A Wager

"Who are you?" Gu Ding turned his head and looked over.

"My name is Belanger, and I am a True God-level apothecary," the young man introduced himself.

When Belanger stepped forward, the crowd immediately began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Gu Ding, from the information I just gathered, this guy is a pharmacist who suddenly appeared recently. It's said that he was in seclusion before, so no one in the Universe Sea had ever heard of him. He came to the Medicine God Alliance territory yesterday to ask for a spot. It's said that he went directly to the Potion Venerable yesterday and concocted a potion in front of Potion Venerable. After that, the Potion Venerable gave him a spot without saying a word." The Sea Emperor gathered the information he needed from the discussions of the people around him.

"In other words, this guy is very good at potion making." Gu Ding knew this, of course. Strong people like the Potion Venerable usually have high standards. If the other party hadn't impressed him with his potion making skills, he probably wouldn't have given up his spot so readily.

"Scarlet, let him go. This is someone else's territory after all," Gu Ding waved to Scarlet, then turned to Belanger. "Mr. Belanger, that guy started the trouble. We were just defending ourselves. Is there anything else you want to say by stepping forward?"

"Yes, I would like to exchange ideas with you on potion-making," Belanger said directly.

"You, a True God-level alchemist, want to spar with a two-star God-level alchemist like me in potion-making?" Gu Ding laughed upon hearing this.

"We can just compare two-star divine-grade potions. Let's see who can refine more Perfect Quality potions in the same amount of time. I heard from the Potion Venerable that your talent in potion refining is even stronger than mine, which is why I couldn't help but feel a little itchy when I saw you."

"You flatter me, Potion Venerable." Gu Ding was actually quite puzzled by this. Why would Venerable Potion Venerable praise him in front of another exceptionally talented pharmacist?

"A simple sparring match? Don't you dare?" Belanger continued to provoke him, clearly eager to test his skills against Gu Ding.

"What would I gain from sparring with you? I'm Interstellar Pirate; I never do anything without a benefit." Gu Ding's words stunned many people present.

"Alright, since you insist on benefits before you'll spar, how about we make a bet?" Belanger only paused for a moment before immediately understanding.

"Tell me," Gu Ding said, wanting to see what the other party was up to.

"If I win, I want to join your Pirate Crew." Belanger made a strange request that surprised everyone, including the Gu Ding Team.

"You want to join our Pirate Crew?" Gu Ding looked at the other person with some suspicion. The other person's motives for joining were clearly not pure.

"Want to bet?" Belanger's lips curled into a slight smile.

"And what if you lose?" Gu Ding frowned slightly. His opponent was clearly a difficult person to deal with.

"If I lose, I can help you rescue Hake ..." Belanger said this using telepathy, and the target of the telepathy was only Gu Ding, not the other members of Gu Ding Team.

"How did you know..." Gu Ding was interrupted before he could finish speaking.

"If you want to rescue Hake, don't make a sound and let me finish," Belanger said, gesturing for Gu Ding to be quiet.

"The reason I know about Hake is because I'm not from your world at all. I'm Hake's biological brother, the kind of person who watched him grow up. When he was captured by his family, I often visited him and heard a lot about you. He told me a lot about your Pirate Crew, and he also told me that you're a very skilled apothecary. Coincidentally, my main profession is also apothecary, so I specifically came to find you for a sparring match. If you win, I can help you rescue Hake. If you lose, I want to join your Pirate Crew and experience what Hake calls the Pirate Crew spirit. Although I don't know what that is, it sounds pretty good."

"How is Hake now?!" Gu Ding couldn't tell how much of what the other person said was true, but he was sure that the other person's identity was correct.

"To be honest, it's terrible." Belanger smiled at Gu Ding, his face showing no sympathy for Hake whatsoever.

"He is subjected to various forms of torture every day. There has been almost no break in sight. That's what makes our family special; no one can refuse, and no one can escape. Hake thought he could, so he's receiving the punishment he deserves. I estimate he won't last much longer. If he's lucky, he might have a mental breakdown; if he's unlucky, he might die... Of course, if you're hoping the Federal Government and these small fry can help you rescue him, then I can only say good luck. The power of our family is beyond your imagination. And the location where Hake is imprisoned is known to no one except Direct Lineage family members like myself."

"I promise you." Gu Ding was silent for a moment, but finally nodded.

"Gu Ding ..." Liliath and the others looked at Gu Ding with strange expressions. They knew that Gu Ding and the other person had a conversation, but they didn't know what it was about. Gu Ding's sudden promise that if he lost, he would let the other person join the Pirate Crew was a decision that surprised everyone.

"Very good!" Belanger nodded with a smile, then transmitted his Way of Sound to Gu Ding, "Don't tell anyone else about our agreement, or it will be null and void..."

"I understand, but you'd better keep your promise after you lose, or I'll kill you." Gu Ding also looked coldly at the other party. "Let's find a place to begin!"

"Gu Ding, what did he say? Why did you agree to these conditions?" Liliath immediately transmitted her voice.

"Don't ask, I can't say." Gu Ding shook his head. For Hake's sake, he had to take this gamble.

Hearing Gu Ding's response, Liliath could only nod and stop asking questions.

"A friendly competition should naturally take place in a public setting, and I think this place is just right," Belanger said, as he took out a makeshift workbench and a complete set of tools.

Gu Ding could tell at a glance that the other party had come prepared, so he also began to take things seriously, taking out a temporary workbench that he had casually bought three years ago, as well as his own set of tools.

Before the sparring even began, the difference in equipment between the two was immediately apparent.

Belanger's set of equipment is top-grade, used for refining True God-level potions. Purchasing a set of it would probably cost at least tens of billions of Originium.

Gu Ding's equipment was just a standard set of God-rank potion-making equipment, the kind that could be bought on any Administrative Star in the Universe Sea, costing only a few thousand source stones.

"Hey, isn't that unfair?" As a doctor, Dokter had some knowledge of potion making and stood up indignantly. "Your equipment is top-notch and can be used to make True God-level potions. Our captain's equipment is just a standard set, which can only make four-star God-rank potions at most. Do you think that's funny?"

Belanger, however, spread his hands and said, "Equipment itself is also part of strength. When you are fighting to the death, would you give up your equipment, which is better than your opponent's?"

This statement left everyone speechless.

"It's okay, I'll win." Gu Ding knew he really had to go all out this time; he could only win, not lose. If he won, there was still a chance to rescue Hake; if he lost, and this guy joined the Pirate Crew, the entire team would likely face collapse. (To be continued~^~)