Chapter 1126 Tour guides
At this moment, the people inside the blacksmith’s workshop had not yet dispersed.
Chen Cheng was checking on the blacksmith’s injury. However, he realized Gris had already almost recovered. There was only a red mark at the spot where Ren Xiaosu had hit him earlier.
“Are you really alright?” Chen Cheng asked.
Gris nodded. “The opponent’s attack was very precise. I experienced breathing difficulties, chest tightness, and nonstop coughing when he hit me just now. But I quickly recovered. Believe me, it requires extremely good control over one’s body to execute such a move. Even the most powerful gladiator in Ghent City might not be able to achieve this.”
The blacksmith, Gris, used to be a gladiator in Ghent City. The gladiators of Ghent City tended to be divided into two groups. One group comprised servants and stewards from the sorcerer clans and represented sorcerers who were unwilling to risk themselves in duels. As such, they got these gladiators to represent them to compete for their clans’ glory.
Although it sounded nice, such duels were just to provide more excitement and entertainment for the gambling activities of the sorcerers.
The victorious sorcerer would walk away with half of the prize pool while the rest was used as a payout for those who placed a bet and won. This group of gladiators, who usually basked in the glory of their sorcerer clans, fought for their sorcerer masters in the duels. But once they lost, they would immediately lose favor with them.
The second group was made up of desperate residents who willingly became gladiators after they had nowhere else to turn. Perhaps they had lost all their money in gambling or were in dire need of money. In any case, they were willing to sell themselves to the arena.
They would keep fighting with other gladiators there until they died.
Gris was originally a blacksmith. In order to raise money to treat his father’s illness, he turned to dueling as a gladiator. He was also one of the most well-known gladiators in Ghent City in the past. Later, he was rescued by the leader of the bounty hunter organization and arranged to oversee a safe house in Vaduz City.
Gris was very grateful to the leader of the bounty hunters and really enjoyed the peaceful life he was leading now.
However, that did not mean that his combat skills had gone to waste as a result. Actually, Gris believed that even if he were to return to the arena now, he could still win every duel.
In the end, Gris, who was ever so confident of himself, did not even have a chance of fighting back against Ren Xiaosu.
Gris said, “He easily shattered my confidence by overpowering me in combat which I’m most confident in.”
Chen Cheng and An’an looked at each other. “Was it because you were caught unprepared by his sudden attack?”
“No.” Gris said, “I’m very sure that even if I were prepared, he could still disable my fighting strength in an instant.”
With that, Gris wrote a short note on a small piece of paper. After that, he went to the backyard and took out a messenger pigeon from the cage before tying the note to it. He said to An’an, “We can’t release the messenger pigeon yet. We have to wait until the messenger pigeons in the vicinity of the cathedral get released tomorrow morning so that ours can blend in and not get noticed.”
“Mhm.” An’an nodded.
Gris suddenly asked, “What’s with that young man? Where did such a powerful expert suddenly appear from?”
An’an curled her lips and said unconvinced, “Powerful? When the bandits attacked the trade caravan, didn’t he also hide behind the wagon fort with Melgor and not dare to move?”
“Such a thing happened?” Gris wondered, “With his skills, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to deal with the bandits.”
“Strength is one thing, but courage is another.” An’an was fuming mad. When she got lifted up like a quail just now, it felt really humiliating. She knew full well she was just saying those words out of spite, but she couldn’t resist criticizing him.
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A voice rang out outside the blacksmith’s workshop, “Are you talking about me?” “Huh?!” An’an turned around and was startled to see Ren Xiaosu standing outside the entrance. “Why did you come back?!”
It was way too embarrassing to get caught speaking ill of others behind their backs!
Ren Xiaosu could not admit he was lost, so he explained with a smile, “I was just worried that you two bounty hunters would get caught by the Berkeley family, so I specifically came back to escort the two of you. Feel touched?”
An’an retorted, “As if we’d believe you! You must be scared we’ll report you!”
“That’s really nothing to be afraid about.” Ren Xiaosu said, “Let’s go, I still have to rush back to eat.”
Chen Cheng and An’an looked at the broadswords held up at their necks and could only do as they were told. Seeing that an agreement had been reached, Ren Xiaosu returned the two broadswords to Gris.
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En route to the relay station, the chatty Chen Cheng suddenly asked, “What have the Central Plains become? I heard that it’s still very weak.”
“Weak?” Ren Xiaosu laughed. “Was that why Fortress 178, which you claim to be weak, emerged victorious against the troops of the Kingdom of Sorcerers 17 years ago?”
“Emerged victorious?” Chen Cheng was taken aback. “Wasn’t it the royal army that won?”
Ren Xiaosu sneered, “Who said that?”
“The royal family announced to the public that they had taught Fortress 178 a lesson in blood. But due to the benevolence of the royal family, they didn’t carry out a massacre,” Chen Cheng answered.
“How shameless of them to make up something like that,” Ren Xiaosu said. Fortress 178 had always been at a disadvantage in the past. After all, the military industry’s renaissance had only occurred in the past few decades.
However, after the military industry in the Central Plains was restored, the Magi were completely unable to take them on. Although the war 17 years ago was fierce and tragic, Fortress 178 did indeed emerge victorious.
To preserve their reputation, the magus order and the royal family of the Kingdom of Sorcerers chose to lie about the outcome of the war and say they had won.
Ren Xiaosu glanced at Chen Cheng and said, “The Central Plains won the war 17 years ago. It’s become much stronger than y’all think. To say nothing of the military, just the state of the basic industrial and urban infrastructure alone already places them several tiers above the Kingdom of Sorcerers.”
Chen Cheng yearned, “Our father also mentioned the Central Plains before. It would be great if we had the opportunity to visit that
place.”
Ren Xiaosu said with a cheeky smile, “After I’ve figured out what exactly your organization does, I might be able to organize a tour for y’all to experience the Northwestern culture of Fortress 178.”
An’an suddenly asked, “What’s your identity in the Central Plains?”
Ren Xiaosu said with a grin, “Me? I’m just a normal volunteer working for the development of the Northwest.”
“You’re full of lies.” An’an muttered, “By the way, why did you suddenly turn back?” Ren Xiaosu said in seriousness, “Since Vaduz is such an important city here in the south, I was really worried that something might happen to the two of you.”
An’an asked suspiciously, “Or was it because you don’t know where the relay station is?”
“Hahahahaha, how’s that possible?” Ren Xiaosu laughed out loud. “How can I possibly make such an amateur mistake?”
Immediately, An’an was sure he had returned because he didn’t know where the relay station was. He was using her and Chen Cheng as his tour guides!