The body of the arena manager hung high in the center of the arena, a punishment for his unauthorized actions and a symbol of the king's power.

Todd's quarters were moved from that cramped and dark cell to a comfortable and bright terrace. Standing in the room, he could see the entire arena. Most importantly, he gained the privilege of moving freely within the arena.

A week after the second gladiatorial combat, Todd spent hundreds of hours intensively studying Northern Mandarin in the Soul Realm, and his efforts were beginning to bear fruit. As long as it didn't involve complex rhetoric or obscure slang, he could now converse fluently.

While eating the food delivered from the city's finest restaurants and watching the gladiators practicing their fights in the arena, Todd wiped the grease off his hands, flipped off the terrace, and walked up the stone steps toward the underground prison where criminals were held.

Along the way, whether they were strong as oxen or battle-hardened warriors, upon seeing Todd, they all stopped what they were doing, lowered their heads, stood aside, and respectfully made way for him.

With steady, measured steps and a serious expression, Todd walked straight ahead without looking to the side.

Just then, someone shouted, "Boyle, the Red Champion!"

Shortly after, cheers erupted throughout the arena.

"Boyle, the Red Champion!"

Amidst the praise and adoration of the people, Todd did not pause for a moment, and walked up the steps into the underground prison area.

Following the familiar direction, and traversing the maze-like corridors, Todd finally stopped in front of a huge prison cell.

The prison houses hundreds of clansmen, men and women, young and old.

Todd's appearance caused cheers among the prisoners. Some called him patriarch, some called him leader, and some simply called him master.

Looking at the unfamiliar faces in front of him, Todd could only smile in response. After searching for a while, he finally spotted two familiar faces.

One is Fried, an old warrior of the Froststone tribe, and the other is Minnie, an old shaman of the Froststone tribe.

As the two old men slowly walked to the other side of the cell door, Todd spoke in Northern dialect to the jailer hiding nearby: "Open the cell door."

Faced with the legendary gladiator champion, the jailer trembled with fear, but still mustered the courage to refuse the request: "Sir, it's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult, but this is against the rules. If the cell door is opened, not only will I not survive, but everyone inside will be executed."

“Chief, he’s right,” the old warrior Fried said to Todd through the bars. “If he opens the cell door, we’ll all be executed for escape.”

Hearing someone help explain, the jailer became bolder and said, "Lord Boyle, your people don't miss out on any of their three meals a day. They also have someone fetch them clean spring water every day, and we provide free herbs to those who are sick."

Fried shrugged and said in a tone that was half serious and half sarcastic, "It's true. Since the gladiatorial games ended last week, these people's attitudes have changed astonishingly as if they were reformed saints."

Seeing the speechless jailer, Todd abandoned his plan to reprimand him and instead turned his gaze to the prisoners in the cell: "There are far fewer people here."

"Alas, the slave-catching team captured thousands of our people. Those who died on the way, those whose whereabouts are unknown, and those who died of illness during this time, now only this few people are left..." Fried pounded on the cell door with his fist and said with great sorrow.

Todd's face was grave as he suddenly said, "That woman named Aisha..."

Todd paused deliberately for a moment after speaking halfway through his sentence.

Fried picked up where he left off, continuing, "I heard that after she was captured by the slave team, she was taken to the palace, and I don't know how she is now."

Having obtained the information he wanted, Todd breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

Standing beside Fried, the shaman Minnie suddenly reached out, slipped her hand through the gap in the fence, and touched Todd's forehead, saying softly, "Child, listen to me. This world is as hopeless as a bottomless abyss, darkness erodes everything, and sorrow is ever-present... But you have a golden heart, and deep within your body exists a light and warmth comparable to the sun. I beg you, change this world and save those lost souls."

Todd felt a gentle strength emanating from the other person's palm and stared blankly at the old woman in front of him.

For some reason, Todd had a feeling that Minnie had seen through his disguise and knew his true identity long ago.

So why didn't she expose herself? And what was the deeper meaning behind her words?

With a heavy heart, Todd left the prison and walked down the street when he inadvertently caught sight of two familiar figures.

The two plainsmen who deliberately "threatened" during the second duel.

Seeing the hopeful look in their eyes, Todd secretly made a gesture, signaling them to follow him.

Finding a secluded corner, Todd sat down on a clean rock and asked the two respectful figures before him, "What are your names?"

The muscular, burly man said, "Kasper."

The tall, thin young man then said, "Respected Red Champion, you may call me Ackerman."

Upon hearing the name Ackerman, Todd glanced at the young man and asked, "You're from a parish in the south."

Kasper nodded.

Ackerman was clearly a chatterbox: "He comes from Holy Guard City and used to be a knight of the Holy Guard Knights; I come from a village called 'Thousand Trees Village' on Moon Creek Plain and used to be the village chief there."

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