Chapter 16: Chapter16-The Dungeon Gamble—Ten-Thousandfold Odds!
Before long, the taxi came to a stop in front of the hotel.
John stepped out of the car and looked up at the magnificent WJ Hotel.
Its décor was understated, yet it still radiated luxury and grandeur. In the center of the lobby stood an enormous metal sculpture, adding a touch of imposing elegance to the surroundings.
Still dressed in pajamas, John strode quickly across the lobby and arrived at the front desk.
"Give me your highest-grade suite."
The front desk receptionist looked at John’s outfit, and a troubled expression appeared on her face.
Never in all her time working here had she encountered a wealthy guest who came to check into a luxury hotel in the middle of the night while wearing nothing but pajamas.
Nevertheless, her professional training allowed her to maintain the most basic level of courtesy and respect.
After all, her manager had once taught her that some wealthy people simply did not care about appearances. She was never to judge a person by how they looked.
The receptionist glanced at John before lowering her head slightly and speaking in a polite voice.
"I’m very sorry, sir, but our premium suites are reservation-only. May I ask whether you have—"
Clatter!
A battered, badly worn bank card was tossed onto the counter in front of her.
John said indifferently, "One hundred thousand dollars, paid upfront. I want a suite for one month."
The receptionist’s pupils contracted violently.
One hundred thousand dollars, paid upfront?
The most expensive room in their hotel cost only one thousand dollars per night, yet this man was offering a full one hundred thousand dollars just to stay for a month?
This matter had already completely exceeded the limits of her authority.
Without hesitation, she picked up the phone and called the general manager.
"Manager, I have a special client here. I think you need to come handle this personally."
An impatient voice sounded from the other end of the line.
"Handle it yourselves. Don’t call me over for every little matter!"
The receptionist braced herself and replied, "I really think it would be best for you to come over personally, sir."
A few minutes later, a neatly dressed middle-aged man in a suit appeared in the lobby.
His expression was stern. There was a trace of irritation between his brows from having been awakened in the middle of the night, along with the unquestionable authority of someone accustomed to giving orders.
His gaze first swept across the receptionist before landing on John.
The general manager asked in a deep voice, "Sir, may I ask what you require?"
John repeated himself without the slightest change in expression.
"This card contains one hundred thousand dollars. I want your best suite for one month, and I want to move in immediately."
The general manager could no longer remain completely composed. His pupils shrank slightly.
He had seen plenty of guests rent suites by the month before.
But in all his years of working in this business, he had never encountered anyone willing to pay such a staggering price for a month-long stay like John was doing now.
Still, as a businessman who had weathered countless situations, the general manager quickly stabilized his emotions and immediately began checking the hotel’s system.
Soon, he found an available suite.
"Sir, we currently have one suite available. It was originally reserved, but the guest never arrived. Would that room be acceptable to you?"
John remained completely silent.
Seeing his reaction, the general manager immediately understood that John was dissatisfied.
After pausing briefly, he spoke again.
"Please wait a moment, sir. I will make further arrangements for you immediately."
With that, the general manager picked up the phone at once and called the guest currently staying in the top-floor river-view suite.
"My apologies for disturbing you so late at night, sir. I have a small request. I would like to arrange another vacant suite for you instead. Would that be possible?"
The guest on the other end instantly flew into a rage.
"What is the meaning of this? I’ve already been staying at your hotel for quite some time, and now you want me to change rooms in the middle of the night? Is this what you call professional service—"
The general manager immediately apologized.
"I’m terribly sorry. This is indeed our mistake. As compensation, all of your accommodation fees for your current stay will be waived."
The other end of the phone instantly fell silent.
Hearing this, John could not help but find it amusing.
Sure enough, money could make even ghosts dance to one’s tune.
There were never truly that many unbreakable rules in this world. In the end, if something could not be done, it simply meant the price being offered was not high enough.
Very soon, under the general manager’s personal coordination, everything was properly arranged.
He personally led John to the top-floor river-view suite.
Although only a few minutes had passed from beginning to end, the entire suite had already been restored to pristine condition, without the slightest trace that anyone else had stayed there before.
The general manager personally opened the door and escorted John inside.
Bowing slightly, he said with a respectful smile, "Sir, during your stay with us, every service and facility in the hotel will prioritize your needs above all others. In addition, all meals will be provided free of charge.
"Should you require anything else, you may call the private service line, and our professional staff will attend to your request directly.
"Please settle in and enjoy your stay. I will not disturb you any further."
With that, he gave an elegant bow, turned around, and departed.
John was very satisfied with his service and nodded in acknowledgment.
As expected of the person in charge of the highest-standard hotel in the entire city, he handled matters efficiently and possessed excellent judgment.
Perhaps, once the Great Fusion arrived, John could consider placing this hotel under his protection.
John turned his attention to the suite around him.
A layer of soft European-style carpet covered the floor, while a magnificent crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling overhead.
Several velvet sofas stood beside the windows, and the table was already arranged with all kinds of expensive wines and spirits.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city’s dazzling nighttime skyline stretched before him, together with a breathtaking view of the river.
Luxurious without being ostentatious.
Elegant and refined in every detail.
John sat down on the edge of the dark-gold bed, which was lavish and exquisitely designed.
He now had only one final matter to deal with.
The game’s black market.
After CREED became explosively popular, numerous gambling-related sections had appeared within the game.
Their contents were bizarre and varied.
Some allowed people to bet on which player would level up the fastest.
Others allowed people to wager on the quality of items obtained from random treasure chests.
The odds would fluctuate according to the popularity of each betting topic.
John entered the most popular section.
The wager in this section was very simple.
Exactly how many dungeons existed within the Starter Village?
John swept his gaze over the entries. Most players had placed their bets on numbers ranging from one to ten.
John shook his head slightly before decisively entering his own prediction.
Sixteen dungeons. Wager: 320,000 dollars!
He converted all of his remaining balance into dollars and threw every last cent into the bet.
The moment such a massive wager appeared, the entire betting section instantly erupted.
Countless gamblers noticed the enormous bet.
In the next second, ridicule began flooding the discussion board.
"Which idiot just threw in 320,000 dollars betting that the Starter Village has sixteen dungeons?"
"What an absolute moron. The server has been open for an entire month, and only one dungeon has been discovered so far. How could there possibly be sixteen?"
"This guy must have something wrong with his brain. With 320,000 dollars, he could practically buy a Lamborghini!"
"Even the most authoritative guild, the Overlord Guild, only believes there are four dungeons at most. Yet this person actually dares to bet on sixteen?"
"But what if he turns out to be right? The odds for sixteen dungeons have already reached 1:100,000!"
...
When he saw the latest message, John’s gaze shifted slightly.
Hmm?
So the Overlord Guild had participated in this betting pool as well?
And they had wagered one million dollars on there being only four dungeons?
The corners of John’s lips curled upward.
It seemed this gamble was going to become very interesting indeed.
After placing his bet, John stretched lazily.
A wave of drowsiness washed over him. He lay down on the soft, comfortable bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
...
At the same time, within the headquarters of the United Government, an intelligence analysis meeting was currently underway.
"Esteemed leaders, according to our compiled data, the most recent batch of players have all been concentrated in Starter Village No. 616. We—"
At that moment, an elderly man dressed in a military uniform, who appeared to be one of the senior commanders, suddenly rose to his feet and interrupted the presenter.
"Are you saying that every single player who successfully logged into the game was assigned to Starter Village No. 616, without a single exception?
"And that includes all of the elite players and guilds who have entered the main city over the past month? None of them have encountered even one player from another Starter Village?"
