Chapter 193: The Five Elders' Exorbitant Call Fee

"You're courting death!"

"This is truly unscrupulous..."

Spandam let out an angry roar.

Even Sengoku's expression turned grim, and the Navy generals on both sides glared with fury.

Although they had fallen out with the World Government, the conflict was actually between him, the Fleet Admiral, and the Five Elders, the supreme rulers.

In essence,

the Marine Headquarters was also a part of the World Government.

To overthrow the World Government, one would need to step over the corpse of the Marine Headquarters; this was an unavoidable fact.

The Revolutionary Army, having just displayed terrifying, destruction-level strength and snatched the first kill of the Lord Monster from the hands of the Navy's Smoker, suddenly asked such a question, as if they were repeatedly slapping the Marine Headquarters and the World Government in the face.

If they were like those Noble Armies, confronting the Navy without a word, Sengoku could pretend not to see it.

But in this situation,

with the attention of the entire ocean focused here, if the Marine Headquarters and the World Government turned a blind eye,

these remarks by Dragon would become the key to opening Pandora's box.

Just then,

Spandam held the Den Den Mushi high, climbed to a high point on Death Island, and waved repeatedly at Fang Yi in the sky.

"Stop, Spandam."

"If I am not mistaken, everything on Death Island cannot escape the prying eyes of the game merchant; you only need to hold the Den Den Mushi quietly."

Spandam respectfully held up a Golden Den Den Mushi.

A low voice came from within the Den Den Mushi: "Mr. Merchant, I am the supreme ruler of the World Government, Jaygarcia Saturn, serving as the Scientific Defense Warrior God."

He did not deliberately put on airs,

but that aura of one who had long resided at the pinnacle of the world made even Spandam hold his breath through the Den Den Mushi.

"Mr. Five Elders, is a call fee of ten thousand Reward Points per minute acceptable?"

Far away in Mary Geoise, inside a massive palace with a pointed roof,

the Five Elders gathered with solemn expressions, while a specially cultivated, giant Image Den Den Mushi played the scene of the East Blue Trial Tower with extreme clarity.

Saturn held the Den Den Mushi in his hand, and after hearing the game merchant's voice, he nodded slightly and said: "Yes."

Ten thousand Reward Points to exchange for one minute of call time.

Such an exorbitant practice, which could no longer be described as mere luxury, would make anyone's heart ache, yet it did not stir a ripple of emotion in the Five Elders.

General spatial communication requires Reward Points as a call fee.

And for direct communication with the game merchant, such a privilege naturally requires a matching expenditure.

The Den Den Mushi in Spandam's hand slowly rose into the air, finally stopping in front of Fang Yi.

Saturn's voice came from within:

"Mr. Merchant, this old man hopes you can cancel the Revolutionary Army Leader's eligibility for the lucky draw."

A sudden uproar ensued.

The Pirates, Navy, and Revolutionary Army members present all wore expressions of confusion.

The mystery displayed by the game merchant was such that even the Marine Headquarters dared not act rashly, yet the guy inside the Den Den Mushi actually wanted to change the winner of a first kill under the eyes of everyone.

Ever since the Samsara Game appeared in the Pirate World,

the Contract Fruits, tasks, Reward Points, equipment, and skills obtained by players,

everything revealed one rule.

Equivalent Exchange.

If you submit millions worth of inferior iron ore for a Contract Task, you can get low-level rewards like a Novice Iron Sword.

If you submit high-quality iron ore worth hundreds of millions of Beli, the reward will become a Blue Potential skill.

For Destiny Goods, the higher the quality, the more Reward Points required; whoever can obtain stronger Destiny Goods can possess stronger power—everything operates following the principle of 【Equivalent Exchange】.

It will not provide biased care because a player's status is that of a Marine Hero,

nor will it deliberately suppress someone because they are a Pirate.

Even a world-class criminal like the Revolutionary Army Leader can obtain destruction-level power in the Samsara Game, and even secure eligibility for the lucky draw.

The Samsara Game possesses a philosophy similar to a special law of the jungle, operating in a state of 【Absolute Fairness】.

This is the core that the game merchant has been promoting since his debut.

How could it be changed because of someone's words?

Was the person who said this an overestimating fool?

"His voice seems to be..."

"A bit familiar, could it be?"

Suddenly, the players of the Noble Legion, led by the kings and nobles, sensed something was wrong, their gazes falling on the rather special Golden Den Den Mushi.

They realized it instantly.

"It is Lord Saturn!"

"The supreme ruler of the World Government, one of the Five Elders, the descendant of the creators of this ocean!"

These nobles from World Government member nations would travel to Mary Geoise every four years to participate in the World Conference.

If they were lucky, they could hear the voices of the Five Elders or witness the true faces of the world's rulers.

No matter how much time passed, they could never forget.

Even though they dared to resist the Navy now because of the massive rewards of the Samsara Game, they still revered and feared the five rulers of the world in their hearts.

"Even the Five Elders can't sit still; it looks like they want to negotiate with the game merchant?"

Sengoku had long anticipated this.

In a situation where such a subversive event posed a massive threat to the World Government, the Five Elders would never sit idly by and wait for death.

He had originally thought the World Government would dispatch the 【Celestial Dragons' strongest shield】, the Cipher Pol CP0, to the East Blue.

He did not expect,

that the Five Elders would actually step onto the field themselves.

The last time such a situation occurred was when Ohara was destroyed by a Buster Call, during the conversation between the Five Elders and those archaeologists.

It involved the taboo that the World Government could not allow to be mentioned: the Void History.

"The Five Elders, huh? What troublesome fellows!"

Dragon frowned tightly, a sense of dread rising in his heart.

He had not expected the Five Elders to suddenly communicate with the game merchant,

and furthermore, to directly demand the cancellation of his own lottery qualification.

If it were anyone else, even if the Fleet Admiral said such things, he—having already gained a shallow understanding of the Samsara Game—would not be worried in the slightest.

But the person who said this was one of the Five Elders,

the absolute pinnacle of power in this ocean!

Dragon did not know the game merchant's purpose for appearing in the Pirate World,

but the various rules of the Samsara Game had already revealed the game merchant's desire for money.

If it were the Five Elders, perhaps they could truly mobilize the power of the entire ocean, possessing massive chips to sit at a position of barely equal status to negotiate with the game merchant.

"Is the World Government really going to take action against the Revolutionary Army?"

"Forces guilty of heinous crimes should be wiped out!"

"Long live the Navy, long live the World Government!"

The Navy soldiers erupted into a burst of cheers.

The Noble Legion all held their breath, waiting for the game merchant's attitude, as this would determine their future stance toward the World Government.

Even though,

the game merchant had already displayed mystery and power sufficient to subvert the world.

Yet the transcendent power of the Five Elders, who sat at the pinnacle of the world, was equally deeply rooted in everyone's minds, making them subconsciously feel that the two possessed the qualifications to negotiate.

Gazes converged,

the whole world watched.

How great a price would the Five Elders need to pay to cancel the Revolutionary Army Leader's lottery qualification?

The Noble Legion gloated, waiting for the game merchant's negotiation terms.

According to the pay-to-win nature of the Samsara Game, the World Government would surely need to bleed heavily, and when the time came, asset shortages would lead to a portion of power being dispersed to the allied nations.

The previous acts of resisting the Navy would be overlooked,

in short, the Five Elders' intervention was beneficial to them, the Nobles.

"Mr. Saturn."

Facing the gaze of the entire world, Fang Yi spoke with a polite smile: "That is not possible; the lottery qualification cannot be cancelled."

(End of this chapter)