stjorthotic Chapter 280 I am irreconcilably opposed to gambling and drugs
Chapter 280 I am irreconcilably opposed to gambling and drugs
When Chen You's vision cleared again, he found himself standing in a strange space that defied description.
Beneath my feet lay a smooth, mirror-like black obsidian floor, cold and hard, reflecting the only light source above—
A sphere suspended in the air, emitting a soft white light.
All around was endless nothingness, with no walls or boundaries, only deathly silence.
An ancient bronze table stands alone in the center of the space, and behind the table, a figure stands quietly.
She wore a well-tailored black vest and white shirt, her long silver hair was neatly pinned up, and she wore an impeccable professional smile.
It was Hill, the exclusive customer service representative for the Supreme Tower.
However, at this moment, she had lost her poetic spirit and passion, leaving only a procedural and absolute calmness.
Welcome, challenger to destiny.
Her voice rang out, devoid of any emotion, like a synthesized sound.
The Divine Gold-Level Trial of Destiny – 'Clash of Destinies' – is about to begin.
Chen You raised an eyebrow.
What's going on?
He couldn't help but think to himself: This game company is really too stingy, isn't it?
They're too lazy to even recreate the NPC model; they can just grab the customer service staff and change their clothes.
"Hill?" Chen You called out tentatively.
The other person's smile remained unchanged.
In the training grounds, my codename is "Croupier."
Fine, you've changed your identity and you don't recognize me anymore.
Chen You walked to the long bronze table, pulled out the only chair, and sat down.
"Tell me, how do we play?"
[Trial Rules: Ask the Heavens (Texas Hold'em)]
[You and I will have a card game, with a time limit of ten minutes.]
Starting chips: 10,000.
[Ten minutes later, the number of chips you hold will determine your trial rating and final reward.]
The trial now begins.
As soon as he finished speaking, the dealer waved his arm, and a semi-transparent card made of starlight appeared out of thin air.
She slicing and cutting with fluid, effortless movements, producing a crisp, clattering sound.
Chen You looked at the other person, feeling a little uneasy.
Texas Hold'em?
This so-called "Trial of Destiny" turned out to be a gamble.
"Wait a minute," Chen You said.
The croupier paused, her pale, glowing face turning towards him, as if waiting for what would happen next.
"I understand the rules." Chen You leaned forward slightly, crossed his hands on the table, and looked directly at the dealer.
"But in my hometown, there's a rule that you have to check the cards before the game starts."
His tone was calm, as if he were stating a self-evident fact.
"I need to make sure you didn't tamper with your cards."
The dealer remained silent for a moment, seemingly dealing with this illogical request.
[There is no deception or trickery in this trial.] Its voice trailed off slightly. [Your doubt is a desecration of destiny.]
"I don't know if the Mandate of Heaven will be desecrated," Chen You said with a smirk. "I only know that you have to choose between checking the license plate and shining the shoes."
The dealer paused for a full three seconds, seemingly pondering these two seemingly unrelated matters.
In the end, he nodded in agreement.
【……Can.】
With a wave of her hand, the cards instantly unfolded, revealing fifty-two starlight cards neatly suspended in the air, clearly visible.
Chen You activated [Observing Qi to See the Heart], and a flash of golden light appeared in his eyes.
The energy fluctuations of each card are completely consistent, with no hidden marks or residual energy.
There's definitely no problem.
"The cards are fine." Chen You nodded, leaning back in his chair. "Deal the cards."
The dealer gathers the cards again, shuffles them, and deals the cards.
first round.
Chen You glanced at his cards: a JQK mixed-suit straight.
It's not small.
"You go first," the dealer instructed.
"One thousand," Chen You said calmly.
[Add another bet, two thousand.]
Chen You frowned slightly.
The opponent's raise means they have a strong hand, but it would be a shame for him to fold.
"Open the cards." He decided not to play.
The dealer flips over the cards—three fives, a triple.
Nearly a third of the 10,000 chips in front of Chen You were instantly taken away.
"Interesting." Chen You remained expressionless, but inwardly he began to make plans.
Second round.
Chen You got a pair of Kings, which was a good hand.
He chose to raise the bet.
However, after two rounds, the dealer once again won with a straight flush, taking away nearly three thousand of his chips.
The third game...
In less than three minutes, Chen You's initial ten thousand chips had dwindled to less than two thousand.
The dealer's chips were piled up like a small mountain.
"..."
Chen You looked at the miscellaneous cards in his hand and fell silent.
You pay for a ticket, but you lose it all in less than three minutes?
If this gets out, where will he put his "God of Travel" face?
Not right.
This is definitely not right.
If it's just a matter of probability, then the Divine Gold level trial is ridiculous.
There must be rules he hasn't discovered.
Destiny... Fate...
Chen You's gaze swept across the card table, across the void, and finally landed on the cold-looking dealer.
He suddenly understood something.
This is not a game about probability at all.
This is a contest of "momentum".
When he hesitated and tried to test the waters with earthly poker skills, his "momentum" had already weakened.
As the embodiment of the rules, the dealer's "power" is the strongest from the very beginning.
That's why he kept losing.
Having figured this out, Chen You's entire demeanor changed drastically.
Fifth round, dealing the cards.
He didn't even look at his cards; he simply pushed the remaining thousand-odd chips in front of him forward with his finger.
"All in."
The croupier was facing him, and seemed somewhat surprised.
You're not going to look at your cards?
"My destiny is in my own hands, why should I look at the cards?" Chen You's tone became unfathomable, and he spoke nonsense with a straight face.
"I just observed the stars last night and found that the Tian Shu star is moving and the Zi Wei star is shining brightly, which is an auspicious sign for an emperor."
"The advantage lies with me."
Croupier: [...]
It fell silent.
This is the first time since its inception that such outrageous remarks have been heard.
【and.】
The dealer mechanically followed the bets.
The cards are turned over.
Chen You, miscellaneous cards 9, 5, 2.
The dealer is dealing random cards: K, Q, 7.
Chen You lost.
His chips were all gone.
Chen You: "..."
[Trial ended.]
Before Chen You could react, the surrounding scenery changed instantly.
He returned to the city walls once more.
The battle below was raging, and because of his brief absence, the undead monsters began to fight back.
Then, with his reappearance, everything fell silent again.
Chen You seemed oblivious to all of this.
He was still reeling from his earlier defeat.
Lost.
Going all in failed, and I lost everything.
His carefully analyzed "momentum" was shattered by the cold reality of K, Q, and 7.
A feeling of utter absurdity welled up inside me.
He began to engage in deep self-reflection.
Indeed, gambling is harmful!
Cherish life, stay away from gambling.
It's also poisonous!
From this day forward, I will never forgive gambling and drugs!
Just as Chen You was engaging in serious self-criticism and education, the system notification sounded again.
[The Trial of Destiny has ended, and rewards are being distributed.]
Congratulations! You have obtained the [Heavenly Destiny Stone - Smooth as a Foot (Rare)]!