Chapter : 84

Mantiper's high-stakes area.

The crystal chandelier overhead spun slowly, refracting colorful light onto the faces of the people below. The sounds of dice rolling and chips clashing intertwined, and gasps of amazement rose and fell from the crowd of onlookers.

Their attention was all on the gambling table in the very center, or to be precise, focused on the handsome, black-haired man.

A man in ornate robes sitting at a nearby gambling table toyed with the chips in his hand, watching the black-haired man out of the corner of his eye, and spoke in a low voice to his companion: "This is his eleventh consecutive win, isn't it?"

"It's the twelfth now," his companion said with great interest. "The dealer is starting to get nervous. It looks like he'll be replaced soon."

"What's his background?" the man in ornate robes asked curiously. "I don't think I've ever seen someone like him in the high-stakes area before. Did he come down from the top-tier area?"

His companion shook his head: "I heard he came up from the low-stakes area, winning all the way to the high-stakes area. He's here for the competition. In just four days, he's already got two Lucky Stars."

『Lucky Star』: A person who wins thirty million or more Gold Coins in a single day at Mandiper will be granted the title of Lucky Star. Anyone who obtains three Lucky Star titles will become Mandiper's 『Midas Touch』 and enjoy Mandiper's most top-tier treatment.

"Two Lucky Stars?" The man in ornate robes was stunned and couldn't help but take another look at the black-haired man.

"Then he should already be qualified to go to the top-tier area, right? Why is he still staying in the high-stakes area?"

"Who knows?" The companion shrugged. "Maybe he finds the high-stakes area more fun? Or safer?"

According to Mandiper's rules, the minimum bet in the high-stakes area was one hundred thousand Gold Coins, which was already a terrifying number. People without a certain family fortune wouldn't dare to play in the high-stakes area.

And the minimum bet for each round in the top-tier area was over a million. Don't be fooled by the top-tier area's entry requirement of just ten million Gold Coins; that amount of assets could very well be lost in just one or two rounds.

Even the rich wouldn't dare to easily enter the top-tier area to play. A single misstep could mean losing one's life to Mandiper as well.

"He should be able to become the 『Midas Touch』 today, right?" On the other side, a bejeweled woman sitting at the bar swirled the wine glass in her hand, also watching the black-haired man at the center of the crowd's attention.

"Perhaps? How much more does he need to win thirty million?"

"A few million, I suppose. Given his state of going all in every hand, three more hands at most should be enough."

Another person roughly counted the stack of golden chips piled up next to the black-haired man. "Of course, if he loses just one hand before that, he'll immediately lose everything and become a pauper."

"Do you think a person like that would only have this small amount of Gold Coins?" another lady with a fur shawl draped over her shoulders lightly covered the corner of her lips and giggled.

"Besides, these chips are just what he's won over the past few days. A person with this kind of ability... heh."

Someone praised: "It's as if he has X-ray vision... don't look at me like that, I know those are all alchemy items, it's impossible for anyone to have a skill that can see through cards."

Besides, there were already several black-robed people surrounding that black-haired man now. With so many people in the venue staring at him, even if he really used a skill, the mana fluctuation would be detected by someone.

However, there were no mana fluctuations whatsoever. The black-haired man had no opportunity to cheat.

He was a born Lucky Star.

Standing in the center of the crowd's gaze, Yan Yunqing won another hand with casual ease.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly as he looked at the young man opposite him, whose forehead was beaded with sweat. He nodded slightly: "Let's continue."

The 『Dealer』's face was pale, his fingertips trembling uncontrollably. He had already lost his entire quota for the day to the black-haired, red-eyed man before him.

He no longer had the right to continue losing, and would even be severely punished by Mandiper for exhausting his quota.

Mandiper gave the 『Dealers』 the highest treatment and authority, and in return, they had to do everything possible to earn more Gold Coins for Mandiper.

A 『Dealer』 who lost their entire quota would only be deemed useless by Mandiper.

...In Mandiper, a useless person would only become one of the master's many collectibles.

Sweat beaded on the 『Dealer』's forehead. He hesitated, not dealing the next hand. He couldn't help but cast a pleading gaze towards the 『Dealers』 at other tables. When they met his gaze, they all averted their eyes.

No one was willing to gamble against such a terrifying man; they didn't have absolute confidence in winning.

Nor were they willing to lose their own quota to save a rival.

At this moment, time seemed to have frozen.

Finally, the appearance of one person broke the silence.

A handsome youth pushed open the door to the high-stakes area's hall and walked to this gambling table. He wasn't very tall and wore the standard black and white uniform of a 『Dealer』, but pinned to his chest was a purple and gold rose badge, different from any other 『Dealer』 in the high-stakes area.

He placed a hand on the shoulder of the constantly sweating 『Dealer』 and said to him, "I'll take it from here. You can go down now."

Everyone's eyes fell on the youth. After seeing the badge on his chest, expressions of realization appeared on their faces:

This was a 『Dealer』 from the top-tier area. For him to come down to the high-stakes area to save the day, it seemed the people upstairs couldn't sit still either.

But still, was this black-haired man that terrifying? Even a 『Dealer』 from the top-tier area was sent down to rescue the situation.

Yan Yunqing and the youth met each other's gaze. Neither showed any flaw in their composure, they just averted their eyes as if by tacit understanding.

The youth's gaze swept over the cards on the table. He said to Yan Yunqing: "I hear you're here for the 『Midas Touch』 competition. How many more chips do you need for this last Lucky Star?"

Yan Yunqing said nonchalantly: "Not much, six million Gold Coins."

The minimum bet for each round in the high-stakes area was one hundred thousand. Yan Yunqing was participating in a head-to-head match, which meant whatever chips he bet, he would get double if he won.

There was no other way. His fame had skyrocketed in the past two days, and the modes with other players no longer welcomed him. He could only gamble against the 『Dealer』.

Because he needed to get the Lucky Star title, the sixty million he had won before were all locked. The payout rates in the high-stakes area weren't high, and after he won thirty million the first two times, many tables stopped playing with him, forcing him to start over with a few hundred thousand Gold Coins each time.

Today was better. He won a little more yesterday, starting with over a million, and it still took him more than ten hands to get to this point.

"How about this, I'll gamble with you next," the youth said unhurriedly. "The other 『Dealers』 here no longer have enough quota to gamble with you. Why not play against me instead, how about it?"

Yan Yunqing chuckled: "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? I'm here to play in the high-stakes area. You, a 『Dealer』 from the top-tier area, gambling against me? But what if I don't want to accept?"

The youth's expression didn't change at all. He said calmly: "If you want to participate in the 『Midas Touch』 competition, you'll have to go to the top-tier area sooner or later. There's no difference between a little earlier and a little later."

He glanced at Yan Yunqing and stated the strategy they had agreed upon from the start: "Of course, what you said also makes sense. This is the high-stakes area, not the top-tier area.

So I'll give you a handicap. We'll play three hands. As long as you win any one of them, I can directly give you the third Lucky Star, giving you the qualification to enter the competition."

Yan Yunqing raised an eyebrow: "And what if I lose all three hands?"

The youth: "Then that's a pity, you'll have to start over winning this thirty million from scratch."

But there was only a little over a day left before the competition began. If he failed to obtain the Lucky Star today, then he would forever lose his qualification for the competition.

Yan Yunqing's fingers tapped lightly on the table, pretending to be in deep thought. After a long while, he finally spoke: "A little interesting."

The crowd of onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

"Will he agree?"

"Probably not. At his current speed, he'll be able to get those six million chips from other tables soon enough.

There's no need to gamble against a 『Dealer』 from the top-tier area. What if he doesn't win a single hand? Then he'll be even further from thirty million."

"But wasn't he very formidable before? He should be able to win at least one out of three hands, right?"

Yan Yunqing ignored the discussions of the onlookers. He tilted his head, "Alright, I'll play with you then."

The youth nodded, reached out to pick up the playing cards on the table, and skillfully and quickly cut and shuffled the deck.

Yan Yunqing supported his chin on the gambling table with one hand, his posture lazy, "As long as I win one hand against you, that's it? Isn't that a bit too simple?"

The youth was not affected, "Win first, then we'll talk."

"Alright, I'll wait and see."

The acting showdown between the two 'Best Actors' ended there. They tacitly stopped their conversation, one focusing on shuffling the cards, the other lazily watching him.

This was the strategy they had agreed upon from the start.

Yes, the youth standing before Yan Yunqing at this moment was none other than a member of the children's group, and the only one who had managed to make it to the top-tier area and become one of the 『Dealers』—Eno.

Eno's talent with cards was almost unparalleled. His ability was discovered by Mandiper at a very young age, and he was carefully cultivated by them. At such a young age, he had already become a 『Dealer』, and even been promoted to the top-tier area.

Compared to the other children who hadn't even managed to become dealers, Eno's presence was a much greater help to Yan Yunqing.

Similarly, Eno, who had already become a 『Dealer』, was also the one among these children who was least likely to be taken away by Yan Yunqing.

But after Xiao Ai told Eno about the deal between Nika and Yan Yunqing, Eno agreed to cooperate with Yan Yunqing without hesitation.

As a 『Dealer』 in the top-tier area, Eno's authority was higher than everyone else's. He took the time to meet with Yan Yunqing and also taught him several advanced card skills.

Compared to the messy and chaotic skills that Xiao Ai taught him, which required a whopping 176 skill points, Eno's skills were much simpler. There were only a few, and the required skill points were not cheap, but it was an amount Yan Yunqing could afford.

It was also by relying on these few skills from Eno that Yan Yunqing completed the thirty million quota for the first two days.

But after the second day ended, he had clearly noticed that both the 『Dealers』 and other gamblers in the high-stakes area were very wary of him.

It would be difficult for him to easily win thirty million in chips anymore. If he wanted to advance further, he could only go to the top-tier area.

However, Eno told him that because of the competition, a few formidable characters had appeared among the guests in the top-tier area these past few days. If Yan Yunqing went up rashly, he might not be able to smoothly win thirty million in chips, and might instead be devoured by someone else.

This made Yan Yunqing hesitate. To participate in the competition, he had to obtain Lucky Stars consecutively. If he failed to get thirty million chips within the specified time, he would instead be paving the way for someone else. Not only would the quest be incomplete, but Sigret Academy's examination would also fail.

Yan Yunqing was definitely going to meet those formidable figures in the top-tier area, but not now.

Only by securing the entry qualification would he truly have a chance to compete.

But in his current state of being closely watched by everyone in the high-stakes area, it was truly a bit difficult for him to get this thirty million.

So, Yan Yunqing and Eno discussed a plan. When the 『Dealers』 in the high-stakes area had been fleeced dry and were no longer willing to gamble against Yan Yunqing, and he was just short of reaching thirty million, Eno would make his appearance to rescue the situation.

As a 『Dealer』 in the top-tier area, Eno had high authority. Not only was his quota higher than that of the 『Dealers』 in the high-stakes area, but he also had the qualification to enter the competition.

After Yan Yunqing pushed the 『Dealers』 of the high-stakes area to a dead end, Eno would come down to save the day. It would seem like he was making things difficult for Yan Yunqing, but in reality, he was giving Yan Yunqing the entry qualification in a more secure way.

And in the eyes of Mandiper's upper management, Eno and Yan Yunqing were completely opposed. In the subsequent competition, Eno would also have a better chance of helping Yan Yunqing secure victory.

So now, Eno only needed to win two consecutive rounds against Yan Yunqing, ruthlessly slap Yan Yunqing in the face, and then Yan Yunqing would pretend to have a burst of luck and coincidentally win the third round.

With even the dealer dealing the cards helping Yan Yunqing, what could the black-robed people watching intently from the side possibly see?

The corners of Yan Yunqing's lips curled up, his expression completely relaxed.

First round.

Eno shuffled the cards, placed one face down in front of himself, and one face up in front of Yan Yunqing.

Queen of Clubs.

10 points (J, Q, K are all worth 10 points. A can be 11 or 1.)

Yan Yunqing raised an eyebrow, a good start.

Eno revealed another card and placed it in front of himself, King of Diamonds, 10 points.

Another card was placed in front of Yan Yunqing, 3 of Spades.

At this moment, both sides had two cards in front of them. As the dealer, Eno had one face-up card and one face-down card, with the face-up value also being 10.

And in front of Yan Yunqing were two face-up cards, a Queen of Clubs worth 10 points and a 3 of Spades, totaling 13 points.

The way this card game was played was similar to the rules of Blackjack on Blue Star. It was a comparison of whose card face value was closer to 21 points.

The only difference was that the player could choose not to reveal their last drawn card, making it a face-down card. And when the dealer stopped taking cards, if both sides had the same score, the dealer would draw one more card to compare its value with the player's face-down card.

This way of playing had a higher degree of randomness. The moment Yan Yunqing saw it, he knew that this game, which resembled Blackjack, was also passed down from the Demon King back in the day.

Damn it, he had just learned a trick from watching a short video and played it a bit with a few of his retainers when he was bored. How did it get passed down a thousand years later?

And it had even become one of the signature games of this famous underground casino, Mandiper.

The point value of the cards in front of Yan Yunqing was still small. He asked for a card without any hesitation.

For the first two rounds, he could completely play without thinking. He believed that Eno himself would control everything perfectly.

Eno nodded and pushed the top card of the deck towards Yan Yunqing. Yan Yunqing didn't even look and directly flipped it over.

6 of Diamonds.

Adding the previous points, 19 points.

Only two points away from twenty-one. This was a very dangerous number. Yan Yunqing still chose to ask for a card and flipped it over.

The people watching his actions couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.

Why was this person so bold? Wasn't he afraid of busting right away? If the player's card face value exceeded twenty-one, the player busted, and it was directly counted as a win for the dealer.

Normally, when a gambler's card face was close to 21, they would choose to take a card and look at its value before deciding whether to reveal it. But this black-haired man was simply too decisive.

Was he that confident he wouldn't bust?

The onlookers stood behind the black-robed man, craning their necks to see the card in Yan Yunqing's hand.

Ace of Hearts.

This was a card that could be counted as either 11 points or 1 point.

According to the cards currently in front of Yan Yunqing, a Queen of Clubs, a 3 of Spades, and a 6 of Diamonds, this Ace of Hearts could only be counted as 1 point.

20 points.

This was a number incredibly close to 21. The crowd let out low gasps, surprised by Yan Yunqing's good luck.

Eno looked at Yan Yunqing: "Do you want another card?"

With Yan Yunqing's current hand, asking for another card, unless it was another Ace, could only be used as a face-down card, becoming the card that would decide the winner if their scores were tied at the end.

Yan Yunqing: "Of course I do."

Eno dealt him another card. This time, Yan Yunqing did not choose to flip it over directly, nor did he look at it, directly placing it face down to be used as a face-down card.

He made a "please" gesture to Eno, "Your turn."

Eno lowered his head and flipped over his dealer's face-down card.

2 of Spades, 2 points.

Adding that King of Diamonds, a total of 12 points, less than 17 points, the dealer continues to draw.

Eno picked up another card, flipped it over, 4 of Hearts, a total of 16 points, still less than 17 points, he could continue to draw.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats. In this situation, if the dealer continued to draw, there was a high probability of busting directly. Yet, according to the rules, the dealer had to continue drawing.

Could it be that this 『Dealer』 who had just come down from the top-tier area was going to lose the very first hand against this lucky kid?

Then this black-haired kid was a real lucky star!

Yan Yunqing simply dragged a chair over, sat down, and waited for Eno to perform. He was very relaxed, showing no signs of nervousness or excitement about winning. Everyone couldn't help but look at him sideways.

Could it be that lucky people are all so fearless?

Eno finally took one last card, placed it in front of him, and slowly flipped it over—

Everyone held their breath, staring at the slowly revealed card—5 of Clubs!

When everyone's gaze subconsciously turned to Yan Yunqing, waiting for this black-haired lucky kid to jump up and cheer for victory, they saw his brows suddenly furrowed tightly.

What's going on? You won and you're not happy? Don't be such a poser, kid!

This sentence popped up in the minds of the onlookers, but some quick-witted people had already turned back abruptly to stare at the cards in front of Eno.

King of Diamonds, 2 of Spades, 4 of Hearts, 5 of Clubs—

10 points, 2 points, 4 points, 5 points, a total of 21 points?

The dealer didn't bust?!

Eno's expression was still calm, without any hint of joy, as if this was just an ordinary game of gambling for him—which was true. As a 『Dealer』 from the top-tier area, just playing three hands casually with a guest from the high-stakes area was indeed an ordinary game.

"You let me win." Eno held down his cards.

Dealer has 21 points, player has 20 points. There wasn't even a chance to compare the face-down cards.

Yan Yunqing pursed his lips and unhappily flipped over his face-down card—Queen of Hearts.

This was a card second only to an Ace. If he had held on until the stage of comparing face-down cards, he would have had a 99% chance of winning this round.

But the dealer's hand was 21 points, just one point higher than his.

The crowd sighed with regret. Their gazes couldn't help but fall on Yan Yunqing's face, wanting to see his expression. This was the first time he had lost such a big bet since entering the high-stakes area.

It wasn't that Yan Yunqing hadn't lost before, but he had never lost this much.

Everyone's gaze couldn't help but fall on the mountain-like pile of chips next to Yan Yunqing. They felt extremely regretful, and even began to put themselves in Yan Yunqing's shoes, feeling sorry for him.

"He shouldn't have agreed to this bet, so many chips!" someone muttered in a low voice.

Yan Yunqing stared at the cards for a while, as if he could stare flowers out of them. Finally, he snorted lightly, pushed the cards away, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Eno with a hint of annoyance in his eyes, but his tone remained calm.

"This is only the first hand, there are still two more. Don't be hasty," Yan Yunqing said.

Only then did the onlookers remember that although their initial bet was still an all-in, the deal was that as long as Yan Yunqing won one out of the three rounds, he would be considered the winner and would also get the qualification to enter the competition.

This was only the first hand lost. Strictly speaking, these chips did not yet belong to the 『Dealer』.

"Continue."

Eno nodded. He reached out to gather the cards to reshuffle, but his hand was held down by Yan Yunqing, "This time, I'll shuffle."

Eno frowned, "Mandiper's rules don't allow guests to deal."

Yan Yunqing was indifferent, "Then just find someone random to deal—Nuo, you do it."

Yan Yunqing pointed randomly into the crowd, and a scantily clad 『Manl』 was chosen.

This was not one of the children's group, and it was also what Eno and Yan Yunqing had agreed upon. They would add a third party completely unrelated to them to their game to prove that there was absolutely no trickery in their bet, and that their positions were opposed.

Eno looked at the 『Manl』 and nodded, "Alright."

The 『Manl』 looked at Eno, then at Yan Yunqing, and without any objection, took a few steps forward to the other side of the gambling table, positioning himself between Yan Yunqing and Eno.

Yan Yunqing shuffled the cards casually, gathered them together, and handed them to the 『Manl』. The 『Manl』 cut the cards once more before confirming that they were properly shuffled.

The second round.

Because an uncertain factor was added, this hand was purely based on Yan Yunqing's luck, but Eno could still calculate the cards.

—When he shuffled the cards in the first round, he had already used a special technique to arrange all the positions of the cards.

The few cards used in the first round were returned to the deck. With Yan Yunqing's casual shuffling method, it wouldn't disrupt the order of the cards too much.

So as long as the first face-up card was revealed, Eno could calculate what the next cards would be.

This second round was also a round that Eno was bound to win.

Eno was still the dealer, and Yan Yunqing was the player.

In front of the dealer, one face-down card and one face-up card, 10 of Hearts.

In front of Yan Yunqing, two face-up cards, 9 of Spades, 5 of Diamonds, a total of 14 points.

Yan Yunqing asked for a card. The 『Manl』 did as told and dealt him another card. He glanced at it, frowned, and placed it face down as a face-down card.

Obviously, the value of this card was already so large that if he flipped it over as a face-up card, it would directly exceed 21 and he would bust.

The onlookers wrung their hands and sighed. It was clear that luck was not on the black-haired boy's side this time. Compared to the previous hand which was extremely close to 21, 14 points was a bit too small.

Now it all depended on the dealer's hand. When the dealer's card face value was less than 17, he had to continue drawing. The dealer was very likely to exceed 21, bust, and let the player win directly.

Eno gently flipped over the face-down card in front of him, 4 of Diamonds.

At this moment, the card faces of the dealer and the player were surprisingly similar, both at 14 points.

However, the dealer's score was less than 17, so Eno had to continue drawing.

The 『Manl』 took another card and gave it to Eno. Eno flipped it over without hesitation, 2 of Hearts.

It still didn't exceed 17? But now if the dealer continued to draw, the possibility of busting increased infinitely. The scales of victory seemed to have completely tipped towards that black-haired boy.

The crowd looked at Yan Yunqing who revealed a confident smile, his posture even more lazy. They couldn't help but sigh in their hearts: As expected of the lucky kid!

He really was too lucky. He got 20 points in the first hand, and although he only got 14 points in the second hand, the dealer still hadn't exceeded 17 points, and was already close to the number for busting.

Eno reached out his hand, and the 『Manl』 dealt a card.

Eno's calm eyes looked at Yan Yunqing as he slowly revealed the card—4 of Clubs.

Another 4?!

10 of Hearts, 4 of Diamonds, 2 of Hearts, 4 of Clubs!

A total of 20 points!

History from the first round seemed to have repeated itself. The black-haired boy, who clearly had victory in his grasp, once again met his Waterloo.

This time, the goddess of luck still did not stand on his side, but instead bestowed her pity on the 『Dealer』 opposite him!

An uproar erupted.

Yan Yunqing shot up from his chair, staring at the game in front of him in disbelief, "This is impossible!"

Even if he said it was impossible, it was completely meaningless.

Because this time, even the cards were shuffled by himself.

"It seems my luck is a cut above today," Eno tilted his head, his tone calm. "Are you still playing? The last round, or are you ready to admit defeat?"

Yan Yunqing raised his eyes and met Eno's gaze, understanding that the next round was the most crucial one. The 'Best Actors' were about to start their showdown.

The crowd found that this black-haired boy had miraculously calmed down. He sat down again, the previous uncertainty and astonishment seeming like just their illusion.

Was he going to continue competing even at this point?

Eno didn't start right away, but instead kindly advised: "I can give you one last chance to decide. If you give up this game now, these chips will still belong to me, but I won't take away the 『Lucky Stars』 you won the previous two days. You still have a chance to start over."

What Eno said seemed to be entirely for Yan Yunqing's consideration, but both he and Yan Yunqing knew that the time was now close to ten o'clock at night.

It was absolutely impossible for Yan Yunqing to complete a thirty million bet for a second time before midnight.

After two hours, if he still hadn't met the standard for a Lucky Star, then the Lucky Stars from the previous two days would also be voided, and he would lose his qualification for the competition.

However, in the casino hall where no clocks were placed, the guests whose sense of time was completely muddled would have absolutely no way of noticing this at this moment.