Grand Discovery on Bog Island

The Sea King's stern questioning echoed across the water, and all eyes on the ship fell upon Du Chen.

Du Chen stroked his nose, battle qi surging within him, and laughed heartily, "I have come to challenge the Sea King once more!" His voice, imbued with unrivaled dominance, spread throughout the surroundings, subtly making the very sea tremor. Such a high-profile declaration was deliberate; it was the only language the Sea King understood!

Indeed, from across the ocean, Seins burst into uproarious laughter, "Fire a hundred-gun salute! Welcome my friend!"

"My thanks!" Du Chen shouted in response, then abruptly lowered his voice, staring directly at the island, and whispered to his companions behind him, "Proceed as we discussed!"

Porter, head bowed, approached Du Chen. He discreetly slipped a bracelet and a small slip of paper into Du Chen's waistband from behind. "This is my token of trust, and a personal letter. Should any of the exiled populace of the fallen kingdom on this island see these, they will grant you their utmost assistance!"

Du Chen lowered his voice, asking, "After five years, are there still any of your people left who can be trusted?"

Porter rattled off a few names. Du Chen nodded slightly, and amidst the thunderous hundred-gun salute, ordered the Belkus to dock. He stepped onto the World's Core—Bog Island!

On the docks, the Sea King, leading a Military Column of the Sea Clan, waited beneath the Naval Defense Sacred Artifact Cannon to greet Du Chen. The moment Du Chen stepped off the sampan, Seins roared with laughter and enveloped Du Chen in a bear hug, chuckling, "Last time's fight was invigorating! I've gained much insight since my defeat, and I feel I'm on the verge of breaking through to the Eleventh-Tier. Haha, I was just looking for another round with you!"

Such a hearty laugh, such an open-minded demeanor—if Gode hadn't been standing nearby, Du Chen would have found it hard to imagine that the Seins before him was capable of orchestrating the assassination of the Grand Delta Crown Prince!

*If you truly break through to the Eleventh-Tier, old man, I'd be nothing but a worm in your eyes, wouldn't I?* Du Chen thought to himself.

After the greeting, everyone stepped forward to pay their respects. The Sea King cast a sidelong glance at Gode, his displeasure evident. "Why are you here? Though Bog Island falls under your Grand Delta Sea, I've already issued a Military Edict claiming it as a direct territory. How dare you set foot on this island without my Military Edict?!" His voice was sharp and severe.

Gode knelt, but his knees hovered just above the ground, making him seem to be merely squatting as he eyed the Sea King. Killing intent and disdain coexisted in his gaze, yet he spoke respectfully, "Greetings, Your Majesty. Reporting, Your Majesty, Gode has taken Francis as his master and is currently accompanying his master on his travels. I am not here in the capacity of a Grand Delta Prince!"

Seins paused, slightly taken aback, then clapped Du Chen on the shoulder. "You have a truly excellent disciple! Gode, rise. I'll let it slide this time, for your master's sake!" Ever since the Grand Delta Crown Prince's death, Gode had always been subtly provocative towards Seins, so the Sea King didn't find his presence particularly strange now.

Du Chen sighed inwardly. *Gode's political astuteness truly falls short! If he wishes for revenge, he first needs to learn to bow with a smile to his enemy!* He took the Sea King's arm and walked forward, chuckling softly. "Alas, my territories face the open sea. Without the support of the King of the Great Triangle Sea, who knows how many troubles might arise? To avoid further complications, I had no choice but to take a prince as my disciple!"

Such a grandiloquent justification, hinting to the Sea King that the master-disciple relationship was, in fact, rather tenuous, driven purely by mutual interest. This earned continuous nods of agreement from the Sea King. But how much he truly believed it, only that meddlesome Goddess of Fate would know...

...

At its peak, Bog Island boasted a population of seven million, so its area was naturally considerable. Judging from Gode's map, its size was roughly equivalent to three Rick Provinces of Lanning. While many such large islands existed in the ocean, Bog Island possessed a unique characteristic that others lacked: its peculiar geographical features.

From a rough glance at the map, Bog Island appeared as an irregular oval. Its center was a barren basin, devoid of plants or crops, almost indistinguishable from a desert. Yet, this was once the Administrative Core of the Miki Duchy and the location of the Goddess's Palace. Encircling the basin was a ring-shaped great plain, which, compared to the basin, could be called a Land of Abundance. As Miki farmers crudely joked, "If you take a piss here, next year it’ll sprout two salt bricks for you!"

Beyond the hills lay the tropical coastal terrain of the nearshore, with beautiful scenery and abundant fisheries. This three-tiered topography—basin, plain, and coast—interlocked, with pale yellow, earthy yellow, and golden yellow rings progressing inward, forming Bog Island's distinct landscape.

As for why Bog Island's geographical features were so unique, even indigenous Miki people like Porter were unaware. They only knew that the Miki Goddess, seeing the island's rich resources and idyllic beauty, had chosen it as her fiefdom.

Leaving the docks, the Sea King had intended to fly directly to the island's center. However, Du Chen, noticing the lack of any transport at the docks, knew the Sea King planned to fly. Before the Sea King could voice his suggestion, Du Chen preemptively laughed, "Your Majesty, it's a rare occasion for me to visit your lands. Would you be so kind as to allow me to tour the sights and sounds of this island?"

The Sea King hesitated slightly, a hint of displeasure crossing his face, but he still replied, "Very well, we shall walk towards the Goddess's Palace, taking in the sights of my land along the way!"

Du Chen chuckled inwardly. Through his Battle Soul, he instructed, "Beibei, Andy, I need both of you to thoroughly scout the area as we proceed. Don't overlook the slightest detail!" To pull off a major operation here, reconnaissance of the terrain was, of course, paramount!

Walking along, the outer coastal region showed nothing extraordinary, only numerous Sea Clan Soldiers marching in formation, whether for training or redeployment was unclear. After about twenty *li*, they entered the 'piss-salt' great plain, followed by faint cries and the sharp crack of whips...

Seeing the scene on the plain, Du Chen couldn't help but take a sharp intake of breath.

Bog Island had a tropical climate. Though it was only mid-January, the sun overhead was still scorching. The plain was filled with remnants of the fallen Miki Duchy, or rather, slaves of the Sea Clan. They toiled diligently under the whips of the Sea Clan, drenched in sweat, occasionally suffering the sting of a whip or two.

*Crack! Crack! Crack!*

Upon seeing the Sea King approach, a Sea Clan overseer by the roadside immediately cracked his whip and shouted sternly, "Line up! Greet His Majesty the Sea King!" At the roar, the slaves hurriedly lined up by the roadside, all dressed in the coarse clothes Lancy had worn when rescued. Most were pale and emaciated, riddled with scars, their eyes clouded with despair, as if their spirits had long since died. Only when they glimpsed human faces beside the Sea King did a flicker of surprise stir in their dull gazes.

In an instant, both sides of the road were lined with slaves and overseers, stretching as far as the eye could see, forming a dense human cordon!

Walking on the yellow earth road across the plain, the Sea King cast a smug glance at the lined-up slaves and chuckled, "Francis, what do you make of the situation on my island?"

Du Chen offered a dry laugh, "It clearly showcases Your Majesty's divine might!"

The Sea King laughed heartily, linking arms with Du Chen, and strode forward. But after a few *li*, with a sudden "thump," an elderly slave, unable to withstand the scorching heat and prolonged standing, collapsed. And he fell right before the Sea King's eyes!

"Water... water..." he groaned softly, his mind already incoherent.

Seins's brow furrowed. *Isn't this making a fool of me?!* His frigid gaze swept over the scene, and the Sea Clan overseer responsible for that section immediately shivered. "Your, Your Majesty, forgive me!" He hastily stepped forward, dragging the unconscious old man away. Soon after, two muffled thuds were heard from behind the human cordon.

Du Chen watched it all, feeling a sudden itch in his teeth. *Damn it, the Sea Clan truly doesn't see these Miki remnants as people; they kill them without a second thought...*

He quickly forced a smile. "Your Majesty, this grand welcoming ceremony makes me feel truly ashamed! We cannot let my presence disrupt the production of your entire island. Let them return to their labor!" If they continued to 'stand at attention,' who knew how many more would collapse? This was the Sea King's stronghold, garrisoned by countless Sea Clan Soldiers. Du Chen could not, nor dared to, forcefully rescue these slaves who belonged to Seins, so he could only subtly do some good.

Seins's face darkened. "These useless wretches disgrace me too much, Francis, we..."

Before he could finish, there was another "thump." Another person face-planted into the ground. *Hey, it seems that meddlesome Goddess of Fate thinks the Sea King hasn't been shamed enough!* Du Chen inwardly chuckled. But when he looked closely, he couldn't help but be stunned: this time, it was a Sea Clan overseer who collapsed, foaming at the mouth and convulsing! He was even worse off than the old slave!

*Sea Clan Soldiers also collapse? Are their physiques weaker than an elderly human slave?*

Du Chen suddenly recalled something Gode had said on their journey, "Master, our High-level Battle Gods of the Sea Clan aren't afraid of land, but ordinary Sea Clan Soldiers can only last about a day out of water. Even the elites can only manage two or three days at most, and Sea Clan commoners can barely leave the sea at all!" That day, Gode had also openly mocked the Sea King, "My father told me that Seins mobilized six hundred thousand troops just to control the slaves on Bog Island, rotating them to oversee the land! The annual military expenditure is terrifying!"

Du Chen stroked his nose. *There's something amiss here! There absolutely is something amiss.* He personally confirmed that for the Sea Clan to rule over land was a thankless, arduous task. Yet, the Sea King had expended such vast manpower and resources to control Bog Island. Is it merely for the abundant resources here, to produce some human luxury goods!?

*He isn't that foolish, is he?*

*It seems Seins still suspects the contents of the Purple Satchel are on Bog Island, so his 'rule' is, in fact, a massive search operation!*

Seins's face turned extremely ugly. Two people collapsing consecutively during the welcoming party made him lose face. He waved his hand and said coldly, "Scatter, all of you, scatter! Francis, let's continue on our way!" He turned and walked forward without looking back.

For the remainder of the journey, Du Chen's mind was filled with doubts about that Purple Satchel. Half a day later, they arrived at the Central Administrative Core. However, beyond this point was the Goddess's Palace—a Confidential Location highly valued by the Sea King—and Du Chen would not be allowed to enter easily. The Sea King merely arranged for them to stay in a pavilion at the junction of the basin and the plain.

The discussions about the Papal Curia, the next day, and polite words like "make yourself at home," and so on, need no detailed recounting. After the welcome banquet in the evening, the Sea King left the pavilion.

Du Chen stood by the window, gazing at the vast plain before him. He pursed his lips. "Finally, the Sea King is gone! Beibei, Andy, have your Spiritual Power and senses picked up anything?"

Andy shook his head first, but little Beibei said, "Daddy, earlier on the plain, many Sea Clan Soldiers weren't just overseers; they were digging pits! And many large pits have secretly been dug across this island!"

*The reason for the digging was undoubtedly the Sea King searching for the contents of the satchel. That wasn't an unexpected discovery. "Is that all?"

"Beibei only found this much!"

Snoopy, ever well-traveled and experienced, also voluntarily bounced out to say he'd found no issues.

"Alas, it seems we'll have to search for The Clues in the Goddess's Palace..." Du Chen sighed in disappointment. Suddenly, with a "thump" by his ear, Alex collapsed. Du Chen was alarmed. "Anya, what's wrong with you... what's this brat doing?"

The little fellow wasn't unconscious, but deliberately lying on the floor, spreadeagled with his belly up, even raising his two little feet, coolly adorable.

"A Master doesn't waste words. See for yourself!"

"You little rascal!" Everyone's curiosity was piqued by the little fellow, even Snoopy couldn't help but circle Anya, examining him several times. But the little guy maintained his smug expression, showing no abnormalities. However, Du Chen's sharp eyes noticed one thing—Alex was different from usual because the soles of his shoes were covered in an unusually large amount of the yellowish soil from the great plain!

*Could my son be telling me to look at the mud on his shoe soles?!* Du Chen's eyes lit up. He urgently asked, "Anya, did you deliberately get this mud on your feet?"

Alex lay there and coolly nodded. "The happiness of a Master. It's rare for Father to finally be clever for once!" This sentence nearly choked Du Chen. He grabbed his son by the neck, lifting him, while with his other hand, he rubbed off some mud to examine. "This mud is merely rich in earth elements. The reason Bog Island's great plain became a Land of Abundance with abundant resources is likely due to this soil... but other than that, it's just mud!"

"Sigh, forget it, Father. In the future, you'd better pretend you don't know me!"

Alex, like a little adult, sighed leisurely, then suddenly uttered a few words, "One of the Five Primordial Forces of the World, Essence of Earth!"

Du Chen's body trembled. "You're sure!? How did you figure that out?"

Alex coolly curled his lips...