Orbach's Epoch

Sonora tried probing further, but Du Chen remained unyielding, adamantly demanding "that which the Saint Dak family cannot yield!" Sonora, unwilling to explicitly reveal his clear understanding of Francis's true desires, could only repeatedly vow to relay the exact message to the Saint Baton Clan before rising and reluctantly taking his leave.

Stepping out, Sonora mounted a conveyance unique to beastmen nobility—a Kodo Beast war chariot. Inside, a figure shrouded in black, gold-trimmed robes sat, their features obscured. The figure spoke, "Sir Six Tails, how fared your negotiations with Francis? Can those sixty thousand corpses be interred on time before April 10th? Grand Speaker Philip is still awaiting them!"

Sonora slapped the chariot's shaft in frustration. "Confound that Francis! His appetite is insatiable! He actually demands the Saint Baton Clan surrender the Celestial Capital map before he'll return the corpses!"

The black-robed figure spread their hands in astonishment. "How can this be? While those tens of thousands of beastmen corpses are highly valued, they are still, after all, merely corpses. Does Francis truly believe a pile of cadavers, devoid of any value beyond commemoration, is worth the Saint Baton Clan surrendering their most vital family secret? The Saint Baton Clan would never agree to such terms!"

Sonora responded, "The Family Head of the Saint Baton Clan might erupt in fury the moment he hears this demand! Alas!" He sighed, "Francis's appetite is simply too grand!"

The black-robed figure's voice turned cold. "Sir Sonora Six Tails, I can only remind you now: today is April 3rd! Marshal Orbach's 'Undead Commander Project' commences on April 10th. You *must* assist Grand Speaker Philip in completing the 'Undead Legion' project before the tenth, interring those corpses within seven days! Only then can Grand Speaker Philip timely transform all the corpses into an Undead Legion by April 15th, and return to base with Marshal, bringing Orbach's corpse!" He paused, then added, "No matter how thorny the difficulties you encounter!"

Sonora slammed his hand onto the Kodo Beast's back, growling, "I'm no Outsider! Do you truly need to speak to me with such frosty disdain? Fine, I will ensure all corpses are interred within seven days!"

The black-robed figure responded, "Indeed, we are all kin. But Marshal's Military Edict makes no distinction between kin or Outsiders!"

Sonora impatiently waved a hand, then put his hands on his hips, pondering. "In my opinion, Francis is merely making an exorbitant demand this time. He himself probably doesn't truly believe the Saint Baton Clan would exchange the Celestial Capital map for tens of thousands of useless corpses! I'll first relay Francis's intentions to the Saint Baton Clan, then mediate to counter Francis's price! Hopefully, the corpses can be interred on time within seven days!"

The black-robed figure stood. "Not hope, but *necessity*! Remember, April 15th, the day of Orbach's fifteen-hundredth epoch, concerns the Violet-Bloods' millennium-long grand strategy. No errors can be permitted before then!" With that, he vanished.

Within the Diplomatic Residence, Du Chen saw Sonora off, then placed Beibei into the Precious Lotus Scripture. He did not, however, transform the lotus into a body-tattoo—for Beibei still needed to tend to Eldest Brother's mental state.

Grand Matriarchs Lily and Lucy emerged from behind a screen. "Francis, what exactly was that final demand you made just now?"

Lily, agitated, exclaimed, "Forget about the spy for a moment! We were startled by Bonis's seal just now, and haven't had a chance to ask you: what have you been doing for over a year?"

The two Grand Matriarchs were brimming with questions. For over a year, they had heard rumors of Francis daily on Battle God Isle, and also tales of the so-called Du Chen, the Divine, and had long yearned to question Francis.

Du Chen had little to conceal from the two Grand Matriarchs, as they were close friends with Sigurd and Wolf. Informing them that Wolf had established Yetha's Divine Cult, which later passed to Phil, was inconsequential. However, Du Chen slightly altered the narrative concerning Du Chen, the Divine, stating only that his good deeds earned him the Divine's favor, and subsequently, he merged Yetha's Divine Cult with Du Chen's Divine Cult to form the current Divine Cult.

Upon hearing this, the two Grand Matriarchs felt immense sympathy for Francis's pitiful origins—indeed, Francis's background was truly wretched. First, he was turned into an idiot by the Old Hags, then abused by his biological father, only to miraculously achieve his current standing, yet still suffered bullying from Margaret and others... The Grand Matriarchs even joined Du Chen in complaining about Margaret for a while. And rightly so, for these two held no fondness for the Water's Embrace Divine Maiden. Had Margaret not disregarded the Military Edict back then, the Grand Matriarchs would not have been condemned to exist as Undead in the ancient castle for a thousand years!

After Du Chen finished, Lucy mused, "So, your final phrase, 'that which the Saint Dak family cannot yield,' refers to the Celestial Capital map you failed to obtain due to rejecting Frinda's marriage proposal! But can the Saint Baton Clan provide it?"

Du Chen smiled, shaking his head. "They won't give it to me, nor am I so foolish as to believe the Saint Baton Clan would exchange a core family secret for tens of thousands of useless corpses!" He rose and walked to the window, watching the Kodo Beast war chariot disappear into the distance. "Ladies, don't you find the Fiendkind's reaction rather peculiar?"

Lily asked, puzzled, "Peculiar in what way?"

Du Chen chuckled. "Let's consider the current situation: I hold sixty thousand corpses, and Philip desires them to assemble an Undead Legion! Yet, according to the customary practices between our two nations, these corpses in my possession would eventually be returned to the beastmen, and thus inevitably fall into Philip's hands. There's no need for the Fiendkind to be anxious! But just now, Sonora, that Fiendkind spy, came to press me for an early return of the corpses, even allowing me to name my price… This indicates that the Fiendkind cannot wait for these corpses!"

Lucy mused, "So, the Fiendkind must have a plan that requires them to acquire these corpses *before* negotiations! And those negotiations won't officially commence until after April 15th, the grand ceremony of Marshal Orbach's fifteen-hundredth epoch..."

Du Chen nodded. "Precisely why I named a price Sonora could never possibly meet! The intent behind that price was to gauge the extent of the Fiendkind's desperation for these corpses. If Sonora truly endeavors to acquire the Celestial Capital map for me, or is willing to pay some other colossal price for the corpses, then the more urgent their need for these bodies, the grander their scheme!"

Lucy slammed her hand on the table. "Francis, the Fiendkind have lain dormant for a millennium, and now there's Disturbance! We must stop them... so humanity never again endures a Cataclysmic Battle of Fallen Gods!"

Du Chen replied, "That is certain, but the method requires further deliberation! First, we must disseminate news of the Fiendkind's return to the Papal Curia and all the nations of the Three Continents—to oppose the Fiendkind solely with the power of Du Chen's Divine Cult would be sheer folly, a suicidal endeavor! But before that, I must present mountainous ironclad proof that the Fiendkind are indeed not extinct, and are now attempting to retaliate against humanity!"

Lily cavalierly suggested, "Isn't that simple? Just invite His Holiness the Pontiff to tour the Labyrinth of Life and witness the Undead Army with his own eyes!"

Du Chen countered, "But Miss Lily, you yourself said they are merely the Undead, not Fiendkind. Even if the Pontiff saw them, it wouldn't prove anything! A Fiendkind counter-attack on humanity is a matter of immense gravity. Neither the Pontiff nor the powerful nations of the Three Continents would question the Eternal Divine Emperor's conclusion—a belief humanity has held for a thousand years, that 'all Fiendkind are annihilated'—based solely on my unsubstantiated words! Moreover, once news of the Fiendkind is revealed, it would only incite global panic."

He paused, then continued, "I will report all that I witnessed in the Labyrinth of Life to the Papal Curia in the name of Du Chen, the Divine, to at least make the Pontiff aware! Beyond that, I will use the blood of a Fiendkind to prove to the Pontiff and the monarchs of the various continents that the Fiendkind are not only unextinct but have deeply infiltrated the core of human society, plotting a counter-offensive against the Three Continents, and have already made significant headway!"

Lucy asked, "You mean... Sonora?"

Du Chen smiled. "Indeed. That's precisely why I asked you about the Amia Silver Needle earlier!"

Lucy nodded. "Sonora is, after all, McAllen's son-in-law. Your attempt to test him with the Amia Silver Needle must be executed discreetly and flawlessly, lest you incur the charge of blasphemy for slandering a Divine Scion!"

"On that front, ladies, please rest assured; I shall be exceedingly cautious!"

With that, Du Chen beckoned Harry, who had arrived with Andy, into the room. He wrote two letters and handed them over, instructing, "Take the Wyvern Carriage to the front lines. Give this first letter to Dud, telling him to bring the corpses directly here, not to hand them over to the beastmen immediately. The specifics are detailed in the letter! This second letter, acting as my Godfather, you are to send through the Shadow Temple's secret channels to the Pontiff. Absolutely instruct the Shadow Temple's messenger that this letter is personally handwritten by Francis, the Godfather, and can only be opened by His Holiness the Pontiff himself!"

As Sonora was merely Number Four of the Eminence Project, there was no guarantee that Numbers One, Two, or Three wouldn't emerge within the Papal Curia, hence Du Chen's extreme caution.

After dispatching the letters, Du Chen suddenly recalled the three letters he had received on Battle God Isle: Flaying and Bovin's whereabouts were known, but the owner of the last letter... where was Sherine?

Though Sherine remained elusive, her ninth junior sister, Xue Ji, the Ninth Maiden of Water's Embrace Lake, was still in his grasp!

Du Chen informed the two Grand Matriarchs that Deboning had gone to search for Amia metal, asking them to prepare. After the Grand Matriarchs departed, Du Chen opened the Precious Lotus Scripture and called inside, "Beibei, how is your Eldest Brother's condition now... Beibei!"

Within the Precious Lotus Scripture, Steve was as listless as ever, Xue Ji remained in a coma, the Green Gourd Beast was bound to the side, and the newly arrived Andy was sound asleep amidst a jumble of scattered items... Everything was as it usually was, except the young girl tending to Steve had collapsed within the lotus, unconscious and deathly pale, her once rosy cheeks utterly drained of color! Clutched tightly in her small hand was a bottle, now completely empty...