Ancestral Mausoleum

“Mmm, my dearest Beibei, just one more kiss from Papa!”

Du Chen, seated on the plush carriage seat, showered little Beibei with affectionate kisses. This adorable darling was truly captivating. Not only had she previously "devoured" Alex, but she had also bonded with Deboning and Harry, deepening Du Chen's fondness for his daughter. And today, the little one had subtly demonstrated a precognitive ability to detect danger, even sharper than Deboning's!

She was practically a little radar! No, not just 'little'—she was a “super” radar.

“Hehe! Papa praises Beibei, Beibei is happy!” The little girl giggled sweetly.

Du Chen playfully pinched her tiny nose, a loving smile gracing his lips. “My dear, you did exceptionally well today by spotting the enemy. Papa will grant you any reward you wish!”

“Meeh? A reward? No need! Oh, right, Papa hasn't eaten yet!”

The little one tilted her head, tugging at her two gravity-defying pigtails as she pondered, then chuckled sweetly, “Papa should hunt a wild boar for Beibei!”

“You want a wild boar?” It was certainly an unusual request, yet Du Chen, of course, wouldn't refuse his daughter's simple wish. “Alright, Papa will personally hunt a wild boar for you in a bit! But my dear, what do you need a wild boar for?”

The little one looked at Du Chen earnestly, “Papa fought battles, so Papa is tired. Beibei wants wild boar to roast for Papa, to help Papa recover…”

A wave of warmth surged through Du Chen's heart, deeply touched. No wonder people said daughters were their parents' thoughtful little comforters. Who wouldn't adore such a sensible and filial daughter!?

But then…

Du Chen, Deboning, and Harry simultaneously cast their gazes towards the carriage ceiling, their faces ashen… The little one was perfect in every way, except for her culinary skills… Still, his daughter's filial piety was paramount; how could a father possibly refuse?

Du Chen quickly snared a small wild boar from the thicket. After Harry prepared it, little Beibei began her “work.”

“Fire!” The little one commanded, setting a flame to the meat slices casually tossed on the ground before her. She then rummaged through her tiny apron, muttering, “For roasted meat, need salt! How much… just throw it all in! Oops! This looks like sugar… then what's this? Oh no, Beibei can't find the salt!”

The little one turned her apron inside out, finally discovering a small bottle of salt just as she had carelessly poured out all other seasonings and the meat was already charred. “Hmm? So many seasonings are already in there, maybe no salt is fine too? Hehe!”

A grotesque entity had taken shape: black, crispy, emanating a strange, pungent odor, bearing virtually no resemblance to anything remotely edible or meat-like.

Du Chen's face had gone utterly green. He whispered, “Deboning, Harry! Later, you are absolutely not to displease Young Miss. No matter the taste, you will swallow it down. Not only swallow it, but you will also make it seem incredibly delicious and loudly praise how wonderful it is!”

The forest under the night sky felt eerie. Du Chen and the others' faces, illuminated by the cooking fire and shadowed by the trees, took on a sickly green hue. After they forced down Beibei's homemade “delicacy,” their complexions shifted to a mottled purple.

Du Chen forced a smile, his voice hoarse. “Delicious, truly delicious! ‘Daughter,’ you've outdone yourself!” He genuinely couldn't bear for little Beibei to see his true reaction and be disappointed, so he promptly summoned Alex!

“By the heavens! What in the blazes is this?!”

The moment Alex appeared, he pointed at the “roasted meat” and shrieked, stamping his foot. “Is this meant for pigs?! No, not even a pig would eat this; I imagine it would rather starve!” He then looked up at Du Chen's bizarre complexion. “Could it be… could it be that Papa actually ate it?”

He dejectedly lowered his head. “Just let me die! How can someone of my caliber have such a foolish father!? Heavens, a Master's father so indiscriminately consumed such a thing that he'd eat anything! Don't tell anyone you know me ever again!” Alex then picked up the remaining fresh meat slices and quickly cooked them over the fire.

“This is what a Master *should* eat! There aren't many seasonings left, so the taste might be a little lacking!”

Du Chen took a piece of meat and tasted it. “Heavens, the contrast is immense! What will I do if I can't eat something this delicious again?” Du Chen had always known his “Master” son, Alex, possessed exquisite culinary skills, but he never expected today's roasted meat to be *this* flavorful! Overcome with excitement, Du Chen couldn't help but lavish praise: “My dear, my wonderful ‘son,’ what you've made is simply too delicious! Will you roast meat for Papa every day from now on?”

*Poof!* Du Chen, caught off guard, accidentally blurted out “Little Beibei” again.

The little girl happened to overhear the latter half of Du Chen's sentence and joyfully exclaimed, “Yes! Beibei will roast meat for Papa every day…”

Du Chen abruptly hung his head. This was heaven and hell condensed! If it were merely heaven and hell, it might be bearable. But to experience the bliss of heaven only to be immediately subjected to the torment of hell—how could they possibly endure?! “Gods, save me…” —This was but a small interlude experienced by the group on their journey. The three ravenously devoured all the delicacies cooked by Alex, and Du Chen continued on his way.

Meanwhile, Shieb, who had sampled Alex's culinary prowess, mused inwardly as he drove the carriage, ‘Young Master's cooking is getting better and better!’ Yet, he swore by the only thing a Shieb truly prided himself on—his nose—that the Young Master's roasted meat tasted…

‘Never mind, I shouldn't mention this to the Master. If I were to praise the Young Master's cooking in front of Young Miss, our adorable young lady would surely turn into a ‘Demoness’! Besides, even if that taste was truly… well, with Sir Brook and over a hundred Grand Matriarchs nearby, what is there to fear?’

“Ha! It's truly hard to believe. Half a year ago, I was a lowly slave, a mere henchman for bandits. Yet half a year later, I am the Head Butler to a super-wealthy Divine Scion, the absolute confidant of my Master and Young Miss, privileged to wear attire fit only for nobles… In the future, once Master graduates, with his capabilities, he could at least become a Prime Minister. And then I would be the Prime Minister's Head Butler! Who knows, I might even become the first Shieb on the Three Continents to receive a title of nobility! No, it's not 'who knows'—it's a certainty! Haha!”

Shieb, fully engrossed in his splendid fantasies of the future, urged the carriage onward with even greater zeal.

The coastal topography of Lanning, in the southern part of the Aethelgard Continent, strikingly resembled a large boot. Antwerp Port, where Du Chen first beheld the sea in Battle God World, lay at the 'toe' of the boot, Newin Port at the 'heel,' and the Saint Sigurd Cain family's ancestral mausoleum was situated along the 'rim' of the boot.

After more than ten days of travel, Du Chen arrived at the Sigurd Necropolis, nestled in Rick Province.

Upon a vast grassland, hundreds of pristine white structures formed an architectural complex rivaling a small city. As night descended, the complex appeared sacred and solemn under the illumination of surrounding torch stands. Most strikingly, the thirty-meter-tall, lifelike statue of Sigurd at its heart, radiant with holy light, commanded a sense of the “Holy Splendor” Sigurd's bygone might from afar!

Adhering to noble etiquette, Du Chen halted the carriage on the verdant grassland a hundred meters from the main entrance. He then carried his daughter, accompanied by his household, and walked towards the Battle-Warriors guarding the main gate. Lucy and Lily also followed close behind Du Chen—after all, this was the mausoleum of Sigurd, their most revered elder brother, and it would be unthinkable not to pay their respects here. In the darkness of night, they had no fear of inadvertently shifting into their monstrous Undead forms.

Lily glanced at the two Battle-Warriors before the gate, then suddenly let out a soft “Oh?” A nostalgic expression crossed her face. “They are members of the Holy Flame Knights of Sigurd! In my time, their ancestors and I fought side-by-side!”

So they weren't just ordinary Battle-Warriors! A chill ran through Du Chen's heart. Hmph, Arges had never told him how to identify members of the Holy Flame Knights—and his elder brother Steve, constrained by family rules, hadn't mentioned it either!

“I am Francis, and I have come to pay respects at the Ancestral Mausoleum!” Du Chen stepped forward and declared.

The two Knights exchanged a look, then suddenly stated, “Lord Francis, forgive our presumption, but we must relay Grand Duke Arges's command!” They addressed him not as 'Third Young Master,' but as “Lord Francis”!

“What command has my father issued?” Du Chen asked, displeased.

“Young Master Steve has already informed Grand Duke Arges of your exploits within the Battle God Academy. The Grand Duke's command states that since you have become a Battle-Warrior and have established your own enterprise within Saint John City, you no longer belong to the Saint Sigurd Cain Estate, but rather to a collateral branch of Sigurd, the Divine Scion's descendants!”

A wicked fury flared in Du Chen's heart. *Arges, you truly are ruthless! You've outright disinherited me!* *Damn it, isn't it just because you've heard whispers about the Spirit Seed and suspect Francis is some sort of monstrous anomaly, not your true son?* *Still, never mind. I was planning to establish my own house anyway. But my self-reliance is one thing; this current situation is quite another. I'll remember this, you old bastard!*

“And what of a collateral branch?” Du Chen asked coldly, his gaze fixed on them.

The Knight met Du Chen's gaze unflinchingly, his voice turning frigid. “According to Saint Sigurd Cain family rules, collateral descendants must first obtain the family head's permission to pay respects at the Ancestral Mausoleum!”

This rule was undeniably reasonable; after all, the Sigurd lineage had endured for a millennium, with countless collateral and illegitimate offspring. If all of them could freely visit the Ancestral Mausoleum, wouldn't it become a chaotic marketplace? Yet, this very rule only inflamed Du Chen's temper further.

“So, to enter the Ancestral Mausoleum, I must first journey to Saint John City and obtain the Grand Duke's permission?”

“Precisely!” The two tomb-guarding Battle-Warriors suddenly shifted their stances, positioning themselves in the middle of the path, physically blocking Du Chen's advance. Then, several more Battle-Warriors emerged from behind the main gate, forming a line to completely obstruct the way.

“Hmph!” Deboning stepped forward.

“Brook, return!” Du Chen's cold gaze remained fixed on the Battle-Warriors before the Ancestral Mausoleum gates. With Deboning, he could certainly force his way in. But what then? Francis leading a frontal assault on the ancestral burial grounds—such an accusation would be enough to permanently ruin him across the Three Continents! Furthermore, the Grand Matriarchs would never permit their elder brother's tomb to be disturbed!

“Lord Francis, please withdraw. Without the Grand Duke's command, we absolutely cannot permit your entry into the Ancestral Mausoleum!”

Lucy frowned slightly, observing the Battle-Warriors at the gate in silence. But Lily, quick to speak, indignantly interjected on Du Chen's behalf, “This is outrageous! Must Francis seek permission just to pay respects to his own mother?! Sigurd… how have the descendants of a Divine Scion fallen to such a state!?” She bit back the rest of her words under Lucy's subtly warning gaze.

*Heh! Interesting.* Grand Matriarch Lily's words had sparked an idea in Du Chen. Entering the Ancestral Mausoleum wasn't impossible, and it could even be easy. However, recruiting the Grand Matriarchs was far more challenging. This, right now, was an excellent opportunity!

Du Chen lowered his head mournfully. “To think… that I, to pay respects to my own mother, require another's permission. It is truly beyond belief!”