The Goddess of Fate's Prank

Following their usual routine, Aliza stood guard outside with Beibei, while Du Chen and Deboning ducked into the Precious Lotus Scripture, secreting themselves within a closet to examine the new sacred artifact and the black rock that bore it.

Du Chen had already scrutinized the exposed section of the new sacred artifact, now shifting his focus to the black rock – an abandoned sacred artifact of war.

Thump! Thump!

Du Chen tapped the rock's surface with his Storm Dagger, long since repurposed into a lock-picking tool, listening to the distinctly crisp sound. “The material doesn't resemble the metals typically used for sacred artifact casings, yet it lacks the robust grit expected of rock!”

“Young Master, I can guarantee with absolute certainty that this thing contains neither metallic nor Water Elements!” Deboning stated earnestly.

“And I, with my sharp eyes, assure you it's no mere diamond or precious gem!” Du Chen's fingers traced the rock's fissures, his gaze fixed, almost entranced. “I've never encountered a sacred artifact fashioned from such a high-grade material in my life! Ordinary sacred artifacts are crafted from metal, and even advanced ones only contain partial elemental crystals. But this… I can't discern its nature, and yet, that precisely indicates…”

Du Chen slapped the rock vigorously, bursting into laughter. “This fellow is a treasure! If we could dismantle and refine it, I'd reforge your Blade of Vanishing Moon's Deadwater using this very material!”

Deboning's narrow eyes suddenly widened, and he instinctively touched the primordial sacred artifact at his waist. An undeniable inner glee welled within him. Just days ago, Flaying had secretly mocked him for being forced by a Spiritual Contract to serve a mere callow youth! But looking at it now, the two things he had sought his entire life – the position of Grand Pontiff and the Divine Realm – were both coming true within a mere two years, all because he followed his Young Master!

And those tenth-level sacred artifacts others only dreamed of, unobtainable even with billions of Gold Coins, once they fell into his hands… ‘No, the material is substandard, it needs to be upgraded after discarding the old one…’

Deboning mused triumphantly, when suddenly, Du Chen's curses pierced his ears!

“What an absolute travesty! It's a goddamn travesty!” Du Chen inspected a few more fissures before pouting and cursing. From the residual traces, he could discern that this sacred artifact, before its abandonment, had undoubtedly been an extremely sophisticated lock mechanism! One could even say that if this object were perfectly preserved and placed in Du Chen's previous life, it would stand as a seminal masterpiece of mechanical civilization!

Yet, a vivid image formed in Du Chen's mind…

An incredibly precise war machine, originally radiating light and reaping the lives of its enemies like a scythe through wheat, was suddenly enveloped by immense pressure. Compressed from all directions, what should have been a majestic and awe-inspiring weapon of war was, in the blink of an eye, crushed into an egg-shaped sphere…

Thus, the black rock was formed!

“Damn it! This sacred artifact has been compressed into solid rock, its internal lock mechanism utterly destroyed! Otherwise… who the hell did this? It's an atrocity against art!” Du Chen spat in vexation, oblivious to the fact that, at this moment, he bore a striking resemblance to Brockman, the artist.

Deboning asked, “Young Master, is there truly no way for you to open this sacred artifact?”

“Open it? What's there to open when the internal structure is completely gone?! What am I supposed to do?!” Du Chen frowned. “Deboning, are you absolutely certain you can't even scratch this rock?”

“It's not entirely impossible. If I struck with my full power, I could leave a few scratches on the rock…”

“Scratches? That'll do! Grind it for me with your Blade of Vanishing Moon's Deadwater! Grind downwards along the iron rod embedded in the new sacred artifact! As long as we can excavate this sacred artifact, that's all that matters!” Du Chen said fiercely. “I'll be damned if, after hundreds of thousands of blows, making one scratch at a time, you can't carve out a hole!?”

Deboning's mouth twitched. He thought to himself, ‘The Young Master is good at everything else, but when it comes to sacred artifacts… he's quite unlike himself!’

Perhaps, if Steve were here, he would describe Du Chen's current state of mind as… a Seasoned Playboy, a lecherous fiend who had seduced countless blossoming maidens and had every woman at his beck and call, suddenly encountering a stunning immortal maiden clad in iron underwear. This immortal maiden was even willing to ‘consort’ with him, but that single layer of iron panties stood squarely in the way…

How could Du Chen possibly not obsess over those iron panties!

…

Leaving Dus to control the Arcane Artifacts, Du Chen truly set Deboning to grinding inside the Precious Lotus Scripture! Indeed, sometimes the most ‘foolish’ method often proves the most effective! With Deboning's speed and blade techniques, unleashing tens of thousands of blows within an hour was effortless. If the new sacred artifact could be retrieved at the cost of Deboning acting as a stonemason for a day, why bother seeking out other, simpler methods!?

As evening fell, the Eye of Heaven Forest, chaotic all day, finally quieted down. Just as Du Chen was about to inquire about Deboning's progress, Mars rushed in to find him. Without a word, Mars, the Battle God, dragged Du Chen, sprinting towards the Eye of Heaven Temple!

“Mars, the Battle God, slow down, slow down! What's going on?!” In front of outsiders, Du Chen was always a charming and elegant, handsome young man who uttered not a single curse word!

“Heh, come with me, it's good news!”

Du Chen picked up his pace to match him, asking, “What good news could there possibly be now? With the new sacred artifact stolen last night, His Holiness the Pontiff must be in a towering rage, surely?”

“Hah, you don't know the Old One! Even if he secretly wished to slaughter everyone in the world, he'd still wear a perpetual smile on his face!” Mars turned to congratulate Du Chen. “Just now, the Old One said that while the new sacred artifact is stolen, the matter of Du Chen, the Divine, cannot be neglected. Come, the Enshrinement Temple is to establish a divine status for Du Chen, but your Du Chen, the Divine, was completely enshrouded in golden mist, preventing anyone from seeing his true form. You need to paint a portrait so the artisans can erect his divine shrine!”

An utterly bizarre sensation welled up in Du Chen's heart. Establish a divine status for Du Chen?! Heh, why did those words sound so… exhilarating?!

“I'll assist the artisans. Though I've largely discussed everything with His Holiness the Pontiff, are there any other details besides establishing my divine status that require my attention?”

Mars paused in his steps, muttering, “There's a lot! Think about it! Du Chen has been deified, so the Holy Church's Code must be amended accordingly. At the very least, a chapter titled ‘Divine Edicts of Du Chen’ must be added! What has Du Chen said, you need to provide us with a record! Furthermore, now across the Three Continents, apart from the Skylands…”

The more Du Chen listened, the brighter his eyes shone. He could almost envision it; it wouldn't be long, just a few months hence…

In the morning in Saint John City, countless parents would call out from outside their children's windows, “Darling, Du Chen says it's time to get up for school… Don't eat breakfast yet, you haven't prayed to the great Du Chen!”

At school, teachers would solemnly stand at their pulpits, holding their pointers. “Ahem! Today we're on lesson three: Du Chen's Truthful Doctrine. Now, repeat after me: The sagacious Du Chen says…”

Outside the school windows, a divine statue of Du Chen would stand tall in the square. And across from the statue, in the Palace of Versailles, Ferdinand would point directly at His Majesty Bargnar's nose, saying, “Your Majesty, the Holy Church's Code has been revised. Please refer to the ‘Scroll of Divine Edicts: Du Chen's Chapter’ and rebuild the Southern District commoner area according to Du Chen's commands…”

Du Chen's journey to the Eye of Heaven Forest was finally bearing fruit… And these were merely the petty gains, satisfying the common human vanity. Once the name ‘Du Chen’ was revered as a god, the true benefits would accompany him throughout his life, slowly being unearthed by him.

After handling all the intricate details of his deification with Mars and wheedling some benefits from the Pontiff, it was already the dawn of the next day when Du Chen returned to his tent!

Deboning was still inside the Precious Lotus Scripture. Du Chen tapped on the cabinet, then entered the Lotus himself. Seeing Deboning standing on the rock, staring blankly, he bowed slightly, a noble smile gracing his lips. “Distinguished Mr. Brook, is your work complete? If so, I have excellent news for you!”

Unexpectedly, Deboning was still staring blankly at the rock. A hole the size of a manhole cover had appeared at his feet, with the iron rod section of the new sacred artifact centered within it. It seemed Deboning's work was nearing completion.

Du Chen hopped onto the rock, walking and laughing. “Grand Pontiff Brook of Du Chen's Divine Cult, what are you looking at? This is the most crucial moment of your life – think of a more impressive name!”

He noticed something was amiss with Deboning; his complexion was exceptionally pale!

Deboning answered casually, “Young Master, why think of a name?”

“As the Grand Pontiff of Du Chen's Divine Cult, how can the name Brook remain as obscure and nameless as before?” Du Chen approached Deboning. “His Holiness the Pontiff has promised, Mr. Brook, that tomorrow, you only need to perform a routine formality, proving your tenth-level strength, to receive a title and become a Titled Battle God, forever enshrined in history…”

Du Chen, seeing what lay within the opening, also froze.

Deboning stared into the opening, muttering, “Titled Battle God? Very well, I understand. Tomorrow, I shall prove my strength…” His tone was remarkably flat, as if he had never harbored any desire for the words ‘Titled Battle God’ before, nor cared about the past sorrow of a Saint forced to hide in the shadows, never seeing the light of day. He seemed utterly indifferent to a Titled Battle God's status, which was equal to the monarchs of all nations across the continent and revered by all humanity…

Because he had discovered something far more astonishing!

Du Chen nodded. “Then prepare yourself… Damn it! What in the hell is this?” He pointed into the opening.

“Young Master, this was the scene half an hour ago, after I dug open this hole. You weren't here, so I dared not continue…”

Du Chen forced a wry smile. “I genuinely only wanted to steal a small sacred artifact! But this… is the Goddess of Fate toying with me!?”