Chu Ke took a careful look. This Hero's skills were quite interesting.
Natalie Dialo (Hero of the North)
Class: Paladin lv30
Constitution: 90; Resistance: 170; Recovery: 70; Magic Power: 102
Skills: Lie Detection lvmax (Passive); Holy Judgment lv7; Heart of Justice (Unique). (Expand to view remaining 21 entries)
Class-exclusive Skill: Holy God Link
Whenever the user formed bonds with more and stronger people, they would receive a portion of the bonded person's attributes or skills as feedback. (Current number of bonds: 0)
Lie Detection would definitely not work against Chu Ke's true body under the effects of Fundamental Forces, but he was only an ordinary clone at the moment.
"Interesting." Chu Ke suddenly had an idea.
"What did you say?" Dialo sat down in the seat beside Chu Ke. Her full suit of metal armor clattered as its pieces struck one another. Her golden hair cascaded freely, like a waterfall of liquid gold.
"Nothing." Chu Ke turned to look at the woman. "You're a Hero, right? The Hero of the North."
Dialo's left hand tightened. She turned to Chu Ke, frowning. "You appraised me?"
The Appraisal skill could naturally be used by the strong on the weak, but it was ultimately a very impolite thing to do. Generally, no one would say it outright.
"Yeah, I just looked." Chu Ke pulled out a sheet of paper and wiped the popcorn syrup from his hands, then extended his hand toward Dialo. "Nice to meet you. Chu Ke, Hero of the East."
Dialo froze. This city was indeed close to Lake of Truth, and she had considered the possibility of encountering other Heroes, but she had not expected it to be such a coincidence.
Her innate Lie Detection ability had not reacted, which meant that everything this man said was true.
"Hello, I'm Natalie Dialo, Hero of Holiness." Once Dialo realized that he was also a Hero, she no longer cared about Chu Ke using Appraisal on her. The demon race had long sent people to infiltrate human territory and assassinate Heroes, so a little caution was perfectly normal. She herself had encountered an assassination attempt not long ago. If not for her Lie Detection ability, she would have fallen for it.
Besides, this young man named Chu Ke had openly admitted that he had used Appraisal on her. That left quite a good impression on Dialo, who had grown used to deception.
But having a good impression was one thing. Following procedure was another.
Dialo clasped Chu Ke's hand and smiled brightly. "I believe you're a Hero, but I still have to ask."
"Have you ever considered secretly colluding with the demon race and betraying your original faction?"
As she spoke, the light around Dialo seemed to reflect off her golden hair, becoming a little brighter.
Chu Ke was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartily. "I swear that I absolutely do not know a single demon, nor have I ever considered secretly colluding with the demon race or betraying my original faction."
Every word was true.
"I'm very glad to meet you, Chu Ke, Hero of the East." Dialo's smile became more sincere. She pulled Vega over from the side and introduced her. "This is Violet Vega, the person who saved my life when I met her outside this city. Don't let her delicate appearance fool you—she's a great mage!"
When Dialo looked at Vega, Vega put on a pitiful expression, looking exactly like a bullied little girl. But the instant Dialo looked away, Vega's expression returned to its icy state, as though everyone owed her eight million.
Damn it, Dialo, run! A lesbian has her eye on you!
Chu Ke nodded. "I know her."
The contestants in the next match were competing for this woman. How could he not know her?
He also understood Dialo's overly familiar personality. Since Chu Ke had not concealed anything from her, and with the boost in goodwill combined with a skill that encouraged forming bonds, making friends widely was the correct choice. He just did not know what degree of bond her skill referred to.
"Do you want to go to Lake of Truth together afterward?" Dialo invited him.
For some reason, Chu Ke now had the strange feeling of a creepy older guy inviting him over to his house.
"Sure." Chu Ke nodded coldly, transforming into an ice goblin bro.
He was more interested in this match now.
Dialo did not say anything else. She quietly settled in and prepared to watch with him.
Only Vega, from behind Dialo where she could not see, cast Chu Ke a stare that made his back prickle.
Chu Ke looked at her, flashed a cheerful smile, and scooted his butt closer to Dialo.
The stare prickling at his back became even more intense.
That felt great. Being a bastard was comfortable.
When he had the chance, he would dye his hair blond.
Before long, the match began.
At the referee's command from above, the two competitors slowly entered the arena.
They were Rhode, dressed in a gray linen Martial Arts Uniform, and Garo, dressed in an orange Martial Arts Uniform.
The first thing they did upon meeting was provoke each other.
"Hmph, I heard someone is still stuck at level 17."
"Trash, level isn't everything. The one who'll ultimately marry Xiao Zi is—"
Chu Ke yawned and emptied his mind.
When he came back to himself, their trash-talking segment had already ended, and the referee was announcing the rules and countdown.
"Thank you, Senior," Chu Ke muttered.
Sure enough, if you skipped enough cutscenes, you could skip your own life too!
It was really useful.
"Huh? What did you say?" The curious Dialo heard Chu Ke's muttering.
"I was thanking a senior. He taught me a secret technique that can skip time." Chu Ke answered casually without even looking at her.
"Huh! That amazing?" Dialo said in surprise.
She would be perfect as a straight man in a comedy duo, going out for cigarettes, drinks, and perms with Teacher Yu Qian.
"(Inhale) Don't just believe everything he says!" Vega finally could not take it anymore. She inhaled and shouted angrily.
"What a rare way of speaking." Chu Ke was shocked too. He had not expected to encounter someone who actually talked like that in real life.
"But everything he said is true." The idiot baby Dialo looked completely serious.
"(Inhale) How could that be! I've learned so much magic."
Chu Ke did not listen to what the two were saying, because the fight below had officially begun.
They were both Martial Artists, so the spectacle was quite flashy. All kinds of energy flares filled the sky, like some legendary browser game.
As for the damage, all he could say was, "Stop fighting! (Heavy rain, two people, dance battle)"
Because the higher-level Garo had awakened the Martial Artist's key skill, Battle Qi Protection, while the lower-level Rhode relied on special equipment for defense, after thirty minutes of fighting, the two were merely panting. There had been no substantial result.
Chu Ke frowned. He was starting to lose patience.
The other spectators also felt that their tickets had not been worth the money and began booing the pair.
Finally, after the two exchanged another wave of pathetic attacks, Chu Ke abruptly slapped his thigh and stood up.
He startled Dialo beside him.
Chu Ke stood up, grabbed at the air with his right hand, and shouted, "Grab his d—balls and twist them!"
The entire audience's booing suddenly stopped.
"Oh God!" An uncle sitting near Chu Ke went pale and turned back to stare at him in shock. "Although this is no-rules—"
Before the man could finish, Chu Ke ignored him and made another gesture. "Twist them, like this!"
The man and the other spectators fell silent for a moment. Then someone suddenly shouted, "Twist them!"
Perhaps because they felt this would make the fight more interesting and finally make their tickets worth it, the entire crowd's chants gradually went off the rails. "Twist them!"
"Twist them!"
"Twist them!!!"
I'm still recuperating in the hospital and typing on a tablet, so I can only repay these debts slowly. Sorry.
Thanks to reader Duan Jiayi for the 100-point donation, thank you, thank you! Lastly, please support me in every way!!