dream, he seemed to be running desperately in a dark and deep alley, with shouts in Ursus language coming from behind him, roughly meaning "Search quickly, don't let him get away."

After navigating countless twists and turns, he finally stopped when he saw a figure with silver hair and a white robe.

"Chief, thank goodness you notified me in time. I had just stepped out the door when Okra rushed into the house."

"Are you all alone? Of all the useless people who escaped, you're the only one left."

"Those words are really hurtful. I just like to slack off. Maybe it's because I don't attract attention that I haven't been the primary target."

"So lazy that you even have to put my name on your papers? Forget it, let's not talk about your weird way of trying to please others. Right now, Ursus is arresting members of the research institute on a large scale, and I only have time to relocate their families."