What's Your Measure?

“Mother… Phil… Madam Xerxes!?” Du Chen seized Steve’s collar, his voice laced with disbelief. “Eldest Brother, a woman named Madam Xerxes came looking for me today. Could she possibly be…?”

Steve shrugged. “That’s right, that’s Old Mother in disguise!”

Du Chen pressed, “But I’m already at the peak of Thirteenth-rank now, and that Madam Xerxes could pat me from behind, she must be at least early Fourteenth-rank. Is our mother… truly that powerful?”

Indeed, it was one thing for Du Chen not to recognize her due to the Art of Disguise, for such techniques were ever-changing. But Phil’s strength was the real question. If she was a Fourteenth-rank Battle God, and had a Master of Merlinta’s caliber by her side, would she need to live incognito, hiding from Margaret? Phil could simply return, gather her third son with his hundred thousand troops, and her husband with his two hundred thousand troops, and then there would be no need to fear Margaret, neither in individual combat strength nor military might!

Regarding Du Chen’s question, Steve pondered for a long time, then suddenly blurted out, “According to Flaying’s knowledge, the Phil who faked her death back then was indeed not that formidable. She could only rely on faking her death to deceive Margaret and escape! But she’s been missing for nearly twenty years… Flaying doesn’t know what Phil encountered all these years, but the current Phil… is very powerful, very strange!”

Steve’s encounter wasn’t complicated. After the two brothers parted ways that day, Steve, urged by the Flaying personality, went to find Sherine, to finally give her the rightful status Flaying had always desired. Thanks to Flaying’s tracking abilities, Steve followed The Clues from Battle God Isle all the way to the Labyrinth of Life. But just half a month ago, when Du Chen was overfed and unconscious, Steve encountered a beautiful middle-aged woman calling herself Madam Xerxes in the Labyrinth of Life, who was actually Phil in disguise!

What happened next… left Du Chen utterly speechless!

Flaying was aloof and resolute, but Steve was a classic rogue, a lecherous scoundrel, a Seasoned Playboy who catered to ages eight to eighty! This fellow met Madam Xerxes just when Steve’s personality was dominant, and he immediately asked her, “Hey, beautiful lady, the Labyrinth of Life is so desolate. Can we perhaps journey together through this dangerous yet romantic experience and engage in intimate exchange, from the mental to the carnal?”

Before he could finish, an Old Matriarch ghost-like appeared behind Steve, delivering a crackling, explosive beating on the spot, leaving Steve bruised and swollen, nearly losing his life!

Perhaps the Goddess of Fate didn’t have the heart to let such an Exquisite scoundrel disappear just yet. At the critical moment, Steve, who was utterly defenseless against the Old Matriarch’s beating, very reluctantly, barely managed to use Flaying’s life-saving ultimate move – Flaying Fire Soul!

Madam Xerxes immediately told the Old Matriarch to stop. The two of them captured Steve alive, then proceeded to question him with a series of strange inquiries, such as, “Are you married? How many lovers do you have? What are you going to do now?”

If it were Flaying, facing such humiliating interrogation after capture, he would certainly have been stubborn and refused to answer. But it was Steve! This fellow, while lecherously eyeing Madam Xerxes, answered truthfully, until this dialogue occurred…

“Beautiful lady, I came to this perilous labyrinth only to find my long-lost beloved!” “Beloved? What’s her name, how old is she? Is she pretty?” “No, she’s not pretty, and she’s twenty years older than me, but I believe love knows no age limits. Sherine and I are destined to…” “Wait!? You little bastard, you want to marry Sherine?” “Yes, does this Old Matriarch have any suggestions or blessings?” “Remember, the one who beat you is called Merlinta!”

*Crackling*, another explosive beating!

This time Merlinta showed mercy, leaving not many physical scars on Steve. But the Old Matriarch then proceeded to scold Steve, pointing her finger and delivering a long, drawn-out lecture, which Steve considered psychological torture: “You little bastard, how dare you lust after your own Young Aunt? Do you have any ethics left in your heart? Do you still know what proper human relations are? You listen to me…”

Next, Flaying’s wisdom and experience took over. Steve didn’t recognize Merlinta, nor Phil in disguise, but connecting it to the previous private questions, and the strange attitude of these two women, and finally, a glance at Madam Xerxes’ familiar back… Steve cried out, “Old Mother, spare my life!!!”

At this point, Steve proudly said, “That’s how Old Mother recognized me, and immediately praised me for being smart!”

Beibei’s eyes widened in shock, suddenly blurting out, “Little brother, Eldest Uncle is flirting with Grandma… Oh dear, what a great tragedy of human relations for our family!”

Du Chen and Anya exchanged glances, thinking, *As expected of Steve, the Exquisite lecher! He even dares to flirt with his own mother…*

Steve’s face suddenly turned cold and grim. This was half of Flaying’s personality – he hadn’t fully integrated the two personalities yet! “Francis, I’ve successfully merged with Julie’s divine power inheritance and mastered the Myriad Ages’ Nine Gods Art, but that Merlinta can still beat me without me being able to fight back at all. She’s definitely not simple! And Phil also displayed extremely terrifying strength when she captured me! But no matter how much I asked afterward, they refused to reveal any details, instead telling me not to ask anything and to continue searching for Sherine. They just dismissed me with a few words!”

He paused, Flaying’s gaze dark as he looked out the window. “Phil suddenly returned, and her Sudden Surge in Power, bringing the Imperial Divine Beasts with her, yet she refuses to tell her own son why she became stronger, why she has divine beasts, why she returned… So I say she is very strong, and very strange now!”

…

Du Chen nodded. Phil was indeed strange enough. “Eldest Brother, why did you say I’m also in big trouble?” Connecting it to Phil’s questions today, Du Chen frowned, “Is she still going to pursue the matter between Arges and me?”

Steve shook his head. “No, Mother is easy to talk to – I told her about the situation between you and Father, and Mother didn’t say who was right or wrong, only blamed herself for concealing too much from Father back then, leading to your deep misunderstandings today! But the key is that Merlinta; she is the root of the trouble!”

He nervously touched the bruises on his cheek, Steve said with a bitter smile, “Mother calls that mysterious Merlinta ‘Auntie,’ and she acts entirely according to her wishes, not daring to disobey! But the one who wants to deal with you is precisely this Merlinta!”

Du Chen was angry but still confused. When had he ever provoked Merlinta? What reason did she have to deal with him!?

Steve explained, “Merlinta considers herself Mother’s aunt, and an elder of our family! In her eyes, she’s a grand-aunt, and we are her grandchildren…”

“Eldest Brother, you don’t need to say more, I understand!” Du Chen sneered. “I’ve already met that Old Matriarch. Stiff, stubborn, bad-tempered! I presume she heard about my breaking ties with Arges and immediately cursed me for being unfilial and disrespectful to my ancestors, didn’t she!? Then she must have clamored to ‘clean house’ and punish me, the unfilial one, and though Mother tried to stop her, she couldn’t sway Grand-Aunt’s temper, is that it?”

Steve wondered, “How did you know?”

*Does it even need to be said!?* Du Chen had met too many such elders in his previous life. Such people’s views, to put it formally, were that they extremely valued rites and proper conduct, fervent supporters of feudal ethics! To put it bluntly, they had one mindset: there are no parents who are not right. *I, Merlinta, don’t care what Arges did, if you, Francis, dare to attack your own father, then you are a scoundrel, you deserve to die, and I, your grand-aunt, will deal with you and clean house!*

Such people were definitely not rare in Du Chen’s previous life, but Du Chen hadn’t expected that such Old Matriarchs existed even in the Battle God World, which was Westernized and had a very open social atmosphere!

Steve once again touched the bruises on his cheek. “Third Brother, that Merlinta is simply unreasonable. Anyway, just be careful! With Mother present, Merlinta won’t actually kill you, but a good beating, leaving you as bruised and swollen as me, is probably unavoidable!”

Du Chen smacked his lips, thinking, *“I fear not a thousand armies, but a sudden appearance of a stubborn Old Matriarch! Alas, if Merlinta wants to deal with me, it’s fine. Eldest Brother is right, with Mother Phil caught in the middle, I won’t face too much trouble! But there’s one thing… what if Old Matriarch Merlinta forces me to kneel and apologize to Arges, what then? Damn it, I’m certainly not going to apologize to Arges!”*

Du Chen only thought these words to himself, not telling Steve to his face. After all, Steve had a good relationship with Arges, and Du Chen feared putting him in a difficult position…

As he was thinking, Steve suddenly said, “Your matter with Father is only one reason Merlinta wants to deal with you…”

“What other reason!?” Du Chen asked in surprise.

Steve smiled bitterly, pointing to his cheek. “I got beaten because of Sherine, so you and Xue Ji… Third Brother, Eldest Brother is sorry, alas, I told Mother about you and Xue Ji, and I said many good things about Xue Ji. Originally, I hoped Mother would accept her as a daughter-in-law, but who knew Merlinta, upon hearing… in her words, Xue Ji is Sherine’s sister, and also your Young Aunt. You, Francis, dare to pursue your own Young Aunt, this is simply lawless, and must be severely punished!”

Du Chen snorted, genuine anger flaring in his heart. *I may argue with Xue Ji, and we may have separated, but those are emotional issues between the two of us. What business is it of yours, Merlinta!?*

This kind of Old Matriarch was truly disgusting!

Du Chen sighed deeply. “Eldest Brother, we separated after escaping the City of Penance; there are too many things you don’t know. I’m afraid even without Merlinta interfering, Xue Ji and I…”

Then Du Chen recounted everything that had happened since the brothers parted ways – his on-again, off-again relationship with Xue Ji, Wolf’s Great Prophecy as the savior, the misunderstanding with the Five Families of Fallen Gods, and even the capture of Thornwood Valley with Liana’s help… detailing everything. The two brothers chatted until late into the night.

And Steve also recounted his own story in detail. He had already spoken about events before meeting Phil. And after Phil sent Steve to continue searching for Sherine… that day, Steve indeed went to continue searching for Sherine. But not long after, the other side of this scoundrel, this incompetent lecher – Flaying’s wisdom took over. He pondered back and forth, thinking that Phil’s sudden appearance was fraught with strangeness. So, he openly walked into the Labyrinth of Life, but secretly followed Phil and Merlinta, directly tracking them to Battle God Isle, and only today found Du Chen.

After exchanging their experiences, the two brothers discussed for a while and easily came to several conclusions.

First, logically speaking, a mother who hadn’t seen her son for many years, upon a sudden reunion, even if she didn’t weep with joy or embrace him tightly, she wouldn’t refuse to acknowledge him, would she? Yet, after Phil was recognized by Steve, she inexplicably sent him away again, while she herself came to Battle God Isle, spoke a few words with Francis as Madam Xerxes, and then left… This indicates that Phil has something she doesn’t want her family involved in, something only she and Merlinta should handle!

Second, why was Phil with the Imperial Divine Beasts Merlinta? Analyzing by the address, Merlinta should have a good relationship with Maternal Grandfather Byron-Gale. And judging by Phil’s deference to Merlinta’s opinions, it seems Byron-Gale dispatched Merlinta for a task, with Phil assisting!

Then the third point, and the most crucial one, why Phil, who faked her death for many years, returned to the mortal world with the Imperial Divine Beasts, immediately became clear. The truth was simple…

Merlinta and Phil came to Battle God Isle for Grand Pontiff Yetha and a mission from Byron-Gale! And this mission could not be known by Phil’s family, or perhaps, they were not qualified to know!

…

After the discussion, Steve looked troubled. “Third Brother, that’s roughly how things are. We now face two problems: one is how to deal with Mother, and the second is… damn it, what business is it of Merlinta’s that I want to marry Sherine? Third Brother, we’re in the same boat now. I want to marry Sherine, and you want to marry Xue Ji, but suddenly Merlinta appears as a huge obstacle… What do we do? She’s our grand-aunt, and we can’t deal with her aggressively!”

Du Chen pondered for a moment, then answered the first question. “Mother’s sudden return and mysterious whereabouts mean we should first go along with her wishes – you use Art of Disguise to hide, and I’ll pretend not to have discovered the truth about Madam Xerxes. Let’s first see what Mother actually intends to do. Anyway, Old Mother wouldn’t harm us, and we don’t need to be too worried or eager to find out the truth!”

Du Chen gave a bitter laugh. “As for the second problem… that’s your own trouble. Xue Ji and I have already separated, so there might not be an opportunity for Merlinta to cause trouble for me!” Seeing his Eldest Brother’s troubled expression, Du Chen forced a smile. “Don’t worry, if that Merlinta makes trouble, you can just elope with Aunt Sherine. With Mother caught in the middle, can that Old Matriarch Merlinta really attack you? She can’t kill you, and out of respect for Mother, she won’t make things difficult for Sherine either!”

At this moment, Steve’s personality was dominant; he didn’t display the cold aloofness and decisiveness characteristic of Flaying, but rather worried about his feelings like a common noble youth who was too concerned with gains and losses. “Alas! I hope so! But Third Brother… hehe!”

Steve suddenly let out a strange laugh. “My dear brother, your emotions are in trouble, do you need Eldest Brother’s advice?”

“Oh, please, all you do is spout nonsense and add to my troubles!” Du Chen shook his head repeatedly!

Steve ignored him, hooked Du Chen’s shoulder, and said with a smile, “Third Brother, having heard your story, and with my many years of experience as Eldest Brother, I believe there’s still room for you and Xue Ji. But… in your current heart, is Xue Ji truly the most important woman?”

Du Chen was startled. *Could anyone be more important than his fiancée!?*

Steve said earnestly, “Francis, your thoughts are all on Xue Ji, but have you paid attention to another woman!?”

*Another woman?* Du Chen was stunned and wanted to ask more, but Steve picked up the two children, disguised himself as an old man, and went out for a walk with a smile, leaving Du Chen with just one sentence!

“In my eyes, Steve’s eyes, there are only two types of women – those you constantly think of, suitable to be lovers! And those whose presence you don’t really feel, but once you lose them, you’re at a loss… suitable to marry and be your wife for life! Third Brother, think about it yourself, what have you ignored for a long time?”

*Buzz!* A window seemed to open in Du Chen’s mind, and he stood frozen in place…

Sometimes, Steve, the Seasoned Playboy, the Exquisite lecher, saw things far more incisively than Du Chen!

*Of course, only when it came to women!*

*Thump, thump!* Soon after, someone knocked on the door, startling Du Chen back to reality. Two people had arrived. The first, Ferdinand with purple eyebrows, was an old friend. The other was a young man in his twenties, slender and handsome with a shrewd look, clearly a rare young talent! He wore the noble robes representing Lanning, and his appearance struck Du Chen as somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen him.

“Duke Du, Ilan greets you!”

As the young man spoke, Du Chen suddenly remembered. So this was the “junior brother” the Papal Curia had asked him to mentor. And when Steve was imprisoned, it was thanks to Ilan, then Lanning Judicial Officer, that he didn’t suffer much in jail.

However, these events had happened many years ago, so it wasn’t surprising that Du Chen occasionally forgot this “small fry”!

Ferdinand, observing Du Chen’s expression, knew Du Chen probably didn’t have much impression of Ilan. To avoid awkwardness, he smoothed things over. “All right, Ilan, there are no outsiders here, so stop using those Lanning titles! Brother Francis, do you remember? Ilan is a spy sent by the Holy Church to Lanning, specifically responsible for infiltrating Lanning’s upper echelons and controlling the situation there! In fact, he’s a direct subordinate of yours, the Godfather of the Shadow Temple!”

Ilan was a smooth operator. Seeing his superior didn’t seem familiar with him, he quickly bowed again. “How could Godfather forget me, White-Robed Archbishop Ilan of the Shadow Temple greets Your Excellency. When your elder brother Steve was imprisoned back then, Ilan received generous rewards from Your Excellency for my small contribution. It was precisely with your generous funds that Ilan was able to clear channels and achieve his current success in Lanning!”

*Tsk tsk*, well said! It reminded him of his identity, established a connection, and even offered a little flattery! Du Chen thickened his skin and nodded, “Haha, I can forget anyone but Ilan, who helped my Eldest Brother! You two came to see me about…”

Ferdinand chuckled, “Isn’t the Alliance Assembly about to start? King Lanning Bargnar is eager to gain a high position, so he sent a senior minister to privately ask me for some ‘backdoor’ help. But who knew… ha, the senior minister Bargnar sent was actually Ilan! Ilan and I ended up laughing our guts out in the office!”

Du Chen also laughed. Sending a Holy Church spy to negotiate with the Holy Church… Bargnar wasn’t too stupid, he was just too pathetic! A thought struck him, and he asked, “Minister Ilan!? Little brother, how ‘senior’ are you now?”

Ilan’s smile was very approachable. “Replying to Godfather, Ilan has become Lanning’s Minister of Rites, and now Prime Minister Antoine is on the verge of retirement. Ilan is preparing to contend for the position of Prime Minister. At that time… I’ll need your full support, my Lord!”

*Good heavens, it’s only been a few years!* Du Chen remembered the immense power of Minister of Rites Wedno back then, and couldn’t help but look at Ilan with new eyes, secretly marveling at the Holy Church’s strength – Ilan was just one of the Holy Church’s spies; who knew how many ‘senior ministers’ like him there were in the various countries of the Three Continents!

From Ilan alone, one could imagine how vast the Pontiff’s influence truly was!

The three sat down and got to the point. Ferdinand said, “Brother, we came to see you this time because Ilan provided a piece of information – Bargnar is unhappy that you will hold the position of Grand Marshal at the Alliance Assembly, and is secretly plotting against Durkes City to pressure you into giving him the Grand Marshal position…” Saying this, Ferdinand clapped Ilan on the shoulder. “But rest assured, Brother, although Bargnar is your monarch, and Du City is Lanning’s territory – the Holy Church cannot openly help you fight against your own country! But from now on, Ilan will listen to you. Tell him anything you need! With your means, Brother, and Ilan’s assistance, you probably don’t need to fear Bargnar anymore!”

Du Chen smiled and thanked him, then, seeing Ferdinand’s slightly hesitant expression, he laughed, “Elder Brother, is there something else?”

Ferdinand’s voice lowered, and his expression became much more serious. “Brother, put the Lanning matter aside for now. I’m here on behalf of His Holiness the Pontiff to discuss a very important matter with you! Brother, you know, this Alliance Assembly is a moment to redefine humanity’s status. Among them, the positions of Divine Emperor and Grand Speaker have already been decided internally. But below these two positions, His Holiness the Pontiff has also drafted a system of alliance positions, take a look…”

Du Chen took a Secret Scroll from Ferdinand’s hand, opened it, and his heart thumped, inevitably stirring with excitement!

This scroll, after all, was the future Scroll of Standing for human society!

*Want to know where you stand among humans? Just look at this scroll!*