Chapter 1340: Little Man's Rise

Shi Min sighed, "Do you believe they only have a little over a hundred yuan stones on them?"

"Of course not," Shi Gong and Shi Rong replied in unison. The Medusa Queen, as dignified as she was, even if the Snake Tribe was in decline, couldn't be that poor.

"I didn't believe it either. That's why they said that—they're very wary of us, and they probably won't fall for anything we try," Shi Min replied. "As the saying goes, 'to take, you must first give.' So, I planned to let them have a taste of success, which is why I recommended those unpolished stones to them. Once you get addicted to stone gambling, it's hard to pull away. I just never expected there would be a Heaven-tier yuan stone inside."

*Invincible Begins with Sacrificing the Grand Ancestor*

Thinking of this, he felt a bit dejected. If he had known, he would have bought that unpolished stone himself for a few hundred yuan stones. A hundred thousand times the profit!

"They made a killing!" Shi Rong said resentfully. One hundred Heaven-tier yuan stones—even he felt a pang of pain.

"It's fine. In this 'Yellow' room, wins and losses are controllable; they can't make a significant impact. Later, invite them to the 'Heaven' or even 'Immortal' rooms," Shi Min sneered. "They just won so much, they definitely won't want to stop now. My initial goal has been achieved."

Hearing him say this, Shi Gong and Shi Rong finally felt a little better. They still admired their Third Brother, thinking he was truly cunning and had calculated their opponents' every move.

After collecting the Heaven-tier yuan stones from Shi Min and the others, Zu An approached Ban Ka and Hei Chi Gu. "It's your turn, gentlemen. The Lion Tribe princes set a good example; you should learn from them."

"Hmph, I don't have that many yuan stones," Ban Ka said bluntly.

Hei Chi Gu followed suit, "Neither do I."

"Oh, trying to renege on your debt?" Zu An looked at the steward nearby. "What does Jade Garden usually do in such situations?"

The steward smiled faintly. "Generally, if a contract is made at Jade Garden and we've witnessed it, if one party defaults, a hand is severed as punishment. Of course, this time it's worth 100 Heaven-tier yuan stones, so one hand probably won't be enough."

Although he said it with a smile, everyone around felt a chill down their spines.

Zu An was a little surprised. He hadn't expected Jade Garden to be so ruthless. It seemed he had been mistaken earlier; the Fox Merchant Guild behind it probably had nothing to do with Tu Shan Yu, as she didn't possess such power.

Ban Ka flew into a rage. He was a prince, after all; when had he ever been threatened like this?

Just as he was about to erupt, Hei Chi Gu's expression changed, and he hastily said, "I truly don't have that many Heaven-tier yuan stones on me, but I recently acquired ten Rainbow Glow Secret Stones. Their value should be similar to that of the Blazing Glaze. Let's use them to settle the debt."

Unlike Ban Ka, he had long resided in the royal court and naturally understood Jade Garden's influence.

As he spoke, he pulled out an exquisite pouch containing ten gems, each seemingly shrouded in a rainbow glow, which explained their name.

"Rainbow Glow Secret Stones?" The steward frowned. "This item is indeed quite rare. Legend has it that it can be used to refine weapons above the Heaven-tier, but it's only an auxiliary material, not a primary one. Besides that, no other particularly valuable uses have been discovered. If this esteemed guest understands artifact refinement, then this item is indeed very valuable. If not... please judge its worth yourself."

Zu An was a little surprised; the other party was subtly helping him, which showed that his earlier politeness had paid off.

He said nonchalantly, "Never mind. This fellow looks so poor, he probably can't produce anything else. Our Medusa Queen has always been magnanimous, so we won't make things difficult for you."

Yu Yanluo's face flushed slightly. She thought, "Zu An does all the bad deeds, yet he always preserves my good name. He's truly good to me."

As he spoke, Zu An took the pouch of Rainbow Glow Secret Stones, feigning disdain, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.

These Rainbow Glow Secret Stones might only be useful for artifact refinement to others, but for him, they were of great use.

One of the crucial materials needed for the breakthrough of the Valkyrie Mei Xi, whom he had previously summoned, when she reached a higher level, was precisely these Rainbow Glow Secret Stones. He had been having a headache trying to find these increasingly rare breakthrough materials for the Valkyries, and now, unexpectedly, they had delivered themselves to his doorstep.

Hei Chi Gu nearly fainted from anger. Just recently, he had mocked the other party for only having a little over a hundred yuan stones, a pathetic sight. He never imagined that the tables would turn so quickly.

Rage value from Hei Chi Gu: 888,888,888...

After collecting from him, Zu An didn't even spare him another glance and approached Ban Ka. "Now it's your turn, Prince Hyena."

"Prince Hyena?" Ban Ka's face twitched. The brown-black spotted patterns on his body seemed to tremble. While the title wasn't inaccurate, it sounded so insulting.

Rage value from Ban Ka: 555,555,555...

He glanced at Hei Chi Gu, then at Shi Min and the others nearby. Finally, gritting his teeth, he took out a gem. "This is a Foundation Rock Topaz I recently acquired. Its value should be similar to your Blazing Glaze."

The Jade Garden steward nodded. "This item is indeed equivalent to the Blazing Glaze and can assist rock element cultivators in their breakthroughs."

Zu An took the Foundation Rock Topaz, indicating his acceptance, and then immediately gave it to Yu Yanluo. Medusa's bloodline power was related to rock elements, so this item would be perfect to help her break through to the Grandmaster level soon.

Yu Yanluo looked at him gently. "Thank you."

Seeing this, Yun Jianyue couldn't help but say sourly, "Even while watching stone gambling, I accidentally got a dose of public display of affection... Hmph, that kid never forgets to flirt."

Yan Xuehen didn't reply to him. Instead, she slightly furrowed her brows, wondering why her emotions were so complicated. Could it be...

Ban Ka watched as the other party used his treasure to flirt, and his heart ached with hatred. However, it was not appropriate to erupt in Jade Garden, so he thought, "Once we leave Jade Garden, I'll take my men and find a place to ambush the Snake Tribe group. I'll not only take back my Foundation Rock Topaz but also seize their Blazing Glaze and all the Heaven-tier yuan stones they won today."

The Hyena Tribe had often engaged in such acts of murder and robbery. He had acquired this very Foundation Rock Topaz by ambushing and robbing a merchant caravan.

Thinking this, he immediately felt relieved. He was merely letting them keep the items for a while; he would recover even more when he seized them back later.

The thought of that batch of Heaven-tier yuan stones made his breathing quicken. He was going to be rich, so rich! With these resources, his strength would advance significantly, allowing him to stand out among his many brothers and perhaps even become a strong candidate for the next clan leader.

Besides this batch of yuan stones, there was also the Medusa Queen, a stunning beauty. And, well, the other two women by her side, though ordinary-looking, had truly nice figures. In the dark, it would be all the same.

Thinking of these things, his mood became increasingly pleasant, and he even cracked a smile.

The people around him merely assumed he had lost his mind from the defeat. Only Zu An roughly guessed his intentions and sneered inwardly, thinking, "If this fellow wants to die, I'll grant him his wish."

Next, Zu An went to collect payment from the other participants in the bet. However, these individuals didn't have so many yuan stones, nor did they possess treasures like Foundation Rock Topaz.

This was all within expectations. Zu An made them hand over all their valuables, almost stripping them of their clothes, and then had each person write an IOU, which he then handed to Xing Nu.

These individuals were from different races. Even if they couldn't repay the debts in the future, the Snake Tribe could use these IOUs to negotiate with their clansmen, perhaps to acquire votes or influence.

Hei Chi Gu and Ban Ka watched, secretly regretting that they hadn't just written IOUs themselves. Why was this scoundrel treating others differently?

Rage value from Hei Chi Gu: 444,444,444...

Rage value from Ban Ka: 444,444,444...

The two exchanged a knowing glance, then secretly communicated through vital energy transmission.

Shi Min, who had silently observed everything, finally spoke, "Congratulations, Medusa Queen, on your bountiful harvest today."

"We also have to thank Third Prince for making it possible," Yu Yanluo replied with a subtle smile.

Shi Min's breath caught. This woman's words were as sharp as that fellow called Zu An.

However, he quickly composed himself. "Since Your Majesty has such good luck today, why not play a few more rounds?"

"This..." Yu Yanluo hesitated.

Someone else had already started shouting, "There's no sense in leaving just because you've won!"

"Yeah, show us more!"

Zu An glared at those troublemakers. "Do you even have yuan stones left to gamble with us? What are you shouting about?"

The faces of those people turned beet red, yet they couldn't refute him. They could only silently curse him in their hearts, while also contributing a massive wave of rage value to Zu An.

Zu An then turned to Shi Min and the others. "Alright, but this 'Yellow' room isn't fitting for our Queen's status. If we're going to gamble, let's go to the 'Immortal' grade building."

The surrounding crowd cursed inwardly, thinking, "This guy barely had enough money for stone gambling in the 'Yellow' room just now. He got lucky and made a fortune, and immediately put on this arrogant front. He truly embodies the saying, 'a small man inflated by success.'"