The Woman

The nine Thunder Cannons collectively chuckled, and the room filled with a festive atmosphere. Indeed, nine solitary bachelors had suddenly discovered a little brother, and such a young, adorable one at that; who wouldn’t break into a knowing smile?

The Seventh, who had first discovered the Thunder Cannon, laughed the most heartily, but his words were laced with chilling killing intent. “Eldest Brother, what are we waiting for? I could destroy this entire city with a single blast and rescue our little brother! Let’s act!”

Leiming reined in his smile, slowly shaking his head. “Everyone, calm down and hear me out. The Divine Emperor once said that when undertaking tasks, one must distinguish between primary and secondary objectives! Our main goal right now is to destroy Battle God Isle, clearing the path for the Violet-Bloods to counterattack the Three Continents. So, if we were to attack Francis’s lair now… wouldn’t we be tipping them off?”

While all nine Thunder Cannons possessed intelligence no less than that of humans, just as there were both wise men and fools among humanity, the sagacity of the nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army was not uniform. Among them, the Seventh was clearly an intelligent life form lacking in cleverness. He fumed, “Eldest Brother, what’s there to be afraid of?! The nine of us working together could even destroy the Life Tree! Francis? Is he even worthy of our apprehension?”

Leiming offered a faint smile. “It’s not Francis I’m apprehensive about! Seventh, don’t forget the one who has been stabbing us in the back all these years… *that woman*!”

*Swish!* The expressions of the nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army twitched almost imperceptibly!

“Yes, the nine of us brothers possess earth-shattering power, but that woman is the only existence capable of threatening us, apart from the Imperial Divine Beasts! Brothers, consider this: if we were to act rashly here for our little brother’s sake, and that woman happened to discover us, would her intelligence not allow her to deduce that our true objective is Battle God Isle?” Leiming’s gaze swept over his brothers. “Our little brother is right here in this city; he’s not going anywhere. There’s no need for us to rush to save him and thereby expose our target, losing the element of surprise for this operation.”

His words led to a chorus of nods. “Indeed, it’s not too late to return and rescue our little brother after we’ve destroyed Battle God Isle!”

Suddenly, Leiming sharply waved his hand, signaling everyone to remain silent, while he himself inclined his ear, listening intently to something.

A long moment passed, then Leiming smiled playfully. “Our scout in the Papal Curia has sent word that His Holiness the Pontiff has unexpectedly decreed a change in the time and location of the Kuran Alliance Assembly—it’s now set for Battle God Isle, Hot Spring Mountain, one month from now!”

The nine Venerables of the Scarlet Army were all momentarily stunned. “Eldest Brother, what does the Pontiff mean by this?”

“Don’t look at me; I, Leiming, am not an omniscient and omnipotent god, incapable of divining every thought of the Pontiff! However, I can confirm that in one month, Hot Spring Mountain will gather all the influential figures of human society. If we were to strike suddenly then and destroy Battle God Isle, wouldn’t that provide even greater assistance to the Violet-Bloods?!”

“Eldest Brother, are you thinking…”

“Hmph, I originally thought destroying Battle God Isle alone would suffice, but the Pontiff insists on delivering all of human society’s influential figures right to our muzzles. Why should we be polite?” Leiming’s expression turned chillingly grim. “Delay the plan. One month from now, we shall annihilate the monarchs of every nation along with it!”

…

When Du Chen arrived at Battle God Isle, Zigurd was still on his way back. Master and disciple didn't meet immediately, but Du Chen wasn't idle. First, he used the antidote delivered by Sha to rescue the frozen civilians. Then, he secretly convened a Secret Convocation with several faculty members loyal to Zigurd, hoping to uncover the truth behind Zigurd’s sudden abandonment of Battle God Isle from them. Yet, to his surprise, not a single person could explain *why* Zigurd had acted this way!

Helplessly, Du Chen could only wait patiently for his teacher’s return. However, he didn’t wait for Zigurd. Instead, he received a decree from the Pontiff, announced across the Three Continents: “By resolution of the representatives of the Gods on Earth, the Kuran Alliance Assembly, originally scheduled for four months hence, has been advanced to the Thirtieth of September, with its venue changed to Battle God Isle, Hot Spring Mountain!”

Staring at the decree, Du Chen rubbed his nose, deliberating for a long while, before a sudden realization dawned on him—the Pontiff hadn't been completely consumed by ambition after all!

In fact, Du Chen had seen Syngh’s tail during the Thornwood Valley battle and immediately deduced that the Huhuhu Beast had already perished. What would follow? Naturally, the Fiendkind would be unrestrained and on the verge of counterattacking the Three Continents! This was a major event concerning the survival of humanity. After regaining clarity, Du Chen dared not delay in the slightest. He immediately had Dus disguise himself as Du Chen, the Divine, and proceed to the Papal Curia, conveying that Du Chen, the Divine, had discovered this new movement of the Fiendkind on the front lines of the Labyrinth of Life, urging His Holiness the Pontiff to prepare without delay!

And while the Pontiff's ambition had expanded, he hadn't yet lost his proper political acumen. He knew clearly that the human alliance assembly was a stage for the redivision of The Prerogative, destined to ignite constant internal strife among humanity. Such conflicts absolutely could not be allowed to erupt *after* the Fiendkind arrived! To put it plainly, one must pacify internal threats before confronting external ones. The Pontiff intended to resolve humanity’s internal issues before the Fiendkind could strike, making the early convocation of the assembly an inevitable outcome!

If not for the influential figures being scattered across the continent, requiring time to gather, the Pontiff likely would have impatiently convened the assembly today!

After another three days, Zigurd finally returned. Du Chen immediately rushed to his office, his first words upon seeing him being, “Teacher, why did you give Battle God Isle to the Pontiff!?”

After several days apart, Zigurd seemed to have aged considerably. Waving Du Chen to sit, he offered a bitter smile. “Francis, congratulations on eradicating Thornwood Valley! You have accomplished an unparalleled feat for humanity, and I, your teacher, thank you on behalf of all mankind!”

Du Chen frowned. “Teacher, attacking Thornwood Valley was my duty. Please, don’t mention it. Why did you really…”

Zigurd interrupted Du Chen, suddenly pointing to his own chest. “Don’t overthink it; the Pontiff didn’t force me. It’s simply that my heart, your teacher’s heart… is weary! I no longer wish to be the Father of All Battle Gods. I only desire to spend the rest of my days peacefully, as an ordinary old man, raising birds and planting flowers…”

Zigurd had previously gone to the Pontiff, intending to exchange Battle God Isle for Thornwood Valley. Yet, to his surprise, God-General Dud had advanced the war far too quickly. As soon as Zigurd and the Pontiff reached an agreement, Dud had already frozen Thornwood Valley…

Initially, Zigurd felt immensely wronged and resentful—his efforts had been in vain, Battle God Isle was gone, and Thornwood Valley hadn’t escaped its fate of destruction either! However, Avril had informed Zigurd of the truth before he returned to the isle: hearing that the Thornwood natives had been spared, the old man felt great relief. But then he learned of Sena’s final stratagem to assassinate Thomas. Of his former foster mother’s three children, two had mutually slaughtered each other and died, leaving only himself, an old man, alone in the world with no remaining kin… and just as he had told Du Chen moments ago, his heart had grown cold and disillusioned. He no longer wished to contend for fame or profit, desiring only to be an ordinary old man!

Zigurd waved his hand. “My decision is made; there’s no need for you to say more! Francis, the Hot Spring Mountain Assembly is just over twenty days away. Many influential figures have already arrived on the isle. The future new Dean, Ferdinand, will host the first welcoming banquet tonight. You… hurry and attend the feast. Make more friends; you’ll need many friends at the assembly!”

Du Chen had no idea there were so many hidden complexities between Zigurd and Thornwood Valley. He was profoundly confused by his teacher’s decadence. He opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but then he saw Zigurd’s vacant eyes…

*Strange! What on earth happened to the old man that he’s become so despondent?*

Du Chen arrived at the banquet feeling utterly listless. Yet, a glance across the grand dining hall, and the identities of the guests within, changed his mood instantly. He wryly told himself, *It’s inappropriate to grab a brick and smash someone at such an event!*

Before him stretched three rows of buffet-style dining tables, where some forty to fifty guests had gathered in small circles, their clamor incessant. Conversing near the first row of tables were mostly Lanning people. King Lanning, Bargnar, and Prime Minister Antoine at the core were no surprise, but standing to Bargnar’s left was none other than… the very man who made Du Chen want to grab a brick and bash his head in. Arges was the only one in the current age who could elicit such a ‘distinction’ from Du Chen!

Bargnar spotted Du Chen and beckoned. “Haha, our First Lord of Lanning has arrived! Francis, quickly, come over, we were just speaking of you!”

Du Chen rubbed his nose and strode over to pay his respects. “Your Majesty, your humble servant Francis truly cannot bear the title of ‘First Lord’!” As he spoke, he glanced at Arges. Arges glared coldly back at Du Chen, but then, seemingly recalling something, he lowered his head and hid behind Bargnar.

Du Chen smiled faintly, suddenly finding his hatred for Arges wasn’t as deep as it once was. Not that he’d forgotten, but it was a psychological shift stemming from their differing statuses and strengths. To put it simply: *we’re no longer on the same level, so why bother holding a grudge against you?*

Bargnar exchanged a few formal pleasantries with Du Chen, then abruptly lowered his voice. “Francis, are you still a Lanning person?!”

The real issue began! Du Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. “Why does Your Majesty ask? Francis was born in Lanning, raised in Lanning, and never dares to forget his roots!”

Bargnar nodded slightly. “Very good! Francis, although the assembly is still over twenty days away, the Pontiff has let it be known—he himself will become the Divine Emperor, and Zigurd will be the Grand Speaker. These two positions are well-deserved, and we in Lanning have no objections! But word also has it that the Pontiff intends to nominate you as one of the Grand Marshals at the assembly, and he wants us in Lanning to secretly support it…”

As he spoke, Bargnar’s chilling gaze scrutinized Du Chen. *Damn it! You, Francis, are a subject, and I, Bargnar, am the ruler, yet you intend to climb above me at the assembly to become a Grand Marshal… If you know what’s good for you, give me a satisfactory answer!*

Du Chen seemed not to grasp Bargnar’s meaning, smiling. “His Holiness the Pontiff also mentioned this matter to me. It would truly be Francis’s great fortune to receive Your Majesty’s support!”

Anger flickered across Bargnar’s face. *What? You actually brazenly accepted it? Do you even have me, the King of Lanning, in your eyes?!* He gave a half-hearted smile, then suddenly pulled Arges from behind him. “My Grand Marshal, though your encampment is near Francis’s territory, you and your son rarely see each other. Come, spend some quality time together!”

Arges lacked Bargnar’s composure. He turned around reluctantly, and, following His Majesty’s implied meaning, angrily declared, “Francis, don’t be so presumptuous! A Grand Marshal of the Alliance stands beneath only one, yet above ten thousand. If you take that position, wouldn’t His Majesty have to become the Divine Emperor for protocol to be maintained?!”

Du Chen blinked. “Oh? Is Marshal Arges implying that… His Majesty desires to become the Divine Emperor, and thus you’re hinting for me to support His Majesty at the assembly?”

Arges’s anger flared even more, but recalling Du Chen’s past display of power and how he truly dared to grind him to dust, he lowered his voice and said coldly, “Stop playing the fool with me! One word: we are all Lanning people, subjects of His Majesty Bargnar! Go to the Pontiff, cede the position of Grand Marshal to His Majesty, and content yourself with being a General within His Majesty’s war zone!”

Du Chen responded with a smile, thinking, *Fine, I’ll tell the Pontiff, but whether the Pontiff agrees is none of my business…*

Clutching Saint Bovin's personal decree, Du Chen was truly too lazy to waste words on “small fries” like Bargnar. He casually found an excuse and retreated to a corner, lowering his head to sip red wine. It was then, *tap*, someone lightly clapped his shoulder from behind—although the banquet was crowded and boisterous, and Du Chen was somewhat absent-minded, for someone to silently tap a peak Thirteenth-rank Battle God from behind…

The two women who approached from behind consisted of a noblewoman in her thirties, with a delicate and amiable appearance, smiling with a hint of shrewdness. The other had entirely white hair and numerous wrinkles, appearing to be at least eighty or ninety years old. Her ancient face exuded immense pride; one glance revealed her to be a figure long accustomed to high positions, accustomed to commanding and ordering!

The middle-aged woman had tapped Du Chen. She looked up, smiling playfully at Du Chen, who was half a head taller than her, and waved her hand. “You are the Third Young Master of Saint Sigurd Cain Estate, Francis?”

Du Chen scrutinized her, then shook his head with a smile. “I am Francis, the Divine Envoy of Du Chen's Divine Cult!”

The old matron snorted. “What’s the difference? You’re still you!”

“Old Matron, the distinction here is quite significant! I was long ago cast out of my family and now have no ties to Saint Sigurd Cain Estate whatsoever. Thus, I cannot possibly accept being called ‘Third Young Master’ by this Madam! And you two are…?”

The middle-aged woman pointed to her own nose, a rather casual gesture. In such a noble, aristocratic banquet, she was definitely an oddity! “Call me Madam Xerxes. This is my aunt…”

The old matron seemed to find Du Chen highly disagreeable and coldly announced her own name: “Merlinta!”

Du Chen’s expression suddenly changed, and he quickly narrowed his eyes, letting out two dry laughs to cover it. In his mind, however, a fragment of Snoopy’s words flashed rapidly: *“The second is called Merlinta; she’s a type of sea Aberrant Beast, but her appearance and abilities remain a mystery!”*

*Could it be that I’ve stumbled upon a legendary, terrifying existence at such an ordinary banquet?!* Du Chen inwardly chuckled, thinking, *It must just be a coincidence of names! How could the one Snoopy spoke of attend such a tedious noble banquet?!*

Merlinta stared at Du Chen with cold eyes. “You’ve heard my name?”

“Alright, Auntie, let me speak!” Madam Xerxes interrupted Merlinta, smiling. “Francis, I’m merely curious about one thing and wished to ask you—just now, hearing your conversation with Arges, it seemed… your relationship as father and son is rather poor?!”

Du Chen’s eyes flickered to Merlinta’s corner as he smiled. “Madam jests, but not only was I cast out of my home, I was even struck from the family registry, losing the Kaine surname. Now, my surname is ‘Du’! So, how can I speak of a father-son relationship with someone who bears the Kaine name?”

*Damn it, something’s wrong!* Du Chen had just finished speaking when he suddenly felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He looked around and saw only the old matron Merlinta staring at him with cold disdain, as if he shared some profound enmity with her, causing the old woman to find him utterly distasteful!

Indeed, Merlinta sneered in a low voice. “An ungrateful wretch, utterly lacking in proper upbringing! To disown one’s own father, you are worse than a beast!”

*Buzz!* A surge of blood rushed straight to Du Chen’s head! Imagine: if a man commanded an army of a hundred thousand, possessed untold riches, and was hailed as the uncrowned king of the Southern Continent, and suddenly an old woman appeared and called him worse than pigs and dogs… likely no one could still listen with a smile, let alone Du Chen, who hailed from street gangs!?

However, Du Chen took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his rising anger. The name Merlinta weighed on him like a mountain! If this old matron truly was the one Snoopy spoke of, then he absolutely couldn’t act impulsively; he had to first gauge her true strength. Of course, if it was later confirmed that this old matron merely shared a name with her… *Hmph!*

With this thought, Du Chen feigned displeasure and furrowed his brow, yet his face still maintained the standard benevolent expression of one who respected elders and cherished the young. He said earnestly, “Old Matron, your words are not right! Everything has a cause and effect. You directly accuse me of disowning my father, but have you heard of Arges’s actions? My expulsion from the family is known to all Ains people, yet among the hundreds of millions of Ains people, very few curse me, Francis, as wrong… Have you, venerable elder, not heard the reasons behind this?”

“I don’t need to hear it. A man without father or mother, what right has he to speak…”

“Auntie!” Madam Xerxes frowned, gently pushing Merlinta away. She smiled. “My auntie has a rather blunt disposition, please don’t take offense! However… listening to the content of your recent argument, it seems you were contending over political standing. Did you two, father and son, fall out over power? I apologize, my auntie and I have just returned from traveling to a very distant land and are not yet fully apprised of matters on the Aethelgard Continent!”

*What does this Madam Xerxes want?* Du Chen thought. *What’s so interesting about my relationship with Arges!?* “Madam Xerxes, listening only to one side leaves one in the dark. Your question is not one I can conveniently answer. If you are truly interested, simply find any commoner and ask them, then you can see for yourself who is right and who is wrong!”

Madam Xerxes smiled, indeed no longer pressing about Arges. But she shifted the topic, asking, “Godfather Ferdinand is hosting tonight’s banquet. Dean Zigurd is about to step down. As Dean Zigurd’s student, do you not intend to persuade your benefactor teacher to stay?”

At the mention of Zigurd, Du Chen unconsciously displayed a respect utterly different from that he showed when speaking of Arges. “That venerable elder has his own aspirations. As a junior, I can only respect my benefactor teacher’s wishes…”

“Oh?” Merlinta looked at Du Chen in surprise, thinking, *This fellow who disregards his own father, how can he be so respectful to his teacher!? Can an unfilial person truly revere teachers and uphold proper conduct?!*

Madam Xerxes nodded slightly, murmuring, “Indeed, it might be for the best that Dean Zigurd steps down. To be at the cusp of the storm, only by wisely retreating from the rapids can one truly avoid the raging tempest…”

Du Chen was startled. Madam Xerxes’s last sentence seemed to hint at something else… He wanted to ask further, but Madam Xerxes had already spoken her farewells, though Merlinta still glared disdainfully at Du Chen as they departed!

Watching them leave, Du Chen suddenly spoke coldly in his Divine Sense. “Dus, what are these two women’s power levels like?”

Fifth Brother replied lazily, “You couldn’t even sense them approaching your back, so need I even state their power? I say, Francis, Merlinta… that sounds like the name of one of the Imperial Divine Beasts! Fifth Brother thinks that Madam Xerxes used a false name just now, but that old matron is too arrogant to use one, so she just blurted out her name: Merlinta!”

Du Chen slowly nodded. “That old hag certainly has a foul temper! Return to Du City for me and fetch Snoopy!”

This trip to Battle God Isle had been rushed, with only one matter—to question Zigurd—so Du Chen hadn’t brought many people, merely asking the two children to come along and privately keep his teacher company. But now that the Imperial Divine Beasts were involved, he had no choice but to summon the descendant of the Imperial Divine Beasts—Snoopy! As Du Chen sent Fifth Brother away, he also happened to push open his own room door, only to see the two little ones, Anya and Beibei, happily playing on someone’s back!

Du Chen was stunned, then delighted. “Eldest Brother, why are you here!?”

Steve teased the two children, clicking his tongue. “Ah, the Hot Spring Mountain Assembly! How many beautiful noble young ladies will be attending? How could I *not* come back?”

Du Chen laughed heartily. “Oh, cut it out! Weren’t you off pursuing Aunt Sherine, aiming to become my uncle? How do you have the leisure to come back and see me?”

“I wanted to pursue her, but… never mind me, you’re in big trouble too!” Steve rolled his eyes at his bewildered younger brother, then pointed to his own cheek. It was then that Du Chen noticed his Eldest Brother seemed to have been beaten!

“Did you see Old Mother? Were you beaten black and blue by that Merlinta at Old Mother’s side?!”