Tonight's Goddess of Luck

Several guests who looked like experienced players sat at the table, cigars pinched between their fingers, with a pile of ivory-colored chips stacked before them.

After Ling Chu sat down, she took out a portion of blue chips and asked the dealer, "How do I exchange chips? What are the basic rules? What are the win-loss multipliers?"

Hearing this, the other guests glanced at her with a hint of disdain in their eyes.

Anyone who asked that was clearly a newbie, here to throw money away.

The dealer was a cold-faced blonde woman: "Just hand me the chips. The basic rule is to have a point total higher than the dealer's without exceeding 21. Aces count as 1 or 11, and JQK count as 10. A normal win pays 1:1, Blackjack (Ace + 10) pays 1.5:1, and after splitting or doubling down, a win also pays 1:1."

Ling Chu took out ten chips and handed them over. The dealer swapped the blue chips for white ones and pushed them into the betting circle.

To ensure fairness, once on the table, blue chips were washed into white ones.

The dealer dealt the cards. The dealer's upcard was an [Ace], and Ling Chu received an upcard of [8] and a downcard of [9], totaling 17 points.

This was an awkward point total. Drawing a card was extremely risky, likely to bust, but not drawing could leave her beaten by a higher dealer total.

"Hit," Ling Chu said calmly.

The dealer flicked her finger, and a card slid in front of her—it was that most improbable [4]!

21 points! Perfect!

The dealer flipped over their downcard, a [9], totaling 20 points, a narrow loss.

Second round, Ling Chu got two [8]s. This wasn't a great hand either.

"Split," she decided, dividing her chips into two piles.

The dealer dealt supplementary cards to each of her [8]s. The first supplementary card was a [Q], making 18 points. The second supplementary card—another [Q]! Another 18 points!

The dealer's upcard was a [6], and their downcard was a [10], totaling 16 points.

The rules forced the dealer to draw another card.

The dealer flipped the card—a glaring [7]—and busted immediately.

Third round, Ling Chu's upcard was a [10], and her downcard was a [7], totaling 17 points again, another borderline total. The dealer's upcard was an [8]. If the dealer's next card was 9 or lower, Ling Chu would win. By probability, standing was the best choice now.

Ling Chu was hesitating whether to stand when she heard Hemlock's voice again in her ear.

"Keep drawing. Their downcard is a 10."

Ling Chu's eyelid twitched. She realized Hemlock had possessed her eyepatch again. Had he used the earlier moment to possess an object on the dealer's side?

Ling Chu's luck only affected herself—for example, when she had a high point total, she was less likely to bust, or when she had a low total, she was more likely to draw a big card. But it couldn't affect others' luck. If she stood and the dealer happened to draw a higher total, her luck wouldn't help.

Now she had both Double Luck and Hemlock as a remote cheat.

Ling Chu would be letting herself down if she didn't win.

"Hit. Double down."

Ling Chu said softly.

Just as everyone expected Ling Chu to play it safe and stand, she pushed out double the chips.

A faint intake of breath rippled around the table. Choosing to hit and double down on 17 points was practically suicide!

The dealer expressionlessly dealt a card—it was the smallest possible [4]!

Ling Chu's 17 points instantly transformed into an unbeatable 21!

The pressure immediately shifted to the dealer. The dealer flipped their downcard—a [10], totaling 18 points. This total would have just barely beaten Ling Chu's 17.

But in the face of her miraculously drawn [4], those 18 points became utterly powerless.

The dealer pushed double the chips in front of Ling Chu. The crisp sound was especially jarring on the silent table.

The dealer across from her, cigar clamped between his teeth, wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered, "Damn weird."

He looked at Ling Chu with scrutiny and confusion.

She wasn't relying on skill; her playstyle was like a complete beginner at the game. But every seemingly reckless decision precisely summoned the only card that could create a miracle.

She even doubled down at times when she shouldn't have, yet always drew that perfectly small card.

This girl was way too lucky.

"Continue."

The dealer reluctantly pushed another pile of chips into the betting pool.

At first, the surrounding gamblers didn't pay much attention, writing Ling Chu off as beginner's luck. But as the chips by her hand gradually piled higher, the crowd watching grew larger.

The dealer's composed expression slowly faded. After losing a key hand, he tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his sharp gaze sweeping over Ling Chu's seemingly calm face, as if searching for any trace of cheating. But in the end, he found nothing.

Maybe he was overthinking it. Anyone who dared to cheat at the Golden Finger Casino ended up badly.

He just leaned back slightly, becoming more cautious with his subsequent bets.

The dealer remained professional, but the speed of dealing seemed to slow imperceptibly. She glanced at Ling Chu a couple more times, and every time she dealt to her, her movements were as precise as if measured by a ruler.

Unnoticed, a small crowd of onlookers had gathered around the table.

"Look at that girl, her hand is on fire!"

"Five wins in a row? Luck's that good?"

"Is she cheating? Why isn't the dealer doing anything?"

"Doesn't seem like it... Look, she barely talks—just reads the cards, calls for them, collects the chips."

Ling Chu ignored the chatter. Her goal was clear—clean out every chip from the "Fat Sheep" at this table.

When the banker, face ashen from losing all his chips, stood up and left, a brief silence fell over the table.

Ling Chu knew when to quit.

She counted her spoils. With just over fifty Blue Chips, she'd won nearly two hundred White Chips.

Exchanged for Sea Shells, that was over twenty thousand pieces.

Sure enough, the only shortcut to wealth was gambling!

She paid no mind to the probing, envious, even slightly hostile stares around her, gathering her chips without a care. The Attendant, sharp-eyed, immediately stepped forward to help her organize them into a heavy tray.

When a guest had enough chips, a dedicated Attendant would carry the tray for them.

Ling Chu moved on to Baccarat and Three Card Poker, determined to wash away all her remaining Blue Chips.

Wherever she sat, within five minutes, the area would be packed three layers deep with onlookers. The towering stacks of chips, her decisive and sharp card play, and her young maiden's face formed a stark contrast.

Word spread among the guests that a Goddess of Luck had boarded the ship today, wreaking havoc in the first and second-floor casino zones.

Her flashy antics soon caught the attention of a certain big shot on board.