Chapter 540: Place Your Bets! (2/2)

Time seemed to slow down in the evening ball. The guests sweated nervously. Mang seemed to realize that he had made a mistake, but still he straightened himself despite his flushed cheeks and kept his mouth shut.

”You don't believe me?” Suddenly, the King softened, as though he was only asking something inconsequential.

Mang was taken by surprise, but he replied on instinct, ”I – Of course I don't! Only a Level 8 shooter can hold himself against a dozen Level 6 shooters. This young man is strong, but how can he be more powerful than a Level 8 shooter?” The guests agreed quietly with Mang. They had the same suspicion, but not the imprudence to simply voice it out.

The King continued, ”How can I make you believe me?”

”Unless – Unless …” Mang was stuck with the question. He panicked, but quickly figured out something, ”Unless he can defeat a dozen Level 6 shooters again, right before our eyes!”

When the guests heard Mang's suggestion, they all shook their heads inside. Things were not quite so simple. Every battle was different, and there were many reasons for the outcome to go one way or the other. In a different location, against the same number of opponents, the result would surely be different.

Sun Sieha smiled coldly and said, ”That's a bit unreasonable, don't you think?”

Mang blushed even deeper. He also realized the holes in his reasoning.

”However,” Sun Sieha continued with a cold smile, ”I think it's a wonderful idea.” He suddenly turned to Ye Chong and asked, ”Ye Chong, what do you think?”

Ye Chong finally realized why Sun Sieha wanted him at the evening ball. Since it was part of the agreement they had last time, Ye Chong had no reason to reject the idea. He nodded and said, ”Sure!”

Was this guy crazy?

The nobles looked at Ye Chong with disbelief. They never imagined that Ye Chong would agree to such an unreasonable request!

Sun Sieha looked at the nobles and smiled, ”I've heard that there are many Level 6 shooters amongst you. Choose any 12 of them. Let us witness a demonstration of this lesser known form of combat. However, it's a little dull to simply enjoy the battle. We should have a betting pool, with no limits on the betting amount. Hmm, let's have the Prince be the organizer.”

The sensible Prince Desnio stood forward and bowed to his guests, ”Since His Majesty requested it, well, let me organize this round of betting. Don't worry, we have top notch facilities for combat, and a great variety of weapons to choose from. There will also be pre-match massage services and snacks for everyone. Of course, special services will also be seen to, if you're interested.”

The guests chuckled at Prince Desnio's introduction. Even Sun Sieha smiled.

Soon, 12 Level 6 shooters were named. They include experienced combatants from the military, like Mang, but most of them were young nobles. George was one of the better known young nobles, and his prowess as a shooter was also widely recognized. The most surprising candidate was Shu Man'er. No one expected the seemingly fragile young woman to be a Level 6 shooter.

The experienced shooters threw careful looks at Ye Chong. They saw how quick the young man was earlier. Nevertheless, they were confidence of themselves. An experienced Level 6 shooter was much stronger than their less experienced counterpart. The veterans felt that Ye Chong could only stand a chance against a dozen newly promoted Level 6 shooters.

As the young nobles, they were all eager to jump straight into battle. They did not believe that Ye Chong could defeat 12 Level 6 shooters all by himself. Some of the noble families chose their strongest disciples to represent them, hoping to draw favourable attention from the King.

Sun Sieha smiled almost imperceptibly, seeing how eager the nobles were. He started by saying, ”Well, since we're betting and I actually suggested it, I'll place my bet on Ye Chong. How much should it be? Let's go with a 10 million.”

Duke Warren was keeping a close watch on the King's behaviour. He caught the smile on the King's face, and looked at the hesitant nobles in the function room. Duke Warren had an inkling of what to do next. He smiled and said, ”Since we're betting, I will make my bet too. I bet 10 million that the 12 shooters will win.” He then stood to the side quietly. He was happy to see a quick glance from the King towards him, but kept it to himself.

Ming Xiao stroked his chin and grinned, ”Your Majesty, I'll place my bet as well. 10 million against Master Ye Chong. I believe that Master Ye Chong is capable, but a dozen Level 6 shooters is still quite a challenge.” The Legate's eyes gleamed with mischief.

”Place your bets now! You can only place one bet. No changes in the betting amount!” Prince Desnio announced loudly to his guests.

With Duke Warren and Ming Xiao taking lead, the rest of the nobles no longer hesitated. They did no bet a lot, but all of them wanted the chance to win a bet against their King. It did not matter how much they win in the end. After all, how many people can boast about winning a bet against His Majesty?

Ye Chong suddenly spoke up from beside Sun Sieha, ”50 million on myself.” Sun Sieha's smile froze awkwardly. Ye Chong placed a bet of 50 million, but he only betted 10 million. Even if he won, he could only get a sixth of the betting pool. He was about to raise his bet, then remembered that Prince Desnio said the amount cannot be changed. The King felt the loss acutely.

Just then, George spoke up as well, ”I bet 50 million! The shooters will win!” George threw a vengeful glare at Ye Chong. Ming Xiao frowned again, thinking about how insensible the young man was.

As expected, Ming Xiao saw His Majesty's eyes narrowed a little. This was bad. The boy was about to cause trouble. When the match was over, he will send people to drag the young man back to Aliz.

The rest of the nobles were excited by the bets from Ye Chong and George. Shu Man'er spoke up with her clear voice, ”I bet 20 million.”

”10 million from me!”

”10 million!”

…

The nobles who had someone representing them in the shooters team placed the most bets to show their support. Each of them contributed no less than 10 million in the betting pool. 10 million was a negligible sum to them. It would not do well for their reputation to bet too little, but betting to much would be an offence to the King. They were not as foolish as George.

In the end, the total amount in the betting pool surprised even Prince Desnio. ”Well well, this is great. Let me announce the betting amount in the pool. We have 60 million betting for Master Ye Chong. As for the 12 shooters,” he looked around at his guests and continued, ”they have 160 million going for them. Haha, it's a spectacular betting pool.”

Sun Sieha calculated his winnings and threw a bitter glance at Ye Chong. All that easy money was snatched away from him, but there was nothing he could do about it. He felt miserable just thinking about it.