Chapter 52. Fortune and Misfortune (3)
Jooheon's cold voice froze the atmosphere inside the casino.
The dealer's hand stopped in midair.
"...What did you say?"
His smile stiffened.
The rest of the casino reacted a moment later.
"The real game?"
"Is he seriously asking to play another round?!"
The dealer also looked thoroughly bewildered.
"But you've already received your prize. By convention, the game ends here..."
"Convention? You can worry about that among yourselves."
Jooheon smiled.
"The real game starts now. Let's raise the stakes."
"Even so, someone who has just won isn't permitted to play consecutive rounds..."
"Then I just won't play consecutive rounds!"
"?!"
Jooheon grinned wickedly and raised the Guarantor's Seal he had just acquired.
"He's the next participant."
"What?!"
Majesty Yoo Jaeha recoiled in horror.
But Jooheon chuckled, as though this had been his plan from the beginning.
"If we alternate between me, him, me, and him, then I won't be playing consecutive rounds, will I?"
"......!"
Jooheon leaned back in his chair and crossed his long legs.
He casually rolled the Guarantor's Seal across the table with his fingertips.
"The first round was just a test."
The dealer's eyes trembled slightly.
"Now we start playing for the real money."
Everyone's attention shifted to Jaeha.
"......"
Majesty Jaeha slowly raised his head.
"Hey... Don't tell me you're actually planning to use that Artifact to make me..."
"Yep."
Jooheon smiled.
"From now on, you're part of the wager."
"He's insane!"
"Is that even possible?!"
"At the central table?!"
The dealer looked at him with disgust.
Apparently, someone far more deranged than expected had walked into their casino.
"Allow me to offer some advice. Continuing any further would be dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
Jooheon tilted his head.
"Isn't this city dangerous to begin with?"
Then he added:
"That's what makes it fun."
"Very well. It seems one lucky victory has made you rather arrogant."
The dealer straightened.
"What would you like to set as the wager this time?"
Everyone held their breath.
Jooheon pretended to think for a moment, lightly tapping the table.
"Let's keep it simple this time."
The dealer swallowed.
"...What would you like?"
"Artifacts."
The casino erupted in murmurs.
"Artifacts?"
"Oh! Finally!"
"Now we're talking!"
The dealer gave a faint smile.
So the man had finally revealed his true intentions.
He was after something valuable.
"Which Artifact would you like?"
The city possessed more than enough Artifacts that increased Fortune.
Talismans.
Dice.
Cards.
Probability-correction devices.
They could easily offer him a similar item under a different name.
Even if he demanded a particular grade, there were ways around that too.
They could give him a high-grade Artifact that was difficult to use in practice.
Something with complicated activation conditions and restrictions piled on top of one another.
A defective item that only looked impressive on paper.
Even if he demanded a Majesty Artifact, the situation wouldn't change.
The more powerful an Authority was, the fewer people could use it, and the more expensive it became to maintain.
It would only become a burden.
By asking for an Artifact, the man had actually made a foolish choice.
Go on. Name whatever Artifact you want.
That was what the dealer thought.
But Jooheon answered casually.
"One of the Artifacts mortgaged by Majesties who came to this city."
Silence.
The casino reacted a moment later.
"...Mortgaged?"
"By Majesties?"
An Artifact valuable enough that a Majesty had personally put it up as collateral...
That was no ordinary Artifact.
For once, the dealer froze.
He finally looked at Jooheon in a different light.
This man didn't just make a random request.
If someone asked for a Fortune Artifact, they could provide a substitute.
A similar effect.
A lower grade.
If someone demanded a high-grade Artifact, they could give them a defective one.
An impressive name attached to a troublesome piece of junk.
But mortgaged Artifacts were different.
First, they were items the Queen of Fortune herself had demanded.
That meant their value had already been verified.
There was no reason to question their quality.
Second, an Artifact being mortgaged meant its former owner had already been stripped of ownership.
The original owner couldn't reclaim it, and any resistance arising from its Authority had already been eliminated.
Third, the Queen of Fortune didn't simply leave such Artifacts piled up in storage.
She maintained and adjusted them so that they could be used properly.
In other words, they had already been thoroughly tamed.
Anyone could handle them safely, without complications.
The dealer's throat tightened.
"...Those belong to the central storage inventory."
Jooheon laughed.
"That's why they're perfect."
"Good quality. Clear ownership. Properly maintained."
He tapped the table.
"And most importantly..."
Jooheon looked straight into the dealer's eyes.
"You won't have any room to cheat me."
That single sentence made the dealer understand everything.
The man hadn't merely chosen an Artifact.
He had specified a condition that forced the casino to hand over something genuinely valuable.
The dealer gritted his teeth.
"...Understood."
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.
His expression had changed.
He was no longer wearing the face of an ordinary merchant.
Now he looked like a dealer worthy of the central table.
