Chapter 736: Gambling Fighting Arena (Part 3)

Jier was sipping mellow wine at this moment, but his eyes were fixed behind the metal doorway on one side of the Fighting Arena below.

Behind the spiked metal fence, a few pairs of yellow eyes reflecting the outside light appeared faintly, but only one pair of eyes hung in the pitch-black doorway where the light could not reach.

Nothing else could be seen.

The host's voice rang out again.

"Let us welcome the alien Beast-men who live in the southern border mountains! The Long-haired Lynx-men! These little things with mottled fur are not as harmless as they look; if they hadn't come to seek out the fighting competition themselves, few Hunters would dare go into the mountain forests to capture these little things."

Accompanied by the host's voice and the sound of metal chains grinding, the iron fence on the side of the Fighting Arena, which Jier had been watching, gradually lowered.

Amidst the creaking sound of metal friction, several sharp cries rang out from the pitch-black doorway passage behind: "Hiss-hiss-hiss-gaga-gaga!!!"

Others seemed to think the Long-haired Lynx-men were letting out pre-match cheers, but Jier keenly realized that it was simply that the alien Beast-men did not like the sound of metal friction caused by the iron fence lowering.

Because in this strange hissing and cackling, there was no feeling of excitement or belligerence, only a sense of disgust and dislike.

With a clatter, the metal fence lowered to the bottom, and then several long, furry tails were whipped out from the dark doorway, lashing against the place where the metal fence had been.

Those were several furry tails with complex patterns.

Sturdy and powerful, just a bit slender.

Jier found it interesting.

"Pay attention, everyone, they are coming out!"

Mr. Scott was quite excited; clearly, the Long-haired Lynx-men still held a strong sense of novelty for him, so he opened his eyes wide and looked down with great curiosity. But Mr. Bantuolisa was completely indifferent, even finding it boring; combining this with previous information, he had likely dealt with this race quite a bit when he was young.

Mr. Autosfiten was also curious about the alien race he had never seen before, and his body leaned out unconsciously. This forced the deputy standing to the side to carefully place a hand on Mr. Autosfiten's chest, guarding against him accidentally falling from the viewing room to the bottom.

Mr. 'Lean Aolier' showed no reaction, merely sipping the fine wine from the Imperial Palanduo Province that he had never tasted before. He had no interest in bloody fighting competitions or gambling; after all, in his view, these were things only low-class, crude people enjoyed.

True Nobles should play music, dance, and paint—these elegant arts.

If it weren't for Knight Jier insisting on coming, he would not have come under any circumstances. Coming here was just to accompany some guests; he had no choice.

At this time, amidst the noise of the poor audience in the surrounding stands, the Long-haired Lynx-men finally walked out cautiously from the dark doorway.

This disappointed some who were seeing them for the first time, but the gamblers who had seen them appear last time shouted excitedly and rushed toward the bookmaker, taking out the few remaining coins they had to bet that the Long-haired Lynx-men would win the upcoming battle.

Some particularly cunning people bought the Long-haired Lynx-men to win while loudly shouting things like "I support the Goblin Group," which made the few burly middle-aged women acting as bookmakers look down on them.

They were all just little tricks.

But some people were still fooled, thinking that the ferocious Goblin Group, which often won in the Fighting Arena, had a track record after all and wouldn't easily lose to these "little runts."

That's right, the Long-haired Lynx-men were actually a group of little runts only one meter tall.

However, they had thick, long fur, and the colors were exceptionally mottled and complex; if encountered in the mountain forest, it would likely be a great natural concealment ability. But unfortunately, the Fighting Arena was only a dozen meters in diameter, about a hundred square meters in size, and the arena was empty, with no place to hide or take cover.

The Long-haired Lynx-men were small and their bodies looked a bit thin, but the fluffy fur on their bodies made them look somewhat cute.

But cuteness cannot be eaten, especially in this bloody Fighting Arena.

But fortunately, they had a sturdy tail that was longer than their bodies; this extra limb might be able to exert some special skills.

In the VIP viewing room, Mr. Bantuolisa took a bored sip of wine and let out a disdainful snort at the poor people below who were shouting to buy the Goblins.

"A bunch of ignorant people."

Mr. Autosfiten asked curiously: "What do you mean by that?"

Mr. Bantuolisa did not want to repeat the stories of his youth as before, so he simply said: "Didn't that host kid say it? In the mountain forests, even Hunters dare not deal with these little things. Don't look at these furry little things as if they are smaller than forest monkeys; they are actually an alien race."

"With a civilization structure."

"Civilization? These little long-tailed monkeys?"

Mr. Autosfiten still didn't believe it, but Mr. Bantuolisa just spread his hands: "You'll see in a moment."

Jier was also intrigued; these long-tailed creatures that clearly looked more like animals than civilized beings were actually an alien race. Compared to them, Goblins looked like civilized people.

After all, Goblins at least knew how to use things to wrap their lower bodies.

However, Jier soon noticed the differences in these Long-haired Lynx-men.

After these furry little things came out, they first gathered together to adapt to the bright light of the Fighting Arena. Then, after their eyes adjusted, they chirped and chattered in surprise, and then, while the Goblins hadn't entered the arena yet, they directly started running with their short legs, their upper bodies leaning forward, their long tails wrapped around their waists and then stretched straight out behind them to maintain balance while running.

Although their legs were short and they were small, they moved very fast when running. After dispersing, in the blink of an eye, they picked up some broken weapons scattered on the Fighting Arena and happily gathered together again, chirping.

Some Long-haired Lynx-men who couldn't get anything even took away the slightly larger Blood-clotted Soil Blocks on the Fighting Arena, holding them in their arms as weapons.

Then an interesting scene appeared: about eight Long-haired Lynx-men nimbly divided into a combat formation of four in the front and four in the back. The Long-haired Lynx-men in the front holding broken Daggers and shattered blades were like melee Warriors, each keeping a tail's distance from their companions. The Long-haired Lynx-men in the back, who appeared to be ranged attackers, were in pairs; one held a picked-up Blood-clotted Soil Block, while the other lay down, turning its head to look at the place where the Goblins would come out, its tail seemingly lazily placed on the ground to the side.

Jier guessed immediately that the one lying down would likely use its powerful tail as a wooden club to swing and hit the soil blocks for ranged attacks.

This was quite interesting, not only because they were formally called an alien race despite their size being smaller than monkeys, while the Goblins, who were taller and had tribal order, were called Monsters. And it was these little things that actually had the ability to organize team combat.

And they were shouting something to each other; although it was incomprehensible, they were clearly communicating. And they knew how to use weapons.

He looked at Mr. Bantuolisa and asked him if he could understand what those furry aliens were communicating about below.

Mr. Bantuolisa rubbed his brow and said helplessly: "Of course I can speak their language, but I haven't used it for a long time, and it's exceptionally noisy here, so the translation might not be accurate; please don't mind, everyone."

As soon as Scott heard that his friend could speak the language of the Long-haired Lynx-men, he immediately shouted excitedly for Mr. Bantuolisa to teach him.

And the Steward here, Rosa, said nervously in a low voice: "My lords, those Long-haired Lynx-men actually know some of our Human common language, although they don't know many words."

"Ah? They can speak?"

"Yes, yes, these aliens came to us themselves, actively asking Hunters who were hunting wild boars where we Humans gathered, and how to make a living in Human towns."

The short and fat Steward Rosa continued to add: "I heard them say they even changed two jobs before. Once, they helped those Bandits in a Bandit Group scout for robberies and transport goods. But later, when it came time to split the loot, the Bandits wouldn't share the harvest with these aliens, so they left that place."

Mr. Autosfiten asked curiously: "And then?"

"Later, this group of more than ten Long-haired Lynx-men actually found an empty refugee village, where they learned to farm like our Human farmers for half a year. As a result, the rainfall increased significantly last autumn, and the crops they planted were ruined during the harvest, so the harvest wasn't much. With no other choice, this group, who claimed to be Warriors among the Long-haired Lynx-men, found our Dorn Town here, were seen by the Shop Assistant arranged by the Merchant Guild outside, and were brought into the Fighting Arena."

"Then do you pay them a salary? If you do, what do you use to pay them? If it's coins, how much do you give?"

Mr. Scott asked, his questions coming one after another.

But before Steward Rosa could answer, Mr. Bantuolisa snorted coldly, blocking both the question and the answer: "Scott, you have too many questions. If you want to know, let the Merchant Guild invest money in the Fighting Arena and you'll know. And Rosa, don't be stupid enough to just blurt out information like that. You only make me feel that you aren't capable of holding your current position; perhaps a big-mouthed person like you would be more suitable to replace the host here?"

"Anyway, that position requires saying a lot of nonsense every day."

Steward Rosa was so frightened that he sat on the ground, then quickly climbed up, huddled next to Mr. Bantuolisa, and began to beg in a low voice.

Scott shrugged, feeling it was uninteresting, and looked down again.

"Oh ho, it looks like those furry aliens are already prepared for battle. Then, next, let us welcome the bloodiest in the Fighting Arena, the ones who leave blood everywhere and severed limbs flying during combat, living up to their name as monsters—the Brutal Goblin Group!!!"

"Let us welcome these lowly little monsters! Audience, let us use the filthiest, most vulgar vocabulary to welcome these guys. Are you ready for an exciting battle?"

"Oh oh oh ooooooh!!!"

The pauper audience let out a howl, emitting all sorts of curses and strange cries.

Mr. Scott even followed along at the railing of the VIP viewing room, joining in the strange cries, and even mimicking the goblins' calls, chirping and screeching wildly.

Mr. Autosfiten looked at his tall, thin Merchant companion in astonishment, as if meeting him for the first time.

As for the other two, they rolled their eyes beneath their masks.

Jier rubbed the sparse stubble on his chin, squinting his eyes as he looked at the other metal gate gradually lowering onto the Fighting Arena.

A roar erupted from the gloomy doorway, accompanied by the sound of thick wooden clubs striking the metal gate. Before the metal gate had even fully descended, a sturdy, deep-green-skinned goblin crawled out from above. This goblin, about 1.5 meters tall, wore a simple "bone armor" 'crafted' from thin ropes and bones, and its head was covered by the ghastly white skull of a small ox. Two polished, immature ox horns swayed as the goblin moved its head, poking wildly at the surroundings.

This goblin seemed to be the leader of this so-called "Brutal Goblin Group." Not only was it clad in self-made bone armor, but it also held an authentic thick wooden club in its hand. It looked quite heavy, and clearly, the food provided daily by the Fighting Arena was good, which was why this goblin's physique was quite sturdy.

Of course, relatively sturdy for the goblin population.

Tall Human Warriors could all reach this level, and even the fat, sturdy thugs in this Fighting Arena were roughly as sturdy.

This guy seemed to be a small "star" in the Fighting Arena; as soon as it appeared, it received more than one round of "cheers." That is, the curses from the people in the audience.

But goblins could not understand Human language, so it simply took these curses as cheers and praise, immediately and excitedly slamming its thick wooden club against the ground, kicking up a bit of the reddish sand.

Subsequently, the remaining eleven members of the Goblin Group ran out behind this goblin leader.

"Ho, so you've sent out all the goblins you have here for a fight at once. Can those furry little things really do it?"

Mr. Scott asked Steward Rosa loudly.

Stealing a glance at his superior, Rosa did not dare to open his mouth to answer the question again.

Instead, Mr. Bantuolisa waved his hand dismissively and said, "It doesn't matter. Regardless of who wins or loses down there, isn't it all just a bloody and intense performance? As long as Knight Jier is satisfied, right?"

Jier smiled and nodded: "Of course, this rare wine tonight, paired with the upcoming battle, could not be more fitting."

Mr. Bantuolisa continued: "As for who will win, why don't we all place a bet? But let's not be like the paupers down there and bet with coins. Let's trade for something else."

Mr. "Withered Aolier" Deripari, who had been quiet, asked cautiously: "How to bet, and what to bet?"

He didn't really want to, but looking at the enthusiastic Scott and Knight Jier, as well as old Bantuolisa who initiated the proposal, and his subordinate Steward Rosa, he and Autosfiten seemed to be in the minority.

Seeming to guess Mr. Deripari's hesitation, Mr. Bantuolisa smiled seemingly gently: "Let's not bet on physical objects. Hmm, how about we use a piece of valuable, true information that each of us knows individually as the stake?"

It seemed that this so-called valuable true information was a concept all Merchants were familiar with, so once it was proposed, both Autosfiten and Deripari breathed a sigh of relief and agreed to the matter.

Jier and Scott, of course, didn't mind.

Thus, the betting began, and while the fight hadn't officially started in the Fighting Arena, they quickly placed their respective choices.

Mr. Scott had witnessed the prowess of the Long-haired Lynx Beast last time, so he bet directly on the Alien Group to win.

Mr. Autosfiten felt that the goblin leader looked completely superior to the Long-haired Lynx Beast in height, weight, and strength, so he bet on the Monster Group to win.

Mr. Bantuolisa chose the Long-haired Lynx Beast, with whom he had many connections, and looking at his confident smile, it was as if those eight small, furry little animals could really win. He chose the Alien Group to win.

Mr. "Withered Aolier" Deripari, following the cheers and curses of the audience below, chose the goblins, who seemed more popular; that is, the Monster Group to win.

Jier found it hard to judge the combat power of the Long-haired Lynx Beasts. They looked like they had good combat coordination and tacit understanding, and according to the short, fat Steward Rosa, these few aliens even claimed to be Warriors within their tribe.

But this looked like a traditional trick of Merchants and was not credible.

As for the goblins, not only were there four more of them, giving them a numerical advantage, but each goblin held a thigh-bone club or a wooden stick; their weapons and equipment were far superior to the aliens, who were picking up scattered broken dagger blades in the arena.

Furthermore, whether it was because they ate too well in the Fighting Arena, every goblin was at least sturdier than the goblins Jier had dealt with in Kendall County before.

Not to mention the goblin leader with its "armor." Although it couldn't compare to a goblin chieftain in a real goblin settlement, it didn't feel like there was much difference, right?

After hesitating for a moment, Jier finally made his choice: "I choose the Monster Group and bet on the goblins to win. No matter how you look at it, they have a better chance of winning."

Jier's choice was unexpected to everyone present; Mr. Autosfiten and Mr. "Withered Aolier" were naturally happy, while Mr. Scott and Mr. Bantuolisa were quite surprised.

Scott walked over and nudged Jier with his elbow: "Hey, you've misjudged. Those little things are really powerful; they will definitely surprise you for a whole year—oh, perhaps a quarter is more appropriate?"

Mr. Bantuolisa stroked his graying beard with his hand and glanced quietly at Knight Jier, with a hint of contempt.

He muttered under his breath: "It seems his judgment isn't very good. As for his martial prowess, it remains to be seen, but I don't think it's very high. The level of knights in the North isn't much either; they're all just guys who look tough."

At this moment, it seemed just right, or perhaps it was because they were waiting for the people in the VIP room to place their bets, the host excitedly announced: "Then, thank you for waiting, everyone! The brutal match is about to begin!"

A tall, fat thug was seen carrying a bucket of foul-smelling animal blood, striding to the edge of the audience seating. He directly performed the action he had done countless times, splashing the animal blood from the wooden bucket into the arena.

The splashing of the foul-smelling animal blood hit the already reddish sandy ground, and quite a bit was intentionally splashed onto the group of twelve goblins.

Consequently, these already brutal monsters let out a roar in unison, opened their mouths full of jagged white teeth, howled brutally, and charged forward together.

Jier chuckled: "So that's where the bloody smell I caught in the banquet hall earlier came from."

Mr. Scott laughed out loud: "Of course, what did you think?"