The clueless Xue Lang left Chinai's room with a pained expression, feeling utterly perplexed about why he had been shunned...
Downstairs, he found that the shop was crowded again with players. They were lined up at the counter, evidently ready to purchase card packs from Youyu.
Lately, players seem to be coming to draw packs more frequently, a fact that as a player himself, Xue Lang roughly understood.
One reason is because the Duel City tournament just concluded. All participants in the grand event received missions, and earned quite a bit of rewards.
Plus, with the event over, the system seemed to have gifted everyone a considerable amount of Crystal Stone, so players now have some spare cash.
It's widely known that Crystal Stone never lasts long in the hands of the silly players. Some might have been thinking about saving stones for a big move before the event, yet after it, they couldn't resist the impulse of spending as they pass by the shop.
Walking into the shop, telling themselves they'd buy just one—really, just one.
Then upon seeing the big "50%OFF" sign on the product list, wallets lost their rationality entirely. In fact, after the deed, some goofy players, when interviewed, might righteously claim, "Believe it or not, it was the wallet that moved first..."
...But that's in a typical game's shop.
Yet come to think of it, would Youyu be such a routine-following, mediocre NPC?
Would he, like those merciless game merchants, trick players out of their hard-earned money with a hanging "50%OFF" sign?
Absolutely not!
Youyu proclaimed he'd pull a "150%UP" instead, with the shop's goods all going at fifteen times the price from today!
Yep, just that confident. When we play, we do it without following conventions, playing to break the mold.
After all, he's now the Duel King, with his worth multiplied, and the prices only rose this little—not many honest merchants like this around.
Besides, this price hike barely affects players' eagerness to spend Crystal Stone here.
The other crucial reason Youyu knows is because the public test is soon ending, and the main brigade of genuine players is about to arrive.
The end of the Duel City Arc also concludes the public test version, with the official server soon to launch, expectedly with hordes of players logging into this world.
Of course, such a massive player base can't possibly all cram into Domino—this city isn't big enough to accommodate so many at once.
Hence, players' birthplaces are randomly allocated within designated global system areas.
Only the public test players get to log into the famously titled "Duel City" in Domino City, and those later entering the game, who failed to enlist in the public test, won't start their game from this city.
About this, Youyu feels a bit regretful.
As newly logged-in players can only play and explore in their respective cities without the ability to reach Domino to seek Youyu anytime soon.
Thus, with the official server activated, he might venture around the entire Earth himself, harvesting his crop of new players...
No need for them to come; I'll personally go collect!
Youyu deeply believes that NPCs like himself, considerate and detailed in catering to others, are truly one of a kind.
Currently, it's clear the public test players wish to seize the chance before the official server kicks off, quickly doing some big spending here with Youyu to see if they can widen the gap from newbies ahead of the server's launch.
Of course, price rises won't go on thoughtlessly; Youyu considers the average Crystal Stone earnings by each player in Duel City and their recent spending limits to astutely calculate a feasible burden limit for them.
Since if the pricing makes it impossible for them to purchase, it would be pointless.
And for those unwilling to spend big bucks, believing in their European luck, Youyu thoughtfully opted to open a new function for them after the Duel City Arc.
That's the card box draw!
Stuffing hundreds of card packs into a box, each pack with three to five cards. Then listing possible cards in the box alongside it, highlighting the few most powerful with a large "UR" sign to entice players to draw.
If you are confident enough, thinking your luck is reflective enough to be a mirror, then here's a suggestion: don't merely buy cards, draw packs!
What if luck bursts forth—three URs in a single ten-pack draw?
Push your luck—turn a bicycle into a motorcycle.
Win a bet—turn a motorcycle into a jeep.
Sure enough, this product launch won unanimous praise from players. They flocked in these days, visible in the length of the queue outside showing customers' approval.
You see, a customer just finished opening packs and with tears of joy, clutching the newly revealed cards, rushed onto the street outside, with friends unable to hold him back.
(A passerby: I lost five thousand Crystal Stones, five thousand! Don't stop me, I'm not crazy…)
As Xue Lang came down, someone in the queue suddenly shouted, "Lang bro! Lang bro is here!"
The players were in an uproar, spontaneously making a path for him like the sea dividing before Moses.
Xue Lang felt inflated, extremely inflated!
See that? Tell me loudly, who is Youyu's ultimate buddy?
Xue Lang adjusted his collar and posed, holding his head high and striding forward with arrogance through the players.
Even those who painstakingly reached the counter quickly moved aside, only to surround him and chuckle.
Xue Lang couldn't help but feel on cloud nine.
This is the power of friendly points at 40—a membership to the invincible supreme VIP exclusive ultimate recharge path (self-named by Xue Lang).
This privilege is unique among players, granting the highest priority to spend on drawing packs at Youyu's shop!
When Xue Lang arrived, whether a guild leader, rich kid, famous streamer or pro player, all have to yield!
But before he reached the counter, someone nearby joked, "Lang bro, here to draw packs again today?"
Xue Lang snorted, approached the counter, and smiled at Youyu: "Youyu-san, let's… stick with the last pack this time."
"Any guess on whether Lang bro will get something today?"
"It's doubtful."
"Heard Lang bro's constant store discounts, Crystal Stones coming rapidly, yet luck doesn't follow."
"Can't help it, mysticism doesn't change fate, money doesn't cure bad luck…"
Upon hearing this, Xue Lang got angry, furrowing his brows and glaring: "I… I just hit a bad streak once! Everyone has moments of bad luck, right?"
"Once you say? I saw you draw packs yesterday morning, and spend three thousand Crystal Stones. All drowned, only yielded a furious lobster!"
Xue Lang's face turned bright red, veins bulging on his forehead, his expression eerily resembling the "Furious Lobster" card he revealed yesterday.
"Duelist's endeavors aren't called drowning! It's… it's building Bonds! Yes, the stones spent symbolize my Bonds with the Card Deck! Can you call that drowning?"
While speaking inexplicable terms, Xue Lang laid out a sizable handful of Crystal Stones again…