Chapter 52: The Wager

The Black Spirit Continent’s Black Forest was the most feared forbidden domain among all the jungles in the world. It was the stronghold of the Dark Elves and Black Fairies of the Black Spirit Continent, the headquarters of magical beasts, and the territory ruled by Demons. The Green-patterned Golden-eyed Python was the most notorious hunter in the Black Forest.

The Green-patterned Golden-eyed Python was not the strongest magical beast in the Black Forest, but it was indeed the most famous one. Its huge size, terrifying form, the natural fear Humans had for cold-blooded reptiles, its cruel hunting methods, and its horrifying feeding habits—all of these combined to create the fearsome reputation of the Green-patterned Golden-eyed Python.

The Ice-armored Polar Bear from the Odin Ice Plain was also a very famous magical beast. These robust creatures, three to five times larger than ordinary black bears, were the favorite battle companions of the Beastfolk and Berserkers from the Five Great Archipelagos during the Hundred-Year Land-Island War. A mature Ice-armored Polar Bear had strength at least equal to that of a Peak of Status Earth Knight. When one charged wildly into an infantry formation, it was like a meat grinder, sure to stir up a storm of blood and flesh.

What made it even more frustrating was that the Ice-armored Polar Bear lived up to its name. They had the innate ability to use the secret technique Ice Armor, summoning thick frost to cover their bodies with a half-foot-thick layer of icy armor. The defense of this armor was extremely astonishing; unless one used specially made heavy weapons or enchanted weapons, there was no effective way to deal with them.

The Golden Rose Lounge truly lived up to its reputation as the biggest money-spending den in Dun Er Ke. It was quite a grand gesture for Jin to bring in two such magical beasts for a beast-fighting wager.

The so-called minimum bet of five hundred Gold Coins was just the lower limit. The smallest bet was five hundred Gold Coins, but which of these young masters and misses present would only place one bet? Among them, the most reckless playboys, to show off in front of the charming young ladies, would often place dozens of bets at once.

Jin giggled with joy and led Lin Qi and his group to the Beast-Fighting Arena deep inside the lounge.

This was a semi-underground Arena with tiered seating all around, capable of holding three to five hundred people. In the center was a well-like circular area; the Arena, nearly a hundred meters in diameter, was spacious enough for large magical beasts to fight and kill each other. There was a height difference of almost thirty meters between the bottom of the Arena and the seats; even a magical beast could not leap up that high.

Moreover, the walls, pillars, and floor around the Arena shimmered brightly. A powerful mage had used various crystal powders and gems to inscribe strange Magic Arrays, making it impossible even for flying magical beasts to escape from the Arena. Watching the magical beasts fight here was absolutely safe.

Currently, the Arena was divided in half by a black curtain. Two huge iron cages were placed on the left and right sides. One cage held a giant python over thirty meters long, covered in green net-like patterns all over its body. The other cage held a huge white bear that stood over ten meters tall, with white fur that stood up like iron needles.

The python coiled itself into a serpent formation, its cold, ruthless eyes occasionally sweeping over the people standing high above. The white bear lazily lay in its cage, licking its front paws now and then. Occasionally, the bear would lift its eyelids to glance at Lin Qi and the others, but most of the time it just licked its paws, as if its big feet were much more attractive than Lin Qi and his companions.

The two magical beasts hardly moved, but their massive bodies, fearsome appearances, and the unique mental pressure they emitted as magical beasts made the pampered young ladies tremble with fear. But even though they were terrified, these delicate young misses still covered their faces with handkerchiefs or small folding fans, pretending to be fragile and letting out various laughs to show they were not the least bit bothered by the two beasts.

“Two adult magical beasts!” Jin rubbed his hands excitedly. “They both have strength equivalent to that of an Earth Knight. The people who captured them went through great trouble to bring them to Dun Er Ke, and I spent a fortune to buy them.”

With a light laugh, Jin said proudly, “Everyone knows that snakes fear the cold, so the Ice-armored Polar Bear has a natural advantage. The odds are one to two for the Ice-armored Polar Bear and one to three point five for the Green-patterned Golden-eyed Python. You may place your bets now.”

Quickly glancing at Lin Qi, Jin narrowed his eyes and smiled, “If anyone is interested in making a wager with Lin Qi, Golden Rose can act as the guarantor. But according to industry rules, I will take a ten percent cut of your total bet. Please rest assured, we are absolutely fair and just; we would never do anything to harm the reputation of Golden Rose.”

Lin Qi carelessly took out that ten-thousand-Gold-Coin Gold Note and casually placed it on the railing in front of him. He laughed heartily, “Ten thousand Gold Coins! I’m betting it all on this Green-patterned Golden-eyed Python, letting you all have an advantage! Hmm, fifteen thousand Gold Coins. You only need to put up fifteen thousand Gold Coins to wager against me! Which of you… Damn it!”

The Gold Note was worth ten thousand Gold Coins, but in essence, it was still a piece of paper. When Lin Qi placed it on the railing, his breath while speaking was a bit too heavy, and it immediately blew the Gold Note downward. It drifted and landed in front of the Green-patterned Golden-eyed Python’s cage. Lin Qi gasped in shock and fully demonstrated his money-over-life nature by climbing over the railing and jumping down.

Everyone cried out in alarm simultaneously, especially Jin, whose face turned pale.

No guest had ever been accidentally injured or died at Golden Rose before. This place was a full thirty meters above the Arena; an ordinary person would surely die from such a fall! It was unimaginable what Lin Qi’s frightening father would do if Lin Qi fell to his death here!

Dozens of people leaned half their bodies over the railing at the same time, watching as Lin Qi gripped the small patterns of the Magic Arrays on the wall and swiftly slid down like a gecko. Huffing and puffing, Lin Qi ran up to the cage holding the Green-patterned Golden-eyed Python and carefully picked up the Gold Note.

“That damn guy! Lin Qi, do you really not value your life?” Jin yelled angrily.

Lin Qi stood in front of the Green-patterned Golden-eyed Python’s cage. The huge python restlessly shook its body, its large head fixed intently on Lin Qi. Jin screamed in terror—with such a magical beast, even getting within ten steps of it was extremely dangerous.

Lin Qi quickly took a few steps back. He took a deep breath and shouted a few times. A heavy metal door opened in the corner of the Arena, and several Golden Rose guards rushed out, surrounding Lin Qi and ushering him through the small door.

After a while, Lin Qi returned to the spectator seats via a hidden passage. He clutched the Gold Note tightly and exclaimed breathlessly, “Aha, ten thousand Gold Coins! Look, I’ve really put up ten thousand Gold Coins this time! Who wants to wager against me? Who?”

Everyone looked at the Gold Note in Lin Qi’s hand at the same time.

Angel, who had once been pushed into a sewer ditch by Lin Qi and hadn’t dared to go out in public for half a year, suddenly waved her small folding fan. She said with a delicate laugh, “Well then, Lin Qi, I have thirty thousand Gold Coins here!”

Lin Qi was pleased to see the eyes of over a dozen young masters light up at once.