CHAPTER 11

-Blood and parts of high-ranked monsters. And rank 4 items. I want a few of them. And cultivation resources.

-Don’t you already have lots of them? And can’t you easily win them?

-It would be easier to get everything at once. And I believe this price is small for what you would earn yourself.

-Hum…You are right. Unfortunately, those things don’t grow up on trees. I myself don’t have any left. But my brothers and sisters do. Once I get the tokens, they will be willing to do anything to get them back. How about I give all the additional profits to you and agree to keep betting till you are satisfied?”

One must say that this was a particularly interesting deal. The possibility to bet with royal children unhindered. It isn’t something you can do every day. Mir was thinking hard. The benefits of such a game could be tremendous. It wasn’t something wealth could ever compare to. A five-year-old kid had the possibility to become a noble and the chance to bet without limits with royalty. If this wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then what was it? Mir knew from his past experience. Once you let it pass, the opportunity doesn’t come back again. It’s not a circle. You take it or lose it forever. He sighed and relaxed himself on the chair. Then he thought hard about it again. The benefits, yes, they are abundant. But the risks…They existed as well. As the saying goes, there is nothing free in this world. But the possible gains were just that valuable. In his previous life, Mir was a businessman, an entrepreneur. How could he be fearful of a few risks? You have to give in order to receive, that is a basic. He looked at the worried expression made by elder Lan and sighed again. However, he had made his choice. He had always been greedy after all. He looked straight into the Prince’s eyes and said:

“Deal.”

Time passed. It was the fateful day of the youngster’s final. There were many princes and princesses here to assist at the final and see a good battle. But it wasn’t all. They didn’t all come here for a simple young talent battle. They were here for something bigger. A few days ago, they received a letter signed by the ninth prince. On it, those words were written:

High stake MARTIAL DICE ROLL

You are by the present invited to a night of gambling by the ninth prince, Mare Reg Nio.

It will be taking place at the Allegiance Group Casino’s third floor In the Imposing Thunder Mountain School after the young genius division finals.

Authorized bets: Royal tokens, Rank 4 Items, Rare species blood and parts.

There is no restriction to the entourage of the guest.

Mare Reg Nio

This was enough to get the interest of all those royals. Royal tokens aside, even rank 4 items and rare species parts were enough as baits. The fact that the host was the ninth prince made it more than authentic. He was renowned for his liking of entertainment. The prince had been meticulous in his choices of guests. He sent the invitation letter only to a few royals and important personalities he knew would be interested. What’s more, with the backing of Mir, he wasn’t the slightest bit perturbed. He had organized everything to the millimeter. It was going to be a slaughterhouse and he was the butcher.

The night fall upon this soiree. At the third floor in the Allegiance Group, there were dozens of people. All of them were the cream of the cream of the kingdom. Except for Mir and elder Lan. They were wearing masks and following silently behind the ninth prince as he walked around chatting and exchanging courtesies with others. After an hour or so of the basic useless talk, he went to the center of the room and jumped on a table. Then he asked for some silence and began:

“Thank you very much to everyone to be here tonight. I am delighted to see so many familiar faces. Now, let us partake in tonight’s main event, the high-stake gambling: Martial Dice Roll! Please, may the participants take seats around the cup.”

After he spoke, he was the first to take a seat right in front of the cup. Mir and elder Lan sat behind him. Then, different people of diverse backgrounds sat around here and there. All in all, there were twenty-two players. All of them were owner of one or more royal tokens. They were the prince’s brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts. And behind them were their aides. Remarkable people from all fields and backgrounds. The prince couldn’t help but secretly laugh at the sight. He was indeed on the verge of turning his previous misfortune into the greatest of opportunity.

He had tasked Elder Tuan Len to be the master of ceremony once again. As an elder, his status was below everyone in the room, however, his fairness was acknowledged by all. he started the game and took his role to heart. It was an honor to have so many distinguished guests playing at his own casino. The first dozen or so games were played betting some small stakes, (S)-rank beast parts. Of course, they were very valuable but their worth was the lowest out of the authorized bets. And now, it was finally time for the ninth prince to talk first and have the chance to decide on the stake. Up till now, he had followed the plan. It was to lose every round so as to let the others let down their guards. However, it was time for him to speak. In dice roll, there was a very nice rule. One can’t bet on the same numbers as another contestant. That is why being first to speak is an advantage. To Nio, this was a sure win situation. With Mir’s abilities, and him speaking first, what was there to worry about? So, he said:

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“We’ve enjoyed the warm-up for long enough, let us not waste too much time. As the host, I will be making the first step. I am betting a Royal token on this one round. Who will join me?”

Even if royal tokens were mentioned on the invitation, they never thought the ninth prince would be foolish enough to really bet one. it was far too valuable. However, this was exactly the opportunity they came to look for. Up till now, it took no more than three rounds to finish a game. And not once did the ninth prince win. Even more so, they heard about his crushing previous defeats and his loss of two rank 4 items. His precious golden sparrow relics were taken. They believed he organized this gambling night in hope to go back on tracks. They thought he was desperate. And him betting a token was proof enough. However, the players here were reluctant to bet something that valuable. It wasn’t something they could earn or find again if they lost it. After a long silence, an old granny said:

“Nephew Nio, I came here precisely for this gamble, I will be taking you on.”

And as she said that, she placed a royal token in front of her. Here was the first fish baited. And soon after, more placed their tokens as a bet. While betting one token to get one felt hard to do, once there are a few tokens to be won at once, the urge to play goes stronger and it is harder to resist one’s greed. In the end, out of the 23 players, 15 had placed a royal token as bet. There was no record of such a bet in the history books. It would no doubt be recorded for years to come. Whoever would win this round would earn the qualifications to be a king’s candidate. It wasn’t a trivial matter. And it was all going to happen through a single bet. What were the odds?!

The one feeling the highest amount of pressure however wasn’t any of the players. It was elder Tuan Len. Whatever the result would be, he, as the ceremony master, would be in a really tight spot. He knew he had the fate of the kingdom in his hands. Or at least, that’s what it seemed like. The reality was cruel. Everything was already settled as soon as the other fourteen players placed their tokens as a bet. It was already decided. The fate of the kingdom was in Mir’s hands and no one else’s. and of course, his goal was far from just some tokens…

Elder Tuan Len sent the dice in the air and got them in the cup then, for longer than before, he shook the cup and finally put it all down. It was time for Nio to speak, all eyes were on him. That’s when, for the first time, one of the people beside him murmured something in his ears. Nio smiled and said with confidence:

“Four, One, Two, Five”

After him the fourteen others guessed the numbers as well. The dice were revealed and Nio was deemed winner. He got the tokens and left everyone speechless. It felt great to be the one fooling others. He felt bliss like never before. Out of his two hundred more years of life, this was the peak. He was bathing in the limelight like never before. He would be able to receive the acknowledgement of his father and officially enter the crown competition with his three older brothers. This was a memorable day. He was living the dream. So, he got up and faked leaving. That’s when his aunt who had lost a token screamed:

“Nephew, don’t be in such a hurry after a single game! Why not keep playing with us for a bit?

-Hmm…Alright. But I already earned everything I needed. What else is there for me that I would have to remain here?

-How…How about another token nephew?

-Sorry, I already have enough of them.

-Then…What do you want to bet?”

They had planned all this beforehand. It was going perfectly according to plan. And so, the next step was this:

“I don’t mind betting a token, I have a few spares after all now. But the bet has to be worth it you know. If you want to play with me, you have to put out three items for each game. They have to be at least rank 4 items or (M) rank beast parts, no less!

-That’s…”

To people, this token was their future. But the items and parts were very valuable too. They knew that if it was a one-on-one, they might have a chance but facing so many people, winning was a distant dream… as they were all considering whether to laugh or cry, a prince stepped up. He was the thirteenth. He said:

“I don’t mind playing a game with you brother! How about three rank-4 items for a token, are you in?”

The thirteenth prince was cunning. He didn’t bet a royal token previously so he didn’t suffer any loss and now, he wanted to bet for a token using items that were valuable in their own way but far less than the tokens. This felt like a joke to the observers. However, what stunned them even more was what the ninth prince answered:

“Sure, as long as you got the three items, I’ll gladly play. However, as I am betting something more valuable as a favor between family members, I ask to be the first to speak.”

Be they those that lost their tokens or the opportunists that didn’t, everyone placed bets this time. They didn’t even care that the prince would be first to speak. Sixty-six valuable items were placed on this bet. Forty-four rank-4 items and twenty-two parts of (M)-rank beasts. It was a fortune impossible to imagine. Enough to establish a top rate school even. The dice were shaking inside the cup and the hearts of people were beating like crazy. The excitement was real. With a loud bang, the cup shot down and it was time to speak. After Mir told him the number, the prince repeated them with confidence:

“Five, Five, Three, Three”

Everyone else guessed and the numbers were revealed. It left people without words. Once more, the ninth prince, Mare Reg Nio, had guessed right. He won everything, again. This time, however, even after his family members asked him to keep going, he refused. Mir had been clear, only one more game to retrieve lots of items in one-go. But no more so as to not be suspected of cheatings. Winning twice in a row is already suspicious, if it happened three times, it might get really dangerous. They left and directly went into a private room inside the famous inner court restaurant. Mare Reg Nio was overjoyed and laughing with enthusiast with elder Lan as they drank beers after beers. Being martial artists, they wouldn’t get drunk unless they wished to and they only wanted to party this time. Even with age, there are some things that don’t change. Celebrating a tremendous success is always a pleasure. They were eating and drinking as if they had been starving and laughing about their successful scam. Mir was forbidden from drinking because he was after all a child. The old man inside him was sulking. He too wanted to get drunk on the success. But since he couldn’t, he was looking at his spoils of war with a smug face as he stuffed his mouth with chicken legs. The night raged on. the lights never had any time off. It went on and on. They partied like young men fooling around with beers and the young disciples from the Imposing Thunder Mountain school. It was quite the sight. Two old men who had lived hundreds of years teasing young girls. Mir was teasing them too and using his age as an excuse, he enjoyed himself greatly that night. It was a well-deserved party to celebrate their evil deeds.

After some time, elder Lan and Mir left. They were accompanied to the door by the ninth Prince. That’s when elder Lan and the prince both noticed the glaring eyes of hidden people. Mir however didn’t feel anything wrong and was still drunk on the adrenaline from the party. The prince murmured to elder Lan:

“Should I have someone to look after you guys?

-No need. They wouldn’t do anything in this school during the tournament. And it’s probably just this dumb Din Joris anyway. We’ll be taking our leave, Prince Nio.

-It was a pleasure, elder Lan, little brother Mir, have a safe trip back.”