One Brick, Then Another

After Andy recounted his tale, Du Chen and Deboning exchanged bewildered glances. This entire affair was far too peculiar. Could it be that consuming a dragon could bestow Dragon's Might and the ability to comprehend human speech?

Or was Andy, the Snow Wolf, merely fabricating a story?

Meeting Du Chen's skeptical gaze, Andy declared solemnly, "Esteemed warrior, though you have captured me, I implore you to grant a warrior who has partaken of a dragon the basic courtesy of respect. Do not doubt my words, lest you insult my aspirations!"

His smug, portly demeanor left Du Chen both amused and exasperated.

Deboning chimed in, "Young Master, a marvelous transformation must have occurred within this Snow Wolf. If we can confirm the veracity of his claims, then perhaps we might hypothesize that the dragon he consumed possessed some unique characteristic!"

"Oh? I did indeed eat a dragon, and it didn't taste much different from other meats, just a bit chewier. How do you know the dragon I ate was peculiar? Have you eaten a dragon yourself?" Andy inquired with surprise.

Deboning shot him a sidelong glance. "Because I have also partaken of dragon meat! Yet, apart from some minor physical strengthening, I experienced no other changes whatsoever!"

"What? You've eaten dragon meat too?" At this, Andy, who was typically slow to react to anything beyond food, suddenly noticed the distinct nature of this adventuring party. "Heavens, that tall one wasn't scared off by my formidable aura just now – how can this be? Even several Grade-7 Aberrant Beasts in the forest were terrified away by me! That means he must be at least a Grade-8 Battle God!"

"And that little brat who completely disregarded my immense pressure and knocked me down with a single brick – he's definitely no ordinary human child! Who ever heard of such a terrifying child, even if his strength is actually rather small?"

"Most, most outrageous of all, there's even a Shieb here! When did timid Shiebs ever dare to venture into the Misty Forest?!" Andy stared at Harry in astonishment, then a thought sparked in his mind.

"Huh? How did my simple, food-obsessed brain suddenly learn to analyze?"

"Never mind, I won't ponder it. I have a grand dream, and I shouldn't concern myself with such trivialities. And for my dream, I must survive!" Andy looked at Harry, flashing a ingratiating smile. "Shieb brother, we are both races from the frigid polar ice plains, born as natural companions! Surely, you wouldn't wish to intercede for your fellow countryman and good friend with your… master?"

"Harry, is he your friend?" Du Chen asked.

"My noble and benevolent Master, Snow Wolves are known as the Shiebs of the wolf tribe, and like us Shiebs, they indeed hail from the polar ice plains! From that perspective, we could be considered fellow countrymen!" Harry then glared fiercely at Andy. "However, Master, this accursed Snow Wolf dared to attempt to rob you, my immensely powerful Master! Therefore, he deserves to die! You need not spare his feelings – oh, my benevolent Master, I am your most loyal servant, I shall deal with him…" Harry snatched up a brick, advancing menacingly towards Andy. The brick's origin? It was a flat stone he used to secure his travel tent in his backpack!

No one knew when such a lowly Shieb had acquired the power to slay a creature possessing Dragon's Might…

"Hey, Shieb, one should be benevolent!" Andy, realizing his 'countryman' Harry was utterly unreliable, panicked and quickly turned to Du Chen, fawning. "Esteemed Shieb warrior, I am merely a wolf who coincidentally ate a dragon. Please don't lump me in with ordinary beasts…"

Harry barked, "Silence your mouth!" Andy instantly clamped his lips shut, terrified of offending the 'fierce' Shieb warrior!

The 'fierce' Shieb warrior turned his head, fawningly asking Du Chen, "Wise Master, what are your wishes?"

Du Chen asked Deboning, "How should we handle this Snow Wolf? Do you have any suggestions?"

Deboning bowed slightly. "Young Master, this Snow Wolf's aura is exceedingly peculiar. I believe his bones must also be quite fascinating. You could bestow him upon me, allowing me to collect his skeleton?"

"Hey! That's not good, that's very not good!" Andy cried out in alarm. "I've eaten a dragon, I still have dreams, I still have an appetite! I can't die…"

Du Chen rubbed his nose, observing him, thinking to himself, 'A Snow Wolf with Dragon's Might, huh? How interesting… Even a paper tiger can scare small children!' "Deboning, I need your assessment. Evaluate this Snow Wolf's aura!"

Deboning replied, a hint of embarrassment in his tone, "Purely in terms of aura, he possesses the Dragon's Might of the dragon race, and a mutated Dragon's Might at that! This imposing presence is almost on par with Flaying's aura, and it is utterly convincing. It completely fooled my eyes just now…" He paused, then added, "However, though he projects the aura of a peak Grade-9 powerhouse, his true strength… Harry could take him down with just a wooden stick!"

Du Chen nodded, his decision made. He stepped forward, grabbed the fur on the Snow Wolf's neck, and asked in a cold voice, "If I spare you, what will I gain? Hmm?"

"I can praise you on behalf of the Moon Goddess!" Andy's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed loudly.

Alas, this accursed Snow Wolf just didn't get it!

Du Chen rephrased his question in a more explicit manner, "I dislike doing things without benefit. If I bestow you upon my attendant, I will gain his loyalty… What benefit do I gain by releasing you?"

This time, Andy finally understood. "You desire my loyalty? Oh, no, I am a Snow Wolf with dreams, I cannot casually… Huh, Shieb, I just noticed, why are you wearing noble attire? Aren't you afraid other humans will attack you?" He only now registered Harry's clothing – truly a slow reaction.

"Heavens, the outside world must be insane! A Shieb is actually wearing noble attire!" Andy shrieked.

"Shut up!" Harry slammed a brick into Andy, knocking him down. "You are insulting a noble Head Butler!"

Already dazed, Andy was now even more bewildered. "What? You're a noble's Head Butler? How is that possible… Of course, a Shieb warrior like you is naturally an exception!" Andy saw Harry raising the brick again.

Harry proudly smirked, shaking his large head, the jade-inlaid melon-skin cap on it bobbing. He straightened his specially tailored adventure suit with its golden buttons. "Snow Wolf, mind your tone. I am no ordinary Shieb. I am a noble's Head Butler with a monthly salary of ten Gold Coins, the Head Butler of a Divine Scion! Now, I am a gentleman!"

"Ten, ten Gold Coins? How many rabbits could that buy?!" Andy had never seen such an astronomical sum as ten Gold Coins in his life!

"Snow Wolf, you insult me again! How could wild game like rabbits grace a noble's dining table? I now enjoy three meals, four teas, and a late-night snack every day, all standard gentlemen's banquets! As the Head Butler of a magnanimous, benevolent, wise, and immensely powerful Master, I cannot eat wild game like rabbits and bring him shame!"

Gulp. The Snow Wolf swallowed hard. "You eat three meals, four teas, and a… a late-night snack every day?"

"Uh, not always. On weekly prayer days, when there are noble gatherings, I usually eat less, because the main course that day is roasted Flame Ox. If I eat too much, I won't have room for the Flame Ox meat! That would be quite impolite!" Harry stated very seriously.

"Oh, Moon Goddess, since when could a Shieb live such a dreamlike life!? I mean, of course, a Shieb warrior like you deserves such a life!" Andy drooled, staring intently at the Shieb, who had recently grown even fatter, raising a brick. He looked so powerful! Was this really a Shieb?!

"It's simple, because I have a great and benevolent Master!" Harry bowed to Du Chen. "My Master is one of the wealthiest individuals on the Three Continents, and he is a Divine Scion! As his Head Butler, if I don't spend at least one hundred Silver Coins a day to dress more gentlemanly and eat better, it would be a great discourtesy! My Master would punish me for such a transgression!"

Listening to the first half of the man's flattering words, which flowed like a tide, Andy could confirm that this was indeed a Shieb. Only a Shieb could speak such words. However, the latter half of what the Shieb said nearly stunned Andy; his mind became even more muddled!

"Your Master forces you to spend at least one hundred Silver Coins a day?!" Andy almost roared.

"How many rabbits could that buy?!"

"Snow Wolf, I reiterate, a gentleman disdains using rabbits as his main course! Uh, if you must know, I can tell you, it's roughly enough to buy about a thousand!"

Harry patted his belly, which was now so round it obscured his feet, and sighed. "My noble Master, please forgive me, but your butler believes that Harry has eaten too much greasy food recently. After this adventure, might we switch to something lighter?" Seeing that Du Chen showed no signs of objection, he suggested, "How about Ice Bird's Nest?"

"Hmm, then let's use the Ice Bird's Nest from the polar regions!" Du Chen replied casually.

"A thousand… a thousand rabbits…" Andy muttered to himself. Suddenly, he crawled before Du Chen, nodding solemnly. "I, Chris Andy, darling of the Moon Goddess, am willing to become your Divine Pet, but I demand ten rabbits daily!"

"What right do you have to negotiate with me?! You have only two paths: either obey, or let Harry bludgeon you to death!" Du Chen rubbed his nose, grabbed Andy's ear, and chuckled. "Work for me first. From today onwards, you follow Harry, and obey all his commands!"

Harry was overjoyed. "Haha, my status as Head Butler finally comes with a subordinate!" "Master, rest assured, Harry will discipline him properly!"

"Hmm, if he disobeys, just hit him! Don't hold back! Let's go, continue on our journey. We should reach our rendezvous point in another half-day!"

…

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Misty Forest, Brockman and Sinos stared dumbfounded at a ruined cave, speechless for a long moment.

"Lord Brockman, the brothers at Number Five base are… all dead!" Sinos said, fear in his voice, looking at the bodies on the ground and the claw marks on the walls. "Such massive claw marks don't look like human work. They should, they should be from a dragon, and a very powerful one!"

"Damn it!" Brockman slammed his fist into the ground, enraged. "Where is Experiment Number Five? Number Six is still with Francis, and now Number Five has met with an accident! Damn it, why is this happening!?"

Sinos lowered his head, watching the furious Brockman. After his anger subsided somewhat, he spoke, "My Lord, Professor Philip's 'Composite Aberrant Beasts' experiment consists of six Composite Crystals. Number One is the core, and the other five crystals are auxiliary. Finally, at the sacred altar in the McAllen Great Plains, Professor Philip will use crystals Two through Five to absorb the racial specialties of five experimental subjects, all converging onto Number One. This way, the organization will possess an incredibly powerful Super Composite Aberrant Beast, aggregating the traits of various Aberrant Beasts…"

"Sinos! Shut up, do you think I don't know all this?!" Brockman fumed.

'How unlucky! I was just trying to gently dissuade you because you were in a rage!' Sinos, despite his grievance, dared not voice it. He continued, "What I mean to say is, the key to this experiment is Number One, the Golden Behemoth Beast Kuta, as he is the primary subject for the final composite. So, even though Number Five and Number Six are lost, the organization's losses are not unacceptable, and Professor Philip's experiment has not suffered a fundamental blow!"

Brockman nodded. "I understand your meaning now. The situation isn't at its absolute worst yet, I don't need to be so anxious. Very well, Sinos, find a way to contact the organization, have Rogliff send people to search for Number Five, and then we will continue to follow Francis! After all, Francis doesn't know the true purpose of Number Six! Alas, sometimes I wonder, with my good friendship with Francis, even if I were to ask him for it, he wouldn't refuse me, would he?" Sinos, standing nearby, surprisingly nodded in agreement…

As the two spoke, neither noticed three women approaching from a distance – three ugly women, leading several bound captives behind them.

"Oh? Big Sister, it seems someone has intruded into the territory we just claimed not long ago!"

"Hmph, what are we waiting for? Attack!"

…

Elsewhere in the Misty Forest.

"Oh my, I've calculated it! Harry the Head Butler's monthly salary could buy at least ten thousand rabbits!" Andy declared, half a day having passed since their earlier conversation.

Du Chen cast a helpless glance at Andy, who was slowly trailing behind. "Harry, according to the map, we've reached our pre-arranged meeting point. Take a sniff, do you detect any scent of Professor Jemison and his group?"

"Yes, Master!" Harry circled the area, then said, perplexed, "Master, there's no human scent at all. It seems Professor Jemison and his group have never been here…"