Chapter 2376: Raising the Stakes

The probability of every follower in a round folding or calling incorrectly is very small, so it's almost impossible for the caller to take all the chips. Basically, whoever calls in a round will inevitably lose their base chips.

Of course, base chips aren't a big deal, unless someone raises the price of the base chips.

Although calling is a disadvantage, the rewards for followers are considerable. For example, in the first round, even if split five ways, Xu Huo could still get three or four items, and they were B-grade items.

In the first round, everyone had a chance to call, and those who called earlier and lost their base chips had to replenish them. So by the time it was Xu Huo's turn to call, the pot had already accumulated eight Mermaid Players.

That's right, besides Xu Huo, the other participants in the gambling game had brought more than one Mermaid Player each.

And the caller could only lose their base chips. So before calling a stop, Xu Huo proposed:

"I want to change my base chips."

The Fair Dealer flew from the round table to in front of his screen, drooping its eyebrows and said, "Base chips cannot be changed in the first round. If you only brought one base chip, you can use other items to replace it starting from the second round."

"Of course, the honored guest can also withdraw from the game, but this mermaid will have to stay. No one can come to the gambling table without leaving something behind, or taking something away."

"Someone must lose for someone to win."

The puppet circled around Hua Sisi, then conjured a scanner and quickly scanned her, before saying, "Based on this mermaid's data, I rate her as C-grade. Appearance C-grade, physical fitness C-grade, multiple old injuries on her body not fully healed, and unstable emotions. This is a mermaid of low value. If the honored guest wishes to take her away after the game ends, they can exchange her for the chips they've won."

"The Fair Dealer will do its best to mediate, ensuring every honored guest is satisfied."

With a one-hour gambling game, withdrawing was impossible, so Xu Huo casually called out a number.

From the previous rounds, it was clear the puppet wasn't lying. The multiplier numbers in each round were fair, guaranteed to appear once within three seconds. As long as one could judge the timing well, calling the multiplier number wasn't difficult.

Of course, the dice didn't roll slowly. Based on the speed and the pattern of the dice numbers flipping, predicting the next combination of numbers to appear required precise timing to call a stop accurately. Eyesight was important, and so was concentration.

By the fifth round, besides Xu Huo, there were three other players who hadn't called incorrectly once.

This ratio was very high. It seemed that not everyone participating in the Mermaid Game was just someone with a prestigious background.

In Xu Huo's round, five people called the correct number.

The first round of eight games ended quickly.

"Starting from the second round, the caller for each game will be selected by the Fair Dealer." The puppet said cheerfully, "I will announce a number and guarantee that this number will appear every five seconds. The first person to successfully call a stop on that number will be the caller for this round."

"If multiple people successfully call a stop at the same time, the Fair Dealer will draw lots on behalf of the honored guests. Of course, the drawing process will definitely be random and fair."

"Additionally, please note, honored guests, that the caller in this round has the authority to change the base chips. All subsequent followers must continuously increase their bets based on the caller's stake."

"Next... Eight!"

"Stop!"

Almost at the same moment the puppet announced the number, two voices sounded simultaneously, too fast, almost overlapping. Even with a player's hearing, it was impossible to tell who shouted first, but the eight dice in the square box indeed all showed the number 1 facing up.

"Oh my! Oh my!" The puppet danced and waved its hands, "Two honored guests accurately called a stop at the same time! Unfortunately, even the Fair Dealer cannot determine who was first."

As it spoke, it raised its hand, and a new sixteen-sided die appeared on its fingertip. "It seems I have to draw lots to decide!"

Its eyes darted left and right, and its other hand pointed towards Xu Huo's position. "This honored guest takes the odd numbers."

Then it passed by another screen and pointed to the second person on Xu Huo's right. "This honored guest takes the even numbers."

As it finished speaking, the die in its hand flipped and flew at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye, settling down three seconds later!

"Ten!" The puppet announced with a grin, "The honored guest behind screen number five is the winner of this draw!"

Xu Huo had already noticed this person. Like himself, this person hadn't called a single wrong number from start to finish. And unlike the boisterous young man and a few other players who occasionally let out sounds of frustration or admiration, this person was very silent, barely saying a word except when calling a stop.

"My base chip is an A-grade instrument." From behind the screen of honored guest number five, an instrument carved into the shape of a flower flew out.

Next came the following time. Because the first caller had changed the rules, the others had to replace their base chips with A-grade items or A-grade instruments, and only then could they add their increased chips.

From this point on, the atmosphere was no longer as relaxed as before.

The baseline was an A-grade instrument. If the first follower added an item below C-grade, they would surely be laughed at. Not to mention below C-grade, even C-grade might be embarrassing to offer.

But the first follower also determined the upper limit of the following for that round. If the first follower added an item or instrument of the same grade, then those behind would likely stack similar items and instruments. With eight people, the final pot would be very substantial.

Conversely, if the first follower lowered the stakes, those behind would also have an easier time.

Of course, this was all based on everyone being normal people, and it didn't rule out someone maliciously raising the stakes.

Xu Huo was the first follower. He added two A-grade items.

The spoils from the players he had killed after entering the Fish Feast Building hadn't been sorted yet. Whether the quality was good or bad was hard to say, but they were definitely A-grade items.

At this point, the game was clear. Only those who could accurately call a stop every time were the biggest winners. Everyone else, whether caller or follower, as long as their accuracy wasn't high, or they directly folded, were losers.

Xu Huo raised the stakes by two A-grade items, so every subsequent follower had to add at least one more item or instrument in quantity, regardless of grade.

Therefore, by the time the seventh person followed, they would have to add at least three more A-grade items or instruments—in this kind of setting, for those following behind to only add one B-grade item each time seemed a bit embarrassing.

"Hahaha!" The young man laughed out loud. "Big appetite! I like it! This kind of gambling game is exciting! I'll add two A-grade items too!"

"It's only the second round, and you're playing this big. Can you really come up with that many A-grade items later?" The person behind screen number seven said.