Before Alice could open her mouth, a man wearing a tusk mask preempted her and said, "Young lad, how about making a bet with me, Thomson? If I lose, I'll compensate you with three thousand low-grade magic crystals. What do you think?"
"Thomson, your offer is too low. I'll offer four thousand. Of course, if you lose, young lad, you just need to compensate me with six Phantom Grass plants." Another person spoke up.
"Oh, oh, I also want to bet..."
Everyone who heard about this bet thought it was a sure-win deal.
How difficult it was to invite the steward of the Treasure Hall was well known to these regular customers.
Not to mention a quarter of an hour, even if it was a month, the steward of the Treasure Hall would never show up!
When Owen and the man with a pointed face heard that so many people wanted to get involved, they couldn't help but feel extremely anxious. After looking at each other, they had already made a plan in their minds.
Owen shouted loudly, "Young lad, each of us will add another one thousand low-grade magic crystals! The total is six thousand low-grade magic crystals."
Hearing this, Alice slightly raised her eyebrows.
"Everyone, today I was the first to make a bet with these two gentlemen. I'm sorry, everyone." Alice clasped her fists and bowed, looking around at the people with an apologetic look in her eyes.
"Forget it, forget it. Young lad, remember to come to me, Thomson, if you have another bet next time!"
"You can also come to me. I'll definitely offer a higher bet!"
"I can too..."
Seeing that those people had given up the idea of getting involved, both Owen and the man with a pointed face couldn't conceal their joy and showed a smile.
Alice looked at Owen and the other man and said, "I'm afraid you won't keep the bet. You should swear an oath first."
"Okay."
Owen and the man with a pointed face felt confident of winning, so naturally they wouldn't refuse. So they quickly swore an oath.
"I, Owen / Roger, swear by my soul that if I don't keep the bet made with this young lad in front of me, my mind will surely be eroded by dark magic power, I will fall into an endless abyss of inner demons, and there will be no hope of advancing my cultivation in this life. Moreover, I will be spurned by fate and be haunted by bad luck until my soul dissipates!"
In this world, oaths would come true.
Therefore, Alice also swore an oath. She was full of confidence in herself.
Alice also looked solemn and said in a clear voice, "I, Alice, swear by my reputation that if I break this bet, I'm willing to abandon all my sources of magic power, become an ordinary person, and suffer from magic backlash. I will spend the rest of my life in pain and suffering and never have peace."
At this time, inside the Treasure Hall.
Axes knocked on the steward's door and then asked softly, "Steward, someone sent you a note. Do you want to see it..."
A furious voice rang out, "What is it? Don't disturb me, get out!"
The two black market guards stationed at the steward's door immediately pushed the scrawny teenager Axes hard without hesitation.
"Get out!"
Axes staggered a few steps and almost fell.
He looked down at the note, sighed softly in his heart, then bowed his head to the two black market guards and prepared to turn around and leave...
However --
The note seemed to have a life of its own. It broke free from his hand and squeezed into the crack of the door like a flying arrow.
Axes wanted to take it back, but it had disappeared in front of his eyes because the note had already entered the steward's room!
Axes was instantly terrified.
"I... I..." Axes looked up at the two black market guards, stuttering and unable to say a complete sentence.
One of the black market guards shouted angrily, "What are you stuttering about? Hurry up and get out. If you disturb the steward, even nine lives of yours won't be enough to pay for it!"
Hearing this, Axes' eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. They... seemed not to have seen the note flying in...
Obviously, the two black market guards had lost their patience with Axes. Just as they were about to blow the whistle to call other guards to take him to the dungeon for punishment, the steward's door suddenly opened.
A burly man with a square face appeared.
The two black market guards immediately knelt down on one knee and said, "Greetings, steward."
"Who brought the note?"
The steward of the Treasure Hall looked at Axes, who was already standing there in a daze.
"It was a young gentleman." Axes swallowed.
"Take me to see him."
"Yes, sir!"
Most of the quarter of an hour had passed. At this moment, Alice looked calm and composed, which made the people around her curse her in their hearts: a spendthrift!
The ecstatic expressions on Owen and the man with a pointed face's faces couldn't be concealed.
Soon they would be able to get the low-level Mystic-rank Phantom Grass!
Suddenly, Alice stared at Owen and asked, "You two seem very happy?"
Before Owen could answer, Alice curled her lips and smiled, "It's okay. You can laugh as much as you want now. Later, you might not even be able to cry."
As soon as these words came out, the expressions on Owen and Roger's faces immediately froze.
"What do you mean by that?" Owen frowned and asked angrily.
Alice just smiled without answering and turned to look at the door of the Treasure Hall as if she was waiting for someone.
Suddenly, there was a commotion inside the Treasure Hall.
"The steward actually came out!" This shout from inside the Treasure Hall made the faces of the people waiting outside for the result of the bet change suddenly. In an instant, everyone's eyes focused on Alice.
Alice's eyes fell on the steward of the Treasure Hall. She saw that he looked serious, and his thick eyebrows on the square face were tightly furrowed.
In just a few steps, he came to Alice and looked down at the rather short young lad and asked, "Was it you who gave me the note?"
Alice smiled and said, "Yes."
"Come in with me."
"Steward, wait a moment. I need to collect some bet money first."
When the steward of the Treasure Hall heard this, his brows seemed to be tied in a knot. He stared at Alice's figure with a look of confusion and puzzlement.
When the people around heard this, they almost fainted.
Do you know that the steward of the Treasure Hall is the person in charge of the black market branch of the Augustan Empire and a fifth-level Archmage!
Alice calmly walked up to Owen and Roger and stretched out her hand, "The total bet money is six thousand low-grade magic crystals."
Owen and Roger looked at the fair and delicate palm in front of them and almost spat out blood in anger.
But they had to pay, after all, they had sworn an oath.
The Phantom Grass was gone, and three thousand low-grade magic crystals were also gone.
Owen and Roger each transferred three thousand low-grade magic crystals into Alice's storage ring.
"Did you set a trap for us from the very beginning?" Owen asked angrily in a low voice.
Alice's eyes were cold and fierce. She sent a mental message to Owen, "Indeed. Now you don't have a single crystal left. How are you going to buy the Phantom Grass to heal your disfigured wife?"
"How did you know?!" Owen asked in shock.
"Guess."
Alice smiled charmingly. Half of her fair and delicate face looked extremely charming.
After leaving this sentence, she walked towards the steward of the Treasure Hall.
Owen looked at her back, with a murderous look in his eyes and the veins on his neck bulging.
"Boom --"
Owen released his second-level Spirit King's pressure. With a wave of his hand, a fire dragon formed by magic power roared and rushed towards Alice's back.
The people around were caught off guard and quickly stepped back a few steps to avoid being affected.
The steward of the Treasure Hall's eyes flickered, but he didn't take any action.
Alice knew that the steward of the Treasure Hall wanted to test her skills.
She sneered.
While dodging sideways, a feather pen appeared between her two fingers.
Her fair hand quickly flipped the feather pen, and then she shouted clearly, "Lock!"
The feather pen was thrown into the air and flew towards Owen in a blocking posture.