"This is …"
All the rat people in the dungeon were dumbfounded.
It was especially so for those who had been in the dungeon for a few days and had seen Meng Chao covered in wounds and soaked in dirty water for a few days.
They thought that they understood this dying, black-haired rat person very well.
It was only at that moment that they realized that they were very wrong!
Meng Chao did not want to waste any energy or time on them.
He slowly picked up and ate the fried Mandala Fruits left behind by the rat person, and Meng Chao continued thinking about the next step of his plan.
It was not a problem for him to kill the rat person.
The problem was that he did not want to appear too flashy.
After all, an outstanding man like him was like a firefly at night. Even if he revealed 1% of his abilities, he might be targeted by military nobles with great backgrounds, and he would end up in a lot of trouble.
Meng Chao was confident that he could fight against military nobles with great backgrounds.
But he did not have the time.
Meng Chao knew from the memories of his previous life that the highest leader of the Turan civilization who hosted the Battle of Glory this time was the War Chief, and he was from the Golden Clan.
Hence, he did not have the time to stay in Black Corner City and fool around with the Ox-heads, Horse-faces, Wild Boars, and Wild Elephants of the Blood Hoof Tribe.
He had to get resources as soon as possible, heal his wounds, obtain totems, recover his strength, leave Black Corner City, and head to the center of Turan Lake, where the Golden Clan's main city was. Then, he would look for the highest leader of the Turan civilization!
Because of that, a partner who was of equal strength and could get what they needed from each other was incredibly important.
'I wonder how Leaf is doing up there,' Meng Chao thought.
'Will he be able to digest and absorb all the things I stuffed into his body? Will he be able to find a suitable ace gladiator?' Meng Chao thought.
While he was thinking, the sound of a metal rod striking the fence came from above him.
A piercing light broke through the darkness and swept across the rat people's faces and bodies.
In the end, it lingered on the intersecting, dense, and deep wounds on Meng Chao's body for a long time.
"So, you're the harvester?"
A voice asked, half impatiently, half sarcastically.
A thought appeared in Meng Chao's head, and he nodded.
"Why is your name like that?"
The voice asked while stifling his laughter. "Are you really good at harvesting things, or are you often harvested by others?"
…
Meng Chao was carried out of the dungeon on a simple stretcher made from Mandala tree branches by four ratfolk labourers.
Although his posture was very awkward, he was not willing to waste even a drop of energy to change it.
He focused all his spirit energy on his retina and cochlea so that he could collect all the images and audio around him.
The key was the details.
From the details that could be seen everywhere, a lot of information about a civilization could be inferred.
The shorthand symbols left in the depths of the dungeon had all been erased by him.
But the information regarding the Turan civilization had long since been imprinted in Meng Chao's brain.
At this moment, based on the newly observed details, he added the following information to his brain:
"The most important military facility of the Tulan civilization, the Colosseum, is comparable to a football stadium that can accommodate fifty thousand people on Earth, or even larger.
"These ancient and majestic buildings were all built from huge rocks that were cut very precisely, just like pyramids.
"However, between the rocks, a large amount of gum from the Datura Tree was added as a binding agent.
"And in the key parts of the overall structure, there are actually gigantic mandala trees that have sprouted from the ground.
"The Datura Trees are more than one hundred meters tall, and their branches cover a circular area of hundreds of meters. They form natural pillars, beams, and ceilings, ensuring that the entire building can stand for thousands of years without collapsing.
"This really brilliant construction method seems to have used biochemical technology that surpasses the current era. A part of the building isn't built from the ground, but 'grows' from the ground.
"I don't think that the current Turan civilization has such technology.
"Based on the casual conversations of the spectators in the distance, we can tell that the dozens of colosseums in Black Horn City have thousands of years of history. In fact, they were given to us by our ancestors more than ten thousand years ago.
"Does this mean that the ancestors of the Turan people once created a brilliant and glorious civilization that was far more advanced than the current era?
"That's highly possible.
"Because there are dozens of colosseums that can accommodate more than fifty thousand people in Black Horn City.
"This means that this city has at least a million permanent residents. When the Glory Era arrives, the warriors from various towns and settlements will gather here, and the population will increase by five or even ten times.
"The size of a city is closely related to how advanced a civilization is.
"It's hard to imagine that a clan civilization in the medieval era could have more than one glorious city with millions or even tens of millions of people.
"It's said that each of the cities in Turan Continent is very ancient. They were built by the ancestors who the Turan people respect greatly.
"Ancestral spirits are incredibly important and sacred words in the Turan language.
"They seem to have died a long time ago, but they also seem to control the life and death of the Turan people, their honor, their fate, and everything else.
"Just what did the ancestors of the Turan people look like?"
While thinking about this, Meng Chao saw Leaf.
Compared to when he left the underground prison, the current rat man teenager looked completely different.
He wore armor made of wild cow hide, and there was a bone blade at his waist. He puffed out his chest, and he no longer looked as inexperienced and panicked as when he had just entered the underground prison.
"Lord Harvester!"
When Leaf saw Meng Chao, he was delighted and went up to him.
However, when he saw Meng Chao's injuries, he was shocked.
It was dark in the depths of the underground prison, and most of Meng Chao's body was submerged in dirty water, so he could not see him clearly.
Now, with the help of the strong sunlight, Leaf finally understood just how badly Meng Chao was injured.
He could not help but gasp in amazement. Just what sort of monster was the Lord Harvester made of? Even though he was injured so badly, he could still activate the shining lines and arrows in his body to help him change and be reborn.
It was simply too amazing!
"Are you alright?"
Leaf quickly went forward and carefully supported Meng Chao. "You need treatment!"
"Don't worry, I'm fine."
In truth, he had gathered a lot of energy from the deep-fried Mandala Fruits over the past few days, so he could have long since treated most of the seemingly terrifying wounds on his skin.
One of the reasons why he did not do so was because he wanted to use the energy to repair his more important organs and spirit meridians.
Another reason was that Meng Chao did not want others to know just how fast his wounds healed.
He was alone in Turan Continent, which was filled with variables. The more trump cards he had, the better it would be.
If possible, he really wanted to appear in front of King Turan, the War Chieftain, covered in wounds and on the brink of death!
"Let's talk about your situation first."
Meng Chao looked at Leaf's smug expression and smiled. "Looks like you've already found a suitable gladiator."
"That's right. Based on your orders, I gave my deep-fried Mandala Fruits to the weakest and oldest ratfolk laborer who seemed to have been bullied by a lot of people after we arrived at the new recruit training camp. Then, I pretended to be pitiful in front of him, and he told me a lot about the Blood Skull Coliseum and the ace gladiators!"
Leaves widened her sparkling eyes and stared at Meng Chao in admiration. "But, Lord Harvester, how did you know that this laborer would be the most well-informed and would be willing to tell me?" Meng Chao was speechless.
"It's simple," Meng Chao explained.
"Since he's the weakest ratfolk laborer and looks like he's been bullied, it's clear that he doesn't have enough to eat, and it's easy for him to be bribed by a few deep-fried Mandala Fruits.
"And since he's older, it means that he's been in the Blood Skull Coliseum for a long time, so he naturally has more chances to come into contact with the news here.
"Also, when the older ratfolk see a young boy like you, it's easy for them to take care of you as if you're their nephew. When they see how thin you are, it's normal for them to tell you some information so that you have a chance to stay alive."
"I see."
Leaf scratched his head and said, "In any case, I've asked around. Over the past half a year, there have been four aces in the Blood Skull Coliseum who have won thirty to fifty matches in a row. The one I'm following right now, Madam Ice Tempest, fits your requirements the best. She's the most eccentric and doesn't get along with people. Besides, she ran into a problem that's not too big, but not too small."
"Don't be anxious. Tell me slowly," Meng Chao said.
"I heard Ice Tempest's name in the dungeon. I know that she's a female Snow Leopard Warrior from the Golden Clan, and she's considered an outsider in Black Horn City. But the people of Turan don't seem to be xenophobic. At the very least, among the five clans, they speak based on their strength, and they don't discriminate against outsiders. There are plenty of gladiators in the Blood Skull Coliseum, and they're all outsiders. Why is she so unsociable?"
"Because she doesn't want to officially join a family through the Blood Bestowal Ritual," Leaf said.
"Most of the outsiders in Black Horn City break off their ties with their past through the Blood Bestowal Ritual. They join brand new families and become part of the Blood Hoof Clan.
"The foreign gladiators in the Blood Skull Coliseum are the same regardless of whether they're lionmen, tigermen, lizardmen, or gnolls.
"To become a new member of the military aristocracy that has been passed down for thousands of years in the Blood Hoof Clan, many of the foreign gladiators fight to the death in the arena.
"Only Madam Ice Tempest is incredibly arrogant. I heard that even the owner of the Blood Skull Coliseum, the Blood Hoof Clan, which has the right to be part of a clan, extended an olive branch to her, but she scorned it. She's been in Black Horn City for a long time, but she hasn't joined a single clan!
"Even though it's a great humiliation for the rat people to run away or raise our hands to surrender, it's still a great humiliation.
"But to the lords who are born with the blood of glory flowing in their veins, submitting to the powerful fighter who defeated them and changing clans is a special privilege that our ancestors allowed them to do. Many of the lords do this.
"Madam Ice Tempest isn't willing to carry out the Blood Bestowal Ritual, so the foreign gladiators who changed clans are a little embarrassed. They don't know how they should face Madam Ice Tempest!"
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