Dual wielding volcanoes, killing through the west

"Connections".

"A very popular woman."

"As long as you can win the competition and become the ultimate victor, whatever your wish is, you can ask the 'Emperor' here, and he will grant it for you."

"The competition format this time is different from before. It's a team competition, with three people forming a 'team'. That means if you can win, His Majesty the Emperor will grant the wishes of at least three people. Because of this, the intensity of the competition is far greater than usual."

Chapter 783: How could I possibly say such lines?

This was so bizarre that Zhang Renfeng couldn't believe it was true at first glance.

But based on his experience, the stranger something is, the more illogical it sounds, the more likely it is to actually happen.

"So, how does His Majesty the Emperor grant the wishes of every victor? Is he some kind of god who can just wave his finger and make it happen?"

“I don’t know.” Alden shook his head. “However, someone must have taken this route before. Otherwise, Master Nicholas wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to take this route.”

"So, what is your wish...?"

Alden hesitated for a moment, then spoke up, "I came here because of a promise."

"promise?"

“Yes, a promise.” Alden nodded, his voice becoming somewhat heavy as he uttered the word again. “When I was seventeen, I donned the white robe and swore an oath to protect someone, but I failed. Now, I want to make amends for my mistake.”

"A promise is a promise. If you make a promise, you should keep it. What do you think?"

……

"That's absolutely right! That's exactly how it should be done."

Zhang Renfeng nodded in deep agreement. His upbringing instilled in him the principle of keeping one's word. No matter the difficulties, a promise made must be fulfilled. Suddenly, the image of the young, blond swordsman before him became much more pleasing to his eye.

"However, relying on just one wish, isn't that a bit... "

“That’s not entirely true.” Alden turned his head, glanced around, and confirmed that Master Lynx was still fast asleep and there was no one else nearby. He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “According to the information we’ve gathered along the way, the person we’re looking for may have already been sent here.”

"Here?" Zhang Renfeng exclaimed in surprise, "Oak City?!"

"Shh—! Keep your voice down!" Alden quickly made a shushing gesture and warned, "This is still a state secret. In principle, I shouldn't tell outsiders too much. I'm only making an exception for you because you're a comrade-in-arms and a decent person."

Zhang Renfeng suddenly realized that this young man seemed quite "clear-headed"; he had actually come to trust him so easily during their conversation. This is truly a state secret; you'd better keep it well hidden!

But he didn't force the other party; it was Alden who insisted on talking, so he just listened reluctantly.

Have you seen even a single 'child' in this city?

……

Zhang Renfeng recalled the events and was somewhat horrified to find that he had not seen any children in any of the places he had visited.

The library, the theater, the square, and even the bathhouse were filled with adults.

He already felt something was off about the city, and this detail only intensified his suspicions. It reminded him of the Kingdom of Biqu in "Journey to the West," where every household hung goose cages containing children. The scene was both absurd and terrifying, leaving a certain psychological scar on young Zhang Renfeng.

Could it be that the king here is also frail and sickly, and needs the hearts of 1111 children to be used as a medicinal ingredient?

“The people in this city were not born or raised here; they are all ‘actors’ from outside.”

Alden gritted his teeth. "Let me put it more clearly: everything here is like a giant stage play. Everyone in the city is playing their part!"

"?!!"

This model was still too novel for Zhang Renfeng; he was stunned and couldn't accept it.

However, upon closer examination, many things become clear if this logic is applied.

The reason Norton was so resistant to him was because these four thousand-plus complete outsiders would utterly disrupt this exquisite drama.

Poets, gladiators, artists—all were unproductive figures. Normally, the city's finances simply couldn't sustain themselves. Not to mention, they built skyscrapers out of thin air, creating so many spectacular sights.

"That's true, but even actors are divided into different levels."

Alden counted on his fingers and said, "At the highest level are the city's officials, the mayor, the treasurer, the municipal manager, and so on. They are all very prominent figures in the 'outside world.' Mr. Henderson is also a well-known professor in the country. It is because of his outstanding professional abilities that he was invited here to take up this position."

"Those in the middle are people like 'us'—gladiators, poets, performing artists. His Majesty the Emperor here seems dedicated to transforming this city into the Rome of his imagination."

Alden shrugged, a hint of disdain in his voice. "Perhaps the Rome he imagines is a place rife with extravagance and moral decay."

“Even so, we people all came here voluntarily. I heard that last year, there were slaves among the gladiators here who longed for freedom. But starting this year, there aren’t any anymore. You have to fight tooth and nail to even have a chance of getting into this city.”

“People like you, who just barged in by train, are the exception among exceptions.”

"The third type, and also the lowest of the low..."

Have you been to the Baths of Diocletian?

Zhang Renfeng immediately realized, "You mean, the girls at the bathhouse?"

"It's not just them. Look at this city, so many luxurious buildings that need to be cleaned, maintained, and repaired. But these servants aren't even allowed to appear on the streets in normal times. Ha... Perhaps there's no place for them in His Majesty the Emperor's blueprint for Rome."

"In short, the last type of people come here through all sorts of channels. Some find us through legitimate means, and some through shady ones. And the information we've received is that the girl we're looking for is now very likely..."

"Right here in the Baths of Diocletian!"

"Really?" Zhang Renfeng exclaimed in surprise. "Then why are you still sitting here? Hurry up and go find her!"

"You think I haven't tried?"

Alden shook his head in distress. "I've been there more than once, but the bathhouse is huge, and there are just too many maids to serve you."

“I tried asking around a few times, but for some reason, the girls there were all very afraid of me. After asking a few times, they seemed to realize that I was asking about someone, and they all stopped talking. When they saw me again, they didn't say a word, not a single word the whole time... I couldn't get anything out of them!”

----

Zhang Renfeng stared at him for a long time, speechless.

He couldn't help but sigh, thinking that his own mind was already failing him. He never imagined that one day he would be able to see such clear-eyed stupidity in others.

“They must have strict rules within their organization, prohibiting them from revealing these things… Anyone would be wary of you if you asked so bluntly.” Zhang Renfeng sighed. “Who were you referring to when you introduced yourself?”

“I said, I’m a gladiator from the arena, and I want to ask you about someone.” Alden frowned. “I don’t understand, is there a problem with that? I usually ask other people the same thing.”

"..."

"Ugh……"

Zhang Renfeng sighed and then stood up.

"Let's go."

"Where are you going?" Alden asked in surprise, "It's so late..."

“Where else can we go? Of course, it’s the bathhouse.” Zhang Renfeng never expected that one day he would actually be able to say such a line. “When we get there, shut your mouth and don’t say anything. You can speak when it’s your turn.”

Chapter 784: Sexual Compensation?

"What did you say? You're not going to do it with us?!" The girl in front of him was shocked and even a little angry. She stood up abruptly, one hand on her slender waist, her face full of disbelief and disappointment. "Then why did you eat the oysters we gave you? We even left the door open for you!"

"I'm sorry." Zhang Renfeng clasped her hands together, and unusually, apologized to them in a humble voice, "I didn't know that it meant anything when I was eating it. Mr. Henderson only told me after I finished. This... this is a beautiful misunderstanding..."

He felt a little embarrassed because with four girls at once, the originally spacious single sauna room felt cramped.

At this time, the bathhouse should be closing soon, but guests like Zhang Renfeng, who had been "booked" in advance by the girls, could receive certain preferential treatment. When he entered, he was met with curious glances from many girls, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.

If there were any criteria for selecting these girls from the outside world, it would certainly be "young," "beautiful," with fair skin and a great figure. The four girls who delivered oysters to him during the day had all changed into rather thin pajamas. They weren't even barely visible; they were practically just a thin layer of gauze hanging over their bodies, serving as a final, coy attempt at concealment.

Under the lamplight and amidst the shadows of the gauze, the unique curves of each girl appeared even more alluring.

Zhang Renfeng was still a human being at heart, and it would be a lie to say he felt nothing in this situation. It was only his inner moral constraints and the urgency of the immediate matter that, working together, restrained all those desires.

Adhering to the principle of speaking the truth, he did not allow the girls to continue to misunderstand, and explained the issue of oysters to them very frankly.

As a result, they were naturally very disappointed.

"If you don't want to work with us, what are you doing here?" one of the girls pouted, somewhat dissatisfied. "Are you here to laugh at us?"

“No, no. I…” Zhang Renfeng paused for a moment, “Actually, I have something I’d like to ask you all for help with…”

After hearing his request, the girls looked at each other in disbelief.

"So, you stood the four of us up, and you're planning to ask us to help you find someone for free?" the wavy blonde girl named Aria said with a wicked smile. "Use your brain, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

“Exactly.” Jennifer pulled Luna, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, towards her, supporting her lower back, and said with certainty, “We don’t care, but this new girl hasn’t been here long and has never been with a man before! She finally made up her mind, since she was going to do it sooner or later anyway, and hoped to give you her first time… and this is how you treat her?”

"Don't be nervous, our requirements aren't high."

Eleanor, arm in arm, chuckled as if this were just a fun game, "It's fine if you don't want to do it with the three of us, but you at least have to do it with her once. Otherwise, all that mental preparation she's done will have been for nothing, won't it?"

"This..." Zhang Renfeng said with a wry smile, "This is really inappropriate. Can I exchange it for something else?"

“You might not believe it, but we’re not short of money,” Jennifer said, pursing her lips. “In fact, everyone in this city is probably not short of money.”

After a moment's thought, Zhang Renfeng stated the conditions he had come up with on the way to the bathhouse.

"I can send you to school."

"..."

After hearing those words, the girls' expressions changed from playful laughter to seriousness, and they looked at him with astonishment.

Zhang Renfeng knew he had guessed right again: on Luna's nose, there was a small patch of skin that was slightly different in color from the rest of her face—the mark of her glasses. From this, he deduced that Luna was literate and perhaps had once come from a well-off family. She had simply ended up here due to unforeseen circumstances.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the vast majority of the young women in the bathhouse probably have similar backgrounds.

Just as Arden said before, everything here is just a huge live performance. By extension, the girls at the bathhouse are the same.

There were hardly any older maids here; they were all young women. Combined with our earlier deductions, it wasn't hard to see that this charade was bound to end sooner or later. Regardless of what the girls gained from this massive reality show, they would eventually have to leave.

After that, choosing what kind of life to live becomes very important.

……

"You...you mean it?" Eleanor also dropped her previous businesslike "bad girl" smile and asked cautiously, "Going to school...you mean, can we go to school?"

They didn't think Zhang Renfeng was exaggerating. Guests who could come to this city usually had extraordinary status. There were many people who could do similar things, but most guests wouldn't make such a promise to the bathhouse maids who were at the bottom of the city's social hierarchy.

In their eyes, these maids were not human at all, but merely useful tools to please themselves. Why would a human being consider this or that for a tool?

Luna's eyes widened involuntarily, revealing an undisguised expression of surprise and anticipation.

"Well, I guess the cities in the north are out of the question." Zhang Renfeng didn't boast, but instead revealed the truth: "The only place I can influence is probably New Austin, just this one state."

"Tonight, please do my friend a favor."

"Regardless of whether it succeeds in the end, I guarantee that as long as you come to New Austin, go to the city government and find a man named 'Igor.' Tell him about tonight's events, and he will make arrangements for you. You can go to any school in New Austin and study whatever you want."

……

In those days, going to school, especially for women, was a very rare thing. Often only girls from aristocratic families had the opportunity to access more advanced knowledge.

The girls in these bathhouses were clearly worldly-wise; they knew very well what constituted a truly important and long-term investment.

----

“Alright.” Zhang Renfeng pushed open the door and nodded to Alden. “Once you’re inside, just ask whatever you need to ask.”

"So fast?" Alden glanced at the sauna room with some suspicion, then hesitated, "Are they alright? Should I wait a bit before going in?"

“…” Zhang Renfeng rolled his eyes at him. “I didn’t do anything.”

"You let them come by themselves?" Alden's misunderstanding deepened. "What a peculiar habit..."

“Ah… what are you thinking? What I mean is…” Zhang Renfeng cleared his throat, “I’ve reached a rather long-term agreement with them.”

Chapter 785: It's all about human relationships and social interactions~~~~

Seeing Alden emerge with a furrowed brow, Zhang Renfeng knew his hopes had been dashed.

“I’m sorry,” Luna said almost instinctively, “we heard his description, but there really isn’t such a person among the bathhouse maids…”

“It’s alright, it’s not your fault,” Zhang Renfeng comforted. “I promised you that as long as you’re willing to help, my promise will remain valid. If you still want to go to school after you leave, you can come to New Orleans to find me.”

"Actually, that just means the girl you're looking for isn't in the bathhouse. There are still many other places you can look," Aria said, counting on her fingers. "The gardens, the theater, the library, and that huge palace and arena."

“These places require a lot of people to clean, including both men and women. Who knows, the person you're looking for might be in there.”

“But I don’t know anyone in these places I can ask for help,” Zhang Renfeng sighed. “It’s simply unrealistic to search for them one by one.”

Alden bit his lip and could only sigh, "Master Nicholas's prediction is indeed correct; searching like this won't work."

Zhang Renfeng immediately understood the Lynx's motive: even though they already knew that the person they were looking for was very likely in this city.