At dinnertime, Ackerman broke the rye cake into the hot soup and said to Todd, "Boss, you really don't think about considering my suggestion?"

Todd glanced at him, speechless.

Todd objected a few times to the title "Boss", saying that it sounded like a bandit, but others used it too much, and he acquiesced.

Seeing that Todd didn't react, Ackerman was anxious: "Think about it, from the beginning to the present, every class you have taken has been free! Even if the class is free, you have to pay for the materials to make 'fake blood'! In fact, there are so many gladiators, as long as everyone collects a little money, we will make a lot of money!"

Caspar added a twig to the campfire, glared at Ackerman and said, "Many people don't even have enough to eat, and you make them pay?!"

The latter protested: "But in any case, it's too ...... to offer it for free I've heard that some gladiators got the fake blood we offered and sold it at a high price. ”

When Casper heard this, he scratched his head, and he also felt that something was wrong.

"Let's start an association. Todd looked at the burning branches in the fire and said calmly, "Similar to a guild, it is mainly responsible for the daily affairs of gladiators. ”

Caspar was a little puzzled: "The guild is for merchants and artisans, and it doesn't have much binding force, why can't you be the leader of those unruly gladiators, and establish a semi-military armed force?"

Todd didn't even think about it, and directly rejected the proposal: "If I dare to do this in the gladiatorial arena, I'm afraid I will soon meet the army that has annihilated me." ”

Ackerman thought for a moment and said, "That's right. But if you want to set up an association, then you must set a threshold for those who join. ”

Todd nodded.

Ackerman began to count the conditions with his fingers crossed: "First, the person who joins must be single-minded, after joining the association, he can no longer remain in the original faction, and second, the person who joins must be loyal, and those who have committed crimes such as betrayal in the past should not be accepted." ”

Todd pondered for a moment and added, "One more thing, those who join must be slaves who have lost their freedom, and those who voluntarily join the Colosseum for any reason are not allowed to join the association. ”

Ackerman and Casper looked at each other, a little puzzled as to why Todd had made such a request, but eventually nodded yes.

"There's one last thing. Ackerman put down the wooden bowl and his face was full of excitement: "This gladiator association must be given a resounding name." ”

Todd had a bit of a headache and said, "Name?"

Ackerman raised his hand: "What will happen to the champion?

Todd laughed and dismissed the proposal: "As with the rationale for building a militarized force, this proposal cannot be adopted." The name is too ostentatious and will cause us unnecessary trouble. ”

Ackerman shrugged helplessly, "Yes? I've always liked this name, so what's the best name?"

Stepping on the blood-stained ground under his feet and looking at the red branches burning in the campfire, Todd suddenly said, "Let's call it Red Branch." ”

——————————————

After dinner, and finalizing some details of the Red Branch Gladiatorial Society with Ackerman and Casper, Todd handed over the remaining liaison to the two of them, and went to the prison area on the basement floor to visit the Boyle's people.

Seeing the arrival of the patriarch, the old barbarian warrior Fried quickly got up from the ground, patted his chest, and signaled that he was in good shape.

Todd leaned against the cell door, looked at his "people", turned to the jailer and said, "Open the door." ”

The latter said with a look of embarrassment: "Lord Boyle, I told you a long time ago......"

"Open the cell door, I want to talk to my people. If you're not sure, you can lock the cell door after I walk in. ”

The jailer thought for a moment.

Boyle had visited the men almost every night, and had seen nothing happen for so many days, and besides, now that he had been exonerated of the death penalty, he was unlikely to take the risk.

Thinking of this, the jailer opened the cell door, watched Todd walk in, and locked the cell door again.

After greeting the people one by one, Todd called out to the old warriors Fried and the Shaman Minnie, found a no-man's corner of the prison, and whispered, "At the end of this month, the Kingdom of Ulster will have a celebration. These guards in the gladiatorial arena would be tired of dealing with the management of the prison because of the reception work of the royal family, nobles, and missions. At that time, it is the best time for you to escape. ”

The old warrior Fried lowered his voice and asked, "Escape?" there are so many of us, even if we can escape from the 'Red Circle', how can we leave the territory of the Ulster Kingdom. ”

"There's a woman named Deirdre, do you remember her?"

Todd's question caused the shaman Minnie to look up, and a smile suddenly appeared on the old woman's wrinkled face: "Ah, Deirdre, that poor child......"

Fried looked at Todd, "What does this have to do with her?"

"As long as we escape from the city, she will arrange transportation, customs clearance, and team camouflage so that we can return to the south safely. ”

"Deirdre's father, who has signed an alliance with Concierber, she may indeed be able to send us back!" Fried looked excited, and after a while he remembered something, he asked worriedly, "Will she join forces with Concierge to deceive us?"

Todd shook his head slightly: "I don't think so, if Concierge wants to kill me, he can have a hundred ways, there is no need to choose a method that is both strenuous and risky." ”

Fried nodded: "Then there is no problem on my side, please tell me, what should I do?"

"On the day of the celebration, the royal family will arrange a grand gladiatorial fight in the 'Red Circle'. Most of the guards will be sent to the ground to maintain order and take care of reception, and that is the best time for you to act. ”

Todd drew a simple sketch of the ground out of stone: "A waste dump in the southernmost part of the second basement floor, with a hidden sewer and a fence that has been loosened because of its obsolescence. From there you can go directly into the forest outside the city, where Deirdri's connectors will be waiting for you. ”

"But there is one thing that you must pay attention to, and that is time. From the time the guests enter to the end of the gladiatorial fight, there are only two hours at most, and you must get out of the city as quickly as possible to meet the connectors. ”

Fried nodded in understanding, then suddenly thought of something and shouted, "No!

Looking at the jailer who was attracted by the sound, Todd hurriedly gave the old soldier a silent action.

Waiting for the jailer to look away again, Todd whispered, "You don't have to worry about my affairs, I naturally have a way to escape from here." ”

"If the king finds out that we have all fled, he will surely pour out all his anger on you!"

It was only after Todd's repeated assurances that Fried gave up the question.

"I'd like to talk to the patriarch alone for a while. Shaman Minnie spoke suddenly.

Fried glanced at the old woman and sighed and got up.

Minnie didn't say a word, and stared at Todd for a long time, until she saw the latter writhing uncomfortably.

"How did Boyle die?"

Hearing the other party's words, Todd was shocked, but a confused look appeared on his face: "What did you say?"

The old woman closed her eyes, and her tone was so calm that Todd couldn't believe it: "That child, I have been taking care of it since birth, and I know exactly how he speaks and how he does things. So, there's no need to hide it from me anymore. ”

The stakes are high, but Todd still decided to pretend to be stupid: "I don't know what you're talking about......"

Minnie opened her eyes, looked at Todd and shook her head: "Still won't admit it?" Listen, that kid's right lower socket, counting the third tooth from back to front, is no longer there because he fell off the horse when he was a child. Why don't you open your mouth and show me your teeth?"

Cold sweat ran down Todd's cheeks.

"Contouring" can change fat connective and epidermal tissue, but it cannot change bone structure. Besides, Todd couldn't have thought of such a thing as missing teeth.

Looking at the other party's pale face, Minnie smiled and said, "Don't you have anything to say, now tell me, how did Boyle die?"

Todd took a deep breath and recounted the night he rescued Boyle.

Minnie listened to the narration without showing any emotion and did not ask about the identity of the other party. Just put his hand on Todd's forehead and said calmly: "As I said before, you have a unique and kind soul, and this is the reason why I trust you." ”

Emerging from his prison, Todd glanced back at the old shaman, he had too many questions to ask, but it was clearly not the right time to wait for him to escape.

——————————————

On the road in the east of the Ulster Kingdom, a cavalry regiment of five hundred people, waving the flag of the Kingdom of Connaught, escorted a beautifully decorated carriage and slowly drove to the west.

A coquettish and tactful voice came from the carriage: "How far is it from Amma City?"

The cavalry commander at the head had already answered this question countless times, but when he heard this voice, he still perked up and replied respectfully: "There are still two days to go, Your Majesty the Queen." ”

A low sigh came from the carriage: "Are there two more days?"

The commander thought for a moment and cautiously suggested: "Your Majesty, if you just want to watch gladiatorial battles, the kingdom also has its own gladiatorial arena, so there is no need to come all the way here. ”

There was a burst of laughter from the carriage, as crisp and pleasant as a clear spring falling into a jade plate, and it struck everyone's hearts bit by bit: "Pay attention to your words, I am now the head of the Connaught envoys, and I am responsible for it...... Poof...... Hee-hee......"

The commander and his lieutenant glanced at each other and shook their heads helplessly.