I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

......

The sun shone brightly on the icy plains of Ursus, but the frigid climate of the northern plains made even the sunlight seem devoid of warmth, and the horses' hooves splashed up ice crystals, shattering them underfoot.

Among the nations of Terra, the Ursus Empire has the largest territory, thanks to the late emperor's diligent governance and tireless efforts in sending elite troops to expand its territory.

Even after the death of the late emperor, when Ursus was internally divided between pro-peace and pro-war factions, with endless infighting between the old nobility and emerging powers, constant conflicts between the main ethnic group and other ethnic groups, and extremely unequal living conditions, the Ursus Empire could still be considered a long-established power.

This is similar to the Qing Dynasty after 1840. Although it was repeatedly defeated by the British and French allied forces with their powerful ships and cannons, it was still the big brother in East Asia.

But the Ursus Empire was no longer as prosperous as it once was. Just like the Tang Dynasty after the An Lushan Rebellion, it no longer had the ambition to have all nations pay tribute, nor the spirit of inclusiveness. Instead, it became extremely wary of foreigners.

In the Ursus Empire, the foreigners included not only the peoples of the conquered territories, but also commoners who were not nobles and were infected with Oripathy.

The Ursus Empire maintains control over the status quo through oppressive policies and regulations.

The ruler treats his subjects like dirt, while the subjects treat the ruler like an enemy.

The village elders have their own way of calculating how to deal with the tyrannical patrol teams. They always try to hide their extra rations a few days in advance so that they can survive after paying the Originium tax and the head tax.

But do corrupt officials need to ask the opinions of ordinary people if they want to exploit the people?

So when the three Ursus patrolmen arrived at this nameless village, they found that most of the villagers were pale-faced.

"Old man! Old man!"

The old woman leaned against the window and whispered to her husband, "Quickly tell Abraham to hide... don't let those jackals see him. He's with Little Ta and Alina—old man, are you listening to me?!"

"I can hear you, old woman."

The old man responded, standing by the door, brushing the snow off his body and carrying a bag of packages on his back.

"Luckily, Talulah and Alina went out, otherwise those jackals wouldn't have let them get away with it!" the old woman exclaimed.

“Hmph…” the old man retorted in a low voice, “I think Talulah should let them go! That sword she carries is no mere decoration.”

"Don't talk about that!" The old woman looked around warily. "Be careful."

When the old man put the heavy bundle on his back on the ground, his back hunched over, and he carefully avoided looking at the masked patrol team members.

He knew those people didn't like the commoners looking them in the eye.

But as he turned around, a boot blocked his way.

The old man knelt down and said, "Sir... our taxes for this month are all here."

His voice was mournful, like that of anyone who has suffered greatly.

He hoped that the person was simply greedy and wanted other things.

He knew that Talulah's identity was not simple. From her robes that did not reveal her noble rank, to the sword she carried, and the way she spoke unintentionally... she was far more noble than he had imagined.

"No, we don't want your taxes."

The person who spoke from behind the mask opened his mouth, and with each word he uttered, the old man's heart sank deeper and deeper into the icy wilderness.

"We need to ask you—is there an infected person hiding here... or maybe someone else? In any case, you're hiding someone, aren't you?"

The patrolman seemed to smile behind his mask. He took a bag off his horse and shook it gently, the sound of metal clanging inside filling the air.

"speak out."

The worst thing has happened.

The old man thought to himself.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The voice wasn't the old man's, but another man's—one who had once experienced the same treatment as Li Lin breaking down the door.

"Alexander! You!"

The old man's eyes widened.

Alexander rubbed his hands together, bowing slightly in front of the patrol team: "I saw him. He was dressed in nice clothes, but I could tell what kind of person he was at a glance!"

The old man's teeth were chattering as he clenched them.

The situation suddenly became extremely urgent.

The patrolman kicked Alexander in the stomach: "Speak properly!"

"Ah—" Alexander collapsed to the ground in pain, gasping for breath, muttering repeatedly, "Thank you, thank you for the reward, sir..."

Just as he was catching his breath, another kick landed on his back, and the Ursus man rolled his eyes and collapsed into the snow.

"who are you?"

The patrol team members placed their hands on the crossbows at their waists, but they did not immediately draw the crossbows and pull the trigger.

The young man, dressed in an indistinguishable coat with his hands in his pockets, looked as if he were standing in a council of nobles, even just standing in the snow.

Li Lin has traveled through four worlds, received over a decade of education, experienced unimaginable enjoyment on Earth in the future, and has the added advantage of his understanding of Arknights.

These qualities combined made him appear more noble than anyone else—even an ordinary person would undergo a tremendous transformation after experiencing so much.

This is why Talulah trusted him the moment she saw him; even Duke Koschke might not have the same temperament as Li Lin.

As long as he doesn't fall ill, he's more like a nobleman than any other nobleman.

On the dark green tabletop, invisible to the others, the paper doll Li Lin was surrounded by several newly created cards.

The cards depicted silver-white candles, their illusory light casting a flickering glow on the dark night sky, like a dream.

Below the cards, a small clock is ticking, symbolizing that these cards are merely temporary creations.

【Secret Atmosphere】

A sense of the bizarre lingered.

Any outrageous behavior or thought will attract the attention of others, some kindly, others with malicious intent.

Your identity is shrouded in mystery, preventing others from using it to initiate an investigation, but this will motivate them to work harder to find evidence.

Li Lin's actions just now gave him a secret atmosphere, and now, as he gets into the zone, the secret atmosphere is gradually increasing.

“I am Li Lin, Abraham Li Lin.”

He looked at the patrol team members in front of him with a smile, his eyes like a night sky filled with stars.

“I am the person you are looking for. Duke Kosichä, former emperor of Ursus, infected, the emperor’s blade… What other keywords do you need to prove my identity?”

He took a step forward with each word he spoke, while the patrol team members retreated step by step.

They wouldn't kill Li Lin until the patrolmen pulled the crossbow trigger, because they were just lackeys and not qualified to lay a hand on someone who might be a "nobleman".

“Come, arrest me and send me to the mines of Chernobog—let me be eliminated there silently. Don’t even think about killing me by any other means.”

One of the patrol members' breathing became heavier; they suddenly realized that they might not be able to directly attack Li Lin.

The more you think, the harder it is to get anything done.

The villagers were reluctantly driven away, and even Alexander, who had fainted in the snow, was dragged away.

The patrol team members exchanged glances and decided to take Li Lin away first.

Considering that the nobles were unlikely to be unable to ride horses, they decided to give one of their horses to Li Lin, but Li Lin refused.

"Rather than have you pointing crossbows at me from behind, I'd rather have one of you and me ride on the same horse."

Li Lin really doesn't know how to ride a horse.

As a result, the patrol team members were amazed by Li Lin's demeanor and began to believe in his identity more and more.

So they requisitioned agricultural vehicles from the village and had Li Lin ride in them.

Sitting in what resembled a farm tractor seat, Li Lin squinted, hesitating several times as if he wanted to speak—he was starting to lose control and was about to have a breakdown.

The four of them disappeared into the snowfield amidst the sputtering of agricultural machinery.

How did he manage to pull off this in Chapter Six?

Li Lin, sitting on the farm tractor, had a shifty look in his eyes.

Don't get me wrong, he didn't intend to emulate some assassin and directly kill his three good brothers. In the midst of a snowstorm, even seeing the road was difficult, let alone taking action.

Between falling ill and continuing to show off, Li Lin made his decision in less than two seconds. He glanced at the person closest to him and asked, "What kind of work are you doing?"

You could tell it was Colonel Li Lin just by listening to him—but because of the howling wind, the patrol team members next to him didn't hear what Li Lin said clearly.

"What—what did you say?"

Li Lin, who was so angry at the Ursus bear that he rolled his eyes, did not want to repeat the Dongguo Colonel's speech, so his question this time seemed normal.

“We all work under Lord Ivan, Mr. Abraham,” the patrolman shouted, slowing his horse. “You should know Lord Ivan; he is the baron here.”

In fact, Ivan was only a baron, but he never allowed anyone to call him that—anyone who did was dragged out and killed.

Li Lin, who had never been afraid of authority, raised his neck like a fish leaping on a chopping board: "I don't know any Ivan..."

The patrol team members exchanged glances, about to say something, when they heard Li Lin slowly utter the second half of his sentence: "...I know Duke Koschche."

He knew Kosiché, but Kosiché didn't know him.

The patrol team members could only keep their eyes down and pretend they hadn't heard anything.

They couldn't respond to that.

Both Baron Ivan and Duke Kosiché were superior people to them.