Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Of course it’s different. Don’t you know how terrifying Brute Hammer is, Reaper?”
Leaf became anxious. “First of all, Brute Hammer and Ice Storm are the Blood Skull Arena’s trump cards. In the past, they had fought many times in the arena. Brute Hammer lost more than he won, and he was very unaccepting of Lady Ice Storm.
“We were all servants that Lady Ice Storm personally selected from the dungeon. We won several victories with Lady Ice Storm. According to the tradition of the Turan warriors, we had a good chance of becoming Lady Ice Storm’s personal soldiers or even servants. Eventually, we would receive Lady Ice Storm’s blood.
“Right now, we have fallen to Lady Ice Storm’s enemy, Brute Hammer. Do you think that Brute Hammer will give us a good look?”
Meng Chao replied, “Oh.”
“Don’t ‘oh’ me. Also, Brute Hammer’s style of training servant soldiers is completely different from Lady Ice Storm’s. He is the most typical clan warrior. He has never taken pity on the lives of civilian rat soldiers. He only knows how to work hard and train hard. The casualty rate of his servant soldiers is very high!”
Leaf continued. “Besides, Brute Hammer is a native of Black-corner City. Naturally, he has a batch of domestic rats that he has brought from his clan, and they have worked for him for many years. They have even been working for his clan since hundreds of years ago.
“When he is on the battlefield, the domestic rats would obviously be the ones he trusts the most.
“Once he obtains any spoils of war, the domestic rats will be the first to divide them. The domestic rats will be the ones to take the easy missions. As for us cheap subordinates who have temporarily transferred here, we will naturally be the best cannon fodder. We will be the meat shields that will charge at the front when we attack the fortress and fight hard battles!”
“Huh?”
Surprised, Meng Chao said, “I didn’t expect you to know so much at such a young age. I feel very gratified to see that you have grown so fast. My efforts have not been in vain!”
“Reaper…”
Leaf was about to cry. “Why are you still so calm at such a time? Are you just willing to obey Brute Hammer’s command and give up your life for the Blood Hoof Clan? Can’t you think of a way?”
“What?”
Meng Chao looked at the rat youth and said, “You are part of the Blood Hoof Clan’s rat people, to begin with. Isn’t it natural for you to fight for the Blood Hoof Clan? What do you think I can suggest?”
“I, I don’t know either.”
Leaf was so anxious that he was running around in circles. In a dilemma, he said, “I once heard the elders in the village say that when the glorious era arrives, we, the rat people, will have to go to the city to wait for the samurai warriors to recruit us. We will do whatever the masters tell us to do. When the masters tell us to die, we will have to die obediently and without hesitation. The elders said that this was the so-called ‘way of a warrior,’ just like how a mandrake fruit grows on a mandrake tree. It is a natural principle.
“Back then, perhaps I could have fought and died loyally for the warriors without thinking about anything.
“However, after coming to Black-corner City and experiencing so many things and hearing so many points from you, I gradually felt that many reasons in the world sounded justifiable but were meaningless. Those high and mighty warriors have never done anything good for me, my family, or my home. Why should I fight and die for them?
“It’s probably like what you said. ‘As long as I don’t see the glorious dawn, I can endure the endless night!’”
“Wait.”
Meng Chao said, “Did I ever say anything that made sense?”
“You did.”
The rat teenager solemnly said, “You have also mentioned that ‘the black night sky has collapsed, and the golden dawn will definitely come’!
“Reaper, I have imprinted every word you’ve said in my mind.
“With or without the Rat God, I don’t want to serve those d*mn clan warriors anymore!
“If it is Lady Ice Storm, I can still put up with her since she is not the Minotaur who destroyed Half Mountain Village and is not even an official member of the Blood Hoof Clan. Plus, she treats her servants very leniently and freely.
“But, Brute Hammer?
“No, I’m absolutely unwilling to obey his command, and I don’t want to be killed by him. Then, my broken bones will be used to cast his ‘glory!’”
The rat-peasant youth’s face was filled with determination and resolution, and it affected Meng Chao, causing his expression to become serious.
“If you really think that way and are unwilling to serve the clan warriors even if you die, then there’s only one way.”
Meng Chao stared at Leaf and uttered each word carefully. “Escape. Escape Black-corner City.”
Leaf narrowed his eyes, and the light within them became more condensed. He gritted his teeth and said, “Then we’ll escape, escape this d*mn place!”
“You have to think it through properly.”
Meng Chao said, “Now that there are a hundred thousand or even more clan warriors gathered in Black-corner City, it won’t be easy to escape. It’s too easy to say that it’ll be a narrow escape. You might not even see the city walls of Black-corner City before a spear with a bull horn tip pierces through your heart.”
“I have thought about it thoroughly. After all, there is no way for me to survive if I fight with Brute Hammer. I will either be torn into pieces by the lion men, tigermen, werewolves, and leopard men legions from the Gold Clan in the Tournament of the Five Clans or I’ll run to the land of Holy Light after surviving the tournament. Then, I’ll be burned alive until I turn into ashes by the unfathomable mages and ascetics. With their weird spells and divine arts, I might become something even uglier than ashes!
“The elders in the village mentioned before that our Half Mountain Village has a history of several hundred years. In the past few hundred years, we have participated in several Wars of Glory, but every time, out of a hundred rat villagers who go on an expedition, three to five of them would come back from the front lines with all their whiskers and tails. Meanwhile, seven to eight of them would come back with broken limbs. That would already be considered pretty good!
“I don’t want to repeat their fate.
“I want to change the way I live or… die trying.
“Please, help me, Reaper!”
Meng Chao remained silent for a long time.
In the end, he sighed softly.
“Alright, I can try.”
Meng Chao’s eyes were bright as he said, “Let me confirm one thing first. Are the two of us the only ones who want to escape Black-corner City?”
Leaf quickly shook his head. “I don’t know the situation outside the Blood Skull Arena or the situation of the other rat militia soldiers. However, the twenty-nine rat militia soldiers, whom you picked back then, all want to escape. We would rather die on the path of freedom than die in the trenches as we charge toward the Gold Clan or the land of Holy Light.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course not.”
Meng Chao said, “After all, one person escaping alone and two people working together to escape are completely different from an entire battle team escaping together.
“Let’s not talk about the difficulty. I have to figure out everyone’s true intentions. If we plan everything out here, and someone doesn’t want to escape but prefers to stay under Brute Hammer or the other clan warriors to ‘seize glory,’ wouldn’t we be overestimating ourselves?”
“That’s impossible.”
Leaf said, “If we were to follow Lady Ice Storm, there might be some who would hesitate. But if it were Brute Hammer, no one would be willing to follow him to the death.”
“Why?” Meng Chao was puzzled.
“It’s because of you, of course!”
Leaf’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Meng Chao, “Because you’ve taught us such exquisite techniques and brilliant tactics, allowing us to witness true strength. It has made us look down on Brute Hammer’s simple and crude training as well as battle methods.
“You should know that Lady Ice Storm is the Frost Queen. Recently, she has defeated many powerhouses and seized their totem armor fragments. She is even willing to accept your suggestion humbly. That is why she is worthy of us following her.
“Brute Hammer is merely one of Lady Ice Storm’s defeated opponents. He doesn’t have your ability. Why should we follow his orders!
“Reaper, trust me. Right now, your appeal among the rat militia might be much greater than Brute Hammer’s. If you raise your arms and shout, everyone will definitely believe you and be willing to follow you to create a miracle.”
“Don’t say such mushy words like ‘create a miracle.’”
Meng Chao pondered for a moment and said, “However, if everyone is willing to follow my orders and absolutely trust me, I can give it a try… In short, don’t say too much to everyone for now. Everything will be fine as long as things proceed as usual.”
“Really?”
Leaf was overjoyed. “Reaper, you really have a way? What should we do?”
“First, we’ll go to the training camp and receive Lord Brute Hammer’s inspection, obviously,” Meng Chao said in a serious manner.
“Huh?” The rat youth’s ecstatic expression instantly froze.
…
In the end, Leaf still listened to Meng Chao’s suggestion and obediently returned to the training camp with him to wait for Brute Hammer’s inspection.
The reason was, just as he had gone to look for Meng Chao, urgent horns had sounded from the towers at the four corners of the Blood Skull Arena.
There were also people who sounded heavy war drums. Dong dong dong dong… They were like the footsteps of some giant totem beast that was over a hundred arms tall.
It was the assembly order.
That meant the Blood Skull Arena was about to close.
All the gladiators, servants, handymen, and slaves had all been incorporated into the Blood Skull Battle Group to implement the most stringent military management.
There were commanders and supervising squads filled with Casanova’s attendants and personal guards everywhere. Seeing the panicked servants and handymen running around, they could kill them at any time and report to the army according to military law.
However, it was not realistic to escape Black-corner City now.
In Meng Chao’s words, it was not the right time yet.
When the two of them returned to the training camp, the captain of the personal guards under Brute Hammer had already led a group of arrogant personal guards to the commanding heights and the entrances of the training camp.
The rat civil servants who had originally belonged to Ice Storm were dejected like prisoners in a cell.
Before Brute Hammer appeared, he had already shown off his might to Meng Chao, Leaf, and the others.
He ordered the rat civil servants who had originally belonged to Ice Storm to put on armor covered in tree bark and stone chips. They picked up large wooden shields made from tree stumps, carried heavy battle axes and battle hammers, and stood motionless in the middle of the training camp, waiting for his arrival..