*Bing-Bong*

The following chapter is going to be a double perspective between Zhen Yue and Zhen Hai.

Originally, this chapter was going to be a simple dinner scene between Zhen Liu, his friends, and his family, but that was deemed by the powers that be to be too fucking boring.

That and the writer of this work felt it was necessary to provide some, in his words, plot seeds.

We now return to your regularly scheduled chapter, thank you.

...

|I'm surprised you didn't decide to snark me.|

Meh, even I get tired of the same old schticks...by the way, what kind of plot threads do you even have planned for this?

|Spoilers.|

*Bing-Bong*

___________________________________

First POV: Zhen Hai's Abyssal Training.

Deep below the Roaring Tide continent is an underground known as the Abyssal Lands.

Caligos and Aquarii aether mingle and mix down here in ways that would make the minds of most scholars turn inside out.

However, to those with a couple screws loose and who were already in the deep end, the Abyssal Lands was a treasure-filled paradise for cultivation.

[Twisting Shark Crusher!]

[Entangling Ink!]

Alternatively, it made for an excellent training ground.

Flying over an ocean of [Shadow Water], a mere stone's throw away from the city of Undertow and the remains of a colossal battle, two warriors from two entirely different generations were trading blows at a rate that went beyond the usual limits of a sparring match.

What's the matter, shark bait? Can't keep up with an old woman even with a handicap?!

Hardly, I'm just warming up!

On one side of this sparring match was Zhen Xun Tian, the matriarch of the Zhen Clan of the Pearl Scale Empire, known throughout the land as the Painted War Goddess.

On the battlefield, she is known for using an unusual set of treasures, one made of dragon bones while the other made of [Chaos]-infused ink, that allowed her to fight as if she had six arms and three different types of energy. In this sparring session, she was only using four to make her opponent's life hell.

The other side of this sparring session was Zhen Hai, the First Young Master of the Zhen Clan of Stampeding Bison, and the heir apparent to the aether formula that helped the Zhen Clan's branch patriarch secure his place in the frontier.

Off to the side, Zhen Long and Zhen Shi were simply observing with surprisingly studious interest. To be more precise, they were watching the matriarch of main clan on the way she was fighting, because they were going to be next on this chopping block.

Come on, youngling! Zhen Xun Tian taunted as she threw an orb of only aether in Zhen Hai's direction at breakneck speed. You think you'll be able to keep up by holding back?!

In response to this attack, Zhen Hai quickly channeled [Chaos] into his club and sliced the orb in two.

You want me to stop holding back?! Fine!

In order to match his great grandaunt in this session, Zhen Hai had been relying on a mix of his Gold-tiered Aether treasure, the [Berserker's Fang] and his recently developed sense for [Chaos].

He was doing fine so far, but Zhen Xun Tian was still several stages higher than him.

Granted, that gap would've been much higher had he not broken through to the Grandmaster rank about a month or two ago.

Alright, let's do this for real. [Regalia, on]!

That's more like it!

Circulating his aether to a degree akin to a raging water rapid, Zhen Hai manifested a giant shark made of water that quickly swallowed him while.

The watery construct then shrank down in an instant, transforming into a suit of armor that made the fierce young man look like a raging warrior of the deep blue sea.

Strangely enough, when Zhen Hai summoned his [Regalia], it caused the aether treasure in his hand, which resembled long shark tooth covered club, to suddenly develop a metallic sheen and denser power.

In response to the young man's fighting spirit, Zhen Xun Tian activated her own [Regalia], transforming into a tattoo-covered war goddess.

Are you ready to rumble?!

Zhen Hai was about to respond in kind to his great grandaunt's question, but stopped when he noticed something odd in the corner of his eyes.

He noticed something small and strange flying towards the direction of the giant remains that once belonged to a super weapon.

Zhen Xun Tian was just about to go rushing in and slam a fist into Zhen Hai's head, until she noticed the unusual activity as well.

Needless to say, once they stopped fighting, Zhen Long and Zhen Shi noticed where they were looking as well.

...

...

Witout saying a word, the four of them went to investigate.

...Meanwhile, on the other side of the world...

Located in a fertile valley that was surrounded by nigh unpassable mountains was a place known as the Bronze Bell Kingdom.

Under the Ecaredies dynasty and the Shepard King, the kingdom had been peaceful and prosperous for thousands of years.

However, that peacefulness has been slowly coming to an end.

For the first time in centuries, a proper succession war was taking place in the Bronze Bell Kingdom, and everyone who had something to gain from certain princes or princesses taking rule were doing their best to try and curry favor or earn support.

Unfortunately, this meant that even those with no stakes in the game or any desire to do so were being forced to participate.

...

"I told you once, and I'll tell you again. My upcoming nuptials with Miss Zhen Yue has nothing to do with any political or military alliances. Nobody in my family has any desire or ambitions to pursue the crown."

"But Santiago, it's just—"

"Just nothing! Now, goodbye!"

With enough force to crack open a geode in two, Santiago Ecaredies slammed the door in the face of yet another courtier sent by yet another noble attempting to pry into a business they had nothing to do with.

A heavy sigh escaped the young noble's lips after he had done the deed, a tired look soon developing on his normally fine face.

"You know, if you wanted, I could have easily scare them away," Zhen Yue suggested as she approached her husband to be. "It would be fairly easy to rely on my reputation of being a frontier warrior as a reason for why their courtiers had to run away like dogs with their tails between their legs."

Once the gap was closed, Zhen Yue wrapped her arms around Santiago in an assuring manner, prompting the sheep Bloodliner prince to respond in kind and hold her hands with his own.

"It's fine, my love," Santiago sighed. "I'm just...thoroughly annoyed by the brazenness of it all. I've known most of these people all of my life, and I've known them to be kind and courteous...to my face at least. But now, with such uncertainty in the air...it's like they transformed into beasts of desires."

"Kind of like my cousin's Kaijin?"

"I think they're somehow worse."

"Hah."

Being embraced like this did wonders in helping Santiago reach an easier state of mind, but the overarching gloom was ever present.

Santiago's engagement with Zhen Yue wasn't exactly a secret to the general public; it was just something that nobody really cared about...at the time of the announcement.

However, in the months that followed after that engagement announcement, people's thoughts started to get a touch more...ambitious.

After the Zhen Clan tournament and the Outbreak fiasco that followed, people started looking into Zhen Yue's familial history and personal achievements and realized that if they were able to forge relations with her or her husband, then it was possible for them to forge a fairly powerful alliance.

As such, what should've been a relaxing holiday through the pastorally beautiful Bronze Bell Kingdom that would then lead to an equally lovely destination wedding had turned into a hotbed of political bullshit under the guise of social etiquette.

In short, Santiago was starting to think it would've been wiser to spend more time in Stone Claw, despite the fact the sand kept getting caught in his curly wool-like hair.

"Speaking of, how is your cousin doing? Last I heard was from my sister, and she said that he was fine physically but damaged internally, and that was months ago."

"I'm not entirely sure either, but Miss Arachnidame and Miss Lacerage informed me that prior to us leaving for Bronze Bell, he and the others had been captured by a false Kaijin Lord. Well...not really captured, but you know."

"A false Kaijin Lord?" Santiago repeated. "Those exist?"

"Apparently so," Zhen Yue nodded. "This false lord was using slaves and Kaijin in order to mine out [Malevolent Gold], a type of cursed metal. Have you heard of it?"

"I don't think I...wait..."

As soon as the words were fully digested in Santiago's mind, a new look formed on his face.

One of worry and contemplation.

"It can't be..."