Someone in the Alliance, but it's the Taiwan Server System

"Good evening, Sett."

"..." Sett froze, his fist hanging in the air, unsure whether he should throw it.

"Oh my, is this a friend of yours, Sett?" A gentle female voice drifted from behind him.

The visitor—Chen Ce, naturally—stepped past Sett immediately. "Yes, ma'am. I'm a friend of Sett's, and his coworker as well. We've worked together as carpenters and stonemasons; we even worked together tonight."

"Oh! Please, do sit down."

"Thank you."

Chen Ce took the small wooden chair she offered and sat, smiling as he pointed to the gold coins Sett had just placed on the table.

"Has our filial Sett handed over his entire paycheck already? This is money from a job you'd be lucky to see once every six months. It's truly hard-earned."

"Hm?" Hearing this, Sett's mother looked surprised.

Then, her gaze toward Sett filled with guilt—she had misunderstood her precious son.

Meanwhile, Chen Ce was quietly sizing up the woman before him.

Her thick, silky pink hair was parted into two bundles resting on her shoulders and back. A pair of long ears, marking her as Vastaya, stood atop her head. She wore a set of old, coarse cloth clothes that had faded from too many washes.

She was no longer young—at least forty—but because the Vastaya have a longer average lifespan than humans, there wasn't a trace of age on her delicate features. She remained beautiful.

As for her temperament, perhaps due to her age, even though she looked no different from a girl in her early twenties, she lacked any youthful naivety. Instead, she possessed the "kindness" unique to a mature woman.

All in all, she was just as he had imagined.

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Chen Ce extended his right hand. "I'm very happy to make your acquaintance. My name is Chen Ce."

"I am happy to meet you too, child." Sett's mother extended her right hand to shake his, a warm smile gracing her beautiful, unadorned face.

"My name is Dodana."

Chapter 46: Sett's Mother: What Fighting? My Son is in College

It must be said, Sett's mother was truly beautiful.

She possessed the lovely face and figure of a twenty-year-old girl, yet carried the mature temperament of a woman in her thirties. With her gentle, kind nature and graceful, proper manners... she was quite simply the perfect wife.

If some gentlemen who admired the "legacy of Wei Wu" were here, they would likely have fallen at her feet on the spot—provided, of course, they could get past Sett.

To be Sett's father, one would have to contend with those iron fists.

Well... Chen Ce had no such intentions.

"Mrs. Dodana, I would like to discuss some work matters with Sett in private, if that's alright?" After the introductions and the handshake, they were officially acquainted.

"Oh, of course, that's fine." Mrs. Dodana nodded, a gentle smile returning to her face. "Go ahead and talk. I'm going to head back to my room to rest—but don't stay up too late. Your health is more important than work."

"Understood. Goodnight, Mrs. Dodana." Chen Ce waved goodbye.

"Goodnight~" Dodana waved back.

Soon, only Chen Ce, Ahri, and Sett remained in the living room.

In an instant, the smile vanished from Sett's face, replaced by a cold, hard expression.

"Who are you?" He lowered his voice, making his tone even colder and more menacing. "Why are you getting close to my mother, and why did you bring a Vastayan woman along to win her trust..."

The Vastaya he referred to was, of course, Ahri. She hadn't said a word from the start, quietly holding the fruit basket, and he naturally assumed she was Chen Ce's subordinate, maid, or perhaps even a "hired actress."

"Brought her along? Not at all. Ahri is my companion; we are together wherever we go." Chen Ce replied with a smile. "And I didn't intentionally approach Mrs. Dodana—on the contrary, I only stepped in because I felt you needed me to bail you out. Mrs. Dodana was about to discover your secret at the fighting pit, wasn't she?"

"A lying Ionian..." Sett clenched his massive iron fists, his anger rising. The second thing he hated most was being called a half-breed, but the thing he hated most of all was people insulting his mother or using her to threaten him.

Yes, he subconsciously assumed Chen Ce was doing the latter.

No one had visited his home in so long, and he had always kept his home address hidden from the underground fighting pit. How could someone suddenly show up at his door?

He didn't believe for a second that it was anything good.

"If you have something to say, let's go outside. Don't disturb my mother's rest...!"

"That is exactly my intention." Chen Ce nodded and followed him toward the door.

But the moment they stepped outside, a fist wrapped in cloth struck toward him.

Fortunately, he was prepared.

The instant he entered a state of [Meditation], he took Sett's probing punch head-on with his bare body.

And that punch made Sett's eyes widen in disbelief.

Even though he hadn't used his full strength, a direct hit to the abdomen should have... at the very least, caused a normal person to collapse in pain, clutching their stomach, perhaps even wailing...

Yet... this man, who was about his own age, was...

Completely fine?!

"Calm down, Sett. I mean no harm." Chen Ce brushed the dust off his clothes with an air of indifference, a smile still on his face. "I just want to talk to you about some... business."

"Business?" Sett cautiously put some distance between them, his fists still tightly clenched.

"Yes, business. To be honest, I want the prize you won tonight—those Imero Stones."

"Hm?"

Sett instinctively touched the pair of gemstones in his pocket, followed by a burst of loud laughter.

"You want my championship prize? Listen well, kid, this prize belongs to the champion! If you want it, beat me in the ring!"

"I came here precisely because I didn't want to beat you in the ring..." Chen Ce shook his head. "Perhaps we can complete this transaction in a more peaceful manner."

"Impossible!" Sett's eyes sharpened, and he suddenly threw another punch.

In his view, wanting to take his championship prize was equivalent to taking his championship.

It was a smear on the glory he had earned, and even more, an act of disrespect toward him.

He had had enough... of anyone's contempt.

"No one will ever take what belongs to me from my hands again!"

As a fist came flying, Chen Ce frowned while dodging to the side.

He had still underestimated Sett's ferocity... this half-Vastaya's temper was even more explosive than he had imagined. He wouldn't listen to a word, ready to brawl at the slightest provocation.

"I don't want to fight you, Sett." Chen Ce issued a final warning in a cold voice.

Unfortunately, Sett did not appreciate the gesture.

Those massive iron fists continued to swing.

Seeing this, Chen Ce didn't stand on ceremony and immediately gave Ahri a look.

The latter understood and immediately threw the cloth-wrapped rod she had been carrying on her back.

The wind blew the cloth away, revealing the Doran's Spear hidden inside.

With the spear in hand, Chen Ce stopped holding back and immediately unleashed his signature skill—Counter Strike.

In an instant, Sett's iron fists had no room to maneuver—they either struck the shaft of the spear or missed entirely.

The more he fought, the more anxious he became; the more anxious, the more chaotic; and the more chaotic, the less he could land a hit.

Finally, the moment Counter Strike stopped spinning, the butt of the spear slammed hard against his forehead.

Thud!

Sett felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

Yet, his fists remained clenched.

That peculiar energy gathered once more, and a flash of golden light flickered across his knuckles.

Haymaker

The same move that had defeated the old champion, Avase.

Unfortunately... Chen Ce knew him and his skills too well.

The moment he saw the golden light flicker, Chen Ce reacted instantly—the breeze around him obeyed his command, forming a perfectly timed thrust beneath his feet.

The next moment, Sett's fist swung out.

But Chen Ce had already ridden that gust of wind to leap behind him.

BOOM!

The fist, filled with power and speed, let out a terrifying sonic boom. But alas, it failed to hit Chen Ce.

Even without a sword in his hand, Chen Ce could still use Sweeping Blade to evade that terrifying punch.

Immediately after, he gripped the spear in reverse and thrust the butt of the weapon hard toward Sett.

Three Talon Strike

After three continuous and fluid strikes, Sett's body was instantly launched into the air, and searing pain crawled over every inch of his muscles—even without a spearhead, the combination of immense strength and exquisite spear technique could still deal significant damage.

Without a spearhead, it wouldn't pierce his flesh or cause any real, lasting injury, but the pain was genuine—it left his muscles completely numb.

Thump. Sett fell heavily to the ground.

Then, the tip of the spear pressed against his throat.

Chen Ce sighed softly, his tone becoming less polite:

"Although I really don't want to say this, in order to get you to calm down and listen to the details of my deal... you wouldn't want your mother to know you're fighting in an underground arena, would you, Sett?"

Sett struggled to get up, endless rage filling his chest.

But... his lifeline was being held firmly in someone else's hands.

Both physically and mentally.

Physically, his throat could be pierced at any moment by the spear pressed against it; mentally, if his mother ever found out he was fighting in the underground arena...

"Can you listen to me properly now?" Chen Ce repeated.

"Tch..." Sett made a sound of annoyance, but he did stop struggling—he even glanced toward the house with wariness, terrified that the commotion might wake his mother, who was resting inside.

"Say what you have to say, and be quick about it. Whether it's business or a fight—but I advise you, don't even think about doing anything bad to my mother, or else... I will kill you!"

"Rest assured, I would never do such a thing to Lady Dodana." Chen Ce smiled and retracted the spear, his tone softening: "On the contrary, if you agree to make a deal with me, I can ensure that Lady Dodana lives a much better life."

"...Speak."

"First, I'll repeat what I said before—I want the pair of Imero Stones you have."

"...State your terms." This time, Sett didn't get worked up enough to start throwing punches.

Chen Ce was relieved, secretly acknowledging Sett's filial piety. "I can help you hide your fighting career from Lady Dodana."

"You think I need your help for that?" Sett scoffed disdainfully upon hearing this. "My mom trusts me more than anyone! She would never doubt a word I say!"

"And what about tonight?"

"That was just an accident! I just didn't control the amount of money I gave her very well!"

"So you intend to give her less every time? Do you want Lady Dodana to live on nothing but the barest necessities, even though you're rolling in wealth?"

Chen Ce shook his head, as if rejecting this approach and the childish mindset behind it.

"I know Lady Dodana—she is gentle, kind, and also a smart woman. Even if you were cruel enough to give her a pittance every time, you couldn't fool her forever with just words."

"..." Sett fell silent, his eyes filled with inner conflict.

Finally, he relented: "Fine, what's your plan?"

"To give you a legitimate cover." Chen Ce smiled, then pulled a badge from his pocket—one engraved with the marks of both the Xan House and the Resistance Army.

"Have you seen this before?"

"This is... the Resistance Army?" Although Sett had never participated in the war, he had seen the Resistance Army's emblem once or twice.

"Yes."

"What are you getting at?"

"I can show this to Lady Dodana and tell her that you are building homes for the Resistance Army and the poor people who lost their lands in the war, which would make it perfectly reasonable for you to give her more gold coins."