He almost forgot that the succession ceremony had long since ended, but this Duke felt he couldn't bear the responsibility, so he left the affairs to the steady Setsuna.
Moreover, according to his previous letters, he was supposedly in a sickly state now.
"Wait a minute."
"What's wrong, Regent?"
"What illness did I have again?"
Having fabricated so many reasons, Hichugiskhan himself forgot which excuse he used to trick Setsuna into coming back. He knew it might be futile, but without trying, he couldn't confirm whether it would work, so he kept changing reasons.
Now that Setsuna suddenly returned, he actually forgot what reason he had concocted.
"Uh... I remember it was that I broke a leg?"
"Which leg?"
"I don't remember either."
Just as Hichugiskhan was recalling how he wrote the letter, Setsuna's voice was already heard from outside, so Hichugiskhan had to happily make a random choice, taking a bandage from the side and wrapping it around his left leg.
For a regent to carry bandages on him shows just how prepared Hichugiskhan was for this.
"Ahem, Setsuna, you see for yourself, my health really hasn't been good lately. I would love to fight for Zou for a few more years, but I lack the energy."
"But senior Hichugiskhan, didn't you mention in the letter that you broke your arm?"
Looking at Hichugiskhan's heavily bandaged left leg, Setsuna narrated the contents of the letter with an expressionless face, showing no hint of emotion, as she was long accustomed to such matters.
"Well... you know, we of the Fur Race have a strong physique, and the medicine you sent back to Zou worked very well. My arm injury has healed; this is a new injury from a while ago. It must have been from overworking recently."
"Hmm, don't worry, leave these matters to me for the next few days."
Hichugiskhan pinched his own face, hardly believing these words came from Setsuna. But seeing her take over the documents, he could not help but show a look of glee, as it seemed he could finally retire.
In his excitement, he didn't notice that under Setsuna's communication, the large elephant had already changed its direction and was slowly moving towards Wano Kuni.
Ever since gaining Aura Power, the large elephant's range of movement has always been around Wano Kuni. In roughly ten days, it had already reached the outskirts of Wano Kuni.
The large elephant's pause did not attract the attention of Zou's residents. Since Setsuna took over, the large elephant had free time to rest, and such pauses had become routine for the residents of Zou.
Even Hichugiskhan, who had just rested for a few days, was once again pulled out by Setsuna.
"Senior Hichugiskhan, come with me."
"Where to?"
"To get a medical examination."
"A med... medical examination?!"
"That's right, aren't you feeling unwell? There are lots of renowned doctors from all over the world gathered here who will give you a thorough examination. Hold on, we'll leave shortly."
Saying this, Setsuna picked up a microphone, it was a broadcast system built in the Fluffy Kingdom to notify the residents of various matters.
"Attention all residents of the Fluffy Kingdom, we have arrived at Wano Kuni. Anyone interested in visiting Wano Kuni can sign up with Rei and Hatch. Doctor Miyagi, please come to see me, and those feeling unwell can also come along with Doctor Miyagi."
After putting down the microphone, Setsuna revealed a meaningful smile, and Hichugiskhan sensed something amiss—it seemed he had fallen into a trap.
Due to the living conditions, most of the Fur Race had never left Zou in their lifetime, and many hesitated about traveling abroad.
However, there were also some who longed for the outside world and began to sign up. Although the first group wasn't large, around a few dozen of the Fur Race led by Hatch and Rei entered Wano Kuni, starting the first journey of their lives.
Hichugiskhan and Miyagi, the two furred sheep, were taken to the Hundred Beasts Pokemon Center. The Fur Race was not much different from humans.
Just like the Fishman Race, they shared the same blood as humans, except for some unique organs. So Setsuna brought Miyagi to help the doctors here further ascertain Hichugiskhan's condition.
"Lord Setsuna."
"Please take care and give him a comprehensive medical check-up, especially concerning any potential diseases. Please clarify them. This here is Doctor Miyagi, and if you have any questions about the Fur Race, feel free to ask him."
"Um... Setsuna, I don't think there's any need to waste resources like this; these instruments must be expensive..."
"No worries, don't worry, senior. All of this is free; I have that privilege. Please honestly go for the check-up, given that you've supposedly suffered over twenty illnesses these past years, it's very concerning to me."
Amidst the group of doctors, Hichugiskhan was ushered into the examination room, while Miyagi was fascinated by the medical equipment there.
Due to environmental constraints, such equipment couldn't be set up in Zou. After listening to the doctors here describe the functions and costs of the equipment, he couldn't help but feel envious.
"Duke, can't we set up a set of this equipment in Zou?"
"I'll bring back some basic equipment. There's no need for anything too complicated. Also, there's an excellent doctor here who specializes in herbal medicine, and I'll introduce you to her later."
Zou's equipment only needed to handle emergencies; for more complex situations, the patient could quickly be transferred here for treatment. Other territories of the Hundred Beasts adopted a similar policy.
All equipment at the Hundred Beasts Pokemon Center was world-class. Building this hospital and recruiting doctors was the result of significant investment by the Hundred Beasts.
Replicating a medical center of the same quality was fundamentally impossible because the main island was here, and Hundred Beasts chose not to disperse resources.
Since they were already there, Setsuna also underwent a medical examination, though it wasn't as complicated as Hichugiskhan's.
Due to the urgency, in just a few hours, they saw Hichugiskhan's report, and looking at it, Setsuna was even more determined in her thoughts.
"Senior Hichugiskhan, your physical condition is excellent, even better than that of many young people. Do you have any comments?"
"Well... do you think it's possible, that there was a misdiagnosis here?"
He was well aware of his bodily condition, but he couldn't admit that he'd been faking illness all along.
"What do you think?"
While Setsuna pondered how to persuade Hichugiskhan to continue working overtime, a nurse approached her.
"Lord Setsuna, could you come over here, please?"
"What happened? Is there an issue?"
"It's not a bad thing, but you might be pregnant."