"Good afternoon, Mr. Trafficker." The dark-haired man said in a strangely gentle tone, "I hope you remember us, after all, it saves a lot of time for explanations." ”

Duke certainly remembers the other.

He still vividly remembers that afternoon two months ago, when he was just a walk, he went off the road and his motorvoy deep into the woods, and then saw the man under a tree.

At the time, he looked like a murder victim who had been killed by a serial killer and then dumped, with barely a single place left intact on his body. Clotted blackened blood soaked the cloth and grass, and shards of armor were scattered around it. Duke had never seen such a tragic and bloody scene, and he subconsciously believed that the other party was dead.

But a wild wolf that followed the smell of blood overturned his suspicions. When he was halfway away, and was led back by the wail, he happened to see the "corpse" grab the beast by the throat and strangle it with just one hand.

Duke was stunned by this scene, and he immediately realized that this man was an excellent fighter - and for him, very good goods. Worry and greed competed for a moment, and the latter then gained the upper hand.

Thankfully, killing the wolf may have exhausted the last of his strength, and his men were not attacked when they threw him into the car. But the days and nights that followed in a coma lowered his expected value in Duke's mind, and he thought that the man would not live long, even if he had woken up in Viscount Talvin's estate. So he decisively lowered the price, trying to seize the opportunity to make a profit, and was satisfied with it.

As for the blond-haired one, Duke only knew that he might be a minor nobleman, but no matter what, if he provoked the lord here, he would not be allowed to end well. In order to report back to his client as soon as possible, Duke also disposed of him.

After that, however, the news of the two men's constant victories made him realize that he had made a mistake. A gladiator who could compete with Lieutenant General Blackmore's orc pets, albeit escaping in the end, should have been worth much more than that. Duke regretted this many times.

Now he regretted it too, but this time it wasn't for the gold.

Now the man who had been lying dying under the tree was standing in front of him, and before that he had all the thugs hired by Duke lying on the ground. There was no anger or joy in the golden pupils that stared at him, only a little predator's interest in gazing at its prey, and it was so peaceful that it sent chills down the spine.

He's even smiling. But Duke would rather let him give himself a knife — if that would do the trick.

"Aren't you going to do something to his intestines this time, mate?" The blonde young man standing on the side asked gently.

"Oh no, I'm not hungry yet." The man turned his head and replied, "Besides, that's the repertoire." ”

Such an understatement made Duke's stomach cramp. He held his abdomen down, trying not to throw it up. But he couldn't control his gaze from glancing at the hideous tooth necklace around the other's neck, and had the idea that it looked like it was from a cannibal tribe.

His face made the two people who cooperated with each other look at each other happily.

Dineen is not the kind of person who calculates. If he hadn't happened to bump into him here, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to find the trafficker for revenge, after all, he always had more urgent things to do. But since he met him, he didn't mind teaching the other party a lesson. Of course, what is more important is the information that the other side may have in this work.

"I ask, you answer, or your entrails will be mine." Dineen gestured with a dagger and asked gently, "Understand?" ”

The other party seemed to believe his ridicule, and his face instantly became whiter than the wall behind him.

"Seems to understand, then tell me about the 'sifter' Naikri."

As one of the head snakes in Nanhai, and a player within the gladiatorial industry, Duke knows far more than hearsay from outsiders. He recounted in detail the history of Nekri's family, his personality, his habits, his partners, and his specific address.

Dineh's eyes narrowed as he listened. He tapped his dagger on the table, thought for a moment, and then asked the question that interested him the most: "Nekri's men are also responsible for disposing of the corpses after the gladiatorial fight, by what means?" ”

"It is said that the carcasses of wild beasts were fed to dogs, and the unclaimed carcasses were buried in specific wastelands. This is the most cost-effective. Duke replied honestly, "There are also many people who speculate that he wants to use the corpse as fertilizer and carve out that land to plant something in the future." ”

Dineen chuckled.

"If I could believe it, I'd have water in my head."

"What I said is true—"

Dinen knocked on the table to signal him to be quiet, then looked at Albert, "Looks like we need to visit this Nekri." ”

The paladin frowned and thought for a while, until he was mentally prepared for burglary or robbery, and then asked, "What are you going to do?" ”

***

"Mages are a bunch of neurotics." Dinen said.

They were now sitting in a spacious living room, with red wine on the ice on a coffee table in front of them. Nekri, the first sponsor of the Hillbride Hill Gladiatorial Tournament, sat across from him, listening to the uninvited guests with a calm and patient expression.

"You never know what they're studying... What methods are used for things, and what are the possible consequences? Dineen held up a hand and gestured in the air, "Accidentally summoned some irascible creature?" This is the better one. Even more terrifying are random portals, explosions of pure energy that can't be dealt with with weapons, and bizarre curses and toxins. ”

"Think about it, when you're thrown into the sea in full armor, there's no land to see around. Or suddenly float high into the air, drift in the wind at the spire for hours, and at worst turn into a sheep, a gossie, a drooling idiot – and permanently. ”

"That's what happens when dealing with a mage, especially after he actually sees you as a friend." Half-complaining, half-lamenting, Dineen rolled up his sleeves and showed his audience the hideous scar on his arm to prove that he was right, "Hell, I can't completely distance myself from him for this." ”

"But why?"

Dineen stretched out his hand, leaned back in his chair as if he gave up, and replied, "To save the world." ”

Only Albert vaguely sensed that he seemed to be serious, and the other two took it as a joke. Nekri laughed politely, whether he thought it was funny or not. And Dinein, of course, didn't care. He folded his arms and continued his conversation.

"Then that's why I'm coming to you, Mr. Nekri." He cut to the chase, "In order to prevent me from being killed by my own allies before I can successfully save the world, I need to find some way to deal with those deadly traps. ”

"Obviously, you need someone to do it for you." Nekri replied, then glanced away at Duke. Their introducer sat up straight, as if he were a servant and not a guest, "but I don't do that business, sir." You want people, not money, and I think Mr. Duke should be the one who best suits your requirements, right? ”

Dineen laughed. There is no kindness in this beast-like toothy smile.

"I think you need to be clear, Mr. Nekri." He said as if he had repeated something a hundred times, "Just because I can survive an experimental accident doesn't mean that anyone else can too." ”

Nekri was slightly stunned: "... Yes, I understand. ”

"Then you can probably understand how huge the cost of life as a consumable can be."

"You're right." Nekri nodded, "But forgive me, I don't know how I can help you, sir. ”

"Oh no, you should know." Dineen tilted his head to look at him, "You've done such a business, haven't you?" I don't think the mere change of customer will bother you? ”

"What do you mean...... What kind of business? ”

"Corpses." Dineen stared into his eyes and said bluntly.

There was a brief silence in the living room.

"Indeed, my men are in charge of the aftermath of the gladiatorial tournament." Nekri said slowly, "But the corpse shouldn't meet your requirements." I mean, they don't move, they don't actively trigger those traps. ”

Dineen sensed that he did not firmly deny and refuse. This means that the answer to this temptation is positive. So how much does he know about the further situation?

"Ah, that's not a problem for me." Dinen said with interest, while quietly observing the other party's expression, "Do you know about necromancy, Mr. Nekri?" In this way, a mage is able to awaken dead corpses, turning them into forbidden puppets. Tired, hungry and miserable, able to continue moving even after being cut into several pieces, there is little to no fault other than a great desire for the flesh of a living person. By the way, they also attract nosy followers of the Light, so we have to keep it a secret. ”

Such a detailed explanation made Nekri's face suddenly turn very bad. He was silent for a long time before he spoke, "I'm afraid I can't agree to this deal." ”

Dineen didn't look away, and his expression didn't change in the slightest. He made a gesture of listening, an invitation, or a request for Nekri to continue.

"Those people, they are gamblers, waste, losers, desperate to set foot in the gladiatorial arena for money, no one cares, no one sympathizes...... But at least they're dead. The dead should be in peace, not transformed into that kind of ...... Puppet. ”

Dineen chuckled.

"So what do you think your previous trade partners are doing with them, conducting medical research?" He teased sarcastically, but he didn't expect Nekri to nod in surprise.

"That's exactly what they claim."

“……”

Dineen looked at him for a moment with mixed emotions and decided to skip the accident.

"Regardless of the difference in respect between being cut into seventeen or eighteen pieces and being turned into an undead...... "Do you really believe that?" ”

At this point, Naikri certainly understood what he meant. He couldn't help but hesitate, but he still had doubts.

"At least more than you can trust."

"Okay." Dinen had expected this for a long time. He shrugged, "Actually, I'm in charge of resolving the situation. Albert, prove it to him. ”

The paladin sighed and threw out a holy light spell.

There is no better way to take a stand. Nekri looked incredulous, but the vague sense of hostility gradually eased. It didn't even take much to say anything before the other party began to turn to believe Dineh's words. Seeing this, Dineh smiled at the victory.

"I suppose you're willing to help us now?"