The black-haired rat man was curled up in the deepest and darkest place in the world, and he was on his last breath.
But his words were like a raging storm, engulfing the youth's brain.
The teenager couldn't help but clench his fists again, igniting a glimmer of hope that was as bright as the morning star.
"I, I certainly have the determination!"
Ye gritted his teeth and said, "But what on earth should I do?"
"It's very simple. Make a deal with me."
The black-haired rat man said seriously and confidently, "I can help you become stronger."
"You …"
Ye glanced at the wound on the black-haired rat man again.
He also confirmed that this was the most seriously injured person he had ever seen.
Even all the villagers who died in Half Mountain Village, including his elder brother, were not as seriously injured as the black-haired rat man.
How could such a dying man, who couldn't even protect himself, make himself stronger?
The teenager was a little doubtful.
But when he thought of the ferocious look on the black-haired rat man's face and his eyes that seemed to see through everything …
Like a moth darting into the fire, he couldn't help but want to believe it.
"What, what can I do for you, uncle?"
Ye knew that "deal" meant mutual exchange.
In the prosperous era, everyone had enough to eat, but there were always some things that had to be exchanged.
For example, he once used the golden shell of a Golden Fruit to make a mask and exchanged a string of beautiful wind chimes made of fish bones with a teenager named "Osprey" in the Mountain Foot Village. He gave it to An Jia on her birthday, which made her giggle.
Osprey had fins on his arms, legs, and back, so he could hold his breath underwater for half a day.
Last time, he also promised Ye that as long as Ye could help him get a bigger Golden Fruit, he would help Ye find the most beautiful Colorful Snail at the bottom of the river where the current was the most turbulent.
Alas, he remembered that when Half Mountain Village was destroyed, there was also thick black smoke coming from the direction of the Mountain Foot Village.
The Osprey was probably dead.
The deal between the two teenagers could no longer be completed.
Besides, even if he had the Colorful Snail, where could he find An Jia?
At the thought of An Jia, the Morning Star in Ye's mind turned into a dazzling fireball, which made his whole head hurt.
He took a deep breath and looked straight into the eyes of the black-haired rat man.
The black-haired rat man's face was still frozen.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"It's simple. First, talk to me."
The black-haired Rat Man said, "Just like what you did just now. You can talk about anything. Talk about your childhood experiences, talk about the people in the village, talk about the gladiator fights between the villages, talk about the local customs that you know … I hurt my brain, so I can't speak very well. There are also many things about Turanze that I can't remember.
"Can you help me remember everything as soon as possible?"
Ye saw a few shocking wounds on the black-haired rat man's head.
If an ordinary person were to suffer such a heavy injury, their brains would have burst open.
It was not surprising that the black-haired rat folk had lost part of their memory and language abilities.
"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 means that I will teach you how to control the shining lines and arrows in your body. With your … with the physical qualities of the people of Turanze and your extraordinary talent, I believe that you will improve by leaps and bounds."
The black-haired rat man continued speaking in a language that Ye did not quite understand. Then, he made his request. "If your strength really increases by several times, you will have the ability to fight against these red-eyed rat people, and you will be able to snatch more Mandala Fruits. At that time, we will do the same thing as this time. We will split the fruits evenly."
Ye nodded.
Now, all the red-eyed rat people regarded him as a cowardly monster who spread the plague.
Turanze might be big, but the youth who had lost his family had nowhere to go. He had no one he could trust or rely on.
He could only fight side by side with the black-haired rat man, who was also like a monster. They could only depend on each other.
However …
'Can I really snatch more Mandala Fruits?'
Ye knew that he had been opportunistic just now, and he had taken advantage of the others' contempt for him.
Now, the red-eyed rat people were on guard. The next time they fought for the fruits, it would not be so easy.
"Don't worry. If I can't even win against these red-eyed rat people with the method I'll teach you, I'll just kill myself by ramming my head against a wall."
The black-haired rat man smiled faintly, as if Ye's question was the funniest question in the world.
He stopped talking for a while before he continued. "Besides, I don't need you to snatch too many. I still need 4.375 … Even if I get the energy from four and a half Mandala Fruits, I will be able to get out of 'standby mode'. At that time, I will be able to do a lot of things myself.
"So, taking everything into account, you only need to grab another nine to ten Mandala Fruits."
Ye nodded firmly.
If this was the only way to become stronger and take revenge.
Forget about ten, even if there were one hundred Mandala Fruits, he would give it his all to snatch them.
"These two things are the simplest. Listen carefully, Yezi. The next thing is what I really want you to do."
The black-haired rat man suddenly became solemn, and he said in a deep voice, "The owner of the arena locked the new captives here, and it's obvious that he's raising a parasite. In other words, he's using insufficient food to force the captives to kill each other, and he'll pick out the strongest, fiercest, and most intelligent fellows.
"Then, when these fellows have completely lost all hope, he'll get them out and let them see a glimmer of hope.
"Such captives will naturally lose all will to resist, and they'll risk their lives in the arena.
"Although the rat people captives will not be able to escape the fate of being tortured to death in the arena no matter how hard they try, this is our only chance.
"According to my observations, every day or every other day, someone will come to the deepest part of the dungeon and take away the rat people who snatch the most Mandala Fruits, eat the most, and look the best. They'll be used as consumables for the arena competition.
"If you can really snatch ten Mandala Fruits, you'll naturally be taken away, and you'll enjoy better treatment than here. At the very least, you'll have more space to move around.
"As long as you perform well in the arena and survive a few arena competitions, you'll have a chance to receive the attention of the ace gladiators.
"At that time, remember to observe calmly, think carefully, and find a suitable candidate."
Ye nodded again.
He was a little confused. "Suitable candidate?"
"That's right. I want you to observe the entire arena carefully," the black-haired rat man said.
The black-haired Rat Man said, "I'm not going to observe the structure of this place, how many troops are stationed here, or how to escape. I'll do these things myself when I regain my mobility. Besides, if I really want to leave, even if there are thousands of troops, who can stop me?
"I want you to observe who the ace gladiators in this arena are, which clan they come from, which bloodline they have, and whether there's any conflict between them.
"By the way, a few days ago, I heard from the red-eyed rat people that the ace gladiators in the arena are not all from the Blood Hoof Clan. There are also captives from other clans, right?"
"Yes."
Ye thought that the black-haired rat man had really lost his memory. He explained, "Even if it's a prosperous era, it doesn't mean that we don't fight. After all, we, the people of Turan, are born warriors. It's been a prosperous era for ten years. If we don't fight at all, the clan masters would have long gone mad from boredom.
"As long as they seize the opportunity, the clan masters will attack the barbarians in the north who believe in the Holy Light.
"But in the past decade or so, the barbarians who believe in the Holy Light seem to have built a very grand and sturdy defense line in the north. They're hiding behind it like turtles.
"It doesn't matter. If we can't fight in the north, we'll fight ourselves.
"Between the five great families, between the five great families and the small and medium-sized families, I've even heard that at the borders of Turanze, where goblins, ogres, and low-level beastmen intersect, there are many especially ferocious ratfolk villages that fight for years on end. They want to use blood and courage to wash away the shame of their ancestors.
"Although the scale of these battles isn't large, they're just games to pass the time when they're bored.
"To the people of Turan, being a captive is a very dishonorable thing.
"However, if you're defeated by other Turanians who are much stronger than you and you can't defeat them, and if you display peerless ferocity and bravery in the face of death during the battle, there's still a chance for you to turn the situation around.
"In the arena, if they win all the battles and obtain good results, not only will they have the chance to change their clan and join the clan that captured them, they might even become the new clan's hero!"
"Is that so …"
The black-haired rat man muttered, "In other words, the captive might not hate the clan that defeated them?"
"If they're not as skilled as others, they have to accept their defeat. What's there to hate?"
Ye said, "If they can't defeat their opponents, they can join their opponents. As long as both sides show enough courage and join forces to contribute an exciting battle, the ancestral spirits won't object."
"In other words, even if the gladiators from the other clans were defeated, captured, and sent to the Coliseum, they might not hate the Bloodhoof Clan …."
The black-haired rat man pondered for a moment and asked curiously, "That's not right. Then, why do you hate the bull-headed warriors with broken horns and all the Bloody Hoof Warriors who participated in the massacre so much? Shouldn't you accept your defeat?"
"Because I'm just an insignificant rat man. I don't have a high level or a broad mind like the lords of the clans."
The young man lowered his head and said, "I don't know any great principles or what real 'glory' is. I only want the slaughterers to taste the feeling of being slaughtered."
"Trust me. There will be a chance."
The black-haired rat man continued, "Alright, even if the ace gladiators from other clans do not hate the Bloody Hoof Clan, the competition between the ace gladiators must be fierce. There will be all kinds of conflicts of interests, old grudges, and factionalism, right?"
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