The Bungled Job of Flaying!

The fellows imprisoned in the seawater on the deck weren't tall, only slightly taller than a Shieb, reaching Duchen's waist. Their bodies were covered in dark green scales, their legs short and slender, but their shoulders and upper limbs broad. They had no necks, and a huge fish head sat directly on their shoulders.

Harry laughed, but upon seeing their bared, sword-like fangs, he promptly darted behind Duchen. Still, a snicker echoed in his heart; these creatures were fish-men, the truly lowest of all races.

Humans despised the Shieb's sordid history, branding them the 'Race of Betrayal.' Yet, no matter how much they loathed or scorned them, the very name 'Race of Betrayal' implied that humans at least acknowledged the Shieb as a sentient race comparable to themselves, albeit a highly detestable one.

Fish-men, however, didn't even merit the infamy of being a 'Race of Betrayal.' They were savage, ferocious, capable of preying on any race, and frequently plundered coastal villages in hordes, devouring living beings to sate their hunger. Consequently, humans classified them as beasts, though they did possess a certain degree of intelligence.

There was a common adage in the Battle God World: 'The lowly Shieb still retain the audacity to live because there are even baser fish-men to mock!'

Though Harry yearned to loudly mock these fish-men—as his kin often did—he was a Shieb who knew his place. He waddled his rotund body to Duchen's side, bellowing, 'Master, these damnable, filthy, shameless, vile fish-men are definitely spying on the Belkus! If you wish to deal with them, please, allow Harry to strike the first blow!'

'You stand aside for now! Mentor, these fish-men...'

Zigurd watched the fish-men, suspended motionlessly in the seawater, with cold eyes. He said coolly, 'That Shieb was right. The moment I boarded, I detected them hidden beneath the ship! They are indeed spying on the Belkus!'

'Mentor, what's going on!? I've only just acquired the Belkus, why would fish-men be tracking it? Could it be Mr. Rogliff wanting to reclaim the ship? He has no need to do so; I can return it to him immediately!'

'No, it's absolutely impossible for Mr. Rogliff to have sent anyone to track this ship. His wealth is beyond your imagination; he wouldn't care for a mere vessel. Given his status, there's no way he'd condescend to employ lowly fish-men to do his bidding!'

'Then... who else could it be? I've never offended anyone!' Duchen looked at Zigurd with feigned innocence, but inwardly, he was convinced: this had to be the work of those who were targeting him!

'Whoever did this must belong to a very powerful organization!' Zigurd, carrying Beibei, walked to stand before the fish-men, scrutinizing them with cold eyes. 'You live in inland Saint John City, so you're unfamiliar with aquatic races! The fish-men's aura is indistinguishable from ordinary fish, allowing them to evade detection by many High-level Battle Gods. Thus, they are trained as spies, specializing in marine surveillance! However, fish-men are notoriously difficult to domesticate. For these few to be trained to such a degree, that organization must be extraordinary!'

Little Beibei clapped her hands, giggling, 'But Grandpa is even more amazing! Grandpa is so great, Grandpa caught them!'

Zigurd smiled benignly, 'That's because Grandpa is a Titled Battle God of the water element! In the ocean, nothing can escape Grandpa's notice!'

'Eek? Titled Battle God, what's that? Can you eat it? Is it tasty?' The little one tilted her head in confusion.

Zigurd was truly torn between laughter and tears. Handing the little girl over to Duchen, he said, 'Typically, highly trained spies possess methods to commit suicide if captured. I'll deal with them first, then we can discuss this further!'

As he spoke, Zigurd extended his right hand, fingers splayed, then made a grasping motion in the air. With his actions, the viscous seawater encasing the fish-men gradually transformed into a white liquid, swiftly seeping into their bodies. The fish-men then slumped onto the deck like puppets whose strings had been cut, their bodies boneless. Following this, Zigurd flicked his hand, sending a wisp of cloud-white battle qi soaring into the sky, like a sudden cloud appearing in the night.

Soon after, people rushed from the dock and took the fish-men away.

After dealing with these matters, Zigurd turned to Duchen and said, 'Let's talk about Philip. Since you were once Philip's assistant, even if you don't know the ultimate goal of his experiments, you must have some understanding of them from various circumstances!'

Duchen nodded. 'Yes, I am aware of some experimental projects, and I participated in the one concerning talent modification...' Duchen recounted his experiences with Philip in detail, naturally omitting all the unsavory aspects concerning Phil, the Spirit Seed, and Mount Tianshan.

'Oh, I didn't realize you were already involved in the talent modification project!' Zigurd sighed. 'Alas, truth be told... Philip deceived me terribly in the past. It was only when clearing out the ruins of his Alchemy Laboratory that I pieced together clues, realizing Philip had been manipulating and exploiting me all along!' Zigurd shook his head with a bitter smile.

'Philip's Alchemy Laboratory had many levels. The ones you saw conducted conventional experiments. But in the lower, almost unknown levels, he was conducting a truly heinous experiment, and what's more appalling, he was using live subjects!'

Duchen's heart jolted. He quickly feigned 'great alarm,' saying, 'Th-this... how can this be? How could Mentor Philip do such a thing? Th-this is simply outrageous! Alas, I only ever saw the laboratory levels above the tenth floor; I had no idea so much was happening beneath. Otherwise... but no matter the reason, live experiments should never be condoned!'

'You're a good student; that's widely known and acknowledged by everyone! I trust you wouldn't allow such an evil experiment to continue!' Zigurd chuckled, then continued, 'But while clearing the ruins, the excavators found something rather interesting on the nineteenth level... a small bed, with some used children's items on it. This indicates that Philip's Alchemy Laboratory housed at least one child! A baby!'

Damn it, Flaying, you bastard! How could you bungle this? Didn't that raging inferno burn down the nineteenth level, along with that crib beneath the white jade wall?!

Duchen's heart pounded with urgency; how could Flaying have left behind such a clue?!

Zigurd stated, 'I believe you understand what I'm getting at, don't you? Philip's Alchemy Laboratory was utterly destroyed, yet within its ruins, a small bed resilient to flames was found. However, there were no traces or bodies of an infant within the laboratory... and precisely at this time, you, Philip's only surviving assistant, suddenly adopted a daughter!'

Duchen gave a bitter laugh. 'This certainly makes it easy for people to draw conclusions, Mentor... but I am willing to swear a Battle God Blood Oath to prove my innocence!'

'Alright, alright, Francis, we are master and disciple now, so we should be frank with each other!' Zigurd chuckled. 'To be honest, my visit to see Beibei today was indeed a test for you. But facts have proven that you are a good child, and your innocence is beyond doubt!'

How did he figure that out? Am I really *that* 'upstanding'? Though it does seem to be the 'truth'! Duchen stared at Zigurd with a strange expression.

Zigurd explained, 'I personally inspected those children's items. Several of them still retained a potent aura, indicating that while the child might be young, they undoubtedly possess extremely powerful, even terrifying, abilities!'

As he spoke, he looked through the crystal window of the cabin at little Beibei playing inside, chuckling, 'Heh, but I just held Beibei myself. She's just an ordinary little girl, and quite adorable; I'm very fond of her! And since you found her in the river, it's impossible for little Beibei to have come from Philip's Alchemy Laboratory!'

Duchen had witnessed Zigurd's stubbornness once before in Antwerp Port, and now he was seeing it again! However, Duchen secretly chuckled. 'This misunderstanding is perfect! Little Beibei is just an ordinary child...' Tsk-tsk, how did his daughter manage to disguise herself so well? She even fooled Zigurd into missing her extraordinary nature?!

Duchen asked, 'So, Mentor, are you searching for that child? What do you intend to do with him?'

Zigurd snorted, 'Though that child may be young, he is a demon created from Philip's evil experiments and must be eradicated! I cannot permit a demon to escape Battle God Isle and spread its influence; that would be the greatest insult to the academy!'

Holy crap, old man, you're beyond stubborn! You're even going to kill a child? Duchen felt a surge of indignation, yet at the same time, he was secretly relieved that he'd avoided this predicament.

'Alright, Beibei's matter is settled. From now on, she is my own granddaughter!' The old man smiled benignly, then added, 'However, Francis, you must be careful lately. When that small bed was discovered in the ruins, many people were present, so the news has surely spread. While I understand your innocence, it's hard to guarantee that certain 'interested parties' won't target you! These fish-men spying on the Belkus are the clearest proof of that!'

'Thank you for the warning, Mentor, I will be careful!'

Zigurd nodded. 'But you needn't worry too much. You are now my personal disciple, like my own child. Anyone who wishes to harm you will first have to consider my strength! Heh, just live your life as usual, and if anything suspicious happens, simply inform me!'

Duchen thanked him again.

'Very well, I'll take my leave now. In three months, Battle God Isle will host a grand Battle God gathering, and I've been terribly busy with headaches recently!' Zigurd chuckled as he departed.

Once he was out of earshot, Duchen wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow and shouted, 'Harry, bring Miss over here!'

Little Beibei exclaimed 'Eek!' as she returned to Duchen's embrace, then grinned mischievously. 'Daddy, Beibei's ears work well, I heard everything! Beibei knows what to do!'

'Good girl, darling!' Duchen looked at his daughter's mischievous yet adorable appearance, feeling both amused and helpless. This little girl was truly strange; sometimes she was so clever that he couldn't even fool her, yet at other times, she was as innocent as a truly naive child.

How to describe her? Duchen pondered for a moment and formulated a clear concept for Beibei's condition: she possessed extremely high intelligence and mysterious, unfathomable abilities. However, due to Philip's experiments, the little one's memory and powers were affected, leading to her starkly contrasting behaviors.

At that moment, Harry suddenly dropped to his knees with a 'thump,' lamenting, 'Master, Harry is guilty! Harry failed to detect those damnable fish-men; their scent was too much like ordinary fish!'

'Alright, this isn't your fault!' Duchen told Harry to rise, smiling. 'Previously, you were a Shieb, and I couldn't trust you! But now that you have a Spiritual Contract, you can help me with many things. I'm assigning you a task now!'

'Please speak, Master!' Harry was overjoyed. He had finally gained his master's trust; it was truly wonderful. Yet, his Shieb nature compelled him to add, 'Is this task dangerous? Er, I mean, Harry's strength is lacking, and I fear delaying your important matters...'

'Enough, I wouldn't give you a task you couldn't complete! This mission is simple for you: go forth and spread the word that Beibei, after being examined by His Excellency Zigurd, has been proven to be just an ordinary child! That's the gist of it; you should be able to figure out the specifics with your own wits!'

Harry eagerly prepared to carry out the task. Duchen mused inwardly, 'This method might not be tremendously effective, but it can, to some extent, reduce the attention of certain 'interested parties' on me.'

'Wait, don't rush off yet!' Duchen walked over and patted Harry's head. 'Ever since you've been with me, your actions and words have been most satisfactory. Now that your loyalty is assured, I cannot mistreat you. From today forth, you are my Head Butler!'

'Praise be to you, my benevolent and kind Master!' Harry grinned widely, his plump, snow-white face flushed with excitement. Although he had always performed the duties of a butler before, it was in the capacity of the lowest slave. Now, everything was good; his position was formalized!

'Heh, your Master is a great magnate now; I certainly can't mistreat my own butler. Go to the strongbox in the dormitory and take fifty gold coins. Spruce yourself up properly, adopt the demeanor of a true butler, and don't bring shame upon your Master!'

'Aye! Rest assured, I, Harry, will never shame you!' He waddled his entire fatty frame, scurrying off joyfully.

Watching Harry's comical running posture, little Beibei giggled incessantly. Duchen held his daughter, standing on the deck and gazing out at the sea, silently calculating the matters at hand.

He currently had three main priorities: First, finding Phil, with Beibei and Philip's legacy as clues. Second, his missing Maternal Grandfather, with Rogliff as the lead. And third, dealing with those who were targeting him! This third matter, though not the most difficult, was the most pressing. Yet, for now, Jason was the only path he could consider, albeit an uncertain one.

Oh, and another important thing: he should start contemplating his own unique battle technique. Lately, his Xino Dwarf friend Sem had been constantly flaunting his Corona of Fire, acting incredibly smug. He couldn't let that guy continue to be so obnoxious!

As Duchen was lost in thought, a figure suddenly descended from the sky, landing behind him, then just as abruptly, patted his shoulder.

Duchen startled, turned around, and saw a graceful figure, emerald-green hair, a stunning face, and a highly alluring black form-fitting outfit—it was Mina!

'Hi, Francis, I hear you've made a fortune recently. Sis is here to reel in a sugar daddy!' Mina chirped, snatching Beibei and giving her a kiss. 'Hmm... the little one's gotten even cuter!'

Duchen rubbed his forehead. 'Miss 'Rose', if you have a task, just state it. My daughter is here, so please try to rein yourself in and don't corrupt her!'

'Oh, go on! You still dare to joke with Big Sis.' Mina kissed the little one again, placing her on the deck to play by herself, then pulled Duchen aside and whispered, 'The Holy Church has a mission for you, concerning Rogliff!'