Stain of Tears

Du Chen eyed the adorable Changxi in the cage, his mind ceaselessly calculating how credible Changxi’s words were. After all, it was this very Changxi who, years ago in the City of Penance, had raised his arm, staged a coup against the Huhuhu Beast King, and led an entire species into the Subterranean Abyss, resisting Bonis and his Undead legion for over a year! Dealing with such a formidable opportunist of an Aberrant Beast, Du Chen had to be cautious.

Du Chen asked, his suspicion evident, “First, tell me about Philip’s plan!”

Changxi, truly intelligent, knew that gaining Du Chen’s trust was paramount at this moment. He therefore recounted the details with extreme thoroughness, presenting solid reasons and evidence, leaving no room for doubt.

“Heh-gakka, Your Majesty Francis, I must first inform you of the current state of the Fiendkind, and the grand strategic policies I gleaned during my battles against them!” Changxi thumped his chest. “Currently, the Fiendkind numbers less than four million. With such a population, even if the Fiendkind were to win battles against humans, they would be unable to rule the hundreds of millions of Red-Bloods. Therefore, the Supreme Council has designated the reduction of human numbers as their paramount strategic objective, and many attack plans have been formulated around this core principle!”

A gleam flashed in Du Chen’s eyes. Was Bonis planning a massacre of the Red-Bloods!?

“Now that you understand this overarching context, I have a second background to reveal!”

Changxi continued, “Philip has merged our Huhuhu Beasts with The Undead to create the Heh-gakka Netherbeasts. However, each Netherbeast requires one Huhuhu Beast and one of The Undead as raw materials. Herein lies the problem—our Huhuhu Beasts reproduce incredibly fast; given enough food, their numbers can double in a single day! Yet, The Undead are created through slaughter, meaning their numbers grow relatively slowly. Consequently, Netherbeast production has been hampered by the insufficient number of The Undead!”

Du Chen rubbed his nose. “In simple terms, the Fiendkind’s strength is limited by the scarcity of The Undead, correct!?”

Changxi let out a “heh heh” laugh. “You are truly Heh-gakka, absolutely correct! Of these two aspects of the Fiendkind’s situation, one demands a reduction in human numbers, while the other requires an increase in The Undead. Ultimately, it boils down to one statement—Philip intends to use his alchemy to transform all of humanity on the Azure Heaven Continent into The Undead!”

Du Chen’s expression subtly changed, while the guards who had been listening in turned utterly pale, cold sweat trickling down their faces!

An entire continent of humans transformed into The Undead… this would be tantamount to unleashing hell upon the mortal realm. And if Skylands became a paradise for The Undead, what fate awaited the other two continents?! Most crucially, Philip had proven, with his hundreds of thousands of Undead Army and his awe-inspiring intellect, that he was entirely capable of achieving this!

Changxi glanced at the cold sweat beading on the guards’ foreheads and chuckled. He continued, “Philip’s plan is codenamed ‘Undead Scourge.’ I don’t understand alchemy, so I can only explain Philip’s plan this way—Philip constructed a place called the Scourge Citadel, where a green liquid is evaporated at high temperatures. Once vaporized into a gas, this liquid will spread across the entire Azure Heaven Continent, and should any human inhale this gas… they will immediately be poisoned to death and transformed into one of The Undead!”

Du Chen nodded slightly. Changxi didn’t understand, but Du Chen knew clearly in his heart that the green liquid was the Spirit Seed, liquefied from the ‘Undead Battle God’ project of yesteryear. Only, Philip had now managed to transform it into a gas, making it easier to spread and far more dangerous…

The fact that Changxi could describe the gaseous Spirit Seed meant that seventy or eighty percent of his words could be believed!

Du Chen asked, “How can we stop Philip’s plan? Can destroying his Scourge Citadel work?”

Changxi shook his massive head. “Heh-gakka Francis, before I answer that question, shouldn’t you offer something in return!?”

Indeed, a clever Huhuhu Beast. Du Chen chuckled, “In the name of the Supreme Divine Emperor, I guarantee that you Huhuhu Beasts who have lost your ability to reproduce will enjoy the same Prerogative as other races. Should the Fiendkind be defeated, you shall also be granted a sufficiently fertile land!”

Changxi pressed, “What about those Huhuhu Beasts that can still reproduce?”

Du Chen shook his head, smiling but offering no reply!

Changxi groaned in frustration, “I knew it. Red-Bloods are Heh-gakka; they would never permit the existence of Two-Headed Huhuhu Beasts, which would then threaten you… Alright, I can abandon those fellows, but you must give us single-headed Huhuhu Beasts a large sum of Gold Coin as compensation!”

“No problem! You may now reveal how to thwart the Undead Scourge!”

…

“Hmph! That Scourge Citadel’s foundation was dug by us Huhuhu Beast slaves; no one knows its inner workings better than I, Changxi! Francis, Undead technology has become widespread among the Fiendkind. If you merely destroy one Scourge Citadel, the Fiendkind can quickly build a second, then a third…”

At this point, Changxi offered a mysterious smile. “Let me ask you a question first—aren’t you curious why the Fiendkind dared to create numbers of The Undead and Netherbeasts far exceeding their own population? Are they not afraid that The Undead and Netherbeasts would turn against the Fiendkind?”

“What’s so strange about that? You yourself said it; the Fiendkind possess ‘Heaven’s Tears Control’ technology!”

“Heh-gakka, Heaven’s Tears are the key for the Fiendkind to control The Undead and Netherbeasts, but they are also your key to thwarting the Undead Scourge!” With that, Changxi flicked his tail, called over a Huhuhu Beast, retrieved two small vials from its mouth, and casually tossed them to Du Chen. “These are Heaven’s Tears—oh, I know you have many questions, such as how I could possibly acquire such a core secret of the Fiendkind? Heh heh, just take a look first, and then I’ll slowly explain.”

Both vials were thumb-sized, made of crystal-clear material. Inside, the liquids were a vibrant red and blue; the red resembled blood, while the blue was as cerulean as the deep sea. Both were exquisite!

Had an ordinary person seen these, they might have mistaken them for two new types of beverages. However, thanks to Du Chen’s studies of alchemy under Philip years ago, he could tell at a glance that the red liquid contained a very high concentration of blood, while the blue liquid had something akin to Aqua Solidum added to it. Simply put, the red was harmless to humans, but the blue could kill imperceptibly!

Changxi explained, “The red is called Heaven’s Tears Prime, and the blue is the Secondary! Heh-gakka Francis, if you wish to control someone with Heaven’s Tears, simply drip your blood into the Prime—a very small amount is sufficient. Then, mix the blood-infused Prime with the Secondary and have the person you wish to control drink it. This forms a ‘Blood Pact,’ similar to subjugating Aberrant Beasts, ensuring that whoever consumes the Heaven’s Tears will never dare to betray you in their lifetime! Of course, if the opponent’s strength is exceptionally outstanding, they can resist Heaven’s Tears Control!”

Good heavens, this was even simpler and more potent than Beibei’s Spiritual Contract!

Changxi added, “Nowadays, Heaven’s Tears are quite common among the Fiendkind’s high-ranking officials. When my brethren and I escaped, we took down a weaker Councilor and thus acquired these two unused vials of Heaven’s Tears! Furthermore, Heaven’s Tears have different grades. These two vials in your hands are merely the lowest grade, at best capable of controlling one or two enemies weaker than you. The Heaven’s Tears the Fiendkind use to control The Undead and Netherbeasts… those are of the highest grade!”

Changxi gestured. “Philip constructed two Heaven’s Tears Pools within the Scourge Citadel. Their Prime Pool is infused with his and Bonis’s blood. In this way, The Undead and Netherbeasts, whose individual strengths are far from outstanding, come under the joint control of both Philip and Bonis!”

A thought suddenly struck Du Chen, and he urgently asked, “What if both Philip and Bonis die? Who would then control The Undead and Netherbeasts!?”

…

“Excellent question!” Changxi gave a knowing Heh-gakka laugh. “Under normal circumstances, if those two were to die, The Undead and Netherbeasts would also perish with their masters due to the ‘Blood Pact.’ But the Fiendkind need The Undead and Netherbeasts to serve them eternally, not just for the lifespan of two individuals… So, Philip specifically created something called the ‘Tear Source’!”

Tear Source. Du Chen committed the name to memory!

“The Tear Source has two functions—should both Bonis and Philip die, the person wearing the Tear Source can replace them, continuing the Fiendkind’s control over the Netherbeasts! If one doesn’t wish to continue controlling the Netherbeasts… Heh-gakka, the Tear Source is also the sole antidote for Heaven’s Tears, capable of granting freedom to those controlled by them!”

Du Chen smiled. “Meaning, if I can acquire the Tear Source…”

“Precisely! The most crucial component of the Fiendkind’s ‘Undead Scourge’ plan is the mandatory addition of Heaven’s Tears to that green gas—otherwise, newly generated Undead would not be under their control! If you can acquire the Tear Source, you can disrupt the composition of that green gas, preventing those who inhale it from transforming into The Undead, and thereby stopping the Undead Scourge!”

At this, Changxi grinned ferociously. “Of course, if you don’t want to stop the Undead Scourge, and you have a way to eliminate Bonis and Philip, you could also become the new Commander of the Netherbeast Legion by means of the Tear Source!”

Du Chen’s expression darkened. “I disdain such shameless acts!” Speaking, he glanced at the surrounding guards, then waved a grand hand. “By Divine Emperor’s Edict, everything you have heard today is the highest secret of the Alliance. Not a single word is to be leaked!”

“As Your Majesty commands!”

The guards shouted in unison. In truth, these soldiers were the Divine Emperor’s personal guard, composed of fanatical adherents of the Papal Curia, utterly loyal to Du Chen, who also held the office of Pontiff. There was no need to worry about them leaking secrets; Du Chen was merely putting on a show for Changxi!

After sending men to settle the Huhuhu Beasts and instructing Changxi to compile all his knowledge into a document, Du Chen pondered Changxi’s words, analyzing them from every angle. He felt that this Huhuhu Beast King wasn’t lying; otherwise, an Aberrant Beast of such an ambitious, ruthless nature would never have willingly placed himself in Du Chen’s hands! So, what now…

Damn it, to save humanity, this old man has to steal the living hell out of it!

The first step, then, was to travel to the Azure Heaven Continent and discover where the Tear Source was hidden!

Du Chen made up his mind. He was about to return to the Pontiff’s Memorial Hall to consult with others on a suitable heist plan. But before he had taken more than a few steps, Mas approached, sighing and carrying Beibei, while the little one clutched a large bundle of items!

“Papa, Beibei couldn’t do it!” The little one called out to Du Chen from afar, then pouted as they drew near. “The Pontiff must have died from a severe Spiritual Power attack, and what killed him must have been something close at hand at the time. But the culprit was simply too clever; Beibei’s Tenth-rank Spiritual Power couldn’t discern what exactly killed the Pontiff!”

With that, the little one tossed the bundle in her hands to Du Chen. “Papa, you’ll have to find a more powerful Spiritual Power Master to investigate!”

Du Chen glanced at the bundle in his hands, which contained Sama’s personal effects. He frowned, thinking to himself, ‘Spiritual Power Masters are already incredibly rare. If Beibei’s Tenth-rank Spiritual Power is useless, then who else could be more powerful than Beibei!?’

But was the murder weapon definitely among these relics? Du Chen meticulously examined them. The bundle contained four items: the Imperial Robe the Pontiff wore at his death, the Divine Emperor’s Seal, the Divine Emperor’s Crown, and a golden pendant chain, common in noble attire, though this one was exquisitely precious, crafted from high-grade Aberrant Beast crystal shards.

Mas glared fiercely at these items he believed had killed Sama, raging, “These damn things were all used by Prince! Damn it, it’s all those blasted etiquette officials’ fault! If they hadn’t spouted nonsense, convincing the Old One to use Prince’s ancient relics, Old One Sama wouldn’t have… Old One!” As he spoke, Mas, the burly man, found his eyes moistening once more.

Prince’s ancient relics? A strange sensation suddenly arose in Du Chen’s heart, but he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. After offering a few words of comfort to Mas, he asked, “Beibei, has the Battle God of War’s body been examined? Could the Scarlet Army have tampered with the corpse?”

Beibei shook her head repeatedly. “My little brother checked it. There’s nothing wrong with the corpse. The problem still lies with these items!”

Du Chen narrowed his eyes in thought, then suddenly chuckled. Waving his hand, he called out Fifth Brother Dus, and had all four items placed upon him!

Fifth Brother, bewildered, asked, “Hey, what are you doing? Are you planning to have me impersonate the Divine Emperor?”

Du Chen rubbed his nose, scrutinizing the neatly attired Dus, then patted his shoulder, saying seriously, “If these items are indeed the murder weapon, then it’s highly probable they will kill again! Fifth Brother, when they come for you… make sure you uncover the killer before you die, understand?!”

…

According to Du Chen’s plan, the investigation into Pontiff Sama’s death was to be temporarily shouldered by Dus. As for Du Chen, to save humanity, he would revert to his familiar craft and immediately go to steal the Tear Source. However, his identity as Divine Emperor proved to be a significant hindrance, delaying his departure for Skylands by seven or eight days.

The main burden came from the monarchs. In Du Chen’s words, these ‘sons of bitches’ harbored resentment after failing to usurp the Divine Emperor’s throne. Though silenced by the suppression from the Godslayer Five Families and the Papal Curia, they stirred up no small amount of trouble in secret! For the first two or three days, Du Chen, knowing that the Undead Scourge was not something that could be entirely resolved by one or two individuals or a couple of heists, convened a full meeting of the Alliance Upper Council in the name of the Divine Emperor to discuss a plan for various nations to jointly dispatch troops to Skylands.

But these ‘sons of bitches,’ each one turning a blind eye to the matter, thought to themselves: ‘Don’t you, Francis, have the Papal Curia’s millions of troops, and the support of the Godslayer Five Families? Isn’t that enough to eradicate the Fiendkind? Why bother us? The Fiendkind haven’t reached our doorsteps yet!’

However, on the third day, news arrived from Skylands: humans under the control of the Purple Blood Federation had begun to show large-scale Undead mutations, and the trend of mutation was steadily expanding! Du Chen, meanwhile, privately disclosed the details of the Undead Scourge to them. Consequently… the monarchs panicked! Those capable of holding a throne were no fools. With the Undead Scourge barely manifesting, the monarchs immediately sensed that if they didn’t act now, by the time Skylands fell into an Undead hell, it would be too late for everything!

Immediately thereafter, the monarchs, who had previously been passive and uncooperative, pulled Du Chen into three consecutive days of meetings. Within that short span of three days, they produced a comprehensive resolution for joint military deployment, striving to nip the Fiendkind’s threat in the bud! Thus, Du Chen, as Divine Emperor, only departed for Skylands after the meetings concluded. Accompanying him were Dud’s thirty thousand Du City Beastkin Army, who served as the vanguard of the Combined Forces dispatched to Skylands!

Seated in a Wyvern Carriage of the Flying Brigade, Dud coldly reported the situation of the joint military deployment to Du Chen. “Your Majesty, the various nations of the Aethelgard Continent have dispatched a total of four hundred thousand troops, with Lanning Arges leading the vanguard…” This first sentence immediately made Du Chen frown. “And Yakun has resolved to send three hundred thousand troops, nominally commanded by your Junior Brother, Crown Prince Cassian. Adding the existing forces in Skylands, along with the six hundred thousand Beastkin warriors sent by the Papal Curia and the Godslayer Five Families, our total troop strength exceeds two million!”

Dud added, “However, assembling two million troops in Skylands will require at least three months for marching, deployment, and logistical preparations! My thirty thousand vanguard troops will, during these three months, cooperate with Reno to hold the line at the border, awaiting the full army’s assembly. Then, under my unified command, we will launch a full-scale war against the Fiendkind!”

“Furthermore…” Dud pointed to the map on the table. “Your Majesty, please observe: the Azure Heaven Continent is shaped like an inverted triangle. Reno and the Sober Empire each occupy the northwest and northeast corners, respectively, while the Purple Blood Federation holds the southern tip. After my troops land, they will deploy along the plains of Skylands’ western coast. The main army, once assembled, will also be stationed in this narrow plain…”

At this point, Dud paused, finally revealing the true meaning behind his lengthy explanation. “If Your Majesty encounters trouble on this journey, please fly west with the speed of your Wind and Thunder Dual Wings. Within half a day at the latest, you will be met by the main army’s reinforcements!”

Du Chen wasn’t moving with the army? Indeed. This war had nothing to do with Du Chen. His objective was to infiltrate the Purple Blood Federation and steal the Tear Source!

Du Chen nodded with a smile. “So, running west means escape? I’ll remember that! Then, when we reach the airspace above Golden Sands Cape, we’ll split up. You lead the troops and set up defenses, Snoopy will impersonate me and command the main army, and I’ll first go to Arthur to request frontline intelligence from the Purple Blood Federation, and then… Dud, what do you want to say?”

Dud looked at Du Chen hesitantly. “Your Majesty, do you truly intend to venture alone into a trap, infiltrating the enemy’s stronghold to steal something!?”

Du Chen smiled faintly. “Who says I’m alone? At the very least, I have Andy and two children with me. How is that being alone?”

Seeing Du Chen’s supremely confident gaze, Dud nodded, no longer attempting to dissuade him. “Then please rest assured, Your Majesty. For this joint military operation, Liana, the Chief of Staff, will oversee internal affairs. As for the battlefield… Dud will absolutely not lose to Bonis!” Saying this, Dud bowed respectfully in a military salute, then suddenly added with gravity, “Your Majesty, Dud also has a Private Affair he wishes to implore of you—Your Majesty’s journey will inevitably pass through Mount Wanliu. If possible, please keep an eye out for any anomalies at Mount Wanliu!”

Du Chen was startled. “Mount Wanliu?”

“Yes, that day, battling the Scarlet Army, Margaret reminded Dud of something—years ago, Orbach was burned to death by a Thunder Cannon on Mount Wanliu, and subsequently sealed within a colossal rock…” Dud gently touched the iron mask on his face. “Dud’s memories are still in disarray. He only hopes to gain some Clues from Mount Wanliu!”

Considering Dud’s relationship with Orbach, Du Chen’s mind was once again clouded with doubt. Jamis had sworn he was Orbach, but now Dud also had memories to corroborate his claim. Who, then, was the true Marshal Orbach!? Du Chen was more inclined to believe Jamis, after all, the old Gambler possessed all of Marshal Orbach’s memories!

Du Chen asked, “Dud, you’ve analyzed everything from fragments of memory. Could it be that…”

“Absolutely not!” Dud stated firmly. “Other things can be faked, but the Godslayer’s First Secret Formation—the Lion Emperor’s Roar—can only be unleashed by Orbach alone. Currently, the formation diagram for the Lion Emperor’s Roar is within my mind. If Your Majesty doesn’t believe me, the six hundred thousand beastmen army will be fully assembled in three months. At that time, I ask Your Majesty to witness how Dud will crush Bonis!”

The only one capable of defeating Bonis on an open battlefield… was Orbach! So, did this mean Dud was the real one?

Carrying this question, Du Chen, along with Andy and the two children, separated from the main army and arrived at the first stop of his journey to Skylands—Mount Wanliu, located in the northern outskirts of Reno’s Imperial Capital…

And simultaneously, in Wolf’s Great Prophecy, the place where everything began, and where everything would end… Mount Wanliu!