flstandardbreds Chapter 1480 Balanced Stakes, Additional Conditions
Chapter 1480 Balanced Stakes, Additional Conditions
Lin Yu accepted the "duel" invitation initiated by the other party, not only because he considered that even with unclear information, the other party might not be his match.
Another very important reason is that Lin Yu was not entirely ignorant about the "duel" itself.
This is the second time Lin Yu has come to the place of life and death!
And if we include taking the stage... this is actually Lin Yu's third time taking the stage.
He had personally fought two "duels" before, and Lin Yu had even watched an entire "duel" between prisoners in the "Eternal Cage" as a spectator.
Lin Yu also had some understanding of the process of this "duel".
but……
The last three-way battle among the prisoners in the "Eternal Cage" was not a duel initiated by any one side, but rather by three lucky individuals who were "chosen".
Therefore, the process is slightly different this time.
"Before the duel officially begins, both parties involved, in the presence of me and my Lord, please settle the 'stakes' you will pay for this duel!"
As Erl the Flame spoke, Lin Yu looked at the dark figure standing opposite the arena.
He initially thought the other party was hidden in the shadows, which was why they appeared as a dark mass, but to his surprise, upon arriving at the "Land of Desperation," Lin Yu discovered...
It seems that his opponent really does look like that.
A blurry humanoid shadow, about the same height as himself, was completely black, as if it had been covered in ink.
The person's facial features and hair details are not visible, it's unclear whether they are hidden or not.
However, although the other party looked very abstract, Lin Yu quickly accepted it.
After all, Lin Yu had seen beings in the Ten Realms that were even more abstract in appearance than this.
Moreover, this guy came out of the "Eternal Cage," and he might have undergone some kind of strange modification surgery on himself.
Therefore, Lin Yu spoke to him very calmly.
"Now it's time for us to confirm our bets... Under the witness of the god of fairness and judgment, please state once again the amount you are willing to pay."
The dark figure continued to let out a sharp laugh: "No problem, hehehe... If you win the 'duel,' I will provide you with the method to find the 'Poetic Flower' and tell you an important secret about the 'Sword of Judgment' in the Night Valley Realm."
Lin Yu listened to the other person's words and felt a surge of emotion...
Sure enough, this guy was talking about the legendary powerhouse of "Night Valley Realm," the guy I cared about the most.
Lin Yu just didn't know...
Does this mean the other party is from the Night Valley Realm?
After all, "Poetic Flower" doesn't sound like something from the Night Valley world.
Lin Yu said, "Okay, so what do you want from me?"
“Hehehe... that’s of course your ‘Life Artifact’,” the shadowy figure murmured. “I just smelled the stench of the ‘Chosen One of Life’ on you—although you only took it out briefly... but I could clearly see the traces of that supreme ‘Life Power’ left on you.”
As the shadowy figure spoke, Lin Yu immediately realized what the other person was talking about.
When she had a chance encounter with Yongshang of Nevernight City at the top of the wall, in order to prove that what she said was true and to elevate her status in Nevernight City, she showed him the artifact she had stolen from Qiu Xinli, the [White Bone Temple] - of course, the version that had been modified by the head of the Nevernight City into the [White Bone Flowing Light].
Although besides this item, there was also the "Dead or Alive" coin given to him by Fang Qing—a resurrection coin distorted by some kind of force—which contained an extremely powerful life force within him.
However, Lin Yu had never taken out that coin, so what the other party was referring to... must be [White Bone Flowing Light].
Lin Yu said, "You want to exchange two pieces of 'intelligence' that I don't even know if they'll be of any use to me for one of my 'divine artifacts'... That's just wishful thinking."
He looked at the shadowy figure and said bluntly.
The shadowy figure chuckled and said, "Those two pieces of information are probably just as valuable to you as a divine artifact, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here fighting me, right?"
"But I can't accept you trying to get something for nothing. What if the information you provide is relevant, but I really can't use it?"
Lin Yu stared at the dark figure and said coldly, "After all, although you may indeed have the method to find the 'Poetic Flower,' what if it's a method I can't use?"
"Not to mention a secret message about the 'Sword of Judgment'... What she eats for breakfast every morning might also be a secret, but what use is that to me?"
"If you're trying to trade this ambiguous thing for my [White Bone Observation] or a divine artifact... I absolutely refuse—it's a huge insult to me, and it's completely 'unfair'!"
Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, the shadowy figure immediately chimed in, "Calling it 'unfair' is going too far. I never said I wanted to take the artifact from you directly—I made it clear from the beginning that what I wanted was simply the right to borrow and use it!"
As the shadowy figure spoke, Lin Yu coldly replied, "That won't do either. It's called 'borrowing'... What if you take it and drain all its power? What's the difference between that and taking it permanently?"
“I can promise you under the justice of the gods,” the shadowy figure said, “that I will not damage your ‘divine artifact’—is that alright? Hehe!”
Lin Yu remained unyielding on the proposal: "No, I won't accept it. This still puts me at risk—even if you make a promise, I still have to check whether you're playing word games or whether there are loopholes in your promise... That would be too much trouble for me!"
"Besides... the rewards for winning a duel are really low, which doesn't appeal to me."
"Unless you offer an equal and more tangible benefit, I will not agree to this duel—otherwise, I will still insist that the 'stakes' between us are unequal!"
Lin Yu spoke earnestly, and the shadowy humanoid figure said, "Alright... then what do you want from me? Anything is fine, I don't care, hehehe!"
Lin Yu looked at the shadowy humanoid figure and sighed helplessly, "Are you mentally challenged, friend? Are you really not quite right in the head?"
"You challenged me without ever introducing yourself. I don't even know who you are or what world you come from. How am I supposed to know what you have or what you possess... let alone what I can get from you?"
"Aren't you good at guessing what I want? Then show me your new guess—do you expect me to tell you something like a riddle?"
As Lin Yu spoke, the dark, indistinct thing fell silent, then spoke again.
“Alright, then I can promise you… if you win, I can transfer to you the right to initiate duels without restriction within the Eternal Cage. Hehehe, this is the best thing I can offer.”
"I think this is what you need."
Lin Yu raised an eyebrow upon hearing the other person's words.
"'Unrestricted duels within the Eternal Cage'... what does that mean?"
“Literally—it cancels the ‘limited number of’ duels that were originally allowed. You can challenge anyone you know in the ‘Eternal Cage’ at any time and place,” the shadowy figure said. “I think you can use this, hehehe.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu said, "I can indeed use this... but the quantity is still not enough."
"It's useful to me, but not that useful—this plus those two pieces of information combined don't even compare to the weight of the artifact I have."
After all, having this item would make it easier for Lin Yu to clear this [dungeon]...
But that’s all.
After all, even if Lin Yu hadn't obtained this permission from this guy, he could still pass the trials and clear the levels normally.
Moreover, once you leave this instance, it's very difficult to use it again.
Unless Lin Yu comes to the "Eternal Cage" again in the future... But even if Lin Yu does come again, this ability will still have many limitations for him.
A "right" that can only be used in specific scenarios is certainly not very valuable.
After hearing Lin Yu's unmoved words, the dark figure seemed to have made up his mind and said, "Hehehe... Since that's the case, if you win, I can also give you a 'weapon'."
"It's not a divine artifact, but it's not too far off either—and with my other conditions, it should be enough to even things out."
"But in return... if you lose, I will not only continue to borrow your divine weapon, but will take it away forever!"
As the shadowy figure spoke, he revealed the weapon he had prepared.
Judging from the style of the weapon, Lin Yu had a vague idea of the other party's identity.
"Could it really be someone from the 'Night Valley Realm'...?"
After all, what appeared in his hand was a jet-black scimitar with a very distinctive Night Valley style.
On the dark blade, silver-white arcs outlined a crescent-shaped curve.
"You can have the gods and the chosen ones witness whether the weapon I've brought out is worth 'quasi-divine artifacts,' hehe!"
Lin Yu looked at the blazing Earl, and the host said, "What this guy said is not wrong. The scimitar he is holding now... is indeed tainted with the aura of authority and contains high-level power!"
Lin Yu made a reluctant gesture and nodded.
"In that case, I have no objection."
"However... I have one more condition."
As Lin Yu spoke, he looked at the dark figure opposite him.
The dark figure asked, "What additional conditions?"
"Regardless of the outcome, neither side can reveal anything about this 'duel'."
Lin Yu said calmly.