Whose Grand Inheritance?

At that very moment, Dud finalized a plan within his heart, yet, save for himself, no soul knew precisely what Dud intended to accomplish…

After reuniting with Phil and learning the Scarlet Army's internal situation, Du Chen, guided by Charlemagne, sauntered towards the Requiem Death Knights' stronghold nestled in Battle God Isle's southeastern cape. The deep sea was tranquil, occasionally a school of fish would dart past him, and the seascape was breathtakingly beautiful, but Du Chen was not in the mood to appreciate it, his gaze fixed downwards, lost in thought.

Xue Ji seemed to know Du Chen was coming to find her, and waited proactively on the path he had to take. Seeing Du Chen approach, she lowered her head and said, “Thank you, thank you for coming to save me today!”

Du Chen smiled calmly, “We’re family; there’s no need for thanks.”

Both lowered their heads. Du Chen wanted to go up and take Xue Ji’s hand, but Xue Ji gently turned aside, avoiding him. “Francis…” The moment Xue Ji uttered this second sentence, Du Chen vaguely knew what she was going to say, because Xue Ji addressed him as Francis, not… Alex!

“After being apart for so long, I’ve thought it through very clearly…” Xue Ji smiled bitterly. “There was never an Alex in this world; it was all just my own imagination. And Xue Ji and Francis… we’re not suitable!”

Du Chen nodded, his thumbs hooked into his belt, the very image of a street ruffian strolling the thoroughfares in his past life. He kicked a nearby sea stone, then turned and walked towards Battle God Isle. “We’ll still be friends in the future. Don’t be a stranger if we cross paths again!”

Xue Ji watched Du Chen’s dejected back, a glimmer of tears in the corner of her eye. “Don’t worry; some things only Xue Ji will ever know!”

Du Chen, with his head bowed, waved a hand behind his back, “I never worried you’d leak my secrets. If you were that kind of person, back then… I wouldn’t have gotten engaged to you!”

Alas, it’s over, finally over!

There was no imagined fierce quarrel leading to a bitter breakup, nor a romantically tragic farewell. Everything unfolded calmly and unremarkable, without ripples.

Although he could have emulated Cassian’s methods, gradually altering Xue Ji’s perspectives, Du Chen was weary. He didn’t want to treat his own woman with such scheming and deceit. Cassian was merely a nominal Junior Brother; Du Chen could employ any means against him. But Xue Ji was the woman he had acknowledged, and Du Chen respected her beliefs!

Despite knowing that continuing would only culminate in endless quarrels, Du Chen still felt a dull ache in his heart when the relationship ended. He neither used his Wind and Thunder Dual Wings nor flew with battle qi, but walked with his head down, returning to Battle God Isle from the seabed.

When he surfaced, the daylight was already bright. The moment Du Chen entered Battle God Isle’s urban area, he heard a string of charming laughter ahead. “Oh, Thirteenth Master, my lord! What’s wrong with you? Looking so dejected!”

Du Chen looked up and saw a voluptuous young woman with fiery red hair and a brazen allure approaching. In this public urban district, she was only wearing a thin red gauze outer garment, and her skirt slit daringly high, offering tantalizing glimpses of her long, slender legs with every step, drawing countless stares. It was none other than the Saint Baton Clan’s Matriarch, the same seductive vixen, Susanna, who had once dared to desecrate ancestral graves!

Du Chen frowned, thinking, ‘Damn it, what wretched luck! It seems today is truly my accursed day!’

Susanna was accompanying the Saint Baton Family Head, Lombaton, to attend the alliance meeting. Speaking of which, this couple was a truly ‘Exquisite (Huhuhu Beast)’ pair, a duo that tested Du Chen’s very patience: the husband was petty and ungenerous, while the wife was utterly seductive, and made a point of deliberately cuckolding her husband for no reason… During the last battle at Auerbach Grand Canyon, Du Chen had pushed Lombaton into owing him a wager. But later, Lombaton and Susanna had gone to the Labyrinth of Life front line, taking on the crucial task of intercepting the Fiendkind. And the Five Families of Fallen Gods had formed a misconception about a Savior, so Du Chen, upon seeing them this time, did not bring up the past, merely chuckled, saving the Saint Baton Clan ample face!

Susanna cast a captivating glance, beckoning to the equally provocatively dressed, utterly captivating fox-tribe female warriors behind her, “Come, greet Thirteenth Master, oh no, greet Grand Marshal Francis!”

“Marshal Fran!” More than twenty scantily clad fox-tribe enchantresses surrounded Du Chen, shouting in unison, a truly spectacular display that immediately drew countless side glances from passersby.

Du Chen gave a slight nod. With so many people watching, he couldn’t be too impolite. He asked with a smile, “Madam Susanna, what is this about…”

“Oh, don’t even ask! Last night, a storm of wind and thunder gathered in the direction of Tiger Shark Reef. His Holiness the Pontiff, fearing an incident, asked our Five Families of Fallen Gods to assist in the investigation. As for me, I couldn’t sit still, so I brought a squad of sisters out for a stroll… tee hee, and to see if there were any handsome young men around!” Susanna shamelessly pressed herself against Du Chen, her seductive gaze raking over Du Chen. “And look, I actually found one!”

Du Chen was utterly trapped by the core of that squad of vixen. He frowned and angrily said, “If that’s the case, I won’t disturb you, madam. Please have your guards step aside!”

“My lord, what’s the rush!” Susanna pressed even closer, making Du Chen inhale her potent fragrance. Just as Du Chen was about to erupt in anger, she suddenly lowered her voice, “Actually, Susanna sought you out specifically today, Thirteenth Master. You must, for the sake of our past acquaintance, save my life!”

With that, Susanna, under the cover of her Retainer, secretly slipped Du Chen a note, then feigned a demure giggle, “Alright, it seems Marshal Fran isn’t in the mood to chat. Sisters, let’s go!”

Strange, what did this vixen want to do now? Was she bold enough to cooperate with the very person who had betrayed her twice?

Du Chen found a quiet tavern, opened the note, and saw only a few short lines written in tiny script. However, cross-referencing it with the intelligence he already possessed, Du Chen instantly understood Susanna, or rather, the internal affairs of the Saint Baton Clan!

The reason Susanna, this grave-robber vixen, could become Matriarch was that her bloodline perfectly matched the requirements for inheriting the Beast Emperor’s Seal, and Lombaton needed her lineage to produce excellent offspring! But just two months ago, an unexpected event shattered Susanna’s seemingly impregnable position, pushing her to the brink of a cliff, where she could plummet to her demise at any moment!

It turned out that Hawkins, the only member of the Saint Baton Clan Du Chen found agreeable, barely counting as a friend, had died heroically in the Grand Chasm, becoming the first hero to sacrifice himself in the second Fallen Gods War. However, that scheming Goddess of Fate had somehow favored this beastman’s glorious demise, causing his wife to give birth to a posthumous son two months ago. And this child… was precisely the perfect match for the Beast Emperor’s Seal, inheriting Orbach’s supreme divine power at just two months old, and was internally designated as the next Family Head of Saint Baton!

Thus, Susanna’s status became irrelevant. Lombaton, being petty and narrow-minded to begin with, seeing Susanna was no longer useful, how could he tolerate his wife philandering daily? Lombaton immediately initiated a plan to depose Susanna. But the vixen wasn’t one to be trifled with; over the years, she had charmed and controlled quite a few male concubines. The moment Lombaton turned hostile, she immediately counterattacked… Superficially, the Saint Baton Clan appeared calm and peaceful, but beneath the surface, the seeds of division and utter ruin had already been sown!

Susanna, being infamous after all, couldn’t contend with Lombaton, who had the support of the other four Families of Fallen Gods. But this vixen, somehow learning of the Savior’s legend and Du Chen’s influence over the Five Families of Fallen Gods, sought his help today!

Du Chen sipped his red wine, his gaze falling on the last sentence of the note, a highly provocative statement: “My lord, Susanna will tell you a heartfelt truth: for you, is the Saint Baton Clan more beneficial as an ally, or would it be better fully under your control?! As long as you help me, once Susanna obtains the Saint Baton Clan, I am willing to pledge allegiance to you as a vassal — provided you guarantee the Saint Baton Clan’s integrity under my rule! At the same time, with your status as the Savior, you won’t be rejected by the other Five Families of Fallen Gods, and can smoothly annex the entire Saint Baton, becoming one of the new Five Families without any risk!”

Tsk, tsk, what a grand gesture! To actually bribe Du Chen with the entire Saint Baton Clan. This Grand Inheritance was truly enormous!

A single sentence was enough to illustrate just how vast this Grand Inheritance was: the Macallan Empire, the formidable northern hegemon of the Aethelgard Continent, possessing a million valiant soldiers and occupying ten thousand li of grasslands, was merely a ‘fraction’ of its assets! And that was all…

On the back of the note was another line of small script: “If Thirteenth Master is interested in this transaction, please come to Southern Sea Beach at midnight tonight to discuss details!”

…

Du Chen stared at the note, pondering for a long while, only returning to his residence at noon. He first told Liana about reuniting with Phil last night, then pushed the note towards her. “What’s your opinion?”

Liana lay sprawled on the sofa, legs crossed, chin propped in her hand, contemplating for a long time. Suddenly, she blurted out a sentence that characterized Susanna’s actions: “This vixen is truly at her wit’s end!”

Du Chen nodded, “So this deal is credible. It just depends on whether I want to take this Grand Inheritance!”

Liana glanced at Du Chen, “Do you want to take it? Low risk, high reward – it certainly is a good business deal!”

Du Chen smiled but didn't answer, instead asking, “I’m waiting for your opinion: take it, or not take it!?”

Liana suddenly sighed, “Normally, without Phil’s words tonight, I would advise you to take the Saint Baton Clan! However… if the Scarlet Army truly attacks Battle God Isle six days from now, and the Pontiff dies the moment he ascends, then we cannot take it!”

“Because once the Pontiff dies, even if we defend Battle God Isle, the major powers gathered here will reshuffle, and humanity will face turmoil for a long time… Francis, humanity is already chaotic enough; we cannot add more chaos to an already tumultuous situation at this critical juncture! Otherwise, the Fiendkind will seize the opportunity, and then, with the nest overturned, how can any eggs remain unbroken? Therefore, I advise you not only not to take it, but to be more magnanimous and help Lombaton, whom you dislike, to suppress the rebellion!”

Du Chen raised an eyebrow, “Are you telling me to betray Susanna again?”

“Exactly! Currently, the human landscape is monopolized by the Papal Curia, with the Five Families of Fallen Gods each holding their own territory. If the Pontiff dies, the Papal Curia will surely fall into chaos! We need stable Five Families of Fallen Gods to maintain order in human society, not for you to create turmoil for humanity just to become one of the new Five Families!”

Liana’s vision transcended the mere gains and losses of an individual or family; she now saw the entire realm as her strategic chessboard!

Du Chen rubbed his nose, sinking into contemplative silence, but a faint smile still played on his lips.

Liana flipped over and patted Du Chen’s back. “Hey, don’t tell me you’re reluctant to let such a massive Grand Inheritance slip away? Don’t be. As long as human society is whole and stable… there will always be Grand Inheritances!”

Du Chen, in turn, casually patted Liana’s forehead. “Alright, I’ll listen to you! Harry, come in!” Du Chen suddenly called in the Shieb, crumpled the note, erasing all mention of the Savior, then tossed it to the Butler. “Take this to the Pontiff, and don’t say anything else!”

Liana rolled her eyes, thinking, ‘You’re utterly devious! You don’t want to bear the infamy of a betrayer, so you send the note to the Pontiff… Hmph, the Saint Baton Clan is currently the Pontiff’s first line of defense against the Fiendkind. Even if old man Sama is utterly useless, upon seeing this note, he’ll immediately mobilize the Holy Church’s forces to eliminate Susanna, ensuring his primary defense line remains problem-free!’

Du Chen gave Harry a few more instructions. After he left, Du Chen turned back and happened to catch Liana’s disdainful gaze. He lowered his head, paused, then suddenly looked up sharply, summoning his courage. “Xue Ji and I broke up!” The implication was, ‘I’m an eligible bachelor again. Are you interested in applying for the position of Du City’s true mistress?’

“Oh!?”

Liana instantly leaped from the bed, her disdainful gaze immediately replaced by seven parts surprise and three parts delight. However, with a shift of her eyes, she sat down smiling, munching on sour plums while hugging a pillow like a coy, young woman. “So what if you broke up? What does that have to do with this Queen!?”

‘You damned girl, playing coy with me again!’ Du Chen simply stated, “Since we’ve broken up, I can naturally look for other women! Do you have any good recommendations?” He was giving her a chance to recommend herself!

Liana thought, ‘Waiting for me to recommend myself!? Nonsense!’ She tilted her head, deliberately playing coy with Du Chen. “Let me think… Oh right, your god-sister Helen is so beautiful, how about you marry her?”

Du Chen shot Liana a fierce glare, ‘You damn well keep dancing around the topic!’ He spoke more directly, “Helen is indeed beautiful, but… her chest isn’t... quite ample enough, alas!”

“What about Annie? She can play cards and gamble with you all day long!”

“But Annie can’t scheme, deceive, and backstab people with me!”

Liana scratched her head with a mischievous grin, “Oh dear, then I can’t think of anyone else!” Hmph, ‘Want this Queen to speak up first? You must be dreaming. You’re a big man, show some sincerity, you speak first!’

Du Chen also scratched his head. “Sigh, a good woman is really hard to find, why don’t you think again?” ‘Damn it, I’m not speaking first. If you want it, you start!’

The two of them exchanged glares and retorts, locking horns. Just then, the door creaked open, and Beibei poked her little head through the gap, blinking her large eyes helplessly. “Oh dear, Beibei is tired of eavesdropping! If you two won’t say it, Beibei will say it for you, Big Sister Liana, marry…”

“Go, cook!”

Du Chen and Liana pointed at Beibei, shouting in unison!

…

By the time Beibei finished lunch, the two were still exchanging veiled remarks, playing word games, and seemingly enjoying the ambiguous tension. This state was likely to continue for a very, very long time. How long, exactly? Certainly no shorter than Andy’s pig-like squeals of agony!

Why was Andy screaming like that, then!? Very simple: no one dared eat Beibei’s “Death Without a Blink” brand lunch special. In the end, the little one sadly pried open Andy's gaping mouth, and unceremoniously... It turned out that, thanks to the gluttonous Andy, the Durkus people never wasted food!

While Andy was screaming, his Trainer, our Shieb Butler Harry, arrived at the Crystal Tower on Hot Spring Mountain. He gently knocked on the door of the Dean’s Office. “Esteemed Councilor Ferdinand, First-Class Commander Liaison Officer Harry has been ordered to meet His Holiness the Pontiff, but His Majesty is currently in discussions with several monarchs. Could I trouble you to relay this item from my master to His Majesty?” Harry was exceedingly polite, albeit visibly constrained. This was, after all, the first time in history a Shieb had handled State Affairs with an Eminence Project as a high-ranking Alliance Official!

Ferdinand, who had already taken over as Dean, was processing Official Documents. Without lifting his head, he replied, “Just leave it on my desk!” ‘A contemptible Shieb. How could Francis use such a base Butler, and moreover, let him wield such significant authority!?’ Ferdinand thought disdainfully, glancing at the note without paying it much mind, then burying his head back in his official papers… Wait a moment, how could a document Francis sent to the Pontiff be crumpled to such an extent!?

Ferdinand snatched the note, his expression instantly turning ugly. But after only a few seconds, his purple eyes flashed with sharp, calculating light. He lightly tapped the desk bell. “Someone, go to the embassy district in the eastern city and invite Ilan, the Minister of Rites from Lanning, to come to me. Tell him I wish to discuss matters concerning the alliance meeting!”

With that, Ferdinand stared intently at the note in his hand. As an excellent spy, he had discovered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity within it!

A moment later, Ilan arrived. Ferdinand waved away all the faculty staff, then growled in a low, muffled voice, “For The Prerogative to exist in the sunlight! Ilan, we can now effortlessly destroy humanity’s first line of defense against us, completely clearing the path for the Violet-Bloods to return to the human realm!” Saying this, Ferdinand violently slammed the note onto the table in front of Ilan!

If any human Eminence Project saw this situation, they would shiver with dread—not because of the extent of Fiendkind infiltration into humanity, but because Ferdinand could actually cooperate wholeheartedly with a colleague—giving the note to Ilan was tantamount to sharing an immense merit, and the tremendous rewards that came with it, with Ilan, yet Ferdinand did so without hesitation! The profound unity that the Violet-Bloods had forged for their counterattack against humanity… was evident!

“This is… Heavens, Ferdinand, I must commend you!” Ilan instantly saw through the opportunities contained within, and urgently said, “Calm down, we need to calm down! Although we can take advantage of the Saint Baton Clan’s division to bribe Susanna, destroy humanity’s first line of defense, and even further utilize Susanna to annex the Saint Baton Clan! However… there are still many difficulties in the details!”

Ferdinand nodded, “Tell me about the difficulties you foresee!”

“Firstly, beastmen are unyielding and proud. Even if we bribe Susanna, will she be able to make the Saint Baton Clan’s beastmen serve us? Remember, siding with us Violet-Bloods is tantamount to making the beastmen betray their Supreme Father God Orbach!”

“Precisely. The beastmen’s reverence for Orbach is simply too deep! So, we Violet-Bloods cannot be directly involved in this matter; we must have an ‘Outsider’ handle it… In short, the Saint Baton people must not know that it’s the Violet-Bloods bribing them, so they fight for us unknowingly!”

Ilan smiled faintly; he had been thinking the same. “The second difficulty: what leverage do we have to make Susanna obediently comply?”

Ferdinand suddenly showed a strange, ambiguous smile. “I’ve met that vixen Susanna many times. She has a fondness for handsome men, and her desire for power is immense! Now, she’s at her wit’s end. So, tell me, if at this moment a handsome man, with powerful backing, were to help her and guarantee her position within the Saint Baton Clan… would she refuse such ‘aid’?”

Ilan paused, “Susanna would naturally agree, but the handsome man executing the plan… Oh, Ferdinand, you’re really going too far!” With a laugh and a playful curse, Ilan couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Our Chief Councilor—Mr. Brockman, the artist—has already undergone the baptism of three Dragon Tyrants. So, he shouldn’t mind accepting another vixen… especially since he’s the most handsome among the Outsiders!?”

Ferdinand soberly stated, “Stop laughing, this is serious business—for The Prerogative to exist in the sunlight, Brockman must employ his seductive charm to become the vixen’s male concubine! Continue, what other difficulties are there!?”

Ferdinand was stern and righteous, and Ilan dared not laugh too much. “The third difficulty: the meaning behind Francis sending this note is clear. He, for the greater good of humanity, abandoned the minor gain of annexing Saint Baton himself, and requested the Pontiff to intervene and stabilize the Saint Baton Clan’s situation! So, under the premise that we cannot privately withhold this note, the Pontiff will certainly deal with Susanna before and after the alliance meeting. How, then, can we bribe Susanna and then protect her from the Pontiff, while still utilizing her value?”

“That indeed is a major problem…” Ferdinand pondered for a long time without a solution, frowning. “But this Grand Inheritance is right at our doorstep; we cannot let it slip away because of a single difficulty! Ilan, recently the Pontiff has been wholly preoccupied with his Enthronement Ceremony, and he won’t deal with Susanna until after the alliance meeting. So, I will do my best to stall for time here. You must quickly write to the Marshal, asking him to persuade Susanna to pledge allegiance before the alliance meeting begins, while she is still safe!”

Ilan nodded seriously and immediately wrote a secret letter in Ferdinand’s office, not only explaining the matter clearly but also detailing the difficulties he had thought of, and the action proposals discussed earlier…

Finally, the two performed an ancient ritual, “For The Prerogative to exist in the sunlight!”