Everyone was stunned as they watched Brandon suddenly collapse to the ground. Their eyes widened in disbelief, and their mouths hung agape.
Nobody had anticipated Brandon, a renowned talent of the Celestial Alliance’s top ten, to be defeated by an unknown opponent.
With his reputation, he should have been dominating Group C. They couldn’t understand how he could be defeated so quickly.
The spectators began questioning Brandon’s ability and wondered if Carter was stronger than him.
“It’s over! We’re screwed!”
“Dammit! What’s Brandon doing? How can he lose to a nobody? What a useless bastard!”
“The top ten talents of the Celestial Alliance? Bullshit!”
“Fuck you, Brandon! You’ve really messed me up this time!”
“Shit! I’ve lost all my celestial stones!”
After a moment of silence, the venue erupted into a chorus of sorrowful cries and frustrated curses.
Brandon’s defeat dealt a heavy blow to the gamblers who had placed their bets earlier. They faced devastating losses, not just forfeiting their winnings but also their initial bets.
Some had gone as far as taking loans. They were expecting a windfall, only to end up losing everything.
“How could this happen?” Ruby’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She struggled to come to terms with the outcome. Plus, she had wagered her entire fortune on the bet. Such a turn of events was beyond her imagination.
“No… it can’t be! It was supposed to be a sure win! How could Brandon lose?” Miles was devastated. His face paled, and his fingers trentbled.
In the previous rounds, he had held back and refrained from betting everything due to his lack of confidence in winning.
But this time, his certainty in Brandon’s victory led him to wager all his celestial stones, only to face bitter disappointment.
For a moment, he struggled to accept reality.
“Miles, didn’t you say earlier that we’d win? What do we do now?” Ruby was devastated.
After all, high hopes often led to big letdowns. Brandon’s loss had dragged her from cloud nine to rock bottom.
“I…” Miles was rendered speechless by the question. He wondered what else they could do now.
They had already lost, so they could only chalk it up to bad luck.
They couldn’t imagine snatching the celestial stones from the Mystic Arts Order. Who would dare to provoke them? What if they failed to retrieve the stones and ended up losing their lives?
With Brandon unable to continue, the referee promptly declared the match’s result, “This round winner is contestant number 54, Carter Lane!”
In an instant, the arena echoed with a chorus of curses.
Brandon endured a barrage of curses and insults that even involved his family. Even the Celestial Alliance’s reputation took a major hit.
After all, for Brandon, ranked among the top ten in the Celestial Alliance, to be defeated by an unknown newcomer was undeniably humiliating.
“Too bad. You were so close to winning. “Abigail shook her head, feigning regret while inwardly feeling overjoyed.
This round, she recovered her initial investment and emptied the gamblers’ pockets. She had quite a lucrative outcome.
“Sir! You said we’d win, so why did things turn out like this?” one person turned accusingly to the man in gray.
“Yeah! I bet everything I had, and now it’s all gone. What am I supposed to do?
“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t given us such a terrible choice, we wouldn’t be in this mess!”
“That’s right! You must compensate us for our losses today!”
The gamblers grew more agitated and directed their anger toward the man in gray.
“Are you blaming me? Did I force you to go all in?” the man in gray retorted.
He continued, “You were smiling when you were winning. But now that you’ve lost, you’re pointing fingers at me? That’s some twisted logic.
“Besides, I never promised a guaranteed win. You were greedy enough to follow my lead. And don’t think you’re the only one who lost. I’ve also lost everything!”
His words silenced the accusations around him.
Though they struggled to accept it, the man in gray was right. After all, he hadn’t forced them to follow him. If they lost, they couldn’t point fingers anywhere but at themselves.
“Damn it! What a bunch of backstabbers! I’m done playing with you all!” After his outburst, the man in gray stormed off.
The gamblers exchanged confused looks and sighs.
But nobody noticed that when the man in gray left, he glanced at Carter in the ring.
“So, that’s the plan, huh? Pretty slick,” Dustin muttered with a smirk.
Earlier, he couldn’t quite decipher Abigail’s strategy and pondered how she managed to turn her losses into wins. But now, he finally understood her plan.
She had it all planned out. Even before the betting began, she had everything prepared.
First, she arranged for her people to be in Group C. These individuals deliberately hid their true abilities while waiting for the right moment to act.
Then, Abigail arranged a guiding beacon, the man in gray. She bolstered the man’s reputation through a series of consecutive wins.
Then, she orchestrated him to entice the gamblers into mindlessly following his lead in betting.
When the man in gray gained enough popularity and credibility with his words, it would signal the time to spring the trap.
In simple terms, the betting pool was just a meticulously designed scheme from start to finish.
Whether it was the man in gray or the recently victorious Carter, they were both pawns in Abigail’s game. The outcome hinged on her manipulation.
Her confidence stemmed from her control over the situation. She wasn’t worried about the gamblers winning the bet.
Instead, she knew that manipulating the outcome of a single game could easily help her recoup her investment.
Essentially, all the present gamblers were her harvested crops. The timing of her actions depended entirely on her preferences.
“One failure means nothing. Come on, everyone, keep betting. You’ll win it back sooner or later,”
Abigail shouted and continued to entice more bets.
With plenty of spectators present, she could harvest one batch of crops now and another later.
She knew the gamblers would refuse to accept defeat and try to recoup their losses. Even if they were penniless, they could still borrow money. This fact made them valuable targets for Abigail to exploit.
“Crystal, you still have some celestial stones, right? Lend me some, and I’ll pay you back as soon as I win!”
Suddenly, Miles turned to Crystal beside him. His eyes were brimming with eagerness.
She could tell he had become addicted to gambling.
