Even a small stall had dozens of extremely dangerous ingredients. This Gourmet Casino was indeed a place where crime occurred.
However, the levels were not high, nor were they rare. They were simply illegal, which made them difficult to obtain.
Take the Slender Ginseng Grass, for instance. Every year, large numbers of people sought it, including criminal organizations, entertainment venues, and even some households.
Some hospitals even used it in small doses to treat frigidity and difficulties in conception.
It could also be used to enhance the reproductive capabilities of some rare and infertile species. It could be said that medicine itself was not right or wrong; it depended on how it was used.
With this realization, Zhang Wei no longer felt any hesitation and began to purchase items in large quantities, even to the point of clearing out stalls.
"Customer, though my stall may not look large, I have at least one hundred thousand Berries worth of goods. How do you plan to pay?"
With a wave of his hand, a Perfect-grade Icefield Yak, priced at three hundred and thirty thousand Berries!
This was enough for Zhang Wei to clear out two stalls.
With another wave, Vitamin C Salt, Perfect-grade, priced at 150 Berries per kilogram. He immediately bought over twenty tons.
Zhang Wei didn't bother looking at the rest, simply clearing out whatever was available at each stall.
"Hmm... Poisoned Puffer Whale? I'll pass on this one."
The stall owner had never seen such a wealthy customer and immediately recommended another type of pufferfish!
[Discovered Storable Ingredient: Volt Tiger Pufferfish!]
[Capture Level: 25]
[Eating Level: 20]
[Description: Because it is too delicious, in order to prevent attacks from external enemies, it automatically generates super voltage within its body. Due to the powerful electricity it carries, no external enemies attack it, allowing its inherent deliciousness to slowly brew from birth.]
Huh?
There were still non-poisonous ingredients? This was truly surprising.
The stall owner explained, "Sir, you jest. What kind of goods can't be found in a Gourmet Casino? Not everyone who comes here is seeking death through poison. There are plenty of normal, delicious ingredients."
Volt Tiger Pufferfish were a type of highly dangerous fish. Although they were herbivorous, they were fierce and protective of their territory, using super currents to attack entire bodies of water and cause mass extinctions.
To protect the ecosystem, in many countries, Volt Tiger Pufferfish were banned from cultivation, and any found in the wild were subject to extermination policies.
This meant that a single Volt Tiger Pufferfish could represent disaster for an entire body of water.
Zhang Wei nodded, "The existence of this fish itself is illegal..."
The price of gourmet ingredients like the Volt Tiger Pufferfish was significantly higher than that of narcotic-type items, often costing hundreds of thousands of Berries.
Zhang Wei estimated that their profit margin was at least 85%. These special, dangerous creatures were mostly obtained through poaching. As exclusive distributors of such ingredients, the Gourmet Casino would sell them at extremely high prices!
After sweeping through the outer areas, Zhang Wei had spent approximately two billion Berries, bringing prosperity to almost all the stall owners.
Next was the core area, the casino district, known as the Labyrinth of Desires. Besides Zhang Wei, other forces were also present, conducting transactions or gambling.
"It's truly magnificent!"
"The decorative style here is unheard of, so extravagantly luxurious that every square meter smells of money. One can only imagine the immense profits of the Gourmet Casino."
…
Zhang Wei's Gourmet Bank was also a risk-free business, with countless accumulated riches and gourmet foods. However, Zhang Wei had expanded employee benefits, allowing every laborer involved in construction to have a wide selection of gourmet foods.
Better to invest in people than in houses!
"There are no tokens or anything, they still use primitive bartering. Their technology is far inferior to five hundred years ago..."
"The games themselves aren't that varied: slot machines... poker... dice... billiards... roulette... horse racing... beast racing..."
Subsequently, Zhang Wei was like a destructive force.
When he saw ingredients he liked, he would directly propose an exchange, offering double the market price, making people suspect fraud or that they had encountered a fool.
However, for gamblers lacking betting capital, Zhang Wei was exactly the kind of person they needed. The Sushi Salt, Salt Essence, Perfect-grade Rock Rice, and Perfect-grade Vitamin C Salt in Zhang Wei's possession were all high-quality goods in astonishing quantities.
Even the appraisers of the Gourmet Casino regarded him with respect.
[Discovered Storable Ingredient: Poison Star]
[Discovered Storable Ingredient: Electric Banana]
[Discovered Storable Ingredient: Narcotic Snail]
…………
The harvest was abundant.
Next was the second floor, where the ingredient levels increased from 1-20 to 20-40. The quantity was much smaller, but the atmosphere was even more oppressive.
Zhang Wei also found a suitable project for himself.
[Discovered Storable Ingredient: Gambling Blueberry]
[Capture Level: 25]
[Eating Level: 40]
[Description: Blueberries with an exquisite taste, but one out of every ten contains a deadly poison. Eating it results in immediate death!]
A gambler, with sweat beading on his forehead, was selecting from hundreds of blueberries.
His gambling capital was depleted, and he owed a large debt. However, if he could consecutively eat 15 Gambling Blueberries without dying, he would receive a prize of 500,000 Berries!
Meanwhile, a crowd around him was betting on when this man would die.
The 15th berry!
The gambler swallowed it whole, the deliciousness spreading through his taste buds. A random gambler exclaimed with joy, "I'm not dead, I'm not dead! Hahaha, 500,000, I earned 500,000!"
At this moment, the dealer beside him said, "Would you like to quit now? If you continue eating, the 16th berry will earn an additional 150,000 prize money, and the 17th berry will earn an additional 200,000..."
"If you quit, the next time you participate in the blueberry gamble, you'll have to start from the beginning, and only reach the 15th berry to receive a prize!"
The gambler gasped.
He had managed a hotel for half his life and had only saved a little over 100,000 Berries.
Now, eating just one berry could earn him that much?
And... if he participated again, he would have to start from the 15th...
Just three more berries and he could earn another 600,000...
The risk was much smaller than starting over!
Eat!
The 16th...
The 17th...
The 18th...
Still no poisoning!
The gambler's eyes were bloodshot, and he panted heavily. The surrounding crowd also roared with excitement. The fervent atmosphere caused the gambler's already diminished rationality to further fade!
"Sir, the 19th berry will earn an additional 300,000 prize money, and the 20th berry will earn 1,000,000!"
One million!
Adding the previous 500,000, 600,000, and 300,000, that was a total of 2,400,000!
"Do you wish to continue?"
Zhang Wei looked at the tray, remaining silent.
The gambler, in a frenzy, picked up two Gambling Blueberries and stuffed them into his mouth!
"Now!"
"Give me the money!"
A thunderous cheer erupted!
Someone had actually managed to eat twenty Gambling Blueberries!
He cleared the round!
The casino, true to its word, packed the 2,400,000 Berries worth of ingredients into boxes.
This scene was witnessed by other desperate gamblers, and soon, a long queue formed for the blueberry gamble.