Chapter 3126: Gold Coins and Games

The central region of the Western Continent, the ancient city of Kierga.

This ancient city has stood here for over a thousand years. Because it has not been repaired for a long time, the city walls appear dilapidated and riddled with honeycomb-like circular holes. The crescent-shaped thin stones at the edges of these holes are as sharp and sturdy as blades, a testament to the city wall's defensive power.

A thousand years ago, this was definitely a fortification that would make enemies feel powerless, even despairing. But in the current era, cannonballs powered by a mixture of crystal and blue gunpowder would never be fired directly at these walls; they would fly into the ancient city in a parabolic arc and then explode.

The buildings within the ancient city are arranged in an orderly fashion, still allowing one to feel the former prosperity of the Taiya civilization. Especially the Imperial Palace in the middle-rear; that towering structure makes one sigh in admiration. How many sweat and tears were shed to build this palace a thousand years ago? Looking at it from afar, it seems to be composed not only of stone and metal, but also of lost souls and blood.

The ancient city is very quiet. In reality, many primitive people, or "Parasitic Warriors," dwell within the various buildings here. They are all parasitized by nematodes, which makes them savage, impulsive, and bloodthirsty. Once they smell blood, they lose most of their sanity.

Compared to these side effects, being parasitized by nematodes grants them tenacious vitality and vicious supernatural abilities. What is even more troublesome is that as long as the parasitic site—the part where the nematode resides—is not destroyed, even if their skulls are crushed or their hearts destroyed, they will not completely lose their combat effectiveness.

The parasitic site seems to be the weakness of the Parasitic Warriors, but that is not the case. The parasitic site has no fixed point; it could be in the head, the abdomen, or even, in more bizarre cases, the heel.

In front of the Imperial Palace, more than twenty men and women are gathered. These are all Some Qiyuezhe who have joined the Western Continent faction.

As a hidden faction, the prerequisites for joining the Western Continent faction are very harsh. Once successfully joined, the subsequent benefits are numerous. For example, there is a faction shop here where one can use faction reputation to purchase unique Western Continent bloodlines/occupations, Soul Crystals (Complete), and a Holy Spirit-tier set called 【Insect Calamity Symbiosis】.

The side effects of this set are astonishing. After wearing it, the nematodes within the equipment will gnaw on the wearer's body and drain their health, though they will not be parasitized. The abilities of this set are equally powerful: when an enemy is near death, the nematodes within the equipment can be used to corrupt 1–2 pieces of equipment worn by the enemy, permanently seizing that equipment after the enemy dies.

This set has a characteristic: every time an enemy's equipment is seized, the durability of the 【Insect Calamity Symbiosis】 set permanently decreases and cannot be restored. It belongs to the category of consumable equipment.

The reason this set is so miraculous is partly due to the nematodes stored within it, but more importantly, it has been blessed by the power of the Abyss, which is why it has such formidable effects.

Most of these twenty-plus Some Qiyuezhe have ideas about the 【Insect Calamity Symbiosis】 set. Once they can injure a Some Qiyuezhe to the point of near-death, they can use the set's effect to make a fortune.

It is not just the 【Insect Calamity Symbiosis】 set; the various exchangeable items in the Western Continent faction shop also make it difficult for these twenty-plus Some Qiyuezhe to let go. They have already been developing in the Western Continent for several days, which is not a short time for a single world progression.

Interestingly, the first to discover the Western Continent was the Saint Light Paradise's Poison Healer, Guang Mu. She originally wanted to keep it all to herself, but after understanding the situation in the Western Continent, she abandoned this idea. Keeping it to herself would be satisfying, but the probability of dying here was too high.

"Guang Mu, is this the high-yield hidden area you mentioned?"

The Tyrant, with black-gray skin and a height of nearly three meters, spoke. The Tyrant's luck was poor; after being severely beaten by the Guozu, he didn't die. His survival instinct was too strong; the Guozu brothers' hammers were almost broken, but they only managed to crush him, unable to kill him completely.

"Isn't the yield here high?"

Guang Mu, wearing a black dress with a high slit and high heels, spoke. Hearing her words, the Tyrant held back for a long time without saying anything, finally just snorting coldly.

"We've reached this point, don't have internal strife."

A man calling himself Enzo spoke. His eyes were lifeless; he was a blind man. Other Some Qiyuezhe were more accustomed to calling him Shui Ge. He came from the Death Paradise. The contract killer Shui Ge was famous among the Eighth Tier. His combat ability against large-scale boss-level units was above average, but in battles against Some Qiyuezhe, rule-breakers, and human-form bosses, he was an absolute overlord.

"That hunter named Bai Ye will soon lead the alliance army to attack. Before he strikes, we must decide whether to stay or leave..."

"Shui Ge."

The Tyrant interrupted Shui Ge. Shui Ge was not annoyed, but listened quietly to what the other had to say.

"How about you go and assassinate Bai Ye? As a reward, we are willing to offer..."

Before the Tyrant could finish stating the reward, Shui Ge waved his hand.

"I am indeed good at fighting Some Qiyuezhe and rule-breakers, but... as a hunter, would Bai Ye not be good at this aspect? Going to assassinate a hunter protected by at least thousands, or even more soldiers, the success probability is not as good as hoping for a meteorite to fall from the sky and crush that brother named Bai Ye to death."

"Shui Ge, we've reached this point, don't call him brother."

"What's wrong with that? Our two sides are just opposing in stance. If we leave the Western Continent now, Kuku Lin Bai Ye will not hunt us down. Ultimately, it is because we are reluctant to give up the benefits we might obtain in the Western Continent. Bai Ye is not wrong, and we are not wrong either; it's just mutual maneuvering."

"This..."

After the Tyrant snorted coldly, he said no more.

"Trickster, do you have any suggestions? Try to exert your advantage as an old schemer as much as possible."

Guang Mu looked at a man wearing a white robe with a gentle smile on his face.

"Me? What suggestions could I have? I just advanced to the Eighth Tier not long ago, I'm very weak, and my luck is poor, being teleported into such a dangerous world."

The Trickster's expression was indifferent, as if life and death were just matters of conversation for him.

"At least give a suggestion."

Guang Mu looked at the Trickster. For some reason, she always felt that the other party was a bit off, but she couldn't say exactly where.

"I suggest... uniting with Xian Ji."

"No."

"Don't even think about it."

"If Xian Ji arrives here, we will be the first to die."

A group of Some Qiyuezhe refuted one after another. They all knew more or less about what kind of person Xian Ji was.

"Then I have no other way. Our side's strongest combat power, Emperor Taiya, cannot leave the Imperial Palace. The three knights each have their own ideas and will not easily make a move. The only thing we can rely on is the massive number of Parasitic Warriors and those leaders. On a chaotic battlefield, having a high-end combat power break through the enemy's defense line has strategic significance for the trend of the war."

When the Trickster said this, the smile on his face became even gentler. He continued:

"It doesn't matter. The number of Parasitic Warriors is several times that of the enemy, or even more. No matter how you look at it, our side has a higher chance of winning."

Hearing the Trickster's words, many Some Qiyuezhe nodded secretly. This was also the reason they hadn't left. If a real fight broke out, they didn't believe the Western Continent faction would lose. On the contrary, the Western Continent faction had a high chance of winning. The number of Parasitic Warriors was massive and they were fearless of death. As long as it was Emperor Taiya's order, they would unconditionally obey, even if it meant going to their deaths.

What the group of Some Qiyuezhe worried about was that after the war started, they, who had a certain status in the Western Continent, would be forcibly sent to the battlefield. If they disobeyed, not only would their Western Continent reputation be cleared, but they would also become enemies with the Western Continent faction. As for going to the battlefield, this was an Eighth Tier world battlefield; it was too dangerous.

Just as the group of Some Qiyuezhe were discussing, a butterfly appeared, landed in the hand of a female Some Qiyuezhe, and merged into her body. The female Some Qiyuezhe's eyes lost focus for a moment, then turned to reveal joy.

"The Trickster was right before. Whether the two sides go to war is not something an outside hunter can control, even if he is the Legion Commander of the Institution."

The female Some Qiyuezhe's words made everyone stand up one after another. The Tyrant among them asked urgently: "What do you mean?"

"The alliance's fleet has arrived. They were aggressive before coming, but after arriving in the near-shore area, they didn't land on the island immediately, but wanted to talk to Emperor Taiya. It seems that our Deputy Commander Bai Ye cannot completely control the war situation either."

When the female Some Qiyuezhe said this, the corners of her mouth curled up, feeling genuinely refreshed. She continued:

"Fighting a war is burning money. The fleet and soldiers Kuku Lin Bai Ye mobilized were through the Southern Alliance and the Eastern Alliance. The situation is already very clear. Kuku Lin Bai Ye advocates for war; he is a hunter and can reap astonishing benefits after the war starts. But the two alliances clearly don't want to go to war directly. This is an opportunity. As long as we make them have internal strife, we can curb this war. After that disaster star loses power, we will immediately kill him! To prevent him from causing trouble. A perfectly good mission world was almost turned into a war world by him."

When the female Some Qiyuezhe said this, she was already gnashing her teeth in hatred.

"Right, kill him."

"Damn, I was wondering, this war started too suddenly, like a joke. It turns out it was military deterrence plus negotiation."

The group of Some Qiyuezhe all breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts. No one was willing to have a war event if they could normally reap benefits.

"The negotiation over there won't take long to start. Who is the Charisma-type?"

"Me."

"Follow, we'll rely on you in a while. You Charisma-types are the best at instigating."

The group of Some Qiyuezhe set off toward the outside of the ancient city. Before they even left the city, more than half of the Some Qiyuezhe stopped. Out of caution, they decided not to participate in this negotiation. Only a few people led by the Tyrant insisted on participating, including the Charisma-type female Some Qiyuezhe who provided the information.

She was very confident in her deduction. The two alliance sides would not agree to go to war so easily; it was too abrupt. Unless something stimulated them, negotiation would definitely be the priority. The Western Continent and the Southern Continent were too far apart; going to war was not worth it.

In the team, two figures lagged behind: Guang Mu and the Trickster.

"Guang Mu, you are our temporary leader, you should walk at the front."

Hearing the Trickster's words, Guang Mu remained silent, keeping her distance from the Trickster. She felt that this guy, whose strength didn't seem great, was very dangerous, giving her an inexplicable sense of threat.

"Puppet... synchronization 32%."

The Trickster's index finger moved slightly, and Guang Mu beside him raised her hand without warning.

Guang Mu immediately wanted to stop, but she found that she was still walking. This feeling was chilling. She could clearly feel her own body, but her soul was like being "pressed by a ghost," unable to move a single bit. Guang Mu's eyes were first filled with astonishment, then terror. She wanted to shout, but couldn't make a sound at all.

The Trickster turned his gaze, looking at Guang Mu with a smile. Immediately, Guang Mu found that she could control her body again. She instinctively wanted to pounce on the Trickster beside her, but she forced herself to calm down.

The Trickster took out a small conch and his lips moved, saying silently:

"Xian Ji, I followed you to the Alliance Star and actually met an old friend. That guy hasn't changed at all; when encountering a troublesome enemy, he still uses human-sea tactics."

The Trickster's pace became slower and slower, gradually distancing himself from the few Some Qiyuezhe in front. But the few people in front didn't notice this, as if the Trickster and Guang Mu didn't exist.

This Some Qiyuezhe named Trickster was actually one of the Gray Gentleman's puppets. This guy had numerous aliases, helping him obtain resources in various worlds. This was also the most troublesome point about the Gray Gentleman; his means of obtaining resources were too many. To this day, he hadn't shown his own combat ability.

The Gray Gentleman continued to say silently to the conch in his hand:

"Xian Ji, there is a strange object in the Western Continent, are you interested?"

"Not interested, you smiling bastard, get lost."

Xian Ji changed her usual style and spoke vulgar words to the Gray Gentleman. Apparently, she had been schemed against by the Gray Gentleman. Because she had to cooperate with the Gray Gentleman to complete something later, she didn't fall out with him.

"Abyssal Hole, are you not interested?"

"No."

"What about two sufficiently pure Abyssal Power condensates?"

The Gray Gentleman's words made Xian Ji hesitate for a few seconds.

"Still no."

"Pity, I prepared an emergency escape scroll for you this time. Since you don't need it, I'll go ask the Priest over there."

The Gray Gentleman's tone was somewhat regretful.

"State your conditions."

"After the matter is done, one pure Abyssal Power condensate for each person."

The Gray Gentleman stated his purpose, but was his purpose really just that simple?

"Deal. I just finished a transaction here and have nothing to do, summon me over."

"As you wish."

As soon as the Gray Gentleman's voice fell, the conch in his hand gradually shattered, finally turning into fly ash and dissipating in the air.

The Gray Gentleman had two true purposes. If Xian Ji really obtained the pure Abyssal Power condensate, it would be a good thing for him; he hoped to obtain this thing.

If Xian Ji failed, it would also be a good thing for the Gray Gentleman. In that situation, Xian Ji would definitely be beaten to the point of doubting life by Su Xiao's legion flow, and her hatred for Su Xiao would soar. Plus, with the 【Emergency Escape Scroll】 provided by the Gray Gentleman, the possibility of Xian Ji dying here was minimal. This thing was not spatial in nature, but rule-based.

Xian Ji, having been severely beaten, would definitely not let it go. Once she reached the Tree-Born World, she would be at odds with Su Xiao.

According to the Gray Gentleman's estimation, based on Xian Ji's current stance, after entering the Tree-Born World, she would likely sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, waiting for him and the Priest to decide the outcome with Su Xiao before making a move to complete the subsequent things.

This was the Gray Gentleman's Goal 2: to make Xian Ji completely hostile to Su Xiao. When they reached the Tree-Born World, when he and the Priest dealt with Su Xiao, Xian Ji wouldn't just watch the show on the sidelines. Trading an 【Emergency Escape Scroll】 for a powerful combat force was a steady profit for the Gray Gentleman. In the Gray Gentleman's view, Su Xiao was an enemy that needed to be dealt with by risking everything.

It could be said that in this world, the Gray Gentleman was already in an invincible position. He might not obtain any benefits, but he would definitely not lose.

"Guang Mu, I'm very lucky this time, meeting an old friend Bai Ye, so I'm in a good mood and won't turn you into a puppet. Let's guess coins. If I win, one-third of your assets will belong to me. If I lose, one-third of my assets will belong to you. Don't worry, we'll sign a Void Tree contract, not a Reincarnation Paradise contract."

The Gray Gentleman raised his hand, and a contract appeared in his hand. Guang Mu's consciousness was in a trance. When she recovered, the contract had already been signed.

"Refreshing, I admire you."

"?"

Guang Mu was stunned; she had no idea what she had just done.

"This is a Time Luck Coin, it cannot be cheated. You choose first."

"Heads."

Guang Mu glared at the Gray Gentleman. By this time, how could she not know who she had met? The Gray Gentleman of Reincarnation Paradise, an extremely dangerous rule-breaker.

"Heads? Then I can only choose tails. My luck has always been very good."

Ding~

The Gray Gentleman tossed the coin in his hand. The coin flipped in mid-air and was finally held in his hand.

Guang Mu stared at the Gray Gentleman's hand. The Gray Gentleman slowly opened his palm. The Time Luck Coin lay flat on his palm; it was heads.

"I won."

Guang Mu felt it was inconceivable.

"Hmm, you won, so..."

"So one-third of your assets belong to me?"

When Guang Mu said this, she felt inconceivable in her heart. She didn't even believe that such a thing would happen.

"So, let's start the next round."

"You breached the contract!"

"Hmm, breached it. So my total attributes were deducted by 30%. Don't you see my face is very pale? Guang Mu, ask you a question, what does the contract signed by the Trickster have to do with me, the Gray Gentleman?"

The Gray Gentleman took out the contract from just now, tore it apart, and split the contract. This was actually a double-layered contract; the top was a Void Tree contract, and the bottom was a Reincarnation Paradise contract.

"Let's continue, 100 rounds, 1 win. Don't look so desperate. You only need to win 100 rounds in a row to win. But be careful, if I win 1 round against you, you lose everything."

Ding~!

The Time Luck Coin was tossed up by the Gray Gentleman again, flipping in mid-air.

Guang Mu lowered her head, feeling a strong sense of powerlessness in her heart. She felt that her confrontation with the Gray Gentleman was like a kindergarten child trying to defeat an adult. Just at this moment when her heart was defeated.

"Puppet... synchronization 61%."

The Gray Gentleman grabbed the falling coin. Was he toying with Guang Mu? Of course not, the Gray Gentleman wasn't that bored. Or was he turning Guang Mu into a puppet? Guang Mu was female, and the Gray Gentleman couldn't perform puppet assimilation across genders and races. This guy was going to tear the Saint Light brand off the back of Guang Mu's hand! This was the Gray Gentleman's process of stripping brands. ===== CHAPTER 3127 =====