Goblin Dependency
Chapter 85 - 61 Ceremony

Chapter 85: Chapter 61 Ceremony

The space in "Full Bag of Gold" isn’t large, probably about the same as White Sparrow Tavern.

But in comparison, the latter feels significantly more spacious.

The reason, naturally, is due to the various card tables that almost fill every available space in the Full Bag of Gold Tavern’s hall.

Excited cheers and despairing wails are mixed in with the air dense with the smell of alcohol.

Xia Nan cautiously guards his pocket, struggling to thread his way through the gamblers in the hall.

The half orc by his side has long vanished from his sight—

With a height only reaching his waist, the other was almost instantly swallowed by the crowd in such a scene.

Xia Nan isn’t worried about the half orc’s safety.

The tavern is only this big, and what people come and go, and what commotion happens can be seen clearly.

Plus, the other, like himself, is also an adventurer, with guaranteed strength.

To some extent, the unique traits of the half orc’s race might just make the other more at ease here than himself.

"Snap!"

Beside the card table, a card with a unique pattern, depicting two Winter Wolves, was slammed onto the table.

Almost at the same time, the gamblers squeezed alongside, red-eyed, who were staring intently at the table, burst into either fervent or regretful noise.

Xia Nan frowned and glanced a moment before quickly withdrawing his gaze.

In this world, items like playing cards also exist.

However, the designs and values on the cards are entirely different from those in the previous world.

And the various gameplay rules noticeably vary depending on the region.

He doesn’t understand the specifics among them; rashly getting to the table might lead to losing even his underwear.

He only came along with the half orc to take a look; most of his assets are stored in River Valley Town’s bank, and the majority of the coins he’s carrying are left in the inn.

What he brought into the tavern amounts to only 7 silver and 3 copper.

The sound of dice spinning and colliding rapidly inside a jar reached his ears, and he turned towards the sound.

He saw a croupier in a bartender’s uniform shaking the dice jar vigorously.

He moved forward.

Compared to the card games with their many rules and intricacy, dice games are much simpler.

Although there are still many derived rules and surely differences in the physical laws between the two worlds, the most basic mathematical principles remain the same.

Odd or even, a quick and simple game, is undoubtedly the most popular in a tavern like Full Bag of Gold.

But just as he approached the card table, even before he could squeeze past the crowd in front of him,

he unexpectedly saw Alton already sitting by the card table, who had disappeared since entering the tavern.

A large pile of coins was placed beside his hand.

Surprised at the speed of the other’s actions, Xia Nan intended to greet him.

Only to see the half orc, under the watchful eyes of the surrounding gamblers, shove all the coins forward with force.

"All in!"

Huh!?

...

...

"Drip drop."

Clear and cold raindrops fell like threads, accumulating ponds of varying sizes on the uneven road surface.

Standing in front of the tavern, Xia Nan looked up at the fiercely clashing and blending clouds in the sky, showing no sign of diminishing.

"A heavy rain is coming."

Beside him, the half orc Alton tossed the lucky coin in his hand, speaking with a cheerful smile.

Xia Nan didn’t reply, merely looking at him with a strange expression.

He recalled the scene he witnessed two hours earlier.

Strange, too strange.

The half orc at the card table still had that optimistic, cheerful smile he was familiar with.

But his moves were fiercer than the most frenzied gamblers.

Every hand, he went all in.

And the results corresponded to the identity of a believer in the Goddess of Fortune.

He either won or got a tie, not losing a single hand.

In the end, not only Xia Nan but even the surrounding gamblers who didn’t know the half orc were amazed.

Xia Nan had initially wanted to join, but something seemed off no matter how he looked at it.

He decided to move closer and asked a couple of questions.

After receiving Alton’s headshake reply, he decisively put away his thoughts and just observed from the side.

During the two hours inside the tavern, Xia Nan practically watched the pile of coins beside the half orc grow higher and higher.

Even the expression of the croupier at the table gradually changed.

He even faintly heard some disputes and commotion from the room at the back of the tavern.

If it weren’t for the two swords on his back, someone might have stepped in for a talk long ago.

Xia Nan had even mentally prepared a contingency plan.

Until half a minute ago.

Alton once again pushed the mountainous heap of coins beside him towards the table.

He thought the other would, as before, see through the outcome and take all the winnings.

But for the first time, the half orc lost.

And because it was all in, everything he had won earlier, including his initial capital, was lost in this round.

All that was left was the lucky coin he was tossing at this moment.

But Alton didn’t show any sign of disappointment on his face.

He chuckled, as if what he lost moments ago was just a pile of stones seen everywhere along the roadside.

Just before the two left, a middle-aged man, seemingly a tavern manager, even took the initiative to invite the half orc inside for a talk, only to be politely refused.

Xia Nan watched him, squatting on the roadside, delightedly and curiously studying the puddles on the ground.

With his right hand, he lightly pressed the pocket at his waist, feeling the hard touch of the 7 silver and 3 copper inside.

Suddenly, his mouth felt dry.

He licked his lips and spoke:

"Earlier... did you do it on purpose?"

"When?"

"That last round."

"Yes and no." The half orc lightly prodded the water’s surface with his fingertip, further ruffling the puddle already filled with ripples under the drizzling rain.

"What do you mean?"

"Luck is conserved."

Alton suddenly stood up, extending his left hand under the eaves.

The fine rain fell, creating splashes.

A crystal-clear droplet landed on the half orc’s fingertip, split into two by gravity, slipping off to the left and right.

"Just as everyone knows, the Lady of Smile, known for ’good luck’, indeed has a sister with a completely opposite domain."

"Fortune and misfortune are essentially the same thing."

Holding the brass-colored coin with his moist fingers,

he tossed it again.

"You can’t win every time, nor will you lose every time."

The raindrops fell densely, dotting the spinning coin’s surface.

The splattering tiny droplets refracted the dim and gloomy light in the air.

Vaguely, Xia Nan seemed to see.

The long-haired woman engraved on the coin’s surface, her face briefly clear under the faint light.

Suddenly, he understood.

To Alton, his actions within the tavern might have been mere whims of interest.

Yet, on the other hand, the half orc’s series of moves invisibly aligned with the teachings of the Goddess of Fortune, Taimola.

Not a gamble.

A ritual.