novelraw Chapter 213-2: The Underground Duel of the Scallion-Tuna Tavern (2)
Chapter 213-2: The Underground Duel of the Scallion-Tuna Tavern (2)
[You have obtained 30,000 Spirit Essence!]
[Seeing you nod in satisfaction, the Fire-Worshipping Tavern Owner immediately invites you to a private room nearby…]
[Before long, a tavern attendant brings in exquisite dishes and two cups of sake. The owner begins reporting on the dueling arena’s operations, prompting you to recall related information…]
[Because of the Shogun’s proclamation of the ‘Edict to End Warfare,’ even when the great daimyos have conflicts and disputes, they dare not raise armies and resolve them through war.]
[Under the influence of the Edict to End Warfare, the Shogun has employed a simple method to settle the daimyos’ quarrels, that is, the Rite of Duel.]
[The daimyos train trusted samurai or recruit master swordsmen to defend their honor and interests through the Rite of Duel.]
[When samurai duel, it is always two blades, two men, deciding not only victory and defeat but also life and death.]
[During such duels, many nobles are often invited to spectate. The victor enjoys boundless glory, while the loser not only loses face but also forfeits his life.]
[However, the Rite of Duel may only be performed by samurai. Even most lower-ranking nobles cannot attend as spectators, let alone commoners…]
[The Shogun’s fondness for martial valor has had tremendous influence. Even wealthy merchants and common folk, though they lack any martial skill themselves, love to watch the samurai’s bloody duels. But with the high threshold to witness the Rite of Duel, they can only sigh in frustration…][Over time, some people secretly established underground arenas to let commoners and rich merchants watch the duels… and place wagers.]
[Orthodox samurai value their honor and usually refuse to participate in underground duels. Such arenas are mostly frequented by ronin, wandering swordsmen, or ashigaru samurai who lack official status.]
[The ‘protection fee’ comes from the wagers and admission fees collected by the underground arena. The 30,000 Spirit Essence the tavern owner gave you just now is the cost of greasing palms and covering up the arena’s activities…]
[…]
[The Fire-Worshipping Tavern Owner lets out a long sigh. “This month, I was still able to pay you 30,000 Spirit Essence in protection fees, but next month, I fear it will have to be greatly reduced.”]
[At this, you fly into a rage. You slam the table and demand to know the reason.]
[The owner explains that most of the arena’s profits come from rigging the duels to ensure certain outcomes and winning the wagers. Of course, any bets lost by the occasional visiting noble are discreetly refunded in full, only the merchants and commoners end up as the true fools.]
[But lately, a swordsman of extraordinary skill has appeared in the arena, winning again and again without ever suffering defeat. Because the outcome is never in doubt, the arena’s profits have sharply declined.]
[The owner has run the arena for years and has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, but for some reason, none of the usual underhanded methods work on this swordsman.]
[He suspects that this swordsman was likely sent by another arena in the city, aiming to ruin his business.]
[At this point, he falls to his knees, tears streaming down his face as he pleads earnestly for you, a masterful warrior, to take the field yourself and defeat this swordsman, removing this menace from the arena.]
[“If you can eliminate that swordsman,” he vows, “I will gladly offer you another 30,000 Spirit Essence!”]
[As a member of the samurai class, you naturally know that participating in underground duels would tarnish your reputation. For a moment, you hesitate.]
[O Apostle who cherishes your honor, what will you do?]
[1. “Just a wandering swordsman, what caliber is he, that he deserves to stand on the same dueling platform as me?” Firmly refuse the owner’s plea.]
[2. “Just a wandering swordsman, if I take the field, it will be no effort at all.” Firmly accept the owner’s plea.]
[3. “Just a wandering swordsman, there is no suspense in the outcome. Not only will I fight, I’ll place a bet as well!” Firmly accept the owner’s plea and earn extra from the wager.]
“Isn’t this basically free money?”
Lin Xun immediately selected the third option.
[You rest your hand on the samurai sword at your waist. In your pitch-black eyes, a cold killing intent flickers. You give a slight nod.]
[The Fire-Worshipping Tavern Owner is overjoyed. Just as he is about to escort you out of the private room, you stop him with a gesture.]
[You toss the money pouch back to him, unopened, and coldly utter two words. ‘Place a bet.’]
[The Fire-Worshipping Tavern Owner hastily receives the pouch, bowing over and over, then leads you out of the private room and toward the tavern’s rear door…]
[His face glows with delight as he guides you, muttering under his breath, “With your unmatched skill and such confidence, lord, you will surely cut that wandering swordsman down…”]
[The rear door of the tavern connects to a large courtyard. The Fire-Worshipping Tavern Owner leads you to a corner of the yard and lifts aside a disguised stone slab, revealing stairs beneath.]
[Roaring voices pour out from the passageway. From the sound alone, you can tell the underground arena is packed with people.]
[You descend the stairs and soon enter a spacious underground chamber.]
[Heavy smells of liquor and sweat assault your nose. The benches are packed with jostling figures, and in the center of the underground chamber stands a wooden dueling platform.]
[On the platform, two men were dueling. One was a samurai clad in a haramaki cuirass, sleeveless armor consisting of only a single chest-and-belly plate for protection. Judging by how tattered it looked, this samurai was clearly a lowly ashigaru.]
[The other man wore a loose-hitatare outer robe, a black-sheathed katana at his waist. Though his figure was slender, his back was perfectly straight. Even though his weapon remained in its scabbard, you could faintly sense the razor-sharp sword aura emanating from him.]
[Amid the spectators’ cheers and applause, the ashigaru let out a fierce shout, kicked off the ground, and leapt into the air. Raising his blade high overhead, he brought it crashing down with all his might!]
[The wandering swordsman closed his eyes. His left hand gripped the scabbard; his right hand lightly rested on the hilt…]
[A flash of dazzling sword light, black flame flickering out in an instant!]
[The swordsman exhaled softly, the katana already returned to its sheath…]
[The airborne figure split in two and fell to the ground, spurting blood that dyed the dueling platform red, like some ghastly painting.]
[The audience fell completely silent, all struck dumb by that merciless stroke of the blade. It was a long moment before thunderous applause and shouting erupted.]
[The wandering swordsman swept his gaze across the crowd. In a quiet voice that nonetheless carried through the arena, he said, “Next.”]
[His icy stare passed over you and paused for an instant. In that gaze, you sensed not the slightest trace of human emotion, only profound indifference.]
[You have discovered the Fire-Worshipping Heartless Flow Swordsman!]
“Tsk… this guy really knows how to act cool.”
Lin Xun’s thoughts didn’t stop there.
In the memories of the ronin, he had learned of the existence of the Heartless Flow Dojo.
This swordsman wasn’t a mere wandering fighter, he was a disciple of the Heartless Flow Dojo.
The samurai Shell he was currently possessing, in terms of true combat power, wasn’t even as strong as a Chunin, just a bit stronger than a Genin.
If he used this Shell to go up on the stage, he would probably end up just like the ashigaru, sliced clean in two.
Lin Xun had a vague premonition that even if he used the proprietor’s Shell to fight, he might still be killed in one stroke by this Heartless Flow disciple.
“Damn it, if only I could wield Karmic Fire, I wouldn’t be at such a disadvantage.”
[The Fire-Worshipping Tavern Owner looked at you, eyes brimming with expectation.]
[Do you want to step onto the stage right now and cut this man down?]
[You rested your hand on the hilt at your waist and said in a low voice that after a few cups of sake, your stomach was bloated, you’d go relieve yourself before the duel.]
[With that, you strode off to the latrine in the corner…]
“If I can seize that swordsman’s Shell, I’ll likely gain a connection to the Heartless Flow Dojo…”
That dojo surely had many powerful swordsman Shells and sword skills. If he missed this place, the loss wouldn’t be trivial.
If he wanted to win the duel, it was unlikely he could do it using only the Shells from this chapter. He would have to rely on one of his three main Shells.
The Earth Giant was too destructive, if he lost control for a moment, the swordsman’s Shell might be too damaged to possess afterward.
The Direct Vision President’s skills would draw far too much attention here and weren’t suitable.
That left only the little dragonkin Shell.
[You have possessed the Shell of the Knowledge-Seeking Primordial Hermit!]
[You used the Iridescent Sea Shell (Item)!]
[Mist billowed from the Iridescent Sea Shell, temporarily transforming the abnormal form of your Shell into that of an ordinary person!]
He still had plenty of Iridescent Sea Shells left, and this was the perfect time to use one.
Lin Xun stripped the samurai’s clothes off and dressed the Hermit Shell in them, then left the latrine.
[Another challenger had stepped onto the platform, but was quickly cut in two by the Fire-Worshipping Heartless Flow Swordsman.]
[Once again, the words “Next” rang through the arena.]
[The tavern owner waited anxiously below the stage for Lord Samurai to return. You stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and said that Lord Samurai had eaten something bad and was currently relieving himself.]
[Since you were a friend of Lord Samurai, you would take his place in this duel.]
[Without waiting for the tavern owner’s stunned protest, you vaulted up onto the dueling platform…]