This Interrogative Tone is Very Expressive; The Twelve Roman Gods?

"Please calm down, dear guests. There will be an exciting scene soon." Hearing the cursing from above, the slave master stopped paying attention to the slaves,

And hurried out to placate the guests, while ordering the next step to proceed.

He certainly didn't build a cage just to protect the slave.

From the various malicious and dangerous setups in this plaza, it was clear how deranged this game was.

It was a grotesque performance designed to entertain the wealthy and nobles.

From the moment the slave was locked in that iron cage, their fate was sealed.

The rest of their life would be manipulated like a puppet on stage.

"Do you want to guess what that deranged slave master will do next?

I bet you don't want to know..."

An old voice suddenly sounded in Night's ear, as an elderly slave began to speak to him.

The latter instinctively responded, "What?"

Old man: "I can see that you are the bravest among us.

While others were terrified, you were the only one whose posture didn't waver at all.

People like you either have something to rely on or are completely scared out of their wits.

But I can tell from your calm gaze that you're neither foolish nor insane.

Tell me, do you really think someone who ends up in a place like this has any chance of escaping?"

The old man muttered, warning him not to harbor any illusions of escape.

No one captured by Spic (the name of the slave master) has ever escaped.

And the fate of those caught trying to escape is something one wouldn't want to know.

"If you still have any delusions about the ruthlessness of that slave master...—"

Old man: "In a moment, they will pour barrels of snakes from above onto that iron cage.

What do you think the reaction of the person inside will be?

The lock on the cage isn't securely fastened.

The difference between humans and beasts, such as lions, is that humans possess wisdom and intellect, and they are good at using tools.

What the lions couldn't open by clawing at it, the man inside can easily unlock from within.

Of course—

The iron cage, though a restraint, also serves as protection.

But given the choice of being bitten to death by venomous snakes crawling all over you or stepping out of the cage,

These devils leave you no real

choice."

The old man's voice grew increasingly fearful, his eyes reflecting deep terror, his body trembling.

Night realized that the old man wasn't just talking to him; he was trying to alleviate his own fear through the conversation.

Surprisingly—

The old man seemed to know a lot.

And as he continued to watch, the situation changed.

From above, someone poured a barrel of snakes, and soon, countless venomous snakes covered the iron cage.

The dense mass of snakes made the man inside the cage scream in panic, far more terrified than he had been under the lions' gaze.

The male slave inside the cage turned deathly pale, almost fainting from fright.

This horrifying scene would make anyone shiver, even Night didn't want to face it.

It would trigger anyone's fear of crowded, crawling things, especially snakes, which naturally induce fear.

Although their strength may not be as destructive as that of the king of beasts, they were more malicious and harder to defend against.

Venomous snakes are treacherous, skilled at lurking,

And at critical moments, they deliver a deadly strike, making them more chilling than visible strong enemies.

This game seemed oddly familiar, like something out of the barbaric Middle Ages, a twisted game favored by perverse nobles.

As Night continued to observe,

At this moment—

Faced with dual threats, as the first snake fell and hung from the male slave's arm, the male slave let out a scream and finally, unable to withstand the psychological and physical pressure, yanked open the lock and dashed out of the cage.

Old man: "He chose to open the cage and become prey for the lions.

What a foolish decision.

But then again... who can say?

It's also an unavoidable decision.

Anyone in that situation would struggle to make a third choice."

Night suddenly spoke: "Maybe he could use his weapon to fight off the lions."

Old man: "No, no, no!

Even if he had the strength of a hero from Greek mythology, even if he defeated the lions, he wouldn't survive.

Do you see those other areas?

The slave master's men will force him into those zones, and only by passing through them all could he... survive?"

The doubtful tone was quite telling...

Night instantly understood the old man's thoughts.

He meant that the slave master couldn't be trusted.

Even if someone managed to pass through those terrifying zones, if the slave didn't die, thus failing to entertain the audience, an enraged slave master would hardly grant the slave freedom.

More likely, worse trials awaited, or the slave would be tortured to death.

But within the old man's words, Night caught a key detail.

He mentioned Greek mythology...

This clearly wasn't another world but likely Western Europe post-Greece.

Considering the medieval setting and the brutal, arena-like games,

Night thought of a nation that succeeded Ancient Greece.

Night: —Could I have ended up in Ancient Rome?

The old man continued to mumble, trembling as he spoke: "He can't get through it.

There's a crocodile pond, elephant riders, and even knife mountains and fire pits.

Each one is a deadly trial for ordinary people.

How could mere mortals withstand such devilish malice?"

"Come on, young man, let us pray to the twelve main gods together, and hope that we aren't chosen.

After seeing this, your courage must be fading, right?

Don't feel ashamed; anyone facing this would struggle to muster the courage to resist."

Night didn't respond to the old man. Instead, he asked, "Do you know ancient Rome?"

The old man was slightly stunned and then instinctively replied, "Isn't this Rome?"

Night's heart grew even calmer—just as he thought!

And now, he had a rough idea of which gods the old man referred to as the twelve main gods.

Headed by Jupiter, they almost replicated the stories of the twelve main Greek gods, just under Roman mythology names.

The twelve main gods remained the strongest deities in Rome.

But there was no time for Night to think too much.

A new change had already taken place in the arena.

The male slave who chose to escape the cage couldn't last two minutes and soon being pounced on and torn apart by the surrounding lions, he screamer in terror and pain.

The lions, long famished, paid no heed to their prey's cries.

Upon hearing the wails, the beasts only became fiercer, and the people on the stands grew more excited.