Yes, I became a god just by exercising.

Chapter 194 What?! My cousin is actually the father of all stars?! (Part 1)

That call of "cousin" was so steady, so powerful, and so affectionate.

Before Xia Fa could turn around, his thoughts were immediately drawn back to his childhood, and countless fragments of memories surfaced.

It was sunset, and my cousin Hercules was running through the wheat field with a colorful little windmill in his hand, while I and my younger cousin Locke chased after him, laughing and playing.

It was on the beach when Cousin Hercules suddenly leaped out of the water, holding a sea bream high in his hand. He and Cousin Locke shouted excitedly and quickly started a fire.

In the forest, Hercules' cousin drew his small wooden bow, shot an arrow that instantly pierced a wild rabbit, and then sold it at the market, using the silver coins to buy himself lollipops.

And another thing, when he accidentally broke his neighbor's window with a slingshot and was about to be punished by his parents, it was his cousin Hercules who stepped forward and took the blame for him.

When he was bullied by some thugs on Daniel Street, it was his cousin Hercules who stepped in and taught those thugs a lesson. He came back with a bruised and swollen face, grinning and saying, "Cousin, I've avenged you!"

So many wonderful childhood memories flooded back to her, and hearing her cousin Hercules's steady and powerful voice again after ten years brought tears to Xia Fa's eyes.

He turned around and, sure enough, saw a burly man whose face vaguely resembled that of his cousin Hercules when he was young.

The large man was wearing a linen shirt, his chest exposed, revealing a thick layer of black chest hair.

His beard was only a light layer, but it still covered the lower half of his face. Combined with his sharp eyebrows and dark, deep eyes, it made him look extremely masculine.

Dark, charcoal-black eyes were a hallmark of his mother's family lineage; not only did Xia Fa have them, but his cousin Hercules certainly did as well.

The only difference is that Shafana's pupils, as black as charcoal, are very bright, like charcoal about to burn, while her cousin Hercules's are very deep, like coal buried deep in the earth.

"cousin!"

Xia Fa shouted excitedly, and immediately felt an inexplicable sense of closeness.

It's a connection born from blood ties and the beautiful times spent together in childhood.

"Cousin!"

Cousin Hercules also shouted happily, his voice as powerful as a bronze bell, making the ebony passageway vibrate.

With an excited expression, he stepped forward and immediately wrapped his arms around Xia Fa's shoulders:

"Cousin Xiafa, it really is you! When I first heard that you had gone to sea, I thought there was a mistake. I didn't expect you to actually come to sea!"

Xia Fa smiled, revealing his teeth.

"Do you remember what Uncle Titchi said to us when he was drunk when we were kids?"

Hercules' cousin thought for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"You didn't really go to sea for this reason, did you? But Dad was right!"

Xia Fa laughed:

"Anyway, now that I've set sail, I don't regret it at all, and I find it particularly interesting."

At this moment, the scene from more than ten years ago, under the moonlight by the tavern, involuntarily surfaced in both of their minds.

It was a night with the sound of waves crashing in your ears and a refreshing sea breeze blowing. Uncle Titchi sat on a horizontal barrel of liquor, waved his hand, and said in a hearty voice, tinged with alcohol:

"Remember this: we men who live by the sea will one day have to go out to sea. The sea is a man's true paradise—hiccup~, hahahahahaha!"

At the time, neither young Shafa, nor his cousin Hercules who had grown into a young adult, nor his clueless little cousin Locke, quite understood the deeper meaning behind Uncle Titsch's words.

But today, as Xia Fa and her cousin Hercules met at sea, she truly felt the passage of time.

"Where's my cousin Locke? Oh, right, cousin, what are you doing on the Shark Gang?"

Xia Fa suddenly thought of his little cousin Locke, who always followed him around when they were kids. Locke wrote all the letters. He should still be here, right?
Cousin Hercules affectionately put his arm around Shafa's shoulder and said eagerly:
"He's waiting for us at the Mango Tavern in the Worm Islands. As for me, you know I'm an old friend of the Shark Princess, so it's perfectly normal for me to be invited to the Shark Pirates' monthly banquet."

Xia Fa nodded thoughtfully, and was about to ask something else when he heard his cousin Hercules burst into laughter:
"Perfect timing, let's head to the Mango Tavern."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Fa suddenly felt the ebony passageway and the doors on both sides of it ripple and sway, twisting and rotating, and a violent and powerful spatial force immediately spread out.

Xia Fa felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that he should change his address for his cousin Hercules from "he" to "He".

This alone was enough for him to be certain that his cousin Hercules was at least an angel!
As for Hercules's exact rank, Xia Fa was unsure; it seemed that he possessed some secret treasure or sealing artifact to conceal his aura.

Shafa himself was the same; the secret suit he bought from Master Suteaup for over 20,000 gold pounds, worth 50,000 gold pounds, could also conceal his aura.
Therefore, whether it was Prince Justinian and Avalon, or Captain Red Porcupine and Dagny, they all thought he was just an insect-level superhuman who had signed two secret contracts based on his previous information.

It wasn't that Xia Fa was deliberately trying to hide it; it was just that he had only signed the second secret contract two days prior, and then signed the third secret contract to break through to the Eagle-level transcendent. It was simply too fast.

Unlike Princess Victoria, who was the ruler's biological child, he signed the agreement so quickly, which would definitely arouse suspicion.

Therefore, Xia Fa's plan was to reveal his true rank after returning from this voyage.

In that case, it could be explained by the fact that there were too many battles encountered at sea, which is why the progress of the secret agreement was so fast, or simply by various fortuitous encounters.

Just as he was thinking, Xia Fa suddenly felt dizzy, the world spun around him, and his vision blurred.

When his vision cleared again, he saw the golden sand beach, the vast and flat sea under a full moon, and the undulating waves crashing against the shore.

In the very middle of the beach, there was a long brown table with coconut palm chairs on either side, exactly three chairs.

"cousin!"

A strong, youthful voice came from behind. Xia Fa turned around and saw a face that looked about five-tenths like his own, but slightly younger.

Compared to his own handsome, dashing, charming, and unparalleled face, Cousin Locke appeared rather rugged.

His skin was rough, his face was slightly red, and his hair was curly, perhaps because he had spent the last ten years at sea.

But Cousin Locke was clearly more particular, wearing a white suit, black gloves, and a spotless suit with a flamboyant red bow tie.

He stood tall and straight, a smile on his face, but his eyes held genuine surprise and a warmth no less than that of his cousin Hercules, as he stared at Xia Fa.

But that's not the key point. The key point is—

"Cousin...you...you've become an angel too?"

At this moment, Xia Fa clearly sensed the unique aura of an angel on his cousin Locke.

If I hadn't gotten used to being around angels these past few days, I'm afraid I would have trembled and been speechless under the oppressive aura of this angel.

Xia Fa never expected that not only did her cousin Hercules become an angel, but her cousin Locke also became an angel!
Thinking about it this way, the two brothers are both angels, so they do seem to be qualified to ask Princess Shark to deliver a letter to them.

Fortunately, although he was an Eagle-level superhuman, he was already capable of fighting angels; otherwise, he would have felt inferior in front of his cousin whom he hadn't seen for ten years.

Locke's cousin scratched his head sheepishly, his smile genuinely sincere:

"I had some extraordinary adventures at sea, which is how I managed to become an angel. But let's not talk about me. What about you, cousin? Why did you decide to go to sea?"

He had clearly inquired about the relevant information and knew that Xia Fa was only an insect-level transcendent, but he did not show any contempt or disdain. On the contrary, he said happily:
"But no matter what, from now on, just stick with your brother and me on the sea of ​​Baron. With us brothers around, no one can bully you!"

Hercules' cousin also laughed heartily:
"Haha, that's right, Xia Fa, you're our cousin, we'll definitely protect you!"

A warm feeling welled up in Xia Fa's heart; he had found a sense of belonging at sea.

Since coming into this world, my parents have disappeared, and I've been all alone in that little attic. Later, I met the doll girl Benedict, which brought me some warmth. And now, I have two more family members.

Oh right, and chestnuts too. Xia Fa hasn't forgotten his promise to meet chestnuts again in three days, and plans to use the ultra-long-distance teleportation array to teleport back then.

"Come on, let's welcome you, cousin. Let's have a good chat, haha."

Cousin Locke was clearly very good at interpersonal skills, which was to be expected.

As a child, He not only had an older brother named Hercules, but also a cousin named Shafa. As the youngest of the three, He learned to read people's expressions from a young age, and now that He's grown up, his emotional intelligence is naturally at its peak.

He put his arm around Shafa's shoulder and let him sit down first, followed by his cousin Hercules sitting opposite Shafa, and finally Locke sat down by himself.

The brown wooden table was covered with snacks to go with drinks, such as dried small fish, stink bugs, salted plums, peanuts, chicken feet, and so on. With a casual wave of his hand, Cousin Locke found the table filled with bottles of beer.

The beer was surprisingly dark in color, exuding a spicy yet enticing aroma.

"Beer brewed from Fal's fruit?"

Xia Fa was somewhat surprised. The Fal'ais Fruit was an extraordinary fruit, with a market price of around 1,300 gold pounds per fruit.

This extraordinary fruit can slowly and gently increase a superhuman's control over elemental bond abilities, making it extremely popular among superhumans who have signed elemental bond agreements.

A warm feeling welled up in Xia Fa's heart. It seemed that his cousins ​​Hercules and Locke cared about him a lot. They even knew about his signing of the Ether Source Pact and specially prepared this beer brewed from the extraordinary fruit.

Locke's cousin smiled and said:
“Cousin, your exploits at the Fog Carnival have already spread to the seas. Because of this, we know you signed the Ether Source Pact. This PALAS beer is perfect for you. Drink up, don’t be shy with us.”

Hercules, without wasting a word, waved his hand, and the caps of the three beer bottles on the table automatically opened, flying to Xia Fa and the two brothers respectively.

He was the first to raise his beer bottle and laugh loudly:

"Come on, let's toast Cousin Xia Fa first!"

Locke also laughed:
"cheers!"

Xia Fa raised his glass and clinked it with the two men's. Black liquor splashed from the bottle's mouth. He held the bottle, tilted his head back, and drank the entire bottle in one gulp.

"Aha--"

Xia Fa let out a comfortable sigh, wiping the cool liquor that had trickled down his chin and neck.

Although I started drinking again after only half a day, I had just finished exercising and my eyes had changed dramatically. My stomach was empty and I needed to replenish it.

Moreover, unlike the banquet on the Shark, at this table, in front of Cousin Hercules and Cousin Locke, he could let down all his guard.

If we're talking about people in this world who are least likely to harm him, besides his parents, it would be his Uncle Tetridge, his cousin Hercules, and his cousin Locke.

"By the way, where are my uncle and aunt?"

Xia Fa suddenly thought of this and asked with concern.

Hercules' cousin's expression darkened:
"About five years ago, when my father was transporting a shipment to the Boyue Empire, he encountered a swarm of merfolk, and both my father and mother disappeared."

As he spoke, he gave a self-deprecating laugh:
"They say they're missing, but it's probably because their bodies were eaten by the fishmen."

Murloc Frenzy?

Xia Fa's pupils contracted, and for the first time, a hint of fear appeared on his face.

Fish-men are a peculiar species that exists somewhere between humanoid and non-humanoid supernatural beings.

Their appearance is just like the fish-men in various stories and legends, but they have almost no intelligence and are no different from wild beasts.

In other words, as supernatural beings, they have a human-like appearance but no human-like intelligence.

The two main criteria for judging humanoid supernatural beings are that they must have a human-like appearance and their intelligence must be close to that of humans.

Both the doll-like girl and the siren meet this standard, but the fish-men do not.

This led to the practice of hunting fish-men when they encountered them at sea, and cutting off their plump bellies and livers, which were said to be top-notch delicacies whether eaten raw or cooked.

Moreover, those who ate the fish-men did not either go out of control or mysteriously disappear like other people who dared to eat humanoid supernatural creatures; they all lived well.

Therefore, fish-men were ultimately identified as a peculiar species that lies between humanoid and non-humanoid supernatural beings.

On the other hand, fishmen usually live in groups and have an amazing reproductive capacity. If left unattended for a few years, they can multiply to 100,000 in remote sea areas, and even a fishman king with the rank of angel will be born among them.

I've heard there's even a fish-man emperor with the status of a ruler, but that seems to be just a legend; no one has ever seen one in the past 30,000 years.

When the number of fishmen becomes too large, a fishman frenzy will erupt, which can easily destroy a coastal city. Especially when led by a fishman king with the rank of angel, each time it will be a great disaster.

This has led to humans and fish-men being mortal enemies.

Xia Fa never imagined that his Uncle Titechi would encounter the merman frenzy of the Wave Moon Kingdom five years ago...

That murloc frenzy was arguably the largest in history.

Under normal circumstances, a swarm of fishmen led by the angelic fishman king would consist of at most 100,000 fishmen.

But that time, a million-strong army of merfolk attempted to land on the coast of the Wave Moon Empire!

Once the fish-men landed and scattered, they would pose a great threat to the entire Star Coin Continent. At that time, it was said that His Majesty Octavian, Marshal Gaius, and the two rulers of the Cloth Bag Dynasty even extended a helping hand to the Wave Moon Empire.

Even now, he still often hears people talking about that devastating battle against the murloc horde.

Locke's cousin also sighed and shook his head.

"Let's not talk about that. Today we brothers are reunited, so let's talk about something happy. Xia Fa, is there anything you need to take care of on this trip to sea? My brother and I can help you with that."

Upon hearing his cousin Locke's question, Xia Fa immediately recalled the overlord-level secret contract that was suspected to be about to be born at sea, and the eternal proof that the mysterious emperor was searching for.

Although both Hercules and Locke are angels, these two things are basically involved in the struggle between sovereign beings, so it's best not to get them involved.

So, Xia Fa shook his head and smiled:

"I'm just here to gain experience at sea and take some risks. There's nothing I absolutely have to do. I'm just too bored staying in Augustus."

Hercules' cousin laughed loudly:
"Speaking of which, I heard you were recruited by the Augustus family and became a member of their family?"

Xia Fa nodded:
"Yes, I never expected that the surname Augustus, which my grandfather changed to because he couldn't find a job, would actually allow me to join the Augustus family decades later."

Hercules' cousin sighed:
"That's good, that's good. At sea, you have me to protect you, and in the Kingdom of Augustus, you are a member of the Augustus family. That puts our minds at ease."

He raised his cup again and laughed heartily:

"Come, let's toast Cousin Xia Fa again. No matter what, our family has produced some nobles. This is something that my father, aunt, and even our ancestors have always longed for!"

The three of them drank another glass, and the atmosphere at the table became even more lively.

In the Kingdom of Augu, it's normal for commoners to aspire to become nobles, so Shafa knew that her cousin Hercules's exclamation was heartfelt.

"By the way, cousin, you're both angels now, why don't you go back to the Kingdom of Augu? With your status and strength, I'm afraid His Majesty Octavian will immediately bestow upon you both the title of duke, and then conveniently appoint you as Privy Councilors or Marshals!"

Xia Fa suddenly thought of this and asked with great curiosity.

Hercules and Locke exchanged a glance and laughed:

"I'm used to being free at sea. Although being a noble is comfortable, it's still better to be free and not be driven by others, haha!"

Xia Fa nodded thoughtfully, just about to say something.

But at this moment——

Wow! Wow! Wow!
On the distant sea, figures wielding iron forks crashed through the water and landed with a thud.

The figures had emerald green or azure blue skin, heads that looked like dead fish, bulging eyes, mouths full of sharp teeth, and drooling foul-smelling saliva.

It is... a fish-man!
In an instant, hundreds of fish-men burst out of the water, and the fishy stench immediately filled the entire beach.

Xia Fa never expected that he would encounter a small-scale murloc frenzy here!

Hercules' cousin's gaze sharpened, but he remained seated motionless in the coconut palm chair.

Instead, Locke's cousin stood up, his gaze cold, tightened the bow tie on his white suit, and uttered a single sentence:

"I'll do it. It'll be good to stretch my muscles. These fishmen are here to bring us some food to go with our drinks."

(End of this chapter)