Brockman and Brockman

Brockman and his companions were staying in a dilapidated tenement complex north of the city. With no hotels yet rebuilt in Newin Port, this was already considered a relatively decent place to rent. Here, Du Chen meticulously crafted a narrative of his own origins and casually recounted some of Brockman's own experiences that he knew and could speak of. The Divine Grant Earl before him nodded repeatedly, sighing with emotion.

Brockman, in turn, recounted his own experiences. Before the merfolk attack on the port, he awoke alone on a beach, having forgotten everything. After arriving at Newin Port by himself, he was recognized by a few mercenary friends, only then learning his name was Brockman.

Those mercenaries were on a mission to deliver goods to Newin Port. Unfortunately, they ran into the merfolk's plundering of the city. Their contact was nowhere to be found, and the port was in utter chaos, so they had no choice but to stay in Newin Port for half a month as agreed. If no one picked up the goods within half a month, the mission would be canceled. Brockman was staying with them, and once the time was up, these mercenaries would escort him home.

Hearing this, Du Chen asked, "Brockman, my dearest friend, if you don't mind, I could..."

"No, I'd rather stay with these friends. I wouldn't want to trouble you, Mr. Cheers!" Brockman rejected his "good intentions" before Du Chen could even finish.

"Very well then. With these friends looking after you, I feel at ease!" Du Chen rose and brushed his robe, a gesture among nobles signifying departure.

After seeing Du Chen off and closing the door, Brockman's expression immediately turned grim. His eyes, filled with malice, swept over the mercenaries in the room as he sneered, "Fortuitous! To encounter 'my' dear old friend and learn so much about 'my' past..."

"Indeed, an unexpected windfall!" A bald mercenary rubbed the great axe in his hand. "This Cheers fellow seems quite wealthy, should we perhaps...?"

"How could I, Brockman, a Divine Grant Earl, possibly ambush and kill a friend? Hmph!" Brockman shrugged and sneered. "We have more important matters—the Star of Turaam... Come, let's go to our true residence immediately!"

After leaving the dilapidated complex, Du Chen cradled his son with one arm, rubbing his nose with the other hand. "It seems Brockman truly has amnesia. What exactly happened to him?"

"Foolish Papa!" Alex, in his arms, suddenly pouted dismissively and lifted his head. "The Brockman from just now wasn't Brockman!"

"Alex, what are you saying? How could Brockman not be Brockman? I know Brockman far too well; his appearance, physique, and temperament are all identical. That was definitely him—aside from a slight difference in demeanor, but that's perfectly logical, isn't it? If he truly has amnesia, a change in demeanor makes sense!" Du Chen wondered.

Just then, Harry anxiously said, "Young Master, Harry sniffed around him for a long time. His scent indicates he's the genuine Brockman, no doubt about it! Ugh, the stench of blood on him is truly overpowering, almost enough to make my nose sick!"

Deboning added, "There's no mistake. I've seen Brockman fight on Mount Tianshan and remember his battle qi fluctuations. The Brockman just now, aside from being more bloodthirsty and having killed many people, was no different from how he was on Mount Tianshan! Other things can be faked, but battle qi and Secret Technique characteristics absolutely cannot!"

Alex impatiently slumped onto Du Chen's shoulder. "If you don't believe me, then fine! A master doesn't need to explain! Don't you dare say you know me in the future, you bunch of fools!"

After walking a few more blocks, Du Chen's heart stirred, and he suddenly stopped. Waving to Deboning, he said, "You come back with me to investigate. Harry, take Andy to Cassian!"

Deboning nodded slightly. Just as the two turned, they suddenly came face to face with someone approaching from the opposite direction. Glancing at who was approaching, Alex coolly flicked his head. Meanwhile, those who had just disagreed with him were all stunned.

The person in front also paused, then loudly greeted, "Oh, Heavens, it's my dearest friend, the esteemed Earl Francis! It's been too long; I've missed you terribly!" At this moment, Du Chen was not disguised; he had merely changed into commoner clothes, and his topknot was undone. This was enough to prevent subjects who had only seen him once or twice from recognizing him, but old friends who knew him well could still recognize him at a glance.

Brockman strode over from the direction of that complex, bowed slightly before Du Chen, then gave him a hug, laughing warmly. "Francis, my dearest friend, so you've returned to Newin Port! Alas, the situation here is truly heartbreaking!"

"Ah, hehe, so it's you, Brockman!" Du Chen, momentarily startled, quickly returned the greeting, scrutinizing his appearance with doubt. Golden hair, blue eyes, fair skin, a tall and upright physique, dressed in standard Divine Grant noble attire – this was the genuine Brockman, no doubt about it. But... he had just parted ways with him; how could this Brockman say it had been a long time? Had his memory suddenly returned?! Could it be such a coincidence? A cliché novel plot device?

"My friend, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something amiss with me?" Brockman elegantly lifted his wide sleeve, subtly inspecting his own attire.

His mannerisms and speech were truly noble! Moreover, the aura between his brows was one of aristocratic elegance, starkly different from the ruthless demeanor of the previous Brockman.

Could it be that his son was right? That Brockman wasn't Brockman? Du Chen seemed to realize something.

"There's nothing amiss with you; I was just lost in thought, remembering the tragic state of my territory!" Du Chen replied evasively.

"Alas, Newin Port truly suffers much hardship, but thankfully, it has a benevolent lord like you. I believe you will soon bring it true peace; I am firm in this conviction!" Brockman secretly glanced at Deboning, thinking to himself, *Damn it, to coincidentally run into Francis on the street, what a timing! Tendon-Severing is nearby, and I have many things on me that Francis mustn't discover. I absolutely cannot talk with him too long right now; it's better to part ways as soon as possible!*

After chatting for a moment, he said, "It's truly a joy to see an old friend, but I am just on my way to attend to some private affairs. Tell me, when would it be convenient for me to call upon you at the Lord's Manor..."

"My friend, you are welcome to visit me anytime. I will be staying in Newin Port for some time to come!" Du Chen watched as Brockman bowed slightly and retreated, then, once a good distance away, bowed in farewell and disappeared around the street corner.

Pointing in the direction Brockman had vanished, Du Chen chuckled with a hint of understanding. "This Brockman... could he be...?"

Alex pouted and said, "This Brockman, he is the true Brockman!"

"Alex, my dear boy, can you explain it clearly to Papa?" Du Chen asked, pinching his son's nose.

Alex shook his head, evading Du Chen's hand, and grinned. "A master disdains explanation! I tell you, Papa, you're all too foolish. Don't let Alex become a simpleton like you, alright? We're not on the same level!" The little one's lecturing demeanor made Du Chen wish he could take off his shoe and give him a good whack.

Deeply puzzled by Brockman, Du Chen lifted his son by the arm, threatening, "Explain now, or tonight I'll make you eat your sister's roasted meat slices, and after that, you won't be allowed to do laundry!"

"Gah!" The little one's eyes widened instantly, and he quickly covered his mouth, muttering, "There are simply no two identical people in the world, not even twins; there must be subtle differences! The Brockman from before, his scent, battle qi, appearance, and physique were all exactly like the real Brockman, but... their spirits still had a slight difference!"

Seeing Du Chen's intrigued expression, Alex rolled his eyes and added, "And also, Alex sensed that the true Brockman carries a transformed Tyran Beast! Anyone using battle qi near him would be immediately detected!"

Elsewhere, the Brockman who had just parted ways with Du Chen had already rendezvoused with Tendon-Severing. Brockman cracked his knuckles, murmuring, "Francis has returned to his territory. So, in a sense, we now share a common enemy. Tendon-Severing, do you think we could cooperate?"

Tendon-Severing vigilantly scanned their surroundings, shaking his head. "If we cooperate deeply, we'll have to reveal some secrets to Francis. If we cooperate superficially, it's better not to cooperate at all! So... my lord, let's proceed on our own!"

Brockman cracked his knuckles with a sharp snap, musing, "Very well, we'll do it ourselves then! Hah!" He suddenly curled his lips into a smile. "Poor Francis is truly unlucky. His painstakingly rebuilt territory has actually suffered such an unexpected calamity... He's truly deserving of pity! I speak from the heart, not out of schadenfreude; this lovable little fellow is just too kind, too trusting..."

Tendon-Severing also chuckled, "The Marshal often says that every matter has two sides, and the only difference lies in your perspective! Now, thinking back, that statement is profoundly true. The 'Star of Turaam' being robbed provoked a merfolk uprising in that area, and as a result, those enraged merfolk, while pursuing the bandits, happened to pass through Newin Port... significantly weakening Francis's developmental potential. Hmm, truly an unexpectedly great harvest!"

"If Francis is unhappy, Lord Philip will be pleased, isn't that wonderful?" Brockman's smile remained noble. "Tendon-Severing, we need to pick up the pace. Those merfolk are furious to the extreme and are preparing for another large-scale operation. Their numbers are too vast; if we cannot swiftly reclaim what was stolen, once their rage spirals beyond our control, whatever they do could adversely affect the organization's plans!"

Tendon-Severing nodded. "Indeed, Lord Brockman, what do you intend to do?"

Brockman gently spread his hands, smiling. "It's quite simple. Those bandits only stole half of the 'Star of Turaam.' They will certainly remain here, attempting to acquire the other half of the 'Star of Turaam'... the half that is on me..."

"Then we shall wait for them. However, my lord, according to surviving organization members, one of the bandits, though masked and stealthy, used a Secret Technique remarkably similar to your 'Azure Tsunami.' Because of this, some 'insiders' have started unfavorable rumors about you, so I suggest we capture the bandits and reclaim the Star of Turaam as quickly as possible!"

"Hmph, let those 'insiders' talk. With Homan by my side, they wouldn't dare truly touch me!" Brockman cracked his knuckles with too much force, stretching his fingers unnaturally long, beyond normal physiological limits. He looked up at the sky and murmured, "It's probably some clansmen who know my background, intentionally framing me. After all, I personally killed my own brother seven years ago. Besides him, no one else in the world understands my family's ancestral divine art..."

Tendon-Severing shrugged, thinking to himself, *Thirteen years ago, didn't your brother also personally 'kill' you? Yet you were saved by Lord Philip from the Blood Pool Purgatory; why could no one save your twin brother?*

Brockman also considered this. He interlaced his fingers, then abruptly stretched them all out. "If my dear brother is still alive, I will kill him again, fulfilling the vow I made back then!" He took a deep breath. "I promised this before my father's tombstone..."

The two walked and talked, then quickened their pace after passing an alley. A few streets away, yet another Brockman, one hand clenched and the other rubbing his fist, was grinning sinisterly as he discussed something with those mercenaries...