–

Species: Human

Class – Lord Class (Late)

Maximum Energy Level: 84,235

–

Dorian glanced at the young man known as Lord Boyle, his eyes narrowed just slightly.

'A Late Lord Class Wizard or fighter, huh?' He was definitely strong, but he must have some reason for being so wealthy. None of the other Lord Class warriors or Wizards Dorian had met had held anywhere near as cavalier an attitude in regards to wealth as him.

–

Species: Human

Class – Lord Class (Middle)

Maximum Energy Level: 54,893

–

–

Species: Human

Class – Lord Class (Middle)

Maximum Energy Level: 56,188

–

The two girls standing behind him, both in the Lord Class as well, though weaker.

Dorian's eyes moved to scan the rest of the table.

–

Species: Human

Class – Lord Class (Early)

Maximum Energy Level: 31,221

–

–

Species: Human

Class – Lord Class (Early)

Maximum Energy Level: 36,172

–

–

Species: Human

Class – Lord Class (Late)

Maximum Energy Level: 79,773

–

The other two humans were very strong for their apparent age, but no real threat. They had an air of affluence and wealth, given off not only by the fine silk clothes they wore, but by their attitudes that caught Dorian's eyes.

Not from his own memories. But from the memories of the man known as Yukeli.

People that gave off an air like that were usually arrogant and wealthy, born into great riches. They'd no doubt reached the Lord Class by leaning upon the support of others. Their future achievements were likely to be very limited, and in actual combat strength, they would most likely bear no threat.

The last human, the one wearing the set of armor, was far stronger, and seemed a bit dangerous.

The old Vampire, however, merited the most concern.

–

Species: Aeth Vampire

Class – Lord Class (Late)

Maximum Energy Level: 81,002

–

'A Late Lord Class expert, huh? And an Aeth Vampire? Ah, half Vampire, half Aethmen. The air around him… He's hiding something. He would be a decently strong Wizard.' Dorian instantly made the assessment, once more drawing upon Yukeli's experience. The memories that had merged into his mind were a powerful and clearly useful asset, though they came with a few negatives.

'Kill them all.' The voice in his head whispered.

'I'll kill you first.' Dorian swore back, ignoring it.

The Vampire's status as a half Aethmen wasn't apparent at all from his looks.

Still… Dorian wasn't worried. He was only a Late Lord Class Wizard. Even as a Vampire, that meant little to Dorian, not when he had his Black-Scaled Dragon form. He didn't need to act carefully around him.

"Alright. Everyone, please place your Ante in the center. The House will record this Ante based on the estimated value. If you have an objection, raise it now." The attendant spoke aloud as he motioned towards a small indent at the center of the table. The table itself was shaped like a letter C, with the attendant standing in the opening.

As he spoke, he slid over a glowing silver card towards Dorian.

"As you have not presented a Winnings Card, here is yours for this table. You may turn it in to the manager to claim your winnings upon leaving."

The card was blank, but gave off a faint, magical feeling. Dorian picked it up. It was made out of some tough, metallic substance. He placed his Golden Leaf at the center of the table, alongside the other Aeth Vampire and the man known as Lord Boyle.

The other gamblers sitting at the table just watched, instead of participating.

As Dorian finished placing the Golden Leaf, a couple of red numbers appeared on his Winnings Card.

–

Posted Pot: 18 Million-Mint Gold Shields

–

Dorian's eyes widened slightly. Gold Shields were the high-level currency of the Borrel Autarchy. Much like how on Earth, one could have a 100 Dollar bill, Golden Shields acted as the higher level of currencies. Gold Mints were the Borrel Autarchy form of gold coins.

That meant that this single bet was valued at 18,000,000 gold coins. A massive sum.

From what Dorian knew, an Early Lord Class Light Pill, a Pill that could restore a heavily injured Lord Class fighter to his best condition in one to two minutes, cost roughly 1,000,000 gold coins, or only a single Million-Mint Gold Shield.

Gold coins, and the magic Gold Shields produced by the Borrel Autarchy's Gold Department, were a widely accepted form of currency, even on worlds not controlled by the Borrel Autarchy.

"Let's play." Once the pot was summarized and valued, the attendant looked at all the guests and smiled. He picked up the deck in his hands and then began the customary shuffle.

As soon as Dorian saw this, his eyes flashed.

He activated his Will.

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

In a room next to the opulent casino area, a resting area could be seen. This room was luxurious, just as wealthy and rich in appearance as the main casino. The walls were decorated with fine stone carvings, while the ground was covered in a lush red carpet. Several long couches were set up, and full of both pillows and scantily clad women wearing nothing but panties and loose, open shirts.

On one couch, in particular, a very overweight human Wizard lay, eating a few grapes that were behind fed to him by a pair of the scantily clad women. He was balding and was cleanshaven, but had a set of cold eyes that juxtaposed to his rather inept-looking appearance.

"Nightlord Javel, one of the new participants has started a rather interesting bet."

A tall woman wearing a lacy blue dress announced as she looked down at a glowing mirror. This mirror, instead of showing a reflection, showed a zoomed in image overlooking the casino main floor.

"Oh? Which new participant?"

Nightlord Javel shifted on his couch, his face a picture of relaxation as he fed on a few more grapes. Despite his apparent obesity, the man carried with him an air of opulence and power.

"An odd Minotaur traveller that was targeted in the streets by one of our lookouts after the Aura of a Natural Treasure was detected. His strength was confirmed to be at the Lord Class, Early or Mid."

The woman continued, pausing to glance up at the man that ran the streets of Oceapal,

"He's joined a table with the other travelers, the Pseudo-King Vampire Wizard and the Thunder Captain from Almeron, as well as a few unimportant humans."

The obese Nightlord waved at the tall woman to continue,

"He raised one of the bigger Antes we've seen this week, offering a Fire-Aspected Golden Leaf. He didn't ask to equalize bets with the others, and the full Ante comes in at an estimated 18 million."

"Well, now THAT is something." The obese Nightlord stood up, a jovial look on his face as he pushed away a few of the women lying on top of him. He was naked from the waist up, wearing only a pair of black silk pants.

"Esmerelda, watch them carefully. Be sure nothing funny happens, with Fate or otherwise. Tell our man to let the round function normally, let one of them win it. A big win will draw in more fish." His voice contained steel in it.

The tall woman nodded, her eyes returning to focus on the bet. A demure smile appeared on her face as she clasped her hands together, preparing to cast a Spell. She didn't give off a Lord Class Aura, but the air around her seemed very close to it.

"Of course, Nightlord Javel."

"Fate Magic: Whispering Eyes."

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Dorian's soul could twist Fate, simply through an extension of his Will. The waves it made in Fate were virtually undetectable, even to him, and didn't require any magic or Spell to be cast.

He simply needed to devote the full force of his Will, commanding something to turn out one way or another.

And right now, as the dealer was shuffling the deck, Dorian focused his Will at that target.

'Fall in my favor.' His soul trembled.

WHOOSH

Dorian felt some amount of energy leave his body.

–

Dorian – Soul Status

Soul Stage: Lord (Middle)

Health: Perfect

Energy: 39,632/39,993

–

'Around 350 points, huh? That's more than I thought it would take.' It was still quite cheap. Many of his stronger Abilities could drain thousands of points of energy, especially all the high-level Mystic Martial Arts from Yukeli's memories.

Shuwwwwwffff

The cards blurred as the dealer shuffled them, his hands adept and skilled. Dorian took a glance at the attendant, scanning him. According to Ausra, he was a Grandmaster Class human. In fact, all of the attendants here appeared to be either Grandmaster Class or Master Class. The picture of an elite, high-powered squadron.

Apparently running a casino in a decently large trading and traveling town that saw a huge amount of travelers pass by was quite the lucrative business.

thwick

thwick

thwick

The attendant dealt the cards out quickly and smoothly, sending them across the table while face down and hidden, while also dealing himself 2 cards as the house. Dorian caught his cards handily, as did the others. They all glanced at them.

'A 10 and a 5, huh?' Dorian thought, his eyes narrowing. It wasn't a bad hand, but it also wasn't perfect.

"Would any gentlemen like to raise the Ante? If an individual raise is not matched by participants, only the house and the better shall participate in the additional raise." The attendant spoke aloud, nodding at Dorian as he informed him.

"I'm good for now." Lord Boyle shrugged, casually waving his hand. He stuck his other hand behind him, looping it around the hips of one of the gorgeous redheads. The girl giggled, hugging on tightly to the gambler.

"No." The Aeth Vampire grunted, revealing nothing about the card's he'd been dealt.

"Very well." The attendant then turned towards the human.

"Deal more or pass?" In the game of Winderlim, as it was called, one could ask to be dealt more cards till they went over or were satisfied.

The human looked at his cards again,

"Deal me one."

The dealer obliged, sliding him a new card. It flew smoothly across the table before landing in his palm, face down.

The human looked at it and then waved him away.

"Deal more or pass?"

"Deal me one."

"Deal me one more."

The Aeth Vampire asked for two cards before passing. It was customary to be dealt at least one card.

"Deal more or pass?" The attendant looked directly at Dorian.

"Deal me one."

thwick

A card slid into Dorian's waiting hand. He turned it slightly, glancing at it.

He smiled.

"Would anyone else like to raise the bet? This is your last call." The attendant's voice was calm as he looked from guest to guest.

"Who do you think will win?"

"The Vampire looks confident."

"So does the human."

"What about the strange Minotaur?"

A flurry of quiet whispers could be heard from the watching crowd as they talked about the match, watching with interest.

Everyone at the table shook their heads in response to the attendant's question.

The attendant dealt himself a single card before glancing at the house's cards. He shook his head, discarding them all. The house had gone over.

"Then please, reveal your cards."

"23 here." Lord Boyle flipped his cards over with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Not bad, Lord Boyle. Unfortunately, my prowess seems to have overstepped yours." The Aeth Vampire smirked, revealing cards that added up to a total of 24. He ignored Dorian as he began to reach forward for the winnings.

"As they say, the Vampires always win in the end."

The human lord turned and gave the Aeth Vampire an amused look,

"It's only a few scraps, after all. Nothing to fight over-"

"Ahem."

Dorian interrupted them as he flipped over his cards.

"I believe that pot is mine, no?"

He flicked his cards forward.

Revealing a perfect 25.

.

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