Darling, Time to Get the Goodies!

“Thirteenth Master, our great beastmen tribes are no mere freeloaders!” Babylon declared proudly, his smile widening with self-satisfaction as he glanced at the formation within the cavernous underground chamber.

Babylon’s and Du Chen’s mission here was to rendezvous with Susanna and her party, secure their retreat, and, should circumstances shift, act as the rear guard, eliminating any pursuers. This made Babylon exceptionally cautious. For this operation, he had brought three hundred of his most elite warriors, all comprised of Battle-Warriors and Battle Gods. A hundred of them were strategically deployed throughout the underground tunnels, planting compact Sacred Artifact Cannons, preparing to collapse the passages. The remaining two hundred were kept close at hand.

Babylon cast a quick glance at Du Chen. “Thirteenth Master, once those Daobet people help us install the Sacred Artifact Cannons, they’ll be useless to us—damn it all, if not for the pressing time, if not for the Daobet being more adept at planting these cannons underground, you could have eliminated them ages ago!”

As they spoke, beastmen continuously returned from various entrances connecting to the main underground cavern. “General Babylon, Sacred Artifact Cannons in Tunnel Number Four are installed!”

“Number Five, installed!”

“Number Six, installed!”

...

Before long, two hundred and seventy-three Daobet returned, either escorted or monitored by beastmen warriors. Each of them was beaming with unconcealed joy, for having installed those peculiar little cylinders—oh, their benefactors had called them sacred artifacts, devices guaranteed to prevent the underground tunnels from collapsing—they would finally receive their last payment, return home to honor their parents, and wed beautiful brides!

Du Chen watched their joyful expressions and sighed inwardly. Without his intervention, these two hundred and seventy-three Daobet would soon drink poisoned celebratory wine, or perhaps be directly slaughtered on the spot by hundreds of elite Beastkin Warriors... After all, they were merely Daobet, devoid of combat skills. In such a setting, Babylon could undoubtedly devise countless ways to eliminate them all.

Once all the Daobet had gathered, Babylon’s warriors began to chuckle ominously, and several small squads subtly positioned themselves to block the various passages leading to the main underground pit...

Babylon lowered his gaze to Du Chen, who was half a head shorter than him, and smiled sinisterly. “Thirteenth Master, according to our plan, it’s your turn!”

“Easily done! Johnson! Gather your people and follow my Battle God Retainer to Tunnel Number Three; he will pay you your final wages! And depending on your performance, we’ve decided to give you an extra bonus!” Du Chen winked at Johnson, the leader of the Daobet and the only one privy to the full truth. He then smiled at Babylon. “General, why not send someone to observe with me?”

“Aren’t you ‘distributing bonuses’ here?” Babylon asked, curious.

Du Chen lowered his voice. “Don’t you think leaving over two hundred corpses here would impede the Princess’s retreat?”

With that, Du Chen beckoned and led the Daobet into the third pit. Babylon waited in the main underground cavern for a moment, then, with a flash of golden light, Du Chen and Deboning emerged, smiling.

“That fast!?” Babylon exclaimed, startled.

“Precisely this fast, heh-heh. This is my Battle God Retainer’s unique Secret Art—Utter Annihilation!” Du Chen, rubbing his nose, spoke magnanimously to the Beastkin Warrior who had accompanied them into the pit (or, rather, observed him). “It’s fine, feel free to speak your mind loudly!”

The inspector was momentarily stunned, but true to the straightforward nature of beastmen, he bellowed, “The two hundred and seventy-three Daobet are indeed utterly annihilated! I witnessed it myself: Thirteenth Master’s retainer, Mr. Brook, unleashed a strange golden light, and all those Daobet simply vanished! And I’ve inspected all the pit walls; I can confirm not a single Daobet dug their way out to escape! Truly a terrifying divine feat!”

Babylon stood dumbfounded for a long moment, then suddenly clasped his hands in respect towards Brook. “My admiration!”

Deboning felt a pang of indignation. Had he been tasked with instantly eliminating over two hundred defenseless Daobet, he could have done so with ease. Yet, in truth, he had merely employed minor illusions to mask Du Chen’s deployment of a Lotus Sacred Artifact, into which all the Daobet had been absorbed! Thus, Babylon’s words of “My admiration!” sounded rather grating to his ears.

Nevertheless, Babylon was convinced that the Daobet had been utterly annihilated, for in the Battle God World, there were no Spatial Artifacts capable of containing hundreds of people. Lacking this common knowledge, it wouldn’t even occur to him that Du Chen possessed a Lotus Sacred Artifact capable of housing individuals.

Du Chen sat beside Babylon, engaging in casual conversation while awaiting the scenario he had anticipated.

“General Babylon, the Princess calls you ‘uncle.’ Does that mean you are also part of the McAllen royal family?”

“No, the late King treated me as his own kin. Her Royal Highness, in accordance with the late King’s dying wish, addresses me as ‘uncle’!”

“Oh, if Princess Susanna is the King’s daughter, why is she referred to simply as ‘Princess’?”

“Thirteenth Master, that is not for you to inquire about!” Babylon replied with considerable displeasure.

Du Chen chuckled. “Right, Princess Susanna has countless male concubines. I wonder if you, too, have indulged with your niece... Heh-heh!”

Babylon instantly flew into a rage. “Thirteenth Master! My Battle God Oath binds me to protect the Princess’s safety, speak no such nonsense!”

Du Chen slyly shook his head. “I wouldn’t bet on that!”

“You!”

Just as Babylon’s furious roar escaped his lips, Du Chen waved his hand and pointed towards an opening, his expression suddenly changing. “Kerry has returned! Has the Princess encountered danger?! This shouldn’t be; could there be a complication?”

“General Babylon, quickly, go assist the Princess! We’ve encountered enemies within the tomb, among them many powerful Undead!” Kerry shouted, his face etched with anxiety.

Babylon’s expression truly shifted. “Everyone, assemble! We are immediately going to aid the Princess! Thirteenth Master, might you consider...”

Du Chen smiled and said, “General Babylon, if you trust me, I will steadfastly guard this final retreat path. I stake my life on ensuring this last escape route remains entirely unhindered! As per our agreement, it’s still best that I do not enter.”

Babylon’s face turned cold. Had Deboning not fixed him with a chilling gaze, he might have erupted, for he had personally witnessed and been shaken by Deboning’s ‘power.’ Moreover, Du Chen’s relationship with them was merely one of cooperation; there was indeed no reason for him to risk his life. Babylon’s mouth moved twice before he finally said, “Thirteenth Master, I’ll leave this place in your capable hands. Furthermore, all personnel preparing to detonate the Sacred Artifact Cannons in other locations will be under your command!”

With that, he hastily led his forces into the tunnel. In an instant, the vast central cavern was emptied.

The moment Babylon departed, Du Chen’s eyes instantly turned cold. He flicked his hands, and two lotus flowers bloomed separately, from which the Daobet people and the Grand Matriarchs appeared.

“It’s incredible!” Johnson exclaimed, dumbfounded. But after a moment of shock, he quickly knelt before Du Chen. “Benefactor, what do you wish for us to do? Please command us!” He then turned to his kin, “Ask no questions for now; simply continue to obey me, your leader!”

Du Chen nodded slightly. “Miss Lucy, Miss Lily, form yourselves into groups of five. Immediately go with the Daobet to dismantle all the Sacred Artifact Cannons within the tunnels; they know all the locations! And then...” Du Chen sighed. “I will ensure those butchers receive their just punishment!”

...

When the Daobet people and the Grand Matriarchs gathered once more around Du Chen, all the Daobet had learned the full truth. Some prostrated themselves on the ground, others embraced, and constant sobs and wails filled the air.

“Johnson, this is not the time for sorrowful weeping!” Du Chen commanded.

“Benefactor, I understand! What should we do next?!”

*Thud!*

Johnson kowtowed heavily, tears streaming down his face. “Benefactor, I am a beastman; I speak no flowery words. But these two hundred and seventy-three lives, and my own father’s life, all were granted by you! Henceforth, should you command anything, we, the Daobet of the Kurun Tribe, will traverse mountains of blades and brave cauldrons of boiling oil without a moment’s hesitation!”

“Enough,” Du Chen stated. “Susanna and her people are not dead yet. Utilize your digging abilities to exit forty li to the southeast, then wait for me at Damir Pastures, behind Heaven’s Ocean Pass. I will bring those butchers to you... dead or alive!”

Du Chen nodded to the two Grand Matriarchs. “Wait a moment. The Sacred Artifact might contain many things; I regret the inconvenience to you ladies!”

The Grand Matriarchs were already quite familiar with Du Chen and naturally made no complaints. However, as they entered the lotus, Lucy frowned and asked, “Are you truly going to... take General Auerbach’s legacy, ‘all’ of it?”

“Sister, hurry and enter. Don’t you know Francis’s character? He’s also doing this out of filial piety, searching for clues about his mother! Besides, we all know that scoundrel Auerbach’s temper; even if he were alive and saw Francis taking his legacy, he certainly wouldn’t get angry!”

A rare playful smile graced Lucy’s dignified face. “Indeed, he himself wouldn’t be angry, so why should we worry about that scoundrel!? If he were alive, he might even pull some pranks on Francis!”

Under Du Chen’s persistent ‘efforts,’ the Grand Matriarchs were gradually shedding their rigid adherence to propriety.

One lotus discreetly concealed all the Grand Matriarchs. Du Chen then stepped into another lotus, where Beibei was playing with Harry. Du Chen picked up his daughter, chuckling, “Darling, come with Daddy! Time to get the goodies!”