The Rumbling: A Harbinger of Masters (3)

“Oh, your sagacity leaves me utterly prostrate with admiration! Yes, your keen mind has analyzed it with impeccable precision! May I, in my humble praise, offer a kiss to your esteemed toes, oh supremely wise lord?” Harri spared no lavish praise, his words gushing forth as he profusely flattered Du Chen, even as his sycophancy churned the stomach.

*Shiebs are a detestable race; they should all be sent to the execution pyre!* Du Chen felt a flicker of smug satisfaction at this thought. After all, it was a common consensus throughout the Battle God world, and to harbor such sentiments meant he was, in some small part, truly integrating into this new reality.

“Harri,” Du Chen snarled, his voice laced with menace, “I warn you: try to kiss my toes again, and I’ll sever your tongue and stuff it into your backside!” Harri cringed back, his neck retracting slyly. In an instant, his massive head seemed to vanish into his body, much like a tortoise pulling into its shell.

“Haven’t the Imperial government and the Holy Church ascertained the cause?”

“Who knows, esteemed Young Master?” Harri pleaded pitifully, “I am merely a weak Shieb, a lowly bandit. How could I possibly be privy to the affairs of the government and the Holy Church?”

Just then, Steve, having had his fill of action, returned refreshed and composed, casually escorting two new captives.

“Francis, this is quite interesting,” Steve complained. “That rumble just now indicated an earthquake was about to happen. Damn it, why didn’t anyone mention this before we arrived?”

“Who cares?” Du Chen shrugged. “We’re just here for disaster relief. Handing out the silver coins to the victims is our only concern.”

Though he spoke lightly, his mind was already calculating. The rumbling was the source of everything, the reason countless victims had been displaced… did this present an opportunity for him to perform ‘good deeds’? He’d first use his identity as an Enforcement Temple Agent to gather some intelligence. *Only do what you’re capable of; don’t bite off more than you can chew.*

Before Du Chen could finish his thoughts, Steve exclaimed in alarm, “A Shieb! Aliza, why did you capture this Shieb trash as a captive? Drag him away and kill him!” He waved his hand dismissively.

Harri panicked, scrambling to Steve’s feet. “Supremely noble lord, incomparably handsome young master, please spare me!” he wailed, repeatedly kowtowing, tears and snot streaming down his face. “I am just a lowly, insignificant Shieb! If you only spare my life, I’m willing to do anything for you! Servant, slave, even a male concubine – anything!”

“To hell with your male concubine!” Steve roared, kicking him away.

Du Chen also looked at Harri with disdain. *No wonder people call Shiebs the dregs of society; there really is no point in keeping such a race around.*

Waiving a dismissive hand, Du Chen couldn’t be bothered to deal with him anymore. As a few mercenaries lunged forward, Harri’s face contorted in panic, losing all color. “Don’t kill me!” he shrieked. “I can be useful to you! Very useful, I promise!”

Du Chen motioned for the mercenaries to halt, a smirk playing on his lips. “What use could you possibly be? ‘Very useful,’ you say?”

Harri slyly winked, his grin ingratiating. “For example, I can tell you that the rumbling sound was most likely generated by two powerful Battle Gods clashing!”

“What?!” Du Chen seized Harri by the collar, simultaneously shooting an inquiring glance at Steve.

Steve, understanding his brother’s implication, nodded. “It’s quite possible. Our family’s ancient records state that when our ancestor Sigurd grew enraged, he once melted an entire mountain with fire, triggering a geothermic magma eruption that caused a great catastrophe.”

“Heh heh, I haven’t finished yet,” Harri chuckled, continuing. “We Shiebs have extremely keen noses and often discover interesting things. For instance, in the ocean south of Antwerp Port, a foul, fishy stench has frequently drifted in with the sea breeze recently. Connecting that to the rumbling caused by powerful experts’ battles, esteemed and sagacious young masters, you must have already guessed it. Indeed, a battle is raging in the ocean south of Antwerp Port, and it’s highly likely to be in the deep sea; otherwise, it wouldn’t cause an earthquake!”

He finished, grinning obsequiously at Du Chen and Steve.

Du Chen smiled. “Continue!”

“Very well, Young Master. You must have realized it again: the Battle God Academy lies south of Antwerp Port. That contested sea region is a forbidden zone across the three continents; without a writ from the Battle God Academy, no one is permitted to approach. Therefore…”

He closed his mouth, leaving the opportunity for an astute deduction to the two respected young masters.

“So, something quite interesting must have happened at the Battle God Academy!”

“Oh, I praise you, magnificent and sagacious Young Master…”

“Enough!” Du Chen cut him off, then turned to Steve. “Brother, how should we handle this matter?”

“We pretend we know nothing!” Steve stated unequivocally. “If even a Shieb can guess something happened at the Battle God Academy, then the Imperial officials and the Holy Church in Antwerp Port must also know. And if our father, the Imperial Vice-Commander-in-Chief, has received the news but hasn’t told me, it signifies that whatever transpired at the Battle God Academy is a top imperial secret, not to be spoken of even to his own sons…”

Du Chen chimed in with a chuckle, “What we shouldn’t know, we don’t know, or it leads to trouble. I understand!”

“Oh, my dear brother, you’re so clever, I just want to give you a big kiss!” Steve declared, and actually spread his arms, lunging playfully at Du Chen.

Du Chen pushed Steve away, then glanced at Harri, frowning. “What should we do with this Shieb? His nose, at least, does seem to have some use.”

Steve clicked his tongue dismissively. “You’re not thinking of taking him as a servant, are you? No, Shiebs are inherently vile, known as the ‘Tribe of Betrayal.’ A single copper coin is enough for them to betray their masters; humans treat loyal hounds with more respect than Shiebs!”

A chill ran down Du Chen’s spine. *Indeed, such a race could absolutely not be kept close.*

“Very well, then we…”

“Young Master, don’t kill me!” Harri suddenly latched onto Du Chen’s leg, yelling frantically. “I beg you! I’ve proven I’m useful to you!”

“You may be useful, but you’re a Shieb!” Du Chen coldly snapped. “Aliza, seize him!”

Steve suddenly chuckled. “How about this: we send him and the other captives to Antwerp Port and hand them over to the Imperial officials. Ridding the Empire of bandits would be no small merit, and who knows, perhaps the ladies of the port will hail me as a hero! Just imagine, entering the city like a hero, parading the captives and the relief funds under the scorching gazes of countless beauties…”

“Sigh, my dear brother,” Du Chen groaned. “When will your mind ever stop thinking about women?”

The cavalcade now had over thirty new captives, all bound like dead pigs, hanging from the carriages like bundles of cured meat. Comparatively, Harri the Shieb received much better treatment, placed inside a carriage. Du Chen, eager to learn more about the races of the Battle God world, knew that direct interaction with a non-human was the best way to do so.

From Harri’s lips, Du Chen and Steve learned that the flooded Newin River was east of Antwerp Port, while they had traveled the western imperial road, thus fortuitously avoiding the floodwaters. It was said that the Empire had already sealed off the eastern flood-stricken area to prevent the spread of disaster victims and post-flood plagues. Had they taken that path, they would surely have been subjected to thorough inspection.

After another day’s travel, the group finally arrived at their destination: Antwerp Port, the Empire’s largest harbor and the northern starting point of the Grand Triangle Golden Trade Route!

Hundreds of meters from the city gates, inside the carriage, Harri – who had been ‘exchanging’ Shieb customs with Du Chen – suddenly took several deep sniffs. “Heh, what a delightful scent! A woman’s fragrance!”