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"Belle, do you really think it was just driving the wrong way?"
Wise suddenly became serious.
"Brother, what do you mean?"
Belle sensed something behind Wise's words. After all these years as siblings, sometimes she understood Wise even better than herself.
"I had Fairy check it. That road is a one-way street, and there's another road into the city that's faster and better. If it was just about saving time or doing something else, there was no need to drive the wrong way at all. And there was no reason for the driver to gamble with their own life."
Wise said gravely.
When something completely defies logic, it's usually the beginning of a conspiracy.
"So, you mean... someone was targeting us?"
Arden, who had been listening in, frowned. But very quickly, he rejected the idea. "That doesn't seem right. Belle and Yiji just arrived in the Outer Ring. They wouldn't have made enemies here, and only Billy knew about this. It's unlikely they were being targeted."
"Then... was it aimed at the Sons of Calydon's supply truck?"
"That's very possible!"
"I think so too!"
Arden's guess was unanimously accepted.
"Right. They said they were going to participate in the Tour de Inferno, and the supplies they prepared are essential. If the truck was destroyed, it would be very hard to gather another batch of supplies in a short time."
"Let's go ask Caesar."
"Alright!"
...
When the four of them found Caesar, she was talking to someone beside the small plaza in Blazewood.
As Arden approached, he saw clearly that the person had an exceptionally burly build. Even sitting on an outdoor sofa, he was almost as tall as Caesar. (The kind of outdoor sofa you see downstairs in residential areas, where old men and women often sit and chat.)
The burly man's skin was a wine-red color, and on his neck was a boar's head.
Of course, this wasn't an insult—it was literally a boar's head. Not an ordinary domestic pig, but a wild boar with a pair of protruding tusks.
He had white hair and wore sunglasses. The wild boar tusks jutting from the corners of his mouth gleamed with a golden sheen, radiating an imposing presence at first glance.
...
Arden felt as if he had met a kindred spirit.
So, this is the Sons of Calydon's Big Daddy—he's pretty cool.
"Uncle, your tusks are really cool!"
Belle froze for a moment when she saw the Boar Thiren in front of her, then praised him sincerely.
Boar Thirens weren't as rare as Tiger Thirens in New Eridu, but they were still uncommon—though they were more frequently seen in the Outer Ring.
"You're here. This is Big Daddy. He's the one who raised me."
Caesar greeted Arden, Belle, and Yiji, and she was just as warm toward Wise.
"Hello there! Proxies, Daoist from Yunkui Summit—thank you for being willing to help this unpromising kid of mine."
Big Daddy's voice was deep and resonant, very human in character.
He seemed to have no real name. In any case, everyone addressed him by the nickname "Big Daddy."
"I'm not unpromising—I'm just still wet behind the ears!"
Caesar retorted unhappily. As for the content of that retort... Arden smiled faintly, while the other two struggled to hold back their laughter.
"Ahahaha, you're right!"
To avoid things getting too awkward, Belle laughed along and tugged at her brother.
"Big Daddy, you've heard about yesterday's car accident too, right? We've always believed that someone is interfering with the Sons of Calydon's participation in the Tour de Inferno. What do you think?"
Arden got straight to the point.
The original plan had been to discuss it with Caesar, but Caesar's brainpower was... well, those who knew, knew. Since a more suitable person was present, Arden naturally directed the discussion toward Big Daddy instead.
I hope his brain isn't like how he looks.
"There are only two teams participating in this Tour de Inferno. Pompey, the leader of The Vanquishers, wouldn't do something like this."
Big Daddy shook his head as he spoke.
His view differed from Arden's. He believed Pompey wouldn't scheme against a junior like Caesar.
"The boss wouldn't—but that doesn't mean his subordinates wouldn't!"
Arden countered. "Caesar also said before that the Overlord distributes the profits, and everyone tacitly accepts that he takes the largest share. In that case, there must be people who don't want Pompey to lose, right?"
"Compared to the uncertainty of deciding victory on the battlefield, it's better to eliminate all chances of losing outside the arena beforehand."
Big Daddy's gaze fell on Arden, revealing an expression of the younger generation being formidable.
"You city folk really have complicated minds!"
"But now that you mention it, I do recall that Lucius, The Vanquishers' second-in-command, has been quite restless lately. There are rumors that he's been getting close to large corporations in the city."
"Unfortunately, the person who spread that information has already disappeared."
Big Daddy shared the intelligence he knew. He couldn't investigate further due to his position—recklessly probing the other gang's second-in-command could easily escalate things into a full-blown gang war.
But Arden and the others were different.
"I understand. Thank you for the information."
Arden nodded. Some things didn't need to be spelled out, and he understood the implication behind Big Daddy's words.
"Young man, what do you plan to do?" Big Daddy asked with interest.
"The Outer Ring isn't a lawless land. Someone tried to harm my Yiji—and my good friend Belle. No matter what their intentions are, they'll have to pay the price!"
Arden spoke bluntly, without hiding anything.
This wasn't Arden boasting. With his current strength and influence, as long as Yixuan Shifu and Ju Fufu didn't object, wiping out the entire Outer Ring wouldn't even be a problem.
"Hubby..."
When Yiji heard this, her eyes filled with little hearts. Being protected by her husband felt unbelievably blissful.
"When did we become friends... it's only our second time meeting."
Belle muttered quietly from the side.
If the acupuncture treatment while she was unconscious last time counted as "baring it all," then this really was only her second meeting with Arden.
Sigh~ "I won't stop you from doing what you plan to do—nor can I. I just hope, Daoist Arden, that you uphold Yunkui Summit's consistent principles: act with restraint and keep compassion in your heart."
Big Daddy had heard of Arden's "glorious deeds." He understood that a storm of bloodshed sweeping through the Outer Ring was unavoidable. He only hoped Arden wouldn't go too far and overturn the entire Outer Ring.
"Mm, don't worry. I know my limits."
Arden nodded. He just had a strong sense of vengeance—he wasn't some bloodthirsty demon.
"Arden, if someone really is pulling strings behind the scenes, I won't let them off. You're guests I invited—of course I can't just watch you get hurt."
Caesar volunteered eagerly.
Though she was single-minded, her ears worked just fine. She understood that yesterday's car accident wasn't an accident at all, and her hatred immediately flared.
She hated conspiracies the most, and like Arden, she held grudges. It was just that she had no clues and didn't know who the culprit was, so all she could do was stew in anger.
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