Saan's Light

Betty stormed out of Dormitory Number Eighteen, her face clouded with a dark fury, striding purposefully away. Keane, who had been locked in a silent standoff with Deboning, swiftly rushed to catch up. Once near, he lowered his voice and inquired, "Miss Betty, forgive an old servant for speaking out of turn, but how did it go?"

“Hmph!” Betty snorted, continuing her brisk pace. “Francis already has a sweetheart. She's a girl whose status is comparable to Annie's, whose looks, though not as dazzling as Annie's, are still exceptional, and who, moreover, loves to read!”

Keane’s brows furrowed deeply, and he murmured, “Miss Annie is a direct descendant of a Divine Sovereign, possessing all the privileges of a Divine Princess. A girl of comparable status… across the Three Continents today, there wouldn't be more than six! Among those whose beauty is slightly less than Miss Annie’s… there are three. And among those three, only one seems to enjoy reading… Could it be her!?”

“Indeed, I believe it is her, Keane. It seems you haven’t quite lost your wits yet, hahaha…” Betty once again let loose what could only be described as a ‘Battle God Physique Plant-Type Hormone Disorder’ laugh. Suddenly, her laughter vanished, replaced by a sigh. “Tell me, is Francis’s pursuit of her a genuine case of mutual affection, or is it for her dowry, the ‘Saan’s Heart’? If it’s the latter, then Francis is as despicable and shameless as all those scoundrels who pursued her for the ‘Saan’s Heart’! In that case, Annie should be glad. But if it’s the former…”

Keane was utterly incensed with Du Chen, declaring wrathfully, “This old servant rather hopes it’s the latter. That way, he would be regarded as a rival in love by at least a dozen ‘scoundrels’ from immensely powerful families, and would be eliminated by those ‘scoundrels’ before the ‘Saan’s Light’ is revealed on May 13th! Though, given the character of that scoundrel Francis, perhaps not…”

Speaking thus, Keane lowered his voice further, inquiring, “By the way, not long ago, this old servant received news – news known only to core members of the Five Fallen God Families. I was just about to report it to you…”

Betty’s steps faltered for a moment, then she continued composedly, “Speak!”

“Zigurd recently suffered a defeat, a complete and utter rout without any suspense!”

“Someone defeated Zigurd? Heh, interesting. But Keane, that shouldn’t be a secret known only within our five families, should it?”

Keane nodded. “Yes, Zigurd’s defeat is no longer a great secret. Although the Holy Church might try to suppress this to maintain the Titled Battle Gods’ standing, anyone with intent and power can uncover it! What this old servant meant to say is, that person was cloaked in starlight, only striking when the Silver Moon recedes and the starlight shines brightly…”

Betty could no longer maintain her composure. She gathered her skirt, spun around, and stared at Keane, her voice icy. “Exactly! Apart from us, the few Fallen God families, no one else knows what ‘Silver Moon recedes, starlight shines brightly’ signifies. Hmph! To outsiders, this news simply means a new mysterious master has appeared in the world. But to us, it means…”

They spoke in unison, “He has come!”

Keane nodded solemnly. “Moreover, he appeared just before the ‘Saan’s Light’ is due to acknowledge its master on May 13th. The timing is too coincidental. This old servant suspects… his objective is also the ‘Saan’s Light’!”

“If he intends to obtain the ‘Saan’s Light,’ and if Francis’s sweetheart really is her…” Betty abruptly flicked her skirt. “Keane, you saw that Brook just now. Tell me, can he protect Francis’s life!?”

Keane shook his head. “It’s hard to say. No one truly knows the extent of ‘his’ strength! But, judging solely from Zigurd’s power, it’s exceedingly dangerous!”

“Forget it!” Betty waved her hand impatiently. “Why bother with that? Francis’s life and death are irrelevant to us for now! How is Zigurd now? Is he dead?”

“Not only is he not dead, he profited from the misfortune!” Keane briefly recounted the battle’s details, which were nearly identical to what Professor Mina had told Du Chen. He chuckled with envy, “After defeating Zigurd, ‘he’ actually left the Level 9 Water-element Sacred Artifact, the Thorned Water Ring, to Zigurd. Zigurd truly is lucky; he managed to make the Thorned Water Ring acknowledge mastery on his first attempt! Once Zigurd’s injuries heal, his strength should recover to the peak state of the Five Peaks of Myriad Streams!”

“Heh, that old geezer got off easy. The Thorned Water Ring, what a treasure!”

Betty also smiled enviously. “That old geezer truly has good luck! By the way, wasn’t he urgently summoned by the Pontiff to discuss the Dragon Clan’s provocations on Mount Miglio? Haha, now that’s interesting! The Pontiff and Zigurd joining forces to clash with the Dragon God – what a spectacle!” With a wave of her hand, she declared, “Come on, I’m in a foul mood today. Let’s go annoy Pied! I’ll beat him again!”

Poor Pied…

***

Dormitory Number Eighteen.

Du Chen racked his brain, but he simply couldn’t imagine which girl could have provoked such… intense disgust from Betty. It was as if pursuing her was inherently destined to invite scorn. Regardless, the Batuk Family now clearly understood that he had no intention of marrying Annie, a result he found quite satisfactory.

Flaying ambled out from the inner room, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Solved? Heh, I told you, many things aren’t as complicated as you imagine. Being clear about them often makes things easier!”

Chuckling heartily at Du Chen’s shrug, Flaying continued, “Alright, I’ll go investigate for you. Which girl did Betty have in mind, exactly?”

“No need to investigate! I never actually planned to pursue her anyway… Didn’t we agree last night? Today, you’re all coming with me to learn how to do good deeds!” Du Chen called out to him. But Flaying moved incredibly fast, tossing a single sentence over his shoulder before vanishing. “Oh, I think I’ll still go investigate. That’s more important than doing good deeds! Besides, does one really need to learn how to do good deeds?”

“Excuses! You’re just making excuses to skip class!” Du Chen bellowed in exasperation!

Flaying was long gone. Though Du Chen knew perfectly well he was deliberately escaping to avoid doing good deeds, there was nothing he could do to force him to stay. He could only turn his gaze to Deboning.

Deboning was currently contemplating: *Young Master, you have the nerve to accuse Flaying of skipping class? If it weren’t for some people covertly and overtly helping you, your truancy record would be enough for the academy to expel you multiple times over… But then again, I don’t want to learn how to do good deeds either. How can I, the esteemed Grand Pontiff of Du Chen’s Divine Cult, go chat with beggar old women on the streets? Oh, in the Young Master’s words, that’s called comforting the lonely elderly and the impoverished, a truly great act of benevolence…*

Flaying could find an excuse to escape, but Deboning dared not. He cast a mournful glance at Du Chen, then summoned Belmonde, the First Saintess of the cult, and Harry, the Chief Secretary, before reluctantly following Du Chen to the docks. At present, Du Chen’s Divine Cult only consisted of these few individuals, plus two provisional, probationary members: Cassian, the Crown Prince of the Nano Empire, and Gode, the Little Prince of the Grand Delta Sea! However, today was for elite training, and those two provisional members weren't yet qualified to participate!

Du Chen’s Divine Edict Number Three: Wherever there are people, there is social hierarchy and wealth disparity; where there is wealth disparity, there are opportunities to do good deeds! This was a conclusion Du Chen had drawn from experience, and it was indeed true. Though Battle God Isle gathered High-level Battle Gods and stood as a spiritual beacon for the Three Continents, Zigurd’s inclusive policies had led to its population surging to six hundred thousand over the years. With so many people concentrated together, it was hardly surprising to find the poor and beggars populating the docks, which were considered the commoner district.

Yet, these poor and beggars were currently quite bewildered and puzzled…

In a backstreet corner of a dockside tavern, a shabbily dressed, seventy-to-eighty-year-old beggar woman stared tremulously at the tall, thin man before her. He possessed a sinister aura and violent eyes, as if he had taken many lives! Yet, precisely this man had just bestowed upon her a Gold Coin, then fixed his gaze on her with an ominous intensity, muttering a string of peculiar incantations under his breath…

Deboning stared at the old beggar woman, thinking to himself: *This is the first time in my life I’ve done a good deed, and I’ve even put on what I believe to be my kindest, most amiable smile, yet why is my target still… this terrified!?*

“Take the Gold Coin, do you hear me?” Deboning said with displeasure.

Deboning, who had taken countless lives and had bloodied hands, merely revealed a hint of displeasure. But the old beggar woman, summoning her courage, squeezed out, “M-my lord, please spare me. I’m seventy years old, with not many years left to live…”

Elsewhere, Harry’s situation was much better – no, far too good. Shieb often accompanied Du Chen on outings, and many on the docks recognized him. Furthermore, thanks to Du Chen, he had quite excellent social standing! So, just as Harry was searching for good deeds to do, someone behind him shouted, “Hey, it’s Mr. Harry! Come on, let’s go for a drink! Don’t refuse, give your brothers some face! Let’s go!” He couldn’t decline and was forcefully dragged into a tavern by several burly men…

In yet another corner, Beibei stood blankly, the bewilderment in her large eyes even greater than that of the old beggar beside her. Those who knew her recognized her as a clever child and assumed she was playing some game, so they didn’t disturb her. But many others didn’t know her, and soon, the little one was surrounded by a group of strangers. Even the old beggar beside her was pushed aside.

“What a cute child! Is she lost?”

“Yes, she must have lost her parents. Come, little sister, don’t cry. Tell big sister, where is your home?”

“Why isn’t this child speaking? Is she an orphan? Oh, how pitiful!”

At first, some people saw Beibei standing with the old beggar and, noticing her less than luxurious clothing, seemed to realize something. They sighed and, after slipping a few Copper Coins into Beibei’s hand, left. Subsequently, a scattering of others approached, patted the little one, pressed a few small coins into her hands, and then departed with sighs…

Before long, Beibei was clutching the front of her clothes – which now contained dozens of Copper Coins, several Silver Coins, and, most ludicrously, even a Gold Coin! Our First Saintess was utterly dumbfounded!

Beibei wanted to chat with the old grandpa and do good deeds, but why, *why* was she the one having good deeds done to her!? *Daddy is mean!*

Just then, a young girl approached and placed a hair clip, worth about a dozen Copper Coins, in Beibei’s hair. “Little sister, you’re so pretty! By the way, if you’re hungry, would you like to come to my house for dinner tonight? Big sister’s house has freshly sun-dried salted fish…”

Beibei, using her Spiritual Power, instantly assessed: *Hmm, she’s a good big sister!* With a *whoosh*, she poured all the money from her clothes onto the ground, then giggled as she took the hair clip from her head, examining it. “So pretty, Beibei likes it!”

She conveniently rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a Fire Diamond bracelet, about the thickness of a pinky finger and worth a few thousand Gold Coins. She held it up to the young girl. “Big sister, Beibei will trade with you… please trade with Beibei. Tonight, Beibei will treat you to Arctic Ice Swallow!” It was as if Little Red Riding Hood was luring Cinderella, leaving the young girl utterly flustered!

***

Hiding in the tavern, watching all of this from a window, Du Chen painfully covered his forehead. “Does one *not* need to learn how to do good deeds? Sigh!”

Sighing, he settled the bill, then went to Deboning’s location. With a few soothing words, he comforted the old woman and persuaded her to accept a Silver Coin. He then fished Harry out of the tavern, incidentally caught a pickpocket at the same time, and finally led the “lost” Beibei back home…

But just then, the docks surged with people. The very individuals Du Chen had targeted for his good deeds were all gathering at one spot, spreading the news with joyous abandon!

“Quick, go! Someone’s giving out money!”

“Hurry, hurry! There’s seafood rice!”

Du Chen paused, startled. He followed the direction of the converging crowd. It was beneath a weathercock on the docks, already surrounded by a considerable number of beggars and vagrants. Many hard-working sailors in simple attire, bare-shouldered and bare-backed, were also dropping their work and rushing over. A few oblivious bosses were still loudly ordering their sailors to continue working, but the masses were fervent. When there was a chance to get free money, they would go, even if it meant being cursed at.

Beneath the tall pole of the weathercock, a massive crowd had already gathered, three to four hundred strong, packed tightly, making it impossible to see who exactly was giving out money and performing this act of charity inside.

He quickly grabbed a beggar passing by to ask. The beggar seemed a little annoyed. “Hey, don’t grab me! Oh, it’s Mr. Francis! Thank you for your help the other day… Heh heh, I heard there’s a great philanthropist giving out money! They say anyone who goes gets money, and even seafood rice!”

With that, the beggar bowed to Du Chen and scurried away.

“Hey, poaching my turf!? Who is this, daring to steal my charity resources!?” Du Chen rubbed his nose and snapped his fingers. “Come on, let’s go see who’s trying to steal our business!”