Chapter 59
Inside was a small room without doors or windows, the left side partitioned by glass. On the other side of the glass, a table held a half-dismembered corpse, its head missing, sprawled across the gambling table, blood and brain matter pooling on the floor.
“Hello, please follow me,” a sweet voice called out. A woman in a maid outfit, wearing a bizarre red chip mask, curtsied to Xia'er. “Which area would you like to visit? The betting zone? The poker room? The VIP area, or the Marseille zone?”
“The poker room,” Xia'er replied, following the instructions of Aivina.
“Please come with me.”
The maid opened another door and led Xia'er inside. Suddenly, the space opened up before him, revealing a dazzling decor and elegantly dressed crowds moving about. A bell rang, and everyone turned to look at the central platform.
In the center, there was a glass-sealed space.
Two men sat across from each other at a gambling table. In between them, a dealer wearing a green chip mask was loading bullets into a specially designed handgun. Even within the glass enclosure, the sound of loading was clear, as if the glass had been specially treated.
As Xia'er followed the maid through the crowd, he glanced at the platform.
“Three live rounds, two blanks,” the dealer announced, setting down the handgun. “Please reveal your chips; the one with the higher chips goes first.”
The box in front of the two men slowly opened. The bald man on the left had clearly superior chips. After wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he reached for the handgun, aiming it at the man across from him, his sweat-drenched face showing signs of madness.
“Three live rounds?! Kid! You don’t stand a chance! I’m the one turning the tables!” The bald man cackled, flipping the gun’s barrel to his own forehead and pulling the trigger.
Click—
A crisp sound echoed from the sealed chamber, revealing a blank.
“Hahahahaha!!!” The bald man erupted into maniacal laughter, pointing the gun at the man in front of him. “Die! You bastard!”
He then pulled the trigger again.
Click—
A sharp sound, and an empty shell was ejected.
The bald man’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if he couldn’t accept that the shot was still a blank. He roared and aimed at his opponent once more, pulling the trigger again.
Bang—!
A bullet shot forth, spitting fire, but in the next moment, it curved sharply, piercing through the bald man’s forehead, leaving a bloody hole.
“Your fate of losing is unchangeable.”
The dealer in the green chip mask elegantly slid the bloody chips in front of the bald man over to the other side and asked, “Sir, you still owe £1410 to settle your debts. Do you wish to continue?”
“Continue.” The man across from him, eyes bloodshot, gasped heavily.
Xia'er frowned slightly.
No wonder Aivina told him not to get involved in other gambling games... These were true gamblers, risking their lives.
But what if he needed to digest the “Gambler” potion or complete the “Gambler” promotion ritual?
If the game earlier had given her the first move, she would have had no chance of losing.
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
The maid pushed open a door, revealing another spacious hall with eight card tables. She stopped beside one of the empty seats and said to Xia'er, “Since this is your first visit, are you familiar with the rules?”
At that moment, the players at the other tables turned their gazes toward Xia'er upon hearing it was his first time.
Among them were many “gamblers’” eyes.
“Not familiar,” Xia'er replied, showing little interest. He just wanted to lose his fifty quickly and then find others to socialize with.
“Alright, I’ll explain the rules to you, and then invite others to join the game.”
No need for the maid to invite.
As soon as the “gamblers” heard a newcomer was here to spend money, they had already gathered around the table.
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Chapter Sixty-Two: Fast-Track “Gambler” Path? (4000 words)
“Miss, upon entering the Dutton Manor for the first time, you must participate in a gambling game.”
“Lose £50 in chips or win £50 in chips in any game to end the session.”
“Do you have any objections?”
The maid, wearing the red chip mask, softly explained the rules to Xia'er.
“No objections,” Xia'er nodded.
At this moment, the dealer in the green mask asked, “What type of game would you like to play, Miss?”
“Whist, Blackjack, Faro, Draw Poker, Roulette, Dice, Backgammon—these can all be played in the card room.”
The dealer politely introduced the options. After a moment of silence, Xia'er asked, “Could you explain the rules for each?”
Her request brought sunny smiles to the faces around her.
Many were already eager to jump into the game.
Xia'er’s demeanor made it seem like she was just here to pay her £50 “protection fee” and leave.
That £50 was free money!
Xia'er listened intently to the dealer’s explanations, calculating which game had the best odds.
Games like Whist and Backgammon required a certain level of skill, and Xia'er was completely clueless, so she would only end up losing.
Roulette and Faro relied mostly on luck, as Xia'er couldn’t predict the outcome before placing her bets.
If she wanted to win, only two games seemed easier.
Blackjack and Dice—both allowed Xia'er to know her hand or dice face in advance, thus increasing her chances of winning.
However, Xia'er couldn’t guarantee a 100% win.
Because cheating was possible here, as long as the opponent didn’t catch on.
Earlier, when passing by a table, Xia'er had seen a card that was originally a 7 of Clubs suddenly become a King of Clubs after a “gambler” reached over. Even if she could see the card a second in advance, she had no idea how he switched it.
The sleight of hand was too exquisite.
For Xia'er, card games were harder to win.
The easiest game to win was actually the deadly roulette from earlier.
As long as she could get the first move, Xia'er would be nearly invincible; with the gun in her hand, she wouldn’t have to worry about the opponent cheating.
But just to be safe, Xia'er wouldn’t play deadly roulette in reality. If it was to digest the “Gambler” path, she might consider it.
Xia'er chose Dice.
The rules for the dice game here were simple: two six-sided dice were shaken in a cup, and the highest number wins.
In this game, Xia'er could control the cup herself; as long as she didn’t roll the number she wanted, she wouldn’t raise her bet, eliminating the possibility of others tampering with her dice.
“Miss, please.” The dealer placed the black wooden cup in front of Xia'er and then looked around, asking, “Does anyone want to play dice with this lady?”
“I will!”
“Me, me, me!”
“Count me in!”
In an instant, the spots around Xia'er at the table filled up, each person assigned to a cup, and they began shaking them in various styles.
As the first player, Xia'er placed her hand on the cup and started shaking. Suddenly, she stopped, tightened her grip, and made a motion to reveal her dice first.
“Miss! You need to bet before revealing...” The dealer thought Xia'er was about to open the cup directly and hurriedly reminded her.
At that moment, Xia'er had already released her hand from the cup.
She had seen her number.
Two sixes—good luck.
Xia'er took out a £50 chip and placed it on the table, pushing it forward. “£50.”
The others, seeing this, were all delighted and quickly matched her bet.
“£50!”
“£50!”
“Me too, £50!”
“Call.”
They completely believed Xia'er was here to give away money, never considering the possibility that she might win.
After a round of betting, the total on the table reached £300, and the other five players exchanged knowing smiles.
This was a winner-takes-all game, but if anyone rolled the same number, the losers would split the pot.
When a newcomer played this game, the “gamblers” would tacitly allow the best player to roll double sixes, letting the winner take the chips and then split them, reducing the risk of being caught cheating while also sharing the free £50 chips—this was the unspoken agreement among the “gamblers” here.
“Reveal.”
The dealer reached out and opened Xia'er’s cup.
“Double sixes.”
The dealer continued to open the other players’ cups, but everyone was left dumbfounded, staring at the double sixes in front of Xia'er.
No way? Such good luck?
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