Star Trace Gate

Chapter 888: Intrigue and bloody psychological games

The Little Bad King was in position two. After Zhou Taozhi took two steps, it was his turn to roll the dice.

He quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and finally decided to use his ghost hand to steal Zhou Tao's token. Although doing so might expose his stealing ability at the beginning, he would have a high probability of stealing a good token.

As we all know, Zhou Taozhi seems to possess the abilities of "foresight" and "dice control" in the game of Jubao. Given these abilities, it is quite unusual for him to draw two points right away, directly giving up a large point that could have put him ahead. Therefore, he chose to only make two moves, which clearly indicated that he was trying to use his "divine skills."

If you don't take advantage of an opportunity, you're a bastard. Steal it first and then talk about it.

Ren also pondered for a while, and then before rolling the dice, he called out to the formation spirit, "Launch the Gambler's Ghost Hand at row number one. Hurry, hurry."

"Ong!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dark clouds blocked the moonlight, and the entire peach garden became even darker, so dark that you could hardly see your hand in front of you. Zhou Taozhi, whose soul was standing in the middle of the peach forest, felt as if he was blind and deaf, and had lost the ability to perceive.

"Huh? What's going on?" Zhou Taozhi was a little confused and looked around in confusion.

At this moment, a dark blue ghost hand that was invisible to others suddenly grew out from under the armpit of Ren Ye's right arm, extending infinitely and reaching forward.

A faint dark aura filled the air, and the ghost hand disappeared in a flash.

[Ding—You successfully used the "Gambler's Hand" attack on the player in row one. He only had a single treasure token. Therefore, you successfully stole his only "possession"—the Armor of the Queen: it can withstand one disaster in any round. Armor Description: The player in row one embarked on the path of treasure and arrived in the legendary Kingdom of Flowers...]

Ren also heard the array spirit's announcement, and a smile immediately appeared on his lips. "You guessed it right, I'm really smart. This old guy just came up with an 'invincible defense', which is really shameless. Hey... This array spirit is quite humane. Not only did he give me the armor, but he also explained its origins. Why is it so detailed? Is there any explanation?"

He was lost in thought.

Not far away, Zhou Taozhi felt his newly acquired "Female State Lord's Treasure Armor Token" vanish before he could even warm it up. He was immediately a little upset: "Holy crap! Where's my treasured armor?! Is there a thief?"

"The player in the second row used a mysterious thieving technique to steal your Queen's Armor Token without anyone noticing. Their thieving ability can randomly steal either good or bad tokens from you...!"

The voice of the formation spirit entered my ears.

"Number two?!"

Zhou Taozhi suddenly turned around and looked at Ren Ye who was feeling happy, and then showed a look of surprise and anger.

"Shit, he figured out it was me who stole it so quickly? As expected... in the Jubao chess game, all the "interactions" between players will leave traces, and will also be reminded by the formation spirit." As soon as Ren Ye saw the other party's expression, he knew that the other party had locked onto him, which also confirmed some of his previous guesses.

"hey-hey……!"

He gave Zhou Taozhi a polite, awkward smile: "Why are you looking at me with such admiration?"

"Humph, so they have just called in a new little thief." Zhou Taozhi looked at him with disdain, sneered, and then looked away.

"Why does he call you a little thief?" Fat Li asked curiously.

"Because I stole the treasure token he just got." The Little Bad King did not hide it.

When Fatty Li heard this, he asked in disbelief, "How could you steal his things? He's the black energy, and you're the white energy... How did you do it?"

"Can you use the family heirloom mirror in the game of Jubao chess?" Ren Ye suddenly asked back.

"Yes, although the Jubao chess game is composed of 108 illusions, it does not limit the individual's inheritance ability." Fatty Li said frankly: "All my magic can be used here."

"That's it, cats have their ways, mice have their ways." Ren Ye replied mysteriously, "To be honest, I'm the thief that the mysterious leader has been training with all his might."

"Oh, I see." When Li Xiaopang heard this answer, his mind became confused again. He began to recall the various famous thieves in Xuwang Village. Which senior was good at stealing and hiding? This also included people from his Li family.

But after thinking about it, he couldn't think of anyone who matched the name.

Ren ignored him and just quickly rolled the dice, got a result of three, and took three steps forward.

The world of voluptuousness is alluring. You arrive at a renowned brothel in the Flower Kingdom. Bewitched by the singing and dancing, the aroma of wine and women, you succumb to temptation and stay the night. Exhausted, your steps stagger, your travels slow... On your next turn, the dice rolls -2. If the final roll is less than 2, you rest for one turn.

"Fuck, why am I such a pervert!!!" Ren was speechless. "I got a bad result from the lottery, I'm so upset!"

He certainly wouldn't use the Queen's Armor to resist a "round penalty" just for such a trivial matter, so he could only pray that he could get a result of three or more in the next round, so that at least he could move forward.

After Ren Ye finished rolling the dice, it was Xiaopang and the storyteller's turn. However, they both performed well in the first round. One got a talisman to restrain the female ghost, and the other got the blessing of rolling the dice. The results were not bad.

After they finished shaking, Fatty happily warned, "Damn, I discovered a secret. That is... the illusion in this game of Jubao is different from the last time. Because I got the same result as last time, but the experience was very different. This means... I may not have to encounter that damn sandstone giant again. That's great."

"Yes, this information is very important." Ren Ye immediately responded to the two. "Remember, in this game of Jubao chess, communication between the three of us is very important. After you roll the dice, you must verbally recount all your experiences in the illusion, preferably word for word."

"Yes, I agree." The storyteller expressed his opinion.

"Okay." Xiaopang also nodded heavily.

In this way, the first round ended, and then it was Zhou Taozhi's turn to roll the dice again. However, this time he was not as confident and calm as before. Instead, he stood on the third blue brick and fell into deep thought.

Although this old lunatic was usually mad and his behavior was very strange, as soon as he played chess, his mind became surprisingly clear, as if he wanted to forget the pain and unwillingness of the past through this overly immersive entertainment...

Damn, a thief has appeared on the chess board, this is a bit tricky... Zhou Taozhi put his hands behind his back, blinked his old and turbid eyes, and his old brain began to boil.

His situation was pretty much the same as what Ren Ye and the other two had guessed. He did possess the abilities of "prophet" and "dice control", but the specific situation was not as abnormal as the three had imagined.

In his memory, the gameplay and chess record of this treasure-gathering chess game were obtained by him in a mysterious place in the Tomb of the False God. The chess record clearly stated that the chess player could gain the upper hand through the Peach Forest Formation Spirit, learn about the illusion situation within six steps, and have the ability to roll the dice to make his wishes come true.

Therefore, before each roll of the dice, he would first consult the Peach Forest Spirit. The Peach Blossom Stone that belonged to the Peach Forest Spirit was also brought from the tomb by him, and it had yet to be refined. Therefore, although he was the one who arranged the game, he could not control the Spirit, and when he entered the game, he had to abide by the rules.

This ability of "foresight" and "dice control" is not considered cheating in the mind of Zhou Fengzi, who is originally rigorous and serious, because it is equivalent to him being the banker in Pai Gow and playing one against many, so naturally he has to take advantage of the mechanism. This is also a kind of balance in the gameplay of Jubao chess.

However, now a thief has come to the chess game and is specifically targeting him to steal. The most important thing is that the little bastard's position is behind his... In other words, he is now like a "beacon". If he moves first and keeps holding good cards, he will face the embarrassing situation that number two will always follow behind him to steal.

Not only do I have to fight three people alone, but I'm also being robbed... Can I continue to play this game?

Can he use this method of stealing all the time in the treasure chess game, or will it be restricted by the formation spirit... Zhou Taozhi is not sure about this.

Since you are not sure, you can't just be a guiding light for others in vain. I am not his father, right?

No, this round, I can't take advantage of it anymore. I can choose the "mutual destruction" strategy, observing while walking, and making moves after planning.

After Zhou Taozhi thought of this, he immediately sensed the spirit of the formation: "Within six steps, how many good and how many bad are there?"

"Three good, three bad." The ethereal voice of the formation spirit sounded.

"Among the three bad guys, which one is the worst?!" Zhou Taozhi asked again.

"On the fourth point, a plague broke out in the war-torn country. It seems to be the work of a high-level wizard...!" The formation spirit replied again.

Zhou Taozhi fell into deep thought upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "That little bastard stole once and tasted the sweetness, so I don't think he'll be in a hurry to stop... Ha, I'll leave at four."

Having made up his mind, Zhou Taozhi suddenly raised his arm and waved it, calling softly: "Come on, four o'clock, and taste the saltiness!"

"Ong!"

The dice that was spinning rapidly in the air stopped, and it was exactly four.

Zhou Taozhi stepped onto the corresponding bluestone bricks, and the voice of the formation spirit rang in his ears.

"You left the Flower Kingdom and arrived in a war-torn land. A powerful wizard from an enemy nation used sacrifices to unleash a horrific plague called 'Rotting Flesh and Bone'. You were unfortunately infected with this plague and became seriously ill. This plague will...!"

"Ong!"

At the same time, a burst of emerald green poisonous miasma erupted from under his feet and instantly enveloped his body.

In just two breaths, the emerald green poisonous miasma corroded his flesh, causing his skin to fester and ooze pus, his eyes to turn bloodshot, and his face to turn purple and blue.

The most important thing is that even Zhou Taozhi, who has a high level of cultivation, felt a sharp pain in his bones after being contaminated by this poisonous gas. It seemed that he was being corroded and aged bit by bit, and was about to break and collapse.

His face twisted in pain, and he let out a low, inhuman growl. He gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "Come on, steal again! This is the only fate I'll face. If you steal, we'll all die together..."

From the back, Ren Ye and the others looked at his back and could only see his body enveloped in a burst of emerald green illusory light, but they could not feel the plague gas, nor did they know what Mr. Zhou had experienced at this moment.

Fatty Li observed carefully for a moment, then sent a message to Ren Ye: "Just now, a strong aura erupted from the bluestone bricks beneath his feet... I think he's got something good again. Steal it from him, quickly!"

I'm just trying to steal a chicken feather. This ghost hand can only be used once every round. It's not invincible... Ren rolled his eyes and said coldly, "No rush, let's observe it for a while."

"What's there to observe? You stole from him in the first round, so anyone would think you wouldn't steal again in the second round because you already know he's on guard and might give you a disgusting token...!" The fat guy turned clever: "You do the opposite, and you'll definitely get a good result."

"Shut up, I have my own rhythm and ideas." Ren was restricted by the rules and could no longer use his ghost hand, so he could only pretend to be profound and retort.

He ignored Xiaopang and shook another four points. After being deducted two points, he took two steps forward, but nothing happened in this round.