Chapter 78: King's Game
Dolos, still shrouded in eternal night, remained oppressive. A small figure, cloaked in a hooded cape, stealthily infiltrated the city. The patrolling guards on the streets were more numerous than ever. You hugged the wall, moving cautiously with every step.
Turning a corner, you saw the wall plastered with countless new wanted posters. You approached for a closer look. Although the crude portraits were simply drawn, they captured the main features quite accurately. One was a grey-haired, cat-eared girl, and the other was a boy with Golden Eyes.
Most glaring was the string of numbers below the poster—the reward money was enough to ensure a common family lived comfortably for ten years. No wonder those people were so frantically pursuing Cipher. You gazed at the wanted poster, a cold killing intent surging deep within your Golden Eyes.
With a slight squeeze of your fingertips, countless delicate Golden Threads emerged. "Rip—" The paper was instantly shredded into tiny pieces, scattering with the wind.
According to Cipher, if it weren't for you two offending the powerful, it wouldn't have caused such a city-wide uproar. You thought for a moment; among the places you had robbed in Dolos before, there were many nobles and wealthy merchants. It was likely among them… However, you didn't have the time, nor did you want to investigate now.
You continued along the street, tearing down and shredding every wanted poster you encountered. Three, five, ten… These damned pieces of paper were like weeds; no matter how many you tore down, you'd turn a corner and find newly posted ones. The anger in your chest grew stronger and stronger.
Unconsciously, you arrived near the city center. The crowd here was much denser than elsewhere, but strangely, almost everyone was surging in the same direction. Their faces showed excitement and anticipation, as if some grand event was taking place. Noisy cheers and applause drifted from afar, and you followed the sound.
In the city center square, hundreds of citizens formed a huge circle. A magnificent platform, covered with a crimson carpet, was set up in the center. The air was filled with the smell of sweat, alcohol, and an overwhelming scent of greed.
On the high platform, the King of Dolos, dressed in luxurious robes, was about to unveil a velvet black cloth. "My people!" the King shouted at the top of his lungs. "Tonight, I shall grant every citizen equal rights!"
As his voice fell, he abruptly pulled back the cloth. Seven brightly colored dice lay quietly in a silver tray, glinting under the torchlight. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple—each one sparkled like a gem.
"As long as you pay money, everyone can participate in this game!" The King spread his arms, as if embracing the whole world. "Seven dice, seven colors, thrown simultaneously each round! You need to predict the number on each die!"
"Guess one correctly, and your prize money doubles! Guess all seven, and you can get a hundredfold return!" "The minimum bet is just one Liheng coin!"
No sooner had his words fallen than the citizens surged towards the betting tables like a tide. Some emptied their money bags, betting everything. Some took out borrowed money and staked it all. Some even took off their jewelry on the spot as collateral. Greed made them completely lose their minds.
You stood at the edge of the crowd, calmly observing the seven dice. Their material seemed ordinary, with no apparent peculiarities. But what caught your attention was the attendant next to the King who was manipulating the dice. His technique was suspiciously practiced; whenever he shook the dice cup, his fingers would make extremely subtle movements.
As you focused your observation, a strange sensation welled up in your heart. It was an ability copied from Aglaea. You "saw" it with your Golden Threads! Countless transparent threads, as fine as hair, connected to each die. They were well-hidden, almost imperceptible, yet capable of influencing the dice's rolling trajectory at critical moments. This was clearly a complete scam.
The third round of the game began. You pulled out a few Liheng coins from your pocket and squeezed to the front of the betting table. "I want to participate," you said in a low voice.
The fat guard officer collecting the money glanced at you, saw your small frame, and sneered: "Kid, this isn't a game of make-believe. Don't cry if you lose everything."
You ignored his mockery and placed the coins on the table. "Red die, one. Orange die, two. Yellow die, three." You deliberately chose a seemingly random combination, but in reality, you wanted to test your Golden Threads' control over the dice.
The dice cup shook, and the seven dice bounced and rolled in the tray. Just as they were about to stop, the Golden Threads moved. Three delicate threads precisely touched their targets, subtly adjusting their orientation.
"Red one! Orange two! Yellow three!" The numbers were called out, and you had guessed three dice correctly. According to the rules, you received eight times your payout! The gamblers around you were stunned at first, then a buzz of discussion erupted. "What's going on with this kid?! He guessed three on his first try?!"