Sponsored Chapter

Gold Rush. Among all the casinos in Powder of Element, this one is the largest.

The sound of slot machines and the mixed cries of joy and sorrow from people could be heard upon entering. The floor was covered in carpets, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and the casino was so vast it was hard to see to the other side. In the center stood a fountain with clear water flowing through it, while bunny girls, holding trays with glasses of wine, smiled as they served the guests, flaunting their seductive figures.

There were many types of games: slot machines, high-and-low, roulette, card games, and even virtual monster battles. The casino was filled with a wide variety of attractive games.

It was a world that lifted your spirits just by walking in. In his previous life, Lanpeach had wanted to visit Las Vegas, but he never got the chance.

“Seeing a real casino in front of me is making me excited.” (Lanpeach)

“This looks fun! Fufufu, it’s time to show off my superior calculation skills. The game with the highest chance of winning is card games!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach adjusted his sunglasses while laughing.

Libra clung to him, pressing her soft chest against him. She wasn’t wearing her usual shrine maiden outfit, but a seductive red dress. The deep slit between her breasts and her bare shoulders caught the attention of the men around her, their eyes subtly wandering in her direction. She was the embodiment of an erotic beauty.

“I feel like I haven’t had much presence lately, so I should show off my power. You’re using a million first, right?” (Libra)

“Yeah. Win or lose, when you spend that much in one visit, a staff member will come over and say: ‘Would you like to enjoy our VIP room?'” (Lanpeach)

Libra giggled mischievously. In Michibiki Mode, even if she shows herself, her identity won’t be made clear thanks to the power of Lanpeach’s sunglasses. It is highly possible that she felt quite the threat from Mira’s presence.

With Lanpeach looking like a thug, and Libra appearing as his sultry lover, anyone watching would assume they were just another pair of crooks.

“Low, it’s gotta be low next!”

“Please… I’ve already blown my whole paycheck. It’s gotta be this time.”

“I did it! Yes! Now I can pay off my debts!”

The typical shouts of the casino filled the air. Lanpeach had heard these lines often enough in the game, but hearing them in real life made them all the more exciting.

“So, which game should we try? Should we go with the fun effects of the slots, or maybe the virtual monster battle?” (Lanpeach)

“Let’s do card games. Let’s play blackjack. I’m good at that! I’ve beaten the rabbits at cards every single time!” (Libra)

“Those guys get bored so easily. Put some food next to them and they’ll get distracted and won’t focus at all. Anyone could beat them.” (Lanpeach)

“Fufufu, then it’s time to show my true power!” (Libra)

Libra clung to Lanpeach, her confidence radiating. He could tell what her objective is here.

(She’s planning to count cards, huh? It is true that, with the Space Library ability, that should be a piece of cake.) (Lanpeach)

Card counting is the technique of tracking the suits and numbers of cards already played to predict the next ones. It’s considered cheating in most casinos. Normally, it takes a team to keep track of everything, so doing it solo would probably go unnoticed.

If Lanpeach tried it, he’d probably still draw terrible cards and lose, regardless of the odds. He wasn’t even sure if card counting really worked that well in the first place.

“Alright then, let’s win a million and get ourselves invited to the VIP room.” (Lanpeach)

“Leave it to me! I’m going to be the star here, you’ll see!” (Libra)

Libra smiled, beaming with confidence.

◇◇

“Unununu… I think, maybe this time I’ll win! Draw!” (Libra)

Libra gripped the cards tightly and groaned as she drew another card. She had a face card and a six.

The dealer, smiling cheerfully, handed her another card…a seven.

“Ahh! I busted again! Ugh, I’m out of luck today, but I’m going to win the next one for sure!” (Libra)

Libra collapsed onto the table with a scream. She placed her remaining few coins for another round while breathing roughly.

“Hey, Libra? You’ve lost 17 out of 20 games, and we’re out of coins.” (Lanpeach)

“Go exchange more! A lot more! I’m so close to winning, I can feel it!” (Libra)

Libra pouted, glaring at Lanpeach and smacking him lightly. Other patrons watched with amusement, chuckling at her antics.

That’s right. She had been losing nonstop. Libra was the textbook definition of a terrible gambler.

[Hey, what about the card counting? Are you waiting for the right moment?] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach sent his thoughts to her, expecting her to need a bit more time to secure a win. But she shot him a carefree look.

[Card counting? What’s that? I win with my own skill. I’ll get the timing right and win big. The tide is going to turn in my favor!] (Libra)

[Right. I forgot how much of a disaster you are, Libra. My mistake.] (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach sighed, deciding it was time to stop relying on this support character. In all honesty, she should’ve had better luck by now even without card counting. He didn’t understand why she was losing this badly.

Naturally, she lost the next game too. How did she keep pulling questionable numbers like a 15?

“Excuse me, sir. It seems you’ve been enjoying yourself quite a bit. Would you like to continue in the VIP room? There are no limits on that room. You might even win back what you’ve lost in one go.”

Lanpeach was pushing away the head of Libra, who was clinging to him, sobbing and begging him to go exchange more coins, and a dealer approached. It seemed they’d blown through the million already.

“The VIP room, huh? Isn’t that for members only?” (Lanpeach)

“Yes. But we invite certain guests who have been particularly engaged in our games on occasions.”

Lanpeach grinned inwardly at the dealer’s lines, which were straight out of the game. Winning a million would have been nice, but losing might have actually worked out better. The dealer clearly saw them as easy marks.

“I don’t have much left to play with at no-limit stakes.” (Lanpeach)

“Not to worry. If you can offer collateral, we can make arrangements to provide you with funds temporarily.”

The dealer’s gaze shifted to Libra, his smile growing slyer, a hint of suggestion in his words.

(Hmph, collateral can be anything -whether it’s an object or a person.) (Lanpeach)

It was exactly like the game. Lanpeach’s excitement grew at the dealer’s offer, while Libra was already celebrating, thinking no limits meant easy wins.

“Libra, I’ll handle the games in the VIP room from here on out.” (Lanpeach)

“Nooo! Don’t say that! Can’t you tell? My luck’s about to turn!” (Libra)

“I can see your luck plummeting off a cliff.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach knocked her lightly on the head and flashed a villainous grin at the dealer.

“Alright then, show us to the VIP room. No limits sounds like fun.” (Lanpeach)

He could barely contain his excitement at what was to come.

◇◇

The VIP room was even more luxurious. The games were the same, but the quality of the patrons was entirely different. Everyone here looked rich, dressed in expensive clothing, a stark contrast to Lanpeach and Libra’s.

Many of them glanced their way, saw their thug-like appearance, and snickered as if another set of fools had arrived.

“Exchange all the money in this bag for chips.” (Lanpeach)

“Right away.”

Lanpeach handed over his bag with the remaining 20 million Ele in crumpled bills, playing the part of a pompous big shot. He had intentionally avoided neat stacks of cash to make it seem like he had struggled to scrape the money together.

True to their VIP status, the staff handled the bag without a hint of disdain, exchanging it for chips with a smile.

“If you find yourself short, just let us know, and we’ll gladly provide funds if you offer suitable collateral.”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary, but I’ll let you know if it comes to that.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach accepted the chips and strutted off, a thin smile on his face. Libra, stunning as ever, was drawing attention here as well, but he wasn’t about to hand her any more chips.

They made their way to one of the tables while attracting quite a few eyes.

It was a craps table, where the players rolled large dice to determine the outcome.

“Alright, let’s join in the game.” (Lanpeach)

“Let me roll the dice! It is fine, I’m sure I’m great at this game! Craps, right? How do you play?” (Libra)

“You just need to roll the dice.” (Lanpeach)

Libra showed no remorse and tugged at Lanpeach’s arm, pleading with him. At this point, her foolishness was kind of adorable.

“But I don’t get it. What do you mean by ‘should be good at it’? Why are you so confident? Well, whatever.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach placed a million coins on the table.

“Alright, here goes nothing! Oh great Hachiman, grant me victory -toryaa!” (Libra)

“Wait, wasn’t Hachiman the god of war?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach shot Libra a dubious look as she threw the dice with gusto. This girl was never boring.

The dice tumbled and landed on a seven. In craps, rolling a seven or eleven means an automatic win for the shooter.

There were murmurs of approval from the crowd, but it was just the beginning.

“Huh, did we win?” (Libra)

The coins gathered with a clatter.

Libra looked around in confusion, and Lanpeach patted her on the head.

“Yeah, lucky us. Now, let’s move on to the next game. We’ll hit all the games in order. High and low, roulette, you name it.” (Lanpeach)

“We won! I knew it! This must be my game! Leave it to me, the genius gambler!” (Libra)

Libra jumped up, celebrating with childlike glee as they moved on to the next game.

They kept winning every game, amassing more coins until finally, Lanpeach sat down at the roulette table.

He had purposely saved roulette for last, wanting to gather more onlookers. As expected, the crowd began to pay attention to his streak of victories.

“Alright, let’s have some fun with roulette since there’s no limit.” (Lanpeach)

—This is where the real fun begins. This was going to get interesting.

Lanpeach smiled as he bet all his coins on double zero.

“Your luck seems to be holding, but are you sure you want to wager everything?”

“Of course. It seems like today’s my lucky day.” (Lanpeach)

He flashed a confident smile at the still-relaxed dealer. The dealer assumed Lanpeach’s initial wins were just beginner’s luck.

Then the wheel stopped on double zero. The dealer’s eyes widened slightly as Lanpeach stacked his new pile of coins.

Once again, he bet it all on double zero.

“Same bet, double zero.” (Lanpeach)

“…Very well.”

Once again, it landed on double zero.

“Double zero again.”

—And again, and again.

The dealer began to tremble as the crowd grew more excited. But Lanpeach, unfazed, continued to bet on double zero and kept winning.

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter