Chapter Forty: The Roller Coaster of Jade Gambling

As soon as Li Zhen finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall grew even tenser. Everyone's gaze was fixed on him, waiting for his explanation of the so-called "roller coaster stone gambling."

"The roller coaster stone gamble is the most thrilling and also the most dangerous way to play in the world of stone gambling," Li Zhen said slowly, a hard-to-describe gleam in his eyes. "The rules are simple, but the process is fraught with variables and challenges."

He led us into another room, pointing to a long table at the center of the hall. It was the largest table I had ever seen, looking like a great ship sitting in the middle of the space. With a clap of Li Zhen's hands, someone came forward and whipped off the massive canvas covering the table, revealing its entire surface.

On the tabletop was a small train, reminiscent of a toy roller coaster. At one end of the table, a conveyor belt was directly connected to the train's carriage, which was built solidly.

"At one end, someone will keep placing raw stones onto the small train," Li Zhen explained. "As each stone passes in front of you, you'll have about five seconds to judge its authenticity and decide whether to take it or not! If you don't want it, let it pass!"

"If you pass on a stone and someone after you discovers it's valuable, the one who passed must compensate the discoverer with an amount equal to the stone's value!"

"As for authenticity, any stone worth less than a thousand is considered a fake and not eligible."

"If someone mistakenly judges a fake as genuine and bids a price, they must pay the amount they offered to the person ahead of them!"

Li Zhen paused, giving us a moment to digest the rules, and then continued, "Each participant must quickly assess the potential value of the raw stone within a limited time and bid accordingly. The bidder gains the stone, and anyone who misses out must compensate the bidder the same amount! But if, after the stone is cut, its value falls short of the bid, then the cutter must pay everyone else the equivalent amount in stones."

"If the winner is in the fifth position, they collect from the four ahead! If the loser is in the fifth position, they pay the four ahead!"

"Regardless, whoever cut the stone in the previous round must take the first position!"

Hearing this, my heart tightened. This game required not only an acute ability to distinguish genuine stones but also immense psychological resilience and decision-making skills. A single misstep could lead to a devastating loss. This was far more than just winner-takes-all! If the person in the first position was strong enough, they could utterly dominate those behind.

"Of course, to make things even more exciting," Li Zhen added with a faint smile, "each round lasts only one minute. If you don't bid within the time limit, it's considered a forfeit."

"Stones that are forfeited will be grouped in batches of ten. Once there are ten, another round of selection takes place. And if, among these ten forfeited stones, there's a genuine one—well, the last person to reach this circumstance will collect all the proceeds from the round!"

At this, everyone was shocked. Wasn't this system just one trap after another? Even with wins and losses along the way, if everyone kept forfeiting, in the end, a single strong player could scoop up all the prizes!

The hall was silent as everyone pondered the rules of this "roller coaster stone gambling."

Suddenly, Gao Youde let out a cold laugh and said, "Old Leopard Chen, this game of yours is truly heart-pounding. Are you trying to give us old bones a heart attack?"

Old Leopard Chen was completely unfazed by Gao Youde's taunt. "I drove you out of the market before, but it seems I didn't finish the job. You dare come back? This time, my goal is simple: to finish you off for good!"

With a slight smile, he retorted, "Youde, weren't you once called the Little Overlord of Stone Gambling? This kind of game should be nothing to you."

Gao Youde didn't reply, just stared coldly at Old Leopard Chen, a trace of disdain flickering in his eyes.

At that moment, Su Li unexpectedly stepped forward. She said calmly, "Mr. Li, this is indeed an interesting game. But I have a question: if someone intentionally forfeits, and then, during the second round of identification, claims everything, wouldn't that be unfair?"

Li Zhen shook his head and replied, "That's a great question. But if a stone passes four people and no one recognizes it, doesn't that show a lack of skill in stone gambling?"

At this, everyone nodded, thinking the rule was indeed well considered. If three or four people couldn't spot a winner… well, didn't that mean they just weren't good enough?

But just then, Sister Hong, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

"I think everyone seems to be overlooking something!"

"What is it?" Li Zhen asked.

"It's the question of how much money we have in our pockets," Sister Hong replied. At her words, a few contestants glanced at each other, suddenly understanding.

She continued, "We each have different amounts of funds. With such a large cash flow, if someone with less money runs out before they win, what happens then?"

The hall fell silent again as everyone considered this.

Li Zhen smiled, as if he'd foreseen the concern. He said slowly, "Sister Hong is right, this is an important issue. To ensure fairness and the continued play of the game, the market organizers will provide everyone with a credit line of ten million."

As soon as Li Zhen said this, the hall erupted in excitement.

Hu San couldn't help but whisper behind Wang Hu, "Look, look—the tiger's tail is showing! This is the real reason for holding this top-level stone gambling event!"

Amidst the discussions, Old Leopard Chen snorted, "What, I'm just making a bit of money here. Does that bother you all so much?"

Gao Youde, hearing him, raised his voice, "Old Leopard Chen, you’re the house and a participant. Isn't that a conflict of interest? I have every reason to suspect you might cheat during the game!"

The hall immediately fell silent, all eyes turning to Old Leopard Chen again. The smile never left his face. He gently clapped his hands, signaling for calm.

"Gao Youde, you're being unreasonable," he said serenely, though his eyes glinted coldly. "If I dare propose this game, I have full confidence in ensuring its fairness. Besides, stone gambling is a contest of intellect and guts—are you afraid?"