On the light screen, the Kane City team had already started moving. They had five people in total. Besides the yellow-haired girl as the believer, the others were all in shiny armour. The five rode three barbaric bulls and began advancing towards the direction detected by the detection scroll.
Along the way, the believer girl kept talking about how powerful and amazing their Kane City team was. She occasionally told a few jokes, making the drinkers in the tavern burst into laughter. In this barren world, watching a believer’s live stream seemed to be the only source of entertainment. The yellow-haired girl clearly knew well how to please the audience and gain their support.
Kas watched the light screen excitedly, waiting for another chance to see Ye Dui and the others. At the same time, he quietly felt nervous for them.
After entering a trial or Heavenly Ladder battlefield, rules would restrict everything. All weapons and equipment would be reset to zero. One had to start from scratch. What was honed in those worlds was not only fighting ability but also adaptability.
Though Ye Dui and the others were very strong, and together they could even destroy an empire, in the trial battlefield their power might not be so formidable… Would they run into trouble?
Kane City ranked in the top three hundred fragment worlds in the lower layers. Its strength was formidable. Ye Dui and the others were still newcomers. Kas could not help but feel anxious for his friends.
At that moment, someone suddenly pushed Kas. It was the tavern boss. When Kas looked over, the boss stood beside him with a look of disgust. “You are not drinking. What are you doing here? Freeloading off my light screen?”
“Boss, I am just taking a look.” Kas pleaded. As the man who cut off tornadoes, the mayor of Stan Town, and the leader of the Gale Mercenary Corps, when had Kas ever been so humble? But he knew this world was different. Everyone in Stan Town was counting on him. He absolutely could not act rashly.
“No way. If you cannot even afford a mug of ale, what light screen are you watching? Out, out. Get out now!” The tavern boss drove Kas away almost brutally.
Kas’s face flushed red. He refused to move.
Just then, a loud voice laughed. A curly-haired man sitting at the bar suddenly stood up. “Boss, do not make things hard for our Mayor Kas. It is just a mug of ale. I will treat him to one.”
“Kane City’s vice mayor, Messi!” Kas was stunned. He had not expected to meet Kane City’s vice mayor Messi here. But thinking about it, it made sense. Though Kane City was far stronger than Stan Town, it still counted as low-tier in the lower layers. The light screen in this tavern was showing Stan Town’s trial scenes because someone from Kane City was here. He had paid a certain price to have the boss broadcast the trial footage. This was also indirectly promoting that believer girl.
“Haha, Mayor Kas, you came to the central city too. Looks like we are quite fated.” After the boss retreated grudgingly, Messi walked over to Kas with a mug of ale. “Come on. This mug is on me.”
Kas stayed silent.
“What? You do not dare drink the ale I offer?” Messi sneered.
Kas’s brow twitched. He suddenly grabbed the mug. Under some surprised looks from others, he tilted his head back and gulped the entire mug of ale down in one go. He wiped his mouth hard. Refreshing. Since being exiled to this damn place, he had not drunk alcohol in a long time!
Messi and the other drinkers looked at Kas in surprise. After a moment, Messi laughed again. “Haha, Mayor Kas is indeed straightforward. Cheers!”
Messi led Kas to the bar and invited him to sit. The bar was already full. A few people from Kane City who had come with Messi quickly made space. After Messi and Kas sat down, Messi’s tone turned a bit sinister. “Cities and towns exiled to the Divine Sin Continent have their weapons and supplies sealed and lost. Your town must be struggling now. Towns like yours find it hard to survive here. Why not join another fragment world? That way you can live safely…”
Messi wanted Stan Town to join Kane City!
Fragment worlds varied in size. The large ones were not originally huge. Over long years, they constantly devoured other fragment worlds. Through “bridge builders”, they fused and linked fragment worlds, gradually growing bigger.
After Stan Town was exiled here, several fragment world controllers had tried to annex it. Kane City was one of them. That was why Kas and Messi knew each other.
If it could guarantee Stan Town’s safety, Kas would have no complaints even if annexed. But he knew annexed worlds were not peaceful. At that point, Stan Town’s people would become cannon fodder. They would be screened. Useless people would be killed directly. Useful young adults would be thrown endlessly into trial battlefields for grinding. Often, only one in ten survived.
He could not bear to see his town’s residents suffer like that!
“Mr Messi, you need not say more. I will not agree to annexation. I did not agree before…” Kas glanced at the light screen. He waved at the boss to signal another mug of ale. “Now, I am even less likely to agree!”
“Do not refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!” Messi said coldly.
“Refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit?” Kas repeated the saying. It was a proverb popular in the Divine Sin Continent. Quite interesting. He smiled and said, “I do not want to drink either toast or forfeit. I want to drink gambling ale.”
“Gambling ale?” Messi was stunned. Everyone else in the tavern was also stunned.
What was gambling ale?
Kas suddenly pointed at the light screen with a smile. “Your Kane City team is now heading to chase those newcomers just exiled to the Divine Sin Continent. I bet your team is no match for those newcomers!”
“What?” Messi was stunned. He sneered. “You mean we are no match for those ridiculous guys who even slaughter and eat barbaric bulls?”
Kas nodded. His eyes swept the tavern. He saw most drinkers showing mocking expressions, thinking Kas must be mad to say such things. Kas continued, “We bet with ale. If I lose, I will pay off everyone’s drink tab here. If I win, then please, Mr Messi, cover all the drink tabs!”
Money did not exist in this world, but everyone understood what it meant.
As vice mayor, Messi was quite cunning. But for a moment, he could not figure out what Kas was really up to. Was he trying to drink for free? Hmph. Daring to gamble with Kane City showed real guts. Fine. What harm in gambling? If Kas lost and could not pay, then he could rightfully detain Kas. The central city forbade fighting, but detaining criminals was allowed. Then he could use Kas to force Stan Town to submit!
“Fine. I will take that bet!” Messi snorted coldly and agreed.
Kas also snorted. He shouted to the boss, “Bring out your best ale here!” As he spoke, Kas’s left hand gripped tightly and trembled slightly. He was nervous, but more than that, excited.
He had absolute confidence in Ye Dui and the others from the bottom of his heart. How could that group of troublemakers be taken down so easily? Since they had come to the Divine Sin Continent, the only ones who would suffer were the Divine Sin Continent itself!
Messi watched the boss bring the ale. His mood filled with anger, then turned extremely cold. He looked at the light screen. On it, Kane City’s team was walking along a wide road. They were fully equipped. It looked like they had gathered plenty of resources. Their combat power would definitely be impressive. Winning the trial was even possible. How could they lose to newcomers who ate barbaric bulls?
They were dead for sure!
Half a mug of ale went down his throat. On the light screen, Kane City’s team had already spotted something charging from afar…
“What is that?” The drinkers in the tavern stared in shock at the roaring Wrangler and three motorcycles. “There is such a mount in the trial world?”
“Their speed is so fast!”
“It’s, it’s like steel beasts!”
Screech screech…
Sharp, piercing howls suddenly came from those steel beasts.
“What is that sound? Is it the roar of fierce beasts?” Some drinkers could not help covering their mouths.
But in Messi’s heart, a sudden ominous premonition rose. Especially when he saw a subtle smile appear on Kas’s face, that feeling grew even stronger.
The Wrangler moved like a flying arrow, arriving in an instant.
Kane City’s team had already prepared for battle!
Among them, one was a believer, three were swordsmen, and one was a mage. The three swordsmen jumped off the barbaric bulls. They drew their weapons and blocked in front of the steel beasts. The mage took out a low-level magic staff and prepared to release magic.
Then…
Boom!
The steel beasts crushed right through!
Blood splattered. Flesh and bones flew everywhere!
Accompanied by the believer girl’s scream, the light screen went completely black.
At the same time, a warning rang in Messi’s heart. As Kane City’s vice mayor, he had a mysterious connection with the team in the trial. He could know the team’s basic situation. That warning just now told him: the entire team was wiped out!
…
In the trial world, Ye Dui stopped the Wrangler with a pounding heart. When he pushed open the door and climbed out, he was still breathing heavily. Debbie crawled out from the door and immediately vomited with a wail…
Ye Dui looked at the extremely tragic crash scene in the middle of the road. He glanced at the slightly deformed Wrangler bumper. He patted his chest hard. “Holy crap. I stepped on the accelerator thinking it was the brake… I honked for ages. Why did these people not dodge?”
…
In the small tavern in the central city, Kas downed the entire mug of ale in one breath. He shook the mug at Messi. “Thanks for the ale. Gambling ale really is the tastiest.”
Messi: “…”
“Mr Messi, want to bet another round?” Kas signalled the boss to refill the mug and continued speaking to Messi.
“Another round?” Messi was stunned.
“You appeared in the central city. You must be here to exchange supplies too, right? I am sure you have quite a few blank scrolls on you… I bet all your blank scrolls. I wager these newcomers will successfully complete the initial trial. If I win, your scrolls are mine. If I lose, from now on Stan Town will join Kane City!” Kas said boldly.
