[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-first-intergalactic-emperor-starting-with-the-an":3,"chapter-first-intergalactic-emperor-starting-with-the-an-first-intergalactic-emperor-starting-with-the-an-chapter-139":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","First Intergalactic Emperor: Starting With The Ancient Goddess",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1601553,2070,"Chapter 139: Red Casino","first-intergalactic-emperor-starting-with-the-an-chapter-139",139,"\u003Cp>Xavier leaned on the edge of the blackjack table now, sipping on a drink he didn’t even remember ordering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir, your chips,\" the dealer reminded with a stiff smile, sliding over his winnings like he was scared to offend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier didn’t even look. Just waved a hand, distracted. \"Keep ’em. Spread it to the losers who need it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people around the table froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tall man in a grey suit narrowed his eyes. \"You serious?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier turned his head slow. No rush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do I look like I’m joking?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was enough. The man shut up. Someone clapped. Another guy muttered, \"Must be some royal rich brat,\" under his breath, not knowing Xavier’s glasses had audio filters sharper than a sniper scope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier smirked but didn’t react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked away. Not a single chip in hand. Didn’t need it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because what he wanted couldn’t be bought with chips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He passed a bar section and two guys in flashy jackets nodded at him. They’d seen his play. They weren’t nodding in respect — they were weighing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One whispered to the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier caught the full sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Think he’s cheating?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made Xavier grin. Good. Let the rumors brew. Let people wonder. Suspicion was the first step to fame in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the other side of the floor, a woman walked toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blonde waves, slit-red dress, legs that didn’t end, and the kind of heels that could stab someone if needed. A red rose tucked into her neckline for no reason at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t walk. She glided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nice streak back there,\" she said, coming to a stop beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier gave her a glance, then back to his drink. \"Wasn’t a streak. That was me getting bored.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile sharpened. \"Modest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned fully now, took her in, slow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No,\" he said, voice lazy. \"Just accurate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed. Not forced. It had that husky edge. The kind of laugh that said she wasn’t here for drinks or company — she was here for someone worth her time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m Yelena,\" she said, holding out a gloved hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xavier,\" he replied, taking it without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t look like the type who hangs around casinos.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And yet,\" he said, \"I’m here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You here for fun? Or someone?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier’s smirk faded just a little. \"Someone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes sharpened, but before she could probe deeper—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stir. At the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Security straightened up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Civilians stepped aside like the air had gotten heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they walked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four men. Two bodyguards. One old man in a sharp navy coat — probably some sponsor or higher-up. And a chick with green hair and a leather trench coat that didn’t belong in a casino. She looked ex-military or something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier didn’t move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yelena followed his gaze and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That who you’re waiting for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Maybe,\" Xavier muttered, straightening the cuffs of his shirt. \"Show’s about to start.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lights didn’t dim. The music didn’t stop. But the air in the casino shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn’t see him yet. Too busy laughing with his group, flashing his gold watch, walking like the floor owed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier raised his glass and finished the drink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Game time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier took a back seat for a while with Yelena, and observed Ethan and his group from the second floor balcony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan leaned back in his chair, a glass of violet liquor sloshing in his hand like it was meant to spill on peasants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thirty thousand,\" he said, grinning like a wolf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the guys at the table — some rich heir with a tattoo that screamed midlife crisis — coughed and folded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Coward,\" Ethan laughed. \"Come on, boys. Don’t make me win by default again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl beside him leaned in, whispering something. Ethan smirked, waved her off like she was a lapdog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier watched from the shadows of the bar, drink untouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His glasses zoomed, scanned, tagged. Everyone. Background. Expressions. Sweat levels. Even Ethan’s breathing — surprisingly cocky and relaxed, like he had no worries in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Same table as last time?\" Yelena asked, already ordering a new drink. \"You’ve been watching him a while.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s entertaining,\" Xavier said. \"Like a puppet that thinks he’s the master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She grinned. \"You sure you don’t want to just blow his cover now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where’s the fun in that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set his glass down. The clink was soft but final.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through the crowd. Around the velvet carpet. The bouncers didn’t even glance his way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seat opened at Ethan’s table. Just one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier took it without asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan barely looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Buy-in’s half a mil,\" he muttered, shuffling cards with lazy flicks. \"Hope you’re not just here to watch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll play,\" Xavier said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yelena trailed behind, perched beside him with a leg crossed high. Like she belonged there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few heads turned. The chemistry was visible now. The girl in red and the mystery man in silk. People noticed. Even Ethan’s group exchanged glances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Name?\" Ethan asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier smiled. \"Call me X.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The game started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First round. Small bet. Xavier played dumb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan grinned. \"Newbie luck might save you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second round. Xavier made a risky call.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yelena tilted her head like she didn’t get it. But she did. She was playing along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third round. Xavier won. Barely. Like a fluke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourth. He lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth. Won again. Clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the seventh, Ethan’s smile was starting to slip. His tone dipped. Less teasing, more guarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Interesting plays,\" Ethan muttered, watching Xavier through narrowed eyes. \"You’re not bad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I get that a lot,\" Xavier said, brushing nonexistent dust off his sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the tenth round, Xavier had tripled his chips. Ethan had dropped over a million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd had grown. Quiet murmurs. Curious stares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The energy at the table was electric now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan upped the ante. Big. Desperate to reclaim pride. Even his own team started shifting uncomfortably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cards dealt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan slammed his cards down and stood up. \"Alright, who the hell are you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier leaned back, finally pulling off his glasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You sure you don’t recognize me, Ethan?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tone was soft. Friendly. But it hit like a bullet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lips parted. His jaw twitched. Recognition bloomed on his face like a bomb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Xavier?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl beside Ethan gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yelena raised her brow. \"Oh. That Xavier.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xavier smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nice to see you again,\" he said, offering a hand across the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I missed your... confidence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan didn’t take it. Just stared. Eyes wide. Words stuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And around them, the casino buzzed louder, unaware that a bomb had just been planted right in their golden table.\u003C\u002Fp>",1116,"2026-06-06T09:45:27.084Z",1,"novelbin.me","7900c619b4520796280deae2de10992c8ba55707b100186bc1d97b27712eb426","first-intergalactic-emperor-starting-with-the-an-chapter-140","first-intergalactic-emperor-starting-with-the-an-chapter-138",530,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffirst-intergalactic-emperor-starting-with-the-an-cover.jpg"]