I Know Your Secret

Sonata’s words were laced with rising indignation. “Very well, Lord Brockman, I shall discuss this matter with my direct superior! You may await our reply!”

“Hmph, I shall await your news!” Brockman shot Sonata a menacing glare.

Sonata sneered internally. *Brockman, you ‘Outsider,’ you’ve clawed your way above me, a ‘native,’ through petty schemes and underhanded tactics. And now you dare to bark at me!?*

He glanced briefly behind Brockman, where Sinos was glowering at him.

The smile in Sonata’s heart grew colder. *Brockman, a small lesson for you! First, to enrage you…*

“Heh heh, my lord may take his time awaiting my news. Once I, a Six Tails, have consulted with my superior, I shall inform you!” Sonata’s demeanor suddenly became overbearing, completely disregarding Brockman, whose rank was technically higher. “It might be a little slow, though, as I’ve been rather busy lately! Still, I’ll do my best!”

Brockman’s expression abruptly darkened. “Hmph! General Sonata, take your time with your busyness, but if you delay the organization’s plans, I will personally see you sent to the execution pyre! Be warned, Lord Philip’s experiment is set to begin in the Beast Emperor’s Mausoleum during the finals of the Auerbach Battle God Assembly. If your reply is late beyond that time, then… hmph hmph…”

Du Chen, now privy to the precise time and location of Philip’s experiment, continued to listen, immensely pleased.

“I have noted your words. If there’s nothing else, I must attend to my duties. You, please make yourself scarce!” Sonata gestured towards the tent flap, issuing a clear dismissal.

Brockman angrily flicked the sleeve of his noble robe and turned to leave.

“Oh dear, my lord, I’ve recently heard a rumor, and I wonder if it holds any truth!” Sonata said mockingly. “I hear a pitiful soul has emerged in York Town recently, a pitiable possessor of a noble title, who was stripped naked, paraded through the streets, and even sold as a ‘male’ chattel to slake the desires of a few feral females! It is truly a disgrace to us men… Have you perchance heard of this?”

Brockman’s shoulder twitched, and his footsteps faltered.

Sonata continued, “Indeed, this incident occurred in York Town, in broad daylight, and many people know of it, so it’s hardly a secret! However, I also learned a secret from a friend, a great secret! Heh heh, right there at our Number Five Base, that pathetic noble… became the public consort of several matriarchal dragon-like beings from Mount Miglio, handling them with practiced ease, truly extraordinary… Hahahaha!”

Sonata’s resonant, lion-man beastmen voice stimulated a spasm in Brockman’s face. He spun around abruptly, eyes radiating murderous intent as he stared at Sonata. “Who told you!?” He looked like a lone wolf, thoroughly enraged, ready to lash out at any moment.

“My memory is truly dreadful; I simply cannot recall! Do you perhaps know this ‘capable’ friend? If I were that friend, I would have long since taken my own life. That such a disgraced person still lives and broadcasts his shame everywhere is an affront to his noble title!” Sonata shrugged comfortably.

*Francis is missing, and the Dragon clan would never spread tales of their ‘amorous escapades’… So who told him!?* Brockman’s enraged mind filled with murderous intent. He coldly swept his gaze, seeing Sinos beside him, Sinos who had endured all this with him, Sinos who knew everything!

Suddenly, Brockman vanished from his spot.

When he reappeared, he was behind Sinos, his palm pressed against Sinos’s chest!

At some unknown moment, five sharp finger-guards had appeared on the five fingers of Brockman’s right hand. Each guard was incredibly keen, dripping with Sinos’s blood, like the claws of an Aberrant Beast, having pierced Sinos’s heart!

The unsuspecting Sinos looked at Brockman incredulously, wanting to say something, but Brockman abruptly withdrew his hand. Before Sinos could utter a single sound, he toppled over!

Brockman wiped his fingers, speaking coldly, “Sonata, if you dare to delay the organization’s plans, this will be your fate!”

With that, Brockman strode away.

Du Chen watched Sinos with internal sympathy, secretly scoffing, *Brockman, ah, the primary virtue of a master of the Clandestine Circles is a mind as still as water. Though your skill might be at this world’s peak, your mental state is far, far lacking, only a paltry ten points… truly abysmal…*

Sonata triumphantly stared at Brockman’s retreating back, then suddenly raised a hand. The soil on either side of Sinos’s corpse churned, swallowing him in an instant. With another twist of the earth, Sinos vanished completely from this world! “Lord Brockman, you were provoked so easily? Hmph, you truly are a fool! But I won’t tell you who it was. Have you forgotten? You and Jamis were confined together, and that big-mouthed Jamis just happened to bring my junior disciples to seek me out…”

Du Chen followed Brockman out of the tent. After just a few steps, Brockman suddenly stomped his foot and sighed heavily! He understood now; Sonata had played him! But…

“Hmph! Just a small fry!” Brockman held his head high and continued forward.

Du Chen was still clinging to Brockman’s pocket. He had initially thought Brockman would next go to rendezvous with other members of the organization to discuss plans, so he followed him a long way. To his surprise, Brockman didn’t directly seek out others but returned to the guest camp and went to sleep.

Presumably, Brockman couldn’t provide any more clues for now. Du Chen turned to observe Sonata for a while longer. He was diligently performing his military duties, offering little surveillance value! Du Chen noted the sky, estimating the people in the ranch would soon awaken, so he activated his Precious Lotus Scripture and flew back!

Inside the tent, Beibei was still drooling and sound asleep. Du Chen covered her with a blanket, then instructed, “Deboning, come here, I’ve made a great discovery!”

“Our old friend Philip is also planning something interesting at the Auerbach Battle God Assembly, and it’s highly likely to collide with our own plans.” Du Chen stretched his limbs, chuckling, “This means our plan now has a variable, but if we utilize it well… the benefits will be substantial!” Or rather, *the good deeds will be immense*!

“Philip?” Deboning mused, “Though Young Master can be the bane of Philip’s existence, if Tendon-Severing and Corpse Dissolution are by his side, then we…”

“There’s no need to worry. This time, we aren’t directly confronting them… Even if we did, we wouldn’t necessarily lose, heh heh, I’ve even arranged a formidable helper!” Du Chen rubbed his nose, then frowned. “There’s just one thing I can’t quite figure out: why does Philip’s experiment require a specific location and time!? Mount Tianshan, I can understand, as he needed a Battle Qi Convergence environment. But this time, the Auerbach Grand Canyon has no Battle Qi Convergence; it’s merely a Battle Qi-infused tomb…”

“What do Mount Tianshan and Auerbach Grand Canyon have in common!?” Du Chen asked himself.

…

The next day, the Battle God World’s top grave robbers gathered in Princess Susanna’s grand tent.

Du Chen, though arriving fashionably late, was radiating vigor. He met the red-eyed, alcohol-scented, resentful gaze of Susanna with a calm smile. “Princess, did you rest well last night!?”

*Damn little Thirteen, I will have you eventually!*

Susanna’s heart hardened, but the main business was more important. She gestured for the Bear-clan Battle God, Babylon, beside her to unfold the map on the table, saying, “Everyone is here. Tomorrow, the Auerbach Battle God Assembly will commence in the Grand Canyon! I shall now explain the plan!”

Like a general before battle, she pointed to the map. “To raid the Auerbach tomb, the trickiest obstacles are the Crimson Mausoleum Guards, followed by the underground labyrinth, and then the Battle Qi filling the canyon, along with the garrison troops stationed on either side!”

Du Chen smiled, “I presume Her Highness already has solutions for these three challenges?”

“Precisely! We’ll use the Daobet to excavate a hundred-li tunnel for a subterranean infiltration, thus bypassing the Battle Qi and garrison troops at the main entrance. As for the labyrinth… I’ve acquired the complete map. And the Crimson Mausoleum Guards… heh heh!” Susanna chuckled triumphantly. “Others might not know, but as McAllen’s eldest princess, I am privy to a royal secret…”

She let the suspense hang, drawing out the anticipation of her audience before continuing, “The three hundred Crimson Mausoleum Guards indeed remain near the mausoleum year-round, but once every three years, they will leave the tomb for at least two hours! At that time, only twenty Crimson Mausoleum Guards will remain within the entire mausoleum. Twenty people, heh heh, they are formidable, but their numbers are too few! We can use the tunnels excavated by the Daobet to transport two hundred people in at once! Moreover, I’ve obtained the Crimson Mausoleum Guards’ Guard Distribution Map from Imperial Brother, allowing us to pinpoint and eliminate them with a tenfold force in an instant! This way, as long as we’re quick, those above the Grand Canyon won’t even detect us. Afterwards, you will all have two hours within the tomb to find what each of you seeks!”

“Two hours? For a divine tomb, that seems rather short!” Kerry frowned slightly.

Susanna stated firmly, “I apologize, but there are only two hours, because during every Auerbach Battle God Assembly, the Crimson Mausoleum Guards secretly come to the Grand Canyon above to select highly gifted and virtuous inheritors from among the competing native Battle Gods, to inherit their sacred mission! And this process lasts precisely two hours, for they only observe the finals!”

Susanna surveyed the group. “That is the situation. Does anyone have any further questions?”

Du Chen wiggled his fingers. “I have two questions! Two problems that absolutely must be resolved!”