Chapter 23

"Hey, where did this nouveau riche come from?"

"Over 40 magic badge stones... he has that much money and still comes to the casino?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, maybe he's some noble's young master, out here experiencing life."

"Just hope he doesn't cry home after losing it all, hahaha."

All sorts of voices rose and fell within the casino.

These voices seemed to look down on Big Boss, but their tone was sour and sarcastic.

"Big Boss, these people are envious, jealous, and hate you." Lilith couldn't help but retort.

Gambling, gambling, nine out of ten bets lose, and once hooked, you can't quit.

The gamblers here are the same; many have long lost everything, but they're used to quick money and can't do other work.

They can only stay in the casino, dreaming of getting rich overnight.

To these people, 40 magic badge stones, which is over 40,000 gold coins, is that huge sum that can turn their lives around.

Hearing these voices, Big Boss's mindset didn't change at all.

After all, according to the game's setting, as long as a player bets with 10 badge stones, they'll achieve the "Ten Thousand Eyes" achievement.

"Sir, sir, this amount is really too much, I, I need to ask the Supervisor." The bunny girl wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Even in the wealthy Storm Royal Capital, over 40,000 gold coins is a huge sum.

Calculated at an ordinary family's monthly expenditure of 100 gold coins, it's enough for decades.

Although there aren't no nobles and officials who bet with such amounts in the casino, they're usually in the VIP Hall; how could they come here and mix with a bunch of mud-legged commoners? "No need for so much trouble, I'll just bet Big Boss wins ten matches, no problem? I'm in a hurry." Big Boss lowered his voice.

"If, if that's the case, it can be done." The bunny girl, afraid of offending this noble guest, spoke cautiously: "A newcomer Duelist winning ten straight matches, odds 1 to 12.9, are you sure you want to bet like that?"

"Mm, I recommend you add stakes match by match; that way the win rate will be a bit higher."

Persuading someone with no money to go all-in once, earning their present; persuading someone with money to bet slowly, earning their future—this is the operating principle of all casinos.

"No need." Big Boss frowned: "If you can't place bets here, I'll go somewhere else."

"Okay, okay, I understand, guest." The bunny girl hurriedly picked up a stone: "Then, then please leave your information; we need to confirm that you and the Duelist Big Boss competing in the match aren't the same person."

"Okay." Big Boss nodded, took off his hood, revealing purple hair: "I am Xiu Si Da Er."

The rune stone scanned around Big Boss's body.

"Then, Mr. Xiu Si Da Er, may your gambling luck flourish." The bunny girl handed the small booklet to Big Boss.

Seeing this, the jealousy and envy on the gamblers' faces almost disappeared, replaced by pity and mockery.

People who gamble often know that if ordinary gambling is nine losses out of ten bets, then betting methods like wagering on five or ten matches straight are truly ten losses out of ten bets.

The house will never just watch gamblers take away such a large sum of money.

They'll swap in the strongest gladiators in the last two matches of the gladiatorial fight, forcibly controlling the game.

This is almost an unspoken rule in all arenas.

The gamblers who were originally envious now only felt schadenfreude.

It won't be long before this Mr. Xiu Si Da Er loses all his property and becomes a loser like them.

"Hehe, I really hope that day comes soon, haha." Two gamblers raised their cups and clinked them.

"Who says otherwise? A fallen noble who lost everything, slinking out of the casino, or unable to resist temptation choosing high-interest loans, eventually dragging down the whole family—hehe, such stories are truly never boring!" The mockery grew louder, but no one noticed that in a corner of the casino, a little girl in tattered robes quietly took out her only 50 gold coins and walked to the counter.

"I... I also want to bet on Big Boss, winning ten straight matches."

She tremblingly handed over the gold coins. —Inside the VIP Room of the underground casino.

The bunny girl clutched that sack of magic badge stones, nervously walking to the gambling table at the deepest part, and whispered for a while in the ear of a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses.

The middle-aged man frowned, stood up from the gambling table, wiped his hands, and showed a polite and formulaic smile: "Gentlemen, I have other business today, so I won't keep you company anymore."

"These chips, treat them as drinks for you all."

"Good good, Supervisor Hake, go ahead and be busy!" The other nobles at the gambling table waved their hands without looking up, continuing to linger in the card game.

Hake then led the bunny girl out of the room.

"43 magic badge stones, betting on a newcomer to win ten straight? Hehe, interesting, truly interesting, odds of 12.9—this guy wants to take nearly 600 badge stones from us at once? Hmph, over 600,000 gold coins, that's truly not a small sum."

"Theoretically, yes, Adult, what do you want to do, increase the difficulty of Big Boss's gladiatorial fights?" The bunny girl asked.

"Mm, definitely. If Big Boss can still win after five matches, then replace the last five opponents with the strongest few; note to increase the difficulty slowly, don't make it too obvious."

"Okay, I understand."

"Also, have you found out the bettor's identity?"

"Xiu Si Da Er, the eldest son of the Dal Family, border nobles of the principality."

"Border person?" Hake sneered: "A country bumpkin, thinking this is the border where he can play around? Do this: make preparations on both ends, spread the news of this fat sheep to those lunatics of the Dark Brotherhood, make it clean, leave no evidence."

"Okay, Adult, should this matter be reported to the Boss?"

"No need, the Boss is swamped with state affairs; this kind of small matter doesn't need to be told to her."

Hake pushed his glasses, humming a tune as he walked into the darkness.

Hake had always believed in one principle—strangle threats in the cradle.

Since choosing to raise a foot against a worm, one must remember to grind it several more times, ensuring the worm leaves no bones.

Just adjusting the difficulty of the duels, that Big Boss still has a one in ten thousand chance of winning ten straight matches, letting Xiu Si Da Er win a large amount of gold coins.

Since that's the case, let the Dark Brotherhood kidnap Xiu Si Da Er.

As long as Xiu Si Da Er disappears, he naturally can't claim his bonus.

The border nobles are top-tier fat sheep to those lunatics of the Dark Brotherhood.

Maybe we can extort a lot of ransom from old Lao Da Er.

The casino keeps the gambling funds, the Dark Brotherhood gets the ransom—this is a perfect win-win.

As for whether Xiu Si Da Er will be killed after kidnapping...

Who cares?

The losers lose everything, isn't that the rule of Storm Royal Capital? Hake smiled, and the Fire Candle above his head suddenly flickered twice.

His shadow suddenly changed, just like a bizarrely shaped demon dancing in the night.

Chapter Complete