The Bedchamber's Selection

The eldest sister stepped forward, calling out from a distance, “We are Jennifer, Linda, and Betty, the three daughters of the Sacred Dragon Jonathan of Mount Miglio!” She nudged her two younger sisters, and the trio approached, offering a slight bow in accordance with human noble etiquette, all the while keenly observing Du Chen's reaction.

Du Chen returned the bow, much to the relief of the three women. It seemed their guest observed proper decorum, which meant a peaceful resolution might still be possible.

His cunning ruse had clearly worked; these three 'mother dragons' were thoroughly awed by his feigned demeanor. They hadn't immediately pursued the trespassers into their dragon territory, which meant everything would be much easier now.

It was a stalemate born of mutual wariness, akin to a straw-man confronting a wolf, where both harbored fear. Du Chen possessed the power to utterly overpower the three sisters, yet he worried about their formidable background and the heavy price he might pay later. The three sisters, on the other hand, had entirely misjudged Du Chen’s strength, fearing that their isolated position made them vulnerable to being eliminated – a not-uncommon occurrence among the powerful.

“May I ask, Sir, which Battle God you are?” Jennifer, the eldest, inquired. “And why have you come to our domain?”

Du Chen chuckled. “I can hardly compare to the illustrious renown of Mount Miglio; currently, I’m just an unknown nobody!” This was a candid truth. “Perhaps you’ve heard of two of my teachers, who are both mentors and friends to me: Dean Zigurd of Battle God Academy, and His Eminence Roland!”

“So, you are friends with His Eminence Roland and Zigurd!” The three sisters exchanged glances. Zigurd was one thing, but Roland… if that madman drew his sword, even their father would be wary!

Du Chen offered another smile. “My dear ladies from Mount Miglio, I have several friends who went missing in the Misty Forest, and I am currently searching for them! Ladies, might you be able to offer me some assistance?” Though his tone was one of polite request, the three sisters perceived an undeniable authority in his words—Du Chen had infused them with Lotus Internal Force! This power was utterly domineering; no living creature could fully resist it, even in its current nascent stage.

“Since you are a disciple of Their Eminences Roland and Zigurd, you are no longer an outsider to us. As Their Eminences are good friends of our father, you are a good brother to us three sisters! Please, come in, let’s discuss this further inside.” Linda quickly interjected.

“Very well, I shall impose upon my three elder sisters!” Du Chen almost gagged. Was this really happening? From strangers to 'sister' and 'brother' so quickly! He was truly witnessing shamelessness today…

Du Chen followed the three sisters into the ancient castle-base. A strange thought gnawed at him: this supposed dragon's lair was clearly an ancient human fortress. But his purpose was to rescue people, not to study the architectural structure of their territory, so he refrained from asking.

The timid Harry was already hidden within Du Chen’s lotus, Beibei nestled in Du Chen’s arms, Deboning followed, his gaze cold and calculating, while Andy, now without his beast tamer, ambled lazily by Du Chen’s feet, eyes half-closed, emanating his unique, terrifying aura.

But Andy was terrified inside; this was the dragons’ den, and he had recently consumed one of their kin! Yet, this fear manifested on his face as a ferocious snarl.

Feeling an aura far surpassing their own emanating from Andy, Linda asked, “Sir, is this your…”

“Divine Pet, haha. Just recently, this fellow tried to rob me, and as I happened to be without a Divine Pet, I took him in!”

This was another candid truth, but it made the three sisters’ hearts skip a beat. From its aura alone, this creature—neither fully dragon nor wolf—was definitely far superior to them! Yet this man had so casually taken it as his Divine Pet!?

Andy obediently stayed by Du Chen’s side, offering no refutation, further deepening the sisters’ apprehension.

The rule of the Three Continents was simple: only Battle Souls of sufficient strength could command pets of equivalent power! Clearly, this man before them had achieved an extraordinary level where he could freely control his aura, concealing his true strength… And, most impressively, he was incredibly handsome! Far more handsome than even Brockman!

The eldest and third sisters’ eyes gradually shifted from Andy back to Du Chen’s face, inwardly marveling, *Heavens, how can humans produce such a handsome man!?* What a shame the situation was unclear, otherwise… *Damn it, don’t entertain wild thoughts when facing a powerful being!* Second Sister Linda remained relatively clear-headed. She smiled, “Sir, forgive my impertinence, but your Divine Pet’s aura seems to share a resemblance with our own…”

“Indeed, I sense it too, but even Andy himself can’t explain his connection to the dragon race!” Du Chen replied with a mysterious smile.

Linda was startled, then lowered her voice to probe, “Brother Andy, may I ask about your parents…?”

The obese Snow Wolf proudly raised his head, instinctively repeating his oft-recited line, “I, Andy, am the favored one of the Moon Goddess…”

The favored one of the Moon Goddess? Uncle Constantine’s beloved, Aunt Sophia, the Frost Saint Wolf’s master, the favored one of the Moon Goddess? Then…

“Oh my, you truly are our cousin!” Linda exclaimed with delight, rushing forward to embrace Andy’s plump neck—it wasn’t that her intelligence was so low as to randomly acknowledge kinship; it was that Andy’s aura was undeniably genuine! That peculiar, incredibly powerful pressure, born of a ‘strong-strong’ union between a dragon and a wolf, naturally led the three dragon princesses to recall the story of Constantine and Sophia.

Moreover, and most crucially, when facing a powerful individual whose intentions are unclear, the best choice is to establish a familial connection! So even if Andy wasn’t their cousin, and Linda harbored doubts, she would still temporarily accept this kinship. Her earlier exchange of ‘sister’ and ‘brother’ with Du Chen was precisely this intention, and now she was doing it again to solidify the relationship—this was how smart people avoided conflict!

“Cousin?” Andy, as usual, was slow on the uptake. More accurately, he was terrified by his predicament. *Heavens, a giant dragon is hugging me, and this giant dragon is so ugly…*

Andy hadn’t reacted or was perhaps too stunned, frozen in place. Du Chen, however, saw his chance. While the three sisters took turns acknowledging their ‘relative,’ he asked, feigning surprise, “Ladies, what exactly are you doing?”

“To be frank, Sir, we suspect your Divine Pet is of Mount Miglio’s bloodline! As for how we recognized it… that involves an old tale of our Mount Miglio!”

*What are you three sisters thinking?! That’s too creative, Andy is your cousin? Hehe, I haven’t said a word, you’re saying it all yourselves,* Du Chen thought, then chuckled, “Since it’s an old tale, I won’t inquire. But this is truly unexpected! My three elder sisters, Andy is actually your cousin, haha, then we are even less like outsiders!”

“Yes, we were never outsiders to begin with!” The three sisters enthusiastically ushered Du Chen into the great hall.

“Sir, you are here looking for friends, and I have a suggestion!” Jennifer smiled. “We three sisters dare not boast, but with Mount Miglio’s reputation, we can gather the Aberrant Beasts from the surrounding areas. Sir, why don't you rest here tonight, and tomorrow, we will summon the local Aberrant Beasts to help you search for your friends. How does that sound?”

*Damn it, the people I’m looking for are in your hands,* Du Chen thought. This first step of intimidating the enemy had succeeded. Next, he needed to find a way for them to willingly surrender the captives without forcing their hand.

Du Chen nodded in agreement, and Jennifer smiled again. “Excellent, it’s getting late! Second Sister, please prepare dinner. Third Sister, you go…”

She chuckled slyly, “Sir, my Third Sister will arrange your bedchamber. As for the selection for the bedchamber, what kind of companion do you prefer?”

The bedchamber’s selection?! *Heavens!* Du Chen’s heart rate instantly accelerated—a perfectly normal male reaction! But…

Gritting his teeth, Du Chen instinctively politely declined. “Forget it, I’m not really into that.”

Jennifer looked at Du Chen ambiguously, seemingly on the verge of saying, “Or perhaps, I could accompany you?” “Are you truly certain you don’t need it? How can that be? That would be very impolite! How about this: you choose a type—male, female, from a one-year-old Ami Beast to a thousand-year-old Elf, I can find, no, *invite* them for you. If…”

Du Chen felt his blood rush, his mind racing. *Wait, this is an opportunity! I had originally planned to cause trouble using the excuse of a dinner servant, but this opportunity is even more ideal!*

“Hehe, since my three elder sisters are so enthusiastic, this younger brother won’t refuse!” Du Chen quickly calculated the characteristics of his classmates and laughed, “I only prefer nobility, high-ranking nobility!” He glanced at his golden hair. “Especially noble maidens with hair the same color as mine! I recall last time I rejected a duke’s daughter because she didn’t possess a noble title herself!”

“Golden-haired noble maidens with titles, you say?” Jennifer turned to Third Sister. “Did you get that? Go find them quickly! No, go and *invite* them quickly!”

“Wait!” Du Chen thought, *Although I’ve specifically described Annie’s image, what if these three dragonesses have other golden-haired maidens captive?* Thinking this, he reluctantly added, “I only like those who are youthful, elegant, and I am rather particular, excuse me, haha!”

At this moment, Du Chen looked like a complete lecher, albeit one with good taste. Yet, Jennifer nodded in agreement. “Elder Sister understands. All golden-haired noble maidens within a hundred-mile radius will be sent to your bedchamber!”

*Good, this way Annie will be safely delivered to me!* Du Chen added, “By the way, do my three elder sisters live alone in such a vast castle? Don’t you have any servants? Even small tasks like preparing a banquet require your personal attention, truly… haha!”

Jennifer’s face flushed slightly. In noble interactions, servants were for show and status; otherwise, why would Du Chen deliberately dress Harry up? For the three sisters to have no servants attending them was highly improper.

Du Chen continued, “Given the status of my three elder sisters, a banquet should at least have several noble servants attending to showcase the prestige of Mount Miglio, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, Little Brother, you are absolutely right!” Jennifer turned back to give further instructions. “Second Sister, go find noble servants!”

Meanwhile, Jennifer and Du Chen discussed her ‘cousin’ Andy in the great hall, while Betty and Linda headed to the dungeon where the captives were held.

“This is truly extraordinary, he’s a genuine noble, he only likes nobility! But where are we supposed to find nobility in the Misty Forest? And high-ranking ones at that! I hope we have some high-ranking nobles among our captives!”

*CLANG!*

Betty, responsible for finding the bedchamber’s selection, kicked open the dungeon door, standing between two rows of sealed cells, and bellowed, “Who among you is a golden-haired noble!? Step out immediately, or we’ll kill you all!”

Linda frowned slightly and added for her sister, “If you step forward and help us with one task, we can grant you your freedom!”

“Golden-haired noble? Yes!” A weak voice came from one of the cells. “I, I am Divine Grant Earl, Brockman…”