Chapter 5: The Marmoreal Mining Area (Part 1)

The old man said, “If we could obtain the natural runes on the mammoth’s ivory intact, the quality and power of the Moon Blade could increase by another ten percent. It’s a shame both tusks are incomplete. Ah, those earth dragons—why did they have to break the tusks?”
Guo Shier said, “This is already quite good. Ivory from a level 15 mutated mammoth is a rare material, even if it’s broken.”
The old man smiled and said, “As for the Yan character… I’ve managed to replicate one. Although its power is 40% lower than the original, retaining 60% of its power is still quite good. If I get the chance to replicate it a few more times, hehe, this natural Yan character will set you apart. The fire power of the Moon Blade will definitely be much stronger than before.”
Natural real rune enhancement!
Guo Shier understood this. When a rune array formed from an illusionary rune was enhanced by a real rune at its core, its power could be greatly increased. However, achieving real rune enhancement wasn’t easy—he himself couldn’t do it. Fortunately, with the old man’s help and the Flame Sacrificial Treasure, it was possible.
The Moon Blade itself was one meter long and hung between the two of them. The Flame Sacrificial Treasure floated above it, with thousands of flames hanging down and wrapping around the blade, creating a truly bizarre sight. Under normal circumstances, flames should rise upward, not fall downward.
The old man laughed and said, “Once this Moon Blade is successfully refined, it will be at least of the second rank. If I’m lucky, I might even create a third-rank Sacrificial Treasure. Haha.”
Guo Shier already knew that first-rank Sacrificial Treasures were the lowest, and the higher the rank, the greater the power of the Sacrificial Treasure. Theoretically, a first-rank Sacrificial Treasure couldn’t compare to a second-rank one. Most practitioners at the first-tier altar level used first-rank Sacrificial Treasures, though many who advanced to the virtual altar level were too poor to even have one. He could afford a suitable Sacrificial Treasure only thanks to the old man’s support.
The old man said, “Young man, remember—only a Sacrificial Treasure that suits you is a good one. Every expert at an altar will have one or two Sacrificial Treasures…”
Seeing the old man take out a Soul Pearl, Guo Shier asked, “What soul is this enhancing?”
The old man replied, “It’s definitely not from a level 15 mutated earth dragon or mammoth—those are too high in rank and not useful… This is the soul of a level 13 mutated thunder eagle. After searching everywhere, this is the only Soul Pearl that can be used. It’s a pity its rank is too low. If only I had the soul of a level 10 mutated thunder eagle or level 10 mutated thunder dragon.”

Guo Shier nodded. The old man crushed the Soul Pearl with one hand, and a wisp of soul was immediately absorbed into the Moon Blade. The old man added, “By the way, it seems you don’t have the soul of a Fire-Attribute Mutated Beast here… Well, that firebird—never mind, its level is too low; there’s no need for it.”

Guo Shier was shocked. He certainly didn’t want to put the soul of the Ancient Flame Sparrow into the Moon Blade.

The old man scratched his head and searched for a while before saying, “Ah, there’s the soul of a Level 10 Mutated Blood Dragon. This can serve as a substitute. It’s also a fire-type dragon, but unfortunately not pure enough…” Then, irresponsibly, he added, “Who cares? Anything is better than nothing.” Hearing this, Guo Shier broke into cold sweat.

The old man crushed the soul of the Mutated Blood Dragon and poured it into the Moon Blade. He said, “A dual-attribute Moon Blade—hehe, it should be quite powerful. When we find better materials and souls in the future, we can refine it again.”

Guo Shier said with a bitter smile, “Old Man Shuai, this sacrificial artifact isn’t even fully refined yet, and you already plan to refine it again?”

The old man replied proudly, “Of course. The current sacrificial item used for the Moon Blade is slightly lower in level. Its quality might not be affected, but its power will be slightly reduced. Once we can catch better sacrificial items in the future, refining it then will greatly increase its power. My method… is different.”

The Moon Blade had turned crimson, with tiny blue arcs flickering across its surface, emitting a faint crackling sound. Upon closer inspection, layers of flames were swirling inside it, as if countless fire clouds had gathered, with faint lightning bolts flashing through from time to time.

Guo Shier said, “Every time I see the Moon Blade… I find it extremely beautiful.”

The old man retorted, “What? Beautiful? A sacrificial artifact isn’t meant to be looked at—it’s for killing people.”

Guo Shier replied, “Yes, it’s for killing people, but it’s still beautiful.”

The old man cursed, “There’s no point in talking to you. You have no sense of professionalism at all—country bumpkin! Backwarder! Native of a secret realm!”

Guo Shier was stunned and muttered, “Country bumpkin? Backwarder? Native of a secret realm… Damn, what kind of insults are these…?”

The two kept bickering, with the old man mostly cursing and Guo Shier only replying occasionally. Both kept chanting spells, and the old man would occasionally strike the Moon Blade with virtual talismans, producing a crisp ringing sound that, along with his curses, created a rather rhythmic pattern.

Guo Shier couldn’t help but say, “Old Man Shuai, sometimes you’re really annoying!”

The old man replied, “I like it. Do you have any say in that?”

Guo Shier smiled bitterly and shook his head. He also knew Old Shuai’s personality—this guy either worked himself to the bone or mocked and insulted others; he seemed to enjoy such a life. Perhaps due to being suppressed for too long, he would say whatever was on his mind to Guo Shier without ever hiding his thoughts.

Nan You, Eagle Demon, and Luo Zhan would go out for walks whenever they had free time. Their work was extremely light, as they hardly had to manage any affairs. Their task was merely to prevent chaos and attacks from outside professionals, but since few professionals came to the Desert Stone Secret Realm, their work was very easy. There were no plants here except for stones and soil, and water was extremely scarce; all supplies had to be brought in from outside.

One day, Guo Shier finally succeeded in refining the Moon Blade. He stepped out of the talisman house. Outside stood several maids, all ordinary slave women selected from various continents. They waited in shifts at the door, ready to follow orders at any moment.

Guo Shier stepped out of the gate, stretched, and said, “Take me to Nan You.”

A maid who seemed to be the leader stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and led the way.

Nan You, Eagle Demon, Luo Zhan, and a young woman were playing cards. It turned out that once, when Guo Shier was extremely bored, he had created a set of playing cards and casually taught them to Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan. They had played a few times before forgetting about it. Unexpectedly, the four of them were playing enthusiastically.

Guo Shier had met that young woman once—she was Huo Yu from the Gu Huo family, a skilled user of the Illusory Altar. She was quite old, but looked young.

The four of them didn’t notice Guo Shier entering as they argued fiercely, their faces red with excitement. They were playing the simplest version of the game, used merely for betting. Guo Shier watched coldly and saw that Nan You had lost. But this guy was being unscrupulous. His opponent was Huo Yu, and since he had lost money, he was upset, and the two of them were arguing.

Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan watched the scene with smirks. It was obvious that these two unscrupulous guys were bullying someone, and they even added fuel to the fire from time to time.

Guo Shier couldn’t stand it anymore. He coughed and said, “Playing cards, huh?”

As soon as Nan You saw Guo Shier, he quickly pulled him aside and said, “My cards… they say I can kill. Do you think I can?”

Guo Shier’s head spun. He said, “Stop… rules should be made clear from the start, otherwise there will be disputes. Hey, do you even know how to play cards?” Seeing how messily his cards were arranged, it was clear this guy was a complete novice who didn’t understand how to play cards at all.

Eagle Demon laughed and said, “Alright, pay up. Six hundred gold talismans per person, in cash… no credit!”
Huo Yu stood up and said, “My lord.” She knew Guo Shier was an expert at the two-story solid altar, so she needed to show some respect.
Guo Shier said, “It’s fine. Go on, I’ll watch.” He waved his hand.
Luo Zhan said, “Pay up, pay up! Hehe.”
Guo Shier asked, “How much have you won?”
Luo Zhan replied cheerfully, “Not much, not much. We’ve been playing for three days and have won about seventy thousand… um, seventy thousand gold talismans per person. Nan You, hurry up and pay. You lost six hundred in this round.”
Guo Shier couldn’t help but laugh. He said, “Alright, I’ll teach everyone a new way to play. It can be played with five people.”
Nan You and Huo Yu both said, “Great!”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan, however, looked troubled. These two often played upgrade games in their free time and used various secret codes to cheat. If a new game was introduced, everyone would be on equal footing, and their advantages would vanish.
Guo Shier briefly explained how to play Zhajinhuā, then tried it out about ten times before asking, “Does everyone understand?”
The rules of Zhajinhuā were extremely simple, and everyone quickly got the hang of it. Nan You said, “Ah, I like this game. It’s much better than upgrade games.”
Huo Yu laughed and said, “Hmm, I have to win it back!”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan were eager to play, as they found this game allowed them to make money faster.
Guo Shier smirked and started dealing cards.
Soon, Nan You won big, followed by Huo Yu winning big, while Nan You lost heavily. Two hours later, Eagle Demon began winning continuously. Guo Shier played casually, losing small amounts each time.
In just half a day, both Nan You and Huo Yu, as well as Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan, became increasingly desperate. Guo Shier suggested with a smile, “The stakes are too low. It’s boring.”
Nan You immediately agreed, “Okay, let’s raise the stakes. Who dares?”
Professionals aren’t afraid of dying, so why would they be afraid of higher stakes? The answer was no, so the stakes were quickly multiplied several times.
This time, it was Nan You’s turn to deal cards. Soon, everyone noticed that Guo Shier started winning continuously, winning tens of thousands of gold talismans in a single round, with consecutive big wins.
In just a few hours, Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan were left with pale faces from losing. Nan You kept taking money from his talisman bag. Huo Yu had already sent her subordinates to get cash three times.
A day later, Eagle Demon surrendered first. He said, “I’m out of money…”
Luo Zhan said, “I’m almost out of money too…”
Nan You said with a bitter smile, “Damn it, why do I keep losing?”

Guo Shier smiled and said, “It’s a matter of character.”
Huo Yu snapped angrily, “Try again! I just won’t believe it—how much is this Black Linglong Wood worth?”
Guo Shier was stunned. Black Linglong Wood was extremely precious and rare. He said, “It’s hard to estimate its value. You decide how much it’s worth.”
Huo Yu said, “Two hundred thousand gold talismans!” That wasn’t a high price. She added, “Who wants it?”
Nan You spread his hands and said, “I’d like it, but I don’t have that much money left.”
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan also said, “We’ve lost everything.”
Guo Shier asked, “Are you really going to sell it?”
Huo Yu threw the Black Linglong Wood at Guo Shier and said, “Of course. Two hundred thousand—now the Black Linglong Wood is yours.”
Guo Shier tossed her a talisman bag containing two hundred thousand gold talismans. He felt nothing particular for gold talismans; being able to exchange two hundred thousand for a piece of Black Linglong Wood seemed like a huge profit to him. No wonder so many people went bankrupt from gambling in their past life—this stuff was truly addictive, even for professionals.
Nan You took out a talisman bag and said, “I still have about a hundred thousand gold talismans. I’ll definitely recover my losses!”
Guo Shier handed a talisman bag to Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan, smiling, “Here’s two hundred thousand for you. Keep playing.”
Huo Yu complained resentfully, “Why not give me any money…” Realizing she had said too much, her face turned slightly red. She said, “Quickly shuffle the cards! I want to win it back.” No one found it strange that she called herself “lao niang,” because she truly was one. Unlike Zhou Xiaoling, it would have seemed odd for a young girl to call herself “lao niang.”
A day later, Guo Shier stood up and said with a smile, “That’s enough. We’re done playing.”
Nan You cried out, “Hey, Shier, you can’t leave!”
Huo Yu said, “Wait until I go and exchange money…”