Fate City.
The Fate Hall, upper second floor.
Along the way, the dazzling array of goods made Feng Qi's mouth water.
Compared to Shadow City, the trading market here was far larger, filled with far more treasures.
This was clearly related to the setup of Fate City.
In Shadow City, transactions were based solely on self-interest.
The forces trading information and resources there would offer things they didn't need but had value, exchanging them with other races. The Shadow City Lord would collect a portion of the transaction fees.
But in Fate City, there were no transaction fees, and gamblers who had lost everything would dare to offer up anything.
Even if that item might be the lifeblood of their race.
The idea of "take a gamble and turn a bicycle into a motorcycle" was a perfect reflection of the mindset of most of Fate City's gamblers.
With so many factors at play, the trading market here was massive. Feng Qi even saw a one-eyed old man who was shockingly selling his own people, which was truly outrageous.
One could only say that, if such a race had a leader, the people of that race were truly doomed.
"Boss, how much do you think I could sell Xiao You for here?" Xiao You asked as it flew over to Feng Qi.
"Not worth anything. No one would want it even if it's given away for free."
"True, all it does is eat, drink, and sleep, totally useless," Xiao You nodded seriously, agreeing with Feng Qi.
Feng Qi, Lei Ting, Po Jia, Taihang:...
Although they joked that Xiao You was worthless, if Feng Qi were to mention Xiao You's abilities, various forces would fight to buy it.
Just the ability to create spatial items alone would surely fetch at least one billion Blood Stones.
But Feng Qi just thought about it. This was something he obviously could not do.
Holding the soul pearl, he followed the civet cat to a consignment point in the western area of the upper second floor.
There was a cart full of small items, and sitting behind the cart was a domain creature covered in black fur, resembling an ape.
When it saw Feng Qi approach, it immediately raised its head and smiled as it spoke:
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
Without hesitation, Feng Qi handed over the soul pearl.
The transactions here were protected by the Fate City enforcement team, so he wasn't worried about his goods being stolen.
The black-furred ape in front of him was the consignment merchant mentioned by the civet cat.
Since there was a trading market, naturally, there were also middlemen. On the upper second floor, there were many consignment points and merchants.
They helped their clients sell items in exchange for fixed fees or a percentage of the profits.
The benefit was that they could quickly handle goods through their network, but the downside was that they might get ripped off and sell for a discount.
According to the civet cat, such things happened often.
The enforcement team in Fate City wouldn't get involved in any conflicts that arose after a transaction, as long as the trade was successful. Once the trade was completed, there could be no further disputes.
Like in the betting games, the trading market followed a "once the deal is made, it's done" rule.
However, most consignment merchants focused on long-term deals. They preferred steady profits and wouldn't rip off the sellers for fear of ruining their reputation.
Several races in the trading area had become prosperous through consignment, rapidly accumulating resources here, and it had even become a part of their racial industry.
In addition to consigning goods, some consignment merchants would also buy items directly from sellers in urgent need of money, offering lower-than-market prices, then resell the items for a profit.
Apart from gamblers, many forces relied on Fate City to earn profits.
These forces didn't participate in the betting games but instead took advantage of Fate City as a platform, providing services and earning profits from the gamblers, then taking those profits back to their races to help them develop.
After carefully inspecting the soul pearl, the black-furred ape nodded in satisfaction.
Perhaps it had seen so many valuable things that it didn't show any surprise on its face.
It then looked up at Feng Qi and said seriously:
"Sir, please wait a moment. I need to examine the soul pearls to see how many evil souls are inside, as well as their quality, before I can give you a reliable price."
"Very thorough," Feng Qi nodded in agreement.
If the merchant had just glanced at it and given a casual price, he would have been uneasy.
After all, the value of the soul pearl wasn't just in the pearl itself—the evil souls inside were the main value. The evil souls had to be priced according to both their number and quality. This could not be vague.
The black-furred ape closed its eyes, and Feng Qi saw golden light flashing from the center of its forehead, clearly using its consciousness to investigate the contents of the soul pearl.
Time passed, and the black-furred ape remained silent, not opening its eyes.
Feng Qi could only wait patiently for the result.
Finally, after several hours, the black-furred ape opened its eyes. After a brief moment of silence, it turned to Feng Qi and said:
"There are more than 80,000 evil souls inside, and their quality is very high, but most of them are incomplete. With this soul pearl, it should be worth fifty million regular Blood Stones. Do you need me to find a buyer for you?"
Feng Qi was shocked when he heard the amount of fifty million.
That value almost equaled the amount of Blood Stones produced by the Silver Moon Clan. The soul pearl's value was truly staggering.
As for whether to sell it or not, of course, it would be sold.
Fifty million Blood Stones would be a huge fortune to bring back to Star City.
It would be enough to cover the training expenses of Star City's warriors for a long time.
"What's your fee?"
"Once the transaction is completed, I'll charge a 500,000 Blood Stone commission," the black-furred ape said.
"No problem."
Feng Qi didn't hesitate and nodded immediately. In his view, taking a 1% profit wasn't expensive.
Thinking of this, he looked at the black-furred ape and asked:
"How soon can it be sold?"
"It can be done right now. Don't worry, our race has been in this business for over 800 years. Our reputation is the foundation of our standing; we would never intentionally offer a low price to deceive you."
Saying this, the black-furred ape stood up and led Feng Qi toward the eastern district of the trading market.
After one hour of travel, they arrived at the more crowded eastern district trading market.
Following the black-furred ape for a short distance, they stopped in front of a small cart.
Behind the cart sat a figure.
It had dark red eyes, a humanoid form, and stood about 1.6 meters tall. It wore dark red attire that seemed standard, and it exuded a fierce aura.
Feng Qi's gaze focused on its right arm, which was exposed. There was a dark red flag pattern tattooed on it.
Its identity was clear.
A member of the Blood Soul Clan.
Feng Qi didn't expect a member of the Blood Soul Clan to be in charge of this trading market.
From what he knew about the Blood Soul Clan, they were extremely domineering. Yet, they had chosen to send a member to stay here, proving that the Blood Soul Clan, even with the Blood Soul Flag, didn't yet feel confident enough to take control of this place.
Of course, it was also possible that the Blood Soul Clan had been dragged down by battles with stronger nearby factions and lacked the energy to take over this place.
But no matter the reason, it proved that Fate City had strong protections.
If this place were easy to take, the Blood Soul Clan would just need to send one of their members with the Blood Soul Flag.
When Feng Qi saw the Blood Soul Clan member, Lei Ting's emotions visibly flared up.
Electric arcs twisted around his arm, and his eyes nearly seemed to spew flames.
Feng Qi stepped back, placing his hand on Lei Ting's shoulder, trying to calm his emotions. It was clear that they couldn't act here.
Even if they did, they wouldn't be a match for the Blood Soul Clan member.
At this moment, the Blood Soul Clan member, who had been sitting with his head lowered the entire time, slowly raised his head. His dark red eyes flashed with a fierce light. He looked at Lei Ting, a playful expression appearing in his eyes:
"You seem to harbor hatred for me. You must be one of the lucky survivors of a tribe destroyed by my clan, right?"
"I will get my revenge," Lei Ting gritted through his teeth.
"That's a foolish idea. When you see one of my people, you should think about running, not seeking revenge. That would be the smartest choice."
The Blood Soul Clan member smiled, but his eyes were filled with mockery.
His words sounded cruel, but they were true.
Feng Qi understood that, whether now or in the future, Lei Ting would never be able to contend with the Blood Soul Clan, and that gap would only continue to grow.
Revenge was simply impossible.
"Monkey, did you bring what our clan wanted?" the Blood Soul Clan member then asked, looking up at the black-furred ape.
"One soul pearl, containing over 80,000 high-quality ancient evil souls. Consuming it should bring some enhancement to your clan's Blood Soul Flag," the black-furred ape replied, tossing the soul pearl to the Blood Soul Clan member.
After receiving the soul pearl and inspecting it carefully, the Blood Soul Clan member nodded lightly.
"Not bad. I'll offer 53 million Blood Stones. How about that?"
"Good, that's the price," the black-furred ape was about to nod in agreement when Feng Qi suddenly spoke:
"I'm not selling anymore."
"Why?" The black-furred ape turned to Feng Qi in surprise. Then, seemingly understanding, he glanced at Lei Ting, whose head was pressed down by Feng Qi, electric arcs still swirling around him.
"Personal grudge. Can't sell."
Feng Qi shook his head firmly, extending his hand toward the Blood Soul Clan member.
"Interesting. I'll remember you. Hopefully, we'll meet outside," the Blood Soul Clan member said with a smile, not angry at all, before tossing the soul pearl back to Feng Qi.
This showed that, even now, the Blood Soul Clan dared not act recklessly here.
Taking the soul pearl, Feng Qi turned and walked away.
"Sell it. Why not if you can make a profit?" Lei Ting spoke up from behind.
"You brat are out of your mind. Selling it to the enemy will only help them grow stronger. Won't you make it harder for your revenge in the future?" Feng Qi replied, shaking his head.
Upon hearing this, Lei Ting stopped walking, and then spoke softly.
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me. Actually, I think what he said was true. Revenge against the Blood Soul Clan is nearly impossible. Don't make things harder on yourself. Your tribe fought to save you, not for you to go back and die again."
"Bullshit. When I rise in the future, I'll massacre them all."
"Fool."
After leaving the eastern district trading market, they entered the central area of the trading market.
Based on the behavior of the Blood Soul Clan member, Feng Qi gained a clearer understanding of Fate City's strength.
As the civet cat had said, aside from the enforcement members equipped with "forbidden" miracle derivatives, other lifeforms in the city were constrained by strength limitations— even the Blood Soul Clan wasn't exempt.
Feng Qi was now filled with curiosity about the Fate City Lord.
What kind of miracle item did this old guy use to exchange for such a valuable "Forbidden Miracle"?
But whether this old guy was still alive now, no one in Fate City knew.
The Fate City Lord was like a legend of Fate City. Though he had disappeared, the rules he set still supported the city's operation.
Perhaps, even now, he was silently watching the thrilling games of bets unfold in the shadows.
As Feng Qi wandered, he asked the civet cat messenger about the gambling games in Fate City.
He was curious about which types of games could attract so many different factions to participate.
The civet cat messenger didn't mind Feng Qi's constant questions and smiled as he introduced the various gambling games in Fate City.
Through the civet cat messenger's explanation, Feng Qi gradually gained an understanding of the gambling games in Fate City.
The gambling games in Fate City are mainly divided into eight types.
The first type is the basic gambling games found on the upper levels. These games require no skill and are purely based on guessing or comparing cards to determine the winner.
These games are purely games of luck.
The second type is the advanced gambling games available on the upper three levels. These games are similar to poker or mahjong in the human world. Two or more gamblers participate, combining both skill and luck to compete.
These advanced gambling games are relatively unpopular in Fate City.
They are mostly played by mentally focused races, as any game that requires skill inherently has a racial advantage.
The mentally focused races have a clear advantage in perception and insight, making them more adept at advanced gambling games.
The third type is the combat betting games available on levels 4-8.
This type of game has three main ways to play. First, the gamblers can observe the duelists in the arena on levels 4-8 and place their bets based on their judgment. The winnings are divided proportionally according to the amount wagered by each side.
For example, if A has a total wager of 100,000, with 10 gamblers betting on them, and B has a total wager of 50,000, with 5 gamblers betting on them.
If B wins, the gamblers who bet on B will receive a share of the remaining 100,000 after deducting the duelist's fees.
On the other hand, if A wins, the 10 gamblers who bet on A will split the remaining 50,000 after paying the duelist's fee.
The second way to play allows the gamblers to participate directly in the fight. They can assess their own strength and choose to join a battle within an equal combat level. If they win, they can take a percentage of the total wager, but failure often means death.
The third way is a detailed betting game.
Before the duel begins, gamblers can bet on specific details of the fight.
For example, they can bet on the time the battle will end, which part of the duelist's body will be destroyed during the fight, and so on.
These types of bets often require opponents to be selected first.
For instance, a gambler could use Fate City's bounty board on levels 4-8 to post a bet that a certain duelist will die within 3 minutes. If someone takes that bet, the opponent's wager is then locked in.
The two sides then compete, with the winner taking everything.
According to the civet cat messenger's description, these types of games can also involve fraud.
For example, a duelist willing to sacrifice themselves for their race's rise might have their people gamble everything they have on their opponent, ensuring the opponent's victory.
If this happens, the whole gambling game becomes meaningless and is essentially rigged.
To prevent such situations, Fate City's Lord has already set up solutions.
All participants must undergo thorough testing during the review phase, which includes psychological evaluations.
Although the review process seems simple, it is actually extremely complex and uses mind-scan devices that imitate miracles to monitor and ensure that no cheating occurs.
This guarantees that the gambling games are fair.
All duelists participating are doing so for the sake of profit.
The third type of gambling game in Fate City is the "Assembly Competition," held on levels 9-14 of Fate Hall.
This type of game requires a high level of technical skill.
There are two ways to play: one for participants within the arena and the other for off-site gamblers.
This type of gambling is suited for races with a background in engineering and technical knowledge.
The rules are that participants must assemble a specific type of flying vehicle using randomly provided materials and tools. They then race in speed competitions.
The rules state that all the materials provided must be fully used—no reductions allowed.
The in-arena participants offer a fixed profit to enter. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners share the total prize pool.
Off-site bettors can take a smaller risk by betting on one of the competing factions. If they win, they take the entire betting profit from the other bettors.
Off-site bettors can also place multiple bets.
For example, they might bet on multiple teams, or even bet on all the teams.
However, this method will lead to losses and is very unlikely to be profitable.
After all, if 30 teams are involved, the losing portion of the profits will be redistributed to the remaining winners.
These games do have an element of luck—familiar materials can influence the result—but skill is the deciding factor.
The fourth type of gambling game in Fate City is called "Fraud Betting," located on levels 15-32 of Fate Hall.
This is one of the most popular gambling games in Fate City.
There are no rules, or rather, the rules themselves are based on deception.
The participants in this game are the ones who create the rules.
In this fraud betting game, participants play one of two roles: the fraudster or the evaluator.
In these games, fraud can be used freely. Any means are allowed, as long as they are not discovered by the evaluator.
The game is all about one side deceiving, while the other tries to find loopholes.
If the evaluator doesn't find any flaws during the game, the evaluator's initial investment will not be refunded.
If the evaluator finds a flaw, the investment made during the game will be refunded at three times the original amount.
These games require very strong mental fortitude.
At its core, it is a psychological game.
For example, if the evaluator finds a flaw in the fraud game but doesn't acknowledge it and continues to raise their stakes, the result is that the fraudster will suffer a heavy price and pay three times the compensation.
On the other hand, if the fraudster notices that the evaluator has found the flaw and tries to hide it, they can announce their surrender and end the game, minimizing their losses.
This kind of game often leads to the evaluator attempting to reverse the fraud by "fraudting" the fraudster.
For example, even though no flaw has been found, the evaluator may intentionally raise the stakes as the game progresses, creating the illusion that the flaw has been discovered. If the fraudster, in an attempt to minimize losses, surrenders early, the evaluator successfully outsmarts the fraudster.
Therefore, these games involve luck, psychological warfare, technique, and other factors, making them one of the most popular gambling methods in Fate City.
There are also the "Impersonator Games" on levels 33-39.
The rules are to find impersonators within a randomly created large scene, individuals who can change into any form.
On levels 40-88, there are the "Illustration War Games."
On levels 89-102, there are the "Hunter Chase Games."
On levels 103-128, there is the "Crimson Song Game," and further up is the Chaos Game Zone, with thousands of mini-games available.
After listening to the civet cat messenger's explanation, Feng Qi understood just how crazy the gambling methods here could be, and how all kinds of gambling games could be found here.
All the arriving gamblers could also find games that suit their strengths and participate.
What caught Feng Qi's interest the most was the "Illustration War Game" introduced by the civet cat messenger.
It was the most popular gambling game in Fate City and the most proud invention of Fate City's lord.
The rules of the game involve using illustration cards to compete with opponents in strategy, luck, and other aspects.
The illustration cards used in the game are based on the various races in the domain world.
The game must be played on a specific board.
When the game begins, a scaled-down model of the scene on the board is randomly generated, including mountains, rivers, and other environments, while the illustration card deck is shuffled and reassembled.
Each time a participant plays an illustration card, a miniature form of the corresponding race appears on the board.
For example, when a Silver Moon warrior card is played, a miniature energy form of a Silver Moon warrior will appear on the board, possessing the simulation of the Silver Moon race's talents and characteristics.
In order to create this set of illustration cards, Fate City's lord traveled across various domain world layers, recording the talents, life characteristics, and other traits of many races.
It took him thousands of years to complete the first edition of the illustration card set.
Many of the races featured on the cards have since become extinct and no longer exist.
There is a rumor that the Fate City lord is still wandering in the domain world, continuing to collect and expand the illustration card information.
Even though he knows that he will never be able to complete the collection of all the races in the domain world, the Fate City lord still dedicates his life to his most proud invention.
But this is just a rumor, and no one knows the full truth.
What is beyond doubt, however, is the Fate City lord's obsession with and dedication to the gambling game.
Shortly after the introduction of the Illustration War Game, it became the most popular gambling game in Fate City.
The process of the Illustration War Game requires participants to consider various factors, such as environmental impact, psychological warfare, the strengths and weaknesses of racial talents, race combinations, and so on.
Compared to the spirit chess invented by the Silver Serpent race, this game system is more refined and excellent, with real-life races as its reference.
Some participants can even play a replica energy form model of their own race in the Illustration War Game.
After the civet cat messenger finished explaining the rules of the Illustration War Game, Feng Qi immediately felt the urge to see it for himself.
It wasn't that he wanted to participate in the game, but he was deeply interested in the illustration cards.
These cards could replicate the talents and life characteristics of domain races, making the entire deck resemble a race encyclopedia.
Even though the set of cards held by the Fate City lord only collected information from a few thousand races, it was just a drop in the ocean compared to the countless races in the domain world, he could still learn a lot from the information presented on these cards.
Perhaps, in the future, he might even encounter the forces of the races featured in the illustration cards.
When he asked the civet cat messenger how to get to the Illustration War Game floors, the civet cat messenger immediately shook his head.
"This type of game has an entry threshold. The Fate City lord doesn't like the idea of games being played just for fun. There has to be some excitement. That's why the entry fee has been set at one million ordinary bloodstones, much like a ticket. Once inside, regardless of winning or losing, you must generate double the amount of turnover to leave."
Hearing this, Feng Qi nodded.
Obtaining one million bloodstones wasn't a difficult task.
He had soul orbs worth tens of millions, and there were plenty of consignment merchants in the upper second-level trading area he could approach. Even if he didn't sell them to the Blood Soul Clan, he could still find many buyers who needed soul orbs.
Just as Feng Qi was about to search for the next consignment merchant, the black-haired ape suddenly appeared in front of him, his expression eager as he spoke.
"I just went and inquired around. I found a buyer who is willing to offer the same price as the Blood Soul Clan for the soul orb."
He paused before speaking again, his expression suddenly uncertain.
"This time... it shouldn't be an enemy."