Chapter 174: Gambling

Words : 1509 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

“What kind of ritual of devotion is needed?” When Yi Chen asked this question, he indirectly expressed his attitude. The Duke swayed his index finger, which was about the size of a normal person’s thigh, explaining: “I’m just mentioning it casually; after all, those other beings always perform some ritual before signing a pledge. There must have been a corresponding ritual when you accepted that skin, right?” At the mention by the Duke, Yi Chen immediately recalled the ritual at the Divine Skin Mansion. It was precisely by using “Gentleman’s Skin” as a medium, through the ritual, to establish a connection with the system of the Old World, to select the appropriate letter, and to confirm the profession. ... “Yes, I have been to the old halls through ‘Gentleman’s Skin’.” “Gentleman’s Skin? Haha~ Skin is just skin, yet you choose such a name that is close to humans. However, the mysterious Skin Market indeed has aspects worth learning from, as they create skin that can directly transfer to your human world through a certain ‘channel’, fitting well with human species. It hardly brings any adverse effects while connecting to the Old World, as long as the ‘skin content’ isn’t too high and exceeds the individual’s control limit, you humans can still fully maintain your self. As for me, no need for any complicated rituals, just get ready and take off your clothes; I’ll directly brand you… It won’t hurt and won’t leave marks, the ‘Transaction Seal’ exists only between your souls.” “Alright.” Following the Duke’s request, Yi Chen and Lorrian successively removed their shirts, and the Duke naturally noticed Yi Chen’s black-furred right side temporarily constructed by the small grape. “Does your little friend also need a branding?” Just as Yi Chen was asking the small grape for its opinion, the black fur on his back immediately opened its mouth and looked earnestly. “Please, Duke.” When the small grape spoke these words, its whole body of black hair pointed toward the Duke, as if it would follow the Duke immediately if it were not for its master, Yi Chen. “Turn your back to me.” Hisss~ A wisp of blue smoke rose from the back. There was no anticipated physical pain from branding, but rather a light touch on the soul level. A unique scale imprint was placed on the soul. In that instant, both Yi Chen and Moon Scar were able to sense a vague connection with the Old World merchant, Duke Garrianson, just as he had said, this trade oath had no formal constraint. ŗãŊоβЁṢ However, the Duke’s expression was somewhat odd, with the fat on his face bunching together, then revealing a more excited expression, his whole face twitching along. It seemed he sensed something novel from the branding process, something he had never experienced before. “Well, now you are my ‘premium clients,’ let’s continue our trade, shall we?” Yi Chen promptly inquired further, “Duke, I’d like to ask about [Gambling] first? If I want to gamble, what exactly would the process be like?” “Quite simple, first you need to determine the gambling [Odds], I will create a gambling game temporarily according to those odds and set the rules, as long as you can win the game in line with the rules, or meet the game’s preset requirements, you win the bet. Otherwise, you’ll lose all the points you bet.” “What kind of games?” The Duke placed his index finger to his mouth: “The details of the gambling content should be kept secret beforehand. Even if you fix the odds, I create randomly based on the corresponding difficulty of those odds. It might be a simple game of high-low, or a complex maze game, or even a more comprehensive role-playing game… Anyway, you’ll only find out once you enter the bet. Regardless, the difficulty is based on the gambling odds, which, according to humans, should be called ‘fair’. Even at odds of 1:99, there is still a possibility of winning. Would you like to play?” As Yi Chen contemplated, Moon Scar suddenly raised his hand, signaling, “I’d like to look at products related to [Moon] priced between 500-1500.” Following his request, the Duke swiftly produced four products. Searᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The first item is a Moonlight Robe for women, which enhances the wearer’s floating ability, priced at 700 points. The second is a jewel ring set with a Moon Stone, which provides an amplification of moon attributes, priced at 1500 points. The third is a special Moon Wand, a relic from an ancient battlefield, once the exclusive weapon of a sorcerer suffering from Stardust illness… Unfortunately, the tip of the wand was severely damaged during battle; its core structure was affected and could no longer be activated, and it could only serve as an accessory, priced at 1000 points. The fourth item is a pair of gloves brimming with moonlight, which can increase spell-casting speed and double the effects of moonlight and starry sky spells. However, aside from the third item that somewhat interested Moon Scar, the rest did not catch his eye. “Do you have the repair materials for this wand?” “Yes… But even if you find the best wand maker of the Old World, the repair success rate won’t exceed 30%, and the repair materials alone would need at least 2000 points. Personally, I don’t think it’s worth it.” “Hmm.” As the Duke was gathering up these items, perhaps due to his large size, he accidentally knocked open a nearby collection cabinet while picking up the wand. At that instant, Lorrian suddenly experienced a moment of moonlight resonance, a flash of moonlight passed through his eyes, and he pointed to the affected collection cabinet. “Is there something related to the moon inside there?” “This one? Let me check…” Under the Duke’s armpit, a small hand quickly reached into the cabinet, and after some searching, it seemed to find something. Creak creak~ More arms emerged from under his armpits, eventually pulling out a weapon case made from a special stone. Ink-colored stone, the surface even showed flowing ink, creating a special sealing effect; even the moonlight cast by Moon Scar could not penetrate it. The homologous induction from the moon was coming from inside the case. “You have a good eye… This is one of the treasures of the store, the information must be completely confidential, I can only show you its name.” As the Duke flipped the weapon case over, the name engraved on the bottom was revealed: [Moonlight Greatsword] “I put a lot of effort and even got slightly injured to acquire this item… If its existence leaks, there will be trouble knocking on the door.” “How many points do you need.” “Original price 15000 points, with a discount, 12000 points. I suggest you consider it later, don’t think you can get so many points from me all at once today.” This very moment felt confusing since it began. Lorrian, who reached the Old World with difficulty yet still felt disappointed, seemed to have found a lost direction in life, a whole new path to move forward, as his New Moon pupils became dazzling. Moon Scar took a step back and with a particularly elegant gentlemanly gesture, asked Yi Chen to step forward, “William, continue your trade with the Duke.” “Sure!” Yi Chen had made up his mind, “I need the third item under information sealing, a [Relic] which should be priced at 1600 points after discount, sell the Dead Egg for 500 points; can we directly arrange a gambling game based on their ratio?” “Possible, though gambling over three times the rate often proves difficult; are you sure you want to proceed with the [gambling]? Once confirmed, I will begin creating the game, and all sorts of rules and systems will immediately be established. Afterwards, you cannot change your mind.” Yi Chen had resolved, Encountering the Duke on the surface of the Old World might only happen once in his lifetime. Meeting him again would necessarily require venturing into the perilous deeps of the Old World, and even then, only possibly encountering him. Searching for a Three Attribute Relic on the surface was nearly impossible, or else Zion would have set a precedent already. As Teacher Zede said, if there’s no precedent, then become the first… To achieve this, one must take on the associated risks. This opportunity was right before him, and he absolutely had to seize it. “I’m sure.” “Come a bit closer, the gambling game will to some extent be tailored around you.” As Yi Chen stepped closer, The Duke’s plump palm gently rested on his head, the flabby layers of fat adhering to his scalp, burrowing in along the hair follicles. Accessing the memory components in his brain, a unique gambling game was slowly establishing…

Chapter 174: Gambling

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