Spellcasting Gods

Chapter 0824 Nazes

A few hours later, in the top-floor office of the Violet House Entertainment Center, an elderly man who looked to be in his seventies or eighties stood in front of a table, sweating profusely, his face filled with tension and fear.

Because he was none other than another guy in the New York underworld who smuggled magical creatures, known as the half-sibling siren—Nazes.

Of course, this old fox was much more cunning than Abraham Borroman. Not only did he openly run a freight company, but he also made sure to use the money he earned to bribe everyone, so much so that even though the lords and councilors knew what kind of business he was doing in secret, they all chose to turn a blind eye.

But today, the old fox finally suffered a major setback.

He never dreamed that the task he originally intended to use to annoy his competitors would be taken over by a young and beautiful witch.

What's even more terrifying is that this little witch is also the girlfriend of a member of the Supreme Council.

Shock!

panic!

Scared!

After all, he wasn't an idiot. He understood that no matter how many people he bribed, he couldn't change the established fact that he had violated the rules. So if this young senator was determined to kill him, he would have absolutely no chance to resist.

“Nazes, tell me, what should I do with you?” Zhang Cheng tapped the table lightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Sir, I swear, this is just a misunderstanding, a coincidence. I had no intention of taking advantage of this young lady," the old man hurriedly bowed deeply and tried his best to explain.

There's no way I don't work my ass off!

The underworld has never been concerned with the rule of law, nor does it have the almost laughable jury system. As long as the lord and councilors confirm that some unfortunate person has violated the rules, they have the right to arrest him, and in serious cases, they can be executed directly.

"Why should I believe you? Or to put it another way, what right do you have to make me let you go?" Zhang Cheng made no attempt to hide the malice in his heart.

As someone who likes to speculate about other people's psychological activities from the perspective of the dark side of human nature, he prefers to believe that this is a test of his bottom line, rather than some bullshit coincidence.

There aren't that many coincidences in the world!

Compared to coincidences, ubiquitous conspiracies and schemes are the norm in this world.

"What do you want?" Nazes asked cautiously, mustering his courage.

“Don’t worry, I don’t intend to kill you, at least not this time. But you must understand that there is a price to pay for doing anything wrong. Abraham Borroman paid with all his savings over the years to save his life, what about you?” Zhang Cheng hinted meaningfully.

Pay money to save your life!

The thought flashed through old Nazes's mind instantly, and he hurriedly calculated in his mind how much wealth he would need to offer to satisfy the young member of the Supreme Council before him.

It's important to understand that he's not some nouveau riche like Abraham Borroman. Aside from smuggling magical creatures, he's involved in a whole host of shady businesses, including underground casinos, deathmatch clubs, and exotic erotic services. Some of these businesses even involve collaborations with lords, making his influence far-reaching.

Normally, through these alliances and relationships, he is the one who causes trouble for others; he has never been the one caused trouble for others.

But now, facing the true power at the pinnacle of the underworld, the old man suddenly realized that the power he had painstakingly built was like a wooden house built on the beach without a foundation; once a terrible storm came, everything would vanish.

Filled with intense resentment, old Nazes hesitated for about two or three minutes before gritting his teeth and replying, "I'm willing to offer 100,000 gold dinars! Plus 1.4 billion US dollars!"

"Wow!" Elizabeth screamed and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

It was only at this moment that she realized the incredible wealth of the underground world.

In particular, the US dollar, which ordinary people dream of, is treated as a mere accessory here, used to cover price differences in important transactions, rather than being used as the primary currency.

Zhang Cheng glanced at the girl with a smile, then said to the old man, "You're very clever. You offered me a price that satisfied me on the first try, so we're even about this matter. Remember, don't try to be clever again, and don't test my limits, or I guarantee you won't have this opportunity again."

“Understood! I swear on my life that I will never do such underhanded things again.” Nazes wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed deeply.

“Very good! I hope you can keep your word. Also, I seem to have heard that you own a cruise ship in New York and regularly host gambling and fighting matches on board?” Zhang Cheng asked with great interest.

Nazes nodded quickly: "Yes, sir. Once a week, only residents of the underworld, as well as politicians and wealthy people who know about the underworld and serve us."

"That sounds interesting. What exactly is this so-called deathmatch?"

"As the name suggests, it involves two people betting their lives on a no-holds-barred fight in a ring until one of them is completely dead. This tradition actually originated in the gladiatorial arenas of ancient Rome, but was abolished for various reasons, only to revive a hundred years ago. Rest assured, our competitors are all volunteers; they fight for wealth, fame, and status, with absolutely no element of performance. That's why countless people are willing to pay exorbitant prices to watch, and even gamble heavily on their matches..."

As an organizer and initiator, old Nazes clearly invested a great deal of energy and emotion into this brutal battle, his tone filled with pride.

After all, deep within human nature lies the desire for destruction and killing. Otherwise, sports like free fighting, boxing, wrestling, and martial arts wouldn't be so popular, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue every year. Some people even feel that these sports aren't exciting or bloody enough, so they start organizing illegal fighting competitions where the goal of defeating an opponent is to cripple or kill them.

Of course, all of this is child's play in the eyes of the underworld.

Take old Nazes as an example. The participants in his sea death fights are all guys with transformation abilities or supernatural powers. The fights are more entertaining and exciting than any other kind of fighting, which naturally attracts countless wealthy guests.

When wealthy people get together, they certainly won't just watch the games; gambling naturally arises from this.

Thinking of this, Zhang Cheng turned to Elizabeth, who was immersed in joy, and asked, "Darling, would you be interested in relaxing with me and experiencing the death-defying combat of the underworld?"

"Great! It would be best to bring Elsa along too!" The girl nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

Chapter 0825 Hugging Thighs

Three days later, at dusk, a brightly lit cruise ship named Phoenix slowly sailed away from New York Harbor and headed into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean.

Although on the surface it may not seem much different from other recreational seagoing vessels, with its own luxurious restaurants, dance floors, swimming pools, cabins, casinos, and even some live performances.

But all the guests who boarded the ship knew that it was all just a facade to deceive and mislead ordinary people.

In fact, without an invitation from the host, even if the US president or the world's richest man came, don't expect to be able to set foot on the deck.

This is a special club for a select group of people, similar to a membership system. Only by going through layers of screening can one become a member. Moreover, each member must ensure that they spend at least 200 gold dinars and 5 million US dollars a year, otherwise they will be ruthlessly expelled.

In return, they can witness the bloodiest, most violent, and most sensory-stimulating life-or-death struggles on the planet.

There are no restrictions!

There are also no rules!

As long as you can kill your opponent, it doesn't really matter whether you fight bare-handed or use weapons or magic.

As the Phoenix sailed out of U.S. territorial waters, the first match soon began in the enormous cage set up on the foredeck.

As an appetizer before the main course, it naturally couldn't be too exciting. It was just two werewolves fighting each other after transforming. Although it looked quite exciting with blood and gore flying everywhere, the skill level was really not that high. Only about a third of the people stood around watching. Judging from the extremely excited expressions on their faces, it was not hard to tell that they were all newcomers who had just entered the circle.

Young people, in particular, kept waving their fists and shouting, and some even threw in tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in chips to bet, enjoying the intense stimulation that the modern civilized world could never provide.

"Go! Bite him! Bite that damn bastard!"

"Tear open his chest with your claws! Blood! We want to see more blood!"

"Fuck! This is fucking awesome! Forget $100,000 for a ticket, I'd think it's a steal even if it were $200,000 or $300,000!"

……

Glancing at the bloodthirsty expressions on the faces of these upper-class elites dressed in expensive suits and sexy evening gowns, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but laugh and sigh, "Humans are always so hypocritical, aren't they? They shout against war, violence, and killing, but deep down they crave blood."

“You’re absolutely right! You know what? I’ve been in this business for over forty years, and I’ve sent invitations to countless powerful figures who serve the Supreme Council, but I’ve never been refused. On the contrary, every guest who has participated in the deathmatch becomes addicted to it, even those so-called gentle and virtuous ladies.” Old Nazes grinned, revealing sharp teeth hidden beneath his normal appearance.

Generally speaking, business owners don't need to go on every voyage.

But in order to please the young alchemist and member of the North American Supreme Council, he took the initiative to follow him, hoping to use this opportunity to improve their relationship.

Ideally, a private agreement would be reached, with the above profits exchanged for the other party's protection.

In this way, although less money is earned, safety is fully guaranteed, and anyone who wants to cause trouble will have to consider the seriousness of the consequences.

Collusion between officials and businessmen—that's the ultimate goal a businessman can achieve.

Many people may mistakenly believe that the so-called "free capitalism" in the West means that the government does not interfere with the market and allows companies to compete with each other, ultimately allowing the better companies to stand out and become the leaders in a certain industry.

However, this is only a theoretical state. In practice, no country would suppress foreign companies and support its own companies to expand overseas and seize markets without using a series of administrative measures such as tariffs, subsidies, and fines.

Any enterprise that reaches a certain size cannot go very far without the support of the state. It will either be acquired and merged by a powerful financial capital group or be suppressed by a more powerful foreign counterpart, and will inevitably head towards bankruptcy.

Although Nazes the Elder had not studied these complex issues, he was well aware of the importance of having a strong backer.

As the saying goes, you should choose the thickest thigh to cling to, and Zhang Cheng is the thickest thigh he can currently reach.

"Yes! Modern humans always think they are civilized, desperately trying to deny the violent and bloody history of the past, denying the instinct for killing and destruction inherent in their genes. They simply don't understand that human civilization has come this far precisely because of barbarity and violence. On this ship, everyone has unleashed their true nature, which is why they feel happy and experience a release of inner strength," Zhang Cheng commented meaningfully, pursing his lips.

Without a doubt, he liked the atmosphere on the deck at that moment, and even more so the strong resonance caused by the soul breaking free from its constraints.

Just as Nazes was about to say something more, a deafening cheer suddenly erupted around the cage.

One of the werewolves tore off another werewolf's arm with its sharp teeth, then spat out the flesh and blood in its mouth, and bit down hard on its opponent's throat, severing its head from its neck, and howling piercingly.

"Awooo!!!!"

Such a bloody scene immediately ignited the enthusiasm of all the spectators, and some even took out large amounts of chips and threw them into the cage as a reward for the victor of this life-or-death struggle.

Elizabeth, pulling her sister along, ran from a distance, shouting excitedly, "Darling! I won! I won!"

"Oh? How much did you win?" Zhang Cheng asked, feigning interest.

"Three hundred thousand! I won three hundred thousand dollars! And that killing just now, it was like being a beast." The girl was clearly in a state of extreme excitement, her whole body trembling slightly.

Elsa even took off her coat, leaving her only in a close-fitting tank top. She seemed to still be in shock, occasionally turning back to look at the staff handling the corpses in the cage, completely unable to believe that a fight could actually be a matter of life and death.

"I'm glad you like it! Have fun today. I have some things I want to talk to Nazes about." Zhang Cheng gently kissed his girlfriend's cheek and casually handed her a gold dinar suitcase.

"So many! All for me?" Elizabeth stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the sight of several thousand gold dinars.

"Of course! Don't restrain yourself, do whatever you want. Isn't that the purpose of this ship's existence?"

After saying that, Zhang Cheng gave the old man beside him a look.

The latter understood immediately and beckoned to one of his men, whispering a few words into his ear.

A short while later, the guy disappeared down the corridor with the two girls...

Chapter 0826 Unexpected Surprise

Sitting in the most luxurious room on the entire ship, Zhang Cheng picked up his glass, took a small sip of expensive wine, and then asked with a half-smile, "There are no outsiders here anymore. Tell me, what do you want from me?"

“It is protection, Your Excellency, Congressman. Perhaps in your eyes I am just an insignificant businessman walking on the edge of the gray area, but in fact I also have ideals and goals.” Old Nazes downed a full glass of strong liquor in one gulp and replied, licking his lips.

"Ideals?" Zhang Cheng raised his eyebrows with interest.

He couldn't imagine that an old fox who would stop at nothing to get ahead could still have ideals.

“That’s right! Ideal!” Nazes nodded with utmost seriousness. “I believe you have already felt the allure of deathmatch! It’s like a sharp axe that can cut the chains deep within people’s hearts and release the beasts that have been tightly bound. What I desire is to unify the deathmatches that are currently taking place secretly around the world and create a real league so that more people can participate.”

“A league? That’s a crazy idea!” Zhang Cheng’s face showed undisguised surprise. “I have to admit, I was taken aback by your ambition. You have to understand, death fighting is not a project approved by the Supreme Council Joint Meeting, and anyone who wants to get involved in this area has to take on a very high risk.”

“Yes, I understand, that’s why I came to you. In fact, many parliamentarians and lords around the world are secretly supporting the development of death combat, but they lack an opportunity, an opportunity to officially step into the limelight. And you are that opportunity.” Nazes carefully revealed his true intentions.

Because he knew that he only had one chance, and if he was rejected, it would mean that he would never have a second chance in his lifetime.

After all, although the lifespan of a hybrid siren is longer than that of a pure-blooded human, it can only live to be around 120 years old at most. He is old enough and will die soon.