The other name for the golden city of Arcana is the city of pleasure.
And this is one of the three casinos operated by Hudson, the landowner of Arcana.
Its grandeur and splendor do not distinguish between night and day, enticing people.
The advantage of Casino Hudson is that 'outsiders' can enter without any special measures.
No identity verification is required, and the only thing needed to enter is 'money.'
Additionally, as it stands at the pinnacle of Arcana's entertainment, many people visit Hudson while hiding their true identities.
“This house document is only worth 8,000 gold? What are you talking about? It's still being traded for 15,000 gold!”
At the entrance desk where visitors are screened, a man shouted, and the small-glassed person inside shook his head.
“The actual transaction price in District 5 is 7,800 gold. 8,000 gold is already a generous estimate, but you need to make up the remaining 2,000 gold to enter.”
“No matter what, how can you...!”
“Security.”
Instantly, the burly security guards quickly subdued the man.
“What, what is this! I'm a customer!”
“You're not a customer without a 10,000 gold entry deposit.”
“Choke!”
The security guard lifted the man and threw him into the sky, and the man who flew through the air crashed to the ground.
The onlookers, seeing this, covered their mouths and mocked him.
“Tsk tsk, what a beggar trying to get in.”
“Oh, how disgusting.”
“District 5 is just a rat's nest, isn't it? It smells like something is rotting!”
The city's rich, dressed in beautiful dresses, elegant tuxedos, or the symbol of the wealthy, golden turbans, frowned when the poorly dressed man tried to enter.
They mocked and ridiculed him.
This is Arcana, where only 'money' is the top priority.
But my gaze was on the security guards, not them.
The security guards are not ordinary.
【Lv. 6】
They are strong warriors or knights.
In the game's setting, they are all regular knights of the City of Arcana.
It might seem strange that honorable knights are just security guards at a casino, but in this game, each 'major city' is a different kingdom.
So, the rules and customs vary from city to city.
Arcana has its own set of laws.
“Welcome.”
And the important thing is that the next person in line after the man who was thrown out is me.
Isabella and I could also be thrown out by the security guards like that man.
“To enter the casino, a 10,000 gold deposit is required. Of course, we also accept collateral.”
The manager inside the glass wall smiled kindly.
10,000 gold deposit. But I have less than 300 gold in cash.
‘I spent 50 gold on cleaning and buying clothes.’
Exactly 250 gold remains.
I can't enter the casino covered in blood.
I have a severe lack of cash, and the only thing left is collateral.
‘The level is also divided by the deposit when entering.’
There is a lot of collateral to offer.
As Isabella said, the pumpkin dagger is worth at least 30,000 gold.
The manager has a high-level skill to assess the 'value' of all items.
10,000 gold, or collateral of equivalent value, is required to enter, and the level is also divided based on the collateral.
Collateral is not treated as game money.
It is merely a measure to distinguish the 'level' of the entrant, identifying those who can confidently hand over large amounts of physical assets and those who cannot.
“Customer? Do you have anything?”
The security guards took a step forward.
“If not, move quickly!”
“Can’t you see the line? Let’s go in!”
“Oh, beggars. They’re wasting so much time.”
The people in line shouted angrily.
With two people wasting time, those who want to enter as quickly as possible to spin the slots are raising a fuss.
The manager's eyes scanned up and down.
‘A cheap suit bought for 13 gold at the market. There’s nothing else of value. The woman with him is quite attractive, but there’s nothing else.’
The manager sighed inwardly.
It seems there are an unusually high number of unqualified customers today.
These people should be playing games on mats in the market, not in the casino.
If too many unqualified customers come, the casino's reputation will suffer. Although Hudson is relatively free among the three casinos, it can't be this way.
‘I need to show them who’s boss.’
Even after seeing the previous person fly out, this one is still a troublemaker.
A bigger punishment seems necessary.
If he gets beaten up in a secluded place until he’s almost dead, he won’t come back.
“Security...”
“I have this.”
Just as the security guards were about to pounce, the man suddenly pulled out an item from his pocket.
The manager, upon seeing the item, tilted his head.
‘What is this?’
He couldn’t tell what it was. As he activated the 'Appraisal' skill, the manager's eyes widened.
“...I will take you to the VIP room. Welcome to Casino Hudson.”
The manager and the security guards, who were about to pounce, clasped their hands together respectfully.
“I will guide you to the VIP entrance.”
“Follow me. Move, move!”
The security guards, now with a changed attitude, moved in unison.
They cleared the way, creating a new path.
It was a scene reminiscent of Moses' miracle.
“VIP?”
“What, what is this...?”
The people in line, who were also stunned, watched us go through the VIP entrance, not the regular one, with blank expressions.
*
The top floor of the casino.
As we ascended to the area reserved for VIPs, Isabella looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“...What did you offer?”
“The Tears of the Fairy Queen. It’s a talisman.”
I answered as if it was nothing.
This only made Isabella more curious.
“A talisman? Isn’t it an item that refines weapons? But even the best talisman wouldn’t receive such treatment...”
“It’s impossible.”
Even the best talisman is hard to value at over 1,000,000 gold.
If we consider only 'value,' the 'Teleport Book' would be more expensive due to high demand.
However, this is Casino Hudson.
‘Hudson. A player, for sure.’
The gamers have flowed into the game and become NPCs. I mistakenly thought they were just NPCs and their interference was part of the game's freedom.
But if they are not NPCs, then Hudson, the owner of this place, is 99% a real person synchronized with reality.
‘Hudson is collecting talismans. He would naturally be interested in rare talismans.’
Hudson is a collector.
Lacking in combat power and talent, he is trying to become stronger through talismans.
Some talismans can remove weapon restrictions or grant talents to those who lack them.
Naturally, the 'Tears of the Fairy Queen' meet these criteria.
It’s an item that might drop from killing about 10,000 'Fairy Queen’s Knight' raid bosses.
Moreover, it is one of the talismans Hudson most desires.
‘He’s the easiest to approach. No one is better for cutting off variables than Hudson.’
I was curious about their stories, the information Hudson has.
Among those I am confident about, Hudson is the easiest to approach.
But before contacting him, I need to.
“Spin the roulette first.”
*
Whirrr!
The ball spins on the large circular wheel.
The roulette game involves betting on high, low, odd, or even numbers when the ball lands on one of the numbers from 1 to 50 on the wheel.
“Go in! Go in!”
“Stop!”
People cheer and focus on the ball.
Ding, ding!
The ball bounces around, making it impossible to predict where it will land.
The ball finally lands on the number '48'.
“Again, again, it hit?”
“What’s with that guy?”
People’s eyes quickly focused on one spot.
A mountain of gold in front of a man.
“Starting with 250 gold, how much is it now?”
“Already 1,320,000 gold?”
“No. He just bet ten gold bars, so now it’s 1,420,000 gold!”
“Crazy. Is he a god of gambling?”
300 coins worth 100 gold each, imprinted with the central bank's seal.
20 gold balls worth 1,000 gold each.
127 gold bars worth 10,000 gold each.
A total of 1,320,000 gold is piled in front of the man.
VIP rooms often see such amounts, but the problem is that he started with just 250 gold.
‘Indeed, the Favor of Gold.’
I smiled slightly.
1,320,000 gold is the amount before the bet.
A successful 100,000 gold bet has now made it 1,420,000 gold.
It’s a true jackpot.
Thanks to the 'Favor of Gold,' I bet on the highest probability.
The 'Favor of Gold' shows the probability when betting on something involving money. The more samples, the more accurate it is, and there are few places with as many samples as a casino.
The dealer's face showed confusion.
Not only did I win, but everyone who bet with me also won