Master, Accept Me!

Just as Du Chen and his companions were gritting their teeth, itching with annoyance at Gode – this Sea Clan youth who, despite his infuriating persistence, was essentially good-hearted and even a little cute – and were about to give him a good talking to...

Meanwhile, in Durkes City, despite the late hour, the Central Lord's Manor Plaza was ablaze with life. The New Year's festivities, ongoing for over a dozen days, hadn't concluded; instead, they had just reached their dazzling climax this very night. Throngs of people gathered beneath the Divine Statue of Du Chen, just outside the Lord's Manor, as fireworks continuously exploded overhead. The night markets teemed with such prosperity that they rivaled even the grandest metropolises of the Three Continents, like St. John.

Passing through the plaza, people's gazes inevitably fell first upon the towering Divine Statue of Du Chen, more than thirty meters high, inspiring awe and reverence. Their eyes would then naturally follow the Divine Statue's gaze, leading them to the statue of Francis, positioned across from Du Chen's, as if in silent dialogue. Their initial, somewhat hollow, veneration for the Divine would then transform into a genuine sense of gratitude and profound pride!

However, in an attic of a private residence directly opposite the Francis statue, over twenty young maidens clustered around a window, curiously scrutinizing the lifelike sculpture. The leader, her white robes flowing elegantly, her face veiled by a light gauze, and a small golden bird perched on her shoulder, asked in a trance, “Sword Slave, is that our target, Francis?”

The only figure among them who seemed utterly out of place was a robust woman, over two meters tall. She nodded, “Yes, Miss Xue Ji, that is he!”

Xue Ji said, surprised, “I originally thought Francis… sigh, I never imagined that along the Newin River, everywhere we went, we'd hear nothing but praises for him. Could it be…” She muttered to herself hesitantly, “Are we truly to assassinate such a benevolent lord?”

“Miss,” Sword Slave stated coldly, “you are still too soft-hearted! Our God's commands are infallible. Francis must die!”

Xue Ji nodded distractedly. “I understand! That's why Master, before departing, commanded you to lead twenty-four sisters to assist me…”

Sword Slave replied expressionlessly, “Miss, do not misunderstand. I have no intention of supervising you! However, our God considered that since Du Chen, the Divine, could break the Molten Heart's confinement and lift the restrictions on Francis, Francis would undoubtedly be a formidable opponent. She feared you might succeed in killing Francis but be unable to contend with Du Chen, the Divine. Hence, she ordered me to lead twenty-four Water's Embrace Sword Maidens to form the Water's Embrace Puppet Sword Array to assist you!”

Xue Ji gave a bitter smile. She could only believe half of Sword Slave's words; the other half suggested that her Master, who had raised her since childhood, had likely discovered something! Otherwise, why would her venerable Master, after bestowing upon her the Level Thirteen Sacred Artifact, Water's Embrace Sword, and the Level Twelve Aberrant Beast, Dragonfinch, then dispatch Sword Slave—who had followed her for over a millennium and was once the Retainer Captain of the Skylands Marshal—to “assist” her?

One must remember, at this very moment, the Divine Emperor's former Requiem Death Knights were causing her Master considerable headaches, making it a critical time when every capable hand was needed!

Xue Ji sighed faintly. After all, her Master had watched her grow up from childhood; whatever was on her mind, even the reason for that missing lock of hair from her head, had likely not escaped her Master's piercing, torch-like divine gaze…

While Xue Ji was lost in thought, Sword Slave continued speaking in a low voice. Both were conversing using a Secret Technique, and though their voices carried, there was no risk of outsiders overhearing. “Miss, Francis is currently not in his territory, and his whereabouts are unknown. Shall we continue to pursue his clues, or should we first attend to another matter for our God?”

“Another matter? Master only instructed me to assassinate Francis, nothing else!” Xue Ji's brow furrowed slightly. “Are you referring to Thunder God Batuk's two-thousandth birthday?”

Sword Slave nodded. “Although our God didn't explicitly command us to pay our respects, Marshal Batuk and our God fought side by side in the past, sharing a deep bond. For such a grand occasion as Marshal Batuk's two-thousandth birthday, it would be inexcusable for us not to attend!” She paused, then pleaded, “To be frank, Miss, besides their old friendship, I, Sword Slave, also wish to go and pay my respects. Marshal Batuk once saved my life. If I were to miss the grand birthday of my Benefactor, I fear I would never again have the face to meet Marshal Batuk's descendants.”

Hearing that she wouldn't have to kill a widely praised, benevolent person for the time being, Xue Ji inexplicably sighed in relief. She smiled. “You're right. By kinship, Marshal Batuk is also my Uncle Orbach. It would indeed be incredibly impolite if I didn't attend his grand birthday celebration. Let's prepare a gift first…”

“Roar!” The small golden bird perched on Xue Ji's shoulder suddenly let out a low dragon's cry. This was none other than the Level Twelve Dragonfinch, possessing the Innate Racial Power of Flame, Strength, and Nature Sense!

Xue Ji and her companions stood in the heart of Durkes City, partly to observe their opponent's lair firsthand, and partly to… have the Dragonfinch monitor the entire city!

“Dragonfinch, have you discovered anything?”

The small bird whispered, “This city is very peculiar. On the surface, it's merely a bustling metropolis, but beneath, there seems to be something else. However, a profoundly sacred power is obstructing my Innate Racial Power!”

If Du Chen were here, he would undoubtedly curl his lips into a smirk and chuckle. *A Level Twelve Dragonfinch, impressive, you say? Your venerable self planted little Duding in the backyard, and while it appears to be just an ordinary tree on the surface, its subterranean roots… have long since enshrouded the entire secret base! Want to investigate? Even Tyran Beasts would find no purchase!* Yet, Du Chen would also be puzzled: why did the Dragonfinch use the word “sacred” to describe little Duding's power? That malevolent Undead tree seed hardly seemed to align with anything “sacred”!

The Dragonfinch muttered to itself, “Perhaps this is the power of Du Chen, the Divine. Miss, although I cannot probe underground and do not recommend rushing into Durkes City's subterranean depths for adventure, I did overhear a Shieb within the Lord's Manor complaining!”

Sword Slave asked urgently, “That must be Francis's Steward Harry! What was he complaining about?”

“He said that ever since Francis went to Bog Island, a spy named Professor Mina has been driving him absolutely mad…”

Sword Slave gave a sinister smile. “Miss, it seems our two objectives can be accomplished simultaneously. Isn't Bog Island directly across from the Batuk family's Emerald City?”

...

Aboard the Belkus.

Gode, basking triumphantly in the murderous glares of everyone present, said unhurriedly, “Du Chen, the Divine, teaches us that helping others is the root of happiness! Your Excellency, Francis, please, please accept me as your disciple! If you teach me the power to defeat the Sea King, I'll tell you everything!”

*Heh, this kid is actually trying to threaten Du Chen with Du Chen!*

Deboning was immediately displeased, stepping forward, ready to teach Gode a sharp lesson.

Du Chen, however, waved a hand. “Gode, Du Chen, the Divine, also teaches us that one should not seek recompense for helping others! Alas, it seems you've violated the tenets of Du Chen's Divine Cult!” With a smiling gaze fixed on Gode, he added, “My God is not fond of such believers!”

Gode pouted like a petulant child. “Oh, come on! I just want to learn some real skills… Anyway, if you don't take me as your disciple, I won't say a word!” He craned his neck at the moon, hands on his hips, an expression on his face that clearly stated: *'I'm a dead fish unafraid of boiling water; what can you do to me?'* The Sea Clan warriors behind him, meanwhile, merely looked on as if this was a perfectly normal and expected display.

Du Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Calculating Gode's age, he was slightly older than Du Chen's two lives combined. Furthermore, his naval command capabilities earned him the title of a celebrated general of his generation. So why…

*Fandoms are truly terrifying!* Du Chen could only sigh with such sentiments. “Gode, my Secret Technique isn't suitable for you. The day I defeated the Sea King, I used an Earth-element Secret Technique, whereas you are of the water-element Sea Clan…”

Gode blurted out defiantly, “I don't care! Even if I can't learn it, what if I just enshrine your Secret Arts? I like them!” After timidly glancing at Deboning's devouring gaze, the Little Prince quickly changed his tune. “As long as you accept me, I'm all in! I'll accompany you on a trip to Bog Island, and you can pick any treasures from the Sea Clan, and furthermore…”

The Little Prince suddenly lowered his voice. “I can give you all the sea maps my Eldest Brother left behind before he died! Those are truly priceless treasures!”

Du Chen's heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, *That last sea map certainly played a crucial role when we annihilated the Merfolk; it truly was a valuable item…* To be honest, accepting this Little Prince offered numerous advantages. However, Du Chen had always deliberately kept his distance, even Deboning's acceptance of him as a disciple was merely nominal. He feared Gode's eccentric temperament and tendency to be muddle-headed, while the King of the Great Triangle Sea was anything but. Du Chen worried the King would eventually accuse him of abducting his child!

Today, Du Chen's refusal to accept him as a disciple was also out of concern for Gode's antics, but the King of the Great Triangle Sea certainly wouldn't tolerate such mischief!

Unexpectedly, Gode suddenly added, “Oh, Master Brook is helping me break through to Ninth-rank, and my father even wants to thank you all!”

“Your father doesn't mind you taking a master?” “That's right! My father even said that the doctrines of Du Chen's Divine Cult are excellent and told me to learn more from Master Brook! If you have the chance, please visit our home as guests; my father has long wanted to meet the two Titled Battle Gods!”

Du Chen gazed at the Little Prince in surprise, thinking, *Could the King of the Great Triangle Sea also be a fanboy?* But since the King of the Great Triangle Sea had already expressed his stance, why should he… reject a disciple whose family treasures piled up like mountains, who commanded millions of subordinates, and who was destined to become one of the Four Sea Kings in the future? Most importantly, this disciple had an easygoing temperament and lacked any devious cunning!

Du Chen couldn't find any downside to accepting a disciple, and there were immediate benefits right before him. He could only shake his head with a bitter smile. “Fine, from now on, you are my student!”

“Greetings, Master!” Gode immediately prostrated himself. “Quick, present the master-apprentice gifts! Everyone, come and greet Master!” Gode beamed with joy. Finally, he asked, “This time, it's not just nominal, right?”

Du Chen stomped his foot and sighed. “It is *not*!!! Alright, now quickly explain the meaning of the World's Core to me!” Wolf's prophecy had long since left Du Chen feeling agitated.

Without hesitation, Gode immediately conjured a vast sea map before everyone's eyes using water, displaying a complete chart of the Third Continent and the Four Oceans! “Bog Island is also known as the World's Core,” Gode explained. “Originally, this name only circulated among a select few high-ranking members of the Sea Clan, known to barely a handful. However, after Thanes occupied Bog Island five years ago, he publicly revealed this alias, and it ceased to be a secret among the Sea Clan!”

Pointing at the sea map, Gode suddenly swept away a portion of the water from the illustration. “When the term 'World's Core' is mentioned, people instinctively imagine the center of a continent. But in the eyes of us Sea Clan, isn't the seabed merely land covered by seawater?”

Du Chen's eyes lit up. *This interpretation holds some truth!* “Master, look,” Gode continued, “if you remove the waters of the Four Oceans and map out all known landmasses, then the World's Core… wouldn't that be precisely Bog Island!?”

Indeed, on that map, devoid of seawater, Bog Island lay at the absolute core of the entire illustration! So, Wolf's prophecy meant that while the divine corpses were still missing, Du Chen would encounter an extremely important event on Bog Island!? Now, it seemed, this was precisely the most fitting answer to the prophecy!

Du Chen and Deboning exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with pleasant surprise! Gode continued, “Master, if you wish to go to Bog Island, you must first be aware of the deep-sea countercurrent beneath this island…” The Little Prince, like a seasoned geographer, began sketching on the map, meticulously explaining the hydrographic charts around Bog Island with exceptional clarity.

Du Chen looked at his new disciple with surprise, smiling. “Gode, it seems your research into marine geography is remarkably profound!”

Gode's expression suddenly dimmed, and he gave a bitter smile. “My Eldest Brother taught me all of this before he passed. Alas, my Eldest Brother was hailed as the Sea Clan's foremost geographer in a millennium…”

Seeing him lost in memories of his departed brother, Du Chen offered a few words of comfort. But just then, Porter suddenly asked, “Gode, since you are a Sea Clan Prince, do you know why Thanes attacked Bog Island and annihilated Miki Duchy five years ago?”

At the mention of five years ago, Gode's expression grew even gloomier. “I don't know about that. Thanes is the Lord of the Four Seas; I am merely a prince of one sea region and not yet qualified to know his military secrets…”

It was only then that Gode's gaze finally settled on Porter. Of course, he couldn't recognize the disguised Battle God Isle student before him, but he *did* recognize something else. “Hm? Let me see that satchel in your hand!”

Porter's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily handed the Purple Satchel to Gode. “You recognize it? This is a treasure of Miki Duchy; how could you possibly know it?” Gode stared intently at the Purple Satchel in his hands and, for some unknown reason, suddenly burst into tears! Several Sea Clan warriors who were busy moving treasure chests noticed the scene and all looked stunned. Then, a few older ones knelt down with a “thump-thump.” “Oh, Crown Prince…” they wailed, tears streaming down their faces!