Chapter 64: The First Signs of Turmoil

“Y-You… you’re telling the truth?” Rena asked with an almost impolite tone, unable to believe what he had just heard.

“Of course it’s true! People from Casa雷斯 always keep their word!” Zhang Wen displayed a hint of displeasure but still gave Rena a firm answer.

“Oh! That’s wonderful!” Rena and Jim exchanged glances, their eyes filled with astonished delight. “It’s really inappropriate of us to doubt such a noble sir from Casa雷斯! Haha! Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!” Rena stood up, his nervous hands not knowing where to go. He eagerly dragged Jim out of the restaurant, fearing that if they delayed too long, Zhang Wen might change his mind.

“There’s no need to rush, no need to rush at all. While it’s important to go to the arena, we should settle the bill first.” Zhang Wen chuckled with a deliberate air of superiority, called the owner to pay, and only then followed the two young hooligans out of the restaurant.

With Jim and Rena, two local ruffians, leading the way, Zhang Wen naturally no longer needed to wander aimlessly following the note given to him by Shura. The trio reached the towering entrance of the Kemal Arena in no time.

Upon seeing the two small-time hooligans circling back and returning brazenly under his nose, the guard Burton immediately became furious. He waved his psychokinetic gun threateningly at the two, glaring fiercely.

“Hey! Rena, Jim, what are you two doing back here? Don’t you take my words seriously anymore?”

“Hmph! Burton, you bastard, what are you showing off for? We’re guests of the arena, aren’t we? Is this how you treat guests?” This time, Rena didn’t even flinch at Burton’s waving psychokinetic gun, instead smirking proudly at him.

“G-Guests? You two paupers who can’t even afford a meal—do you actually have the money to buy tickets to the Kemal Arena?” Burton’s face darkened, but he quickly regained his composure and shouted at them again with deep suspicion.

“Tsk! Tsk! Open your dog eyes wide and take a good look at what this is!” Rena and Jim strutted up to Burton with an air of arrogance, pretending to disdainfully wave the two small slips of paper in their hands.

“T-This… where did you two little rascals steal these from?” Burton furiously pulled out his psychokinetic gun, aiming it at Rena and Jim while roaring in anger.

However, facing the gun barrel glowing with blue light, Rena and Jim were not frightened at all. Instead, they became even more excited.

“Tsk! Tsk! Burton, so this is how you treat your guests? I see now,” Rena sneered maliciously.

“Heh! Brother Rena, don’t you think we should file a complaint with the manager of the Kemal Arena?” Jim chimed in, catching on quickly.

“D-Damn—” Burton instinctively started cursing, but before he could finish, a cunning look from Rena made him swallow his words. “P-Please… please, I beg you two, don’t report this to our manager. My wife and kids depend on my wages to survive!” Burton wisely lowered his stance, putting on a pitiful expression to evoke sympathy.

“Hmph! Seeing how hard it is for you to make a living, we’ll let you off this time. But if I ever need a favor from you in the future, I hope you’ll be more accommodating. Otherwise…” Rena sinisterly chuckled as he patted Burton’s shoulder, deliberately glancing around, “I remember that there are psychokinetic recorders monitoring the entrance of the Kemal Arena twenty-four hours a day, right?”

Rena had already figured it out. Zhang Wen, this “fellow townsman from Casa雷斯,” was undoubtedly his destined benefactor! In just half an hour since their meeting, Rena had not only resolved his lunch issue and taken revenge on Burton, but had also begun eyeing the fortune awaiting him inside the Kemal Arena! And the most unexpected and delightful surprise for Rena was that he had accidentally caught Burton in the act!

Although Rena had no intention of completely ruining Burton, if he ever found himself in a difficult situation again in the future, he would at least have a way to sneak into the Kemal Arena to make a living. Knowing full well that he had never been good at holding onto money, Rena was momentarily satisfied and elated before becoming even more eager to usher Zhang Wen forward.

Earlier, Rena had specially asked Zhang Wen to wait aside for a moment just so he could get back at Burton. Zhang Wen, amused by the prospect of watching a good show, happily agreed. This brief wait turned out to be a happy ending for all three of them.

As Zhang Wen was eagerly escorted out by Rena and Jim, it was only then that Burton finally understood how these two penniless rascals had managed to get arena tickets. However, with the leverage firmly in Rena’s hands, Burton naturally dared not show even the slightest dissatisfaction. He could only carefully maintain a forced smile as he ushered the three inside the arena.

Upon entering the central arena of Babylon, the first thing that caught the eyes of the three was a tall wall made entirely of sea urchin stone, engraved with countless square indentations, just like the arenas in Casa雷斯.

The Wall of Honor…

Standing before this towering wall, which symbolized the highest honor and status in the arena, even lowly ruffians like Rena and Jim couldn’t help but sigh with envious admiration.

“Oh… There are quite a few bounty fighters on the planet Phira! Just the Kemal Arena in Babylon alone has over a hundred bounty fighters!” Zhang Wen remarked half-jokingly, half-seriously, looking at the more than a hundred metal plaques embedded in the tall wall.

“Hehe! You’re absolutely right, sir. After all, Phira is the ‘Southern Capital of the Empire.’ Adding up the bounty hunters from just a few major cities, there must be around three to five hundred.” Rena stepped forward eagerly with a smile, “But if we’re being honest, it’s still us Casares people who are stronger. After all, we have Iron Mask, the legendary fighter known as the strongest in the South. Phira may have hundreds of bounty hunters, but not a single legendary one.”

“Mm! That’s true.” Zhang Wen nodded, pretending to be satisfied with the compliment. “But let’s not talk about Casa雷斯 for now. Regardless, we’re on Phira now. Since you seem quite familiar with the arena business, why don’t you introduce me to the situation here on Phira? I haven’t decided which matches I should watch yet.”

“Oh! You’ve come to the right person, sir! When it comes to having an eye for arena fights, if my brother Rena ranks second in Babylon, no one dares to rank first!” Jim chimed in with a hearty laugh, praising Rena, “But, if you really want to watch arena fights from Casa雷斯, it’s actually possible. This morning we…”

“Hey!” Rena, alarmed that Jim was about to spill the beans about their good fortune, hastily hit Jim hard to make him shut up.

“Oh? What happened this morning?” Hearing the hint from Jim, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but feel quite surprised.

Suddenly, he recalled that during his previous meeting with Shura at the inn, he had heard from Shura that when their Casa雷斯 bounty fighters left the spaceport, two small-time hooligans had discovered their identities.

Could it be that the two rascals Shura mentioned were actually these two who had been scamming free meals on the street? Hmm… If that were the case, it wouldn’t be surprising why these two were so eager to get into the Kemal Arena. Zhang Wen thought, suddenly realizing.

Of course, Rena had no idea that the “fat sheep” standing in front of him was also one of the Casa雷斯 bounty hunters. Upon hearing Zhang Wen’s question, Rena immediately tensed up, forcing a smile and desperately trying to cover up Jim’s slip of the tongue.

“N-Nothing… It’s nothing serious.”

“Oh!” Zhang Wen pretended not to care, nodding indifferently, “Since it’s nothing big, let’s continue with our previous topic. You, being such a well-informed person, tell me about the fighters in the Babylon Arena.”

Taking advantage of Rena’s momentary panic, Zhang Wen cleverly brought up the question he most wanted to know. Naturally, Rena, eager to change the subject, was relieved and immediately began enthusiastically introducing the information Zhang Wen most wanted to know.

When it comes to the Babylon Arena, although it’s not as impressive as the Casa雷斯 Arena, it’s still the best on Phira. After all, this is the planetary capital! As you’ve just seen, there are over a hundred bounty fighters here, and among them, the most famous are undoubtedly the “Imperial Fighters Top Five” of Babylon.

“The Top Five?” Zhang Wen raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Before coming to the Babylon Arena to gather information, Shura had naturally told Zhang Wen some of what he knew beforehand. From Shura, Zhang Wen had learned that the Babylon Arena had only four top-tier imperial fighters. But now, as soon as he entered the Babylon Arena, Rena had given him a huge surprise.

“When I came here, I had also learned something about Babylon at the Casa雷斯 Arena. I heard that the Babylon Arena only has four Emperor Fighters?” Zhang Wen asked curiously.

“Haha! The information you’ve gathered is already outdated! As early as a year ago, our Babylon Arena’s Four Kings of Imperial Fighters had already become the Top Five.” Rena laughed heartily, patiently explaining to Zhang Wen, “You probably don’t know, but about a year ago, several major organizations on Phira, for some unknown reason, suddenly started expanding their territories aggressively. Babylon City, being the center of Phira, naturally became the most fiercely contested place among those organizations.”

“Really? Such a thing happened?” Zhang Wen listened intently to Rena’s words, secretly calculating the timeline he mentioned in his heart.

About a year ago… wasn’t that when the Ruby was destroyed?

“Ah! At that time, I also felt very strange. Those organizations had always coexisted peacefully, but it seemed like everything changed overnight. They fought several battles in Babylon over territory, causing panic among the people. The Governor’s Office even requested the Shinra Army to send troops to suppress the situation. However, that was only a temporary solution. They dared not fight openly anymore but continued to clash fiercely behind the scenes.”

“Mm… So such a thing happened.” As Zhang Wen listened to Rena’s account, he outwardly said nothing, but inwardly he couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for Temiso.

If what Rena said was true, then Phira was at least a hundred times more chaotic than Casa雷斯. The Emperor’s use of Casa雷斯’s public security situation as a reason to revoke Casa雷斯’s right to compete for Princess Sophia was indeed something that Temiso had every right to feel angry and resentful about.

“In our Babylon, there were originally only four imperial fighters, but the most powerful organizations totaled five. You’re a regular at the arena, so you must understand this principle better than I do. In our Empire, the bounty fighters in the arena represent strength. Think about it, if one organization has fewer bounty fighters in the arena than the others, wouldn’t that obviously make them look inferior? Therefore, of course, the major organizations have to fight tooth and nail in the arena. The organization without an imperial fighter tried every means possible to get a quota from elsewhere.”

“I see! Now I understand.” Zhang Wen nodded with sudden realization and then showed a look of interest, continuing to ask, “If Babylon City is really as you say, then the fighters from these major organizations must have very intense fights when they meet, right?”

You bet! If you’re looking to witness some deadly fights, you’re in for a real treat here. The bouts between our Casa雷斯 fighters, no matter how intense, still leave some room for mercy. But when fighters from those major organizations in Babylon clash… Hehe, even if they don’t lose their lives, they’ll likely be bedridden for months. Broken arms and legs are practically a daily occurrence. In the past six months alone, aside from fighters backed by the five major organizations, practically no other fighters dare to come here anymore.

Rena, finally finding a listener willing to hear him out besides his underling Jim, naturally became more and more excited, talking nonstop and pouring out all the information he had like spilling beans from a bamboo tube.

“Mm-hmm.” Zhang Wen nodded repeatedly, secretly memorizing everything Rena said.

To be honest, listening to this little rascal Rena talk up to now, Zhang Wen actually felt a bit surprised. Before entering the arena center with Rena and Jim, Zhang Wen hadn’t dared to expect that these two small-time hooligans would know so much about the Babylon Arena.

However, just as Rena was speaking happily and Zhang Wen was listening with great interest, a voice laced with mockery suddenly interrupted.

“Hey! You guys, hold it right there!”

Upon hearing the voice from behind, Rena, who had been talking nonstop, immediately stopped. Jim’s face flashed with fear, and he shot Rena a resentful glance before reluctantly turning around.

“Ha! Rena, Jim, as soon as I saw those poor, shabby backs of yours, I knew it was you two useless idiots. What? Have you sneaked into the Babylon Arena again to make some extra money? Did you take my words as mere nonsense? Huh?” The man’s voice rang out again. This time, besides mockery, it carried an unmistakable cruel undertone.

Zhang Wen also turned around with Rena and saw several muscular men in the typical light short-sleeved shirts worn in arenas, approaching them with cold smirks. The man who had been speaking was the one leading the group. He had long silver-dyed hair and had deliberately left several buttons on his chest undone, exposing his hairy chest.

“Who is he?” Seeing Rena’s expression, which resembled that of a mouse seeing a cat, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but whisper the question.

“H-He… He is… He’s Sandaru from TK Group.” Rena’s teeth chattered as he answered Zhang Wen nervously. He quickly finished his sentence and hurriedly turned his face toward the approaching men with a forced smile.

“Hey! I remember telling you, Rena. Whoever wants to make some extra money inside the arena must inform me in advance and hand over a third of the earnings. You dare to defy me openly, do you think you can ignore me?” Sandaru first smiled, but as he spoke faster, his expression became increasingly stern. Finally, he grabbed Rena by the neck and scolded him fiercely.

“T-This…” Rena swallowed hard, looking at Sandaru in fear.

Although this little hooligan Rena had nothing to do with Zhang Wen, Zhang Wen still wanted to continue gathering information about the Babylon Arena from him. Seeing Sandaru’s posture, it seemed like he intended to kick Rena out of the arena. Naturally, Zhang Wen couldn’t allow Sandaru to do that. So, Zhang Wen barely perceptibly furrowed his brow and prepared to step forward to help Rena.

“Don’t!” At this moment, Jim grabbed Zhang Wen’s arm and desperately gestured at him, “It’s okay, Brother Rena has a way to get out of this.”

“Oh? What exactly is this Sandaru’s background? Why are you so afraid of him?”

“He’s a fighter from the TK Group, which holds the second position among the five major organizations, and currently serves as a planetary fighter here. However, several months ago, when Jim and Brother Rena were still competing in the arena, he faced off against a galactic-level fighter from another organization. Although he didn’t advance at that time, he lost by only a narrow margin. Therefore, in the Babylon Arena, aside from the top five fighters, he is considered one of the strongest. Furthermore, this man is extremely ruthless, with around twenty bounty fighters having met their end at his hands. Even if you’re a noble from Casa雷斯, you cannot afford to provoke him.”

Seeming worried that Zhang Wen might impulsively provoke Sandaru, Jim, upon hearing Zhang Wen’s question, immediately leaned close to his ear and nervously explained Sandaru’s situation in detail.

“Mm. I understand.” Zhang Wen nodded knowingly at Jim and then frowned at Rena, “He really has a way?” If Rena could indeed get out of the situation on his own, as Jim said, Zhang Wen would naturally be happy to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“Don’t worry! Brother Rena never fails to get through any hurdle.” Jim confidently nodded.

The fact proved that Jim’s confidence in Rena wasn’t unfounded. Before Jim’s words had even faded, Rena on the other side had already adjusted his mindset. Although Rena was still carefully maintaining a smile and looked fearful of Sandaru, at the very least, he now had the courage to speak.

“Big Brother Sandaru, how could I dare to ignore your words? I didn’t come in here to make any extra money this time. On the contrary, I have some information I’d like to sell to Big Brother Sandaru.”

“Sell information?” Sandaru couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Rena’s fearful smile, “What kind of information could a useless kid like you possibly have to sell to me? Besides, even if you really had something important… you actually dared to use the word ‘sell’ with me. You’ve got quite the nerve!”

Sandaru’s eyes flashed with anger as he tightened his arm around Rena’s neck, making Rena’s face turn unnaturally red.

“S-Sandaru Boss, I would never dare to offend you. At first, I didn’t even plan to sell the information. It’s just… I’m in a bit of a difficult situation now!” Rena painfully squeezed out a few words, almost suffocating.

“Hmph! What kind of difficulty could you possibly have?” Sandaru sensed that Rena might actually have something valuable, so he slightly loosened his grip.

“Hehe! Big Brother Sandaru, you can’t blame me entirely. Before I met you just now, Titan from the Dragon and Tiger Gang recognized me first. You know, I’m such a small fry, how could I dare to play tricks with Titan? So as soon as Titan asked me, I told him everything I knew. After hearing the information, Titan insisted on giving me a finder’s fee, and I didn’t dare to refuse. But if I take Titan’s money and then tell you the same information for free… Well, if Titan ever finds out, my little life will be in danger.”

“Tsk! You’re trying to scare me with Titan?” Sandaru glared angrily at Rena.

“No, no, I would never dare! I’m just telling you the truth.” Rena forced a bitter smile, desperately trying to appear as simple and honest as Jim.

“Hmph! I know you wouldn’t dare to trick me!” Sandaru’s face darkened as he loosened his grip and let Rena go.

The Titan Rena mentioned was none other than the current emperor fighter of the Dragon and Tiger Gang, which ranked first among the five major organizations in Babylon. In Sandaru’s eyes, Titan was indeed a rather peculiar person.

During duels on the arena, Titan was practically a bloodthirsty, murderous psychopath. Even Sandaru, known for his ruthlessness, felt a chill when watching Titan fight. Yet, when off the arena, Titan was as serious as if he weren’t even alive. He never took advantage of others, but he also never tolerated any injustice. If Titan paid for information after hearing it, he would certainly do so. That was exactly the kind of thing Titan would do.

With Titan having paid first, Sandaru really couldn’t force Rena to reveal the information for free. Otherwise, if Titan found out… Sandaru naturally didn’t care about Rena’s little life, but he couldn’t guarantee that Titan wouldn’t kill Rena and then casually take him out too.

After all, the last time Sandaru challenged a galactic-level fighter, that fighter had been a member of the Dragon and Tiger Gang. Now, the Dragon and Tiger Gang viewed Sandaru as a thorn in their side, desperately looking for a good reason to eliminate him.

“Alright, speak! What’s this important information?” Sandaru coldly asked once Rena had caught his breath.

“This…”

“Hmph! Don’t worry, I won’t let you speak for nothing. Whatever benefit Titan gave you, I’ll give you the same.”

“Oh! That’s really too much for Big Brother Sandaru. However…” Rena smiled with delight, glancing left and right.

“Follow me.” Sandaru wasn’t a fool. Seeing Rena’s gesture, he naturally understood what he meant. So, Sandaru coldly said, motioning to Rena.

Rena also signaled to Jim, who then knowingly led Zhang Wen to a distance away from Sandaru’s group. This way, they wouldn’t have to worry about Sandaru suddenly turning on them and quietly eliminating all of them.

Although Zhang Wen had already roughly guessed what kind of information Rena was about to sell to Sandaru, as the two sneaked to the corner, Zhang Wen still curiously focused his attention and eavesdropped on their conversation.

“Is this far enough?” Upon reaching the secluded corner, Sandaru stopped with dissatisfaction, “Hurry up and speak! Don’t waste my time.”

“Of course.” Rena nodded with a radiant smile, lowering his voice, “The information I have this time will certainly satisfy you. You know, I once lived in Casa雷斯 for a while. I’m quite familiar with the situation at the Casa雷斯 arena. This morning, when Jim and I were casually wandering around…” At this point, Rena lowered his voice even further, leaned close to Sandaru’s ear, and whispered a few sentences.

“What? Could such a thing really be happening?!” Before Rena could finish speaking, Sandaru was already shocked beyond belief.