Act 10: MATAFAKA, Cute Little Darling

[Part 1: The bigger a person is, the smaller they seem]

As agreed upon in the wager, Meteor and Duran followed the steward Sirius to the cellar of the Church of Dionysus.

Before the gamble officially began, A Xing had made ample preparations—his primary weapon was still the Coyote Ace, and he carried twelve shotgun shells and two flashbangs, the last remaining supplies he had salvaged from the Nostalgia.

His Flash Butterfly Armor was to be sent for inspection along with the cargo of the Materialist group, and he didn't bring many firearms, bullets, or explosives.

The Quick Knife brothers dismantled materialism to pieces to evade customs' watchful eyes. Even the Nameless Flash Butterfly Armor had to be disassembled and re-woven to pass through customs. Not to mention the parts of firearms and guns, even the rifling smoothbore barrel of the Coyote Ace had to be removed, and the ammunition had to be soaked in pickle jars to get through customs.

His secondary weapon was Berloberg, and he also equipped Duran with a stab-proof vest and gave her one of Berloberg's kitchen knives—hoping that this woman's blood-soaked body could wield this white god's sharp blade.

Entering the cellar from behind the statue of the goddess of abundance on the first floor of the church, the butler led the way by stepping on the trapdoor, revealing a dark tunnel extending downwards.

Sirius Parker led the way, giving explanations as he went.

"East Horse Port's historical status in Great Xia has always been awkward."

"In terms of ocean trade, it can't compare to Sendai. It has no iron ore mines and can't station troops there."

"But the climate here is good, and most powerful warlords chose this auspicious place to retire, leaving their descendants here to spread their influence. Their ancestral halls are also located here."

"More than 170 years ago, Gloria bought this land on Magpie Mountain with the intention of robbing tombs for money and excavating the tomb of the former governor of East Horse Port."

"She was both surprised and delighted when the excavation was only halfway done. They dug out a refuge by following the governor's coffin."

"There's also a local gazetteer in the tomb. After reading it all, it turns out this old governor was also a cuckoo in the nest, trying to find auspicious burial sites and treasures, but ended up digging up the underground defense works of the previous governor."

"Continuing to excavate along this refuge, there are more than one defense project in the Queshan Mountain. It is very large, with large tombs connected to smaller tombs, as well as human sacrifice burial pits, one after another."

"The largest cavity is actually an ancient arena. As for how this arena came to be, the warlords who dug the pits and occupied the land didn't record it in the local chronicles, so it's probably hard to verify—otherwise, they would definitely have inscribed such a glorious event on their epitaphs."

"Right here."

Parker pointed to the beast-shaped statue in the passageway, gently pried open the fluorite in the statue's mouth, and a faint light flashed, opening the trapdoor of the underground tomb passage.

Meteor looked back at the dark path it had come from, then peered into the cave ahead. The door seemed to have appeared out of nowhere; it wasn't on the main road—it was like a side door of a corridor. The T-junction seemed to lead to an unfathomable abyss, as if it led to even deeper places.

Duran chuckled lightly, "Scared?"

To be honest, I'm a little scared of meteors.

It wasn't that I was afraid of the dark, nor that I was afraid that some monster might be hiding in the intricate underground tomb passages.

He wondered to himself, just how large is the Queshan Ruins? And if they continued to explore deeper, what secrets might be hidden within these underground caves?

Driven by curiosity, his body was involuntarily drawn into the dark, lightless cave.

Sirius and Duran are blood-born, and they both possess some degree of night vision, making returning to the dark feel as natural and comforting as coming home.

After Meteor followed the two inside, he kept tapping and banging on the murals and reliefs on both sides of the vaulted ceiling, always asking about anything strange or unusual he saw.

Mr. Sirius, the butler, was subjected to the ultimate torment brought on by the General of Tears —a pain the gunsmith had personally experienced. In order to fulfill his duties as a host and to uphold the Gloria, the butler had no choice but to bite the bullet and answer every question.

Meteor: "What's this? It's precious, isn't it? It glows!"

Sirius Parker: "Nothing special, just a type of gabbro."

Meteor: "What about this? What about this? What's this mural? It's so abstract, why does it look so familiar? I'll take a picture and upload it to the archives of the College of Arts and Sciences in 1773 later."

"It was carved by Lady Gloria herself, Misae from Crayon Shin-chan," Parker explained patiently. "General of Tears, this cave is very old, and many of the decorations were added by Gloria later."

"Oh, oh." Meteor had just quieted down when, less than half a minute later, she saw a set of white bronze utensils placed next to the beast-shaped lamp. She immediately ran over, picked it up, and excitedly asked, "Is this a treasure? Is it an antique? Such a big bowl! How much can you eat in one meal?"

Sirius Parker: "It was last week."

Meteor: "How many years ago was last week?"

Sirius: "Last week was last week."

Meteor: "I know! It's the Zhou Dynasty!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "The maid brought it in to replace it last week. There's no toilet in the cave, and they're not Blood-giving Monster. This is a chamber pot—red copper vessels will turn verdigris in a few days, while white copper doesn't corrode easily, and it's too dark in the cave, so it's easy to find because it reflects light."

"Oh!" Meteor quickly let go and threw the thing back. "Oh, that explains why it smells like urine."

"I really find it hard to believe," the steward murmured to Duran, "Is this young man of twenty-five or twenty-six really the nameless General of Tears? He looks completely different from the image reported in the alliance's battle reports."

"Some people look like they have a terminal illness," Duran whispered in response, "But they actually have an extraordinary skill."

Sirius only half understood, his expression initially strange, then he seemed relieved.

--Since Ms. Duran comes from the Little Brotherhood, Little Brotherhood is a mysterious society that practices divination and fortune telling, it's normal for them to like telling riddles.

The tunnel descends along the terrain, and upon emerging from the hole, one can see a huge funnel-shaped space, which is the core area of the ancient arena.

It resembles a neatly cut crater or a semi-circular cauldron. Layer upon layer of steps form the spectator seating area of the arena, while the bottom of the cauldron is the cooking area for the main course. There are six doorways leading to other places—presumably rest rooms for the duelists.

Descending the low slope and steps, there were no torches to illuminate this open space. Every ten meters or so, there were fluorites providing a faint light source, resulting in extremely low visibility. In this environment, even if a meteor's eyes had adapted to the darkness, it would be unable to distinguish between humans and animals at a distance of twenty meters.

In the center of the arena, there were two blurry figures, one large and one small. Meteor couldn't see them clearly at first, but as he got closer, the two outlines gradually became clearer. They were the two opponents in this bet— Madam Bailan and her agent.

Gloria Sebastian, holding the Old Bones's coffin, waited for the actors to arrive before calling out loudly.

"Do we need to give any introductions or explanations before we begin? Do we need to clearly explain the rules?"

Just as Meteor jumped down from the core area, supporting Duran's feet and helping the frail older sister down, they heard heavy breathing coming from the enemy camp— Madam Bailan's agent had spoken.

"Lady Gloria, Your Eminence, Goddess of Dionysus"

"I know you saved Bailan from her suffering and gave her a second chance at life, but the Bailan of today is not the same Bailan of the past—she's a big name in Southeast China now! A celebrity! A highly sought-after person!"

"You're so kind of person, always hiring a singing girl to do this hard and tiring work. What if she loses her life here? What will I do then?"

Gloria stood in the stands, observing the agent with great interest.

"--I was the one who handed Lü Piaopiao over to you, hoping you would grant her a life of wealth and luxury."

The agent immediately bowed and replied, "Yes."

Gloria: "She earns money for you, and you do the packaging for her; you each get what you want."

The agent, not daring to look up, replied, "Indeed."

Gloria called out her manager's real name, "Mr. Bohua, did I say her life was in your hands?"

"No, no," Mr. Bohua replied immediately, "It's just that I still feel a little uncomfortable."

"If you don't want to gamble, you can quit now." Gloria waved her hand, as if shooing away a fly. "East Horse Port has no shortage of unfortunate people. I can help her turn her life around, and I can help others too—are you short of this opportunity? If you're afraid of dying, then get lost."

"I knew it, sir, you are a kind-hearted person," the man who ran a human flesh business immediately flattered.

Gloria quickly stopped her. "If you see a cat or dog on the street and it's cute, and you give it an extra bone, is that what you call kindness? Bailan's business is business, but in my eyes, she's just a cat and a dog—when it comes to feelings, it's meaningless."

[Part 1: Horse-head Ghost and Harpy]

Having reached this point, Mr. Bohua decided not to press the matter further.

--Bailan was a cash cow that he cultivated, packaged, and nurtured for six years.

Occasionally, they would be sent to Gloria to participate in the gambling rituals, and he always looked after them, so there were no major problems.

This time, Derrick Jokic is dead. According to the butler, the enemy was very strong, a renowned and formidable unknown.

The boss had no choice but to join in, to participate in this bloody, life-or-death game.

If Bailan dies, all those years of hard work will be in vain, and everything will have to start all over again— Bo Hua is unwilling to accept this.

On the other side, the singer herself appeared remarkably calm.

She tilted her head back, tidying her hair to reveal her forehead—trying not to obstruct her vision. Her body, having received the blood transfusion, was in good condition, and her bright eyes emitted a bewitching red light in the darkness.

"Gloria, this is the guy who killed Derek and Christina? Is that right?"

Bailan's voice sounds clear and powerful, and is full of emotion.

In that instant, the meteor felt a deep-seated hatred—

"--I'll skin you alive, General of Tears, come and gamble with your life."

As she said this, the singer quickly walked up to Duran and Meteor, no more than ten steps away.

The crimson eyes in the darkness revealed a cold and austere figure. As they drew closer, one could see a sharp and sleek leather armor and a gleaming ring-pommel sword.

The singer's face was pale. In the dark cave, her leather armor made her look like a lonely human head hanging in mid-air. At first glance, she looked like a flying head monster. But the head was gradually changing. Grayish-white feathers crawled out from her neck and chin, and she was about to turn back into her beast form and become a harpy.

The towering giant beside the singer also revealed his true form, slowly moving into the shooting star's field of vision.

Mr. Bohua's back slowly arched, transforming him into a half-beast form, growing a horse's face—

--The white spot between his eyebrows became visible, and his originally fitted long clothes bulged out along with his bulging muscles.

The Horse-head Ghost's body swelled up several sizes, tearing through its outer and inner garments. Finally, panting heavily, it tore off the tattered strips of cloth, revealing the muscle lines beneath its shiny brown fur.

Meteor slowly raised her head, following Mr. Bohua's horse-faced head and his suddenly swollen height of 2.6 meters, moving her gaze upwards.

"Oh!!!"

His mouth dropped open, his eyes filled with curiosity and surprise.

--The feeling was hard for Duran to describe. It was like Fairy Tale Kingdom organizing an event, a spring outing to the zoo for the elementary school students of Daji Town. These little babies saw all sorts of monsters in the Animal Pen -- and that's how they reacted.

"Derek loves his daughter so much!" Madam Bailan raised her knife, her voice filled with anger and reproach. "How could you bear to do this! Do you have no heart at all!"

Meteor didn't understand for a moment.

Bailan continued, "Do you want to hurt Gloria? She's so gentle! So kind! Why?! You heartless madman!"

"Is she talking to me?" Meteor Super whispered.

Duran: "Why don't you go ask her? Don't ask me."

A Xing was honest and shouted it out loud.

"Are you talking to me?"

"What else can I do!" Bailan cried out in anguish and helplessness.

--For her, Derek Jokic is a good partner in her acting career, a kind and amiable uncle next door, Christina is also a good sister who has always been by her side before she became famous.

Gloria Sebastian found them, and her blood made them who they were.

For Bailan, the Great Xia Dynasty was a place where people were constantly being devoured; this was the natural law of survival of the fittest.

Dionysus changed her destiny; that is the greatest favor. Her friendship with Derek and his daughter is a priceless treasure.

But this is an anonymous person.

"How much human flesh has that woman eaten?! Her breath stinks!" A Xing lifted Berloberg, and the Blade of Light instantly illuminated the entire arena. "You have a big problem with me?! Because I killed your freakish relatives!?"

The thought of Derek dying at the hands of an unknown person made Bailan tremble with rage and almost speechless.

Bu Liuxing raised his sword and pointed it at the stands. He took the holy blood of the god of wine from his bag, and the red stone hanging on his chest began to burn.

"Old Bones! Let's begin! I've waited long enough!"

Before Gloria could open the skeleton's coffin, the Hunter King voluntarily crawled out of the box.

A scorching wave of air swept across the Immortals's cheeks, making Gloria's face flush red. She could feel the spiritual pressure surging and the fury rising within this young body.

The Immortals originally thought that the General of Tears might be deceived by the singer's appearance, or that she might hesitate because of her beautiful, tearful face.

But now it seems he easily overcame the allure of a beautiful woman.

"I feel it!" Bu Liuxing drank the holy blood and hid the White Snake behind his back.

He said to Madam Bailan, "You seem to be in a lot of pain, you look so pitiful."

"But it doesn't matter! Death will end the pain and the pitifulness! I won't have to be a cannibal anymore! The whole family can be together!"

"My older brother is a doctor. If we call him in to listen to the patient's heart and lungs, guess what he'll say—"

"--It's a minor issue; the body is just a little uncomfortable."

The Old Bones, tapping his castanets, couldn't quite hold back when he heard Meteor's lame joke.

Its chin wasn't very nimble, and it floated to the center of the arena.

"You're crazy, you made me laugh."