The Genesis of All: Francis, the Prodigy He Was Meant to Be

“Oh, right, before I left, Junior Brother Cassian proactively asked to work as a laborer at the Newin Dam construction site! He said that even though his strength was modest, he could deliver water and food to the workers there, and also learn a lot of useful hydraulic knowledge, which he believed would greatly aid him in governing the nation in the future...”

Du Chen continued recounting Cassian’s transformation to Zigurd, who nodded repeatedly, his smile growing ever wider.

“Unbelievable, truly unbelievable that Cassian would voluntarily become a dam laborer... This is truly cause for celebration, absolutely wonderful!”

Zigurd’s goatee trembled with laughter; it was clear he was genuinely delighted by his student’s change. “Francis, how did you instruct Cassian? To have him change so drastically in just a few months? He even, he *actually* deigned to help beggars! Haha!”

Of course, it was thanks to ‘Uncle Feli,’ who, despite being officially ‘deceased,’ still served as the Deputy Administrator for the North Town administrative office!

But Du Chen, naturally, wouldn’t reveal the truth. He chuckled, “Well, you see, over the past few months, I often took him to experience the hardships of common folk, to let him...”

“Halt!”

“Your Holiness, stop!”

“Francis, you stop right there!”

Ear-splitting voices echoed from behind. Du Chen knew immediately it was those Old Hags! His brow furrowed slightly as he glanced at the Pontiff.

The Pontiff scrutinized the four Divine Envoys who had rushed over, a hint of bewilderment in his heart.

What were they doing here? If they were here to accuse the Holy Church of feigning ignorance and standing idly by while they were oppressed by the Dragon God, that might make some sense. But why were they shouting Francis’s name so fiercely, as if seeking vengeance?

Could Francis’s foster daughter really have made them harbor such deep resentment? *Alright*, he’d agreed just now, in his pact with Francis, to help resolve this particular trouble for him!

Pondering this, the Pontiff raised his right hand, commanding Mas to halt the Chariot, and calmly asked, “Divine Envoy Donna, what is the meaning of this?”

Donna, accompanied by three other Divine Envoys, swiftly landed before the Pontiff’s Chariot of the Gods, their gazes fixed menacingly on Du Chen. Donna declared, “Your Holiness, we demand to take Francis! And his foster daughter, Rimel!”

“Let me reiterate: my foster daughter’s name is Belmonde!” Du Chen stated, displeased. A murderous intent flickered within him as he glared at the Divine Envoys! If the current circumstances weren’t so unsuitable, he would surely have Deboning eliminate these four old hags!

The Pontiff waved a hand, and the nearby Papal Curia’s Black-armored Warriors dispersed, forming a wide circle within the Eye of Heaven Forest. This ensured both that no one could eavesdrop and that the warriors themselves couldn’t overhear.

Only then did the Pontiff slowly speak: “Regarding Rimel, or rather, Belmonde, the Earthly Representatives of the Gods state that, Divine Envoys, Francis’s foster daughter was once bestowed the title of Newin Princess by Bargnar, the King of Lanning. And the Earthly Representatives of the Gods will also grant their blessings upon her... Sages, Belmonde is already a Divine Servant of another deity; it would be inconvenient for her to become a Divine Servant of your god!”

Pausing, the Pontiff gracefully adjusted the Golden Circlet on his head. “There are nearly ten billion humans across the Three Continents. I believe many would be fortunate to become Divine Servants of your esteemed deity. Why must you insist on Belmonde alone?” His unspoken meaning was clear: *Release her, and I will provide you with better, more numerous young girls as compensation!*

Du Chen mused inwardly, *The Pontiff is quite the shrewd business partner! But to use other girls to replace Belmonde, that’s truly despicable!*

Donna momentarily froze. While she might act imperiously towards commoners, she maintained a polite demeanor before another deity—the Pontiff! She bowed and said, “Since His Holiness the Pontiff puts it that way, then the matter of Rimel shall be dropped!”

But then, her tone sharply shifted. Pointing at Du Chen, she fiercely demanded, “Is your full name, Francis Saint Sigurd Keynes!? Are you the third son of Phil and Arges!?”

Du Chen’s heart skipped a beat. He unconsciously touched his nose, thinking, *Back in Turco Port, Bairu, for protective reasons, didn’t reveal my name. Yet today, these Divine Envoys, who are supposedly cut off from external news, clearly know my origins... Something is amiss!*

However, given Du Chen’s current status and renown, he couldn’t possibly conceal this truth. He simply stated, “Indeed. What counsel do you Divine Envoys have to offer?”

“Damn it, shouldn’t you be an imbecile!?” one Divine Envoy blurted out.

Donna shot her a reproving look. *Damn it, this is an absolute secret of our god, how could you reveal The Clues!?* She snorted, “That settles it then. You must come with us!”

Though Donna remained domineering, her heart was truly in a panic...

Having lived for over seventy years, she held only one belief: *Our god is immensely powerful, unrivaled by anyone!*

Yet she also distinctly remembered that seventeen years ago, her god had personally witnessed Francis’s birth and, with immense divine power, sealed Francis’s Heaven-Bestowed Hydro-Body, transforming him from a prodigy into an imbecile! Her god had then told Phil: “If you wish for your son to regain his Heaven-Bestowed Hydro-Body, then hand over what I desire! Otherwise, even if you could resurrect the Grand Speaker of yesteryear, Divine Emperor Prince, you cannot change your son’s destiny as an imbecile! For in this world, no one can be three times stronger than I!”

But now, her god’s Secret Technique had clearly been broken!

With years of faith suffering a fatal blow, how could Donna not panic?!

Francis *had* to be captured and brought back, so their god could personally interrogate him and uncover... *why* this had happened?!

“You want me to go with you? For what purpose?” Du Chen leaned against the Chariot’s railing, gazing at them with a smirk—a smile Cassian had once dubbed “the devil’s smile”!

Donna coldly retorted, “You don’t need to know why. You just need to know that if we don’t take you back today, we will never cease!”

“You dare bully Young Master!? You’re asking for a beating!”

Aliza, who had been following the Chariot of the Gods, erupted in fury. He raised his iron fist, about to charge and strike them, but at that moment, a hand rested on his shoulder. Zigurd slowly descended from the Chariot, displeased. “Divine Envoy Donna, Francis is my student. You may take him in my presence, yes, but only after you’ve explained yourselves clearly!”

Zigurd stared coldly at Donna, radiating an intimidating aura even without anger.

“Dean Zigurd, I respect you as a Titled Battle God, one with divine status! But you must also understand one thing: it is *our god* who has explicitly commanded Francis’s capture!” Donna threatened, “It would be best to cherish everything you have! Do not interfere! Your Holiness, this matter concerns the secrets of our god; we cannot elaborate much, but we also implore you not to interfere!”

The Pontiff stood calmly upon the Chariot, appearing unmoved, yet within his mind, he was already pondering the reasons behind this incident and weighing the advantages and disadvantages.

Zigurd’s goatee trembled slightly, giving him a somewhat comical appearance, but Du Chen knew: the old man was truly enraged!

“Hmph! Since you Divine Envoys refuse to clarify matters for me, then don’t even *dream* of taking my student in my presence!”

Du Chen glanced at the seemingly unfathomable Pontiff and commanded, “Brook!”

The moment Deboning made a move, Zigurd shot him a sharp sidelong glance. “Mister Brook, please do not intervene for now! I know your strength is not inferior to mine, but this matter, I shall resolve! Francis is my most valued student!”

A warmth spread through Du Chen’s heart. The old man was willing to risk everything to shield him from this! From now on, if that deity wanted to settle accounts with him, Zigurd would be added to the ledger!

“You resolve it? Can you even resolve it?” Donna scoffed, “It seems you wish to offend our god!?”

“Lackeys! Puffed up with borrowed power!” Zigurd’s wide left sleeve suddenly billowed without wind, rolling up to reveal a blue Thorned Water Ring on his arm. He angrily lectured, “Just now, when the Dragon God led his army to challenge you, where was your prestige then!? Though I, Zigurd, admit I am no match for the Dragon God, I am certainly not someone you mere servants can threaten!”

With that, he turned back to the Chariot, took Du Chen’s hand, descended, and strode purposefully towards the Papal Curia’s encampment. With his back to the Divine Envoys, he coldly declared, “I, Zigurd, have been teaching disciples for sixty years, and I have never allowed a single student to be arbitrarily arrested in my presence! If you wish to take Francis, either explain yourselves clearly, or summon your master! You are not qualified to speak with me further!”

From beginning to end, the Pontiff merely watched the spectacle unfold!

On one side was Du Chen, the Divine; on the other, also a deity. It would be best for him to wait until the situation became clearer before declaring his stance!

“Zigurd! How insolent you are!” Donna shrieked, the anger from the Dragon God’s previous affront still simmering. Now that Zigurd had brought up the Dragon God again, she couldn’t help but yell, “Francis is different from the Dragon God! We did not contend with the Dragon God because we lacked our god’s direct command, making it inappropriate to overstep our authority and wage war against another deity! Do you think we feared the Dragon God!? Francis, however, is different. I am certain our god will spare no expense to seize him! Even if it means waging war against the Battle God Academy and the Papal Curia!”

“Francis has disbursed his fortune, benefiting the region, earning praise throughout the land! If such a student were to be unjustly seized by you today, I, Zigurd, would be ashamed to be his teacher! I would further fail the three hundred thousand people along the Newin River!” Zigurd utterly ignored her, continuing his determined stride. “Furthermore, convey to your esteemed god: only the barbarous and unreasonable vent their anger on others! If there’s an issue, direct it at me, Zigurd! To target the students and faculty of Battle God Academy would be a betrayal of her former heroic name!”

“Zigurd!! Damn you, sisters, Aqua Cloud Banner!”

With Donna’s low growl, the other three Divine Envoys suddenly pulled back, retreating. Subsequently, the Cloud Banner by Moon Lake began to billow with mist, and the white cloud at its pinnacle suddenly started to expand...

“So this is the Aqua Cloud Banner, reputed to possess Peak Level Ten Combat Prowess?” Without turning his head, Zigurd raised his left arm. The newly acquired sacred artifact, the Thorned Water Ring, shot forth, circling above the Cloud Banner. Then, the water ring suddenly expanded a hundredfold, completely encircling the cloud atop the banner!

Mist seeped from the white cloud, but countless dense blue spikes suddenly protruded from Zigurd’s water ring. In an instant, it firmly locked down the white cloud, preventing it from continuing its transformation!

Witnessing this scene, Deboning sighed despondently and lowered his head!

In terms of raw power, he was not inferior to Zigurd; even if there was a slight disparity, it was negligible. However, he had personally experienced the Cloud Banner’s might not long ago, and the result was... helplessness. The Cloud Banner couldn’t harm him, nor could he hope to breach it!

Yet now, Zigurd, relying on his true prowess, had forcefully suppressed the Cloud Banner in a direct confrontation...

There was only one explanation: a sacred artifact! A *superb* sacred artifact!

Du Chen tilted his head, casting a sidelong glance at the Divine Envoys battling his teacher. A cold smirk suddenly curled his lips. *Damn it, do you really take me for a lamb for the slaughter!?*