Chapter 138 Revealing Their Identities
Moreover, she knew better than to be careless in a place like this. The people who frequented the underground arena were rarely law-abiding citizens. Many possessed ties to the darker corners of society, while others wielded immense wealth, power, or influence.
Offending the wrong person could easily cost her more than just her job. As such, she carefully maintained her professionalism, choosing her words with utmost caution as she awaited their response.
"Of course, it should be under my name," Gideon replied calmly. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he added, "Gideon Augustus Walker."
The moment those words left his lips, it was as if someone had pressed a pause button on the entire VIP section.
The conversations that had been buzzing moments ago abruptly died down. The noisy atmosphere fell into an eerie silence as countless pairs of eyes subtly shifted toward Gideon. Many of the guests had been discreetly monitoring the newcomers from the moment they entered, curious about the identities of the four individuals who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Now, they finally had their answer.
Even the lone man wearing a black mask at the front paused briefly. Though he didn’t turn around, the slight stillness in his posture was enough to reveal that he, too, had heard the name.
After all, despite their city’s growing reputation for lawlessness and its thriving underground scene, its residents were not ignorant of the world’s most influential figures. They might not have known what Gideon Augustus Walker looked like, but they had certainly heard his name before.
It was a name that frequently appeared among the world’s wealthiest billionaires and most successful individuals, a name associated with immense power, influence, and wealth.
As a result, hearing that legendary name spoken so casually within the walls of an underground fighting arena caught everyone completely off guard. For a brief moment, the entire VIP section seemed frozen in disbelief.
As for why Gideon had used his real name in an underground arena without the slightest attempt to conceal his identity, the answer was actually quite simple.
This was the true purpose behind Ashley bringing them here in the first place.
Sneaking into the arena had merely been a means to an end. Their real objective was to familiarize themselves with the city’s most influential figures; they are the individuals who frequented this establishment but actually quietly controlled much of the city’s flow of wealth, information, and power.
Many of them possessed connections that extended into both legitimate businesses and the darker side of society. Some operated in the legal world by day and the illegal one by night, while others openly thrived in the gray areas in between.
For Gideon and Ashley, these people represented potential allies, partners, and sources of information. The key was simply identifying which of them were worth approaching and which lines they were willing to cross. They didn’t need saints, nor did they need monsters. They only needed people whose methods and values they could tolerate working alongside.
Ashley had already done much of the groundwork before bringing him here. She had identified the venue, assessed its importance, and determined the caliber of people who gathered within its walls. All Gideon needed to do now was play his role.
And what better way to announce his presence than by openly revealing his name?
After all, in circles such as these, influence spoke louder than introductions. By declaring himself as Gideon Augustus Walker, he wasn’t merely registering a bet; he was sending a message to everyone in the room that he had arrived and that he had no intention of hiding in the shadows.
Ashley, who had been lost in her own thoughts moments earlier, snapped back to reality the instant she heard Gideon casually reveal his full name.
A faint glimmer flashed through her eyes.
Since she needed the exact same thing Gideon did, there was no way she was going to let him monopolize all the attention.
Leaning forward slightly, she flashed the attendant a charming smile.
"Beautiful lady, please place a bet under my name as well. Ashley Gildenvale. I want a chance to win a little pocket money too."
Her voice carried a playful, mischievous lilt, as though she were simply being impulsive and joining in on a whim. To an outsider, she looked like a spoiled young lady who had no idea what was happening around her and merely wanted to participate for fun.
In reality, however, she was doing exactly what Gideon had done.
She had deliberately announced her name for everyone listening to hear.
Just as Gideon’s name carried tremendous weight in the business world, the Gildenvale name was no less prestigious. Although the family rarely appeared in public and preferred to remain away from the spotlight, their influence was undeniable. The vast consortium under the Gildenvale banner stretched across numerous industries, making them one of the most powerful aristocratic families in existence.
The significance of Ashley Gildenvale appearing in this underground arena was already enough to raise eyebrows.
The fact that she had arrived alongside Gideon Augustus Walker was even more meaningful.
Those with sharp minds and keen awareness of current affairs immediately understood what the two were doing. This wasn’t merely a pair of wealthy individuals placing bets on a fight. It was an announcement. A declaration of presence. An invitation for the influential figures hidden within the city’s shadows to take notice of them.
As for those slower to grasp the implications, they could only sit there in stunned silence, still struggling to process the fact that two names of such stature had just been dropped so casually in an underground fighting arena.
However, the surprises were far from over.
Still reeling from the revelation of their identities, the female attendant hurriedly created identity cards for both Gideon and Ashley. Her hands trembled slightly as she worked, the names she had just entered making it difficult for her to maintain her usual composure.
Even after years of working in the underground arena and dealing with influential guests, she had never expected two figures of such stature to appear before her.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus and finished inputting their information. Once everything was in order, she respectfully asked, "May I know how much the two of you would like to wager?"
"Ten million."
Gideon’s answer came without the slightest hesitation.
The amount rolled off his tongue as casually as if he were discussing the price of a cup of coffee. As he spoke, his gaze briefly drifted toward the masked man seated nearby before returning to the attendant.
Naturally, he wasn’t placing such a large bet solely for the fight.
Since Ashley had brought him here to announce their presence, there was little point in being subtle now. If they wanted the influential figures lurking within the arena to take notice, then they needed to give them something worth noticing.
And few things attracted attention faster than casually throwing around ten million.
A collective intake of breath swept through the surrounding VIP seats.
Before anyone could recover from the shock, Ashley joined in.
"I’ll put in ten million as well."
Her sweet voice echoed through the suddenly silent area, causing several people to nearly choke.
There was no way she was going to let Gideon steal all the attention for himself.
Besides, she still had her eldest brother’s Black Dragon Card in her possession.
If her brother eventually found out about the expenditure and questioned her, she could always apologize afterward and explain the situation. Compared to the opportunity before her, that future headache seemed like a problem for another day.
With that thought in mind, Ashley’s resolve hardened.
Without the slightest trace of guilt, she decisively spent ten million.
This time, even the seasoned guests around them struggled to maintain their composure. Twenty million had just been thrown onto a single match by two young people who acted as though the money meant nothing at all.
At that moment, countless eyes fixed themselves upon Gideon and Ashley, their curiosity and caution growing by the second.
Of course, for the influential figures gathered within the underground arena, ten million was hardly enough to truly shock them.
These individuals were the kind of people who preferred operating from the shadows. Many of their most important business dealings were conducted within the arena’s private rooms and VIP sections. It was not uncommon for wagers to involve lucrative contracts worth hundreds of millions, shares in profitable enterprises, title deeds to prime plots of land, rare collectibles, limited-edition supercars, or other valuable assets.
However, such extravagant bets were usually reserved for the night’s main event.
When the true stars of the arena stepped onto the stage — fighters personally backed by powerful patrons — these influential figures would place enormous wagers, pushing vast amounts of wealth and resources onto their chosen champions. That was when the real game began.
Yet Gideon and Ashley had disrupted that rhythm.
The night’s finale had not even begun, and the two had already casually thrown down ten million each.