Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The black-haired rat was curled up in the deepest and darkest place in the world, with only his last breath.
However, his words were like a raging storm that engulfed the young man’s brain.
The young man could not help but clench his fists again, lighting up a ray of hope that was as bright as the morning star.
“Of course I have the determination!”
Leaf gritted his teeth and said, “But, what should I do exactly?”
“It’s very simple. Make a deal with me.”
The black-haired rat spoke seriously and confidently. “I can help you become stronger.”
“You…”
Leaf took another glance at the black-haired rat’s wounds.
He also confirmed once again that this individual had suffered the most serious injuries he had ever seen.
Even all the villagers who had died in Mountain Village, including his brother, did not seem to have sustained injuries as severe as the black-haired rat’s.
How could such a person, who could not even protect himself and struggled while on the verge of death, make him stronger?
The youth was somewhat suspicious.
However, when he thought of the fierce flames that the black-haired rat had just released and his gaze that could seemingly see through everything…
He was like a moth to a flame, and he could not help but want to believe him.
“I… What can I do for you, Uncle?”
Leaf knew that “deal” meant to exchange something with each other.
In the era of prosperity, everyone could eat their fill, but there were always some things that needed to be exchanged.
For example, he had once used the golden shell of a golden fruit to make a mask. He exchanged it for a string of beautiful wind chimes made of fish bones with a young man called Yuying at Mountain Foot Village. He then gave them to her on Anjia’s birthday, and it made her giggle.
Yuying had fins on his arms, legs, and back. He could hold its breath underwater for a long time.
The last time, he had promised Leaf that as long as Leaf could help him get a bigger golden fruit, he would help him reach the bottom of the river, where the current was the fastest, and he could touch the most beautiful seven-colored conch.
Sigh, Leaf remembered that when Half Mountain Village was destroyed, thick black smoke had come from Mountain Foot Village as well.
Yuying was probably dead, right?
The deal between the two youths could no longer be completed.
Moreover, even if he obtained the rainbow conch, where would he find Anjia?
At the thought of Anjia, the morning star in Leaf’s mind turned into a dazzling fireball, piercing his entire head with pain.
He took a deep breath and looked straight into the black-haired rat’s eyes.
The black-haired rat’s facial features were still frozen.
However, a faint smile soon appeared on his face.
“It’s very simple. First, talk to me.”
The black-haired rat said, “Just like what we’re doing now. We can talk about anything. Tell me about your childhood, about the people in your village, about the fights between the villages, about the local customs you know… I hurt my brain, so I can’t speak very clearly. There are still many things about Picturesque Orchid Lake that I can’t remember.
“Can you help me remember everything as soon as possible?”
Leaf saw a few shocking wounds on the black-haired rat’s head.
If an ordinary person had suffered such serious injuries, even their brains would have burst open.
It was not surprising that the black-haired rat had lost part of his memory and linguistic ability.
“Sure.”
This was something that the youth could do, so he nodded without hesitation.
“Then, I will teach you how to cultivate your vitality magnetic field, which will involve how to control the shining lines and arrows in your body. With your… With the physique of the Turan people and your extraordinary talent, I believe that you will be able to advance at a speed visible to the naked eye.”
The black-haired rat continued to speak words that Leaf did not quite understand. Then, he raised his own request. “If your strength really increases by a few times, you will have the ability to contend against these red-eyed rat people. Then, you will be able to snatch even more mandrake fruits. At that time, we will do the same as we’ve done here. We will split it equally.”
Leaf nodded.
Now, all the red-eyed rat people regarded him as a cowardly monster who spread the plague.
Although Picturesque Orchid Lake was big, the youth, who had lost his family, had nowhere to go. No one could trust and rely on him.
He could only fight side by side with the black-haired rat who was also like a monster, relying on each other.
However…
“Can I really snatch more mandrake fruits?”
Leaf knew that he had taken advantage of the others’ contempt for him earlier.
Now that the red-eyed rat people were on guard, it would not be so easy to fight for the fruits next time.
“Don’t worry, if what I teach you can’t even help you win against these red-eyed rat people, I might as well just kill myself in the corner.”
The black-haired rat smiled faintly as if Leaf was asking the most ridiculous question in the world.
After a pause, he continued. “Moreover, I don’t need you to snatch too many mandrake fruits. I still need 4.375… Even the energy of four and a half mandrake fruits can help me break out of the ‘standby state.’ Once that happens, I can do many things by myself.
“So, after all calculations, you only need to snatch another nine to ten mandrake fruits.”
Leaf nodded heavily.
If, this was the only way to become stronger and exact revenge…
Forget ten mandrake fruits, even if it was a hundred mandrake fruits, he would risk everything to snatch them.
“These two things are the simplest. Listen carefully, Leaf, the next thing is what I really want you to do.”
The black-haired rat suddenly became serious and said in a deep voice, “The master of the arena locked the new captives here. It’s obvious that he is ‘raising poison worms,’ which is to use insufficient food to force the captives to kill each other and select the strongest, cruelest, and most intelligent ones.
“Then, when these people are in complete despair, he will take them out and let them see a glimmer of hope.
“Such captives will naturally run out of the will to resist by then, and they will risk their lives in the arena.
“Although the captives who are rat people cannot escape the fate of being tortured to death in the arena no matter how much they risked their lives, this is our only chance.
“According to my observation, every day or every other day, someone will come to the deepest part of the dungeon and take away the rat people who have snatched the most mandrake fruits, eaten the most, and look the best. They will be used as consumables in the gladiatorial competition.
“If you can really snatch ten mandrake fruits, you will naturally be taken away as well. You will enjoy better treatment there than here. At the very least, you will have more space to move around.
“As long as you perform well in the arena and survive a few battles, you will have a chance to get the attention of the ace gladiators.
“When the time comes, remember to observe calmly and think carefully about finding a suitable candidate.”
Leaf nodded again.
He was a little confused. “A suitable candidate?”
“That’s right. I want you to observe the entire arena carefully.”
The black-haired rat said, “It’s not about observing the structure of this place, how many troops are stationed here, and how to escape. When I regain my mobility, I will do that myself. Besides, if I really want to leave, who can stop me even if they have thousands of troops?
“I want you to observe who the ace gladiators in this arena are, which clan they come from, what kind of bloodline they have, and whether there are any conflicts between them.
“By the way, I heard these red-eyed rat people chatting a few days ago. I know that the ace gladiators in the arena are not necessarily from the Blood Hoof Clan. There are also prisoners of war from other clans, right?”
“Yes.”
Leaf thought that the black-haired rat had really lost his memory, so he explained, “Even in the prosperous era, it’s not true that we don’t use weapons. After all, we Turan people are born warriors. It’s a prosperous era that lasts for ten palm years. If we don’t fight at all, the elders of the clans will go crazy from boredom.
“As long as we seize the opportunity, the elders of the clans will attack the barbarians in the north who believe in the Holy Light.
“However, in the past ten years, the barbarians who believe in the Holy Light seem to have built a very magnificent and solid defense line in the north. They are hiding behind it like turtles.
“It doesn’t matter. If we can’t fight in the north, we will fight with ourselves.
“Between the five major clans, the small, as well as medium-sized clans, and—I’ve heard—even on the border of Picturesque Orchid Lake, where the gnomes, ogres, and low-level orcs intersect, many particularly fierce rat villages would fight for years, hoping to wash away the shame of their ancestors with their blood and courage.
“Although the scale of the battles was not large and they were just games for fun when they were bored, captives would more or less be produced.
“For the Turan, being a prisoner was a very disgraceful thing.
“However, if they were defeated by other Turan who were far stronger than themselves and could not be defeated at all, plus, they displayed their ferocious demeanor and the courage to face death without fear, there would still be room for redemption.
“In the arena, they won many battles and achieved good results. Not only did they have the opportunity to change their allegiance and join the clan that captured them, they could even become the heroes of the new clan
“It’s like this…”
The black-haired rat mused. “Does this mean that the prisoners of war might not hate the clan that defeated them?”
“They are not as skilled as the others. They are willing to admit defeat. What’s there to hate?”
Leaf said, “If you cannot defeat your opponent, then join your opponent. As long as both parties show enough grace and courage and join hands to contribute to an exciting battle, the ancestral spirits will not object.”
“That means that even if the gladiators from other clans are captured because of their defeat, they may not necessarily hate the Blood Hoof Clan anymore…”
The black-haired rat contemplated for a moment and then curiously asked, “That’s not right. Why do you hate the Minotaur warrior with the broken horn and all the Blood Hoof warriors who participated in the massacre of your village, then? Shouldn’t you ‘accept your defeat?'”
“Because I’m just a small rat. I don’t have the lofty realm and broad-mindedness of the clan elders.”
The youth lowered his head and said, “I don’t understand any grand principles or what true ‘glory’ is. I just want those slaughterers to have a taste of being slaughtered.”
“Believe me, there will definitely be a chance.”
The black-haired rat continued to say, “Alright, even if the ace gladiators from other clans don’t hate the Blood Hoof Clan’s words, fighting is a game of life and death. The competition between the ace gladiators must be very intense. There will be all kinds of conflicts of interest, new grudges, and old grudges. Their world is filled with factions and disagreements, right?”