Chapter 91: Treasure Vault

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Treasure Vault

"I think I forgot to ask what the Card of Certain Death is."

On the way to the headquarters’ treasury, Chen Qi belatedly muttered to himself.

His earlier conversation with Zhong Xingchen had just been too shocking, packed with too much information.

By the time he remembered, the perfect opportunity to ask had passed.

He deliberately muttered to himself, and Lin Biyun, sitting beside him in the passenger seat, heard every word.

"Card of Certain Death?"

"Why have I never heard of that?"

Lin Biyun suspected Red Heart 7 had said it on purpose for her to hear, but she truly had never encountered the concept before.

"You don’t know either?"

Chen Qi felt a pang of confusion. He had previously sounded out Kolos, and despite being a Traitor, Kolos knew nothing about the Card of Certain Death.

He hadn’t expected that Lin Biyun, an Order Keeper, wouldn’t know either.

’Then where on earth did Jomoya Chris learn about it?’

’If the guy hadn’t died because of it, Chen Qi would have actually thought he’d been duped.’

"What are the rules of the King’s Game?"

Unwilling to give up, Chen Qi rephrased his question.

Strictly speaking, most of Chen Qi’s knowledge about the King’s Game came from Jomoya Chris’s notes.

He felt it was necessary to get an update.

’That guy’s level is far too low compared to where I am now.’

······

"Game rules?"

"As far as I know, there’s only one true rule: Judgment Day, which occurs once every five years. It’s something no player can defy."

Lin Biyun answered with serious conviction, but her words were a world apart from what Chen Qi had previously understood.

"There’s only one rule in the game?"

"Then what about the Devouring Fusion of Cards?"

"And the upgrading and development of skills?"

’If what Lin Biyun is saying is true, I might have been misled by the journal.’

"I only know that in the beginning, the King’s Game really did have just one rule, and it most likely came from the King himself."

"But ultimately, a game needs players. The game itself might not have many rules, but players can create them."

"Many of the so-called ’rules’ are just conventions established by the players."

"If you’re powerful enough, your word becomes law, and other players will willingly obey. Just like that, you’ve created a new rule for the game."

"Do you know? Captain Zhong Xingchen is going to die in the next game."

Lin Biyun’s explanation left Chen Qi thoughtful. His mind immediately jumped to his own situation.

’Could the so-called Card of Certain Death be a rule created by some powerful player?’

’Jomoya Chris must have broken that player’s rule, and that’s why he was killed.’

’And the creation of this rule must be related to Card fusion.’

······

"So, what are the current unspoken rules of the game?"

"And how do you know Zhong Xingchen is guaranteed to die in the next game?"

’This trip to headquarters was definitely the right move,’ Chen Qi thought.

’How could I ever truly participate in the game or understand the King’s Game without getting deep into the player community?’

"If a player fails to become an Apostle after four rounds, they are guaranteed to die in the fifth."

"This rule has the tacit approval of the King and the top few Apostles, making it the most powerful unwritten rule in the game."

"I used to wonder why I’d never met a player who’d gone through five games. This is the answer."

Lin Biyun’s voice fell. The game wasn’t at all what she’d thought it was.

’Zhong Xingchen had always looked out for her. To think he was going to die in the next game...’

’The captain must be in despair right now!’

’Unless a miracle allows him to become an Apostle this round.’

’But that’s nearly impossible. Even Zhong Xingchen himself has given up.’

’So you have to become an Apostle within four rounds?’

’Then could the Prime Minister’s death be related to this unwritten rule?’

Although Chen Qi didn’t know the deeper details of Cloze Jic’s death.

But since this unwritten rule had the tacit approval of the King and the top players, a mere non-combat player like Cloze Jic wouldn’t have been exempt.

No one would willingly wait for death, and Cloze Jic was no exception.

’He must have done *something* to earn the King’s displeasure.’

For now, this unwritten rule had nothing to do with Chen Qi. After all, he had only just joined the game.

······

"As for other rules in the game, they lack the endorsement of the King and all the Apostles, so players mostly just do their own thing."

"Take Card fusion, for example. That’s where things are most chaotic."

"The Traitors are practically obsessed with fusing an Apostle Armament."

"Some people firmly believe that specific number combinations can greatly increase the probability of fusing an Apostle Armament."

"Since the Cards look no different from a regular deck of playing cards, plenty of Obsessed players have tried applying all sorts of poker rules to the game."

"If they fail, no big deal. But if they get ridiculously lucky and succeed, the Latecomers believe in it without question, and a new ’rule’ for Card fusion is born."

"There are currently three widely circulated rules for Card fusion."

"The first is to trust the successful experiences of those who came before."

"Apostles can die too, and players who obtain the core Card of a former Apostle usually try to walk the same path."

"They believe this gives them the highest chance of success."

"The second is four consecutive Cards of the same suit, or four consecutive Cards of different suits."

"For example, the 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Spades, or the 2 of Red Heart, 3 of Spade, 4 of Diamond, and 5 of Plum Blossom."

"The third is having the same number across different suits. For example, the 7 of Red Heart, 7 of Spade, 7 of Diamond, and 7 of Plum Blossom."

"Because players have successfully used these three methods for fusion before, they are the most highly regarded by powerful players."

"This is especially true for the veteran players stuck on their fourth round. They’ll desperately grasp at any chance to survive."

"The ’Card of Certain Death’ you mentioned is most likely just some scheme cooked up by a few of those veteran players."

According to Lin Biyun’s explanation, players can only perform Card fusion three times.

A perfect combination of four Cards can create an Apostle Armament.

But this isn’t the peak of a player’s advancement.

After completing the Apostle Armament, a player must still endure a Judgment Day.

If they can survive Judgment Day, the player can use the game’s reshuffling mechanic before the next round begins to evolve their Apostle Armament.

An Apostle Armament is originally formed from four Cards, but by using the reshuffling mechanic, a player can transfer the Armament’s power to their own core Card.

This allows the player to truly master the Apostle Armament and become one of the top High-level Players.

That is why, at the start of each new game, the number of Cards always remains 54.

······

’So the so-called Card of Certain Death is just some players trying to create a monopoly.’

’For instance, a veteran player might believe firmly in the third fusion rule, so for four straight games, he hunts down other players who are number 7s. But every single time, he fails to achieve a perfect fusion and can’t construct an Apostle Armament.’

’As a result, to players in the know, the number 7 Cards are naturally seen as Cards of Certain Death.’

’Because a newbie just joining the game stands no chance against a wily old veteran who has survived several rounds.’

’When you get down to it, they’re just a bunch of old hacks bullying the new guys!’

Having figured it all out, everything became clear to Chen Qi. He didn’t fear any challenge; he only feared the unknown.

’As long as he understood the reason, he could find a way to deal with it.’

’Since his opponent hadn’t made a move yet, it must mean the "harvesting period" hasn’t begun.’

’That gave him room to maneuver and a chance to survive.’

According to Lin Biyun’s description of player power levels, the mastermind could only be LV4.

The mark of an LV5, after all, is the creation of an Apostle Armament.

The pinnacle of player strength was LV6.

These were the power levels of the King’s Game.

Chen Qi could reach LV3 at any time. The gap between him and his opponent was hardly insurmountable.

’Hmph. The outcome of this hunt is far from certain.’

······

Lin Biyun had no idea that her few brief words had completely cleared the fog of confusion for Chen Qi.

With her leading the way, Chen Qi finally arrived at the Order Keepers’ treasury.

To Chen Qi’s surprise, the place was incredibly well-guarded; it was practically a small military barracks.

’Shouldn’t there be some old grandpa from the Guardians watching the gate, just like in the novels?’

Unfortunately, the reality was that there were only twelve Order Keepers left. They were all busy as hell, constantly on the move.

Who had the time to stand around guarding a pile of useless scrap paper?

Anyone who volunteered for such a post would surely be seen as a coward looking to escape the real fight.

The heavy guard was just a precaution to prevent this knowledge from leaking to the public.

Players who wanted the knowledge inside would always find a way to get it.

They weren’t stupid enough to try and rob the place.

Lin Biyun was clearly a regular here; her presence alone was enough to get them past security.

Chen Qi, for his part, felt no anxiety about entering a military-grade facility. It was an arrogant thought, but he could probably tear the whole place apart in under two minutes.

Following Lin Biyun, Chen Qi passed through several secure doors and finally laid eyes on the "treasury."

It was just an ordinary underground vault, albeit one converted into a reading room.

Chen Qi even suspected it had once been used to store heavy weaponry.

"Look around yourself."

"If you want to take copies, you’ll have to write them out by hand."

"I have no interest in this stuff, so I’ll leave you to it."

After saying this, Lin Biyun turned and left.

Only Chen Qi remained in the empty reading room.

Chen Qi scanned the room and saw that there wasn’t much on the shelves—only a few dozen file folders in all.

Chen Qi randomly opened one. Inside was an introduction to the Alchemy School.

’What a shame. It’s just general information, and most of it is only rumor.’

’Still, it’s better than nothing.’

This document must have been written by another player, probably something they’d jotted down on a whim while reading in this very room.

According to the description in the document, the Alchemy School is divided into two major categories: the Creation Faction and the Life Refining Faction.

The Creation Faction seeks to create various powerful Extraordinary Artifacts; they excel at shaping Energy and re-combining matter.

As for the Life Refining Faction, they have always been extremely secretive, rarely appearing within the circles of the Inner World.

Rumor has it they excel at Human Body Alchemy. They believe the human body itself has many deficiencies that must be rectified one by one to achieve a Perfect Life.

But that is only their public doctrine. According to back-alley rumors, these people have been secretly researching the Creation of Life.

From ancient times to the present, this faction has always been shrouded in deep mystery.

The document in Chen Qi’s hand contained no specific knowledge about the Alchemy School.

Still, his search wasn’t fruitless. He had at least clarified a few concepts.

For example, Spiritual Charm and Spiritual Essence.