Abducting a Noble

The next morning, Du Chen, true to habit, rose early, strolling through the forest with his daughter. His classmates were still deep in slumber, and Sem, the Xino Dwarf, snored so loudly that his rumbles pierced the Misty Forest, echoing far into the distance.

Deboning approached him, a grin playing on his lips. "Young Master, Andy has vanished, and Brockman and Sinos are also gone!"

Du Chen rubbed his nose, shrugging with a chuckle. "Excellent, this is truly excellent! Everything is proceeding splendidly."

Deboning also shrugged, a smile playing on his lips. "Young Master, to make it even more convincing, should I perhaps give chase for a while?"

Du Chen shook his head. "There's no need. It's merely the loss of a worthless pet; why would I attach any significance to it? Wouldn't this demeanor be far more logical? If you were to genuinely pursue him, you'd utterly terrify Mister Brockman! His heart, at this moment, likely cannot endure even the slightest additional torment!"

"Merciful Master, pray allow Harry to sing praises of your benevolence, for you are truly too kind! Should Mister Brockman ever hear your words, he too would surely extol your virtues!" The Shieb, as always, bowed and scraped, showering Du Chen with sycophantic flattery. However, a sliver of regret lingered in his heart: with Andy "missing," who would he be able to fawn over now!? Truth be told, having Andy around was truly splendid; he could show off his prowess! The sensation was utterly exhilarating, blissfully so...

"Andy, please come back soon! I'll pat you less in the future, only fifty times a day," Harry urgently cried out in his heart!

"Alas, poor Andy must be enduring considerable hardships right now!" Harry was once again fretting over his little brother. One must admit, he was truly a very benevolent steward!

"Hardships?" Du Chen chuckled. "Hardships?! It seems I forgot to inform Mister Brockman yesterday that Andy is nothing but a paper tiger—he's bound to discover this sooner or later, but until then... Alas, let us offer prayers on his behalf! May the God of Misfortune not continue to covet him, I pray?"

"Yep! Brockman's really in trouble now!" Little Beibei giggled mischievously.

Du Chen kissed the adorable little one. "You are absolutely right, my dearest daughter!"

Poof! The little one transformed into Alex. He looked around curiously. "Where's the fat doggy?" he wondered aloud.

Somewhere deep within the Misty Forest.

Sinos, still heavily wounded and barely able to walk, trailed behind Brockman. He wore only a pair of shorts, his exceptionally muscular physique exposed, a stark sight amidst the forest's greenery.

Sinos's clothes, meanwhile, were slung over Brockman's shoulder. They had been knotted into the shape of a sack, brimming with half a bag of fragrant roasted meat. Brockman, carrying this 'sack,' ceaselessly offered ingratiating smiles. "Lord Andy, are you satisfied with the flavor of these roasted meats? Heh heh, and might I also humbly request that you walk a little faster, please?"

The corpulent wolf, Andy, ambled along at a leisurely pace, as if completely deaf to Brockman's pleas. His haughty demeanor and terrifying, oppressive aura left the two pathfinders gasping for breath.

After a considerable time, the corpulent wolf finally spoke. With his snout, he nudged a clump of knee-high bushes ahead, declaring with displeasure, "I am a wolf of ambition; I cannot expend my stamina on such trivialities as leaping! Hmph, what are you gaping at!? Clear the path!"

"Yes, yes! Mighty Lord Andy, I understand perfectly!" Brockman, intimidated by Andy's formidable presence, turned and barked at Sinos, "What are you staring at!? Quickly, clear the path for Lord Andy!"

As he spoke, Brockman frantically offered more delectable provisions. Fear gnawed at his heart; though Lord Andy didn't seem exceptionally intelligent, his aura was truly terrifying. Even though he had 'abducted' him, he was constantly on edge, terrified that if Andy became displeased, he might just devour both him and Sinos whole like roasted meat...

Alas, the path to re-establishing contact with his organization was still incredibly long. Along this journey, he absolutely *had* to serve Lord Andy well! But even upon returning to base, who possessed the power to extract "Number Six" from Lord Andy's body? It was a colossal headache...

Sinos, grievously injured and utterly exhausted, expended immense effort to finally clear the obstacles from their path. Yet by this time, Lord Andy had already devoured the last half-sack of roasted meat, and with a dismissive curl of his lip, he declared, "I am only thirty percent full! Go find me more food, immediately! Remember, nobles do not partake in wild game like rabbits. Your Lord Andy is a noble wolf with grand aspirations and a discerning palate; his sustenance can only be high-grade Aberrant Beasts! What are you dallying for? Do you wish for Lord Andy to repeat himself!? It seems your ears no longer have a reason to exist!"

He bared his fangs.

Good heavens, Lord Andy was indeed immensely powerful, but also incredibly gluttonous...! Brockman offered a wry smile. He glanced at Sinos's severely injured form, knowing well that even if he sent Sinos to hunt Aberrant Beasts, it was uncertain who would be the hunter and who the hunted! Fine, he would go himself!

Instructing Sinos to attend to Lord Andy diligently, Divine Grant Earl Brockman, injured by the three sisters and having been made to 'serve' Andy day and night, went hunting himself. Much later, he returned with two Level Six Ice Foxes and a body covered in fresh wounds.

"Damn it! I despise foxes! Their meat is utterly revolting!" Andy roared furiously!

Thump-thump, thump-thump! Brockman's heart pounded furiously. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Lord Andy's enraged visage was truly terrifying; it was enough to frighten a man to death...

After a brutal period of torment, Lord Andy finally seemed somewhat appeased, grudgingly acknowledging Brockman's 'filial devotion'. Yet immediately after, this Snow Wolf— sluggish to react to most things, but uncannily sensitive to idleness and food—suddenly realized he had made a grave error! A very serious, unforgivable mistake!

Of course, this error was not that he had been abducted. Rather, he realized that he himself was toiling far too hard, while those two individuals were enjoying too much ease...

"Hey, you two! Stand up for Lord Andy and follow my commands! Otherwise, your limbs will no longer have a reason to exist!"

Brockman, who had just been about to catch his breath, rest for a moment, and use the opportunity to tend to his old wounds, hastily stood up. "Lord Andy, what are your commands?"

"You, go chop wood; you, strip off your clothes..."

Under Andy's direction, a truly bizarre scene unfolded within the Misty Forest. Two naked men were carrying a stretcher. One man's clothes served as the stretcher's covering, while the other's clothes functioned as a sack, brimming with roasted meat. Both men were covered in wounds, yet they strained with all their might to carry the stretcher, struggling forward through the mists of the Misty Forest.

Upon the stretcher lay a Snow Wolf, fat as a pig...

But his discontented voice still echoed throughout the forest, "Damn it, speed up! It seems your legs no longer have a reason to exist!"

At another campsite, Du Chen blissfully enjoyed a legendary gourmet breakfast personally prepared by his son. He then comfortably practiced a set of sword techniques. Judging that his classmates would soon awaken, he transformed his son back into his daughter. With the Shieb attending him, he poured a cup of tea and comfortably leaned against a tree stump, perusing a Battle God novel. Its title was: *The Post-Battle God Fall Era: His Majesty Charlemagne, Foremost Battle God beneath the Starry Sky, and His Thirteen Lovers*.

Soon, Annie woke up. She pushed aside her tent flap, quickly performed her ablutions, and began preparing breakfast, secretly stealing glances at Du Chen. A profound sense of happiness swelled within her heart. Alas, how wonderful it would be if there were no outsiders, and only she and Francis could enjoy such a pleasant morning together!

It was indeed a very comfortable morning. After all the classmates had risen, Du Chen announced that Mister Brockman had departed temporarily due to urgent matters. However, out of concern for his friends' safety, he had specially dispatched Andy to protect them! These words further fueled a certain thought in Annie's mind—Student Francis was so kind and chivalrous! He could even lend out such a powerful Divine Pet to assist his friends; her grandfather and father would surely be immensely fond of him!

After more than ten days of arduous travel, Du Chen and his companions finally departed the accursed Misty Forest. From Jamis's wolf-like howl, they knew exactly where they had arrived: "Yoo-hoo! My dear casino, I've finally seen you again! I've missed you terribly!" Indeed, it was the casino of York Town!

Annie cast a displeased glance at Jamis, indignantly declaring, "Professor Jemison, please refrain from visiting casinos anymore! If not for you this time, we wouldn't have encountered so many perilous situations!" Lately, Professor Jemison had completely lost his credibility among the students, and they naturally no longer treated him with 'courtesy'.

Jamis, thick-skinned as ever, merely chuckled. Just then, a dozen or so people strode out from within the casino, led by Adelman. Adelman, cunning and astute from age, did not refer to Du Chen by his code name "Thirteen" in front of outsiders. However, he had already noticed some subtle clues from Annie's gaze towards Du Chen, which only solidified his resolve to curry favor with Du Chen. He chuckled, "Young brother, you've finally returned! The four Winged Dragons of the Wyvern Carriage have fully recovered and are ready for immediate take-off!"

"Wyvern Carriage?" Annie was momentarily stunned.

Adelman feigned not knowing Annie, and chuckled, "Indeed, the Wyvern Carriage belongs to Young Brother Francis. It can transport you all to Saint John City in a single day!"

Du Chen recounted his adapted version of the York Town story with a smile. His classmates were all delighted at the chance to ride a flying carriage pulled by four Winged Dragons and experience the thrill. No one noticed that Old Charlatan Bovin's expression had suddenly soured.

He still maintained his usual lewd demeanor, squatting in a corner behind the crowd. He carried his sack, baring yellowed teeth, but his head was bowed. "Can we truly reach Saint John City in a single day?"

Jamis, ignored by all, sullenly crouched beside him. The two looked like recently released cellmates. Jamis nudged Bovin's shoulder, whispering, "Hey, didn't we agree? A trip to Saint John City!"

Bovin shook his head in a daze, remaining silent.

After resting for a day in York Town, Du Chen and his companions boarded the Wyvern Carriage.

"Haha, this is incredibly fast! I only had a short nap, and now we're just fifty li from Saint John City!" Sem stood on the window sill, excitedly gazing at the scenery outside.

But just then, Old Bovin suddenly slammed the crystal ball he held. He roared, "I am not going to Saint John City! Descend! I have other matters to attend to, immediately!"