The Maternal Grandfather's Lost Ship

The staggering title, "The Richest Man of Battle God Isle," snapped Du Chen from his daze. His entire focus had been fixated on the gambling table, so he hadn't truly considered the sheer value of Rogliff's stakes. But now, reflecting, an amount equivalent to Pied's entire fortune must surely be in the hundreds of thousands of gold coins, if not more? After all, Pied was the syndicate head of Battle God Isle, with countless enterprises spanning the Three Continents. For him to possess hundreds of thousands of gold coins was entirely within reason!

At that moment, Jamis, the old Gambler, pounced forward, gripping Du Chen's shoulders as he gleefully hollered, "My dear Brother Francis, you are my idol! Hah! You just single-handedly vanquished that old scoundrel! Compared to you, that Rogliff is nothing but a mere apprentice... Ouch!"

Kristina seized Jamis by the collar and began thoroughly thrashing him, scolding as she did so, "You imbecile! What do you know? Mr. Rogliff must be a supreme master of gambling prowess, otherwise, how could my father have been defeated by him? Hmph, you dare babble such nonsense when you clearly don't understand! You're asking for a beating!"

"I don't understand! Do *you*?" Jamis, now sporting a bruised face, retorted repeatedly.

"I..." Kristina cast an inquiring glance towards Pied.

Pied explained, "Kristina, remember that last round! Rogliff first rolled a 'one' without even declaring his intent, then misled his opponent with vague words, making them believe he intended to bet small. This, in itself, is the supreme ultimate move in gambling prowess, the 'Mind-Capture Technique'!

"Yet, in reality, he could seemingly split each die in half and arrange them, overlapping, to display a single 'one'—a feat no one but Francis could even discern through sound. This is the zenith of gambling prowess, something I've never witnessed in my entire life! Even more terrifying is that, in the short time after deciding on the dice game, he orchestrated such a flawless Grand Wager. It was a confluence of flawless skill and cunning... Rogliff's ability to dominate the Three Continents is by no means mere luck!"

Pied gave Du Chen a slight nod. "But Francis ultimately won, managing to 'snow-hide' a staggering sixty-three points beneath the scattered dust—a display that pushed gambling prowess to its absolute limit! It also perfectly illustrated how all dazzling techniques pale into ridiculous insignificance before absolute power! This was, quite simply, a divine art!"

Facing Pied's lavish praise, Du Chen grinned sheepishly. He was muttering inwardly that, with his *true* skill, he could at most conceal a mere dozen points; he couldn't possibly have beaten Rogliff! But he had the Lotus Sacred Artifacts helping him!

*Ahem*, in reality, he was still cheating!

Suddenly, Du Chen noticed Kristina approaching him, her gaze unsettlingly intense—the kind of worshipful adoration an heiress of a grand casino might direct towards a newfound God of Gamblers.

This high-born young lady, who so casually dared to offer "a month of companionship," was truly not to be trifled with. Du Chen swiftly grabbed Pied's arm. "What are we waiting for? Let's go see the treasures Rogliff left behind!"

As they spoke, the group made their way to the seaside. Du Chen's gaze fell upon two vessels on the water: one, a black, multi-masted barque, and the other, a sleek, twenty-meter yacht, entirely silver-white. Its three main masts, fore and aft, were forged from an unknown material, dazzling brilliantly under the sun. Streamlined dragon motifs, painted in dark gold, adorned both sides of its deck cabins, lending a majestic aura to the yacht's mysterious and elegant form.

"Papa, I want it! Belmonde likes it!" The little one couldn't tear her eyes from the yacht, shaking her tiny hands in Du Chen's arms, urging him to carry her closer for a better look.

Du Chen, equally captivated by the yacht, smiled. "Mr. Pied, these two vessels..."

"They are, of course, all yours!" Pied chuckled.

"A fortune! A true fortune!" Du Chen's heart surged with joy. Even setting aside the silver-white yacht, the multi-masted barque alone was invaluable. Such large vessels typically commanded at least ten thousand gold coins apiece! And while the sleek yacht appeared small, his memories from his past life told him that with ships, bigger wasn't always better; many compact yachts owned by the wealthy in his previous world were valuable enough to purchase entire shipyards! These two vessels alone could easily exceed a hundred thousand gold coins!

But Pied wasn't finished. He continued, "That silver-white yacht is Mr. Rogliff's personal vessel. Don't let its size fool you; it's one of a kind in the world! Its true secrets, it's said, are known only to its master. The other ship, with a few modifications, could become the most formidable sea fortress across the Three Continents, capable of sweeping through vast sea regions when paired with a small fleet of frigates. However... right now, it's merely a cargo ship."

"A cargo ship? You mean the cargo aboard is my true winnings, not the vessels themselves?"

Pied nodded enviously. "Look at the waterline of that black cargo ship! It's entirely loaded with gold coins!"

"By the Heavens! My dearest young Brother Francis! I praise you!" Jamis rushed over and embraced Du Chen, excitedly spinning him in circles. "I knew it! With your generosity, you would never mistreat your two old brothers, Jamis and Bovin! My dear young brother, we are rich! For the rest of our lives, we'll gargle with bird's nest and pick our teeth with gold thread!"

"Hey, put me down! I'm holding my daughter!" Du Chen pushed Jamis away, a vague bewilderment clouding his mind—he was numb. If he were given ten or twenty thousand gold coins, he'd be jumping with excitement. But suddenly, an entire ship full of gold? His mind simply couldn't grasp such a concept; he couldn't even begin to imagine how to spend so much!

Glancing at the wildly excited Jamis, Du Chen smiled faintly. "Yes, I am quite generous... Mr. Jamis, how about you go and sketch the scene from the casino earlier, from memory? Especially Mr. Rogliff and his servants—I want detailed portraits!"

"Yes, yes! You wait right here! I'll quickly sketch them with the most exquisite artistic flair!" Jamis eagerly rushed off to find his drawing implements.

"Remember, I don't care how artistic or swift it is, only that it is truthful and accurate. Understand?"

Du Chen's intention was to have Deboning identify Rogliff.

Accompanied by Pied, Du Chen carried his daughter onto the sleek silver-white yacht. The moment he stepped aboard, he detected a faint, pleasing fragrance. He couldn't help but sigh, "What a delightful aroma! The wood of this ship must be extraordinary. The cost of so much fragrant timber alone would be considerable!"

"But for you, that's merely a trifle!" Pied instructed his servants to quickly tally the gold coins on the other ship, then added, "Rogliff brought three hundred thousand gold coins with him this time, along with deeds for numerous properties across the Three Continents. Combined, it's at least a million gold coins!"

"How could there be so much?" Du Chen found it almost unimaginable. Back in the Palace of Versailles in Lanning, the Imperial grandees had fiercely contended over a mere ten-thousand-gold-coin inheritance left by a Minister of Finance!

"It is indeed a vast sum, but this time, Rogliff had been traveling across the Three Continents, challenging every gambling master he met and winning fortunes until many wealthy individuals were completely ruined! With the combined assets of so many magnates, how could the total be anything less?"

Du Chen nodded inwardly. Indeed, if one Minister of Finance possessed ten thousand gold coins, Rogliff would only need to win from a hundred such figures to amass the fortune before them.

On a related note, Rogliff was truly a man of his word when it came to gambling; to lose such an immense fortune without even batting an eyelid was indeed admirable!

Pied then chuckled, "First, let's name this ship. And you needn't worry about Rogliff seeking retaliation afterwards; I can vouch for his gambling integrity!"

Du Chen set his daughter down on the deck, letting her play freely, then mused, "Let's call her the *Belkus*! Taking one syllable from my son's name and one from my daughter's!"

"Belkus, a beautiful name indeed! Francis, storing such a vast amount of cash comes with significant trouble. If you trust me, deposit it in my Red Sand Bank. I won't charge you a single copper coin for the custody fee!" After Du Chen nodded, Pied disembarked. "Alright, you go ahead and inspect your ship. I'll assist with transporting the gold coins!"

Du Chen stood on the deck, watching his daughter excitedly explore. Suddenly, a dreamlike sensation washed over him. Was this the feeling of being a man of unimaginable wealth? It was utterly surreal.

Entering the main cabin, he settled into a silver-white beast-skin chair. Through the crystal windows, he gazed out at the ship's panorama, and a tremor started in Du Chen's heart. With so much money, he could relieve countless more disaster victims, aid untold numbers of elderly, weak, women, and children. He could even build hundreds of charity hospitals and innumerable free schools...

This sum was simply too vast. If he entrusted others to distribute it among the poor, it would undoubtedly be siphoned off through layers of embezzlement, ultimately fattening corrupt officials and unscrupulous merchants. Yet, he currently lacked the means to gather such a massive number of impoverished people and personally hand them their money one by one! A single person's power was simply too limited; even doing good deeds became inconvenient! No wonder there was a saying in his past life: *The extent of your influence dictates the magnitude of your achievements!* He truly needed to cultivate some influence around him, otherwise, carrying such an immense fortune would be far too unsafe!

As he mused, Du Chen suddenly burst into a wry laugh. What was wrong with him? Why was his first thought upon acquiring such an immense fortune to help the poor? This was hardly something a cunning thief should be pondering!

Abruptly, Du Chen stood again, found his daughter playing on the deck, swept her into his arms, and gave her a fierce kiss. "Come, my darling, whatever you like, we'll buy it. Papa is rich now..."

***

After a full day's hustle and an agreement to attend Pied's celebratory banquet the following day, Du Chen finally returned to his quarters. All the cash was deposited into Pied's Red Sand Bank, and the deeds for the various properties were also entrusted to the bank. Among these properties were several that piqued Du Chen's interest, such as a ski resort on Macallan Ice Mountain in northern Einz, five lavish Hot Wave Beach Villas in eastern Yakun, and over a dozen orchards in the outskirts of Saint John City in the Lanning Empire.

Jamis, the old Gambler, trailed Du Chen, grinning widely and showering him with incessant flattery, while Bovin followed silently, not uttering a word. At the dormitory door, Du Chen took the portraits Jamis had drawn, then addressed the two old men, "Gentlemen, let's not dwell on the past. Neither of us is a petty person. If you're quite content, you may continue to reside in your tents outside!"

"Hmph, Francis, and you claim not to be petty? You're now the wealthiest magnate on Battle God Isle! One of the few multi-millionaires across the Three Continents! How can you possibly let your two old brothers live in tents?" Old Bovin shook his head repeatedly, baring his yellowed teeth in displeasure. "Don't you want to know about *the Egg*? Let me tell you, news about that Egg is exceedingly rare. I've only seen references in the library's confidential reading room—only a handful of people on the entire island have access to those archives. You, yourself, would absolutely never uncover it!"

"Do you know this person, Sherine?"

Old Bovin paused, startled. "Of course! The librarian. That lass is a total bookworm, she's read more books than an old man like me ever could!"

"She's my aunt. Anything I wished to know, she's already told me!" Du Chen pointed towards the tents, then grinned as he entered the dormitory. "So, you may continue to reside there! You can keep thinking of a reason compelling enough to sway me!"

"Damn it, Old Charlatan, how could Francis know Sherine?! We're doomed! That lass's drawing skills are even better than mine!" The two eccentric old men exchanged dismayed glances. Once Du Chen had closed the door, Jamis whispered, "Tell me, how much do you think Francis truly knows about Sherine?"

"That... probably not much, right?"

***

Inside the dormitory, Harry and Deboning were already awake, sitting opposite each other. Harry wore a look of pleasant surprise, while Deboning's face was ashen.

"Greetings, my servants! Your master has returned!" Du Chen handed his daughter to Harry. "How does the Spiritual Contract feel?"

Harry grinned widely, as if he'd just found hundreds of gold coins. "It's absolutely marvelous! The esteemed Miss Belmonde truly astounds Harry, expending a Spiritual Contract on a Shieb! Harry, Harry is so deeply moved! What a benevolent young lady!" The Shieb was genuinely overjoyed. He didn't care about the Spiritual Contract; instead, he pondered: *Perhaps my master didn't trust me before due to the Shieb's notorious reputation. But now, with the contract's restrictions, betrayal is utterly impossible, so... my master will surely value me more!* Under Du Chen's command, he excitedly took Belmonde off to play.

Deboning, however, shot Du Chen a cold glance. "Very well. You're ruthless enough."

"It couldn't be helped! I need your absolute loyalty!" Du Chen sat before Deboning, handing him the portrait of Rogliff recreated by Jamis. "Take a look and identify them. It's highly probable they are followers of the Yessar God!"

To curry favor with Du Chen, Jamis had painted many pictures, not just of the figures inside the casino. At little Belmonde's request, he had even sketched a portrait of the child lying on the bow of the *Belkus*.

Deboning looked at them one by one. "I don't recognize any of these people! Hmm, but the bow of this ship and its figurehead... they look very familiar!"

Du Chen's heart tightened. "Think carefully," he urged. "This is important, extremely important!"

Speaking, Du Chen picked out a specific painting from the collection. "Look at this one. It's a full view of that ship!"

Deboning took it, glanced, then abruptly stood up, the painting of the ship clutched in his hand. He exclaimed in shock, "The *Ross*! Francis, no, Young Master! Your Maternal Grandfather journeyed to Mount Tianshan on this very ship all those years ago, but it... it vanished along with him and the Left Elder!"