The Dragon Tyrant Arrives

Du Chen burst into uproarious laughter. Even Xue Ji, who had been silently listening nearby, shot Du Chen a playful glance that seemed to say, "Give the poor man some dignity," before she couldn't suppress a delicate chuckle, covering her mouth with a hand.

Galas gazed at the couple, utterly dejected.

Du Chen clapped him on the shoulder. "So, if I'm understanding correctly, you're faced with two equally delightful options: either marry Frinda first and <i>then</i> cultivate some 'feelings,' or cultivate those 'feelings' first and <i>then</i> marry her?"

Galas could only nod, a picture of defeat.

Xue Ji let out a light laugh. "I've met Frinda once, and she's an undeniable beauty, Mr. Galas. So, tell me, why do you harbor such… intense dislike for her?"

Galas, not as intimately acquainted with Xue Ji as with Du Chen, adopted a more formal demeanor, unwilling to indulge in his usual irreverent banter. He cleared his throat. "Allow me to share two brief tales. Thirteen years ago, when Frinda was but seven summers old, the Old Matriarch of the Saint Dak family arranged for her to be bonded with an Aberrant Beast. Yet, despite her tender age, Frinda not only failed to establish a connection with the creature but was, in fact, bitten on the arm! But the seven-year-old Frinda did not weep or fret. Instead, she commanded them to lock her and the Aberrant Beast within the same confines. She spent the next twenty days cultivating her power upon that very beast. By the end, the Aberrant Beast was battered and bruised, utterly subdued, and dutifully acknowledged her as its master!"

Xue Ji gasped, "Heavens! Frinda's competitive drive is truly formidable!"

Galas nodded in profound agreement. "Now for the second tale. When Frinda was nine, her family enlisted a geographer. At the welcome feast, this geographer, in a rather casual display, posed several obscure geographical questions to Frinda. She, naturally, couldn't answer them. A newly appointed guest consultant, showcasing his erudition before the assembled adults by quizzing a child – you'd think that's a perfectly normal occurrence, wouldn't you?"

Galas's voice suddenly boomed. "However, a mere month later, Frinda set ablaze <i>all</i> the invaluable records within that guest consultant's study! The Old Matriarch of the Saint Dak family was incandescent with rage. But Frinda... Frinda simply pointed to her own temple and declared, 'Grandma, every piece of geographical data concerning the Three Continents, meticulously recorded by our family, resides right here, in my mind!' With that, she proceeded to quiz the poor geographer with dozens of questions, leaving the man utterly speechless, shamed into resigning his post!"

Xue Ji exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief, "Frinda is truly too... too strong-willed!"

Galas then turned to her again. "My dear sister-in-law, in your esteemed opinion, what should a woman's duties entail after she is wed?"

Xue Ji cast a bashful glance at Du Chen, then lowered her gaze, stating with unwavering conviction, "Naturally, it is to support her husband, raise their children, and diligently manage the household affairs, assisting her husband in every way."

Galas nodded emphatically, "Precisely! Precisely! But can you truly <i>imagine</i> what life would be like once Frinda crosses the threshold? She would point an accusing finger right at my face..." He then adopted Frinda's haughty, imperious tone, his voice turning stern. "'Look at you!' she'd sneer. 'While others toil to build their family's empire, carving out glorious legacies for the annals of history, what do <i>you</i> do? You loll about all day, frittering away your time, then have the audacity to call it 'carefree enjoyment'! The moment I voiced even a hint of discontent, <i>SMACK!</i> Frinda's palm would connect with my cheek, sending me spitting blood. Plant-elemental, metal-elemental, ice-elemental battle qi would erupt, mixing with crimson spray, showering the entire house! Gods above, is that a life fit for a human being?!"

Du Chen's laughter had escalated into painful spasms in his abdomen. Yet, upon sober reflection, considering Frinda's notoriously fiery temperament, Galas's vivid portrayal seemed not the slightest bit exaggerated. Frinda would, beyond a shadow of a doubt, never tolerate her husband living a life of "carefree enjoyment"!

Du Chen chuckled, then patted Galas's shoulder. "My friend, I understand your plight entirely! But let's get down to brass tacks. Your venerable patriarch has issued an ultimatum. What are your intentions?"

Galas shed his crestfallen expression, a faint smile playing on his lips. "It's quite simple, really. I find neither of those two paths to my liking. Therefore, I shall forge a third—a partnership with you!"

Du Chen rubbed his nose thoughtfully. "So, you divulged the monumental secret of the Godslayer Five Families dispatching their scions to pledge allegiance to me, merely as a precursor to a partnership? Heh. And what, pray tell, comes next?"

"Then, I shall formally 'enlist' under your banner, thereby satisfying my patriarch's ultimatum. However, you must assign me a task—the specific title you may devise yourself—the core objective of which is to allow me to continue my 'carefree enjoyment'!"

Du Chen chuckled. "So, in essence, you wish for me to serve as your convenient shield, deflecting your venerable father's demands, while you, with a perfectly legitimate excuse, continue your grand escape from home, thus evading Frinda? Is that not the long and short of it?"

Galas offered an elegant, knowing smile. "One could certainly phrase it thus!"

Du Chen's mind began to whirl with calculations. The elite scions of the Godslayer Five Families pledging allegiance to him was a boon too significant to refuse. Yet, it was clear that Galas and Frinda were mutually exclusive. He faced a stark choice: embrace Frinda, and Galas would surely flee, or deny Frinda entry into Durkes City to secure Galas's loyalty.

Who, then, was the more advantageous choice? Du Chen pondered the strategic needs of Durkes City. After careful consideration, he resolved to partner with Galas, aiding his escape, while simultaneously accepting Frinda.

Though Frinda was notoriously violent and often unwelcome, she nonetheless embodied the will of the Godslayer Five Families' ruling echelon. To reject her would be to reject the entire faction, an unwise and unprofitable gambit.

With this realization, Du Chen smiled. "I can certainly aid you in your endeavor, but what, precisely, do I stand to gain?"

Galas replied, "I can help you effortlessly bring Frinda and these other formidable young talents pledging their allegiance truly under your sway!"

Du Chen's brow suddenly furrowed in thought.

"Ah, you've grasped it, haven't you? Precisely. Frinda is haughty and proud, and the others are likewise the crème de la crème of our Godslayer Five Families. Our patriarchs issued the command for them to pledge fealty to you, yet offered not a single explanation. Tell me, do you truly believe they will submit willingly?"

Du Chen let out a bitter, knowing chuckle.

Galas continued, "Thus, under Frinda's defiant leadership, they are outwardly assenting but inwardly rebelling against this mandate! The original scheme was for them to enter your Durkes City in waves, discreetly disguised, during this recruitment fair. But Frinda, unwilling to submit, has leveraged her network to meticulously orchestrate a scheme at the fair, intending to utterly humiliate you. With your reputation in tatters, they would then have the perfect pretext to declare, 'Francis is a pathetic, useless wretch! Why should we pledge fealty to such a failure? Venerable elders, revoke this command at once!'"

Du Chen stomped his foot in exasperation. "So, you're telling me the ten eccentrics, who conspired to sabotage me at the recruitment fair, were all orchestrated by Frinda?"

Galas's eyebrows shot up. "What? Frinda has already struck?"

"Struck? She damn near delivered a fatal blow!"

As Du Chen recounted the chaos at the recruitment fair, Galas, naturally, pieced together the intricate machinations behind it all. He let out a strange, knowing chuckle. "It seems, then, that our alliance is not merely desirable, but utterly essential!"

"You possess a method to tame Frinda?"

"Naturally! To evade the impending nuptials with Frinda, I've practically dissected the very essence of that Dragon Tyrant. How else could I possess such intimate knowledge of her childhood?" Galas chuckled. "When confronting Frinda, direct opposition is futile. Subdue her once, and she'll return for a second bout, then a third… it would be an unending cycle!"

Recalling the relentless occasions when Frinda had hounded him for duels in the past, Du Chen nodded in profound understanding.

"To compel Frinda to meekly serve your purposes, a single maxim suffices!" Galas leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially into Du Chen's ear, "A stubborn ass must be stroked with the grain and fed the finest feed!"

Du Chen's eyes gleamed with sudden insight. "Especially a <i>female</i> stubborn ass! I must make her willingly enter the sedan chair, not force her into it!"

"Great minds truly think alike!"

"Indeed, the sentiment is mutual!"

A shared, low chuckle rippled between the two men.

Only Xue Ji shook her head helplessly, thinking to herself, 'Frinda is a good girl, after all. Though perhaps a touch too competitive, one certainly shouldn't treat her as if she were a stubborn ass to be managed!'

At the break of dawn, Galas glided away, resuming his flight from matrimony. Meanwhile, Du Chen and Xue Ji returned to Battle God Isle, where the full extent of the Ice Toxin's devastation had been meticulously tallied: two hundred and thirteen souls had perished instantly, while seventeen thousand six hundred and ninety individuals remained trapped, frozen solid.

It is noteworthy that during the hotel's collapse, Cassian, with swift ingenuity, utilized his battle qi to conjure a safe haven for two imperiled children, though in doing so, he inadvertently inhaled a small quantity of the toxic fumes.

Given the Ice Toxin's insidious nature, specifically designed to erode life force, the severity of its damage was proportional to one's age. To simplify, a single inhalation would quantify exactly how many years would be carved from one's lifespan. Cassian's exposure amounted to a loss of three to five years. Considering his robust age and physique, a potential reduction of three to five years felt like a distant, inconsequential worry. Hence, after a brief consultation, Cassian himself insisted on being released from his frozen state, choosing to brave a slightly shortened life rather than remain a wretched casualty entombed within the ice.

And so, the Spiritual Power Masters of Battle God Isle initiated a widespread communication with the civilians encased in ice. Those who acquiesced to sacrificing a few years of their lifespan were immediately liberated. However, those unwilling, or those who had ingested a more substantial volume of the toxin, would have to await Zigurd's devised cure before any hope of salvation.

Ultimately, a staggering fifteen thousand eight hundred civilians awaited rescue.

Du Chen silently etched this grim tally into his memory. As soon as the recruitment fair concluded, he would immediately seek out Adams in Thornwood Valley. "Second-in-command Thomas? What manner of man is he? Consider yourself marked, old boy!"

Yet, just as Du Chen was preparing to relay this dire situation to Zigurd, he received an unexpected message: the elder had departed in haste, leaving behind only a single decree. "I journey forth to seek an old friend, one who may possess the means to counteract the Ice Toxin. All affairs upon the Isle shall be overseen by Dean Ricardo, and the recruitment proceedings shall continue as planned!"

Faced with this, Du Chen could only dispatch a messenger to swiftly inform Zigurd that Thomas was the perpetrator, for there was no other recourse. His own paramount mission remained the task of managing a certain Dragon Tyrant!

Due to the aftermath of the explosion, the recruitment fair had been suspended for three days. On the fourth day, Du Chen, accompanied by his wife and child, alongside Cassian and Martin, set forth for the recruitment venue.

Along the way, Xue Ji observed the servants trailing behind them, laboring under the weight of ten enormous chests. Curiosity piqued, she asked, "Alex, how precisely do you intend to bring Frinda to heel?"

Du Chen offered a mysterious, knowing smile. "You shall see, when the moment is ripe!"

Xue Ji mused for a moment, then lowered her voice. "Frinda, though undeniably stubborn, bears no actual enmity towards us. You won't, will you...?"

"Rest assured!" Du Chen gestured towards the imposing crates trailing behind them, a mischievous glint in his eye. "With these treasures, I shall compel Frinda to willingly stand before my desk, entreating me, 'Duke, I implore you, allow me to join Durkes City!'"

Xue Ji merely opened her mouth, then closed it, utterly speechless. Cassian and Martin, too, exchanged bewildered glances, completely lost.

Even the brawny servants, straining under the weight of the enormous chests, found themselves utterly perplexed. How, precisely, did their esteemed Duke intend to compel a 'female stubborn ass' to willing obedience?