"Good evening, Sett."
"..." Sett froze, his fist hanging at his side as he wondered whether he should throw a punch.
"Oh, is this one of Sett's friends?" a gentle female voice came from behind him.
The newcomer—Chen Ce, naturally—immediately walked past Sett. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Sett's friend, and I work with him too. We've done carpentry and masonry together, and we even worked together tonight."
"Oh~ Please, sit down."
"Thank you."
Chen Ce accepted the little wooden stool she offered and sat down. Then he smiled and pointed at the gold coins Sett had set on the table.
"Our good, dutiful son Sett handed over his entire paycheck already? He only gets this kind of money from a big job like this once in six months. That must've been hard."
"Hm?" Sett's mother looked surprised.
Then she looked at Sett with guilt in her eyes. She had misunderstood her precious son.
Meanwhile, Chen Ce discreetly sized up the woman in front of him.
Her thick, smooth pink hair fell in two bunches over her shoulders and down her back. A pair of long ears, marking her as Vastaya, stood upright atop her head. She wore a coarse old outfit that had faded from being washed too many times.
She was no longer young—at least over forty—but Vastaya lived longer than humans on average. Her exquisite features showed almost no signs of age, and she was still beautiful.
As for her temperament, perhaps it was because of her age. Though she looked no different from a young woman in her early twenties, she didn't seem at all inexperienced. Instead, she had the particular warmth of a mature woman.
All in all, she looked much as he had imagined.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Chen Ce held out his right hand. "My name is Chen Ce."
"The pleasure is mine, dear." Sett's mother reached out and shook his hand. Her naturally beautiful face, free of makeup, broke into a warm smile.
"My name is Dodana."
Chapter 46: Sett's Mother: What Do You Mean, Fighting? My Son's in College
Sett's mother really was beautiful.
She had the youthful beauty and figure of a woman in her twenties, the mature air of a woman in her thirties, and a gentle, kind personality. Her manners were graceful and proper... She was practically the perfect wife.
If some gentleman who admired Cao Cao's tastes were to meet her, he'd probably fall at her feet on the spot—assuming he could get past Sett first.
Anyone who wanted to be Sett's father had better know that those iron fists weren't to be trifled with.
Well... Chen Ce wasn't interested in that anyway.
"Lady Dodana, I'd like to talk to Sett alone about some work. Would that be all right?" With the introductions and handshakes out of the way, the two of them had become acquainted.
"Mm, of course." Lady Dodana nodded, a gentle smile returning to her face. "Go ahead and talk. I'm going to my room to rest. But don't stay up too late, all right? Your health matters more than work."
"Good night, Lady Dodana." Chen Ce waved goodbye.
"Good night~" 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 expression.
"Who are you?" he asked in a low voice, his tone even colder and more vicious. "Why are you trying to get close to my mother? And why did you bring along a Vastaya woman to earn her trust...?"
The Vastaya he mentioned was naturally Ahri. She hadn't said a word the entire time, merely stood there quietly holding the fruit basket. He had naturally assumed she was Chen Ce's subordinate or maid—or even an "actress" he'd hired on short notice.
"Bring her along? Not at all. Ahri is my companion. We're always together, no matter what we do." Chen Ce smiled. "And I wasn't deliberately trying to get close to Lady Dodana. On the contrary, I only came in to help you because you were in trouble. Lady Dodana was about to discover your secret at the fighting pit, wasn't she?"
"Lying Ionians..." Sett clenched his massive iron fists, his anger steadily rising. The second thing he hated most was being called a mongrel. The thing he hated most was anyone insulting his mother or using her to threaten him.
Yes, he had instinctively assumed Chen Ce was doing the latter.
No one had ever visited his home in all this time, and he'd always kept his address secret at the Underground Fighting Pit. Why would someone suddenly show up at his door now?
He couldn't believe they had good intentions.
"If you have something to say, say it outside. Don't disturb my mother while she's resting...!"
"That was exactly what I had in mind." Chen Ce nodded and followed him outside.
But the moment they stepped out the door, a bandage-wrapped fist came flying at him.
Fortunately, he'd been ready.
The instant he entered [Meditation], he took Sett's testing punch with his bare body.
Sett's eyes widened in disbelief.
He hadn't put all his strength into the punch, but if it hit someone in the stomach... A normal person wouldn't necessarily pass out on the spot, but they should at least double over in pain and drop to their knees. They might even let out a groan or two...
But this man, who looked about his age...
Was completely unharmed?!
"Calm down, Sett. I mean you no harm." Chen Ce brushed some dust off his clothes as if nothing had happened, still smiling. "I just want to talk to you about a... business deal."
"A deal?" Sett warily put a little distance between them, his fists still clenched.
"Yes, a deal... To be honest, I want the prize you won tonight—the pair of Imero Stones."
"Hm?"
Sett instinctively felt the gems in his bag, then burst out laughing.
"You want my championship prize? Listen, kid, this is the champion's prize! If you want it, beat me in the ring!"
"I came here because I don't want to beat you in the ring..." Chen Ce shook his head. "Maybe we can make this deal in a more peaceful way."
"Impossible!" Sett's gaze turned cold, and he suddenly threw another punch.
To him, taking away his championship prize was the same as taking away his title.
It was a defilement of the glory he'd earned, and an insult to him.
He'd had enough... of people looking down on him.
"No one else is taking what belongs to me!"
As the punch came at him, Chen Ce frowned and sidestepped.
He'd underestimated Sett's temper... This half-Vastaya was even more hot-blooded than he'd expected. Sett wasn't listening to a word he said; the moment something rubbed him the wrong way, he went straight for a fight.
"I don't want to fight you, Sett." Chen Ce issued one last warning, his voice cold.
Unfortunately, Sett didn't care.
His massive iron fists kept swinging.
Seeing that, Chen Ce stopped holding back and gave Ahri a look.
She understood at once and tossed over the long, cloth-wrapped object on her back.
The wind blew the cloth aside, revealing the Doran's Spear hidden within.
Once Chen Ce had the spear, he no longer held back. He immediately unleashed his signature move—Counter Strike.
In an instant, Sett had no room to use his fists. He either hit the shaft or swung at empty air.
The more he swung, the more impatient he became; the more impatient he got, the sloppier he became; and the sloppier he became, the more he missed.
At last, the moment Counter Strike stopped spinning, the spear shaft slammed into his forehead.
Thud!
Sett's vision swam.
But his fists remained clenched.
That strange energy gathered once more, and a glimmer of gold flashed across his knuckles.
[Haymaker]
The move he'd used to defeat Avase, the old champion.
Unfortunately... Chen Ce knew too much about him and his skills.
The instant he saw the golden light flash, Chen Ce reacted. The breeze beside him obeyed his will and pushed against his feet with just the right amount of force.
The next moment, Sett's fist shot forward.
Chen Ce rode the gust and swiftly leaped behind him.
Boom—!
The punch, packed with strength and speed, let out a terrifying boom. Unfortunately, it didn't hit Chen Ce.
Even without a sword in hand, Chen Ce could still use [Sweeping Blade] to evade that terrifying punch.
Then he reversed his grip on the spear and thrust its butt hard into Sett.
[Three Talon Strike]
After three quick, fluid thrusts, Sett was launched into the air. Excruciating pain spread through every muscle in his body. Even without a spearhead, the combination of immense strength and exquisite technique still dealt considerable damage.
Without a spearhead, the strikes didn't pierce his flesh or inflict much actual injury. But the pain was real—his muscles had gone numb.
Sett hit the ground with a heavy thud.
Then the spearhead came to rest against his throat.
Chen Ce sighed, his tone turning less polite.
"I really didn't want to say this, but if you want me to explain the deal so you can calm down and listen... you don't want your mother finding out you fight at the Underground Fighting Pit, do you, Sett?"
Chapter 47: My Ahri QQQQ'd Him in a Second
Sett struggled to get up, boundless fury nearly filling his chest.
But... the other man had him completely at his mercy.
In both body and mind.
Physically, the spear pressed against his throat could pierce it at any moment. Mentally, if his mother found out he fought at the Underground Fighting Pit...
"Can you listen to me now?" Chen Ce repeated.
"Tch..." Sett made an irritated sound, but he did stop struggling. He even warily glanced toward the house, afraid the noise might wake his mother while she rested.
"Say what you have to say. A deal or a fight, whatever. But I'm warning you, don't even think about doing anything to my mother, or... I'll kill you!"
"Don't worry. I'd never do anything like that to Lady Dodana." Chen Ce smiled and put away his spear, his tone softening. "On the contrary, if you agree to make a deal with me, I'll make sure Lady Dodana can live a better life."
"...Go on."
"First, I still want the pair of Imero Stones you have."
"...Tell me what you're offering." This time, Sett didn't lose his temper and try to hit him.
Chen Ce was relieved, and silently commended Sett for being such a devoted son. "I can help you keep your fighting secret from Lady Dodana."
"You have to help me with that?" Sett scoffed. "Mom trusts me more than anyone! She'd never doubt what I say!"
"What about tonight?"
"It was just an accident! I didn't get the amount of money right!"
"So are you going to give her less every time? Do you want Lady Dodana to have only enough to get by, even when you're rolling in money?"
Chen Ce shook his head, rejecting both Sett's approach and his childish way of thinking.
"I know Lady Dodana. She's gentle and kind, but she's also smart. Even if you force yourself to give her less money every time, you won't be able to fool her forever just by telling her stories."
"..." Sett fell silent, conflict written across his eyes.
At last, he gave in. "Go on, then. What can you do?"
"Give you an honorable reason." Chen Ce smiled, then took a badge from his pocket. It bore the emblems of the Xan House and the Resistance Army.
"Have you seen this before?"
"Is that... the Resistance Army?" Sett had never fought in the war, but he'd seen their badge once or twice.
"That's right."
"And you mean...?"
"I can show this to Lady Dodana and tell her you're building homes for the Resistance Army and the poor people who lost their homes in the war. Then I can give her more gold coins, and it'll all make sense."
Before you continue