The Taiwan Server System

"There are some here too?" Chen Ce was somewhat surprised.

"Indeed, though they aren't Noxian soldiers—or rather, they used to be, but they aren't anymore."

"That's quite a novelty... During wartime, there are actually Noxians here who aren't soldiers?"

"Of course, and quite a few of them." The boss chuckled, his tone rising as if he were speaking of something he took great pride in: "They all come here to make money or lose it. You could say it's a specialty of our town."

"Make money?"

"You seem to know nothing at all... Where are you from?"

"The north." Chen Ce deliberately blurred the name of the Placidium. "I am a traveler, heading south from the north."

"Oh, a traveler." The boss nodded thoughtfully, then squeezed out a slightly lecherous look. "No wonder your female companion is so beautiful—I've heard beauties love travelers. Especially our Vastayan women, heh."

Chen Ce remained noncommittal.

After a brief pause, the innkeeper continued: "As for making money, that naturally refers to the Underground Fighting Pit—well, perhaps I shouldn't be telling you this, but these are chaotic times, and I suppose no one has the time to care about such things, heh."

"Underground Fighting Pit?" Hearing this term, a half-human, half-Vastayan figure suddenly flashed through Chen Ce's mind.

"Yes, the fighting pit." The innkeeper lowered his voice again, yet he couldn't hide the pride in his tone. "Anyone can enter, whether to participate in the fights or to place bets. Those Noxians just love that sort of thing."

"Was this Underground Fighting Pit established by the Noxians?"

"That, it was not. The Underground Fighting Pit has existed for a long time, and as for the founder... honestly, it's hard to trace. In any case, the current owner on the surface is an Ionian."

"I see..." Chen Ce pondered for a moment, then pulled a gold coin from his cloth bag. "May I ask you about someone?"

Seeing money to be made, the smile on the boss's face widened. "Of course you may, my respected guest."

"Sett. Have you heard this name?" Chen Ce asked, getting straight to the point about what concerned him most.

The Boss, Sett, Ionia's greatest filial son and its strongest pugilist.

Oh, and the "One-Punch Man" of the Rift.

"Sett... hmmm..." The innkeeper stroked his beard for a long while, but eventually shook his head with regret. "Sorry, I haven't heard that name."

He withdrew his hand, which had been reaching for the gold coin. He knew the rules.

However, Chen Ce didn't mind building some goodwill.

"Then please keep an eye out for me." He tossed the gold coin onto the table; the beautiful arc made the boss's eyes pop.

Having done this, he prepared to head straight back to his room to rest—since the innkeeper hadn't heard of Sett, it proved that at this point in time, Sett had not yet become the "Underground Emperor" of Ionia, and finding him in the vast sea of people would be too difficult.

Furthermore... even if he were found, it might not be of much use.

For one, Sett's abilities weren't particularly suited for battlefield combat, and for another, he cared for nothing and no one except his mother; getting him to join the Resistance Army would be quite difficult.

Rather than spending time on him, it would be better to prepare more to try and awaken and befriend Syndra—that was the "super weapon" capable of overturning the battlefield of two nations single-handedly.

Chen Ce carried his half-box of dry rations, ready to return to his room.

But the moment he stepped onto the stairs, the innkeeper suddenly called out to him:

"Wait, guest... I cannot take your money for nothing."

The innkeeper caught up to him, then whispered as if sharing a secret:

"I heard there is a heavyweight fighting match tomorrow night... The prize is the Imero Stone by the great sculptor Imero—a whole pair. Tomorrow's match will be spectacular, and many wealthy socialites will be in attendance. Perhaps you could inquire about that... what was it... Sett, there?"

Hearing this, Chen Ce stopped in his tracks.

Not because he might be able to find out Sett's whereabouts from the wealthy socialites tomorrow, but because...

Because of the prize.

The Imero Stone by the sculptor Imero.

That was... another name for the twin gemstones in Ahri's possession.

Of course, the object itself possessed no magic; it was Ahri's magic that gave it power, but...

It concerned the mystery of Ahri's origin.

Ahri had been searching for this item to uncover the mystery of her birth—how she came to be, what her tribe was called, and where her people were.

She only knew that she had carried those twin gemstones with her since she first had memories.

"Thank you, I will keep that in mind." Chen Ce responded with a smile.

Meanwhile, in the room upstairs, Ahri, who was bathing, suddenly twitched her furry fox ears.

She had heard it... Imero Stone.

"Boss!"

Chapter 42: Ko Noo Sett Da!

"Imero... Imero Stone!"

"Look, look, the pair of gemstones in This Concubine's hands are also called Imero Stones! A woman named Xirun told This Concubine! She is a merchant! This Concubine has seen this item in her memories!"

"She did not lie to This Concubine; this pair of gemstones is truly called Imero Stones! The work of the sculptor Imero!"

"If one could find the sculptor Imero... that man with the butterfly mustache... perhaps he could tell This Concubine the mystery of This Concubine's origin!"

"Boss, won't you take this concubine to that Underground Fighting Pit?"

"You don't need to worry about the fighting part, this concubine won't be a burden... this concubine... this concubine can handle it herself!"

"If it really comes to it... this concubine will just ask for directions and find it! You just need to wait for this concubine for a moment!"

"Boss~~~!"

Inside the cramped hotel room, Ahri, who had just finished bathing and still had slightly damp hair, grabbed Chen Ce's hand and shook it incessantly, acting spoiled.

Likewise, because she had just bathed, she wasn't wearing her usual red and white outer garment, but only a sleeveless, tight-fitting base layer—the one she usually wore underneath. Every time her body swayed, her full breasts would bounce along with it...

Her lower body was clad only in a garment similar to safety shorts, leaving her long, fair legs completely exposed. Paired with her nine constantly swaying fox tails, her allure was off the charts.

"Ahem... well..." Chen Ce coughed twice, pulling his hand away while shifting his gaze. "About this... I never said I wouldn't take you..."

"You agreed!" Ahri's joy made her eyes seem to glow, and her pair of fuzzy, pointed ears stood straight up in an instant.

"Going to take a look will only take a day anyway, consider it a break," Chen Ce said. "But in return, I hope you work harder for me in the future."

"Of course!"

"Once we reach Fae'lor Island, you must follow my instructions at all times... you might even encounter some danger."

"No problem!"

"Well, in that case, I'll help you out this once."

"Heehee~ Boss is the best~ Mua~" Ahri blew a kiss and used her nine tails to wrap around Chen Ce, who was sitting on a chair, pulling him over.

Now they were both sitting on the bed.

"...What are you doing?" Chen Ce instinctively wanted to break free, but he had to admit those large tails were quite strong.

"As a thank you, this concubine will lend you her tails tonight~" Ahri smiled sweetly, her charming face filled with innocence. "This concubine's tails are very soft; you can use them as a pillow to sleep on, or even as a blanket~"

"...But I booked another room next door."

"Oh, don't waste the money; this bed is clearly big enough for two people."

"..."

"Then this concubine will go to sleep first. You should sleep early too; you need to replenish your energy so we can get the Imero Stone tomorrow~"

With that, Ahri flopped down and went straight to sleep, not minding at all that her body was revealing quite a beautiful sight.

Chen Ce felt a bit helpless, but he didn't struggle anymore.

He lay on his side on the other edge of the bed, letting the nine fluffy fox tails gently cover him—oh, he had pulled one up to use as a pillow.

Indeed... it was quite comfortable.

Much softer than a blanket...

After a day and a night of rest, Chen Ce's previous fatigue was swept away. When he sought out the hotel owner, the latter exclaimed, "Young people have such great energy; you fought all day in the room and yet you're even more spirited now."

Regarding this remark, Ahri was full of question marks, unable to understand—fight? What fight? She would never fight her own boss.

Chen Ce was too lazy to explain. After he pulled out another gold coin, the owner readily agreed to lead the way.

Including yesterday's coin, two gold coins were worth several days of his turnover; he naturally wouldn't refuse such a small task as showing the way—besides, the Underground Fighting Pit was no secret here; anyone who paid could enter.

He was a regular at the Underground Fighting Pit. After winding through a few remote, filthy alleys, he brought the two to their destination—a place that looked like an ordinary tavern from the outside.

Passing through a few hidden doors, a massive, circular, arena-style structure came into view.

"The entrance fee is three silver coins per person. I'll go pay for you." The hotel owner rubbed his hands while staring at the cloth bag at Chen Ce's waist, the implication clear. "Since it's your first time, you can only sit in the back row. You can walk around if you want, but be careful not to let others take your seats—you know, it's not a wise choice to get into conflicts with others in a place like this."

"Mm, thanks." Chen Ce handed the man six silver coins, then took Ahri, who was hidden under a coat and hood, to find a secluded corner to sit.

"It... it stinks here." As soon as she sat down, Ahri pinched her nose with a look of disgust.

The air in the Underground Fighting Pit was filled with the smell of nicotine and alcohol. The sweat and saliva wantonly shed by the men fermented on the floor, which was rarely cleaned, making the stench truly foul.

To make matters worse, her sense of smell was many times sharper than an average person's, making it feel even more nauseating.

"Just endure it." Chen Ce replied casually, his gaze already fixed on the ring in the center of the arena.

The ring was somewhat like an "octagon cage" from later times, but even larger. The floor was covered in blood, and if one looked closely, they might even find some... tissue fragments.

Soon, the first fight of the night began—a battle between two Ionians, both muscular brutes, each wielding weapons.

Yes, although it was called the "Underground Fighting Pit," it actually didn't limit combat to just fists—perhaps it was more like an "underground arena" or "underground death match."

The first fight was intense. Both sides' weapons left each other bloodied and mangled, with blood splattering everywhere. A wave of cheers erupted from the audience, everyone unleashing their violent desires to the fullest at this moment.

However, Chen Ce keenly noticed that the wealthy merchants and elites in the "VIP seats" above the audience didn't show much interest, nor did they cheer or celebrate—it seemed this first match wasn't the reason they had come today.

They were waiting for the final "championship defense."

The final battle where the prize was the "Imero Stone."

"Boss, when do we go up?" Although Ahri liked watching the show, she had no interest in such crude fighting and was even somewhat repulsed by it. "This concubine only wants the Imero Stone; I don't want to watch these things."

"Don't be impatient," Chen Ce said. "We found out about this news too late and don't have the qualifications to compete. If we want to get the Imero Stone, we have to use some... special methods."

"What special methods?"

"Challenge the champion directly."

"...Eh?" Ahri blinked, still not quite following.

Chen Ce couldn't be bothered to explain further, focusing his attention entirely on the arena—he needed to gauge the general strength of the contestants in this Underground Fighting Pit before making any decisions.

The innkeeper had said that according to the rules of the Underground Fighting Pit, once all matches concluded, any non-participant had the right to directly challenge the champion. The champion would then set the constraints for the challenger based on their current state, and surrender was forbidden during the match; it would continue until one side died or the victor chose to end it.

So... this was a deathmatch.

He didn't like gambling on things that weren't absolutely necessary.

"Avase! Avase!"

As the first three matches ended, a wave of incredibly intense cheering erupted from the stands—they were mostly chanting one person's name.

"The invincible Avase!"

"Use the most brutal methods to kill your opponent!"

"Snap his neck! Then rip his intestines out through his mouth!"

"Avase! Avase!"

The clamor grew increasingly fervent, and even the wealthy merchants and socialites in the VIP boxes finally began to take interest.

Chen Ce knew that while this fourth match might not be the final one, it was certainly a pivotal bout that would determine the champion—especially since the contestant named Avase was likely the default champion in the minds of most of the audience.

He found himself feeling a rare spark of interest.

But what piqued his interest even more... was Avase's opponent.

In the dark, deserted corner, he caught sight of a half-Vastaya figure... a figure he found somewhat familiar...

No one cheered for that contestant; not a single person favored him.

Yet, he still walked into the arena with his head held high and his chest puffed out.