Chapter 858: Chapter 646: Ice Calamity (Bonus 11/11)
Reclaiming the body, strengthening Anqiu, and contributing to the cause of the God of Duels they believe in is the consensus among the duelists.
There is another aspect of benefit that He Gaitou values quite highly.
That is, he can use this matter to win Mei Lin’s favor.
He Gaitou wants to get close to Mei Lin.
It’s not because he harbors any romantic feelings, but because he is inherently a shrewd and opportunistic person.
He Gaitou knows that, among duelists, those with a military background form the largest faction; he wants to integrate into it.
But he is not from the military; on the contrary, he is a former prisoner.
At least, he was once.
So, by nature, he’s not trusted by Mei Lin and others.
He Gaitou’s bloodline potential has been fully tapped. He can only reach the Golden Level and can’t advance further.
Unable to rely on himself, he focused his energy on developing connections.
Although gambling is not banned in the Ice Kingdom, the industry he is engaged in still belongs to the gray area. Once it grows too large, it may face suppression or even be taken over by the great nobles.
What He Gaitou truly values is Mei Lin’s military background.
He hopes to climb higher and find a protective umbrella.
This is why He Gaitou annually sends Gold Coins to the warden of the Ice Prison.
The Ice Prison warden leaned back in his leather chair, opened a drawer, and took out a metal box.
He placed the metal box on the desk.
The lid automatically popped open, revealing neatly arranged cigars inside.
These cigars are only as thick as adult fingers, slightly thinner than those commonly sold on the market, and are products from the Ice Kingdom.
“Want one?”
“I don’t smoke,” He Gaitou declined.
Without needing to light it, the Ice Prison warden placed the cigar in his mouth, and after a few puffs, the cigar automatically lit.
This special cigar is, in itself, a kind of Magic Dish.
Making cigars is a special branch of the Magic Chef profession.
The Ice Prison warden took a puff, exhaling a breath of cold air, and continued the conversation: “If we cooperate and Long Fu also accepts Ice Calamity’s challenge, who do you plan to bet on?”
He Gaitou replied without hesitation: “Of course, Long Fu.”
“Even if Ice Calamity was once at the Golden Level, his combat power is still somewhat inferior to Long Fu’s.”
The Ice Prison warden nodded slightly, acknowledging He Gaitou’s statement.
He Gaitou continued: “In fact, our cooperation this time does not conflict with your plan to gain merit, sir.”
“Ice Calamity has consumed too much of the ‘Beautiful Future’ potion, and he’s not far from death.”
“Even if he lowers his level to survive, the potion’s effects remain extremely potent.”
“As long as you push him forward from your side, I’ll heavily promote it, create buzz, and quickly raise the odds.”
At this point, He Gaitou adjusted his seating posture: “There’s a lot to gain here.”
“When Ice Calamity falls in battle, according to national policy, you, sir, can still push Shi Liu forward. As a Golden Level powerhouse, he can still vie for the final crown.”
The Ice Prison warden didn’t respond, but instead took a deep drag from the cigar.
He slightly opened his mouth, allowing the vapor to flow from his mouth to his nostrils and then into his lungs, creating a swift cycle that brought him a refreshing and exhilarating sensation.
After more than ten seconds, he finally exhaled the smoke.
“If I get involved, how much can I earn this time?”
“It’s hard to estimate. But I think there shouldn’t be less than this amount.”
He Gaitou held out his fingers to indicate the number 8.
The Ice Prison warden’s eyes gleamed: “Only eighty thousand Gold Coins? Hmph, for a national-scale gambling event, what I can get is too little.”
He Gaitou smiled wryly and shook his head: “That’s already quite a lot.”
“Warden sir, you might have overestimated me. Although I have a gambling house, it isn’t very large, and how many years have I been involved and running it?”
“You, sir, are actually well aware.”
“If you, sir, had cooperated with me years ago, the scale of the gambling house wouldn’t be what it is today. If we had done this business, we could’ve at least doubled our earnings!”
He Gaitou shook his head: “But for now, this gambling plate is already my limit.”
“Even though it’s nationwide, limited by my gambling house, the scale of bets we receive won’t be very large.”
The warden snorted coldly, squinting his eyes, and for a while, merely focused on smoking, saying nothing.
As he puffed smoke clouds, he was deep in thought.
In fact, he participated in gambling hosted by He Gaitou every year.
Of course, he provided the gambling money.
Over the years, he’s won more than he’s lost. He Gaitou sends him an average of 3,000 Gold Coins every year, and that’s how it comes.
As the house, He Gaitou can indeed control the outcome of the gambling to a certain extent.
To deal with investigations by the Royal Family and others, he still orchestrated many losses. Plus, since the warden made his bets independently, winning was his own ability. This has nothing to do with bribery.
He Gaitou once wished to cling to the Ice Prison warden, but over the past twenty years, every attempt he made was rejected by the latter.
The Ice Prison warden is well aware: participating in He Gaitou’s gambling events and serving as his backer are entirely different matters.
The warden of the Ice Prison was quite self-aware: “I am a member of the Human Race, yet I hold such a high position.”
“The position of the warden of the Ice Prison is quite a lucrative one.”
“I wonder how many Snow Elves have their eyes on my seat.”
“In fact, accepting the yearly Gold Coins from Hogate has reached its limit. Does the upper echelon of the Ice Kingdom really not see through it?”
“Ha ha ha, how is that possible?”
“It’s just that all these operations are within the rules of the game.”
In any case, it was impossible for the warden of the Ice Prison to cooperate deeply with Hogate.
He took a few puffs of his cigar before saying, “Eighty thousand is too low; I need at least one hundred and twenty thousand.”
“Clearly, there are Golden Level strong ones in the Ice Prison, yet I advocate for a Silver Level one, which doesn’t make sense. It might even attract an investigation.”
“Moreover, what if Ice Calamity wins? My investment would be wasted, and I personally shoulder this risk.”
Hogate snorted coldly in his heart.
He could tell that the warden was tempted, but he was raising the price under any excuse.
What investigation? With the network he had built in the kingdom, it was almost impossible.
Moreover, this was entirely plausible.
In the history of the Ice Prison, there had been instances of recommending Silver Level prisoners. At the time, the Golden Level prisoners were relatively weak and lacked competitiveness in the great duels, so they opted for Silver Level talents to participate and achieved decent results.
Hogate knew that the warden was trying to raise the price, so he smiled and engaged in a round of bargaining with him.
Finally, Hogate managed to maintain the price at one hundred thousand Gold Coins and refused to budge.
“Then let it be,” the warden finished off a cigar, “Out of respect for you, we’ll settle at one hundred thousand Gold Coins.”
He backed down at the right time.
After all, both were of the Golden Level. Hogate sent him Gold Coins every year, which was a favor in itself.
“I can recommend Ice Calamity on this side, but as for Ice Calamity himself, you’ll have to persuade him.”
“I need to remind you, he might not be willing to compete.”
“He has taken a large amount of the Magic Potion ‘Beautiful Future’ and downgraded himself to survive.”
“The reason he’s imprisoned in the Ice Prison is that he actively committed a crime and turned himself in after establishing connections. His primary purpose in entering the Ice Prison is to utilize the prison’s Magic Array to help him suppress the potion’s effects and extend his life.”
“And now you’re asking him to go out and participate in a duel?”
“Ha, it’s not that easy.”
On this point, Hogate was quite confident.
“Don’t worry, my lord, I am fully prepared. Time is limited, so why don’t we go now? You’ll see for yourself how I persuade him.”
“Very well, follow me.” The warden stood up.
He led Hogate all the way down to the third level underground and stood before a cell.
The prison guard respectfully opened the cell door.
The warden, Hogate, and others entered successively.
The cell was not spacious, but luxuriously furnished.
Ice Calamity was dining.
Though the dining table was small, it was laden with various Magic Delicacies, exquisite and luxurious, with mouth-watering aromas.
It was entirely unlike being in prison, rather more like being on vacation.
After all, Ice Calamity was once of the Golden Level, with former connections and a substantial fortune.
A significant portion of his assets was compensation from the Alchemy Guild.
He was a victim of the Magic Potion ‘Beautiful Future.’ This incident caused a huge uproar at the time, stirring the entire country.
Seeing the warden and Hogate, Ice Calamity did not dare to slight them and promptly stood up to greet them.
After all, he was no longer of the Golden Level.
“Warden sir. Oh, and Lord Hogate. I often hear my fellow inmates and guards talking about you lately.”
Hogate was quite renowned; he represented the best battle record in the Ice Prison in recent years. Whenever the great duels happened, he would be mentioned enthusiastically, becoming a topic of conversation throughout the Ice Prison.
Hogate sized up his target.
Ice Calamity was a Snow Elf, with a handsome face and a thin, frail physique. He looked very feeble. His face was lined with wrinkles, his gaze dim. Even his motions as he stood were shaky, like an old man with little time left.
When he spoke, he revealed his teeth.
Hogate noticed that many of Ice Calamity’s teeth had fallen out; though his mouth seemed full of teeth, most were alchemy dentures.
The warden nodded slightly: “Lord Hogate has something to discuss with you.”
Ice Calamity turned to Hogate, his expression curious.
But Hogate did not immediately disclose his intention; instead, he glanced at the small dining table and said, “The dishes are nice, but the wine is lacking. Fortunately, I brought some, so have some of my wine.”
As he spoke, he took a small metal flask from his chest.
He opened the flask and poured all its contents into an empty glass goblet.
The wine was scarce to begin with; once poured, it barely formed a thin layer at the bottom of the glass.
This was red wine, radiating the aura of the Golden Level.
Hogate handed the glass to Ice Calamity: “Drink up, it’s perfect for you.”