Volume 2: Empire Chapter 212: Estrangement
Strongman competition is a pure competition of strength, and any techniques to increase strength are not allowed. This red-eyed and irritable barbarian strongman has obviously seriously violated the rules of the competition and should be directly judged as the loser.
However, everyone in the castle hall turned a blind eye to the barbarian strongman's abnormal appearance, and sent the red-eyed barbarian to the center of the competition venue with warm applause.
The referee of the match came forward to check on the two finalists.
The referee was also blind. After a very careful examination of the red-eyed barbarian, he announced that his physical condition was normal and met the requirements of the competition.
Then it was time to check on Luke.
The inspection was more thorough, and even instruments were used for testing.
Strictly speaking, Luke's use of secret techniques to obtain dragon blood was also considered cheating. However, Luke was unable to detect his impure human bloodline using the most advanced equipment in Raging Waves City, not to mention the equipment in the Duke's Castle that was many generations behind.
The barbarians wanted to prove that Luke was able to enter the final battle of the Hercules because he used dishonorable means to cheat, thereby fundamentally denying the rumor that the human race was not weaker than the barbarians.
But no matter how the barbarian referee examined him, he knew that the human strongman in front of him was an undisputed human being, and he didn't even have barbarian blood.
The helpless referee could only announce that the human strongman Luke was in good physical condition and met the requirements of the competition.
He will lose anyway.
The referee announced the two players to their respective competition positions.
Luke lifted the lever and placed it on his shoulder, looking back at Baron Sergei.
Baron Sergei was sweating profusely at this time. He did not expect that the Duke of Celtic not only forced him to bribe Luke, but also took drastic measures against Luke's opponents. Although he did not know what the crazy barbarian had experienced, his strength was definitely much stronger than it was ten days ago.
Can Mr. Luke still win against such an opponent?
If we lose, it will be a different situation!
As Luke was observing his surroundings, he suddenly felt his shoulders sink. The huge force that pressed down instantly triggered a conditioned reflex in Luke. He exerted force with both legs almost at the same time and straightened his waist to withstand the downward force.
He said to the referee beside him: "It seems you haven't announced the start of the game yet?"
The referee still had some professional ethics after all. When he saw the Red-Eyed Barbarian taking the lead in attacking before he announced the start of the game, he was ready to stop the game.
But the Celtic Duke's look made the referee stop the action immediately and said to Luke: "The game has begun!"
Since he encountered a black whistle, Luke smiled and said, "You are the referee, you have the final say."
Then Luke fought back.
After being cleansed by the energy of the abyss, his body had been greatly improved compared to ten days ago. If he had met such a wrestling opponent at that time, he might have needed to compete in endurance to win. Now Luke didn't want to waste too much time on such a competition.
If we delay, who knows what tricks the other party will come up with.
Luke stabilized his power posture and withstood the first burst of power from the Red Eyed Barbarian. While the opponent was adjusting his breathing and preparing to burst out his power for the second wave of attack, Luke instantly burst out with all his strength.
The balance of the lever tilted with an unstoppable momentum. Even though the red-eyed barbarian tried his best to resist, and even his swollen blood vessels burst, he still couldn't withstand the overwhelming force.
With the sound of broken bones, the red-eyed barbarian knelt on the ground, head lowered and motionless...it was unknown whether he was alive or dead.
There was silence in the hall, and everyone stared blankly at the center of the field. Many of them were not ready, and the game was over.
Some people were just turning their heads away to talk, and when they turned back they looked like this.
It’s too fast!
And why is the situation on the field different from what I imagined?
The barbarian referee was equally dumbfounded. He stared blankly at the fallen barbarian, the words the Celtic Duke had said to him echoing in his ears.
"This competition is about the dignity and honor of the barbarians. I believe that the barbarian strongman who I have high hopes for will win the competition, and you must believe it too."
When the referee saw the Red Eyed Barbarian's state, he believed that he would definitely win, but the result was...
So unbelievable.
Is this something a human can do!
Luke lifted the lever, keeping it at the standard height for victory, and asked the referee who had not announced the result for a long time: "How long do you need me to keep it at this height before you declare me the winner!"
It was unknown whether the collapsed red-eyed barbarian was alive or dead, and he definitely had lost the ability to continue the game.
The referee looked at the Celtic Duke, he really didn't dare to declare that the human was the champion strongman.
The Duke's expression was extremely ugly. If killing could solve the problem, he would kill the human who humiliated him without hesitation.
However, since the result of the competition has already been decided, it cannot be changed. He cannot kill everyone here. As long as someone leaves the Duke's Castle, the message that the human strongman defeated the barbarian strongman will be passed on.
Killing not only does not solve the problem, but also makes the problem more complicated.
Various countermeasures flashed through the Celtic Duke's mind in a short period of time, and in the end he could only force a smile and applaud.
The referee felt relieved and announced : "Congratulations to the human strongman Luke for winning the final battle of the strongman competition and becoming the champion strongman of this year."
The Celtic Duke led the applause, and the applause in the hall was sporadic for a moment.
The fallen barbarian strongman was carried away by the soldiers, and the Celtic Duke invited Luke to step forward and accept the golden belt symbolizing the champion strongman.
The Celtic Duke put a golden belt on Luke's head and said, "I have something to tell you. Come with me to the next room."
Luke replied, "Yes, Your Excellency."
The Celtic Duke called Baron Sergei again.
The three of them entered the room, the door was closed, and the Duke's personal soldiers were guarding outside.
The Celtic Duke put away his smile and asked with murderous intent, "Who can give me an explanation for the result of the game?"
Baron Sergei immediately pretended to be angry and questioned Luke: “Mr. Luke, you promised me that you would lose the game, and you also took my check for 50 million Reichsmarks.
Why would you give me the opposite result?"
Facing the angry Duke of Celtic and Baron Sergei, Luke acted very innocent: "I don't know what happened either. According to the agreement, I will let the game stalemate for a while to make it more entertaining, and then finally lose.
At the beginning of the game, my opponent took the lead in attacking, and I barely withstood the pressure. According to common sense, I should have attacked once, letting him sink and increase suspense.
But who knew that guy was so good-looking but useless? I wanted to stop halfway, but it was too late. This is totally not the performance of a professional strongman. Did the Duke feed him too much medicine? "
Luke put the blame on the Celtic Duke, making Baron Sergei want to give him a thumbs up on the spot.
Now the pressure is on His Excellency the Duke.
The Celtic Duke's expression froze, and his murderous intent disappeared in an instant.
"Did you take too much medicine?"
"He must have eaten too much!" Luke reiterated this conclusion and took out the World Bank's 50 million Reichsmark check from his pocket: "I have already received the money from Baron Sergei. As an adventurer, I will definitely keep my promise. There is absolutely no need for the Duke to let the poor barbarian Hercules take the potion.
Looking at him, he seemed to have lost all his rationality and attacked with all his strength without waiting for the referee to announce the start of the match.
Of course, I also have some responsibility, and I should have just lost the game. But didn't I want the game to be more like a game? And the result turned out like this.
I am embarrassed to ask for this money again, please take it back, Baron."
Baron Sergei did not take the check and said regretfully: "Mr. Luke meant well but did a bad thing. But..."
Although Baron Sergei did not finish his words, the Celtic Duke knew that he was saying that he was being unnecessary and did not trust his loyalty.
Now the Celtic Duke can't figure out what happened to the result of this game?
Did Luke and Sergei team up to trick him?
Or maybe the problem really lies on my side. I shouldn't have let the barbarian strongman take the potion.
I'm afraid that even if we pull the barbarian strongman over, he won't be able to explain it clearly.
The Celtic Duke looked at Baron Sergei, then at Luke, and could not see anything unusual, so he could only pretend to be confused about the matter for the time being.
"Now that the results of the competition are out, there is no point in pursuing it any further. It's just that I had originally planned to announce the lifting of the factory restrictions after the competition, but now it seems that I can only postpone it and find another opportunity."
Baron Sergei immediately said, "Your Excellency the Duke. We, the human merchants who are trusted by you, are all preparing for the lifting of the factory ban. We have sold all our industries to raise funds, and a lot of money has been paid for the purchase of equipment and materials. In order to build a factory as soon as possible to produce the materials needed by the Barbarian Legion, we even borrowed a huge amount of foreign debt.
If you don't lift the factory ban, we will go bankrupt immediately.
When you are ready to lift the factory ban next time, we may not be able to build a factory for you anymore.”
Luke chimed in, "These days I've been staying at the home of the barbarian merchant, Mrs. Fekochik. Mrs. Fekochik now owns the most shops and workshops in the entire Holy Mountain. She even bought Baron Sergei's best iron workshop."
Sergei continued, "Mrs. Fekochik is from the Barbarian Stone Family. If you don't lift the factory ban this time, the Stone Family will definitely not sell their shops and workshops to build a factory for the Holy Mountain when you lift it next time."
The Celtic Duke did not expect that this night would be so torturous.
Those who bought shops and workshops from human merchants must be barbarian nobles. If all human merchants were bankrupted this time, no one would enforce the factory ban even if it was lifted next time.
However, the emergence of this human champion strongman has an impact on the entire Tedega Hills that is no less than the lifting of the factory restrictions.
Now that the shackles of the people of Tedega Hill have been removed and they are given a certain amount of space to display their abilities, it will be impossible to restrict them in the future.
However, the pressure brought by the imperial army forced him to release the power of the human race.
"Sergei, please leave first. I have something I want to talk to Mr. Luke alone."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Duke!"
Baron Sergei left, leaving only Luke and Celtic in the room.
Celtic observed Luke, and after a while he said, "I want the Storm Barbarian magic transformation technology. Name your price."
After many days of testing in the Duke's Castle, the Storm Barbarians showed no signs of attenuation, indicating that this was a constant magical transformation.
In terms of overall combat power, Storm Barbarians are able to compete with Bloodsworn Barbarians. And because Storm Barbarians can manipulate wind energy, they are more practical in some situations than Bloodsworn Barbarians who simply increase strength.
In the case that the production of Bloodsworn Barbarians has not been able to be raised, Storm Barbarians are a very good supplement. If the production capacity of Storm Barbarians is high, the Celtic Duke does not mind replacing Bloodsworn Barbarians to reduce the dependence on the Abyss Temple.
The human race is now unstoppable, and the Celtic Duke is determined to defeat the Storm Barbarians.
Therefore, Celtic's tone was firm and there was no room for negotiation.
Luke replied, "My Lord Duke, the Abyss Temple also wants the Storm Barbarian transformation technology. In order to have it all to itself, Apostle Victor also appointed me as the Abyss Priest."
To prove his words, Luke took out the sacrificial badge he had just received.
Upon hearing that the Abyss Temple also wanted the Storm Barbarian transformation technology, and even wanted it to be exclusive to him, the Duke of Celtic immediately understood Apostle Victor's thoughts.
The interior of the Abyss Temple is a mess now, and what they can provide to the Barbarian Legion is completely unequal to the funding given to them by the Duke's Castle.
The emergence of the Storm Barbarians is a serious threat to the status of the Abyss Temple, but also an opportunity to improve its status.
With exclusive access to the Storm Barbarians' technology, the Abyss Temple will certainly ask for more funding.
Duke Celtic asked: "You gave the Storm Barbarian transformation technology to the Abyss Temple ?"
"No!" Luke put away the sacrificial badge. "I want to sell this technology to you, the Duke. You can definitely give me a very good price and allow me to leave Tedega Hills safely with the money."
The Celtic Duke nodded comfortably. "I am the only one who is not worried about the spread of the Storm Barbarian transformation technology, so I will not kill you to silence you. You are very smart, let's talk about the price now."
The Duke of Celtic thought that the Storm Barbarian transformation technology was already in hand, but he didn't expect Luke to say: "Apostle Victor wants me to wait two days before giving you this technology."
The Duke frowned and asked, "Why?"
"The Abyss Temple is preparing for an Abyss Descent. Your Excellency the Duke should know about this."
"Yes! Apostle Victor has reported to me that the death of the four apostles caused heavy damage to the Abyss Temple, so they want to use this Abyss Coming to promote the four apostles to fill the vacancies."
Luke said, "The Abyss will arrive in the next two days. Apostle Victor gave me one of the apostle positions on the condition that my transaction with you, the Duke, be postponed for two days."
"What does this condition have to do with the Abyss's Descent?"
Luke shrugged. "I don't know. After all, I don't understand the Abyss. But Apostle Victor seems to be very convinced that as long as I accept the Abyss transformation, I will definitely reject all your conditions and give him the Storm Barbarian technology."
abyss!
The Celtic Duke suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
The Apostles of the Abyss are a group of lunatics who can do anything!
