Chapter 144: The Gathering at God Valley

Three years had passed!

Now, the year is 1484, January.

West Blue—God Valley.

“Hurry and deliver the goods to the Celestial Dragons!”

“Last time, someone missed the deadline. I assume you all know what happened to him.”

The grand God Valley Festival, held every four years, was about to begin.

The whole of God Valley bustled with activity. Intel agencies from every major power were suddenly running at full speed.

Except for those in the know, nobody else had a clue what was actually happening in God Valley.

Here, slave ships, merchant vessels and even chefs from all over the world could be found.

The merchant ships, chefs, and musicians were all there to prepare food and entertainment for the Celestial Dragons’ festival on God Valley.

And the slaves were, of course, the Celestial Dragons’ main playthings at the festival.

At the harbor stood a man who looked every bit the bodyguard, dressed in a black suit and white shirt with a gentleman’s hat, calling out to those on shore.

“In ten days, the Celestial Dragons’ gathering will begin. Make sure everything is handled properly.”

Dozens of people were already gathered along the shore—these were the captains of all the slave ships.

Their main job was to capture slaves from across the world for the Celestial Dragons’ amusement.

If any step could be slow, this certainly couldn’t. This part couldn’t afford any delay—in fact, it had to be ahead of schedule.

A hulking three-meter tall man stepped out of the crowd. He was Stac—the unofficial boss over all the slave ship captains.

Only he had enough presence to address the group.

He wore lavish clothes, and each of his ten fingers was crowned with a different gold ring.

His deep red tuxedo looked almost too tight on his massive frame.

A gold chain draped across his chest; one look at him told you how much this man loved gold.

“Understood, sir.”

When Stac opened his mouth, it was impossible not to notice his mouth full of gold teeth.

With how much he loved gold, you had to wonder if he’d replace his bones with it if it didn’t hurt so much.

The bodyguard nodded slightly, then turned and strode off into the heart of the island without looking back.

His only job was to deliver the message: make sure the slaves arrived on time.

Whether they managed to do so or not—well, that was up to those captains and how lucky they felt.

Once the bodyguard had gone, the crowd erupted into whispered conversations.

“Every four years, the same ordeal.”

“Remember last time? Vista failed to make his delivery on time and…”

His companion quickly covered his mouth. “Keep your voice down! Do you know where we are right now? Some things aren’t safe to say.”

The rest of the group went silent. Everyone knew what had happened to Vista, and no one wanted trouble.

At that moment, Stac stepped forward, glancing at the bodyguard’s retreating figure.

Then he turned to the crowd, pressing his hands down firmly.

The moment he spoke, his shining yellow teeth were impossible to miss.

“Alright, you all know your jobs. As long as you deliver on time, there won’t be any problems.”

“If anyone messes up, I won’t hesitate to take care of it myself.”

“Got it?”

The crowd seemed cowed by Stac’s imposing presence.

Stac’s goal here was simple: shift all the risk off himself and onto those below him.

After all, his name was on record with the Celestial Dragons. If anything went wrong, they’d come for him—not his subordinates.

“Understood, Boss Stac!”

“We’ll deliver everything on time, no question!”

Stac nodded and dismissed them with a wave.

The rest began heading to their ships without another word.

They had ten days to bring their best slaves to God Valley.

Stac watched them set sail, then boarded his own ship, the Aile.

He stepped into his cabin and pulled out the transponder snail he’d been carrying.

“Buru buru!”

Kingdom of Kroya.

Inside a luxurious room, a middle-aged man in a suit lounged on a sofa, puffing a cigar, when his transponder snail began to ring.

He waved his left hand, sending two suited bodyguards out of the room with a nod.

Once the door was closed, he finally answered the call.

“Moshi moshi!”

As Stac heard the connection, he walked to his cabin door and listened carefully outside.

A moment later, he opened the door and peeked out, scanning both ways.

Seeing no one, he shut the door and moved further into the cabin.

“Big Brother, it’s time. God Valley is starting.”

The news startled the suited man so much that his cigar fell right out of his mouth.

A look of delight broke across his face. They’d been waiting for this day for a long time.

It was the family’s first time in four years to be given such an important task.

He took a deep breath, and replied in a low voice.

“When exactly?”

Stac didn’t waste words—he gave the answer straight.

“Ten days from now!”

“Good work!”

Cake Island.

Inside a spacious room, a man played with his children.

“Alright, I’ve got it.”

Karl hung up the transponder snail and looked at Linlin nearby.

A smile crept over his face, hard to contain.

“Linlin, the time has come.”

At his words, Linlin gently laid down two little girls she’d just been holding—Ye Linhong and Ye Lindang—her youngest, both only a year old, born at the end of 1483.

Ye Linhong and Ye Lindang had turned one this year.

His tenth daughter, Ye Linyou, eleventh daughter, Ye Linhu, and twelfth daughter, Ye Linxiao, were all born in 1480 and had just turned four.

Having been nourished with Bloodline Pills at birth, these children were considerably stronger than most.

At the end of 1481, his twelfth son Ye Linqin, and thirteenth son Ye Linshi were born—they’re now three. His fourteenth son Ye Linming, fifteenth son Ye Linyue, and sixteenth son Ye Linzhi, were all born at the end of 1482 and are now two years old.

Once Linlin set the little ones down, she glanced at Perospero, now already fourteen.

Thanks to the effect of the Bloodline Pills, he’d shot up to two meters tall.

All those monthly prizes he’d won over the years, he hadn’t saved any—he drew on them all at once.

Among them were several Bloodline Pills, so Perospero and the others each took one.

This activated the Charlotte lineage within them.

While not everyone gained Iron Balloon bodies, these pills still unlocked incredible physical potential—each child looked set to be over six meters tall in the future.

“Perospero, keep an eye on your brothers and sisters, alright?”

Perospero understood that Karl and Linlin had something to discuss and nodded without complaint.

“Don’t worry, Mom. Dad. I’ve got it covered.”

“Just leave them to us.”

With a smile, Karl and Linlin stepped out of the room, while Perospero watched them leave.

He then called Compote over with the transponder snail to help watch over the younger children.

Honestly, the ten new infants were a handful—the oldest was only four, but each one could match his strength.

The scariest was the sixteenth child, Ye Linzhi. Who knew what sort of power he’d inherited or what he’d absorbed in the womb.

Right after he was born, he kicked Katakuri straight out of Cake Castle. Katakuri ended up bedridden for a whole week.

And at that time, Katakuri had already fully awakened his Mochi-Mochi Fruit powers, but even he couldn’t withstand the blow. Now, he always gives Ye Linzhi a wide berth.