Ah, gambling.

Who doesn’t love gambling? Well, okay, many people don’t like gambling due to the innate predatory nature of the practice and its proneness to exploiting and preying on those with addictive personalities. So, in fairness, gambling was actually more an epidemic that ruined lives and split up families. But, there was one crucial aspect required to make gambling a negative experience: losing.

Gambling was designed to always favor the house. There were ways to cheat the system, so to say, like card counting or even just straight-up cheating. Jake never really thought card counting should be viewed as cheating as that was just someone not purposefully sabotaging themselves by not thinking while playing. Then again… casinos would prefer if people didn’t think, which explained why they happily handed out drinks left and right.

To summarize, gambling was a loser’s game. Because it was designed to make you lose. Anyone going into it should do so with the expectation of losing all or most of what they put into it. You went gambling for the experience and the fun of it, not to make money. Making money was a lucky coincidence but never an expectation.

The way casinos always made themselves the winners was just simple statistics. They tipped the odds in their favor. Roulette was a great example of this. Let’s say you choose to bet on either black or red, so that should mean a fifty-fifty percent chance to win, right? Except no, because there was the added 0 option. Some casinos even added 00 as an option to lower the chances even more. This made it close to fifty percent… but not quite. And by the law of large numbers, the casino would win big in the end. So what if someone won once in a while when there were far more losers? The casino needed these winners to make everyone think they could be the next one to hit the big jackpot.

Gambling in the system worked pretty much the same as pre-system. In fact, some could say it was fairer in some ways than before. Jake had gone to check out the casino after guiding Carmen and seeing Sylphie and Peter off for their own exploration, and he was honestly impressed. He saw people play roulette, and one would think that with magic, stats, and all sorts of skills, it would be easy for either party to cheat… but it wasn’t. The explanation for why that was lay in one of the fundamentals of the new world:

System-fuckery.

The system recognized gambling and gave skills to facilitate it. It was like a system-bound contract bound every single interaction done during gambling. Cheating simply wasn’t possible in most cases. One such example was playing cards. Each person would get their cards just like usual, but each person would only be able to view their own cards and those laid out by the dealer. The face would just be blank to anyone but the owner of the cards, making it look a bit weird when Jake saw people sit there with face-up cards while playing blackjack, only for their cards to be revealed once it was time.

Jake had to admit that it was an elegant and easy solution by the system. It still allowed some forms of tipping the odds in your favor. In the end, it was still people playing the games. If you played poker and wanted to bluff or read your opponents, nothing stopped you. Jake was sure some mental skills and social skills could help here, but it was also a double-edged sword as people learned how to fake responses.

People clearly realized this, and the place was flooded. Hundreds were there, people at every table and dealers working overtime. They even had god damn slot machines and nearly everything Jake would expect from an old-world casino. The entire atmosphere was also spot-on. Jake had only been in a casino once before in his life during a company outing, and back then, he had only played the slots.

Now, to bring the topic back to why gambling is bad… all the system-imposed rules and regulations only made this more obvious. Someone could set up a lottery that was one in a thousand, and sure enough, it would truly be one in a thousand that would win. The same was true if a slot machine was designed with an eighty-percent payout rate for over a hundred thousand games… it would truly have that payout rate. It limited risk, making it a sure win.

There was no way around this. The rules of the system in this regard were absolute. You just couldn’t use any skills to cheat besides perhaps the aforementioned social skills. Skills were all blocked…

Skills.

Jake didn’t use any skills.

“He does it again!” the dealer yelled as Jake tapped his cards, revealing a straight. The seven other masked players at the poker table groaned as the dealer pushed their chips over to Jake. Jake was grinning from ear to ear as he just stocked up on Credits.

Another hand was dealt, and Jake checked the cards. Average at best, but better than his last hand. The flop came, and his cards were still good. One pair, highest card. No straight possibilities, but two spades.

Jake thought a bit as he raised. Most had already folded, but big blind stayed in together with one other guy. He still felt like he had it and was keeping a poker face as the two called. Then the turn then came. Hearts. Low card. Not a threat; still no straight possibilities either quite yet.

He looked at the two others. Both looked stoic, and Jake did not have the slightest chance to read them. Luckily he didn’t need to read them to know what he would do. A slight feeling welled up in his stomach, but Jake stayed in even after one of the others raised with only big blind.

Then came the river. Two pairs for Jake, but also another spade. The only thing that beat him was a flush, but…

Jake instantly knew. No one at the table told him, but he knew. As Jake had been small blind, he decided to check. The big blind checked. The last guy raised the pot by double. Jake looked at him for a moment… he knew he would lose this hand. Now he could either choose to fold, call or raise. Jake looked at the relatively small pot and decided to do what any good cheater would do: he made himself not look like one. Jake called as big blind folded.

Both revealed their cards as the other guy had a flush, just as expected. The man cheered as the others padded him on the back for taking down the big evil Jake. Jake, in turn, just mulled to himself, acting all dissatisfied.

Another hand was dealt as they kept playing, Jake thoroughly enjoying himself while making some money. He liked poker as even with his abilities, he didn’t instantly know if he would win or lose. Roulette was too easy as Jake knew the moment the ball began spinning, but for poker, he would only know in the moment.

It allowed nearly all the excitement to remain. Now, how did he do it?

His sphere did nothing as the cards were blank even to that. Likely because the display on them was entirely magical. He could not really use it to read the other players either. Danger sense only went off a few times when another player really looked like he or she wanted to smack Jake.

No, it was all intuition. All gut feeling. To fully get the gut feeling, he would have to be right at the moment things were decided. Jake had a theory the deck of cards only “decided” what card to deal the moment it was dealt. This did mean burning cards was just for show, but hey, it made the experience authentic.

Jake kept playing a bit more before he saw a very well-dressed man approach. He also felt an aura from the man that actually gave him pause as Jake turned his head. The newcomer was wearing a white suit and tie. He looked like a clean-cut man in his mid-forties and was flanked by a man and a woman, clearly acting as bodyguards. Not that Jake believed the guy needed it.

[Human – lvl ???]

He could not see his level, and even when he tried to get around the obfuscation, he failed. The presence the man gave off was the most powerful Jake had felt from another human he didn’t already know about. He was stronger than Peter or anyone else Jake had met on his travels, but he still fell behind Carmen… at least it appeared like that.

Jake felt like he should not fight the man. Not within Paradise. This made him quickly reach a conclusion. A domain-type fighter.

It was the same as Miranda. Someone not necessarily supremely powerful in regular combat, but fighting them within their own domains was an uphill battle. Jake scanned the man a bit more, and it was clear he was the City Lord of Paradise just by feeling how in-tune he was with the atmospheric energy.

“I see the Chosen is enjoying my establishment,” the suited man said as he went over to Jake, who stayed seated. Jake felt the dealer tense up as the game paused. The other players at the table also looked on with wide eyes as their gazes darted between the City Lord and Jake.

“Please, keep playing,” the man said to the dealer and players.

“Yes sir,” the dealer said as she began dealing a new set of cards. Jake looked at his and just folded right away before turning to the man.

“It has been a while since I had a good game of poker,” Jake said as he looked at the man.

“And yet you do indeed seem to be an experienced player,” the man said with a smile. One thing to note was that he was one of the only people not wearing any mask when even his bodyguards were. He was clearly not interested in hiding his identity.

“I have dabbled,” Jake explained as he waved his hand. He wasn’t lying either. He had utterly annihilated his family in poker several times in the past during family game nights to the point of them never wanting to play with him anymore.

“Under usual circumstances, I would accuse you of cheating after your display at the roulette earlier, but as I am unsure how you did it, I shall refrain,” the man in the suit said with a big smile. “I just hope you are satisfied with your winnings for now and perhaps have time for a more private discussion? I would love to get to know the Malefic’s Chosen a bit better.”

“I guess I got some time,” Jake smiled as he got up from the table while swiping up all his chips. “Been a pleasure playing with you, ladies and gentlemen.”

Pleasure ripping you off, Jake thought as he smiled a bit to himself. All the people in the casino were clearly loaded. Not a single E-grade was in sight, not even the dealers. Jake had no shame ripping them off, even if they knew who he was. What would they do, go complain that the Chosen of the Malefic Viper had dared rip them off in a poker game? Shit, it would probably just be a cool story for them to tell.

Jake followed the suited man as he spoke. “I must say, I do appreciate you chose to play against other visitors and not the house directly. Limited our losses.”

“Do not misunderstand. I didn’t do it to spare your wallet. I just wanted to play some poker,” Jake answered curtly. He felt the bodyguards didn’t appreciate his disrespect, but he wasn’t too worried about it.

They walked through a few hallways as all the employees bowed toward the suited man. A swift elevator ride later and Jake found himself within a spacious office. “You may excuse us,” the man said to his bodyguards, who both bowed and went to stand guard outside.

The man went over to a small bar and looked at it. “Any preferences?”

Jake shrugged as he said a bit cheekily. “Whatever is on the house.”

“Bourbon it is then,” the man nodded as he poured two glasses. “Ah, I also believe it is due time I introduce myself. I am Renato, owner and City Leader of Paradise. Follower of Dyonsy, god of debauchery and a proud member of the Golden Road Emporium.”

The man called Renato brought over Jake’s glass and sat down on a couch across from Jake. Jake took a swig and quickly concluded it was good stuff. “So, Renato. A bit on the nose for a god to classify themselves as being of debauchery, isn’t it?”

“Ah, but what is debauchery if not merely indulging in one’s desires and embracing one’s Path? The world is cruel and relentless. Is it not far crueler to then also deny others the freedom to truly express themselves?” Renato asked, giving Jake the feeling this was another guy who believed he had Jake all figured out. Why did everyone assume he was some guy who didn’t really care much about what others did?

Well, probably because he was that kind of guy. For the most part.

“I do not believe you invited me here to discuss your ideology,” Jake just stated.

“Indeed, I did not. I am sure you are familiar with the Golden Road Emporium, correct?”

“Remind me,” Jake said. Why the hell would he know that?

“Surprising... Sultan has not spoken of his Patron? The leader of the Golden Road Emporium?” Renato asked, surprised.

Jake looked at the guy as suddenly things made a lot more sense.

Carmen spied on the mansion intently as she sat in a small cafe not too far away. Jake had shown her to the mansion in which her father lived, and it had only taken a minute or two before Carmen saw someone she recognized. It was a cousin she hadn’t seen in more than half a decade… before Carmen had a “falling out” with her family.

Soon after, she saw more familiar faces. It also quickly became clear that they owned the place. It was a large mansion, four stories tall, brick-construction, with a massive garden. All of it was surrounded by a fence and a gate, both enchanted.

The fence was the type where everyone could look in. Carmen expected nothing less from the narcissists. They wanted to show off their home and their wealth. They wanted everyone to know they were of high status. Usually, Carmen hated that, but today, it was welcome. It allowed her to just sit there and observe who went and who came. She had yet to see any of the people she was truly looking for, but she was confident they were there.

But more than that, she saw a lot of women come and go. Dozens every hour entered the mansion and left again. Most of them were not the most dressed, and none of them wore masks, indicating they were workers or residents of Paradise. Probably workers.

Carmen had figured out black masks were for the ones in charge. The important people. Her family members she had seen so far all wore black masks or no masks at all, while it seemed like employees did not use them normally, and when they did, they had white masks on.

As she was putting things together in her head, Carmen saw her. Carmen was sitting in the café as suddenly she tensed up and the glass in her hand was squished so hard she managed to compress it. Yet she didn’t notice as her eyes were trained on the person that had just exited the mansion.

She was wearing an expensive one-piece red dress, hair styled perfectly, with not a single speck of dust on her body. She walked in high heels down the pathway leading out of the mansion as all the employees bowed to her. Her posture was immaculate. Four men wearing black masks flanked her, too, signifying her importance.

But more importantly, was her face.

A perfect unblemished face with not a single scar or deformity left. No signs of what Carmen had done to her and what had landed her in prison. Not a single fucking mark. Her cousin was back to her perfect self… no, she was even more perfect now.

Beatrice… Carmen thought as she held herself back. No… be calm… be rational for once in your fucking life… figure this shit out first.