Some of the dragon hatchlings even reached out their claws, wanting to touch it and satisfy their craving a little.
Xiluo swatted them away with a claw.
He smiled with restraint.
"Do you want it?"
As he spoke, Xiluo gently waved the gold coin in his claw, its golden gleam almost blinding the hatchlings.
"This is the first gold coin I've seen in my entire life! Damn it! When will we ever have treasure of our own?"
"Why? Why does Xiluo get to have such a beautiful gold coin? Why?"
"Xiluo, what do you mean by asking that? If we want it, are you going to give us the coin?"
The hatchlings shouted, their expressions varied, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment. Heavy breathing sounded all around.
"Hehehe... Of course I won't give you my gold coin. I put a lot of effort into getting this from Lady Barbara.
"But... I can give you a chance to win the coin from my claws!"
Xiluo smiled, looking rather sinister in the shadows where the sunlight did not reach.
"What do you mean?"
"You know about gambling in the human world, right?"
"It's recorded in my draconic inheritance!
"It's a kind of game that lots of humans enjoy.
"Are you saying you want to gamble with us?"
"Hahaha! That's right! Let's have a bet. If you win, I'll give you my gold coin, but if you lose, you'll have to give me your food! Fair enough, right?"
Xiluo laughed and spoke with great generosity.
The hatchlings exchanged glances, then nodded.
"No problem! We'll bet with you!"
"Mm... Very good, but before we start, I need to explain the rules.
"First, my gold coin is worth far more than your food, and it's much rarer, so I can't give you the coin after just one win. You have to win five times in total!
"Also, we'll be betting on high or low, and this is what we'll use!"
As Xiluo spoke, he opened his claw, revealing a die and a dice cup.
"We'll bet on high or low! I'll only bet with one dragon at a time.
"You guess high or low. Guess right, and you win and earn one point. Guess wrong, and I win and take your food! Once you have five points, the gold coin is yours!" Xiluo smiled broadly.
"All right! It's settled, then! I'll go first!"
"Why should you go first? No! I have to go first!"
"Me first!"
"Me first!"
The hatchlings clamored, their voices growing louder. For the sake of the gold coin, they even pressed their heads against one another, looking ready for a fight.
At last, Xiluo could not stand watching any longer and roared:
"Stop arguing! Koraman, you go!"
Koraman immediately brightened at those words.
"Me? Hehehe! Xiluo! So you really do see me as your true rival!"
He looked immensely pleased with himself.
Just as he was about to step forward, Alicia caught his foreleg with a claw and said softly:
"Koraman, let me go first."
"Uh... Uh, all right! Alicia, if you need to, I'll let you."
Koraman immediately replied with a fawning look.
"Thank you, Koraman! I knew you were the best."
The little female dragon gave a gentle smile that nearly stole Koraman's soul, leaving him grinning from ear to ear.
Alicia slowly walked over and sat down opposite Xiluo.
The other hatchlings looked disappointed.
However, they did not disperse, instead gathering around to watch the two hatchlings sitting face-to-face.
Xiluo gave another kindly smile, placed the die in the cup, and began shaking it.
The clattering of the die echoed.
The hatchlings stared eagerly.
After quite a while, he set the cup down.
"All right, guess!
"One, two, and three are low; four, five, and six are high. Everyone has the same chances, one in two! Let's see whether the Goddess of Fortune favors you or me more."
"The Goddess of Fortune will favor Alicia, of course! She's the dragon with the title of Jade Star! She's the most beautiful green dragon!"
Koraman spoke with an infatuated expression.
Alicia stared intently at the cup, only speaking after a long while.
"I choose high-four, five, or six!"
Xiluo nodded lightly at her words.
"Then it's settled! High-four, five, or six! Watch closely! Let's see what's inside!"
He gave a low roar, his voice loud.
The dragon claw covering the cup gave it an almost imperceptible tap just as he lifted it.
A tiny electric current flashed past, undetectable to anyone.
Then he slowly lifted the cup.
Two circles were clearly marked on the uppermost face of the die.
"Mm... What a pity, Alicia. It's a two, so it's low. But don't lose heart. After all, everyone's chances are one in two! I'm sure you'll win next time."
Xiluo sounded slightly regretful, while also remembering to offer encouragement.
"Heh... It seems the Goddess of Fortune favored you more this time. What a shame."
Alicia shook her head with a hint of regret and pushed her food in front of Xiluo.
It was only one portion of food. A loss was a loss, and she had no intention of reneging on the debt.
However...
A hint of melancholy appeared on Alicia's face as she slowly turned her gaze toward Koraman.
A shiver ran through Koraman.
He immediately pushed his food in front of Alicia.
"Alicia, take this!"
"For me? I'd better not. What will you do if you give it to me?" Alicia shook her head gently.
"I'll be fine! I'm a male dragon! Going hungry for a meal or two is nothing!" Koraman looked utterly ingratiating.
"No... I can't! You'll be terribly hungry. I can't accept it!"
"Hey! I actually really like eating grass and gnawing on trees! They're very nutritious! Mm... They can even help me gain a better understanding of nature spells!"
Koraman looked completely serious again.
In the end, Alicia reluctantly accepted.
Xiluo silently shook his head as he watched the two dragons' behavior.
He had seen plenty of simps in his previous life, but this was his first time seeing a dragon in this life who could fawn so much.
The other dragons paid no attention to the two green dragons.
They immediately crowded forward, declaring that they wanted to have a bet too.
But Xiluo, who now had enough food, refused and said the next round would be in five days.
The hatchlings were a little disappointed and reluctantly dispersed.
Meanwhile, having acquired two portions of food, Xiluo gave some to Gordon.
"This is what I promised you earlier. As long as you help me smelt the die, I'll give you a share every time I win! Your food is getting to be barely enough too, isn't it?"
"You really were willing to gamble with your gold coin? If you lose five times, are you actually going to give it to those useless fools?"
Gordon took the food without ceremony, stuffed it into his mouth, and asked as he chewed.
"Of course. A bet's a bet. As long as they can win, I'll certainly give it to them-provided they can win!" Xiluo smiled, his mouth spreading especially wide.
Allen, the little white dragon, watched Xiluo from the side with an admiring expression.
That's Xiluo for you. Nothing can stump him!
On the platform atop the giant tree.
Barbara, the young green dragon, took in what had just happened, gave an odd smile, and murmured:
"What a scheming blue dragon whelp. By completely magnetizing the iron die, then relying on his extraordinarily strong electrical sense, he can easily sense the number showing on the die inside the cup and then control it. Hehehe...
"Although the hatchlings are quite intelligent, they have too little experience, after all, and their knowledge of spells isn't extensive enough either. If they can't see through it, that little whelp Xiluo can only make fools of them."
(End of chapter)
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