In the alliance, the more they attack me, the stronger I become!

From the moment she killed her husband, she could no longer wash away her greed.

Perhaps she is more like a terrifying black widow spider than the so-called Spider God...

"If you want to kill me, I advise you to do it as soon as possible."

Iris turned her head and looked at Cheng Xiao, her tone very calm.

Even Cheng Xiao couldn't tell whether she really thought she was going to die or was confident about it.

But no matter what...she probably made the right bet.

Cheng Xiao swung the Doran's Sword vigorously, shook off the green blood on the blade, and then sheathed the sword.

"You just helped me, how could I repay your kindness with hatred and kill you?"

"..." Hearing this, Iris was silent for a moment, and then jokingly said, "You still have questions for me, right?"

"Indeed." Cheng Xiao stopped pretending, smiled and nodded, saying, "But don't worry, as long as you answer my questions honestly, I will keep my promise."

"Hehe...what do you want to know?"

Iris was indeed confident.

But her indifferent expression disappeared in Cheng Xiao's next words:

"Tell me everything about the secret magic society Black Rose..."

Chapter 128 The Clown King: Hi Hi!

The Black Rose, a secret magic society buried deep in the shadows of the Noxian Empire, has controlled the development direction of the entire country for thousands of years and personally participated in every major national decision.

Even the Grand Commander of Noxus is a puppet of the Black Rose - it has been like this for generations.

But very few people really know about the black rose.

Among the small group of people who know about the Black Rose, the vast majority only know the basics.

The number of people who have truly come into contact with the core of the Black Rose and guard those secrets... in all of Runeland, there are only a handful of them.

Elise had done a lot for the Black Rose over the years and had made countless contributions, but even she couldn't say she had a complete understanding of the Black Rose organization. Every time she thought she had seen the whole picture, the pale-skinned woman would tell her with her actions...

What she saw was just the tip of the black rose iceberg.

This underground magical organization that controls the empire holds too many secrets. From the Darkin era thousands of years ago to the current world situation, they have secretly manipulated too many people and too many things...

And all this is thanks to that woman.

【Pale Lady】

Iris thought she was cunning enough, but in front of that woman... she was like a naive three-year-old child, and the slightest expression would reveal all her inner thoughts.

So when faced with Cheng Xiao's question, it wasn't that she was very loyal and stubborn and unwilling to answer, but it was very likely that she couldn't answer it.

Besides...she was also very surprised that the other party knew about the black rose.

And be alert.

"You know the Black Rose..."

Iris subconsciously took a half step back, her scarlet eyes filled with vigilance.

"Is this strange?" Cheng Xiao smiled. "Secrets will always be discovered one day, right?"

"What else do you know..."

"Oh no, now I'm asking you a question, please don't answer a question with a question."

"..." Iris was still surprised that the other party knew about the black rose, and she didn't dare to say anything careless now.

The information she knew was the bargaining chip that saved her life in the hands of the other party.

In addition, if she leaked too much information about the Black Rose and caused the Black Rose to suffer heavy losses... the Pale Lady would never let her go.

If you want to survive, you must find the right balance between speaking and not speaking, telling everything you know and making wild guesses.

As she thought about this, she was ready to start fooling the other party.

But Cheng Xiao seemed to have guessed her little thoughts.

He asked directly, "Do you know about the Pale Lady's secret research? The research on five hundred living human subjects and the death arena?"

Upon hearing this, Iris not only fell into a long silence, but the solemnity on her face also deepened.

That experiment... To be honest, she didn't know much.

But she was still very clear about some superficial things - those bloody and brutal "combat tests" and "potential stimulation"...

Even someone as vicious as her was deeply shocked when she witnessed those things for the first time.

She looked at the man in front of her again.

He was in his early twenties, with soft features. His muscles weren't very bulging, but he had a well-proportioned build that combined speed and strength... He didn't look like someone born in Noxus, but he seemed to know Noxus very well.

Coupled with the powerful strength and special abilities he had previously demonstrated...

"You guessed it, right?" Cheng Xiao met those scarlet eyes. "Please allow me to reintroduce myself - my name is Cheng Xiao, and I'm from the Noxian Empire. In addition to my real name, I also have a 'nickname' given to me by others..."

"number 47."

"Everyone in the arena calls me number 47."

After saying that, Cheng Xiao showed that gentle smile again, which was different from all the experimental subjects Iris had seen - she could only see desperate, dull faces in the arena, or endless anger and resentment in their eyes.

It is obvious that Cheng Xiao is different from those "experimental subjects".

But Iris was also certain that what he said was true. He was an experimental subject who escaped from the bloody arena of the Black Rose.

"I've been to the arena several times under the Pale Lady's instructions—delivering some evil objects brought back from the Shadow Isles in order to activate the potential of those 'experimental subjects.'" Iris finally spoke, and she didn't seem to have any intention of hiding anything.

"I've seen many experimental subjects, but I haven't seen you... I guess you escaped from that accident?"

"Yes. Riel saved all of us." Cheng Xiao also admitted.

"Then you better hide well," Iris said with a meaningful smile. "If you're caught again, it won't be as simple as torture or a quick death."

"Well, thank you for the reminder. So... can you answer my question now?"

"..."

Iris was silent for a moment, and the vigilance and hesitation on her face were gradually replaced by helplessness.

"Since you're the Pale Lady's experiment, it's going to be hard for me to hide anything from you... You asked me to tell you everything about the Black Rose, but I think you probably know as much as I do. If you want to know anything else, just ask directly."

"Then tell me what LeBlanc wants you to do on the island." Cheng Xiao said without further ado, "From what I know, you should still be living in Noxus, and only return to the Shadow Isles when necessary. What did LeBlanc want you to find here for her?"

Upon hearing this, although Iris tried her best not to let her thoughts show on her face, her fingers trembled subconsciously, which still conveyed her surprise.

"You know quite a lot... Do you even know everything about me? It seems that your relationship with the Pale Lady is more than just that of an experimenter and a test subject."

"Stop talking nonsense." Cheng Xiao didn't give the other party a chance to change the subject.

Therefore, Iris could only speak frankly: "To be honest, the first half of your sentence is correct, but the second half is biased. I returned to the Shadow Isles not because of the Pale Lady's order, but because of... it."

As she spoke, Iris glanced coldly at the giant spider corpse that was broken into two pieces not far away.

"I was summoned by it, and returned here. I need to offer it human sacrifices regularly."

As if afraid the other party wouldn't believe her, Iris paused and added, "Otherwise, I wouldn't be so foolish as to attack you—I originally thought you were a sacrifice tricked by the Pale Lady to be offered to the spider. Well, it was my own rashness. I shouldn't have made any assumptions without receiving instructions from the Pale Lady."

"Lefu... Didn't the Pale Lady give you any orders?" Cheng Xiao stared at the woman's eyes, trying to see something in them.

But unfortunately, Iris's sincerity is impeccable.

Cheng Xiao then asked, "Do you know what the Pale Lady is going to do in Shadow Island recently?"

"This..." The thought of deceiving flashed through Iris's mind.

She realized that it would be difficult for her to deceive the "experimental subject" in front of her with words, at least...

If she couldn't provide any useful information from beginning to end, the other party would definitely kill her if he was not satisfied.

For a selfish Black Widow like her, her own life always comes first.

She no longer avoided his gaze, but chose to look directly at Cheng Xiao.

After the death of the Despicable Throat, the venom curse on her body was partially eliminated, and her blood-red eyes gradually turned back to their original wisteria color.

"She... from what I understand, she's trying to strike a deal with an ancient king. She wants me to guard the Shadow Isles for her while I offer sacrifices to the Spider God until the ancient king fully awakens."

"Ancient king?" Cheng Xiao frowned immediately, but did not show much surprise.

As we all know, Fukumitsu Island was not a country in the past, but a place similar to a holy land, and of course there was no "king" here.

And the only "king" buried here now is the foolish tyrant who crossed the ocean and died here.

Viego.

Cheng Xiao had thought of this ancient king when Tam mentioned LeBlanc's intention to come here to make a deal, but it was just speculation—after all, in the original timeline, LeBlanc hadn't reached any kind of cooperation with Viego. He believed that LeBlanc was more likely to want something on the Shadow Isles.

For example, the relics of Mordekaiser, which she feared the most.

The result...is really Viego.

"Okay," Cheng Xiao took a deep breath, "Do you know anything else? Like the details of the transaction?"

Elise shook her head.

At the same time, she stared at her hands with a slightly excited look - although the venom of the Despicable Throat would still make her look horrible, neither human nor ghost, she looked more like a normal human than before.

She could almost see her former self.

"That's all I know. I don't know anything else. If you don't believe me... then there's really nothing I can do."

There was a hint of excitement and helplessness in Iris's tone.

Cheng Xiao also knew that the other party was not lying to him.

So he waved his hand, indicating that the other party could quickly get out of his sight - he kept his promise and spared the other party's life.

Seeing this, Iris left quickly without any intention of staying to "exchange pleasantries".

After the outsiders left, Cheng Xiao thought quietly for a while:

If LeBlanc really wanted to make a deal with Viego, and she was ready to give away the soul of all of Bilgewater...

So many living souls... the conditions for Viego's awakening... and the Haunting Night...

Various memory fragments and guesses flashed through Cheng Xiao's mind, and in the end he only locked on one keyword:

[Curse of Ruin]

Of course, the Ruinous Curse here was not the same thing as the one that had caused the Blessed Isles to fall into the Shadow Isles a thousand years ago. That disaster a thousand years ago was pure destruction, and based on what he knew about the Ruinous Curse created by Viego...

It is an evil curse that controls the souls of others.

And the range is extremely wide. As long as he is given enough powerful energy, he can even spread the Curse of Ruin to any corner of Runeland.

So, what kind of compensation does LeBlanc want?

The Curse of Ruin is no joke. Even Noxus itself might suffer a severe blow... Even ignoring this risk, she would have to pay a heavy price to bring Viego's Curse of Ruin to an early date. For such a high price, what reward did she want?

Could it be that she wants Viego to control the whole world, and she wants to control Viego just like she controls Commander Darkwill?

She wants to be the mastermind behind the whole world?

This... doesn't seem to be in line with her characteristics.

Cheng Xiao couldn't think of an answer for a moment.

But the only thing that is certain is that he must not let Leblanc get what she wants - if the Curse of Ruin comes, the whole world will suffer.

And with LeBlanc's help, Viego's Curse of Ruin will definitely be more terrifying than the Curse of Ruin in the original timeline.

He has to stop that bad woman and that licking dog king...

"Miss Gwen."

Cheng Xiao called softly, turning to look at Gwen who was squatting on the ground.

The little girl who had just been given life was now observing every grain of sand and every speck of dust on the ground.

Everything in this world seemed new and exciting to her.

She also turned her head, still with that sunny and lovely smile on her face.