In the hall, there was a device surrounded by a translucent blue light barrier.
The instrument looked a bit odd, in the shape of a small table with complex and dense spell patterns on the table top. The patterns surrounded two rectangular pits, which seemed to be used to place synthesized cards.
There are two finger-thick antennas on the diagonals of the table, their purpose is unknown.
"This one, haha."
Feng Xiaohu smiled and introduced: "This is an ancient card shuffling device."
"Card shuffling device?"
When everyone heard this, they were all puzzled.
Because in their understanding, isn't it enough to just use the adaptive deck-making panel to shuffle the cards?
This is the first time I have seen this real machine.
"You don't know this."
Just when everyone was confused, Huichun also came out and said, "It is said that I am just saying it is said that."
"It is said that when the Cube Card Metaverse was first established, the card rules were far from what they are now."
"What we are experiencing now is the cube card that has gone through many version updates by the gods."
"At that time, all cards could be traded with each other."
"And there is no such thing as a deck of cards."
"This instrument was the special device that the players used to shuffle the cards at that time."
He walked over and patted the hard blue light barrier.
"That's why Lanlan City is called an ancient capital with a long history."
“At the beginning, this place was just a small town, and this instrument was a public device for the town at that time.”
Speaking of this, Huichun, who is from Lanlan City, showed a look of pride on her face.
"What do you mean? Does it mean that Lanlan City already existed when the Cube Metaverse was first established?"
Qingyu opened his eyes wide.
"Of course. You know, the world map wasn't as big as it is now."
"The population is also sparsely distributed. Some players who crossed over are even living as wild men in the wild."
"There are not many decent population centers, and Lanlan Town, the predecessor of Lanlan City, is one of them."
Huichun answered again.
"Haha, I've heard about the history of Lanlan City a long time ago."
Although Pingju is from the Hengjing Card Hall, this is actually his first time visiting the flagship store in Lanlan City.
He also reached out and touched the blue light barrier in front of him: "Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I feel really honored."
"I guess this antique, which has been around for who knows how many years, must have been used by a god before."
This question was asked to the duo of guides.
"Well, theoretically, there must have been one."
Feng Xiaohu smiled sheepishly: "But most of the history of that year has long been lost, so we don't know the details."
"After all, when the Cube Card Metaverse was first established, there were still many loopholes and the rules of the world were quite imperfect."
"There are often monsters and strange beasts from the left or right worlds that come through here."
"There will be PVE monsters everywhere, it will be a mess."
She said so.
"Lanlan Town was nearly destroyed by monster waves several times, but fortunately they had an extremely powerful army of card players at that time."
Huichun knew more about this aspect of history: "It's called - Lanlan Gun Regiment."
"Later, relying on the Lanlan Gun Regiment, Lanlan Town officially became the powerful Lanlan State."
"But the era of national rule didn't seem to last long. All the countries disintegrated due to the interference of gods, or changes in various aspects of the world."
“It eventually evolved into the utopian world we have today.”
"In the process, a lot of history was lost. We are lucky that the name of Lanlan City can be preserved."
After hearing what he said, many people's faces were filled with emotion.
Most of them knew some history of the Cube Metaverse, but not as much and in-depth as Huichun knew.
It can be heard that life was not easy for the first generation of time travelers, and the world at that time also sounded full of danger and chaos.
Without the subsequent intervention of the gods, there would definitely not be such a beautiful and peaceful world as it is today.
"What does the card player army and gunnery regiment mean?"
At this time, Shi Li raised his own question: "Are they card players or gunners?"
What he was more curious about were those ancient cards.
"How would I know that?"
Huichun looked at him and spread his hands, then continued: "When you have the opportunity to get a copy of the relevant historical review, go and take a look yourself."
Historical review copies refer to some copies that simulate and review major events in the Cube Metaverse.
They will also appear in random instances, but in very small numbers.
If you are able to arrive once and enter, you will not only be able to witness a lot of past history, but also have the opportunity to get cards from those periods.
Next, the duo of tour guides took them to visit the entire card hall.
Everyone in the traveling group was amazed wherever they went, after all, it was the first time they had seen a card hall of this size.
Only Shi Li had been shocked once in Card Hall No. 2 and didn't think it was a big deal.
After visiting the card hall, they visited some nearby attractions.
The afternoon is a rest time for them to recover from the long journey.
Shi Li was not in a hurry to go to those specialty stores he visited last time because he didn't have much money on hand.
With less than 20,000 yuan, you can’t buy anything. You can’t even afford an ordinary A-level material.
Moreover, the Cube Card Association in Lanlan City will organize all the players to gather tonight. The store is right in front of the association, so it won’t be too late to go and have a look then.
And just like that, it was evening.
Feng Xiaohu and Hui Chun are also contestants of this session, so I took them along.
Throughout the day, Huichun did not mention playing cards with Shi Li again, even though he did not achieve his goal in the end last time.
After getting in the car and talking, Shi Li realized that this guy wanted to save the opportunity for a more formal occasion.
That is, Huichun wanted to duel with Shili in the competition.
Hearing his words, Qingyu felt inexplicably familiar, so she smiled and said nothing.
The scale of the association in Lanlan City is naturally larger than theirs.
There were nearly several thousand contestants from various cities in the Lanlan competition area, but they seemed sparsely populated in the audience seats of the venue.
When almost everyone had arrived, a MC girl wearing a short skirt and with a petite and cute hunchback figure walked up to the center of the venue.
[Good evening, everyone]
[I am the host of this year's city competition, Tuotuo]
[You can also call me Hunchback Sister]
As she spoke, she also made a cute pose by sticking out her tongue.
"Sister Hunchback, a well-known host in the Balanced Region."
Huichun introduced Shi Li at the right time: "Her characteristic is that she likes to strike various poses, especially the second-year poses. Moreover, among all the hosts in the Hengjing region, she is the only one who can strike poses without making people feel awkward."
"At the same time, she herself doesn't feel awkward, which is even more rare."
Feng Xiaohu echoed.
[First of all, congratulations to everyone. You are all outstanding people who have stood out from your respective cities.]
[I will serve you throughout the entire Lanlan competition area]
[Now let’s get straight to the point and introduce the rules of the first round of competition]
[The first round of competition is——The strongest superpower copy! ]
"Wow!"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the audience.
Because if you want to know which dungeon format is the most brutal, it would naturally be the strongest dungeon.
In the strongest copy, players are required to fight in the most direct and original way.
And the number of players who advance is generally less than other types of dungeon competitions.
In other words, the competition is fierce.
[I won’t spoil the specific copy details here]
[However, I can give you a little hint in advance]
[You will be able to choose your own superpowers in this instance~! ]
(Optional)
When Shi Li heard this, he frowned slightly.
This means that his advantage in the super power competition is gone.
You can choose for yourself, and so can others.
[When everyone registered for entry just now, they had already received their personal communicators]
[If you have any questions, you can check directly on the communicator]
[Or find the staff around you for help]
After explaining the various rules and procedures of the first round, Sister Hunchback finally said this.
According to their different races, Shi Li and his companions were assigned an electronic information watch.
After a few random clicks, a small screen with a faint blue light popped up.
The information written above is basically what the host just introduced.
The call-up of the players tonight did not take up too much time, and was mainly just a briefing on pre-match matters.
Following the announcement by Sister Hunchback, these thousands of people dispersed on the spot.
Have a good night's rest, tomorrow is the start of the main competition.
Seeing that there was still plenty of time, Shi Li decided to go shopping in the specialty stores outside first.
In order to cater to the sudden influx of players, these stores will also be open 24 hours a day in the near future.
He had deliberately stayed in the venue for half an hour before leaving, but he found that the store was still crowded with customers.
After all, people like Shi Li and others are not so bad, as they are almost from third-tier cities.
Some of the contestants representing smaller cities came here to broaden their horizons and go shopping.
This crowded situation makes it very inconvenient for Shi Li to use his [Absolute Card Sense].
So he walked around for a few times casually, and asked Huichun, who was accompanying him, to take him to eat some local snacks and delicacies, and then went back to sleep.
The next day, the group came to the association again in high spirits.
At 8:30 in the morning, the area outside the association was already packed with spectators.
After all, this is a grand event that takes place every few years, and it’s more lively and exciting when more people watch it together.
The copy competition is also very popular with the audience.
Through special equipment, they can also see what is happening inside the copy.
Fortunately, the contestants have a dedicated channel, otherwise it would take half an hour just to squeeze through the crowd.
At nine o'clock in the morning, there were a total of 3,200 contestants in the Lanlan competition area. All of them arrived on time, with no one absent or late.
The association then arranged for them to draw lots.
There are any numbers from 1 to 32 on the lot, which means that all the players present are divided into 32 groups.
Among them, Pingju drew number 5, Feng Xiaohu drew number 9, and Huichun drew number 13.
Coincidentally, Shi Li and Qing Yu both drew number 21, which is a very small probability.
But the two of them didn't know each other.
Because from the moment the draw began, the association began to implement confidentiality measures to protect the players' information.
The so-called confidentiality measures are actually very simple.
That is the puppet operating cabin.
The contestant enters the puppet cabin arranged by the association and obtains a controllable puppet.
The puppet has an initial form, which is just a ball of light similar to a small elf from the elementals.
They all look the same, and it's impossible to tell which one is whose puppet.
Then this puppet is still mentally connected, able to move within a small area of ​​the venue + use the player's own cards + enter the dungeon.
[Okay, now all the contestants have finished drawing lots]
[Please start from Group 1 and enter the corresponding meeting room in turn]
The hunchback sister pointed to the aisle behind her.
32 large rooms are waiting for them.
After the first 20 groups had entered, Shi Li's other 99 group members also walked into conference room No. 21.
"Dear contestants, please feel free to take your seats."
“Once you are seated, you cannot change your seat.”
The staff who had been waiting for a long time gave them guidance.
Shi Li took a quick glance and saw that there was no difference between the seats.
All 100 contestants took their seats and waited there quietly.
No one knew who the light balls around were, so it was inconvenient for everyone to talk to them.
After about ten minutes, the contestants from each group should have taken their positions, and the display screen on the wall of the conference room flashed and a picture appeared.
In the picture, the hunchback sister is standing in front of the camera with a smile on her face.
[Dear contestants, please form your team now under the arrangement of the staff]
Shi Li was already familiar with this procedure.
The 100 people present must form a team before they can enter the dungeon.
Soon, everyone got together.
After each group of staff gave feedback, Sister Hunchback spoke again.
[Okay, now what I am going to announce next may not be something you like to hear]
[Because it will be more cruel]
[But there is no way, this is the game]
[Our elimination rate for this round of dungeon matches is 95%]
"Wow!"
As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately caused an uproar among the contestants.
A 95% elimination rate means that out of 100 contestants in each group, only 5 can advance to the next round!
It’s just like what Sister Hunchback said, so cruel!
Shi Li also frowned when he heard this. You know, he also participated in the dungeon elimination tournament last time he played in the Rising Star Comprehensive Tournament.
At that time, 100 people entered 32, although in the end there were less than 32 people.
But compared to 5 out of 100 people, it is still much more relaxed.
After saying this, Sister Hunchback deliberately left some time for everyone to react.
By the time she spoke again, everyone had fallen silent, waiting to hear her continue her introduction.
[Please note that there is no time limit for this dungeon competition]
[Until the top 5 in this group are determined]
[If there are only 6 players left and 2 players are eliminated at the same time, a short time rewind will be performed until the specific 5 players are separated]
[Other situations are similar]
"That means it's basically a fight to the death."
"And it's not like the last time in the Ancient Temple where you can eliminate additional contestants."
"For example, if there are 13 contestants left, and I eliminate 9 of them at the same time with one slap, then if there are less than 5 contestants left, we will go back in time."
Shi Li roughly understood the rules.
[Okay, now that I’ve finished talking about the serious stuff, let me tell you some lighthearted good news.]
At this time, the hunchback sister in the picture changed her tone.
[Also, I would like to remind all the contestants]
[You can also draw cards after this copy ends]
[And the card pool you draw this time is completely determined by the copy behavior]
[So after you enter, you must work hard~]
【Come on～! 】
The association has done a good job in this regard.
After all, many contestants have come from far away, and if some are eliminated in the first round and go home, we can't let them go back empty-handed with nothing.
But her words made Shi Li feel that there was something else behind it.
Because the usual dungeon card pool is also mostly determined by dungeon behavior.
So what will be different about this copy?
Amid this confusion, the staff began distributing replica crystals.
Shi Li took the crystal and checked it immediately.
[Instance Name: The Dilemma of the Dead Beast]
[Number of players in the dungeon: 100]
[Suitable level: Synchronization LV20]
【Time ratio: 1:1】
[Follower Card: 0, Equipment Card: 0]
"A copy of the dead beast?"
This kind of copy time is not unfamiliar.
After all, the first time he officially went into a dungeon, he entered the Zombie Beast dungeon.
The zombie cards I got from it are still used occasionally after upgrading.
[Are you sure you want to use up one copy opportunity? ]
Click Confirm immediately.
[Team structure detected]
[Duplicate key detected]
[Team and key matched successfully]
[The copy is opening...]
This time, there was no more embarrassing time when someone was on dungeon CD.
After all, we have come this far, and we have to fill up the cooldown even if we have to take drugs.
After a while, Shi Li felt his body gradually becoming lighter.
And his consciousness also began to turn.
(The name of the game, The Dilemma of the Dead Beast, sounds like it should be a survival-oriented dungeon.)
(As Pingju introduced earlier, it may be a model that requires eliminating competitors while coping with a harsh living environment.)
(Although it is definitely a different world from the previous [City of Zombies], at least this time when I first saw the zombies, I was able to adapt immediately and was no longer afraid.)
Gradually, my eyelids began to feel heavy.
He closed his eyes uncontrollably, and when he opened them again, Shi Li found himself in a pure white space.
Not far away, a ball of white light slowly floated over.
"Choose your own superpower, right? Come on."
Shi Li stood there and waited quietly.
However, the cards that popped out were not as imagined.
When the ball of light floated in front of him, it suddenly split into many and turned into 14 balls of light.
The ball of light fell to the ground, and then transformed into projections.
[To maintain fair competition and avoid the impact of racial differences]
[This instance uses a unified body template and adapts to 100% synchronization rate]
[Please select your template from the following templates]
The voice that sounded in the pure white space gave Shi Li an answer to his puzzlement.
"..., using a unified body template, I understand."
After listening to it, he touched his chin with a strange look on his face.
"But why are they all humanoid zombie templates?"