225. Lottery and Investment
"Seven-Colored Merit Fish, Ten Billion Grand Prize."
Since the news had spread widely and was the talk of everyone, Beno didn't need much effort to understand what was happening.
It turned out that within the Red Party, there was a permanent special mission called "Accumulating Merit."
Under the Five Star Cliff was a permanent feature that remained wherever the headquarters moved—a treasure spot called the "Merit Lottery Pond," which contained a unique species known as the "Merit Fish."
The fish came in five colors: white, blue, purple, gold, and rainbow.
The closer to the rainbow variety, the more potent the Merit Fish's essence. Consuming it not only enhances the quality of one's refined essence but can even help break through bottlenecks.
The so-called "Accumulating Merit" mission was born from this.
This mission could be accepted once per month per person. First, one would blindly select a number, then pay 10 contribution points to receive the Merit Fish corresponding to that number.
However, the 10 contribution points paid by Party members weren't reclaimed by the Party but instead recorded in the Merit Pond's account. The Party's higher-ups had specifically explained: whoever selected the Merit Pond's only rainbow Merit Fish would receive all the contribution points in the pool!
This mission had been ongoing for nearly a hundred years.
However, in a hundred years, not a single person had selected the rainbow Merit Fish, causing the contribution points to accumulate continuously until they reached an astronomical figure.
"Ten billion! Ten billion!"
In the rocking chair, the old man kept muttering, his tone filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Just yesterday, this "Merit Lottery" super prize finally had a winner—a party member who had been in the Party for less than twenty days.
A hundred-year prize pool, claimed by a newcomer who'd perhaps joined the Party the same day Beno did!
No wonder the Archives Pavilion's old man felt mentally unbalanced. After all, part of that ten billion prize included his own contributions from years of participating in the Accumulating Merit mission.
Moreover, Petar Baumann not only received the ten billion prize from the Merit Lottery Pond but also obtained the precious rainbow Merit Fish. After consuming it, he advanced from early-stage First Realm to Wave Realm overnight. He hadf since been accepted as a disciple by a Ward of Nature Party leader and is now in seclusion, preparing for his breakthrough to Crystal Realm.
Even Beno couldn't help but envy such extraordinary luck.
However, his expression quickly changed when he realized that the lucky winner, Petar Baumann, hadn't concealed the number he chose when drawing the rainbow Merit Fish.
"20251307"
Looking at this number, Beno couldn't help but swallow hard.
Just as Beno firmly memorized this string of numbers, planning to use it in his next life, a graceful figure suddenly entered the Archives Pavilion.
"Comrade Alder?"
Beno looked up at the sound and immediately recognized her—it was Maiden Pristine. Her expression showed equal surprise, her pretty face brightening with delight at the serendipity.
"Ah, Maiden Pristine. Is it time already?" The Archives Pavilion's old man also noticed Maiden Pristine. His previously bored expression immediately turned serious as he rose from his seat. "Then let's set off quickly."
"Comrade, are you also going to explore the cave dwelling?" Beno asked the old man curiously.
"What else?" The Archives Pavilion's old man snapped irritably. "I just lost a large sum of money. If I don't find some extra income, I'll be drinking the northwest wind!"
"Lost a large sum of money?"
"Alas, it was my carelessness," the Archives Pavilion's old man sighed. "Some time ago, the Party had a great battle with Horizon Dawn."
"Horizon Dawn came prepared and forcibly seized one of the Party's mass graves in the south."
"The Substitute Death Puppets produced in that mass grave are precious treasures. After the mass grave was seized, their price within the Party skyrocketed."
"At first, everyone was hoarding them. Being cautious, I watched the market for a while."
"Later, I noticed the price was consistently rising with no sign of falling. Feeling that the opportunity might slip away, I finally purchased a batch of goods at a premium from other sellers."
At this point, the Archives Pavilion's old man was utterly anguished, slapping his thigh in regret. "Who would have thought that right after I stocked up, news came that the Party had launched a counterattack and reclaimed the mass grave? As a result, the price that had just risen plummeted instantly—even lower than the original price!"
Beno: "..."
"But thankfully there's Maiden Pristine." The Archives Pavilion's old man sighed deeply, then suddenly perked up, exclaiming, "Maiden Pristine is truly a good person."
Maiden Pristine smiled bashfully. "Comrade Wang, you're too kind."
"These are words from the bottom of my heart," the Archives Pavilion's old man said sincerely. "If you hadn't recommended Comrade Zhao to me, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to recover my capital."
"It was just a small favor," Maiden Pristine said modestly. "Comrade Zhao happened to need a batch of Substitute Death Puppets, and you, Comrade Wang, happened to have stocked some. I was merely in the right place at the right time. I only hope that when we explore the cave dwelling later, if I find something I like, Comrade Wang might offer me a little assistance."
Comrade Zhao... Xuhe Zhao? Beno Alder's heart stirred.
"By the way, Comrade Alder."
Only now did Maiden Pristine seem to remember Beno, turning her head to look at him. "For this exploration of the cave dwelling, Comrade Alder, are you certain you don't want to join us?"
"...I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Beno shook his head. "I've only just joined the Party, with little influence or strength. I simply want to focus on training. Exploring cave dwellings is too dangerous—I truly lack the ability."
"Young man, I don't like that attitude."
The Archives Pavilion's old man shook his head. "Focus on training? For ordinary members like you with no money or influence, burying your head in training leads nowhere."
"Breaking through realms itself goes against heaven's will. Without taking risks, how can your training possibly go far?"
"When everyone else is fearful and wants to retreat, that's precisely when you should boldly step forward and take action. That's how you seize opportunities!"
When others are fearful, you become greedy—no wonder you lost your investment.
No matter how eloquently the Archives Pavilion's old man spoke, Beno politely declined, angering the man so much that he muttered, "A rotten wood can't be carved," before turning to leave.
Seeing this, Maiden Pristine couldn't say more, only giving Beno a meaningful look before turning to leave. She and the Archives Pavilion's old man arrived at a residence on Mending Heaven Peak. She had the old man wait in the outer courtyard while she entered the inner courtyard and approached a meditation room.
After a brief moment, the meditation room's door opened, and Xuhe Zhao stepped out.
"Failed again? He still refused to join us?" As Xuhe Zhao listened to Maiden Pristine's account, his brows gradually furrowed. "He really is committed to his training. Well, losing him won't matter much."
"Comrade Zhao, I think there's something suspicious about him."
Maiden Pristine bit her silver teeth. "The life lamps of my three lovers have gone out. Last night I asked them to kill that fellow, but it seems they failed."
"Comrade Zhao, you know that my three lovers were all at First Realm Perfection. If Beno could kill them... could he already be a Wave Realm Breaker?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Xuhe Zhao shook his head without hesitation. "Breaking through to Wave Realm is no easy feat. I saw his file. It's impossible for him to progress from barely First Realm all the way to Wave Realm in less than a month."
"There's no need to be so suspicious. I've checked his purchase records."
"He bought so many vials of Mana Stream. If he used them without regard to cost, reaching First Realm Perfection isn't surprising. As for your three lovers..."
"He used an Archives Pavilion loan to buy a technique from Horizon Dawn, the Empyrean Verdict Blade," Xuhe Zhao analyzed meticulously. "If he possesses exceptional talent and insight in the sword dao, allowing him to quickly master these techniques, then killing your three lovers wouldn't be that remarkable."
"You're right." Maiden Pristine pondered for a moment and concluded that Xuhe Zhao's analysis made more sense. After all, she had firsthand experience with just how challenging the Wave Realm bottleneck was.
It had taken her nearly ten years to barely break through.
To claim that a disciple who had just joined the Party could break through in less than a month was simply preposterous.
Unless he had rainbow Merit Fish.
"All right, we'll discuss this matter later."
Xuhe Zhao waved his hand dismissively, his eyes flashing with cold determination. "Let's focus on the 'cave dwelling' matter first. Have all the people been gathered?"
"They have," Maiden Pristine nodded. "Especially Bairong Wang from the Archives Pavilion. Since you purchased his Substitute Death Puppets, he now trusts us completely."
"That's good."
Xuhe Zhao smiled coldly. "Our Party has always been rich in talent. Whether we can make a big profit from this opportunity depends entirely on my fellow comrades."