Sister Erlong Got Hooked
Liu Erlong watched, itching to try.
She first walked over to the front desk.
Two people sat behind it, a man and a woman, wearing the Game Hall's standard uniforms.
What Liu Erlong did not know was that Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Hu Liena, Yan, and Xie Yue no longer needed to work at the front desk.
Bibi Dong had specifically arranged for people from Spirit Hall to take over daily operations, leaving those five free to throw themselves into playing games.
"Hello, welcome to the Douluo Game Hall," the female attendant said with a smile. "Is this your first visit?"
"Yes." Liu Erlong nodded.
"The first floor is the machine game area. You can try any of the games simply by inserting coins. The second floor is the interactive game area, which requires Gold Member status or above to enter."
"How do I become a Gold Member?"
"Top up 10,000 Gold Soul Coins, and you'll automatically become a Gold Member. Diamond Member status costs 100,000 Gold Soul Coins."
Liu Erlong mentally counted the money she had brought. It was nowhere near enough.
She was in no hurry to top up. First, she took a look around the first floor, starting with the Claw Machine.
She inserted one Gold Soul Coin, nudged the joystick, and pressed the button. The claw descended and caught a cat-shaped plush toy by the head.
The claw rose.
The cat fell.
"This thing doesn't have enough grip," Liu Erlong muttered.
She inserted another coin. This time, she adjusted the position to line the claw up with the cat's waist.
She pressed the button.
The claw descended and caught it. As it rose, the cat swayed twice but did not fall. The claw moved above the chute and opened.
The cat dropped into the collection slot.
Liu Erlong bent down and took out the cat. It was fluffy and felt nice to the touch. She looked it over, then tucked it into her sleeve.
Then she went to the Fruit Machine.
She inserted two Gold Soul Coins and pulled the lever. Three reels spun.
Apple, orange, grape. No match.
She pulled again.
Apple, apple, orange. One short.
Liu Erlong bit her lip and inserted another two coins.
She pulled the lever.
Apple, apple, apple.
Ding, ding, ding.
Twenty Gold Soul Coins clattered out of the payout slot.
Liu Erlong froze for a moment, then hurriedly scooped up the Gold Soul Coins.
A Soul Master beside her turned to look at her. "Nice luck."
Liu Erlong smiled and put the Gold Soul Coins away.
At the ring toss machine, three Gold Soul Coins bought three rings. She landed one around a small porcelain bottle containing a Low-Tier Soul Power Pill.
At the Lucky Wheel, each spin cost five Gold Soul Coins. The pointer went around and around before finally stopping on the "Reward ×5" segment. Twenty-five Gold Soul Coins were hers.
Liu Erlong played for over an hour. Rather than dwindling, the Gold Soul Coins in her hands had increased considerably.
She grew more and more excited.
These things were so much fun. Every one was something she had never seen before, and every one left her unable to stop.
At last, she stood before the blind box wall.
A Regular Blind Box cost ten Gold Soul Coins.
Liu Erlong took out ten Gold Soul Coins and picked up a small white box.
She opened it.
Inside was a slip of paper that read, "Congratulations! You have won 1,000 Gold Soul Coins! Please redeem your prize at the front desk."
Liu Erlong froze.
One thousand?
She took the slip to the front desk. The female attendant glanced at it, smiled, counted out a thousand Gold Soul Coins, and pushed them over.
"Congratulations on winning a big prize."
Holding the thousand Gold Soul Coins, Liu Erlong felt her heartbeat quicken.
She returned to the blind box wall and thought for two seconds.
She picked up a Silver Blind Box for a hundred Gold Soul Coins.
She opened it.
A beam of white light burst out of the box.
Once the light faded, a token lay inside. It was dark blue, with a number engraved on it: 10000.
"A 10,000 Gold Soul Coin Exchange Token!" someone beside her shouted.
Liu Erlong stared at the token in her hand, her fingers trembling.
A blind box costing a hundred Gold Soul Coins had yielded ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.
Several people had already gathered behind her.
"This lady's luck is incredible!"
"A hundred turned into ten thousand! I opened ten Silver Blind Boxes, and the best I got was a bottle of Soul Power Potion!"
"Look, she won on the Fruit Machine earlier, and she won at Horse Racing too. What kind of day is this?"
"Ma'am, touch my hand! Let some of that luck rub off on me!"
Surrounded by the crowd, Liu Erlong felt her face grow a little hot.
But she could not suppress the excitement inside her.
She had come in with a hundred Gold Soul Coins, played for half the day, and now had over ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.
She had never experienced anything like this.
The thrill of gambling, the pleasure of winning money, and the envious looks from those around her-all three piled together, leaving her walking on air.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She had come here on serious business, not to play.
But after two seconds of calm, Liu Erlong thought again: Playing a little longer won't get in the way of business. Qin Chuan is upstairs anyway. He's not going anywhere.
Something even more surprising happened.
Liu Erlong closed her eyes and sensed her Soul Power.
She was a Soul Saint-level Soul Master, extremely sensitive to changes in her own Soul Power.
Her Soul Power was moving.
It was not the slow flow of meditation, but an active, warm surge. It spread outward from her meridians, flowing along them throughout her body.
She had played here for less than four hours, and her Soul Power was increasing at roughly ten times the rate of normal meditation.
Ten times.
Liu Erlong opened her eyes and looked at the people around her, all having the time of their lives. They probably had not noticed this yet.
But she had.
Playing games could also increase Soul Power.
This was precisely what Yu Xiaogang had asked her to watch for.
Liu Erlong glanced at the price list at the front desk.
Gold Member: top up 10,000 Gold Soul Coins. Diamond Member: top up 100,000 Gold Soul Coins.
Diamond Members could unlock every game, including the interactive games on the second floor.
A hundred thousand was too much. She had not brought that much money.
But she had just enough for ten thousand.
She walked to the front desk and slapped the 10,000 Gold Soul Coin Exchange Token onto the counter.
"Sign me up as a Gold Member."
"Certainly. Please wait a moment."
The female attendant completed the registration and handed over a gold Membership Card.
Liu Erlong took the card and went upstairs.
The second-floor corridor was quieter than the first floor.
Several Soul Power Lamps hung along the stone walls on either side, casting soft light. Three doors stood in a row, each bearing a different sign.
[Object Hide-and-Seek]
[Blindfolded Tag]
[Otherworld Survival]
Liu Erlong had just climbed the last step when she heard laughter.
It came from behind the door marked "Object Hide-and-Seek," audible even through the stone walls, rising in waves interspersed with shrieks and clapping.
She walked a few steps forward and stopped in the corridor.
The door opened, and a group of people poured out.
Leading them was a girl in a short pink martial outfit, her long black scorpion braid swinging behind her. The smile never left her face.
Liu Erlong's steps faltered.
Right behind Xiao Wu was a black-haired woman in a tight black leather outfit, her figure slender, her hair tied into cat-ear tufts on either side, her gaze cool.
Behind her came a girl with short rose-gold hair and smiling, peach-blossom eyes, dressed in a tight purple martial outfit.
Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Hu Liena.
Then came Yan, his face covered in sweat and his short fiery-red hair a mess, still shouting, "One more round! I was so close to finding Qin Chuan last time!"
Xie Yue followed, his short silver-white hair perfectly neat. His face was expressionless, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly upward.
Qin Chuan was the last to come out.
He wore a long black robe, his black hair reaching his waist, his features finely formed and his manner relaxed.
There were also several people Liu Erlong did not recognize, presumably other players.
Standing in the corridor, Liu Erlong instinctively moved half a step aside.