Phil's Last Testament

“The Sacred Artifact Box?” Arges’s brow furrowed, a furious retort escaping his lips. “That is a precious legacy Phil left to me alone! It is already mine and falls outside the scope of her other possessions!”

Old Foye knew his place as a mere servant. He had merely indicated to Du Chen that Phil had left Arges a box, and said nothing more, retreating to stand behind Du Chen.

Embracing a ruthless philosophy of ‘rather err on the side of aggression than miss an opportunity,’ Du Chen extended a hand. “It’s merely a common sacred artifact in the form of a box. Deputy Director, you are hardly in need of such an item. Why not bestow it upon me? I insist you grant it to me!”

“This is non-negotiable! Absolutely impossible!” Arges’s demeanor suddenly grew unyielding.

*Hmm? Arges’s reaction seems excessively vehement!* Du Chen mused, stroking his chin. *Either the Sacred Artifact Box holds no special significance, and Arges is simply cherishing his departed wife’s memory, unwilling to part with it casually. Though I despise Arges, the accounts from Elder Brother and Old Foye suggest his affection for Phil was indeed profound. The fact that Arges, a man of immense influence, has not remarried in over a decade since Phil’s passing certainly attests to this, making his reluctance to surrender her final keepsake perfectly understandable.*

*Or there’s another possibility… that it conceals a momentous secret!*

“Lord Arges, this is quite… unbecoming of you,” Du Chen chuckled, still stroking his chin. “As I stated, the terms of our agreement encompass all of my mother’s personal effects during her lifetime. *Everything!* Do you comprehend?”

*Thud!*

Arges suddenly struck his chest with his right fist. He had yet to shed his armor, and the metallic clang of his Sigurd armor colliding with his iron gauntlet was particularly jarring.

This was the death oath of a Lanning soldier facing a decisive battle, a tradition passed down from Emperor Bovin, the Sacred Founder. Arges’s action was an unequivocal declaration to Du Chen: to claim that Sacred Artifact Box, he would have to kill him!

Yet, this only piqued Du Chen’s interest further. He smiled. “Duke, you are forcing my hand again. It seems…”

“Young Master, may I have a word in private?” Old Foye suddenly tugged Du Chen’s arm. Du Chen assumed the kind old man wished to prevent a violent confrontation between Francis and his biological father, and thus sought to diffuse the tension. Nevertheless, Du Chen obediently followed Old Foye out of the room.

“Young Master, mentioning that Sacred Artifact Box suddenly reminded this old servant of the circumstances when Madam left it behind! If you hadn’t asked me to inspect Madam’s belongings today, I might have entirely forgotten!” Old Foye scratched his head of white hair, smiling. “When Madam was gravely ill, she bid this old servant summon Lord Arges and all three young masters—including you—to her sickroom, and then she entrusted this Sacred Artifact Box to Lord Arges… At the time, you and Young Master Charles were still thoughtless children, and Young Master Steve was only eight.”

“And… what other instructions did Mother give then?”

“At the time, this old servant, knowing his humble station, dared not remain in the room to hear Madam’s final instructions. I waited by the door. But Madam seemed extremely agitated… and her voice was very loud, as if… as if she used battle qi to sustain her last breath to speak her dying words. So, this old servant overheard some things. Madam said then… Young Master, please don’t take offense, this old servant is merely relaying Madam’s words precisely…”

Du Chen grasped Foye’s arm, supporting the elderly man with white hair. “Uncle, you are like a father to me. Just speak your mind!”

Old Foye was deeply moved, and recalling Madam’s dying words, his eyes welled up slightly as he whispered, “Madam said then that Francis could not cultivate battle qi and was a poor, foolish child, so she implored Lord Arges to take good care of you… Alas, after saying that, Madam’s breathing grew ragged… Then she must have handed that Sacred Artifact Box to Lord Arges and particularly emphasized that the Sacred Artifact Box belonged to a friend of hers, but she had left a few small items inside. In the future, whichever of Lord Arges, Young Master Steve, or Young Master Charles could reach the Nine-Star Battle God realm could forcibly compel the Sacred Artifact Box to recognize them as its master, and thereby obtain the interesting little things she left within—and of course, Madam’s friend would not mind.”

Du Chen’s brow furrowed slightly. *What did Phil mean by this? If she wanted to leave a legacy for her husband and sons, she should have simply done so. Why establish such complex restrictions!?* A decade had passed, and Arges had stagnated at the Eight-Star Battle God realm, with no hope of advancement. Elder Brother Steve… his talent was only barely considered excellent, and he had dissipated a vast amount of his energy pursuing countless women. *It appears that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this Sacred Artifact Box is ultimately destined for Charles!*

Old Foye added, “Young Master, this old servant means to say that while this Sacred Artifact Box is a keepsake left by Madam, she also left behind specific instructions: whichever of you, father or son, first attains the Nine-Star Battle God realm, the Sacred Artifact Box shall belong to them… So, perhaps you should not make things difficult for Lord Arges!”

“Uncle, I understand. I will handle this matter properly! By the way, what does that box look like?”

After Old Foye described it, Du Chen returned to the house, smiling. “Deputy Director, I understand everything now. Since that Sacred Artifact Box is designated by Mother for whichever family member first attains the Nine-Star Battle God realm, then I shall not press you further. Brook, let’s go!”

Du Chen, stroking his chin, walked out of Saint Sigurd Cain Estate. He first instructed someone to send Old Foye back to his manor in the Southern District, then suddenly lowered his voice. “Deboning, you and Flaying have also been lurking within Saint Sigurd Cain Estate for years. Do you know of this Sacred Artifact Box?”

Deboning shook his head. “No, I never paid attention to such an ordinary sacred artifact. Flaying never mentioned it to me either!”

Du Chen nodded. “Then do you know of any secret chambers within Saint Sigurd Cain Estate, or any locations where important items might be hidden?”

“Yes, Flaying mentioned them to me. Young Master, are you…?”

“Since teaching Brockman a lesson, it’s been too long without some excitement. It’s about time I stretched my muscles again…”

***

Meanwhile, on a secluded mountain path, a certain aspiring fat wolf was also stretching his muscles. However…

*CRACK!*

The sharp crack of a whip startled countless birds in the forest. Just as the birds, after their initial panic, prepared to return to their nests, a loud roar terrified them into renewed flight. “You damned useless good-for-nothing! Faster! If we don’t reach our destination before nightfall, the esteemed Lord Brockman will turn you into a pie!”

On a crude tricycle, Brockman and Sinos, clad in opulent garments of unknown origin, resembled two noble lords leisurely strolling through the autumn-leafed wilderness. They exuded an air of complete nonchalance. Brockman held a pack of sweet fruits, savoring them slowly, occasionally directing Sinos, who was driving. “Hey, another crack of the whip! That’s not enough! Yes, good, give him a moldy sweet potato slice, one of the rotten ones! Oh, we can’t let ‘Number Six’ starve, now can we!”

“Lord Brockman, you are truly benevolent!” Sinos held a bamboo fishing rod in one hand, occasionally dangling bait before the beast of burden. However, instead of palatable bait, a moldy sweet potato—the kind many noble families wouldn’t even feed to their pigs—swung from the line. With his other hand, he wielded a horsewhip, periodically lashing the fat wolf pulling the cart!

Andy, the pitiful, or perhaps self-inflicted, Chris Andy, had visibly shed several layers of fat, though this brought one benefit: his movements had become significantly more agile. Behold, burdened with a heavy pack frame typically used for draft horses, and pulling two full-grown men, he still managed to traverse the bumpy mountain path at a *strolling* pace.

Lord Harry’s long-standing fat wolf weight-loss plan had, by happenstance, partially materialized. Of course, only a small portion; our Mr. Andy now resembled a slightly more robust wild boar than a morbidly obese pig… In any case, he still looked more like a pig than a wolf!

Watching the moldy sweet potato dangle above him, Andy swallowed hard, fawningly pleading, “My two exceptionally powerful and dashing lords, could you spare a poor Andy just a tiny bit of meat? A well-fed Andy will serve with greater zeal!”

*CRACK!* A whip answered him!

Andy whimpered twice, shaking his head with a sigh. “I, Chris Andy, the cherished darling of the Moon Goddess! I am a noble Snow Wolf with dreams and an appetite! And of course, I am a clever Snow Wolf, so at this moment, I swear in my heart… Oh, heavens, Master Francis, Steward Harry, Andy was wrong! Andy will never again be deceived by anyone! I absolutely will not be lured away by anyone! Will someone please save Andy?!”

“Damn it, shut up!” Sinos leapt from the wolf-cart and viciously kicked Andy. “No one can save you, you wretched beast!” Recalling the inhuman abuse he had endured recently, a surge of malevolent fury rose within Sinos, and his hand mercilessly increased the force of his blows!

“Enough, Sinos, don’t kill him – though I’d very much like to! However, Lord Philip still requires him as a test subject!”

Brockman also rose from the cart, speaking in a chilling, grim voice. “In half a day, we will reach the organization’s secret stronghold nearby. Sinos, you know what to say and what not to say when we return. If our experiences at Number Five Base are leaked…” His frosty gaze made Sinos shiver.

“Understood, my lord. My predicament is the same as yours; for my own sake, I will not utter a word! However, Andy also knows about our…”

“Stop the cart. I shall teach Andy a lesson he will never forget, one that will forever prevent him from speaking of those three ‘she-dragons’!”

The slow-witted Andy suddenly shivered deeply, hazily perceiving two dark figures eclipse the sun above him.

*Is it dark?!*

“Oh, no!!!”