Clash of Minds: The Revelation

His son's cocky demeanor reflexively brought a certain phrase to Du Chen's mind... Did he really need to spell it out?

Du Chen cradled his son in his arms, looking at him intently. "Alex, drop the sour face. This is important. Tell Papa, what's the connection between Bog Island and the Essence of Earth?"

Alex pushed his father away, standing on the table and shaking his small head. "First, you all need to understand something: even if a sacred artifact recognizes you as its master, you might not be able to unleash its full power!"

Du Chen gave a slight nod. This Sacred Artifact Theory was the first lesson Steve had ever taught him, and it remained fresh in his memory. What he didn't know at this moment was that a certain elegant woman with white robes and black hair, capable of wielding the Thirteenth-level Water's Embrace Sword, also adhered to this very theory.

Alex was clearly pleased with Du Chen's listening expression, and smugly delivered his conclusion. "Alright, then, Old Man, you just need to know that someone once wielded the Essence of Earth and caused a massive Detonation in the center of this Bog Island. However, they weren't capable of unleashing the Essence of Earth's full power, only destroying a portion of the island's center and triggering some shockwaves. Bog Island's unique geographical environment today is a direct consequence of that Detonation!"

Gode nonchalantly materialized a sea chart. A glance confirmed it: Bog Island's three-ring geographical structure was indeed the unmistakable imprint of the catastrophic blast's shockwaves!

Alex continued, "Finally, after the Essence of Earth's Detonation, while the island's center was transformed into a basin and desert, a ring of soil around it was infused. To this day, it still retains the Essence of Earth's aura, forming what is now the resource-rich Miki Great Plains!"

Everyone was drawn into deep contemplation by this novel conclusion. But the little rascal happily wiggled the apron on his chest, his large eyes suddenly gleaming, and he took off running. "I'm done! Time to cook!"

"Alex, wait!" Du Chen grabbed his son by the collar. "Can you deduce the time of that Detonation from the elemental concentration?"

"Hard to say," Alex replied. "It depends on the extent to which that person could exert the Essence of Earth's power!"

Du Chen released his grip, contemplating. The Essence of Earth was a sacred artifact of the same caliber as the Life Tree. Just considering how the Life Tree formed the very skeletal core of the world, one could only imagine the immense power the Essence of Earth's full might commanded! Who, then, was this individual capable of unleashing even a fraction of its power?

Bog Island, this enigmatic place, grew increasingly perplexing. And where, oh where, did his son's profound knowledge come from? What race was he, truly?

*Sigh!* Du Chen's forehead throbbed faintly.

He secretly reminded himself that the top priority now was to uncover the Sea King's true objective for fixating on that Purple Satchel within the Goddess's Palace. Only then would all other mysteries unravel.

The night passed uneventfully. The next day, the Sea King formally hosted a welcome banquet at the Goddess's Palace in Bog Island's central basin. The one who came to invite Du Chen was the "old turtle" he hadn't seen yesterday. Du Chen now knew his name: Darick. This old fellow was truly worthy of his race; over thirteen hundred years old, he had personally witnessed the late stage of the Fallen Gods era and had even seen the true visage of Divine Emperor Prince!

En route to the Goddess's Palace with Darick, Gode sat in a carriage driven by human slaves, his gaze fixed on Darick leading the way. Waves of unconcealed killing intent emanated from him.

Du Chen, curious, asked, "Gode, does Darick also have a hand in your Eldest Brother's death?"

Gode gritted his teeth. "Hmph, that Old Bastard has the Sea King's complete trust. Almost all of Seins' terrible ideas were concocted by him! He was also the one who suggested killing my Eldest Brother that day!"

The Little Prince clenched his fists. "Sooner or later, after I cut off Seins' fish head, I'll chop off Darick's turtle head too!"

Remembering his deceased Eldest Brother, a faint glint of tears welled in Gode's eyes.

"Revenge must be exacted, but you must be wary of this old fellow!" Du Chen cautioned. "Beibei says he's a Ninth-rank peak master of deceptive Spiritual Power. A clever man, endowed with terrifying Spiritual Power—in my eyes, this old geezer is even harder to deal with than the Sea King!"

Gode's expression shifted. He picked up Beibei, chuckling sheepishly. "Master, you're always talking about Spiritual Power with Little Junior Sister. Is her Spiritual Power also very formidable? How does it compare to Darick's?"

Du Chen glanced at his daughter, signaling for her to choose how to answer the question.

Beibei grinned mischievously, pouting. "Well, if it were last year, Beibei would have been just a *little* bit weaker than that old geezer!"

Gode's fish head drooped to his chest. "Ah," he sighed disappointedly, "I thought Little Junior Sister could beat that old geezer! If so, I'd ask you to help me get revenge! What a pity!" Seeing Little Junior Sister's displeasure, she gave him a resentful glare. Gode hurriedly chuckled sheepishly, "No, no! Senior Brother meant, Little Junior Sister, you're not stronger than Darick... Uh, no, I mean, Darick is stronger than you..."

The Little Prince's flustered attempts at explanation were quite amusing. But Du Chen and Beibei exchanged a glance, and a mysterious smile played on both their lips.

Last year? Last year, Beibei hadn't even finished evolving! This year, in front of Julie's Ancient Castle, the little one had pinpointed the old turtle's spiritual frequency with absolute clarity, all while perfectly concealing her own presence!

Du Chen secretly clicked his tongue in awe. Darick was a Ninth-rank peak Spiritual Power master, so Beibei... this child hadn't even finished evolving yet! And what about the little one's biological mother, the Aberrant Beast in the Flaming Nest of the Life Tree? What level of Spiritual Power must *she* possess?

Just as he was pondering this, Gode finally managed to earn a happy smile from Little Junior Sister by promising her a vast trove of seafood snacks. "Alright, I won't hold it against you! Actually, Beibei's Spiritual Power isn't even the strongest among Papa's people!"

Gode's eyes widened. "Whose Spiritual Power is stronger than yours? Does he have disciples!?" His gaze swept around: Deboning? No, didn't seem like it. Alex? Not him either. Could it be the Snow Wolf, sleeping soundly, drooling from the corner of its mouth, smacking its lips in its dreams? Gode shook his head, his gaze continuing to wander, until he saw a massive turtle head outside the carriage window...

"Lord Francis," Darick called out, peering in. "We have arrived at the Goddess's Palace!" His turtle head, adorned with a handlebar mustache, looked utterly lecherous, yet a sharp glint flashed in his small eyes!

"Many thanks, Head Steward Darick!" Du Chen said with a smile, addressing Darick by his title, then he carried his children and stepped down from the carriage. Gode lagged behind, patting the still-groggy Andy. "Hey, who exactly has the strongest Spiritual Power among Master's people?"

Andy, still in a morning grumpy mood, grumbled ungraciously, "No matter how formidable Young Miss is, she's still just one person. But your Master has someone who currently possesses the Spiritual Power of four Aberrant Beasts, and will eventually gather the Spiritual Power of six great Aberrant Beasts... I, Chris Andy, smell the scent of a seafood feast! Oh, my dreams, my appetite!"

The Snow Wolf suddenly shook himself awake and bolted towards the Goddess's Palace. Only the Little Prince was left, staring blankly. "Sigh, it's really hard to find a Spiritual Power master as a teacher!"

After the great fire, the outer perimeter of the Goddess's Palace was a scorched mess. It seemed the Sea King wasn't particularly sentimental about these structures, merely sweeping them clean without bothering to reconstruct them.

On the plaza before the Goddess's Palace, the Sea King hosted a grand feast, attended by almost all the prominent figures of the Sea Clan on Bog Island. Seeing Darick lead Du Chen forward, the Sea King clasped his hand, laughing heartily. "Gentlemen, this is Francis, the one who defeated me in the Einz South Sea! A true hero! Francis, come, let me introduce you to the Generals of my Garrison Fleet!"

Du Chen worked on two fronts: on one hand, he greeted the Sea Clan Generals, while on the other, he stealthily observed the Goddess's Palace in the distance. It was clear that the former Goddess's Palace must have been a noble and elegant edifice. But after the great fire, all that remained was the central mausoleum of Miki Goddess, surrounded by charred and crumbling ruins.

Yet, near these crumbling ruins, a dense concentration of Sea Clan troops was stationed. To mitigate the Sea Clan warriors' aversion to land, many large artificial saltwater lakes had been dug nearby, allowing the soldiers to rest in shifts.

After the introductions to the various Sea Clan members, Seins and Du Chen returned to the main seats. Seins chuckled, "Francis, you can tell me your true purpose for coming to my Bog Island now, can't you? Don't try to fool me by saying you came for a fight. I, Seins, enjoy a good brawl, but I'm no idiot!"

Du Chen smiled humbly. "I came to rebuild the Goddess's Palace, and to uphold the Pontiff's honor!"

As the words left his mouth, the Old Bastard Darick mocked in a sarcastic tone, "Only children would believe that, wouldn't they!?"

Du Chen nodded with a smile, lowering his voice as he met the Sea King's sharp gaze. "Since we are friends, I'll be direct. This time, I also bear a secret order from the Pontiff... Your Majesty, you know that Humanity and Fiendkind are at war again. While your Sea Clan may not be directly involved in the terrestrial conflict, the Fiendkind's troop transport channels—the Life Tree—are interconnected in all directions. Who knows, a few Purple Blood High-level Battle Gods might emerge from beneath the sea any day now..."

As he spoke, Du Chen observed the old turtle's expression, and seeing his 'this excuse is plausible' look, he chuckled softly. "In short, His Holiness the Pontiff does not wish to see the Fiendkind use the Life Tree's lifeline beneath the sea to ambush Humanity. Therefore, he sent me to ask what price our Holy Alliance must pay to prevent this!"

Darick's eyes were slightly closed as he pondered for a moment. "Your Majesty, this reason the old servant hears has some merit! The old servant believes it is negotiable!"

The Sea King, however, curled his lips. "Only this?"

Du Chen's heart tightened, yet he chuckled easily. "Could I possibly have other intentions? Heh heh, Your Majesty, you are a straightforward man, and I have spoken plainly. Your occupation of Bog Island has indeed aroused the suspicions of many, and I, too, am quite curious about your thankless purpose in doing this! But ultimately, what the hell does this have to do with our Holy Alliance?! At this critical juncture of resisting Fiendkind, is it worth offending you over a mere suspicion? Is it worth me venturing into your territory, where six hundred thousand troops are stationed, simply out of curiosity?"

Deboning added coldly, "His Majesty the Sea King, the great cause of resisting Fiendkind is Humanity's primary objective right now. Should we fall out with the Sea Clan, if you simply open the underwater sea routes and allow Fiendkind masters to ambush Humanity from the depths, His Holiness the Pontiff would be immensely troubled! At this very moment, do you truly believe His Holiness the Pontiff would fail to distinguish between benefits and drawbacks, and allow nebulous, baseless matters to jeopardize the great cause of resisting Fiendkind?"

Du Chen gave him an approving glance. Deboning was evolving from a mere enforcer into an independent commander!

A good sign!

The Sea King remained silent for a long time. "Francis, the Pontiff chose well by sending you to negotiate with me!"

Du Chen smiled, thinking to himself, *First hurdle cleared. Sea King, I'm not risking my life for the Pontiff, and the Fiendkind masters won't be arriving anytime soon. But you don't know these secrets, and that will just eat you alive!*

The Sea King raised a large bowl of potent liquor high. "Francis, you and I are friends. And as friends, I won't mince words! I, Seins, will grant you this favor. Starting tomorrow, you and Darick will negotiate the matter of blockading the Fiendkind's sea routes. Concurrently, I will immediately order the rebuilding of Miki Goddess's Palace—a place that has absolutely nothing to do with my Sea Clan—without costing you a single copper coin or a single laborer, yet I guarantee it will be even more luxurious than it was in its heyday! However..."

He shook his head slightly. "As a friend, you must also grant me this courtesy. To be clear, Bog Island is an absolute secret of my Sea Clan. It holds many things I cannot disclose to the Pontiff! And while you are my friend, you are also the Godfather of the Holy Alliance, a subordinate of Pontiff Sama! Therefore... I ask that you do not wander freely. Simply negotiate honestly and await the inspection of the Goddess's Palace!"

He drained the potent liquor in his hand, then apologized. "My words may be harsh, but my reasoning is sound. Let me offer this bowl of wine as my apology!"

The Sea King's words were indeed somewhat harsh, but they were undeniably true. If Francis came as a guest to his home, and he asked him not to go to certain areas to protect his privacy, what was wrong with that?

Didn't a host have that right?

Du Chen nodded inwardly, thinking, *Annie was right. This Sea King is indeed peculiar. From the interactions these past few days, he reminds me of the unpolished friends I had in the Clandestine Circles in my past life—sometimes harsh, but a good person! However... this demand of his is tantamount to putting me and my people under house arrest! How am I supposed to investigate the Purple Satchel in the Goddess's Palace now?*

He glanced at the Goddess's Palace, heavily guarded by the Sea King's troops. Du Chen gave a cold laugh. *Put a thief under house arrest? Hmph, tonight, this old man will infiltrate the Goddess's Palace and snatch that damned thing!*