Lucky Wheel

The wheel itself looked as though it had been carved from a single enormous crystal. Golden, quicksand-like matter flowed slowly within it, refracting dreamlike, hazy light beneath the lamps. Waves and images of the Sea God had been meticulously carved across its surface. Each section was inlaid with mother-of-pearl, with rewards written in elegant cursive: "VIP Guest Invitation Card," "a box of premium Cigars," "double chips," "a kiss from the Dealer (regardless of gender)," and so on.

A guest was currently playing the wheel.

Ling Chu watched helplessly as he spun it ten times, landing on "Thank You for Playing" eight times and "One Bartender's Special" twice.

"This wheel is such a scam. Ten chips for two drinks—what a huge loss."

The other guests watching alongside Ling Chu shook their heads and turned to leave for other gambling tables.

The Attendant in charge of the Lucky Wheel noticed Ling Chu still standing there and immediately switched to an enthusiastic smile.

"This... uniquely elegant young lady, would you like to try the Lucky Wheel? Just one chip for one spin! No skill required, regardless of your background! The goddess of fate smiles upon you here. With just one chip, your life may be changed forever!"

Ling Chu felt that he had originally intended to call her a "beautiful young lady," but after seeing the Giant Lizard Leather Armor that was so ugly it drained Charisma, he had forcibly changed his wording.

"I'll spin once."

Ling Chu handed her only chip to the Attendant. He accepted it with white-gloved hands and gestured for her to begin spinning.

She reached out and gripped the edge of the wheel, then gave it a hard spin. The giant wheel began rotating continuously.

This Lucky Wheel really had been designed to be a scam. Two-thirds of it read "Thank You for Playing." Of the remaining third, "One Glass of Fine Wine" took up more than half, "a kiss from the Dealer" occupied another sizable portion, while the truly valuable prizes occupied pitifully tiny sections.

The wheel gradually slowed down, successfully avoiding "Thank You for Playing," and finally the pointer landed on a narrow section.

[Chips x100]

The Attendant remained calm and said with a smile, "Congratulations, miss. You've won 100 chips!"

He deliberately raised his voice, instantly drawing the attention of quite a few guests nearby.

"Come take a look! This lucky young lady exchanged one chip for a hundred—guaranteed profit, no loss!"

While using Ling Chu to advertise, he brought over a tray from the table behind him. One hundred chips were neatly arranged on it.

"Wait, why are these chips blue?"

They looked completely different from the White Chip she had before.

"Oh, these are special chips used within our casino. They can only be used for spending and gambling, and cannot be exchanged for Sea Shells. See, the chips won from the Slot Machine over there are the same kind. Only the White Chips you win by gambling against other guests at the tables can be exchanged for Sea Shells," the Attendant explained with a smile.

Ling Chu understood. The owner of this casino was truly shrewd—the wool came from the sheep. White Chips only circulated between guests, while Blue Chips paid out from the casino's own pocket through things like the Lucky Wheel and Slot Machine could not be redeemed.

"Miss, your luck is quite good today. Would you like to play a few more times?"

The Attendant continued asking Ling Chu, afraid that she would run off after taking advantage of the deal.

"Then I'll play two more times," Ling Chu said.

She had so many chips now, yet they could not be redeemed. What was the point of keeping them without spending them?

The Lucky Wheel began spinning again. This time, as it slowed, its pointer was about to stop on "Thank You for Playing," but just before coming to a complete halt, it mysteriously shifted back by a centimeter and finally stopped on the words "VIP Guest Invitation Card."

For the first time, cracks appeared in the Attendant's smiling expression.

"C-congratulations, miss. You're truly incredibly lucky today. You've won the second most valuable prize on this wheel—a VIP Guest Invitation Card worth ten thousand Sea Shells!"

The Attendant stammered at first, but his professional training allowed him to quickly recover.

"See? Who says our Lucky Wheel has low odds? This lady has won 100 chips and a VIP Guest Invitation Card in a row."

The few guests nearby were visibly tempted.

"Could the odds of winning something good on the Lucky Wheel have been adjusted upward? This is my first time seeing someone win a guest invitation card."

"Not at all. Didn't you see that before her, someone spun ten times and got 'Thank You for Playing' eight times?"

"Is that so? Still, it's only one chip. I'll give it a try later."

The Attendant took out a glittering golden card and handed it to Ling Chu in full view of everyone. Ling Chu could clearly see the pained expression on his face.

"Miss, would you like to continue playing?"

Ling Chu nodded. "Continue."

Ling Chu set the wheel spinning once more. For some reason, the Attendant's eyelids suddenly began twitching wildly.

She had already won two low-probability prizes. This time, no matter what, it should be "Thank You for Playing," right?

The Attendant comforted himself with that thought until he watched the pointer land on the narrowest section of the entire wheel. That section was so tiny that the pointer itself nearly filled it completely.

The Attendant shut his eyes, nearly passing out.

Ling Chu even kindly reached out to steady him. "Are you all right? Should I call a doctor for you?"

"I'm fine..."

The Attendant clutched his chest, his face pale as he said weakly, "Congratulations, miss. You've won the Special Grand Prize from our Lucky Wheel."

Every other section on the wheel had text labeling it. Only this smallest section had a question mark drawn on it. But according to the basic rules of the Lucky Wheel, the smaller the area, the more valuable the prize. Combined with the Attendant's reaction, as though the pain was enough to make him faint, Ling Chu realized she had won the ultimate prize.

The Attendant adjusted his breathing, grabbed the red curtain behind the Lucky Wheel, and yanked it down.

Ling Chu had thought there would be a wooden wall behind the curtain. Instead, the Attendant snapped his fingers, and the wooden wall slowly opened, revealing a hidden cabinet inside.

Five items sat in the cabinet: a longbow, a porcelain doll, a round jar resembling a piggy bank, a pair of sparkling Crystal Shoes, and a fish fin that looked like a specimen. They all seemed to be equipment.

The Attendant said, "These items are all private collectibles of our Captain. You may choose any one of them, but once you choose, you cannot regret it!"

Ling Chu immediately used the Eyepatch to inspect their attributes.

[Oath of the Wind Whisperer]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Exquisite craftsmanship from the Elf race. The bowstring is made from the tendons of a Storm Giant Eagle, giving it a firing speed five times that of an ordinary shortbow. While holding this bow, gain the Blessing of the Wind: Movement Speed +20%.]

[After equipping this bow, you can inherit the Special Profession: Wind Chaser Ranger.]

[Luck-Borrowing Voodoo Doll (Bound)]

[Quality: Unique]

[A voodoo doll imbued with mysterious Eastern power. Once bound, give it to someone else to siphon away their Luck. Absorbs 1 point per day until their Luck reaches zero.]

[Miser's Piggy Bank]

[Quality: Unique]

[Put one Sea Shell into it, and it will automatically produce one Sea Shell the next day. The greater the investment, the greater the return!]

[Daily production limit: 10 Sea Shells.]

[Gorgeous Crystal Shoes]

[Quality: Precious]

[Charisma +10, Agility -3 after equipping.]

[Crystal shoes that look good but serve little purpose. Put them on, and you'll be the brightest star on the dance floor.]

[Abyssal Fin]

[Quality: Unique]

[A magically infused fish fin from some unknown deep-sea creature. Swimming Speed +20% after equipping, and grants underwater breathing. However, prolonged wear will cause scales to grow, gradually assimilating the wearer into a deep-sea creature and stripping away their humanity.]