American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

"Fate has its reasons for bringing you to me, and it is probably not so that I can relive my old crafts."

The undead flicked his fingers, his tone taking on a philosophical quality, his slick demeanor suddenly becoming more elegant, but his next sentence revealed his true intentions.

"Anyway, we can't beat you, so let's stick to the rules for selling goods at sea. I'll offer a very generous price."

The cabin door behind him creaked open without any wind, and a dazzling array of jewels burst forth, instantly filling the eyes of the group.

Various antique gold coins and bars, hand-stamped, are piled haphazardly on the floor, forming a small hill that almost reaches the ceiling. Large precious metal vessels, such as gold pots, silver jars, and human figure sculptures, are haphazardly placed along the walls, filling any available space.

Exquisite jewelry filled several jade tables, shining brightly alongside the rough, large chunks of raw gemstones. Some of the jewelry even emitted considerable psionic energy fluctuations, clearly indicating that they were of superior quality and extraordinary materials.

Due to limited space, the most expensive rubies, sapphires, and emeralds can still occupy a place on the table, while slightly less valuable stones like tourmaline and cat's-eye can only be sadly rolled under the table. As for the even less valuable stones like agate and lapis lazuli, they are simply swept into the corner of the room like trash. In the relatively spacious area, it is even difficult to find a place for people to stand!

The sight of mountains of gold and silver, previously only seen in film and television works, suddenly appeared before our eyes, filling the air with a strong smell of wealth that almost made us stumble.

Although everyone present had seen a bit of the world, the sheer amount of treasure they possessed still took their breath away.

"Please feel free to do so!"

Exhausted from the pain, Madison opened her eyes wide, and incredulously stretched out her small hand, pointing tremblingly at the mountain of gold.

"You mean... take whatever you want?"

Such immense wealth even stunned her, a wealthy heiress.

Even some small countries don't have this much gold reserves, right?

Seeing the other person nod in acknowledgment, she swallowed hard, forced herself to calm down, and cast an inquiring glance at her companion.

Like everyone else, Zhu Mingyao was initially shocked, but then he lowered his eyelids, looking thoughtful.

He then smiled slightly and said in a calm tone, "Since you are so generous, I certainly cannot refuse, but... could you let us hear the ins and outs of the deal?"

The legendary story of Captain Jack Sparrow should not end quietly…

After a moment of silence, the two rows of withered yellow teeth on the bare jawbone collided a few times.

"As you wish, boy!"

……

……

"...Just like I said before, it wasn't until the years passed and I said goodbye to many old friends that I realized we had never gotten rid of that stingy guy!"

The skeletal fingers gripped a bottle of medicinal wine meant to replenish qi and heal injuries tightly. A face almost resembling a skull pressed against it, greedily inhaling the aroma of the wine.

After much deliberation, he still couldn't resist the taste he hadn't experienced for hundreds of years. He tilted his head back and took a delicious gulp, the crystal-clear liquid flowing straight down his throat and seeping out along his decaying and damaged chest and abdomen.

Despite not managing to retain much of the stock, Captain Jack still smacked his lips in satisfaction.

"Finally, I can drink fine wine again, and my life has one less regret."

He shook the bottle and carefully put it away.

"Where was I? Oh right... By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. I witnessed the crew members from back then having their souls stolen one by one by the Undead Coins. The curse was only delayed; it was never lifted at all."

Jack sat lazily against the mast, while the others sat or stood in a circle, quietly listening to the pirate king from hundreds of years ago recount his old stories.

“Mictronetkutli! The true owner of the gold coins, the Lord of Death of the Aztec pantheon, played a cruel joke on us. All those who performed the ritual of returning the gold coins to the dead with blood will not become undead skeletons in their lifetime, but at the time of their death, they will become ghosts and return to his temple, becoming his eternal guardians!”

He tilted his head, and his neck, lacking the cushioning effect of tendons, cracked.

"For a free-spirited pirate, there is no worse end!"

Chapter 237 The Deal, Leaving

"Back then, I desperately searched for a way to break the curse of the divine power, and even spent countless energy studying witchcraft. But as the years went by, my day was fast approaching."

Exhaling a breath reeking of alcohol, Jack continued dejectedly.

“Only at the end of my life did I find a clue, so I piloted the modified Black Pearl into this secret realm—Teotihuacan after the gods left. After a series of adventures, I discovered the only way to escape from the clutches of the Lord of Death.”

His expression was strange, a mix of crying and laughing, as he angrily tore off a barnacle from the mast and crushed it into dust.

"All 882 Undead Coins must be offered back to the Temple of the Dead in the center of Teotihuacan!"

Hearing this, Zhu Mingyao, combining the cause and effect, had already guessed a bit of what was going on. He continued, "However, at that time, you didn't have enough gold coins on hand."

“That’s right!” Jack rubbed his forehead in frustration. “Many years have passed since we first lifted the curse. A significant portion of the gold coins have already been lost. I risked my life to escape the secret realm again and tried every possible method to collect them, but in the end, I was still missing a few and couldn’t find them no matter what I did.”

"At this point, my body had already begun to decay under the influence of the divine curse. I was only kept alive by the Fountain of Youth that I had drunk from. Helpless, I had no choice but to return to the secret realm with the gold coins I had found, hoping to give it my best."

He slumped back in despair, his head slamming against the mast. "As you can see, I failed. Even though I used every means to temporarily imprison my soul within my body, I could no longer leave the secret realm. At the same time, my body was decaying and being worn away bit by bit. In a few decades, I will still fall into the hands of death. I was almost in despair..."

“But we just happened to be here!” Zhu Mingyao said with a bright look in his eyes, “You discovered the two undead coins I was carrying, so you couldn’t wait to jump out and make contact.”

Jack said with a self-deprecating laugh, "You guessed right, that's exactly it. It's just an old pirate's last-ditch effort. Actually, even if we got the two you have, we'd still need one more. I just wanted to try one more time..."

"We can help you find the last Undead Coin."

"...I misjudged one, can you undo it...?" Jack suddenly hesitated. "What did you just say?"

“We can go out and find the last gold coin and bring it back to you!” Zhu Mingyao repeated.

He gave a smug smile. "Our organization is still quite powerful in this era."

"Give me the rest of the undead coins first. After we get out, I'll have someone do some divination and bring them back for the transaction."

"Why bother helping me? Wouldn't it be easier to just exchange two gold coins for the treasure and leave?" Jack asked suspiciously.

Zhu Mingyao spoke steadily, clearly having prepared his remarks beforehand, "That's because I want more than just treasure..."

He tapped the deck with his toes, his eyes gleaming. "I also want the Black Pearl!"

“Your appetite… is really big!” Jack muttered to himself, his eyes widening in surprise at the conditions he was presented with.

Zhu Mingyao grinned, showing his teeth. "Don't panic, dear captain, I haven't finished yet."

He continued, counting on his fingers, "Besides that, I also want all the spoils you've acquired in the secret realm over the past few hundred years. Don't say you don't have any; some of the items in those treasures clearly originated from the island."

Also, I need all the information you have about the secret realm, to facilitate our next exploration. Finally…

Zhu Mingyao rubbed his hands together with a smile. "I know you once roamed the seven seas and saw many strange treasures, such as the Fountain of Youth. Please tell us everything honestly... cough cough, please relay the clues in detail so we can see if we can still find them now."

His shriveled head stared blankly into space with his mouth wide open, his gums comically exposed. It took him a long time to recover.

"You...you have no guts...it's unbelievable, how dare you even speak up?"

In response to his incoherent questioning, Zhu Mingyao simply clicked his tongue playfully, his eyes flashing slyly.

"Deception and haggling are the way to do business. In this complicated transaction, asking for an exorbitant price is precisely to prove my sincerity, wouldn't you agree?" He deliberately emphasized certain words, seemingly implying something.

His withered face trembled suddenly, the corners of his mouth gradually turned up, then quickly returned to normal.

"What a... impressive kid!" he exclaimed inexplicably, pondered for a moment, then straightened his posture and said solemnly:

"As long as you can help me find the gold coins and lift the divine curse, I can agree to any other conditions, except for the [Black Pearl]!" he added, waving his finger.

"Don't worry, I'll offer you substantial compensation, far beyond your wildest imagination!" He gave him a meaningful look.

Seeing that Zhu Mingyao readily agreed, he breathed a sigh of relief and casually patted the deck.

"In the name of the sea, with all my life's honor, and with my soul, I swear, the deal is done!"

A strange aura swirled around him. Zhu Mingyao carefully examined it and was surprised to find that almost all the restraints were aimed at Jack himself, making it a one-sided and unequal contract.

He glanced at Captain Jack with admiration. Although he knew it was to prevent him from backing out, such a sincere and strategic retreat was truly brilliant, instantly winning him favor. No wonder he could successfully gain a group of close friends even in the chaotic era of the original story; he truly possessed a unique personal charm.

“Alright, to show our sincerity, the treasure can be paid as a deposit first. In addition, I will give you an important piece of information.” Jack shook the remaining half bottle of medicinal wine with a care.

"Want to know who the mysterious enemy who was hiding behind the waves and chasing you was?" He tapped the bottle with his index finger, drawing out the last syllable to keep everyone in suspense.

Zhu Mingyao, understanding the implied meaning, raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, "The brewing industry has developed significantly over the past few hundred years, and there are many more varieties of rum now. How about I bring a bottle of each next time?"

"Now that I have the wine, you can continue your story..."

……

……

The spacious underground space remained as quiet as ever, with bright lights illuminating the hall so clearly that every detail was visible and people could be seen.

On a brand-new alchemical round table, the ornate game board suddenly trembled, and the inlaid leaf-shaped jade pieces floated up with a hazy green light, as if a gentle breeze was blowing through a dense forest, and the branches and vines were swaying and dancing.

As the pale blue energy surged within the patterns on the tabletop, two ancient, slightly yellow bone dice suddenly leaped up, hovering in mid-air and rolling rapidly before finally coming to a stop. A turquoise bead and four fire agate beads, inlaid with the numbers facing upwards...

— Five o'clock!

A cloud of colorful dust suddenly shot out from the chessboard, gradually expanding and spinning rapidly.

With a loud "bang!", a whirlwind of colorful light exploded, and several figures carrying a huge, long, thin object landed in a strange posture.

Phew, it's finally over. This adventure was really exciting...

Zhu Mingyao glanced back at the massive axe that everyone was awkwardly carrying, and felt a surge of relief. This clumsy method had actually managed to bring the item out...

His thoughts raced, and he suddenly felt something was off. He looked up and glanced around at the people around him.

The atmosphere seems a bit off...

Chapter 238 Unexpected Changes Outside the Game

The atmosphere seems a bit strange...

Zhu Mingyao frowned slightly. People from various organizations sat silently in their respective corners, looking much the same as before they entered the secret realm.

But that's precisely why it seems a bit strange.

Given the importance that all parties attach to this operation, shouldn't everyone gather around the exploration team as soon as they see them return?

Moreover, it seems that the leader has changed several new faces?

"It seems you've had a very fruitful harvest."

Zhou Taishan, holding two golden iron balls in his hands, walked steadily forward, followed closely by several other organization leaders.

"What's going on?" The old man pointed to the knight Gavin and the Wen brothers, who were still asleep and encased in a crystal coffin filled with force fields.

"This operation went terribly wrong, but thanks to you, we were all basically unharmed," Zhu Mingyao said respectfully, bowing with his hands clasped.

Qi Yue stepped forward, bowed his head, and whispered, "Master, the details still need to be decided by the elders..."

While the group whispered about their experiences within the secret realm, Zhu Mingyao carefully observed the situation in the hall.