The Dark Hall Again
[Does the bookmaker have the right to confiscate all the principal?]
In other words, if a participant places a bet, the house will take all of their stake, including any potential profits.
[You looked at the bronze plaque, thought for a moment, and then understood.]
[This is the dealer plugging all the loopholes in advance to prevent you "pawns" from overturning the table.]
What they want is absolute control.
The ranking in the competition is completely unimportant.
Whether you're a genius or not, whether Liang Yishou is a good-for-nothing or not, doesn't matter.
[You are merely names on a jade disc, tools used to manipulate odds and attract funds.]
The real winners are always the ones who set the rules behind the scenes.
You turn your head and look behind you.
The lobby of the Four Domains Gambling House was bustling with noise.
[A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, dressed in a tattered Daoist robe, with red eyes, pressed his last bag of Spirit Stones onto the counter.]
"Suppress the Heavenly Pill Pavilion! Suppress the entire Heavenly Pill Pavilion!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs, as if it were the only ladder leading to the Great Dao of Spirit Transformation.
[You stand there, watching this absurd yet real scene.]
[The odds numbers on the jade disc suddenly jumped.]
The odds for the Azure Dragon Merchant Association Team have changed from 1 to 80 to 1 to 85.
You turned and left the Four Domains Gambling House, no longer glancing at the gamblers who were throwing Spirit Stones into the casino with bloodshot eyes.
[You walk along the Main Street and turn into the city's largest building materials market.]
The shops here stand side by side, each with a huge light and shadow Formation Plate floating in front of it, displaying its "treasure."
[You enter a three-story shop with a sign that reads "Treasure-Gathering Studio".]
[The shopkeeper behind the counter was fiddling with an abacus, the beads clattering crisply and clearly.]
"Shopkeeper, do you have Sha Soul Crystals?"
The shopkeeper didn't stop working, nor did he look up.
"No. Those things are used to weigh down Spirit Stones; they can't even sell two a year. They're long out of stock."
You gently tapped the counter.
"Baodi City is known as the distribution center for resources in the Azure Dragon Upper Domain, yet it can't even gather a single Sha Soul Crystal?"
The shopkeeper then lifted his eyelids and glanced at you.
"Fellow Daoist, if you want to buy Wind-Pattern Sand, I'll mix as much as you need."
"Sha Soul Crystal? That's a rare material used exclusively by cultivators in the White Tiger Domain."
"Ordinary Law Artifacts tainted with Sha Qi can easily backfire on their owners. There's no market demand; anyone who hoards them is a fool."
[You tried visiting several other shops specializing in niche building materials, and received similar responses.]
[Nobody's touching it, no stock.]
[Surprisingly, in such a large materials market, there's hardly anyone hoarding Soul Crystals.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Let's return to the Azure Dragon Merchant Association first and discuss this further.]
[B: Keenly sensing a business opportunity, he went bankrupt buying up Sha Soul Crystal, preparing to become the number one oligarch in the cultivation world.]
[C: Write a "Feasibility Report on Developing the Downstream Market for Sha Soul Crystals in the Civilian Artifact Refining Field" and sell it to the Azure Dragon Merchant Association.]
Lu Ping looked at Little B and shook his head.
The big players can even control the Dao of Alchemy Grand Competition. You, an outsider, want to monopolize materials in Baodi City? You must have a death wish.
Recently Little B and Little C have been getting too close.
Let Little B calm down.
He chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You've left the materials market and are planning to return to the Chamber of Commerce to prepare for battle.]
[While passing by a secluded side street, your gaze is drawn to a sign.]
[A drab, gray shop on the street corner, its small facade standing out incongruously between two other Pills shops.]
A black plaque with gold lettering hangs above the doorway.
[Dark Hall.]
You stood there, looking at the plaque three times.
You might even wonder if you're developing presbyopia.
[Dark Hall?]
[That terrorist organization that forces Nascent Soul Perfection to commit suicide and shed their physical forms, delivers living people like packages, and slaughters mortal villages at the drop of a hat?]
[Just openly driving it on the street like that?]
[A few Rogue Cultivators passed by, not even glancing at the sign, clearly used to it.]
[You take two steps closer.]
[At the entrance of the shop stands a water mirror, on which lines of text scroll.]
Main business: Precision assassination, intelligence gathering, bad debt collection, business warfare sabotage, and interference in secret realm competition.
"Transparent pricing, fair and honest service."
[This month's special offer: Assassination packages for players below the Golden Core Stage, second order half price.]
Installment payment is available; interest rates are negotiable.
You feel that your understanding has been challenged.
[You originally thought the Dark Hall was a lurking, ruthless, and cunning demonic force.]
[As it turns out, in the Azure Dragon Upper Domain, this thing is more like a gray-area outsourcing company operating under a false name.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Pretend you didn't see it, turn around and leave, stay away from trouble.]
[B: Since they're open for business, let's go in and see what kind of medicine they sell.]
[C: Go in and ask them if they take jobs to assassinate you, to test their professionalism.]
Little C really amazed Lu Ping this time.
Make the assassin commit suicide?
That's a great idea!
I just don't know if their professional ethics support them carrying out this mission.
As for Little A and Little B...
Back in the Central Region, Lu Ping would cross regions to investigate the Dark Hall.
Now that the Dark Hall is right in front of us, there's no reason not to go in and take a look.
Moreover, a man who possesses Simulator is fearless.
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
You step into the shop.
[The lighting Array Patterns inside the shop flickered, as if it were about to stop breathing.]
[Behind the counter, a Golden Core Stage Deacon slumped in a round-backed chair, dark circles under his eyes.]
Hearing footsteps, he forced himself to sit up straight, grabbed the teapot beside him, and took a swig, his voice hoarse.
"Murder or debt collection? We've been Overtime like crazy lately, the assassination solo queue slots are booked until next month."
"Commercial intervention can expedite the process, but there will be an additional 30% expedited fee."
You walked up to the counter and tapped on the table.
"Buying intelligence."
[Detailed information on the more than twenty participating teams in the Baodi City competition area.]
The Deacon yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"Our intelligence is traditionally categorized into four grades: A, B, C, and D. Which one do you need?"
["The more detailed the better, of course, Grade A."]
[You spoke softly.]
The Deacon withdrew his hand that had just touched the Jade Slip.
He glanced at you, then scoffed.
"Trying to snag a bargain? During the competition, all high-level intelligence on the participating teams has been locked."
"Right now, we can only sell information at the lowest level, which is basically information like the names of the squad leaders and deputy leaders, and who the squad leaders are."
[You were slightly taken aback by these words, as if your eyes had been opened.]
[The name "Dark Hall" sounds like it belongs to a lawless, bloodthirsty demonic overlord.]
[With the Seven-City Dao of Alchemy Grand Competition currently underway, Spirit Stones are flowing like water throughout the city, making it the perfect time to make a fortune.]
[So these people involved in shady businesses actually had intelligence but refused to sell it?]
[What kind of terrorist organization is this?]
Does it live up to the name "Dark Hall"?