Chapter 560: Castio
“Let’s go.”
Loren stretched his limbs, tucked the Dull Light at his waist, and draped on his black robe.
“Let’s go!”
Veronica hooked her arm through Loren’s, as if they weren’t heading off on some dangerous mission but rather a pleasant outing.
“Let me warn you first—Castio has a Seventh-tier mage as a bodyguard. Do you have any idea what that means?”
“That’s a high-ranking mage. Even for Divine Envoys, their average strength is only around mid-tier.”
Violetta issued her warning with utmost seriousness, but Loren still couldn’t have cared less:
“I know. Just lead the way quickly.”
Now, any enemy below an Angel really wasn’t worth Loren’s attention, even though his accessories and weapons were no longer by his side after his rebirth.
When Loren had bought his blade earlier, he’d also picked up a few handguns on the side.
This place was too far from the God of Night and Thunder’s territory to buy fully automatic firearms, so handguns would have to do for now.
“…”
Seeing that Loren still showed no reaction, Violetta dropped the subject.
She knew full well that Loren was a smart man who wouldn’t put himself in danger, especially when he had someone important with him.
Ever since Violetta had met Loren, she’d seen Veronica clinging to his side.
But in Violetta’s eyes, Veronica was just some random woman—the kind whose face you wouldn’t remember even after a glance.
If she hadn’t been constantly with Loren, Violetta wouldn’t have even noticed her.
And Veronica had absolute trust in Loren, knowing his true identity.
So even if she didn’t understand what the mage’s tier classifications meant, she knew for sure that an Angel was far stronger than any mortal.
Since Loren had once slaughtered nine Angels, of course he wouldn’t take a mere Seventh-tier mage seriously.
Everyone arrived at the casino. Even though it was nighttime, the place was still ablaze with light.
As the biggest casino here, backed by deep connections, it had already installed electric lights imported from the Uridia Kingdom.
That was also a selling point—many people seeking a nightlife chose to come here to have fun.
The feeling electric lights gave was completely different from candles.
The casino prohibited weapons, but they didn’t check too thoroughly—as long as you weren’t blatant about it.
When entering, Loren activated the effect of The Hermit card, and the casino staff didn’t even notice him.
“How are we betting today? Still playing roulette?”
Loren asked, glancing over at the roulette area.
To Loren’s surprise, the previous dealer was still there. The casino was more lenient than Loren had imagined.
Not just the dealer—even the suit-wearing man from before was still in the casino, now sitting in a corner, studying the roulette wheel Loren had used that day.
“Whatever. Just play what you’re good at. Make sure we earn money, that’s all.”
Violetta walked into the casino. Her white dress, stained with blood, was strikingly visible under the lights, and quite a few people jumped when they saw her.
But it was only a brief startle. The casino was a melting pot of all sorts, and anyone could show up here.
Even if someone had a missing hand, they wouldn’t be all that shocked.
At the same time, the suit-wearing man spotted Violetta in one glance and also noticed Loren by her side.
He saw Loren heading toward the roulette wheel.
In an instant, the suit-wearing man panicked. He rushed desperately to the edge of the roulette table and, the moment the game ended, smashed the wheel on the table to pieces.
“Sorry, the wheel is broken. Please go play something else…”
The suit-wearing man was sweating as he explained.
His sudden action startled the nearby gamblers, but the game was already over, so it didn’t affect them much—at worst, they couldn’t start another round.
“What the hell are you doing? I was on a hot streak!”
A gambler slammed the table, clutching a handful of chips in his hand.
But the suit-wearing man just gave him a look, and the gambler immediately shut his mouth.
He couldn’t handle Loren, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t handle these ordinary gamblers.
In the end, the group of gamblers left dejectedly, leaving only the broken wheel and the suit-wearing man.
“Why are you so anxious? I want to play something else. I’m not playing roulette this time.”
Loren shrugged and made a snide remark.
But from the look in the suit-wearing man’s eyes, he clearly didn’t believe Loren.
“You know me. I won’t let a single gambling addict make a single coin off me. When they bet, I have to lose on purpose.
“Of course, I could win one round and lose the next to screw them out of their money, but what if someone follows my bet, wins one round, and then walks away?”
Despite saying that, Loren knew it was impossible.
If someone could really know when to quit, they wouldn’t be a gambling addict.
“I’m going to play something different today. Something no one else can copy.”
Loren flashed a thought-provoking smile and walked over to the dice area.
As Loren approached, the gamblers around him made way, recognizing him.
They might not have known Loren’s face, but they were familiar with his black robe, as well as Violetta by his side. Violetta had a certain reputation in this casino.
The story of her friend being killed was no secret—many had witnessed that scene.
But today, they felt something was different. Normally, Violetta wore red.
“That’s the dress that woman was wearing when she died…”
Someone recognized the white dress on Violetta, and Loren finally understood why she was wearing it.
“Is there a betting limit here?”
Loren stood beside the table and asked the suit-wearing man.
“There is…”
“There isn’t.”
Before the suit-wearing man could answer, another man spoke up.
His attire was casual, his smile warm and friendly, like some reliable uncle.
“That’s Castio.”
Violetta said softly, and Loren looked at Castio. At first glance, he seemed quite ordinary.
But Loren sensed the greed deep within him—greed that surpassed every single gambler in the room.
“Alright, then let’s start betting.
“Just listen to my calls and place the bets. I won’t be playing myself.”
Loren stepped back, pushing Violetta forward.
Castio stood by the table, quietly watching the scene unfold.
He was watching the joke, and so was Loren.
The dice game was simple: there were three dice, and gamblers could bet on big or small, odd or even, or specific numbers.
The payout for guessing the exact number was the highest—eight to one.
This payout was calculated by the casino. The easiest numbers to roll were ten and eleven, each with a one-in-eight probability.
Other numbers had far lower odds, so betting on ten and eleven was the best choice.
“How much money do you have?”
Before they started, Loren asked Violetta.
“Five thousand gold.”
After a brief calculation, Loren stated the optimal play:
“Bet on eleven. Place fifteen silver worth of chips.”
Last time, Loren had relied on magic. This time, he was relying on math.
Loren had long wanted to test what the doubling method was like, but he’d never had the chance to try it before.
Of course, Loren knew that the doubling method alone couldn’t guarantee a win—the casino had other tricks—but Loren’s tricks were always stronger.