Chapter 17: A Shift In Luck?
Including Linkin, in total, there were six players at the mat.
Four of the players placed their bets on Azir, while Linkin and one other player set it on Riza. This meant that the total winning pot was 8 daisai. But, since the establishment took 50% of the winning pot as their profit, the actual winning pot in this case was 4 daisai.
Since it was only Linkin and one other person who set the winning plate, each of them received 2 daisai.
As for the four players who bet on Azir, they sucked their teeth and released heavy sighs. None of them were oblivious to Linkin's legendary losing streak throughout the Den of Everdreams. That's why the four of them waited until Linkin placed his plate and made the opposite choice. They thought it would be free money for the taking. But who would have thought the person on a huge losing streak would have their luck suddenly turn around?
The person who sat next to the dealer quickly distributed the winnings and made sure to take the casino's cut as well. After doing so, the dealer wasted no time beginning the next round as Linkin and the others at the mat set out their plates.
Linkin once again set the Riza plate out along with his 2 daisai.
"All bet amounts have been set. I shall begin." The Riza-Azir Dealer said.
"Heh, looks like that unlucky guy finally managed to win a round." Tonne stated.
"Hahaha, does it even matter at this point? The way he's been playing, isn't he just going to end up giving it all back in the end?" Neverland commented.
"You're probably right. Besides, there's no way someone who lost twenty-three rounds straight can turn their luck around. I'd be willing to bet all my daisai on that-" Tonne was in the middle of speaking but abruptly halted his words upon hearing the Riza-Azir Dealer call out-
"Riza."
Tonne cleared his throat midway through his sentence and continued, "A-as I was saying, his luck before was so bad, it's only natural he wins one or two. But, after that, there's no way he can-"
"Riza." The Riza-Azir Dealer announced again.
Tonne fell silent with an air of awkwardness around him as he watched Linkin win for the third time in a row.
"No way he-"
"Riza."
"..."
"Hey, that bet from earlier, is it still valid?" Neverland asked.
"What bet? I don't know what you're talking about." Tonne replied.
"This guy, what a shameless bastard. Don't you have any pride?" Neverland scoffed.
"What pride? My money is more important than some stupid thing like pride." Tonne grinned.
As Tonne and Neverland went back and forth at their mat, something unbelievable unfolded at Linkin's mat.
"Riza."
"Riza."
"Riza."
"Riza."
"Riza."
"Ri-"
"What the hell is this?! Are those dice rigged?! I demand they be checked!" One of the players at Linkin's mat by the name of Marsh shouted angrily as he stood to his feet.
Marsh was a burly middle-aged man with scars on his face. He was also one of the four people who bet against Linkin.
Ten—it had been Riza ten times in a row! In the blink of an eye, he had lost 2 reisai!
To make matters worse, the person who was supposed to be a bad luck magnet suddenly had a change of fortune. Wasn't everything too suspicious? Wasn't this casino just setting him up?
'Fool.'
Linkin inwardly shook his head at Marsh's actions. Even if the dice were checked, there would be nothing that came of it.
While it was true that their tricks could not get past Linkin's trained eyes, it was not something that an everyday gambler could see through.
"Esteemed guest, I advise you to choose your words carefully. This is the Den of Everdreams. Are you saying our prestigious establishment would be so disgraceful as to use rigged dice against our esteemed guests?" A young woman with a strict and cold air around her stated.
This young woman's name was Valka. She had short black hair, a pair of light blue eyes and wore an elegant outfit that resembled a kimono.
Valka was the one who acted as the pair of eyes for the game taking place at Linkin's tatami mat and watched every action that happened with the utmost level of vigilance.
"Shut up! You think it's normal to get Riza ten times in a row like that?! Those dice are obviously rig-" Marsh shouted.
"Then, we shall stop the game and perform an inspection on the dice at the request of our esteemed guest. However... Should we find that nothing is wrong with the dice and your outburst proves to be unwarranted—I hope this esteemed guest can afford to pay the price for slandering the Den of Everdreams." Valka said in a cold and calm voice.
"T-that's...!" Marsh became visibly shaken by Valka's words.
The Den of Everdreams was an establishment that not even those wealthy merchants and nobles could afford to offend. Even if the dice were rigged, what power did he have to do anything but accept it?
Although Marsh's outburst was rooted in anger for losing 2 reisai so quickly, he calmed himself and weighed the consequences before taking his seat.
"Forget it... I misspoke just now. My bad..." Marsh muttered.
"Then, since it was just a misunderstanding, there is no issue. I hope such an outburst will not happen a second time, esteemed guest." Valka stated.
The next moment, Valka gave a small nod and signaled for the dealer to resume the game.
'Hey, hey, seriously, you'll kill someone with that gaze of yours. Haven't you ever heard of being discreet?'
Linkin maintained an excited outward appearance that matched that of someone whose luck had finally started to turn around. However, he could feel Valka's piercingly cold gaze locked onto him.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone