Chapter 763: Outmatched
"Line up properly. One ticket costs 300,000 credits. If you're paying in sacred crystals, it's 20 million per person!"
At the grand, azure gates of Blue Sea City, a four-meter-tall crabman held a high-grade spiritual trident and impatiently glared at the Professionals, his shrimp-like eyes filled with irritation.
One by one, the Professionals reluctantly paid the entrance fee to enter the city.
Ling Zhan was no exception.
After paying the entrance fee, he stepped into Blue Sea City.
The first thing he saw was the bustling crowd of Professionals moving back and forth.
Besides them, numerous deep-sea creatures also roamed the streets.
Crabs, shrimp, seahorses, merfolk, deep-sea elves... and more.
These were the native residents of the underwater city.
They spoke their own language.
Additionally,
everything sold here was outrageously expensive.
A single skewer of grilled octopus tentacles cost 500 sacred crystals.
A plate of stir-fried seaweed sprouts went for 700 sacred crystals.
And those were just ordinary ingredients.
If it involved higher-grade spiritual food, the prices jumped to tens of thousands of sacred crystals.
Even accommodations cost 5,000 sacred crystals per night.
That was for the cheapest rooms. The most expensive seven-star presidential suites could cost tens of thousands per night, with luxurious services easily pushing the total into the hundreds of thousands.
Don't want to stay? Others do!
Even more absurd,
if you didn't want to stay at a hotel and tried to sleep on a street corner instead, you'd still have to pay a street-side sleeping fee of 2,000 sacred crystals.
What?
You refuse to pay?
Then you'll be kicked out of Blue Sea City without a refund on your entrance fee. The fault is yours for violating city regulations, not the city's.
As for the local deep-sea inhabitants, they never shopped in these public areas.
They knew these shops existed solely to rip off land-dwelling Professionals.
The locals did their shopping at the city center, where prices were much cheaper.
Outsiders weren't allowed into the city center.
Thus, beneath the beautiful, grand surface of this underwater city, a pervasive atmosphere of exploitation and greed lurked.
"I have a question..."
Observing the scene before him, Ling Zhan asked the guide.
"Yes, sir?"
The guide was polite since he was also a land-based human Professional.
"Why can't the Sacred Parliament take control of this place?"
Ling Zhan asked.
Logically,
the Sacred Parliament was the highest governing body on the Sacred Continent.
They had the authority to manage any kingdom or organization on the continent.
Although the Sacred Parliament had some jurisdiction in Blue Sea City, the main control lay with the deep-sea races.
"Ah, I see you're curious about that..."
"It's actually quite unfortunate."
The guide let out a bitter laugh before continuing, "When the Sacred Parliament attempted to take over Blue Sea City, the city's ruler—the Merman Emperor—proposed a condition."
"He challenged the Parliament to send a top-tier genius to solo-clear the mythical Atlantis Ruins dungeon."
"If they could break the dungeon's record, the Merman Emperor would willingly hand over the city's control without a fight."
"But if they failed, the Merman Emperor would gain a position within the Sacred Parliament and retain primary control over the city."
"As you probably guessed, the Parliament's chosen genius failed to beat the record."
At this point,
the guide shook his head, visibly frustrated.
The oppressive practices of the deep-sea races filled him with resentment, anger, and dissatisfaction.
But what could they do?
They had lost.
The Merman Emperor was a powerhouse above level 190, standing among the world's elite like Cathy and others.
He had set the record for the Atlantis Ruins at level 150.
4 minutes and 31 seconds.
The best record held by the land-based Professionals was 6 minutes and 22 seconds.
A nearly two-minute difference.
There was no helping it.
The Merman Emperor had been a prodigy in his youth.
His underwater combat abilities were exceptional.
In contrast, land-based Professionals naturally struggled in underwater environments due to pressure, environmental debuffs, and shifting currents that significantly weakened their strength.
Even with top-tier underwater magical gear, they couldn't compare to the Merman Emperor, the king of the sea.
"Is the Merman Emperor's offer still valid?" Ling Zhan asked.
"Absolutely. He's extremely confident that no land-based Professional can break his record," the guide replied.
"And with good reason. After all these years, no one has come close. The deep-sea races have grown even more arrogant."
"Got it..." Ling Zhan nodded.
The guide didn't think much of it, assuming Ling Zhan was just curious. He didn't believe this young man could actually clear the level 130-150 mythical dungeon.
After wandering around the city, the tour group dispersed, leaving the participants with free time.
Many Professionals headed toward the deep-sea ruins.
Located east of Blue Sea City, the deep-sea ruins housed the entrances to various underwater dungeons.
The area was bustling with land-based Professionals.
Upon arrival, Ling Zhan was greeted by the sight of a grand, dilapidated temple.
Several powerful sharkfolk stood lazily at the temple entrance, acting as guards.
Inside, the temple's main hall was packed with people.
In the center stood 30 magnificent, glowing gates radiating powerful energy.
These gates led to the underwater dungeons.
There were no bronze-level gates.
Two silver-level gates.
Five gold-level gates.
Seven platinum-level gates.
Ten diamond-level gates.
Three legendary-level gates.
Two epic-level gates.
One mythical-level gate.
The recommended levels ranged from 100 to 150.
The hall also had a party recruitment system.
Recruitment messages filled the public screens.
"Silver-level dungeon: Corroded Beach (100-120), hard mode, 4/5, need a frontline warrior!"
"Diamond-level dungeon: Crimson Trench (125-145), normal mode, 3/5, need a mage and healer!"
"Platinum-level dungeon: Nightmare Coral Forest (110-130), hell mode, 1/5, need top DPS and main healer!"
"..."
Most of the recruitment listings were for diamond-level or lower dungeons.
Rarely did any parties seek members for legendary-level or higher dungeons.
Ling Zhan didn't immediately enter the mythical Atlantis Ruins. The reason was simple—he hadn't yet experienced underwater combat.