"Dear Lord Rhodes, take the liberty of asking, how did you defeat the seven Beastmen single-handedly in that encounter? Did they go together, or did they take turns, one by one?"

Alves is a clever ghost, he pops up some very strange questions from time to time, others are just curious, but in Rhodes's opinion, this guy definitely has ulterior motives. He was exploring something, consciously or unconsciously. Scholars are generally not fuel-efficient lamps, they do research that is difficult for ordinary people to understand, and they are quite accomplished in occultism and religion. Rod only thought this guy was annoying, but he was very useful.

"Take turns, one by one. ”

Rod returned with a smile.

"Didn't you tell my father that the beastmen were together, and that you were wounded......

As soon as Rod's words fell, Caroline on the side interjected restlessly. It made Rod and Alves look embarrassed.

"Miss Caroline, I think you must have misheard, seven beastmen together, even if I have great ability, it is impossible for me to escape. ”

Seeing Alves' curious gaze, Rod hurriedly relieved himself. The dwarf smiled, and didn't ask any more questions, maybe he understood that if he asked deeply, the Lord of Black Hammer Fort in front of him wouldn't say anything. After all, they are not familiar with it yet.

They began their tour along the perimeter of the arena and walked all the way to the arsenal. Here, the last place the gladiators arrive before taking the field, where the challengers pick up their weapons, stone hammers, axes, spears, and iron swords. Bows and arrows are forbidden here, and in the eyes of the Iron People, the use of bows and arrows is a sign of cowardice. Only in the outnumbered defense of the city will the warriors of the Ring City use bows and arrows. And in a fair arena, there is absolutely no shadow of the bow and arrow. Both the Lord of the Ring and the inhabitants prefer to watch the kind of close-quarters bloody fights rather than the shooting that wanders around the edge of the field.

Rhodes noticed that some of the gladiators who were practicing martial arts were not wearing shackles, bracelets, or anklets, which meant that they were freedmen.

"Not all Ring gladiators were slaves. On the contrary, a large part of the participants in competitive competitions are free people, some of them are even professional gladiators, and the prize money for winning competitive competitions is very objective, and sometimes the wealth you get from winning a game is more than what you can earn in a normal year. As a result, many able-bodied lazy people have participated in this high-risk sport. The spirit of competition is integrated into the blood of the people of the Iron Ring City, and blood and force are admired by the people. ”

"The whole people of the North are like that. ”

Rhodes returned.

Whenever Rhodes paid attention to a phenomenon, Alves always introduced it well. Probably the gods deprive you of something and give you something else precious. Alves has lost his healthy body, however, he has an extremely intelligent head. The IQ of this dwarf even made Rod feel a little scared. But fortunately, this guy still understands the overall situation and has always been on his side.

They walked to the cell area. It was a place where slaves, warmongers, condemned prisoners and rapists of all kinds were held. The thick smell of sweat made Caroline stop outside the door. Alves walked in with Rod. They want to meet the legendary wild man, Maotou. If nothing else, Rhodes will face him in person tomorrow.

"Don't underestimate your opponents, Your Excellency. Although he is a savage, he is different from the beastman. The beastmen only roar and scream, and their power is infinite. However, they do not know how to fight. And Maotou understands that he is a perennial champion in the arena. Fifteen years, fifteen years, not a single gladiator escaped alive from under his axe. His strength can tear apart a bull, and his skills are equally the best of all gladiators. ”

Alves continued as he walked.

They were still just two people alone, and no one else could hear their conversations. Even the guards were driven away by the dwarfs. He believed in Rhodes as if he had been born to believe in him.

"I'll take it seriously. ”

Rod replied.

"I hope you can succeed, Blackhammer needs you, and the North needs you. ”

Alves said with a smile.

"Alas, two hundred years, two hundred years, there has been no real threat to the North. The entire kingdom, including the southern empire, was not under real threat. In the land of peace, people have long forgotten what war is. But the war never stopped, and the threat of chaos and greenskins never really went away. Did you know, Your Excellency, every time the world was in crisis and on the brink of destruction, the gods would always give their divine power to a mortal to exist as a savior to save this beautiful planet. Two hundred years ago, Magnus, the great imperial general, was such a person, however, two hundred years later, the gods no longer favored mortals, and the mortal world became more and more dangerous. ”

Alves sighed.

Rod instinctively sensed that the little man had something to say. But I can set it aside or leave it alone.

"Are they? The gods will bestow their divine powers on mortals?"

Rhodes pretended to be stupid.

"Yes, as long as the world is dangerous enough to come when mortals can't resist evil alone. ”

Alves replied.

"Then why didn't they come down on their own? They are gods, and they can wipe out the dark army with a knife?"

"My lord, I'm not a god, so I can't answer your question. But I guess the gods must have their own principles and reasons. ”

Alves said, curling his mouth.

"But there's one phenomenon that's special. ”

"What?"

Rod asked nonchalantly.

"Three months ago, a blue comet descended from the northern sky in the direction of the frozen forest. According to the annals, every time a blue comet falls from the sky, something big must happen, either as a sign of a chaotic invasion or as a revelation of the blessings of the gods. In short, I have studied astronomy so far, and I have not found anything like this, which is exciting news. ”

Alves said, deliberately leaning over to Rod's side, as if he was worried that the matter would be known to outsiders.

But Rhodes himself is an outsider...... He smiled and didn't reply. You can feel that this little man is not simple, he seems to be guessing something, he seems to know something, and he is looking for something in Rod. But Rhodes just pretended not to know and ignored it. Because, if you say too much, you will lose. This is the truth that the ancients of the Great Heavenly Empire summed up.

Chatting along the way, they unknowingly came to the place where the wild man was being held. Maotou, that majestic arena champion is inside.