You can exchange for anything you desire.

 

Never mind. Xing Ye sighed inwardly. His relationship with Yan Hebi could only be described as a karmic entanglement. Back in the hospital world, it was thanks to Yan Hebi that he, despite having lost his memory, managed to clear the game and even earn triple points.

Yan Hebi was, in fact, a highly skilled player. His only flaw was that his intelligence seemed to drop whenever he encountered women—especially attractive ones. If not for this, he probably would have figured out his true gender in the hospital world long before the final moments. Of course, it was precisely because of this flaw that his initial skill was "Central Heating"—a power to exude warmth and charm to everyone around him. Gains and losses, after all, always go hand in hand.

Xing Ye grabbed the seated Yan Hebi by the collar and hauled him up. His gaze swept across the two red team players nearby as he calmly said, "Until I understand the rules the dealer hinted at, I don’t intend to gamble with you two for now. Besides, I don’t have any chips at the moment. If I must gamble, I’ll gamble with this one."

By "this one," he was, of course, referring to Yan Hebi.

Ning Xinyao frowned and said, "I don’t want to gamble with him."

Shao Lin added, "I haven’t exchanged chips yet either. Besides, there’s plenty of time. It’s rare to encounter such a comfortable game world—everything here is free except for the expensive wine, which costs points. Freshly squeezed orange juice is unlimited, and there are plenty of desserts. I’ll enjoy myself first before thinking about gambling."

With that, he got up and actually left, ignoring his teammate Ning Xinyao entirely, heading straight for the dessert bar. He happily grabbed a pudding and started eating, looking thoroughly satisfied.

Ning Xinyao: "..."

She instantly felt awkward. Although she and Yan Hebi were on different teams this time, they had been teammates in a previous world, where they had fought side by side. They had even met in real life before. Compared to unfamiliar teammates, she trusted Yan Hebi more.

But now, Yan Hebi had found himself a new teammate—someone he clearly knew from before—and seemed entirely obedient to this new person. Logically, she should stop bothering about her connection to Yan Hebi and focus on cooperating with her new team to clear this world. Yet her new teammate had just walked off and left her all alone. What was she supposed to do now?

Frowning, she said to Yan Hebi, "Come gamble a couple of rounds with me."

Yan Hebi looked at Xing Ye, clearly waiting for instructions from his “boss.”

Despite having only spent one game together and knowing Ning Xinyao far longer, the hospital world had left an indelible impression on Yan Hebi. Whenever he saw Xing Ye, he couldn’t help but defer to him.

Xing Ye said to Yan Hebi, "Tell me about your chip exchange earlier."

Yan Hebi turned to Ning Xinyao and, with an apologetic tone, said, "Xinxin, we’re not on the same team this time. It’s better if we keep some distance for now."

"Hah," Ning Xinyao sneered as she stood up. "I wanted to gamble with you to help you earn a few chips. Did you really think I needed your help? Forget it if you don’t want to!"

With that, she stepped away gracefully, the heels of her red stilettos clicking on the floor as she walked off elegantly.

After she left, Yan Hebi turned to Xing Ye and said, "In real life, she’s not like this. She only acts this way in game worlds. You know how female following Fate players tend to look a lot prettier in these worlds. In the game worlds, she always had plenty of admirers in every scenario, and it made her a bit arrogant. But in real life, she’s back to normal."

"It’s none of my business," Xing Ye replied. "I don’t need to team up with her, so I don’t have to tolerate her attitude. And as an opponent, I’m actually glad there’s someone like her on the red team."

Yan Hebi: "..."

One world apart, and Xiao Yezi was still just as cold.

No—he was even colder now. The aura of authority he exuded after regaining his memories was overwhelming, making people want to kneel before him.

If Yan Hebi were looking at a cross-dressing version of Xiao Yezi, he might have struggled to get along with Xing Ye so easily. After all, his heart would still be broken. But faced with Xing Ye in men's clothing, all trace of romantic feelings vanished, leaving only a deep sense of obedience.

Xiao Yezi from the hospital world had been far too impressive—calculating not only the players but also the game bosses and even Yan Hebi himself, all while suffering from amnesia. In an overwhelmingly disadvantaged situation, Xing Ye had pulled off the true ending. It had been just one game, but it left Yan Hebi in awe.

This world, however, was exceptionally harsh on Fate-defying players. With only 60,000 points, Yan Hebi had no idea how he was going to survive. But now, seeing Xing Ye, he felt much more at ease.

With Xing Ye on his team, even if they lost, it wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

Xing Ye asked, "Earlier, when you were exchanging chips, what rules did you ask about?"

Yan Hebi immediately replied, "This place is terrifying! A single chip costs 1,000 points, and the minimum bet per round is 2 chips—that’s 2,000 points. Back in the melee world, I fought tooth and nail to achieve the true ending and only earned two or three thousand points. This extravagant advanced world seems determined to send me back to square one in a single night!"

"That’s all?" Xing Ye asked. "You didn’t ask about anything else?"

Yan Hebi stammered, "W-what else was I supposed to ask?"

Xing Ye sighed softly. "Come with me to the front desk."

Since his identity had already been exposed, there was no point in continuing to conceal it. It was better to go ahead and gather more information.

Shao Lin, who was in the food section, noticed Xing Ye and Yan Hebi heading toward the chip exchange counter. Holding a slice of strawberry cake and an egg tart, he casually followed them and leaned against the wall, observing Xing Ye. It was obvious he intended to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Xing Ye said to him, "You go ahead and ask first."

"No, no, I’m not in a rush," Shao Lin said, taking a bite of his cake. "I’m just here to watch."

Xing Ye ignored him and directly asked the attendant at the counter, "Miss, can I exchange cash for chips?"

The attendant smiled politely and replied, "According to the exchange rate of cash to points, 100,000 yuan is equivalent to one chip. However, only regular passengers may exchange cash for chips. Players are not allowed to do so. Players may only borrow points with cash, then use those points to exchange for chips."

Xing Ye asked, "Oh, then what if I want to directly exchange for 100,000 points right now?"

Both Shao Lin and Yan Hebi’s expressions changed dramatically. A hundred thousand points was equivalent to ten million yuan—how could Xing Ye say such a thing so casually? Was he actually this wealthy in the real world?

The attendant, however, explained, "Apologies, sir, but borrowing points with cash has its conditions. Only when a player’s points balance reaches zero can they borrow points. Additionally, there are only three borrowing options: 100 points, 200 points, or 50,000 points. Players can only borrow once, so please consider carefully."

These three amounts corresponded to the starting points for beginner, melee, and advanced worlds, respectively.

Xing Ye asked, "If my points drop to zero, and I borrow 100 points, but fail to pay the required 10,000 points for the cruise fee within seven days, what happens?"

"Then you will be asked to leave this cruise ship and go to where you belong," the attendant said.

By "where you belong," she was clearly referring to the beginner world. In other words, borrowing points with cash wasn’t meant to let players turn their real-world wealth into a game advantage, but rather as a life-saving mechanism.

If a player’s points dropped to zero, they would die. The option to borrow points with cash existed to prevent that. In today’s society, obtaining 10,000 yuan (NT: around 1310 euros) wasn’t too difficult for most people. Those with average economic conditions could pay 10,000 yuan to borrow 100 points and restart in the beginner world. Wealthier players who didn’t want to leave the advanced world could pay five million yuan for 50,000 points and try again in the next game. Meanwhile, the game system could use this mechanism to accumulate a significant amount of cash, as players in advanced worlds could also exchange points for money.

Shao Lin, noticing Xing Ye deep in thought and no longer asking questions, asked the attendant, "If someone leaves the cruise, how do they repay the borrowed points when they’ve accumulated enough?"

The attendant replied, "Players can repay their debts in the system space."

Shao Lin smiled at Xing Ye. "It seems you can’t win this game using money after all."

Xing Ye replied, "I never intended to win with money. I just wanted to test the game rules through practical questions."

Then he continued, "I currently have 50,000 points. If I lose even a small amount, or simply deduct the daily cruise fee, my balance will drop below 50,000. Would that count as a failure and send me back to the system space?"

The attendant shook her head. "No, as long as you’re on the ship, you won’t be forced to leave unless your points drop to zero."

"Understood," Xing Ye said. He then pulled out his phone, opened the QR code for "Clear Test Cabin," (NT: see chapter 94) and handed it to the attendant. "I’d like to exchange this QR code for chips."

Shao Lin immediately straightened up, dropping his previously lazy demeanour. He stared seriously at Xing Ye. "Are you really willing to exchange a QR code?"

"I’m willing," Xing Ye replied, stepping on Yan Hebi’s foot to signal him to keep quiet. "Not only am I willing to use the QR code as collateral, but I also don’t intend to take it back."

He then asked the attendant, "If I exchange this QR code, am I required to redeem it later?"

The attendant shook her head. "If a player chooses not to redeem their QR code, they may opt for points or cash instead. The QR code, initial skill, and items will remain in the player’s possession for seven days, during which they may be redeemed at any time."

Breaking her usual "only-answer-when-asked" demeanour, the attendant suddenly added, "By the way, players should note that a zero-point balance is only considered when all QR codes, initial skills, and items have also been cleared. Only then will the system allow point borrowing. If players still possess QR codes or skills, they must first exchange those for chips, lose them, and only then borrow points."

Upon hearing this, Yan Hebi remarked, "So if someone spends 10,000 yuan to get 100 points and returns to the beginner world, they’d be starting over completely blank, without even an initial skill. How would they survive future games?"

The attendant shook her head. "I’m sorry, I don’t have any information about what happens outside the cruise."

"So this world isn’t without danger," Xing Ye concluded. "For that reason, I need to reserve some points. How much is this QR code worth?"

"Based on our calculations, this QR code is worth 2,000 points. Would you like to exchange it for chips of equivalent value, sir?"

"Only 2,000 points?" Xing Ye remarked. "Exchange it."

After exchanging the QR code for two chips, Xing Ye turned to Yan Hebi and said, "Go and ask how much your initial skill is worth."

Yan Hebi: "..."

"Make up for your mistakes," Xing Ye added.

He wasn’t sure how the initial skills would be exchanged, and Shao Lin was watching from the side, not wanting to reveal his own initial skills. Yan Hebi, on the other hand, probably had his initial skills already known by Ning Xinyao, which meant the entire Red Team was likely aware of it.

Yan Hebi realized he had exposed Xiao Yezi’s identity earlier and, feeling a bit wronged, said to the exchange clerk, “Can you check how much my two initial skills are worth?”

The clerk instructed Yan Hebi to place his hand on a device to scan it, then checked the computer and said, “Sir, please check your phone.”

Yan Hebi took out his phone and showed it to Xing Ye.

His hacker skill was worth 30,000 points, while the "Central Air Conditioning" skill was worth 15,000 points.

After seeing this, Xing Ye was a bit puzzled. Logically, a skill like Central Air Conditioning, which could be used in any world, should be worth more than the more restrictive hacker skill, yet it was the hacker skill that had a higher value.

There were surveillance devices aboard the cruise ship, and games like slot machines or roulette were purely based on probability, controlled by computers...

Now it made sense. Yan Hebi’s skill was so valuable because it threatened the balance of the games.

“So I’m so rich...” Yan Hebi looked at the value of his initial skills with glowing eyes. “Actually, exchanging one of them isn’t a big deal, right?”

“Don’t act too hastily. Both of your skills are quite useful. You can’t exchange your initial skills until the last moment,” Xing Ye advised Yan Hebi.

Xing Ye then had the attendant check the value of his two skills, which resulted in a shocking number.

"Kua Fu Chasing the Sun" was worth 100,000 points, while "Repainting Brush" was only worth 20,000 points, just slightly more than "Central Air Conditioning."

Xing Ye couldn’t understand. If he had to choose a skill worth 100,000 points, it definitely wouldn’t be "Kua Fu Chasing the Sun." "Repainting Brush" had been with him through many worlds, and he’d won many battles because of it, yet it turned out to be so undervalued in the casino environment.

Seeing that Xing Ye and Yan Hebi were analyzing the points, Shao Lin provocatively smiled at Xing Ye, finishing the last piece of cake and then asked the attendant, “I have a question. If someone exchanges their initial skill and QR code, but they don’t have enough points to redeem them before the system recycles them, do others have the right to redeem them?”

Xing Ye couldn’t help but look at Shao Lin. This person had a sharp eye.

The clerk looked up, smiling warmly at Shao Lin. “Sir, as long as you have enough chips, and the other person has clearly given up, you can redeem anything you want—points, initial skills, QR codes, or items. It doesn’t matter whether they originally belonged to you; it’s first come, first served.”

“I see. I have no more questions,” Shao Lin said, smiling at Xing Ye. “This world truly is a paradise for obedient players. I hope your team has following Fate players... Ah, wait, actually, it’s better if you don’t.”

After that, he spent 20,000 points to exchange for 20 chips  and left the front desk.

“What does he mean by that?” Yan Hebi asked. “If we have following Fate players in our team, wouldn’t that be an advantage?”

Having finished asking his own questions, Xing Ye led Yan Hebi to a corner and said in a low voice, “What do you think would cause the system to confirm that a player has given up their initial skill?”

Yan Hebi thought for a moment and said, “When they lose everything and have no choice but to leave the advanced world.”

“Does it really have to be seven days?”

“Based on what the clerk said earlier, clearing doesn’t need to take seven days.”

“Does the game victory depend on team points or individual points?”

“Team... it’s based on the team...”

Xing Ye said, “So when a player leaves this world, who will likely be the one to redeem their initial skill, an opponent or a teammate?”

“A teammate would probably know about this first... Oh my god!”

Yan Hebi instantly understood Xing Ye’s meaning. If they had a following Fate player in their team with especially good luck, would that player be willing to use their heavenly luck to help two Fate defying teammates win chips, or would they prefer to just eliminate the Fate defying teammates to get their initial skill?

Of course, it would be the latter. The dealer never said that the winning team needed all five members intact!

In that case, the most likely person to target them was a following Fate teammate from their own team, the Green Team.

“And your Xinxin,” Xing Ye added.

Translator : DarNan