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"..."
Arden's blatant winner-in-life demeanor instantly made the bikers in the bar feel uncomfortable—and a tad bit jealous.
But at this moment, Arden had already reined in that pretty-boy vibe. The aura of a grandmaster spread out from him, making it clear that he was not someone to mess with.
"Mm… hehe, at least you're honest."
The biker from earlier forced out an awkward laugh. He regretted striking up the conversation in the first place, but since they were already talking, he could only grit his teeth and keep going for the sake of face.
"Looking for something to do, huh… then who are you planning to throw in with?"
"Naturally, the Outer Ring's Overlord—Pompey!"
Arden wasn't racing around the Outer Ring just for fun. He had his own plan.
"You've got good taste, kid! But you should know that the Vanquishers don't take just anyone. Newcomers like you—even if you've got some ability—won't ever get a chance to meet the Overlord, hahaha!"
As he spoke, the biker laughed along with his companions, easing the awkwardness while clawing back a bit of dignity.
"Is that so…"
Hearing this, Arden put on a troubled expression. "Then… what about going with the second-in-command, Lucius? That should be fine, right?"
To be honest, Arden had mostly forgotten the Tour de Inferno storyline. Aside from a few playable characters, he only vaguely remembered that Overlord Pompey was betrayed and corrupted, and that Burnice was obsessed with her beloved "kitty~!"—after that, nothing.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to waste time fishing for information like this.
"Lucius?"
At the mention of that name, the smiles on the bikers' faces vanished, replaced by confusion.
"You don't know? Lucius has been recruiting people everywhere lately, trying to expand his own power."
With zero guilt, Arden splashed some dirty water onto Lucius. "Doesn't matter what kind of people they are—as long as they're willing, he takes them in. For us, whether it's the Overlord or Lucius, whoever offers enough benefits is the boss!"
Of course, all of this was based on hazy memories from before his transmigration. Whether it was true or not, he didn't know. He just wanted to see how the bikers would react.
Right or wrong, their attitudes would reveal something.
"Hey! Kid! You can't just make stuff up, and you sure as hell shouldn't talk nonsense like that… The way you're talking, it's like Lucius wants to become the boss himself!"
The bikers all edged away from Arden and the others, as if afraid of being implicated.
They knew exactly what kind of person Lucius was. If they got dragged into something, getting silenced wasn't out of the question.
"Isn't that… exactly the case?"
Arden shot back, looking utterly confident.
"You… you little punk, you're not some enemy faction plant here to sow discord, are you?"
"I think that's exactly what he is!"
"Brothers, teach him a lesson!"
"Get him!"
"Ohhh!"
"..."
No one knew who started it, but the bikers weren't exactly known for their intelligence. Add cheap booze, plus the sheer envy-inducing sight of Arden flanked by two beautiful girls, and they cracked their knuckles and closed in, itching to land a few punches on his fair, clean face.
Bikers weren't mindless brutes, but that was just the Outer Ring's culture. To them, fighting was like city folks taking a stroll in the park.
And a fight didn't mean going all out. As the saying went, no fight, no friendship—sometimes, you even bonded through brawling.
"Honestly…"
Seeing this, Arden shook his head helplessly.
He wasn't like Ju Fufu—he didn't enjoy solving problems with fists. But since they were delivering themselves right to his door, not responding would be downright impolite.
Arden released the arm around Belle—
Bang~!
Before the bikers could react, their vision blurred. The one charging at the front was punched straight down by Arden, his head slammed into the wooden bar counter, eyes rolling white.
Thud!
Another biker was sent flying with a kick, crashing into two companions behind him.
"!!!"
Seeing how hard Arden could hit, the bikers started hopping mad, shouting curses.
Arden, however, grinned and beckoned with his hand.
"Who's next!?"
How could they swallow that? One biker grabbed a stool and smashed it toward Arden.
Bang!
Another kick.
The stool shattered into splinters the instant it touched Arden's shoe, and the remaining force slammed straight into the man's face.
Thump~!
The burly biker spun twice on the spot, then collapsed and fell asleep.
"Ah~~ young people really do sleep well!"
Arden sighed theatrically.
Finally—some proper face-slapping and showboating. Not easy to come by!
Back in New Eridu, bad guys either turned tail and ran the moment they saw him, or simply didn't dare make a move at all.
No choice—being famous wasn't always a good thing.
But the Outer Ring was great! Even if people knew the name "Arden," they didn't recognize him. In his eyes, the bikers here were all so pure and innocent.
"..."
Arden's combat prowess sobered the bikers up considerably. No one dared to step forward anymore.
They loved fighting and weren't very bright—but they weren't truly stupid either.
They had no real grudge with Arden. There was no need to keep getting beaten up. Still, a few of them felt that as Outer Ring bikers, getting utterly humiliated by a so-called "pretty boy" was too shameful. Even if it meant swallowing fear, they had to salvage some dignity.
"Stop! All of you, stop right now!"
Just as Arden was wondering whether to use Daoist techniques to wipe out all these trash mobs at once, a loud shout rang out from outside the bar.
Immediately after, a massive orangutan led a group of people inside.
When he saw the white-haired girl calmly sitting at the bar—leisurely sipping a Fuel Drink while watching her "husband" slaughter the crowd—he finally let out a breath of relief.
A female rider with such extraordinary skill couldn't be allowed to come to harm.
At this point, Bellum no longer harbored any lustful thoughts toward Yiji. What he felt now was pure admiration for talent.
...
"Bellum, why are you shouting so loud?"
A biker who looked like a gang leader asked.
"Of course I'm here for this outstanding female rider! You want to meet Lucius, right? No problem—I'll introduce you!"
Bellum put on a magnanimous, no-hard-feelings smile and explained his purpose.
His eager gaze landed on Yiji. For such a priceless treasure, that earlier 'misunderstanding' was nothing at all.
"Uh…"
Being stared at like that made Yiji's skin crawl, and she quickly hid behind Arden.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Before Arden could say anything, the bikers present were already unhappy.
"Bellum, you're someone of note in the Outer Ring. Why are you acting so servile in front of a few city folks who ran away together?"
It had to be said—ugly as he was, Bellum did have some fame in the Outer Ring. Many respected his fighting strength. So, seeing him lower himself like this in front of Arden and the others made them unable to resist mocking him.
"Ran away together? Cough, cough… that's not important. She crossed the Death Fault!"
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