God of Illusions

A new day arrived, and with it a new surprise. When Bai Xiaofei and his class arrived at the public square, a huge crowd was already there. The second round would be officiated today. Everyone was filled with excitement.

During the first round, some parties were happy with the result while some were sad. And the source of most of these emotions was the bets the Babel Merchant House had started for the tournament. The elimination of Fang Yuesheng’s class from the tournament was a major upset. Many people had picked Fang Yuesheng’s class as one of their picks in their parlay bets. These people had lost their wagers. Many people also put their money on Fang Yuesheng being the final champion. These people had lost their wagers as well.

Of course, not many of them had truly lost everything after the first round. In fact, a lot of people hadn’t even betted before the first round and had been waiting around to start betting on the second round.

After all, with a lower number of contestants, there would be fewer variables in the gamble. On top of that, the first round had also allowed everyone to get some understanding of the participants. Therefore, the betting landscape was now extremely interesting.

Of course, no matter how the betting landscape changed, Bai Xiaofei and his classmates were no longer able to participate in it. That was because they had already placed all their money in their previous bet. The result of their wager would only be known after the tournament ended.

Everyone waited expectantly, and finally, the details of the second round were announced. Surprisingly, the second round would be held in an extremely traditional form of competition, yet this was also a form many people looked forward to. The second round would be held in a bracket system. Everyone would draw for their opponent and fight each other until the winner was decided.

Immediately after this announcement, they announced that the participants would start drawing their numbers. This caught Bai Xiaofei off guard.

“Lili, you go and draw.”

Bai Xiaofei believed that a pure and innocent person would always be lucky. That was why he sent Lin Li to draw their opponent. Bai Xiaofei was sure that in the entirety of Starnet Academy, only Rui Mengqi who was currently working at Thousand Aroma Restaurant could compare with Lin Lin in terms of innocence.

Lin Li voiced her agreement and slowly walked out. Slightly excited, she reached into the ballot box. Everyone held their breath waiting for the result of this draw.

“Number two.”

She announced the number she drew. Everyone gulped. Only five numbers were contained in the ballot box with each number representing a bracket. The matches would proceed according to the order of the numbers. Those getting the same number would be fighting each other.

Now that Lin Li had drawn their number, anyone drawing the same number would be their opponent. The other classes started drawing their numbers as well. One by one, the draws were announced.

The Savage Class students heaved a collective sigh of relief when someone finally drew number two again. The class who had drawn the same number wasn’t a Newcomer King class.

“Boss Bai, please have mercy on us.”

The class monitor of that class said with a bitter smile on his face. They did not have a Newcomer King in their class. Because of that, they were one of the many classes who had joined the New Student Mutual Aid community. One could say that they had been pitted against their boss in the tournament. This was subjecting them to great pressure.

“Don’t be too stressed and fight as you would normally do. The fact that you guys can reach this far in the tournament shows that you are outstanding students.”

With a sly smile on his face, Bai Xiaofei replied courteously. However, his real thoughts weren’t as polite as his current actions.

Kid, you better surrender immediately. Or else, don’t blame me for not showing mercy!

“Boss Bai is too kind. When the time comes, we will pretend to fight. That is all. So long as our defeat isn’t too embarrassing, it will be fine.”

The bitterness on the class monitor’s face grew more intense. Even though Bai Xiaofei hadn’t said it, he was aware that his class had only entered the top ten due to sheer luck. If they had encountered Bai Xiaofei’s group or any of the Newcomer Kings during the first round, his class would have been  the one eliminated from the tournament.

“Don’t worry; we’re on the same side. I won’t make things difficult for you guys.”

 Then, Bai Xiaofei gave a random excuse to leave with his classmates. The match would only start in the afternoon. Everyone still had some time to rest.

Unfortunately, Bai Xiaofei was not given any chance to rest. The moment he entered his classroom, he was surrounded by a few of his old friends. Xie Guangyun and the other bosses were here to see him.

“Sorry for disturbing you right before the match, Brother Bai.”

Xie Guangyun rubbed his hands apologetically. The other bosses were behaving similarly as well. Apart from remorse, a trace of anticipation could be seen in their eyes as well.

“We are all old friends here. There is no need to be so polite. Say it. Why are you looking for me?” 

Bai Xiaofei said with a faint smile. It was quite rare to see him so amiable and approachable.

“Mhm…how should I put it? We are here to clarify one thing with you.”

Xie Guangyun gulped and entered the main topic with a somewhat awkward look on him. Bai Xiaofei gazed at him and waited silently.

“We want to know how confident you are in becoming the champion of this tournament.”

The moment this question was asked, their eyes shone with a sharp gaze. Bai Xiaofei immediately understood why they were here. They were here for the bet. People wanting to get rich overnight could be found anywhere gambling services were provided. This would never change. For the four bosses, Bai Xiaofei was their hope to make an easy and quick profit off the bets.

Bai Xiaofei had a faint smile on his face. Rather than answering immediately, he slowed himself down and started speaking leisurely.

“This…I am not sure. After all, the other classes are still hiding their true strength. It won’t be nice of me to bluff and mislead you guys, right?”

Immediately after Bai Xiaofei spoke, the four bosses understood the true meaning behind his words. Since he had not outright denied the possibility of his class winning, there was indeed a chance they could win. The reason he hadn’t told them anything was quite obvious for the four bosses who were all smart people.

“Don’t worry, Brother Bai. You will receive your fair share of the profit. We will give you 20% of our winnings from the bet.”

Xie Guangyun proposed without bothering to beat around the bush.

He would never believe that Bai Xiaofei would not be able to see what they were trying to do. The four bosses had interacted with Bai Xiaofei a few times recently and they knew the type of person he was. That was why they had immediately placed their offer on the table. A share of 20% was, in fact, a very big share.

Bai Xiaofei was very satisfied with this offer. After smiling, he took out his bet receipt.

“I will make it simple. I had previously betted 3.25 billion Amethyst Coins on my class winning. Of course, you guys are free to interpret this as you wish.”

Facts would speak louder than words. The bet receipt Bai Xiaofei was holding was the strongest evidence of his confidence. The four bosses gulped before making up their minds.

They had believed that Bai Xiaofei wasn’t so stupid that he couldn’t understand why they were here. Similarly, they would not believe that Bai Xiaofei was stupid enough to give the Babel Merchant House free money.

“Thank you, Brother Bai. We will go place our bet now and wait for your good news!”

The four bosses bade Bai Xiaofei farewell and hurried towards the Babel Merchant House. At this point in the tournament, the odds of betting on the winning class were very different than earlier. The Savage Class had the highest odds among the top ten classes. Therefore, the four bosses had to make the bet as soon as possible.