Chapter 104 PS: Writer's Block

I had a chance encounter with Vincent F. Van Gogh, one of the top ten bounty hunters, in the central square of Moros City-State. Suren couldn't shake the feeling that the guy's intentions were intriguing.

Running into the same person twice suggests only two possibilities.

Either it's a coincidence.

Or it's not.

Suren always preferred to consider the less optimistic options.

The information about the "Frost Moon Princess" Skadi was top secret, without a doubt. Even the best-informed intelligence merchants in Moros City-State knew very little.

But this guy just "gave away" such important information so easily.

It made one wonder about his motives.

On further thought, this kind of information was probably only accessible to intelligence organizations like the Luying Intelligence Agency.

Oh, no.

Suren suddenly thought of someone.

Katyusha.

After witnessing the Katyusha family's schemes in the Mountain Hermit Kingdom last time, Suren had already guessed that the little girl who liked to be a poet came from an extraordinary background.

There were no more than a handful of such top-tier aristocratic families in the entire Luying Empire.

Now that he thought about it, probably only a deeply rooted noble family like that could afford to hire experts of the "Ten Legendary Hunters" level.

But since he couldn't contact Katyusha, Suren couldn't be sure.

And this mysterious guy in front of him certainly wouldn't take the initiative to say anything.

But fortunately, he always seemed to be acting in good faith.

Suren recalled how he met Katyusha. It was when he retrieved his two rings in Blizzard City, and they had a drink together...

Then, in the sacred land of the Dalu tribe, they had another drink, and he even got bitten.

Looking back now, the feelings were genuine, but those encounters didn't seem entirely coincidental.

The first time, there were the zealots in Curse Mountain Valley, and the second time, there was Abe Taihe in the Mountain Hermit Kingdom...

This Van Gogh fellow, it felt like the tactics were somewhat similar.

No one would give you intelligence for no reason.

Suren felt like he had latched onto a "sugar mommy"?

Although he felt that he and that girl were very compatible, that wasn't enough to make a worldly aristocratic lady constantly remember him.

It was like the little princess of a great aristocratic family, who always wanted to see the outside world, and then came out to meet some people and see the lives of some commoners. When she got tired of playing, she would always have to go back.

Perhaps there were other purposes.

Suren had a premonition that things would be revealed before he had a chance to meet Katyusha again.

.......

Van Gogh stayed in the central square to paint the sunset, and Suren didn't chat with him much.

He went straight to Seadragon Street in the East City, which was the city's tavern district.

The sex industry in the Roman Kingdom was already quite developed.

The pleasure quarters of Moros City-State offered services that couldn't be enjoyed elsewhere. There were not only professional dancers, but also captured female warriors with extraordinary flexibility.

This was a favorite place for pirates, adventurers, and speculative merchants to spend money.

Suren wasn't there to visit brothels.

He walked past a crowd of charming girls, pausing slightly in front of a luxurious building with a "Golden Rose" sign.

This was the largest brothel in the city.

Many people were gathered at the entrance, including men, women, and children.

"Baren! Baren! Baren!"

"Hero! Hero! Hero!"

"..."

People cheered for "Fighting King" Baren Opatra, who was now the most dazzling star in Roman.

After all, not many people who completed the "Hero's Trial" returned alive. This was a hero worshipped by the entire nation.

The last one was several years ago.

Suren leaned on his black umbrella disguised as a cane, sensing the powerful soul fire in the brothel.

There were probably more than a dozen weaker soul fires entwined in that guy's room.

They should be professional girls.

Suren felt that he definitely wouldn't be able to meet him now.

This kind of "hero" was now a first-class figure in Roman, and probably not so easy to meet.

Suren noted the soul fire that resembled a flaming lion, intending to leave first.

But in his perception, he found a familiar soul fire in a room in the brothel.

Wasn't that the young man who had flirted with the Kamar, the puppet master's apprentice, in Baker Street Market?

He had just proposed to the girl over there, and now he was messing around in a brothel. Was that okay?

Suren shook his head and didn't bother with such trivial matters.

He contacted Qian Tiao and went to take a bath.

The large bathhouses in Roman were indeed good, although not as delicate and elegant as the volcanic hot springs in the Mountain Hermit Kingdom, they had their own unique characteristics.

After soaking in the hot spring, he felt refreshed.

In the evening, they found a hotel to stay in.

.......

The next day, Suren and the others didn't leave the hotel until the afternoon.

The "Central Arena" held events all day, but the really intense high-level professional matches were usually after dusk.

Suren, Qian Tiao, and Lolota were eating at a restaurant on the street.

Dozens of pounds of monster meat, several brick-sized loaves of bread, and "Bocasa wine," a strong spirit brewed from icefield wheat, were roughly placed on the table.

These were all Roman specialties.

While eating, Suren said, "The local gang has sent a message that no one can see the gladiators before the arena match. But after the match, if Kai is still alive, they can arrange a brief meeting. I've already made arrangements."

"Mm."

Qian Tiao nodded expressionlessly. With Suren by her side, she never had to worry about anything.

She only responded, "Since Princess Skadi brought Kai from Pirate City, she shouldn't let him die so easily. Even if he enters the arena, Kai's second release, [Crimson Demon], is almost unmatched by anyone of the same rank. We shouldn't have to worry about his safety for the time being."

Suren thought so too, and said, "Mm. If it's in the arena, it's really not easy to forcefully rescue him. And I also heard that the slaves of the Mafa all wear very special slave collars. I have to go and see what the situation is..."

Qian Tiao: "..."

Before long, the three of them were full.

They walked to the street unhurriedly.

......

Gladiatorial combat was the Romans' favorite sport, and watching gladiatorial duels was their favorite entertainment activity.

When the three arrived at the arena, it was already crowded with people.

"Hey, did you hear? The monster [Hell's Maw] that was captured before will be appearing tonight. His opponent is that very powerful 'Crimson Demon' Kai who won three death matches the day before yesterday."

"I've also heard that he seems to be a slave gladiator from Mafa, and he's very strong. I heard that many people are optimistic that he is the most promising seed to achieve the 'Hundred Wins Achievement' this year!"

"Yeah, I heard about it too, so I came here specifically to see. After all, it's been a long time since I've seen such a strong outsider."

"..."

The people on the road were talking enthusiastically.

Tonight's blockbuster drama was Kai's gladiatorial match. It was not common for such high-level professionals to appear.

Meeting one was like a grand festival, and almost the entire city would come to join in the fun.

Suren walked along, listening to the intelligence from the mouths of passersby.

Before long, he arrived at the front square of the arena.

This was an ancient arena with a history of more than a thousand years. The years had made the white main building a little yellow, and there were obvious traces of rainwater erosion. This huge cylindrical building was piled up with countless seemingly thick and solid stone pillars. The arches, small round windows, carvings, and nude sculptures were all very exquisite and characteristic.

Before, Suren didn't quite understand why the Romans liked gladiatorial combat so much, and even the ordinary guards guarding the city gates were elite warriors.

Now, looking at the arena in front of him, he finally understood.

His pupils dilated, taking in the entire arena.

[Moros Central Arena]

Detailed Explanation: This is an arena blessed by the war god Tyr; Don't think that this arena is only a thousand years old, but those stones are relics of ancient arenas left by the ancient war god civilization countless years ago; The stones are soaked in the blood of countless gladiators, and the heroic spirits linger, possessing some magical effects; Fighting in the arena, the gladiators will be encouraged, and have a chance to receive the 'Heroic Spirit Blessing', comprehending the combat skills, cultivation methods, and techniques left by ancient heroic spirits, and experience enlightenment in their realms; The braver one is, the greater the probability of receiving the blessing.

Suren looked at the misty blood mist on the arena, and then he understood that it was the condensed and lingering heroic spirits of the gladiators.

These countries with divine beliefs always had some miraculous things.

"It turns out that participating in gladiatorial combat can also have the effect of comprehending combat skills and breaking through realms."

Suren啧啧 marvelled in his heart as he looked at it.

This arena was a large-scale "inheritance site".

However, gladiatorial combat was not an ordinary sparring match, and even if it wasn't a "death match," the casualty rate was very high.

The gladiators trained in this way were indeed very strong in actual combat.

But for the Romans, who were not afraid of death, the arena was indeed the fastest way to improve their strength.

......

Money can always solve a lot of problems.

Suren found the local gang who were selling tickets outside the arena and bought a few grandstand tickets with seats at a high price.

The three followed the crowd and squeezed in, and then found their seats in the tide of people.

The three seats had already been occupied by a group of muscular men.

Suren showed his seat tickets, Qian Tiao drew her sword, and they then took back the seats.

The area of the arena was very large.

Even the central battle area was as large as two or three football fields.

At this moment, the gladiatorial match was in full swing.

The sound of weapons colliding, "clang", "clang", "clang"..., echoed throughout the space.

Before, they had done gang work in Old Lingdun, and Suren and Qian Tiao had seen all kinds of underground black boxing and death gladiatorial combats.

The blood-stained sand gladiatorial combat in front of them didn't make them feel much novelty.

However, the gladiators here were much more professional in terms of martial arts, weapons, and combat awareness.

Gangs were mixed up fighting, and here was the performance stage for professional gladiator fighters.

Spears, axes, shields, maces, flails, knives, swords...

All kinds of weapon routines could be seen.

Even Qian Tiao, looking at the gladiators' skilled combat techniques, was radiant and often praised them.

The combat skills inherited by the Roman Kingdom for countless years were indeed extraordinary.

After all, it was not a performance, and the pace in the arena was very fast. Sometimes a match might end in one move.

The three had only sat for a moment, and several matches had already ended.

In the arena, there were three types of gladiators: one was Roman professional gladiators, one was slave gladiators, and one was outsiders who were curious to participate.

Well, Suren watched and actually saw a member of the Dawn group going up to join in the fun!

It was Hunk, the leader of the giants.

Seeing this guy appear, Suren's eyelids jumped.

Qian Tiao and Lolota were very excited and helped to wave flags and shout.

Fortunately, he won.

The strength advantage of the giants was still very useful in the arena.

One force can overcome ten skills. Hunk swung the mace a few times and dented the opponent's shield. Then the final heavy hammer directly embedded the opponent in the wall, ending the battle.

The next few battles ended quickly.

Suren also saw those royal knights of the "Holy Judgment Corps".

When those professionals with slave collars on their necks and tattered military uniforms appeared on the stage, the audience instantly boiled over.

Because almost all the matches of slave gladiators were "death matches" and would be very intense.

The opponents participating in this kind of battle were usually the bravest Roman gladiators. They had enough confidence to challenge those slave gladiators who had to risk their lives to fight.

The combat was very entertaining.

Sure enough, the battle was extremely fierce from the beginning.

In three battles, one royal knight died and one was seriously injured.

Suren watched expressionlessly, and the solemnity in his eyes never dissipated.

Every time a few died, it was obviously forcing Barrett and the others to show up and rescue them as soon as possible.

Suren also couldn't think of any way for Barrett and his party to rescue these people in the city.

This was also the most important reason why Barrett chose to leave with his men before.

This batch of "bait" was very deadly, but they had to eat it.

......

Finally, the last battle of the night arrived.

The bare-handed gladiatorial match was okay, and the mortality rate was not too high; Once weapons were used, even if they didn't die, the probability of being disabled was very high.

But usually, the bloodiest one was definitely the "beast fight"!

The last one was a beast fight.

At this time, they finally saw Kai on the stage.

"Kai!"

"Kai!"

"Kai!"

"..."

Seeing the protagonist of the night appear, the audience burst into cheers like a tide.

And his opponent was a monster more than ten meters long. It had an earthworm-like body that kept wriggling, and its head was shaped like a flower bud. When it opened, it was full of dense sharp teeth that made people's scalps tingle.

This was [Hell's Maw], a lord-level cave-dwelling monster.

Although this one was only Tier 4, it was hidden underground and could definitely easily hunt Tier 5 monsters as food.

For humans, it was even more deadly.

The monster was released from the iron cage and rushed straight towards Kai. It looked bulky and clumsy, but it kept flowing with a snot-like mucus, and when it opened its mouth, it spat out a mouthful of concentrated acid that scorched the ground, with a very wide range of attack.

This kind of monster was a deadly threat even to Kai.

Kai was only wearing simple armor and a helmet. When his second-stage Crimson Demon form was released, his body surface turned into a lava-like red blocky skin, and an overbearing aura instantly suppressed the audience.

One man and one beast engaged in a fierce battle.

Qian Tiao was also very surprised to see this, and exclaimed softly, "Kai has actually advanced to Tier 5?"

Suren frowned, "Mm."

He also understood that no wonder the princess wanted to bring Kai here, probably wanting to create a top-tier professional in a short period of time.

This [Moros Central Arena] did have the effect of breaking through bottlenecks and rapidly improving combat power.

Although the mortality rate was high, a Mafa royal princess didn't care at all.

If he died, he was just a dead slave, and there was no loss.

If he could advance to a high level, he would be a real big help.

Kai had great potential, and it was almost certain that he would advance to Tier 6. Now that he was sent to this arena, he might really have a chance to hit a "Hundred Consecutive Wins" and then accept the "Hero's Trial" and advance to Tier 7!

Who wouldn't want a Tier 7 picked up for free?

The battle was very fierce, and the cheers of the audience were higher than the last.

Suren looked at Kai, who was in several dangerous situations, and there was also a look of worry on his face.

However, outsiders could not intervene in this kind of competition.

Instead, his eyes fell on the collar embedded in the flesh on Kai's neck.

After identification, Suren's eyes narrowed, and he muttered to himself, "This is a bit troublesome."

Qian Tiao looked at him sideways and asked, "What's wrong?"

Suren said, "Kai's current soul fluctuations are a bit strange. I suspect that the Mafa are using some kind of secret method to distort his will. Moreover, the [Mechanical Slave Collar] on his neck has a very high technological content, and it must be opened with a specific key. Moreover, the person who holds the key can control his life and death at any time."

It was not surprising that secret methods were used to distort his will. Since the "Frost Moon Princess" wanted Kai to be her slave, she would definitely want absolute loyalty.

There were many mental spells and potions on the market that could slowly change a person's will and cognition.

By trying slowly, Kai would always be successfully "brainwashed".

However, Suren was not unprepared.

If he could use mental secret methods with a higher priority to twist it back, it wouldn't be a big problem.

For others, it would probably be helpless.

But Suren had a "Pandora"!

After all, she was the "Tsukuyomi God". The psychological suggestion performed with divine magic was definitely of a higher rank than any mental means Suren knew on the market.

He had already planned to ask Pandora to help and give Kai a suggestion in his heart.

As long as he didn't resist, it could be successful almost instantly.

At that time, even if Kai was really "brainwashed" by the "Frost Moon Princess", when Pandora reactivated the suggestion, he could completely recover his cognition.

But... that [Mechanical Slave Collar] was very棘手.

The identification showed that external force would immediately trigger the poison device implanted in the body.

Qian Tiao's expression also showed difficulty when she heard this, and she asked, "That is to say, we not only have to save people, but we must also get the key?"

Suren's eyes were deep, and he nodded and said, "I'm afraid so..."