The Grand Schemer's Gambit (II)

“Project Five? What could that be?” Du Chen gazed at the three sisters in puzzlement, yet a realization dawned on him—this castle was certainly not the Dragonkin’s original domain. They must have plundered it from others, and those unfortunate humans had been conducting some sort of ‘Project Five’!

“Hehe, oh, but how could I impose?” Du Chen feigned reluctance, though his heart was alight with curiosity about the secrets hidden within. He skillfully changed the subject, smiling, “As courtesy dictates, I am but a guest, while the three sisters are my gracious hosts. It is I who should first offer a token of my esteem to my three elder sisters!”

With that, Du Chen retrieved a diamond necklace from his travel bag. While the necklace possessed no mystical properties to amplify battle qi, the diamonds embedded within it were truly treasures of the mortal realm. Most remarkably, eighteen of the smaller diamonds, though only the size of a pinky fingernail, were perfectly identical in size. Even more astonishingly, these smaller diamonds encircled a single, walnut-sized, top-grade crystalline diamond. If not unique in all the world, then it was certainly close to it. Such a gift was perfectly suited to the Dragonkin’s tastes.

The three sisters’ eyes had not left the necklace from the moment it appeared. They gazed intently, utterly captivated, at the treasure in Du Chen’s hand. Jennifer gulped, “Little brother, you understand your elder sisters’ preferences far too well, ha! This is far too precious! Such magnificent diamonds… we don’t even have the courage to decline or utter polite refusals!”

“Esteemed sisters,” Du Chen began, “this necklace bears a name: the Seaquake Diamond. Legend has it that it was discovered by the Merfolk a century ago, emerging from a seafloor fissure during the Great Einz Southern Sea Quake. To this day, while humans may have found larger diamonds, none can rival this ultimate Seaquake Diamond in size, nor are there any other small diamonds of identical form and luster that could ever be strung into another such necklace!”

Du Chen observed the sisters’ mesmerized expressions and chuckled, “Of all the possessions I carry, only this one is truly worthy of being bestowed upon noble Dragonkin royalty such as my three elder sisters! The only pity is that there is but one. However, if there were another such necklace, its value would be significantly diminished.”

The three sisters’ hearts practically itched with desire; they longed to snatch the diamonds from Du Chen’s grasp. Yet, that would be exceedingly impolite! They were currently maintaining their noble facade, so even if they could barely resist, they forcefully restrained themselves.

Du Chen did not immediately hand over the necklace. Instead, he produced a small casket from his bag. With a slight flick, a brilliant sapphire glow quickly filled the room. “Esteemed sisters, though I have never had the pleasure of meeting Uncle Jonathan, his illustrious reputation I hold in the highest reverence. Please, convey this small item to him. Consider it a humble token of my respect as a junior!”

“The Heart of the Ocean? Could this be the legendary, largest Heaven-grade Crystalline Diamond, the Heart of the Ocean!?” The three sisters were utterly astounded. Heavens! These two gifts from Francis alone could rival the entire fortune of a high-ranking noble! This handsome little brother was truly far too wealthy!

“Such keen eyes, my elder sisters! Indeed, it is the Heart of the Ocean!” Du Chen handed over all the gifts to the three sisters, secretly chuckling to himself. These items, incapable of battle qi amplification, held no practical use for him beyond amusing children. Yet, in the eyes of the Dragonkin, they were the most magnificent treasures! Relying on their connection to Roland and Zigurd, he had formally forged a rather strong friendship with the Dragonkin, wouldn’t you say!?

“Hehe, little brother did not bring too many jewels on this scholarly journey. If I am fortunate enough to visit Mount Miglio, I shall prepare a truly grand gift for Uncle and my three elder sisters then!”

The three sisters eagerly adorned themselves with the necklaces, laughing, “It goes without saying! If, little brother, you one day travel to Mount Miglio…” Linda nudged Jennifer, interjecting, “Although Mount Miglio is forbidden territory for outsiders, where unauthorized entry is punishable by death, you, little brother, are one of our own! If you wish to visit our father, simply give us sisters a heads-up!”

“Little brother shall bear that in mind. Now then, I am quite curious, what small gift have my three esteemed sisters prepared for me?!”

“Very well, then, Second Sister, perhaps you could accompany Brother Francis to the underground laboratory for a look!” Her gaze remained fixed on the necklace.

Linda, also captivated by the necklace, smiled, “Third Sister, why don’t you lead Brother Francis to see it?”

Betty smacked her lips, the gleam of the diamonds on the necklace reflecting in her eyes, and chuckled, “Elder Sister, you were the one who burned down that underground laboratory; you’re most familiar with the situation there, so you should go!”

The three bickered and passed the buck for a while. Finally, the eldest, Jennifer, reluctantly led Du Chen out of the side hall.

As Du Chen followed Jennifer out the door, he had barely gone a few steps when he heard the two remaining sisters arguing behind him: “Hey, I’ll wear it first!”

“No, I should wear it first, I’m the elder sister!”

“You’re the elder sister, and an elder sister should defer to her younger siblings!”

...

Du Chen shrugged, curled his lips into a knowing smile, and continued on his way.

Jennifer led Du Chen to the entrance of a secret underground chamber behind the main hall. She opened the door, and as Du Chen beheld the spiral staircase and overall layout below, he was abruptly stunned.

Damn it! This place looked exactly like Philip’s Alchemy Laboratory—no, it was practically identical!

Could it be...?

“Little brother, come along!” Jennifer led Du Chen down, then suddenly lowered her voice. “Elder Sister must warn you about something: that Jamis is a scoundrel, an absolute scoundrel!”

“Oh? What happened?” Du Chen replied casually, but his eyes were constantly scrutinizing the laboratory’s structure. Damn it, the first level had a sixty-nine-step spiral staircase—even the number of steps was the same!

Jennifer, leading the way, did not notice Du Chen’s abnormal behavior. She continued, “That Jamis gambled away his money in York Town, refused to pay his debts, and fled to this ancient castle near the Misty Forest. We three sisters pursued him and encountered an experimental subject, Dragon Peak, here. After we killed Dragon Peak, that despicable Jamis actually claimed he had a little brother—you! He said you were very handsome and wealthy, and that he could lure you here to use your wealth and… person to settle his gambling debts…”

“What!? That damned Jamis!” Du Chen rubbed his nose thoughtfully, mentally making a note of Jamis’s ‘generosity’.

“But when we sisters arrived at the location he mentioned to lay an ambush, we only caught your classmates… I reckon that Jamis is unreliable. You’d best guard against him betraying you again! It would be best to simply dispose of him. Your elder sister can certainly assist you with that!”

Du Chen feigned difficulty, “That might be… difficult, Sister. Jamis is an instructor at Battle God Academy; I…”

Jennifer nodded knowingly, “Elder Sister understands. Then you must be very careful, though with your strength, you surely don’t fear such petty matters!”

Du Chen offered an elegant smile, saying, “I sincerely thank my elder sister for her concern!” He paused, then added, “It seems there are traces of scorching here!”

“Indeed, I was the one who did it. I burned the entire place down then, but I never expected there would be things here unafraid of my flames. Heh, all excellent specimens immune to Elemental Primal Force…” Jennifer left one thing unsaid: Dragonkin themselves possessed partial immunity to Elemental Primal Force, so these items held no use for them, which was why they were willing to offer them as a gesture of goodwill.

This laboratory was strikingly similar to Philip’s, both appearing to have eighteen levels. The upper seventeen levels had been largely consumed by Jennifer’s flames, but some unique alchemical creations on the eighteenth level had survived the blaze.

Damn it, could this also be one of Philip’s laboratories? Otherwise, such a resemblance would be impossible! Du Chen had studied alchemy with Philip for several months; though not yet a master, he possessed fundamental knowledge. He observed the scattered experimental items on the floor, musing inwardly, *This is an experiment concerning beasts!*

Dragon Peak was an experimental subject… Jennifer burned him to death… Andy ate the burned dragon…

Damn it! All these events connected like a thread, and Du Chen suddenly understood the reason for the plump wolf Andy’s mutation—this experiment must have contained elements similar to Battle Qi Inheritance! And poor Andy, inheriting from Dragon Peak, had become Subject Five!

Jennifer laughed, “Oh dear, this place is quite a mess, and we sisters haven’t cleaned up… Anyway, everything that wasn’t burned is right here. Elder Sister will tidy up a bit, and then…”

“No, there’s no need to tidy up, Elder Sister. From my observations, this appears to be an Alchemy Laboratory, and I am, in fact, quite interested in alchemy—one might even say utterly obsessed!” Du Chen chuckled. “If you don’t mind, I would like to spend tonight here, for the alchemical creations and the laboratory’s arrangement truly captivate me!”

Jennifer was taken aback; her little brother’s request was a little peculiar. However, this place was plundered by her anyway, so even if Du Chen utterly destroyed it, she wouldn’t feel a shred of remorse! “Very well then. Elder Sister will go up now. Call me if you need anything!”

Watching Jennifer depart, Du Chen stood in the center of the eighteenth level, rubbing his nose. He took ten steps to the left, then twenty steps forward, before bending down and prying open a section of the red stone floor.

Sure enough, this laboratory also contained a hidden nineteenth level, which the three Dragonkin sisters simply hadn’t discovered!

Seeing the secret hatch beneath the stone slab, Du Chen smiled.

A nineteenth level, untouched by the fire, would surely yield a wealth of intriguing information!

That night, Jamis, under the students’ collective rebuke, awkwardly admitted his mistakes.

Meanwhile, in the dungeon, a captivating spectacle was just beginning to unfold...

With a resounding clang, the three sisters kicked open the cell door. Gazing at the terrified Brockman within, they mused darkly to themselves: Francis was off-limits, but this one wasn’t bad at all! Besides, the three of them had never sampled a Divine Grant Earl before!

“Ah! What are you doing!?” Brockman’s screams swiftly morphed into something… more ambiguous—the naturally licentious Dragonkin truly had a particular expertise in certain matters. Whether by aphrodisiacs or arcane techniques, the three sisters, at least, left him with a rather memorable experience...

However, what sort of memories Lord Brockman, the Divine Grant Earl, carried from that night remained a mystery to outsiders.

Du Chen, meanwhile, was in the nineteenth level, perusing documents, his eyes gleamed with a shifting light, and a cold smile constantly played on his lips.

Philip was part of a mysterious organization, and that organization was orchestrating an undertaking of immense proportions. This grand endeavor required a multitude of Battle Gods and Aberrant Beasts to serve as their fighting force!

To assemble these troops, Philip had developed the ‘Undead Battle God’ project, a truly groundbreaking experiment designed to supply the organization with Undead Bio-soldiers. However, such a singular troop type could easily have its weaknesses exploited and be eradicated. Therefore, Philip conceived the ‘Composite Aberrant Beasts’ experiment to diversify the natural attributes of the troop types, ensuring the organization’s forces were not solely confined to the Undead.

These so-called ‘Composite Aberrant Beasts’ were created by fusing six Aberrant Beasts together using Alchemical Soul Crystals. The most powerful among them, Number One, served as the dominant force, absorbing the characteristics of the other five beasts, eventually mutating into an experimental Divine Pet that could almost rival a Super Divine Pet, designed to fight alongside Super Undead Battle Gods!

“Philip, you’re a damned genius! No wonder Andy possessed so much understanding; it turns out the Subject Five it consumed had already integrated many Aberrant Beasts’ unique characteristics!”

Even as an adversary, Du Chen had to admit that Philip’s talent in alchemy was truly unparalleled, capable of inspiring reverence across the world!

Du Chen retrieved the Merfolk King’s Cube he had acquired. He looked at it, then curled his lips in a smirk. “Number Six, Brockman was after you all along!”

Just then, Du Chen heard footsteps. He quickly put everything away, but upon seeing the approaching figure, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Deboning, what is it?”

“Young Master, your classmates mentioned encountering Brockman in the dungeon…”

“Oh?” Du Chen’s eyes lit up. Stroking his nose, a faint smile played on his lips. “My formidable Sir Deboning, your news is truly delightful… Now, I need to think, and think very carefully…”

He shrugged. “Dear Mr. Brockman, you say? I have a plan, alas, it still requires a little… refinement!”