"So you guys took on this quest too." Jupiter suddenly realized why the robots were so fragile—they'd stolen the monster.
Jupiter, on the contrary, felt a sense of schadenfreude. Even when facing other guilds, the domineering Protoss would not apologize or back down, let alone their old rival Sky Domain.
"What's wrong with stealing monsters? If you're not happy about it, then shut up."
The argument quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl, and after the ensuing beating, the entire Sky Domain team, already in poor condition, were all killed.
"Old Zhu, you son of a bitch... you just wait!" Huang Tian Dang Li sent a private message cursing.
Jupiter immediately turned off private messaging.
Just kidding, what's the point of playing a game if you're not going to steal monsters?
With the mission objective achieved, the Protoss immediately returned to complete the task. Once the die was cast, the Sky Domain, no matter how dissatisfied, would have no choice but to accept it.
However, when Jupiter party arrived at the upper level, they were turned away.
"We have fulfilled Lord Han Xiao's instructions, so why won't you let us in?"
"There are orders from above that no outsiders are allowed to enter."
No matter what, the guards refused to retreat an inch, leaving the Protoss with no choice but to leave.
If they want to complete the task, they'll have to wait for Han Xiao to show up again on his own.
The group was returning when, after walking for a while, everything suddenly went dark. A group of burly men surrounded them in layers, led by Azure Sky, who had brought people from the Sky Domain to demand an explanation.
"Old Zhu, that's not fair of you. Our people got the mission first, and the target was crippled by my people. You suddenly appeared and stole the monster. You can't just leave without an explanation." Azure Sky said with a stern face.
"Don't make a fuss. Blame your bad luck." Jupiter was fearless. The Sanctuary was a safe zone where no one could make a move, so he wasn't afraid of being surrounded.
Their eyes met in mid-air, sparks flying.
The guild leaders of various clubs in Huaxia know each other in private. Azure Sky and Jupiter have always been at odds, and there are historical reasons for this. The conflict originated in the professional arena. Li Ge is the pillar of the Temple Club, and Hao Tian is the face of the Sky Domain. However, Hao Tian has a record of losing more than winning against Li Ge. In other competitions, he has been defeated by Li Ge many times in the finals, semi-finals, or quarter-finals.
As a result, the two guilds had a deep conflict and disliked each other.
The theft of this mission was the trigger. Although it was just a minor skirmish, skirmishes can escalate into conflict, especially since the two sides were already adversaries.
Players around them turned to look, and in keeping with the fine traditions of the Huaxia people, they all gathered around to watch, making it more lively than a vegetable market, and the middle of the road was completely blocked.
After exchanging insults, Jupiter impatiently asked, "Azure Sky, what exactly do you want?"
Give us back the quest items.
"Are you still half asleep?" Jupiter retorted decisively.
Why should we return the monsters we obtained through our own skill? Besides, we represent the reputation of our guild; if we back down, won't people say we're afraid of Sky Domain?
Azure Sky wasn't going to swallow his losses. Since neither side could back down, there was no way to mediate. The only option was to let strength decide the outcome. However, he was unwilling to start a large-scale guild war, as the result of both sides suffering heavy losses would be being surpassed by other guilds.
A thought flashed through Azure Sky's mind, and he suddenly remembered the arena's betting function. Wasn't that the perfect way to resolve this kind of conflict?
"Fine, since you're unwilling to pay, then let's go to the arena and have a duel!"
"Why should I fight you for no reason? I gain nothing if I win, and I have to hand over my things if I lose."
"Hmph, we'll also place bets—money, equipment, items, anything goes," Azure Sky provocatively said. "I'm officially issuing you a challenge; if you have the guts, accept it."
He really wanted this series of quests. First, the rewards from Black Phantom's quests were very generous, and second, it would increase Black Phantom's favorability. This deal was worth doing.
However, Jupiter was not provoked at all, pushed aside the people from the Sky Domain, and walked away triumphantly.
Since the item was in his own hands, he figured he could reap all the benefits once he handed over the task. Why risk a fight? He couldn't be bothered to grant the enemy's wish.
The members of Sky Domain were furious, Huang Tian Dang Li indignantly, saying, "Guild Leader, are we just going to let this go like this?"
Azure Sky's face darkened, and she angrily said, "Publicity stunt! Forcing them to accept the challenge? I won't let that slide. Have all the team members post about me on the forum, smear me to death!"
As Sky Domain launched its propaganda offensive, the forums were flooded with posts smearing and provoking Protoss Protoss, portraying them as unreasonable and immoral bullies who refused challenges as cowards and cowards. Because the forum required purchasing game pods to post, the paid trolls weren't as active, but this time Sky Domain had solid evidence and directly mobilized its peripheral members to post, setting the tone and flooding the forums.
Public opinion was in an uproar, but the Protoss remained calm and unperturbed.
In Jupiter's view, as long as they can stall until Han Xiao appears and completes the mission, the die is cast, and no amount of fussing from the Sky Domain will change anything.
However, several days passed without Han Xiao showing up.
Jupiter grew increasingly anxious, repeatedly questioning the guards, but to no Han Xiao.
Han Xiao could also see the forum, but he deliberately didn't show himself, which was like putting the Protoss in a difficult position. As long as the Protoss didn't ask him to turn in the quest, this quest item would only bring trouble to the Protoss.
From the moment he issued the quest, he had prepared this series of dirty tricks, forcing two guilds to engage in arena duels to gain public attention and let more players know what the purpose of arena duels was.
Once someone takes the plunge and shows other players the benefits of betting and taking risks, it will awaken the potential demand from the community.
The Protoss and Sky Domain simply regarded this incident as an accident or coincidence, completely unaware that Han Xiao, the "NPC" who issued the mission, was behind it all, falling entirely out of their comprehension.
Seeing that the tide was turning against the Protoss, Jupiter began to have a headache.
Finally, after Han Xiao "disappeared" for another day, Jupiter could no longer tolerate it and, on behalf of the Protoss, accepted the Sky Domain's challenge on the forum.
"On behalf of the Gods Guild, I agree to the duel with Sky Domain. Our stake is the quest item [Out- Out-of-Control Robot Chip]. We demand that Sky Domain offer a chip of equal value. The duel will take place in the arena, one-on-one, best-of-five. The loser is eliminated, and the winner may continue. Regardless of the outcome, everyone must accept this as the final result and refrain from further trouble."
Azure Sky replied quickly.
"Good!"
The duel between the two guilds suddenly made the entire Sanctuary a lively place for players.
The arena's betting service is officially handled by the Sanctuary. Bets are collected before the fight and the winnings are guaranteed to be handed over to the victor. To enjoy officially sanctioned betting, one must first book the arena.
There is a fee for renting the arena, which is included in the arena's revenue.
The two major guilds, being wealthy and powerful, wanted other players to act impartially, so they booked the largest central arena, leaving the rest of the space as spectator seating – a very high-profile move.
On the day of the challenge, players from the Sanctuary flocked to the arena, creating a bustling, crowded, and noisy scene.
"Who do you think will win?"
"It's definitely the Protoss; the Sky Domain is far inferior."
"Actually, the Protoss are in the wrong this time; it's very unethical."
"Are you kidding me? What's wrong with stealing monsters in a game? Don't make a big deal out of it."
"There's a bookmaker opening bets over there, I'm going to bet on the Protoss."
"There's still room to place bets?! Let's go, let's go!"
The scene was incredibly noisy, comparable to a superstar concert. The audience waited for quite a while before the two teams finally arrived. After seeing the team IDs, the audience was stunned.
The players weren't from the guild; they were all professional players from the two major esports clubs!
After a moment of stunned silence, many spectators erupted in cheers of delight. If the arena hadn't been open-air, their enthusiasm would have lifted the roof off!
Most of the audience initially came just to watch the spectacle, but when the professional players appeared, everyone's interest was immediately piqued.
The Galaxy League hasn't been established yet, and ordinary players have basically never seen the skills of professional players, so their enthusiasm is high.
"The Temple is indeed well-established; all the players who came were ranked first-tier or near-first-tier. It's a pity that [Li Ge] isn't here; I heard he went to participate in an expedition."
"Yeah, Long Sky's foundation is a bit weaker; they're mostly second-tier. Even the first-tier ones, Long Sky and Frenzied Sword Fried Rice, went to war... Wait, that's... I'm not seeing things, am I? The Great God Hao Tian?!"
Hao Tian remained expressionless, blending into the crowd in the Long Sky, drawing in disbelief and awe from the audience.
Wherever he went, the audience unconsciously slowed down their discussions, as if he were carrying a steady and composed aura.
As a pillar of Long Sky, Hao Tian was naturally pulled over by Azure Sky. His fame and strength far surpassed those of the top players, making him the most watched professional player in the arena. Facing this great player, the players from the Temple immediately felt the pressure.
Both guilds belong to the club, and they both invited their team players to help out without any prior communication.
Upon seeing the opposing team, Azure Sky and Jupiter broke out in a cold sweat, thinking at the same time, "Thank goodness I also brought along some professional players. Damn it, we almost got tricked by that cunning old fox."
The central arena was spacious and hexagonal in shape, with the square in the middle serving as the battle area and the triangular areas on either side as waiting areas. People from the Sky Domain and the Protoss were waiting in the waiting areas of the arena.
The audience whispered among themselves, eagerly awaiting the moment.
However, some of the players had different ideas.
"Betting on matches in the arena seems like a good way to increase exposure..." some guilds watching the match thought to themselves.
"If I defend my spot, I can spar with players from all sorts of styles and even earn bets," some players who enjoy PvP thought to themselves.
The professional gamers watching nodded in agreement. "Defending the title not only provides exposure but also helps hone your skills; this feature is great."
Having witnessed firsthand the grand spectacle and impact of arena duels, many players saw the benefits and entertainment value involved... Han Xiao's initiation of the duel between the two guilds was precisely to allow other players to experience the function's capabilities, thereby encouraging them to unleash their creativity, expand the function's uses, and satisfy various diverse needs.
The revenue from booking out venues is secondary; what Han Xiao values more is cultivating players' demand for and habit of using the arena, so that the impression of the "main city" will be more deeply ingrained in their minds.