Chapter 242: Do You Know the Croupier?

"Butler, pinch me."

After seeing what the Penglai Immortal Ship had captured this time, Perry Yates couldn’t help but speak to the butler beside her.

Though the butler was completely baffled by Perry’s behavior, as a five-star butler, he was one hundred percent obedient to the commands of his master, Perry Yates.

So he reached out and, without hesitation, pinched Perry’s arm. The sharp pain made Perry cry out.

"Ow, that hurts!"

’I’m not dreaming.’

Inside a room aboard the Penglai Immortal Ship, Perry Yates stood before a transparent, crystal box. The rectangular container was two meters long, one meter high, and one meter wide. Inside it lay a white, elongated creature.

The first thing that came to mind when thinking of an elongated creature was a snake, but Perry Yates was certain this wasn’t one. It had horns on its head, and its mouth wasn’t snake-like. One might say it resembled a dragon, but it had no limbs.

However, Perry Yates didn’t really care what the creature looked like. What she cared about was its identity.

[Supreme Spirit Vein

Quality: Supreme

Effect: Allows a world without Spiritual Energy to gradually undergo a spiritual revival

Starting Price: Five hundred 5-star cards]

’Tsk. At that price, no one can afford it right now.’

Perry Yates folded her arms, looking at the Spirit Vein confined in the enclosure. It was motionless, appearing exceptionally docile.

"If news of the Spirit Vein gets out, those people will probably go crazy," Perry Yates said.

"Unfortunately, not even the combined wealth of everyone in the world could necessarily afford this supreme Spirit Vein right now," the butler said.

Hearing this, Perry Yates pursed her lips. "Of course I know that. Since no one can afford it, I won’t sell it. I’ll just keep it for myself."

’There’s no way I’m giving it away for free.’

Having made up her mind, Perry Yates relayed the command to the Penglai Immortal Ship.

After receiving the order, the Penglai Immortal Ship was reluctant at first. After all, this was a treasure it had painstakingly plucked from the Empyrean Realm, and it could have sold for a lot of money.

Despite its reluctance, the Penglai Immortal Ship chose to obey Perry’s command. Soon, the enclosure that had confined the Spirit Vein vanished.

However, the Penglai Immortal Ship had also understood from the recent conversation why Perry Yates was doing this. It was because the people here were too poor to afford such fine things. It seemed it would have to be more careful about what it plucked from other worlds in the future.

The newly freed Spirit Vein first stretched its body, and then its slender form unfurled.

Only then did Perry Yates realize that the Spirit Vein was even longer than she had imagined, and it was continuously expanding.

Then, the Spirit Vein rushed out of the room.

Perry Yates didn’t know what Spiritual Energy was, but she could clearly feel that after the Spirit Vein was freed, the air around her seemed to change—a change she couldn’t quite describe.

It was as if the two main meridians in her body had been instantly unblocked; even her mind felt much clearer.

After settling the matter of the Spirit Vein, Perry Yates took a look around the other parts of the Penglai Spirit Boat, then discussed the auction process with the Penglai Immortal Ship.

Since the number of cards to be auctioned was a bit large, auctioning them one by one would be a waste of time, so Perry Yates decided on a different auction method.

All the cards would be displayed at once, and everyone attending the auction could place their bids. The highest bidder for each card within the allotted time would win it.

This would both save time and give everyone more choices.

Once everything was settled, Perry Yates left the Penglai Immortal Ship with her butler.

Originally, Perry Yates had planned to retract the Penglai Immortal Ship, but the ship itself refused. It wanted to stay out.

Meanwhile, although many people thought the fleeting glimpse of the Immortal Ship was a hallucination, some had noticed something was amiss and connected the incident to the owner of The Card Tavern.

But so what? Even if they guessed the truth, they wouldn’t dare question Perry Yates even if they had a hundred times the nerve.

After Perry Yates returned, she had the butler inform the people downstairs that there was no need to clear the premises before the auction. Then she turned and went back to her residence.

She ordered some malatang for herself and then did a quick sweep of her room.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Hearing the sound, Perry Yates glanced at the time. ’It’s probably not the food delivery.’

She opened the door to find a man with a deadpan, solemn expression standing there.

Looking at the stern-faced Seth Larkin, anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was a debt collector.

"What is it?"

Perry Yates asked after letting him in.

’Is it another mission?’

Seth Larkin strode over to the sofa on his long legs and sat down before asking unhurriedly, "When is your next game?"

"Why are you asking?"

Perry Yates didn’t answer his question right away, retorting with one of her own.

"The Survival Game Administration recently acquired an item that can designate specific people to enter a game. But as you know, the mortality rate for newcomers is very high, so the Administration is hoping some capable players can guide them. The mission rewards are generous."

’So it’s about guiding a rookie. But...’

"I refuse. My personality isn’t suited for being a teacher, and I can’t guide newcomers."

Seeing Perry Yates refuse so decisively, Seth Larkin didn’t seem too surprised. Instead, he wore an "I saw that coming" expression.

"I knew you would refuse."

"If you knew, then why go to the trouble of asking?" Perry Yates asked, confused.

"Because I have a question for you, naturally."

A faint smile appeared on Seth Larkin’s face, sending an involuntary shiver down Perry Yates’s spine.

"What question?"

"Do you know about the Croupier?"

Hearing the word "Croupier," Perry Yates’s mind reeled as countless thoughts flooded her brain.

’Have I been exposed?’

’No, that’s impossible.’

’If I were exposed, there’s no way I wouldn’t know. Unless...’

Perry Yates looked at Seth Larkin, her gaze meeting his, and her heart skipped a beat.

’I know that based on my reaction, he probably wouldn’t believe me even if I denied it now.’

"I do," Perry Yates admitted frankly, nodding her head.

Hearing Perry’s frank admission, it was Seth Larkin’s turn to be surprised. He had thought she would deny it to her dying breath.

After all, based on the information he had, once someone obtained the identity of a Croupier, it was equivalent to standing against every player on Cerulea.

"How do you know?"

At his words, Perry Yates gave him a look as if he were an idiot and said, "The system told me, of course. It mentioned it during the last game."

’Isn’t that how you found out, too?’

A puzzled expression appeared on Perry’s face, but inwardly, she was patting herself on the back for her quick thinking.

It was a good thing she had remembered what Amber Sheridan said back then, or else it would have been really hard to spin that lie.