The next day, Ron slept until noon.
After getting up, he leisurely washed up, then slowly ordered a battle-axe steak for lunch, and took his time finishing it. Everything was at a slow pace.
In fact, he had always been in a hurry before, rushing through everything. To improve his strength, he practiced diligently every day, neglecting meals and sleep. This was not what he wanted. After experiencing the fast-paced life of the 21st century, who wouldn't want to relax and enjoy a slow-paced, peaceful life? But he had no choice.
Baron Bert weighed heavily on his mind, making it hard to breathe. To survive, he had to fight hard.
Now, free from everything and with new hopes for improvement, he felt the need to slow down. As the Chinese saying goes, "Build high walls, stockpile grain, and wait to claim the throne." Only after gaining sufficient strength could he reclaim his rightful territory and truly live a comfortable and prosperous noble life.
His current efforts were for the sake of future ease. He even envisioned that once he reclaimed what was rightfully his, he would create a semi-modern estate. The manor would have a complete drainage system, a powerful heating system, spacious bathtubs, convenient toilets, comfortable sofas, and attractive maids…
Of course, he also planned to build a pure copper hotpot. When winter arrived with snow falling outside, he could enjoy hotpot and drinks with friends in the warm, cozy room…
Dreaming about the future, Ron couldn't help but smile.
Of course, the main reason he wanted to slow down was that he was waiting for the cooldown of the [Power Loan] skill.
Seeing that [Power Loan] had cooled down, Ron immediately got up, strapped on Champion's Glory, and headed for the door.
As he reached the hotel entrance, he ran into an old acquaintance. The guard, Cross, was waiting with a carriage.
Cross greeted Ron with a smile, saying, "Mr. Ron, I'm here on Mr. Kahn's orders to pick you up!"
Ron felt a pang of nervousness upon hearing this. He didn't actually want Kahn to watch the match; it seemed unnecessary and too ostentatious. He had only mentioned it to buy time, not expecting Kahn to actually come.
But now that he was here, what could he do?
Ron smiled and said, "Thank you!"
He then climbed into the carriage. It was a four-wheeled carriage with a spacious interior. The seats at both ends were covered with thick cushions, making it very comfortable.
Since the gladiator training ground was not far away, Ron had barely settled into the seat before they arrived.
Getting out of the carriage, Ron followed Cross to the training ground. The area was already crowded. In addition to the usual gladiators, there were also several well-dressed people, both men and women.
In the center was a middle-aged man, thin and sharp-eyed, adorned with various gem-encrusted rings, giving off an impression of a wealthy businessman.
"That must be Kahn!" Ron thought.
Indeed, the man in the center was Kahn. He had been a fisherman just over a decade ago, barely scraping by with fishing.
However, thanks to the economic boom, he had quickly become a prominent businessman in Lane Town. His rise was quite interesting. With ongoing conflicts between the Gust Empire and the Taman Alliance on the borders, both sides stationed heavy troops. Although there were no major battles, skirmishes were frequent.
Lane Town, located deep in the Gust Empire's rear, was a key grain-producing area. Most of the front-line supplies came from here. Previously, the grain was transported by road, suffering significant losses—often only 30% or even 10% of what was sent made it to the northern front.
Kahn noticed this flaw and, with a few partners, rented some small boats. Through innovative sea transport, they made a fortune smuggling grain and weapons along the border.
However, this business was soon shut down due to high risks at sea. Despite this, the initial venture provided him with his first major profits. With his business acumen, he invested in various other industries, each turning a huge profit, quickly amassing substantial wealth.
Now that he had money and experience, he knew that wealth alone was not enough to stand out in society. To truly establish himself, he needed power and a territory. Thus, he sought to acquire a noble title.
Noble titles were not easy to come by. Generally, they were inherited and only available to noble families. Commoners had little chance unless they achieved military merit on the front lines, which was not feasible for Kahn.
So, he sought to win over influential nobles to forge a fake military record in exchange for a noble title. However, it was not easy to bribe nobles with money, so he established a gladiator team, a popular pastime among nobles.
Although he had no interest in gladiators and considered it a barbaric sport, he used the team to make many noble acquaintances.
Today, hearing that a legendary gladiator was coming to compete, he had invited many of his noble friends to watch.
This was all unrelated to Ron until he saw Baron Bert in the crowd—the very man who had taken his territory.
"Why is he here?" Ron thought frantically. "If he sees my true strength, I could be in danger!"
As a knight, Baron Bert was there to protect a young noble. He saw Ron, frowned slightly, then looked away as if he hadn't seen him.
Kahn, seeing that the main figures had arrived, gave a few polite words and then led the nobles to the VIP area, where there was a simple tent filled with fresh fruits.
Blending into the crowd, Baron Bert made a slashing motion with his hand toward Woris when no one was watching. Woris nodded slightly and, before the match began, suddenly announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to showcase my humble combat skills before you. To make the match more enjoyable, I propose we sign a death duel agreement, with no grudges against the loser!"
The nobles cheered in response.
"Perfect!"
Kahn, seeing the enthusiasm of the crowd, was troubled when Ron approached him and said, "I'm withdrawing from today's duel. I don't want this job."
Kahn was taken aback. After inviting so many nobles to watch, Ron's withdrawal was a major issue.
Of course, he understood Ron's position. Gladiator matches offered prize money, and he was only offering a job. Demanding a death duel was clearly unrealistic.
He quickly said, "The winner will receive 600 gold coins in addition to the job. How does that sound, Mr. Ron?"
Upon hearing the 600 gold coins prize, Ron abandoned any thoughts of hiding his strength. He had sought the job to earn money, and 600 gold coins would cover his living expenses for quite a while.
Moreover, he had seen Baron Bert make the hand gesture to Woris, which others had missed. Knowing that the opponent intended to kill him, hiding his strength would only delay the inevitable.
Rather than risking his life, he decided to take the 600 gold coins, leave Lane Town, and come back for revenge once he had the strength.
Ron smiled and said, "Deal!"