Call Me the God of Gambling / The Siege

Rukongai, West 78th District.

Once humans are well-fed and watered, they start looking for ways to have fun, so various entertainment activities arise as human productivity increases.

However, there is one form of entertainment that has existed for thousands of years. Almost everyone knows that this form of entertainment is harmful, yet some people still cannot resist its temptation: gambling.

Ward 78 is quite far in the back; even the Grim Reaper wouldn't want to come this far. Although there are far fewer bandits than two hundred years ago, the security is still much worse than near Seireitei. At this moment, a group of down-on-their-luck samurai are gambling here, shouting and laughing, having a great time.

Gambling can provide a strong mental stimulus and is addictive. In fact, gambling is an integral part of modern human life.

In its simplest terms, the "gacha" system in games is a form of gambling, because after you press the button, you have no idea whether you'll get a golden egg or a piece of junk. The thrill of winning and the disappointment of losing keep people on edge.

Even though they know that gambling ruins everything, some people still can't resist spending money on gacha pulls.

In this era, entertainment options were scarce, and those suitable for these fallen samurai were even fewer. Gambling was the best way for them to release their stress.

This place is a casino; it's frequented by many, and people often lose everything there.

"556! Big!" The dealer opened the large bowl, and those who bet on "small" were filled with regret. How could their luck be so bad?

At some point, a man dressed in noble attire slipped into the ranks of these down-on-their-luck warriors. This man had a gloomy demeanor, carried a sword, and remained silent as he watched the gambling match unfold before him. After a long while, he pulled a coin from his clothes.

"I'm betting on the leopard!" the nobleman said calmly, then placed the money in his hand on the leopard's spot.

A triple is formed when all three dice show the same number; it does happen, but it's extremely rare.

"Where did you come from? You're dressed quite well, but your bets are so stingy! You're only betting a large sum?" The bookmaker couldn't help but sneer.

The nobleman completely ignored the other party's taunts and quietly looked at the large bowls. The props for the dice were two large bowls, placed side by side.

"Place your bets now! Place your bets now! Bet on big or small, hurry up!" the dealer shouted.

As it turned out, only the nobleman bet on "leopard".

The dealer didn't take the man seriously at all, and casually opened the large bowl. To everyone's surprise, the three dice in the bowl were all one.

The dealer's face lit up with ecstasy. This nobleman had only bet a large sum, while everyone else had bet either large or small, meaning he had practically won everything.

Then he casually gave the nobleman two copper coins.

Then they started the next round. At this point, the bookmaker was completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation and was still thinking about making a killing today.

"You're quite lucky!" a samurai said to the nobleman, who calmly replied, "I've always been lucky."

The nobleman casually tossed his two large coins onto the "leopard" spot; he was going to bet on the leopard again.

Seeing the nobleman's actions, the other gamblers laughed. Was this what they called "newbie protection"? This guy clearly didn't know anything; how could he possibly get a triple twice? But when the dealer opened the large bowl, everyone was stunned, because there were three dice in the bowl—three ones.

"I won again. Pay up," the nobleman said calmly.

The dealer twisted his wrist; this kid's luck is just too good!

The order of betting and dice rolling here is different from what you see in Hong Kong movies.

Gamblers place their bets first, and then the dealer starts rolling the dice. This prevents skilled players from judging the dice rolls by sound.

This time, the nobleman placed all four of his copper coins on the leopard's spot. The other gamblers looked on with some surprise; could a person's luck really be that good?

Driving a leopard three times in a row? Unless you're cursed.

The bookmaker thought the same way. He was able to work here because he had his own superb skills. He could even roll out whatever number he wanted. Before, he was just playing around, but now he was going to take it seriously.

In any case, it's impossible for a triple to appear this time, otherwise the surrounding gamblers would suspect they're cheating.

After the bets were placed, the dealer started shaking the dice frantically, even using all his skills. If another triple was drawn, I would cut off my own little Kunkun.

The nobleman stared blankly at the large bowl in the dealer's hand.

The dealer revealed a strange smile. He had already deduced from the sound that the dice in the bowl showed 123, and it was definitely not a triple this time.

"Everyone, place your bets now!" The dealer opened the large bowl, but he was stunned the moment he did, because the number in the bowl was 111, another triple.

This is fucking crazy!

Wait, aren't all the people gambling here ghosts?

Chapter 116: Please Call Me the God of Gamblers

If it's not a ghost, then there's only one possibility: someone is cheating.

The nobleman quietly pocketed the eight copper coins, waiting for the next round. The dealer was bewildered; what method had the opponent used to cheat?

The opponent didn't touch the dice at all, so theoretically they shouldn't have had any chance to cheat!

Cold sweat dripped down the dealer's forehead. The dealer decided to try again; this time, he was going to use his real skills.

Although shocked, the bookmaker remained calm and said with a smile, "Next game, next game, place your bets now."

Sure enough, the nobleman bought another leopard.

The dealer's expression remained unchanged. In the instant the dice were shaken, he used lightning speed to steal all three dice from the bowl, then used ventriloquism to make the dice sound. The nobleman's expression remained completely unchanged, seemingly unaware that the other party was cheating.

The moment the bowl is opened, you'll put the three dice back in, and you can get whatever number you want. Kid, luck is useless in a casino.

But the moment he opened the bowl and was about to put the dice in, he sensed something was wrong, because there were three extra dice in the bowl.

"What's going on now?" The dealer's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

The three dice in the bowl should have been in your hand, so where did these three extra dice come from?

The dealer stiffly looked up at the nobleman in front of him, who remained calm and composed, waiting for the dealer to open the large bowl.

The dealer swallowed hard. If he opened the bowl now, the cheating would be too obvious and easily discovered. According to the rules of the gambling table, cheating would result in having one's hand chopped off.

The dealer had no choice but to open the large bowl, and sure enough, the three dice inside were 111.

Another leopard.

The nobleman held the sixteen copper coins he had won in his hand, weighing them in his hand.

The bookmaker is now 100% certain that the nobleman is the one who put up the money, but he has no proof.

"It's no fun always betting on the leopard; let's bet on big this time." The nobleman casually placed his sixteen copper coins on big.

The dealer secretly hid the three dice in his hand to prevent others from seeing them.

This kind of situation is beyond the capabilities of an ordinary dealer; the boss must be notified as soon as possible.

He nodded slightly to one of the thugs beside him, who then hurried off to find the casino owner.

There are a lot of people here, and they haven't won much money. Forcibly taking their money back would have a very bad influence, and this casino shouldn't be allowed to open again.

The thugs hurriedly went to find the boss.

The owner of this casino was quite well-known in Rukongai, operating many underground casinos. When he heard his subordinates report that someone was causing trouble, he smiled disdainfully. Who dares to cause trouble on my turf?

And so he led twenty or thirty people into the casino in a flurry.

At this moment, the dealer's face was covered in cold sweat.

Sixteen copper coins become thirty-two, thirty-two become sixty-four, sixty-four become one hundred and twenty-eight...

Soon, the table was piled high with copper coins, all won by the noblemen.

If they keep winning like this, it won't be long before the family patriarch goes bankrupt.

The boss, very experienced in handling these kinds of situations, quietly asked his subordinate, "Do you know this person's identity and background?"

The subordinate looked extremely troubled. "Boss, you know how many people come here every day, how can I possibly investigate each one? I suspect this might be some down-on-his-luck young master, probably without any background."

The boss breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing his subordinate's words, which gave him more confidence. He then swaggered over to the gambling table, twirling two gold balls in his hand.

When the dealer saw his boss arrive, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly retreated.

The shopkeeper looked at the aristocratic man before him and laughed heartily, "Brother, have I offended you in any way? If so, please feel free to speak up. It's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester!"

The nobleman said calmly, "It's nothing, just playing around."

The boss was already convinced that the other party was a conman, but he just had no proof.

What's your friend's name?

The nobleman said, "Ōtōgawa Utsugi."

The boss turned to look at his subordinates, but none of them recognized the name. They seemed to be no important figure, which put his mind at ease.

"Since you can play as much as you want, how about the two of us play a game?" the boss asked.

"Okay. What do you want to play?" Ōtōgawa Utsugi.

"Dice. Compare sizes, whoever gets the higher number wins!" the shopkeeper laughed.

"No problem," Ōtōgawa Utsugi said calmly.

Each person has three dice, which are thrown out at the same time, and the six dice spin wildly like tops.

The casino owner had been involved in the gambling industry in his early years and had honed his gambling skills to an extraordinary level. He believed that when it came to gambling, no one in the world could rival him.

At this moment, the six dice are spinning randomly in a bowl.

They collided like spinning tops.

Then there were three loud thuds, and the three dice the shopkeeper threw were smashed to pieces, completely gone!

"You..." The boss's face showed a look of horror. This person's strength was too great!

All three dice in Ōtōgawa Utsugi's hands landed on one.

Actually, there are only three points, which is still less than the other party's.

The boss took a deep breath; he knew he had met his match.

He hurriedly said to his subordinate, "Go and fetch my special dice."

A moment later, his men brought over three cast iron dice. "I don't believe you can break my dice this time."

"Boss, how much money does your casino make in a day? I don't want to drive you to ruin, let's bet on your daily turnover," Ōtōgawa Utsugi said.

The boss licked his lips. He wasn't someone who could afford to lose a day's worth of revenue. It seemed the other party also wanted to find a way to back down gracefully.

"Okay, I'll do as you say. Let's bet on one day's revenue. This time, let's see who has the lower revenue, shall we?" the boss said.

"No problem," Ōtōgawa Utsugi said.

Then the two of them simultaneously threw their dice.

The boss's three cast-iron dice flew into the air and spun around. In the end, the three dice were stacked together, showing only one dot.

The three dice in Ōtōgawa Utsugi's hands collided violently in mid-air, shattering into pieces. This time, he himself was left with nothing.

"I won again! What did we agree on? Your daily revenue." Ōtōgawa Utsugi said expressionlessly.

Chapter 117: The Siege

The scene became quite awkward.

Finally, the boss laughed heartily to ease his embarrassment.

"Today I've learned what it means to be even stronger than the strongest. Alright, I lose." The shopkeeper took out a cloth bag and threw it in front of Ōtōgawa Utsugi. The bag was full of copper coins. "This is about my daily revenue. It's yours."

Ōtōgawa Utsugi took the money bag and left without looking back.

As soon as he left the casino, two down-on-their-luck samurai followed him. If they could rob the money, it would be enough for them for a while.

"Kid, leave me the money! Get out of here quietly." The down-on-his-luck samurai drew his katana.

In the next instant, the samurai's head and sword were severed, and the others didn't even see Ōtōgawa Utsugi's technique.

The head fell to the ground, blood gushing from the neck cavity, terrifying everyone. The boss's hands and feet turned ice-cold; thank goodness he hadn't been too forceful, otherwise he would have been the one lying on the ground.

Ōtōgawa Utsugi ignored the corpse lying on the ground and left with the money in a carefree manner.

Since resigning from her position as Captain of the 11th Division, Yamabuki Chidori's life has become much easier; in short, she has more time to slack off.

As a result, when he got off work today, he found that Ōtōgawa Utsugi were actually waiting for him at his door.

"What brings you here? You're not here to freeload a meal, are you? To be honest, I already have a headache with one freeloader. If there's another one, I might go bald from the stress!" said Yamabuki Chidori.

Ōtōgawa Utsugi wore very serious expressions. "I have something very important to tell you."

"Let's go inside and talk, don't be so secretive." After Yamabuki Chidori led the person into the house, Ōtōgawa Utsugi looked at the teacup in his hand with a solemn expression and suddenly said something that almost made Yamabuki Chidori spit blood.

"I think running a casino is more profitable than working for the Gotei 13," Ōtōgawa Utsugi said.

A very ominous premonition arose in Yamabuki Chidori's heart.