The Grand Artisan, Alex

In the Water River dormitories, after seeing Sherine off and giving Andy a stern lecture, Du Chen turned and settled onto the opulent tiger-skin sofa. His thievish eyes darted about, fixed on the Beast Emperor’s Seal resting on the table before him, his left hand propping up his right elbow as his right thumb's nail scraped at his nose, lost in thought.

Deboning materialized from his hidden position, his long, sinister eyes also fixed on the Beast Emperor’s Seal. He opened his mouth to speak, but Du Chen cut him off with a preemptive wave. "Without a doubt, this is the authentic Beast Emperor’s Seal! The one with a terrifying curse, potent enough to draw the relentless pursuit of the Saint Baton Family! Auntie Sherine said that the Seal should carry a vicious curse, meaning it ought to be suffused with potent Elemental Primal Force. Yet, ever since I acquired it, you haven't detected even a wisp of Elemental Primal Force emanating from it... Can you offer a reasonable explanation for this?"

Deboning's aged face flushed. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, "If what Sherine said earlier holds true, then the Beast Emperor’s Seal should undeniably emit clear fluctuations of Elemental Primal Force. But even I misjudged it; this simply defies explanation. If that premise stands, then the only possible explanation is that the curse-aligned Elemental Primal Force fluctuations on it have been perfectly suppressed by some even greater power!"

"A greater power? Is it my Lotus Holy Light suppressing it?" A keen glint flashed in Du Chen's eyes, and a faint smile played on his lips.

But Du Chen, with a cold edge to his voice, retorted, "Beibei was just now playing with the Beast Emperor’s Seal as a toy, and she was quite a distance from me, yet Auntie Sherine still detected no fluctuations from it! Could Beibei also possess some ability to perfectly suppress the Beast Emperor’s Seal!?"

Deboning hesitated for a moment. Under Du Chen's gaze, he hastily replied, "To be frank, while Young Master's Lotus Sacred Artifact is indeed marvelous, after careful study, I can still discern some clues about it. But Miss Belmonde... she herself completely transcends my understanding, especially her Spiritual Power! I fear that if Miss Belmonde doesn't reveal it, any The Master in the current age would perceive her merely as an ordinary little girl, not a terrifying Spiritual Power expert!"

"So, nothing that happens with Beibei should come as a surprise, and it's perfectly reasonable for her to be able to suppress the Beast Emperor’s Seal, isn't it?" Du Chen picked up his already sleeping daughter and gently kissed her, yet a brilliant gleam sparkled in his slightly narrowed eyes.

"Yes, and it's not just Miss Belmonde; Young Master Alex holds no fewer mysteries than her, not even by a sliver! Perhaps even more, because Young Master Alex appears, in every respect, to be an ordinary child. Yet, after spending significant time around him, my intuition screams that he is dangerous, that one should absolutely not provoke him... and still, his demeanor is that of a perfectly normal child!"

Deboning suddenly felt a subtle pressure emanating from Du Chen—not of strength, but of demeanor! It was as if, after his conversation with Sherine earlier, the Young Master had grown significantly "colder."

"Covet the Beast Emperor’s Seal, and death within six months is assured!" Du Chen picked up the golden lion insignia from the table and meticulously examined it.

"Young Master, should I destroy it immediately?" Deboning asked.

"Destroy it? Why would I destroy it!?" Du Chen shook his head slightly, rubbing his nose as he chuckled, " 'Covet the Beast Emperor’s Seal, and death within six months is assured'... but isn't there another saying? 'He who obtains the Beast Emperor’s Seal, obtains the Great Plains!'"

Deboning was taken aback. "Young Master, the Beast Emperor’s Seal's curse is real, but obtaining the Great Plains is merely an ethereal legend. How could such a small object grant one the Great Plains, or compel millions of beastmen to submit!?"

"You don't believe it, and neither do I, but many others will!" Du Chen rubbed his forehead, pondering for a moment before saying, "You no longer need to follow Frinda! Remember your current tasks: Firstly, quickly procure a Sacred Artifact Box for me. Its exterior should be ordinary, capable of holding the Beast Emperor’s Seal, but the higher its grade, the better! Secondly, swiftly contact Flaying. Thirdly, discreetly monitor Betty and Keane's movements..."

Du Chen issued a rapid succession of commands, then chuckled easily, "Damn it, with so many matters at hand, I'll take my time and play the long game. And if we're going to play, let's play big!"

Finishing his words, Du Chen softly called out, "Daughter." Beibei instantly transformed into Alex. Du Chen then placed the Beast Emperor’s Seal before Alex, chuckling as he spoke, "Grand Artisan Alex, you once discerned the raw composition of a Composite Aberrant Beasts Soul Crystal with a single glance. Now, help Daddy take a look at what this item is forged from!"

Alex waved his small hand, refusing the Beast Emperor’s Seal Du Chen offered. With just a fleeting glance, he declared, "Moon Soul Stone, coupled with fairly decent battle qi! Barely passes as a good item, I suppose!"

"Deboning, remember the fourth point: contact Pied. Through him, find me the finest artisan, and a Moon Soul Stone large enough to be fashioned into a Beast Emperor’s Seal! These are the four tasks for now; see to them swiftly!"

Deboning turned, about to depart, when he suddenly heard Alex scoff repeatedly. "Don't bother, you won't find Moon Soul Stone! It's an exceedingly rare material, you know! Daddy, you're trying to make a fake, aren't you!?" The little guy looked at Du Chen with profound disdain.

Unable to fathom why the little guy held him in such contempt, Du Chen gave a wry smile. "You little rascal! You're right, Daddy intends to make a fake Beast Emperor’s Seal!"

Alex rolled his eyes, then craned his neck, staring fixedly at Du Chen's backside. "Give it!"

"Sweetie, what do you want?"

"The things you stole from the same place as Sis, and the grinding tools!" Alex sat with his arms crossed, his tiny nostrils pointing towards the ceiling beam.

"You want the alchemy ingredients Daddy 'acquired' from Philip's Alchemy Laboratory!?" "Alright, Deboning, seal the door shut; don't let anyone disturb us!" Du Chen, with a curious expression, summoned a lotus blossom. Inside it were all the items he had 'liberated' from Philip's Alchemy Laboratory, many of which were priceless treasures!

The little fellow, Alex, watched the lotus blossom expand before his eyes to the size of a balcony. He picked up the Beast Emperor’s Seal and lazily stepped into the lotus. Soon after, a rhythmic clinking and clanking echoed from within the lotus.

Du Chen watched his son in astonishment, not missing a single subtle movement. Approximately half an hour later, Alex emerged from the lotus, a small apron tied around his waist, a sweatband wrapped around his head, his face dusted with gold and jade fragments. He carried the distinct aura of a master sculptor.

Alex wiped his chubby little hands with his apron, then removed his sweatband to wipe his face, and scoffed, "Look for an artisan!? Pffft! It's an absolute disgrace to me, Grand Artisan Alex! Stupid Daddy, don't you dare say you know me ever again!"

With that, the little guy turned and scurried towards the side room. "Don't ask me why I can do this; I am a Grand Artisan, and Grand Artisans don't need reasons, much less explanations! Oof!" The cocky Alex, with his head held high, tripped over the threshold as he walked out...

Du Chen burst into a speechless laugh. His son was still as cocky as ever, showing no improvement at all. However, regarding Alex's abilities, the Grand Matriarchs, having witnessed all manner of Aberrant Beasts from the Era of Fallen Gods, had already provided Du Chen with a relatively plausible explanation.

Alex was likely a Super Aberrant Beast born from oviparous incubation. While his exact race remained unknown, there was no doubt that his species possessed sentience even before hatching, during the egg stage. Consequently, they were born with a multitude of special abilities!

The best example to illustrate this point was dragons! They too were a race born with profound wisdom!

Picking up Alex, who had tripped because he was looking at the sky instead of the ground while walking, and comforting him for a while, Du Chen returned to the expanded lotus blossom after the little guy sniffled his way to the side room to 'wash clothes.' He peered inside...

Two identical Beast Emperor’s Seals!

Identical golden lions, identical platforms, identical colors. When weighed by hand, even their mass was nearly indistinguishable! For a moment, Du Chen couldn't tell which one was the authentic Beast Emperor’s Seal!

"What a son!" Du Chen rubbed his nose and chuckled. He then adopted his "Thief King's" discerning gaze, meticulously examining both Beast Emperor’s Seals. After a long moment, he put his hands behind his back and asked, "Deboning, can you spot the difference?"

Deboning shook his head. "The true Beast Emperor’s Seal is suppressed by your Holy Light, Young Master. Were you not present, and the genuine Seal emitted its cursed fluctuations, I might be able to discern it from their power signatures. But now... it's impossible! Young Master, what do you see?"

Du Chen shrugged. "Even with my professional eye, I can't tell. Alex, come here, tell Daddy which one is real!"

Alex, standing on a small stool, was vigorously 'washing clothes' by the sink in the side room. Hearing this, he yelled back, "Idiots! Look at their nostrils! Don't you dare say you know me when you go out; I can't afford to lose face for you!"

Du Chen picked up both Beast Emperor’s Seals and compared the nostrils of the two golden lions. He couldn't help but laugh! "I understand! The true Beast Emperor’s Seal is exquisitely lifelike, even the nasal hair inside the golden lion's nostrils is sculpted. As for the fake golden lion's nose... Deboning, imagine a lion having Double-pronged Iron Hooks shoved through its nostrils, and you'll know what it looks like inside!"

"Hmm? Haha, I see why the Young Master left this distinguishing mark!" Deboning also burst into a speechless laugh, recalling the little guy's other signature move, 'Shove it up your nostril,' after his Brick attack on Andy that day!

Alex yelled again, "If you two idiots still can't tell, just smash them with a hammer! The real Beast Emperor’s Seal is crafted from Moon Soul Stone and contains barely decent battle qi... Oh, to you, that's Divine Power, and it's unbreakable! The fake one, I replicated it with alchemy materials; just use Battle Qi of rank four or higher and you can smash it to bits! Ow, the stool tipped over! My butt!"

Du Chen and Deboning burst into laughter simultaneously. After their laughter subsided, Deboning asked, "Young Master, do you intend to use this fake to deceive the Saint Baton Family?"

"You've guessed a small part of it!" Du Chen's smile was enigmatic. "The situation is chaotic now, and many things seem to be happening, but it's only in troubled waters that one can catch big fish... Alright, go swiftly accomplish the tasks I've assigned!"

Not long after Deboning vanished discreetly, Harry, who had gone out for provisions, returned. He carried large and small packages of exquisite dishes, a disgruntled expression on his face. It seemed he had intended to compare noble etiquette with Keane, but alas, Keane had already left with Betty, leaving Harry with regret. However, after storing his purchases, he pulled a letter from his tunic and approached Du Chen, who was feigning sleep, half-reclined in a chair, whispering, "Esteemed Master, there was a letter for you at the dockside post office. It was mailed from York Town!"

Du Chen abruptly opened his eyes, took the letter, and glanced at it. The date was half a month old. At that time, Du Chen's Wyvern Carriage was flying erratically across the Three Continents. The people in York Town likely couldn't pinpoint his exact location, and knowing Du Chen would certainly return to Battle God Isle, they had mailed the letter here.

Tearing open the envelope, Du Chen cast a quick glance. He suddenly smiled. "Has it begun already?"