Grace Carter is not someone who gives up easily, and she was indeed curious about this brash young man—where did his confidence come from?

She smiled mischievously and said, “No. 36, Azure Coast Villas, Peng City. I have a diamond-studded crystal hair ornament that I really like. If you can get it, I’ll give it to your girlfriend.”

A diamond-studded crystal hair ornament? That must be worth quite a bit. Ugh, what am I thinking? I’m a top player now; I should be looking further ahead.

“Alright, it’s a deal.”

“But since it’s a bet, there should be a wager, right? What if you lose?”

“If I lose, I’ll accept whatever punishment the fairy decides.”

“Hehe.” Grace Carter smiled. “I’ll be creating a guild in ‘Gods and Demons’ soon. If you lose, you’ll sell yourself to my guild. How about it?”

John Carter thought for a moment and agreed. He was ninety-nine percent sure he would win, and even if he lost, joining their guild wouldn’t be a big deal. “Thank you for thinking so highly of me, fairy. But what if you lose?”

Grace Carter giggled. “If I lose, I’ll introduce you to a girl—absolutely pure. How about that?”

John Carter was momentarily stunned. He had to admit, when Grace Carter smiled just now, she was full of charm, and the wager of introducing him to a girl was a bit tempting. He steadied himself and said, “That’s a sneaky bet. What if you introduce me, but she doesn’t agree? Wouldn’t I end up with nothing?”

Grace Carter said, “Don’t worry. If the first one doesn’t work out, I’ll introduce a second. I know plenty of girls—guaranteed to find one you like.”

And so, the bet was set. After John Carter left, Little Bunny Candy pouted unhappily. “Sister, why let that annoying guy join our guild? Didn’t we agree our guild would only have girls?”

Grace Carter laughed and said, “My dear sister, how is he annoying?”

“He got my Mimi killed. Hmph, I hate him.” Mimi was Little Bunny Candy’s pet. The first time they entered a dungeon, the Celestial Squad was wiped out because John Carter didn’t show up as promised, and Little Bunny Candy’s pet Mimi was no exception. Although pets could be revived, their loyalty and strength would drop significantly after revival, and it would take a long time of careful nurturing to recover.

“You’re being unreasonable. He helped us clear the dungeon, didn’t he? He doesn’t owe you anything. Whether he comes or not is his choice. If he didn’t come the second time, wouldn’t you have died again?”

“Pfft, who would die? I wouldn’t die.”

“Alright, enough. Get along with him from now on. I have my own reasons for inviting him to join the guild.” Grace Carter and Little Bunny Candy were real-life sisters, but there were many things Grace Carter hadn’t told Little Bunny Candy. She didn’t want her sister to worry.

They seemed to be doing well now, but in a few days, they might lose everything. The mastermind behind stealing their assets was using legal means, leaving her with no way to seek justice. She had wanted to hire a bounty hunter to solve the problem, but everyone she approached said it was too difficult to take on. This time, she turned to John Carter with a sliver of hope, but was once again disappointed.

If the company went bankrupt, all her personal assets would vanish. But there was a loophole in the law! Virtual assets in games are not counted as personal property. Yes, even though in-game equipment can be worth tens of thousands, theft or robbery of it isn’t considered a crime! If she went bankrupt, Grace Carter’s real-world assets might be confiscated, but her in-game assets would not!

That’s why ‘Gods and Demons’ was Grace Carter’s backup plan. She had already invested a lot of money in the game, and besides the legal reasons, she believed in the game’s future. Now, even people who never played games were joining ‘Gods and Demons’. In time, it would surely become a true second world, full of unimaginable business opportunities.

But money alone wasn’t enough. To support a guild, she needed talent. As a hidden class player who could stay calm in extremely dangerous dungeons, John Carter was exactly the kind of talent she valued.

Of course, all of this depended on her winning the bet, but Grace Carter never considered the possibility of losing.

……

Peng City was very close to Huadu, separated by just one city, with a direct maglev train.

John Carter calculated that tickets, accommodation, meals, and everything else would add up to about seven or eight hundred yuan, which was no small amount for him right now.

He still had over four hundred on his card, just enough for travel expenses. But with future living costs, plus the internet café fees he’d have to pay since he didn’t have a gaming helmet…

Thinking of this, John Carter gave a wry smile. Even a hero can be stumped by lack of money.

Of course, John Carter still had 700,000 gold coins in ‘Gods and Demons’, but if he exchanged them for RMB, he’d only get 4,550 yuan—a 35% loss. That’s because when exchanging game currency for RMB, the game company takes a 15% cut, and the other 20% is personal income tax collected by the state.