Unfazed by the setback, Liu Xiaoyu rubbed her nose, "Hehe, not bad, Boss. But I only let you take the first hit!"
Many from the audience bit on Xiaoyu's attempt to bluff, cheering for her to take down her 'Boss'.
But Lin Mo played along as the hype around their match was much needed.
In his head, he was already calculating the number of card packs they were going to sell.
He's even thinking of having the divine beings create some kind of arcade machine that could also run the Celestial Duel Platform in a virtual space. That one could be used by mortals or those who didn't want a flashy Celestial Duel. They can just sit down and play there.
He's also considering vending machines. That way, they will have an alternate way to draw new cards.
Or maybe it can expand to more than just that. He can have the Distributor set up various vending machines in different places as a mini extension of the store.
But well, those can be considered once the game is properly propagated throughout the region and the store's influence can draw in every customer.
"Sure. If you say so. Let's proceed to the next round. But Xiaoyu, let me hit you again and I'll end this match right away." Lin Mo responded according to the hype, drawing cheers from the others as well.
He saw Elder Chu in the crowd but no Yu Qingyan. Clearly, she's still preparing for her first trip as the Divine Convenience Store's Official Distributor.
"Booo! Watch me thrash you, Boss! You'll buy me a combat technique manual out of your pocket"
"Oh? Do you want to start a bet?"
"Why not? It raises the stake, is it not?" Liu Xiaoyu grinned before furtively winking. Her eyes shone with the same glint as the precious spirit stones.
She's deliberately hinting at the audience to start a betting stall where a part of it would be handed over to the store.
Since Xiao Ya was left to tend to the store and Yangyang monitoring the whole place while answering customer concerns from the hotline calls, a non-store employee had to start it.
Of course, there's someone who instantly volunteered with that.
"Benefactor! I will start a betting stall! I will hand over 20% to the Store!" Zhou Rui's voice echoed in Lin Mo's mind, sending a voice transmission.
He then stood up and announced, "Come and place your bets! Who will win the first Celestial Duel? The odds are 1.5 to 2! The minimum bet is 1 intermediate-grade spirit stone!"
While more than half of the audience crowded Zhou Rui to place their bets, the golden screen flickered as the system automatically transitioned to the next phase.
[Round 2: Setting Phase. Start!]
Boss and assistant winked at each other before they put on the mask of seriousness to sell the hype.
Shortly after, their Celestial Gear glowed blue as they drew two more cards from their decks.
The golden screen showed what was added to their hands.
-Celestial Barrier (Spell)
-Thunderclap Fang (Spell)
[Liu Xiaoyu's New Hand]
-Starlit Idol Ascension (Spell)
-Luminous Echo Duo (Unit - Level 3)
As always, Liu Xiaoyu's reaction was too over the top, causing eyes to be glued on her, "Ooooh, this is gonna be fun! Boss! Look at this!"
She didn't wait for Lin Mo to respond as she immediately played her next move, setting down her cards.
"I summon the Luminous Echo Duo!"
Two dazzling figures appeared. Identical twin idols in luminous white dresses. Their voices harmonized as golden energy radiated from them. They struck stylish poses as their presence exuded a commanding aura.
They stood next to the Sapphire Melody, their clear voices humming an upbeat tune.
She then added with a grin."And I set two Spell Cards down!"
-Sapphire Melody (Level 3)
-Luminous Echo Duo (Level 3)
The audience cheered for the girl and her 'Idol' units while some started feeling the shift in momentum. They felt like Xiaoyu could truly turn the situation around with what she had in her hand.
Nevertheless, Lin Mo simply put on an enigmatic smile, unbothered by Xiaoyu's confidence.
He glanced at his hand and placed cards onto his field.
"I set two Spell Cards face down. And for my summon, I'll call forth Starfire Hatchling."
A small, glowing phoenix chick materialized, flickering with tiny embers. Though it was merely a Level 1 unit, its potential was not to be underestimated.
It's a cute chick that many female disciples adored right away. When it chirped, some of them fainted from its cuteness.
-Azure-winged Griffin (Level 3)
-Stormfang Wolf (Level 2)
-Starfire Hatchling (Level 1)
Soon the golden screen announced the end of the phase.
[Round 2: Battle Phase. Start!]
Liu Xiaoyu winked. "Boss, I'm going on the offensive again! Activate Starlit Idol Ascension!"
A golden light enveloped Sapphire Melody as her form shimmered and transformed. Her outfit changed into a celestial dress embroidered with glowing star patterns, and her microphone became a staff with a crystalline star at the tip.
[Starlit Idol Ascension – Effect]
-Transforms a Harmonic-type Unit into its stronger form at the cost of two cards in the Celestial Duelist's hand. -500 Celestial Energy to the Duelist if there's not enough
As soon as the spell activated, the remaining card in her hand, the [Shooting Star Performance - Spell Card] was sent to her discard pile and her Celestial Energy went down to 3000.
Following that, the Sapphire Melody transformed into the Diamond Melody, a Level 4 unit.
Its imposing presence made Lin Mo's phoenix chick hide behind the Azure-winged Griffin.
But she's not done yet as the girl waved her hand, activating the other Spell Card she set up, the [Celestial Idol Transformation].
Golden radiance flared up as the Spell Card took effect.
The dazzling twins, Luminous Echo Duo, harmonized their voices, causing their forms to shimmer and fuse into one. A new idol emerged. [Celestial Harmony Diva], a Level 4 Unit with flowing golden hair and a radiant white dress.
[Celestial Idol Transformation – Effect]
- Sacrifice a Unit to summon another Unit one level higher from the deck.
The audience gasped as Liu Xiaoyu pulled off another transformation. While the effect was quite similar to the first one, this only cost her of sacrificing the unit. It's clearly a Spell Card with a higher rarity.
[Updated Status – Liu Xiaoyu's Field]
-Sapphire Melody (Level 3) > Diamond Melody (Level 4)
-Luminous Echo Duo (Level 3) > Celestial Harmony Diva (Level 4)
"Boss, your field is looking kinda weak now," She teased while striking a playful pose. "I hope you're ready, 'cause I'm about to drop the beat on you!"
Lin Mo merely smirked. "Oh? I'm looking forward to it."
His response only fueled the hype further, and the crowd roared in excitement.
Slowly, they're understanding how this card game works. And with stunning visuals, they're thoroughly invested in how this match would end.
Liu Xiaoyu wasted no time. "Diamond Melody, attack the Griffin with Starlit Aria!"
Her idol raised its instrument and strummed, unleashing a powerful shockwave of light and sound toward Lin Mo's griffin.
Lin Mo smirked. "Nice try but you cannot simply attack, you know? Starfire Hatchling. Go and block it for the griffin!"
The cowardly chick hiding from behind the griffin immediately flashed in front, taking the attack from the Azure-winged Griffin.
It pierced through the chicken and hit Lin Mo, reducing his Celestial Energy to 3500.
[Updated Status – Lin Mo's Celestial Energy: 5,000 > 3500]
Liu Xiaoyu huffed. "Even if you blocked it with a weaker unit, you're still hurt Boss! You cannot hope to cope against my Level 4 Units!"
"Is that what you think? No more shields this time. I activate the [Thunderclap Fang]! Stormfang Wolf, you're up! Bite that fatigued Melody!"
The silver wolf growled and leaped toward the Diamond Melody. It tried to block with another strum of its instrument. A powerful clash erupted in the center of the arena, and after a moment, both the wolf and Diamond Melody disappeared and got transferred to the discard pile.
"Pfft! Boss! You sacrificed your unit to take down one of mine! What will you do now? I still have the Celestial Harmony Diva!"
Lin Mo chuckled. "Don't worry. You can attack me with that but… I have another Spell Card here. Activate, [Summon Reinforcement]!"
"Oh? What's that gotta do, Boss? Even if you summon another wolf. It won't be able to block my Diva."
"Who says it'll summon a wolf? Come. I believe in my luck. Draw!"
[Summon Reinforcement – Effect]
- Summon a random Unit from the deck to the field.
Before everyone's eyes, a golden card flew out from Lin Mo's deck and turned face up for everyone to see.
Liu Xiaoyu's smug grin immediately turned into horror as she exclaimed, "B-boss! That's cheating!"
"It's random. Didn't the card say that? Unfortunately for you, I have my Celestial Providence - Heaven's Favor. I'm naturally lucky." Lin Mo proudly declared.
Soon enough, a humongous Celestial Beast appeared in the field. A Level 5 Unit.