Phil's Pact with the Saint Dak Family

Mother-in-law!?

When had he acquired a mother-in-law? And she, the venerable elder, was so utterly bored that she'd decided to demolish her 'son-in-law's' house!?

Betty loudly corrected Du Chen's error, then ducked back inside. Faintly, Du Chen seemed to hear Keane's grumbling, "Miss Betty, please come back! You're disheveled, your hair's a mess, how could you possibly claim to be that... whatever it was? You are completely disgracing your noble status!"

As he pondered, a striking middle-aged woman stormed out of Dormitory Number Seventeen. Betty was disheveled, as if she'd just survived a fierce battle. The middle-aged woman's hair was also askew, though she appeared slightly more composed than Betty.

Tall, in a white dress with short blue hair and pale blue eyes, her demeanor alone spoke volumes about her identity—Frinda's mother, or at the very least, her mother's sister or something similar!

Why Betty called her Du Chen's mother-in-law was now self-evident.

All thanks to that little lie Du Chen had spun!

"You must be Francis? Hmm, quite good, very good indeed!" The middle-aged woman scrutinized Du Chen from head to toe. Her expression darkened slightly as she took in the three 'decapitated' dormitories, then she playfully poked out her tongue.

"My apologies. Ordinarily, Auntie here enjoys researching ancient military sacred artifacts. Just now, Madam Betty snatched my newly developed 'Sky-Shattering Mortar' for a test run, and quite unexpectedly, your dormitory ended up... Heh heh, Auntie will, of course, take responsibility for compensation and reconstruction!"

Good heavens, a 'mother-in-law' testing a weapon of mass destruction right next to her 'son-in-law's' dorm!

Du Chen's horizons had truly broadened today. The eccentricities of these High-level Battle Gods were utterly bizarre. He had two High-level Battle Gods living with him: one who collected Flayed skins, and another who rearranged human bones. And now... he encountered one who dabbled in weapons of mass destruction! Especially a noble lady. Where could one even begin to reason with such a thing?!

One doesn't strike a smiling face. The noble lady had already apologized and offered compensation. For Du Chen to pursue accountability with a woman in public would be utterly petty.

"Oh dear, I quite forgot to introduce myself!" The middle-aged woman daintily pinched the hem of her skirt, performing a perfect noble lady's curtsy. "I am Frinda's mother, Somia! A pleasure to finally meet you! This is the long-awaited encounter I've anticipated!"

The Saint Dak family had finally made contact. Phil's Clues had at last connected. Du Chen nodded, smiling in acknowledgement. Suddenly, Somia bowed deeply and very formally to him, startling him. "Madam Somia, how can you offer such courtesy to a junior like me? How could I possibly bear it?! Please, rise!"

Somia waved a hand dismissively. "Do not refuse. This is something my husband and I have longed for for years. And you, please accept this bow on behalf of Madam Phil! We are eternally grateful for your mother's life-saving grace to us both!"

Du Chen had vaguely guessed at this matter, and Frinda had mentioned it once before, so he wasn't particularly surprised. What he needed now was a private place to clarify his relationship with Frinda to Somia and to inquire about Phil's Clues. But his dormitory was destroyed, and Du Chen didn't want to go to Annie's dorm... He gave an awkward laugh. "Auntie, there are many things I wish to discuss with you, if you don't mind..."

Du Chen had intended to suggest finding a hotel down by the docks, but Somia, gesturing energetically towards the tents by the Water River, declared, "No, of course, I don't mind! This will do perfectly! These tents are all yours, aren't they?"

Without waiting for Du Chen to respond, Somia strode over, seemingly oblivious to the stunned Martin, and directly chose Jamis's tent, ushering Du Chen inside. Primarily, this tent was remarkably clean, whereas old Bovin's tent was a veritable epitome of filth, disorder, and squalor, reeking to high heaven!

With a helpless shrug, Du Chen signaled to Harry by the river to quickly find someone to rebuild the dormitories, then settled down before Somia. Unexpectedly, Somia's first words startled Du Chen slightly: "I hadn't expected it to be you who came, but it's good nonetheless. At least someone finally arrived! If you hadn't, a great calamity surely would have erupted! My husband and I wouldn't have known how to explain ourselves to Madam Phil!"

"Uh, Madam Somia, there are many... complications involved..."

"Never mind that. Since you are Madam Phil's son, and you've brought the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring before May 13th, then..." Somia chuckled softly, her eyes sweeping over Du Chen.

"Frinda will be your wife! Francis, my son-in-law! Aren't you pleased?"

*Swish!* Du Chen's practiced smile froze on his face. He quickly interjected, "I believe you might be mistaken. Madam Betty told you I was pursuing Frinda, didn't she? But Madam Betty entirely misunderstood my intentions..."

"No, no, no! While Madam Betty did indeed say you liked Frinda, and even rejected Annie for her—hmm, she actually had an argument with me over that—that is *not* why I'm giving Frinda to you!" Somia wagged a finger, smiling. "This is a promise my husband and I made to Madam Phil, our savior! As long as you bring the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring before May 13th, Frinda will be your wife!"

Damn it, had Phil sold him off?!

Du Chen asked, filled with regret, "Madam Somia, what if I hadn't brought the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring before May 13th?" If only he'd known, he would have delayed bringing it until *after* May 13th! "And what exactly is May 13th?"

Somia stared at Du Chen curiously. "You don't know? May 13th is Frinda's eighteenth birthday!"

Phil... you are truly ruthless! So, the 'major event' of the Saint Sigurd Cain family you spoke of was a marriage alliance with the Saint Dak family!!

Damn it, why do all his parents in this life love playing at political marriages?!

"As for what would happen if you didn't bring the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring before May 13th... well, let me tell you the whole story from the beginning!" Somia was quite loquacious, and she recounted a complex and convoluted tale for over an hour.

While the story of Phil and Saint Dak was intricate, it could be summarized in a few simple sentences:

Seventeen years ago, roughly three years before Phil's 'demise,' shortly after Francis was born, she serendipitously saved the lives of Frinda's parents, and the year-old Frinda herself. In that fateful battle, Phil displayed strength akin to a deity, not only slaying all her adversaries but also leaving Somia and her husband, scions of the Fallen Gods family, utterly dumbfounded, exclaiming that even their family's patriarch couldn't possess such power!

Whether out of a desire to curry favor with a mighty expert, genuine gratitude, or some mysterious, undisclosed purpose of Phil's, they struck a peculiar pact: a son from the Saint Sigurd Cain family would marry Frinda. When that son approached the Saint Dak family bearing the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring, it would signify him as Frinda's destined husband!

However, Phil, being quite reasonable, also proposed that the future was full of variables, and a single promise shouldn't jeopardize Frinda's entire life. Therefore, Frinda only needed to wait until her eighteenth birthday; that is, if no one appeared with the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring before May 13th of this year, Frinda would be free to choose her own consort.

This was the account Du Chen heard from Somia.

But this was only half the story. The other half was Phil's intricate web of mysteries, which restricted her son to only obtaining the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring and marrying Frinda once he reached the Nine-Star Battle God level—a detail the Saint Dak family was entirely unaware of.

All they knew was that if Francis arrived with the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring before May 13th, Frinda would become Francis's wife!

Now, recalling the multiple-choice questions within the Aquatic Mirror, Du Chen suddenly realized Phil's cunning... to an immense degree! Questions like whether he had a lover or if he was willing to forsake love were simply designed to ascertain if he was married and Frinda's current age! If he wasn't married, and Frinda wasn't yet eighteen... well, tough luck, he'd have to proactively seek out the Saint Dak family and prepare to marry Frinda!

This was practically selling himself off, and he'd still have to count Phil's money for her!!

Somia continued, "Do you understand now? If you had appeared with the Thunder-Fire Diamond Ring *after* May 13th, Frinda would have married someone else, and our family would have given you a very special gift... but that's no longer important, because you've already arrived!"

Du Chen was still regretting why he hadn't delayed his arrival by a few days, but this Phil was simply too sly, forcing him to come before May 13th. And it was conceivable that Du Chen had only seen a portion of the multiple-choice questions... perhaps even if he had chosen other answers then, Phil would have laid out trap after trap for him to fall into...

Hesitation should never belong to you!

Flaying's teachings flashed through his mind once more. Du Chen gritted his teeth. "Auntie Somia, I'll be frank with you. I had no idea my mother left such a will. I merely brought the ring according to her instructions... Truth be told, I don't particularly like Miss Frinda, and I believe Miss Frinda likely doesn't like me either; she might even detest me. Therefore..."

Though their acquaintance was brief, Du Chen had a fair understanding of Somia's impatient and straightforward nature. So, he spoke plainly, expressing his intentions unequivocally. "Currently, many young masters from various great families are pursuing Frinda. I believe there must be someone among them who is more suitable for your esteemed family! As for me, I genuinely already have a beloved, and I do not wish to marry Miss Frinda—even though she is exceptionally outstanding!"

"You already have a beloved? So the 'beloved' Betty mentioned to me truly *isn't* Frinda!?" Somia gaped in surprise.

Du Chen nodded.

"Someone vastly beneath your status, fond of reading... who could that possibly be?" Somia shook her head emphatically.

"Francis, do you truly understand the significance of marrying Frinda? Do you realize that her dowry is the most treasured possession of our Saint Dak family, Saan's Light! Saan's Light, which could allow you to become a Titled Battle God and extend your lifespan by a hundred years!"