Chapter 205: Luck
Chapter 205: Luck
Ooo~
With a long blast of its horn, the Royal Star slowly pulled away from the Shanghai Port dock.
Bathed in the afternoon sun, this enormous cruise ship, driven by diesel-electric generators, headed towards the vast Pacific Ocean.
Gao Jing found it strange.
After boarding the Royal Star and settling into his suite, no one had contacted him.
His duel with Valarino was scheduled for the next night.
Gao Jing believed the other side definitely knew he was on board, yet they seemed to be ignoring his presence.
It felt like he was being deliberately hung out to dry.
There was no word on how the $1,000,000 prize fee would be paid either.
It gave off a vibe of totally having the upper hand!
To someone else, this situation might cause frustration or anxiety, even a feeling of being like meat on a chopping board.
But Gao Jing was someone extraordinary; such petty tactics meant nothing to him.
He had a good, long sleep in his room. When he woke, it was already past 7 PM.
The cruise ship was now far out on the open sea.
Before boarding, following instructions from the VIP service representative, Gao Jing had downloaded the Royal Star APP. Once on board, he connected to the ship’s internal Wi-Fi.
So, all he needed to do was follow the app’s directions to find his way around this city at sea.
The Royal Star offered incredibly complete facilities. Just the buffet restaurants alone numbered six or seven, and they were free!
Passengers could rotate through them daily.
Besides the free buffets, there were also several high-end restaurants that charged a fee.
As for entertainment, that was even richer: concert halls, theaters, a surf lagoon, a theme park, even an indoor basketball court!
But without a doubt, the biggest and most luxurious facility inside this giant cruise ship was the interior casino!
Gao Jing first went to a buffet restaurant with the best passenger ratings.
After stuffing himself full, he took the elevator down to the casino.
Honestly, all of Gao Jing’s previous impressions of casinos came solely from movies, TV shows, and online videos.
This was his first time stepping into such a place.
He instantly felt like his horizons were broadened!
Gao Jing recalled watching a video on Bilibili by a foreigner with the family name Guo, ranting about Vegas casinos.
He discovered the scene here matched that video description almost exactly!
Powerful lights illuminated the enormous casino as bright as day, every detail crystal clear. The carpet, ceiling, surrounding wall decorations, and colors all created a strong visual impact.
The thick, plush carpet felt comfortable underfoot. A faint fragrance lingered in the air.
The air was remarkably fresh, with a noticeably high oxygen content.
Windows were absent, as were clocks. The design aimed to make gamblers forget time and indulge in play!
Young women dressed in uniforms carried trays, navigating between different gaming tables.
They offered gamblers free coffee.
Rows upon rows of slot machines were occupied by people. The multicolored light from screens cast reflections onto faces etched with excitement, frustration, or regret.
It was a bizarre, disorienting scene that could make anyone lose themselves.
Very few people in such an environment could resist playing at least once!
However, for Gao Jing, trained in the Shan Yue Refining Spirit Art,
Even if the atmosphere here was ten times more feverish, it couldn’t shake his resolve.
But Gao Jing had boarded the ship to have fun, his ticket was already paid for.
So he decided to join the fun, as the saying goes. He took out his credit card and bought $10,000 worth of chips.
All expenses aboard the Royal Star were settled in dollars.
Fiddling with the chips in his hand, Gao Jing strolled unhurriedly through the slot machine area until he reached a Wheel of Fortune table.
The Wheel of Fortune was roulette. Beside the table stood a wheel divided into 37 slots, numbered from 0 to 36. After the dealer “set the ball rolling”, the little white ball landed in one slot, and the corresponding number was the winning one.
The payout for winning a single number was 35 to 1. If you bet $1 and won, you’d get $36 back.
It seemed pretty fair. But a closer look revealed the trick.
With 37 numbers on the wheel, the chance of winning is only 1 in 37. On average, for every $100 gambled, players lost roughly $2.70. The ultimate winner? You guessed it—definitely the casino!
You could also bet on odd or even numbers, but those paid out much lower odds.
Yet, the lure of winning 35 times your stake by hitting one number made most gamblers lose their heads.
Gao Jing watched a few rounds at the table and placed a couple of casual bets.
He lost both.
Boring.
Gao Jing couldn’t help but shake his head.
Remembering his track record of lottery wins (a max of $5) and online giveaways (never winning a thing) – always having bad luck – he really felt this kind of luck-based game wasn’t his thing.
“Friend, is this your first time on the Royal Star?”
As Gao Jing was about to leave, the young man beside him asked with a smile.
The man looked only in his early twenties, standing at most 5-foot-7, fairly handsome but with slicked-back hair and a smarmy smile, sporting a heavy gold chain around his neck and a flashy Rolex on his wrist, practically blinding.
A strikingly beautiful woman was glued to his side; she batted her long, heavily mascaraed eyelashes, eyeing Gao Jing with curiosity.
Seeing no malice, Gao Jing smiled back. “Yes. My luck hasn’t been good. Just got here and lost two thousand already.”
“You need patience with roulette.”
The young man said, “I lost a lot myself when I first started. But later, I got the feel of it and started winning more. Try betting small first, and when you sense that ‘feeling’, push it all in with a big bet! You can win back everything and more!”
He imparted his wisdom, emanating the aura of a “trust me, I can’t lose” gambling guru.
Gao Jing found it amusing. “Makes sense. I’ll give it another shot.”
Just as he finished, a round ended, and a new game started.
He picked up one chip, ready to bet.
Yet, the very moment he was about to place the chip, the Bronze Anchor hanging against his chest grew intensely hot.
A faint layer of Power of Faith within his Faith Pool instantly evaporated.
Transforming into a silently burning Faith Flame!
Huh?
Gao Jing was secretly startled.
The $1000 denomination chip in his hand naturally landed on… “15”.
“15?”
The young man beside him frowned. “This number just came up a few rounds ago. The odds are low it hits again soon.”
His tone dripped with pity, clearly having zero confidence in Gao Jing’s choice.
He confidently placed three chips right on 27.
Other gamblers around them hurried to place their bets.
The dealer sent the white ball rolling again.
The large wheel spun; the small white ball bounced between its grooves, locking the gaze of everyone present.
Gao Jing also fixed his eyes on the ball.
Right at that moment, an overwhelming feeling surged through him—he knew he was going to win this time!
Clack.
The white ball dropped into a slot. The revealed winning number was unmistakably…
15!