Harvey's Mistake

The next day, Harvey and Serrated Blade appeared in the tavern once more. Compared to the previous day, the bandages had been taken off Harvey's face, leaving behind only faint bruising; he looked considerably better. Today, the dealer was different as well, changing from the drow elf to a lizardman. Evidently unfamiliar with Harvey, the lizardman merely offered a polite word of welcome when he saw him take a seat. Yet just minutes later, the lizardman dealer couldn't take his eyes off Harvey. The young mage had won seven rounds in a row, turning a single gold coin into over a hundred. Every single time, he bet everything on "Big," and the lizardman rolled "Big" seven times straight. Losing that hundred or so gold coins wouldn't have been a problem on its own, but the real trouble was that the other gamblers had noticed Harvey's luck and started betting right alongside him. After seven consecutive losses, over a thousand gold coins had vanished just like that. Even the cold-blooded lizardman couldn't help wiping away a bead of sweat. He was in a full-blown panic; he must have run into the God of Gamblers today. Expressionless, Harvey shoved all of his gold coins onto "Big" once more. The others followed suit, their wagers combining to nearly two thousand gold coins. If the house lost another round, today's deficit would be catastrophic. At the thought of losing several thousand gold coins, the lizardman felt a chill run down his throat. If the boss was displeased, his miserable life wouldn't be spared. Terrified, the lizardman didn't dare shake the dice cup again. Looking at Harvey, he said, "Friend, quit while you're ahead. When luck comes your way, don't run it dry, or it'll come back to bite you." Harvey replied with blatant arrogance, "What, you allow people to lose money, but not win it?" The lizardman dealer's pupils narrowed into thin slits. Those words were an open provocation. Did this kid really think the people running a gambling den in Sweetdew City were easy marks? "Fine. Since the customer insists, let's see how much you can win." The lizardman dealer shook the dice cup again. Unsurprisingly, the result was "Big" once more. The gamblers crowded around the table roared in triumph, practically worshipping Harvey. Every single one of them had struck it rich on this roll. Looking at the mountain of gold, Harvey's expression remained utterly impassive as he shoved his winnings back onto the table. Once again, on "Big." Nobody hesitated. Every gambler piled their newly won coins alongside Harvey's bet. The towering heap of gold dazzled the lizardman until he felt faint. A few more rounds like this and the boss would be ruined! He rattled the dice cup endlessly, the dice inside sounding as though they would shatter to powder, yet the lizardman dealer refused to stop shaking. The gamblers quickly grew impatient and began shouting, "Open it already! What's the matter, can't afford to lose?!" "Yeah, why aren't you opening it?!" "Hurry up! I'm waiting to cash out, retire, and buy a house back home!" ... Under the relentless pressure of the crowd, the lizardman dealer had no choice but to lift the cup. Even though he had checked again and again to ensure he had rolled "Small," just like the previous rounds, the total revealed beneath the cup was stubbornly, unfailingly "Big." "We won!" "Mage lad, you're a god of gamblers!" "Incredible!" ... Harvey watched quietly as the lizardman hauled out a massive chest of gold coins and painstakingly paid out every bettor. His movements were agonizingly slow, as if he had to count each piece one by one, but in truth, he was desperately stalling for time. He truly could not afford to lose again. One more loss, and there wouldn't even be enough gold left in the house to pay the winners. Harvey tallied his own haul. It was already more than enough to completely re-equip everyone in Serrated Blade's clan. Yet Harvey did not take the money and walk away. Instead, he pushed all of his gold coins onto "Big" once more. The room went wild. The gold had piled into a miniature mountain, and most people felt they had made plenty. The regulars understood that this was the absolute limit. Any further payouts would force the staff to contact the boss behind the scenes and transport emergency cash from elsewhere. And doing that meant thoroughly offending the house. "What, giving up already? Scared of trouble?" Harvey challenged them. "You've all lost plenty here in the past—did the house ever worry about you making trouble for them? When it comes to gambling, there's no rule that says you're only allowed to lose and never to win, right? Stick with me and we'll bleed them bankrupt! Wouldn't that make a fine tale? Who knows, maybe you'll end up as heroes in a bard's song." Harvey's words flushed many faces red with excitement. Right! What kind of logic dictated that they could only lose and never win? With so many people here, were they really supposed to fear the house welshing on the debt?! "I'm in!" "Dammit, I'm going all out with him! One more win and I'm set for life!" "A once-in-a-lifetime chance! You only get this once!" "Right, let's break the bank together!" The frenzied crowd slammed their coins onto the table, roaring in unison, "Big!" "Big!" "Big!" "Big!..." Without the slightest surprise, the dice beneath the cup showed "Big" yet again. The lizardman dealer fainted dead on the spot; this time, he was truly finished. Serrated Blade began to sense that something was wrong. Yesterday Harvey had played cautiously and subtly; why was he making such a massive scene today? Though something felt off, in this chaotic atmosphere she couldn't drag Harvey away. She could only lean in and whisper, "If this gets too big, what do we do? How are we going to get out?" Harvey reassured her, "The bigger the scene, the better. With so many people around, the house won't dare renege. We'll make our fortune all at once and never come back." Though Serrated Blade didn't quite buy Harvey's explanation, she had no other choice. After the commotion, the unconscious lizardman dealer was carried off. Word had already spread through the tavern, and onlookers packed the room to the gills, all waiting for the gambling den's boss to appear. Before long, a pot-bellied human strode into the tavern. The moment he entered, he called out to everyone, "Haha, thank you all for your patronage! However, our employee suffered a minor mishap today and has taken ill. We'll conclude today's games here. We will pay out all your coins in full—how does that sound?" That amounted to tens of thousands of gold coins—an unimaginable fortune to the adventurers present. A bounty to hunt down a legendary sand lizard only paid a few thousand gold coins, and now they could walk away with thousands of coins right now. Who wouldn't be thrilled? Just as the crowd was about to agree, Harvey chimed in, "Wait a moment. I haven't had enough fun yet. Boss, surely you have more than one dealer. Swap someone else in and let's keep playing." The boss walked up to Harvey, scrutinized the young man for a moment, and said, "Sir Mage, I am Olevi, leader of the Seabuckthorn Mercenary Band of Sweetdew City. You must be new here. If you need anything, don't hesitate to speak up. We can become friends." Olevi considered himself to be giving ample face. So long as he protected his reputation, money lost at the tables could always be made back. Losing tens of thousands of gold coins stung, but it was within acceptable limits. Olevi even entertained the idea of recruiting this gambling god into his ranks; if he did, the other gambling dens in town might as well prepare for bankruptcy. Thus, Olevi remained very polite, hoping this young mage would grant him some courtesy. Yet Harvey seemed intent on blowing things up. Unabashed, he declared, "What kind of casino refuses to play just because it lost money? Cut the chatter and get started. I don't plan to stop today until I've won a million." The moment those words were spoken, the others began to shrink back. They had caught on: it felt as if Harvey was using them as a shield. Harvey wasn't doing this to win money; he was clearly picking a fight with Olevi! Meanwhile, Olevi's willingness to pay out tens of thousands of gold coins had already satisfied the other gamblers. Considering the man's power in Sweetdew City, continuing to meddle would only lead to a bad end. Many chose to fold, pocketing their money and leaving the tavern. Olevi wore an unconcerned expression, and the fierce-looking mercenaries flanking him made no move to stop them. People naturally follow the herd. Once the first person left, plenty more followed suit. Soon, hardly anyone remained in the tavern. The original gamblers had all slipped away, leaving only spectators who loved drama and didn't care about the consequences. By Harvey's side, only Serrated Blade remained. The female orc was growing nervous as well. If violence broke out, she couldn't take on this many foes alone. Though she had a few brothers waiting outside as backup, their numbers were far too small. At that moment, Harvey turned to Serrated Blade and said sheepishly, "Sorry, I miscalculated. I actually thought those degenerate gamblers would stick with me to make a fortune." Serrated Blade gritted her teeth and snapped, "You did this on purpose!" She had caught on by now: this kid clearly intended to use Olevi's power to escape! Caught red-handed, Harvey dropped the pretense. He stood up, walked over to Olevi's side, and then said to Serrated Blade, "I had no choice—who told me I couldn't beat you in a fight? For the sake of last night's wonderful memories, let me go, and you can leave with these gold coins." Harvey turned to a bewildered Olevi and said, "Apologies, Mr. Olevi. I borrowed your authority to make my escape. I promise to win back tenfold the gold you lost today. As for her, please let her leave with the money she won—what do you say?" Olevi truly hadn't expected such a twist. So the kid had been coerced into gambling here! In that case, taking him into the fold was well worth considering. Put to good use, this God of Gamblers would bring in more money than ten casinos combined. "Fine! Don't worry, Olevi will protect you. But as for this orc... hmph, dare to cause trouble in my establishment? If I let her walk away so easily, how am I supposed to carry on business in Sweetdew City?" Olevi fixed his gaze on Serrated Blade, his initially amiable eyes turning vicious. Seeing things take a turn for the worse, Harvey hurried to interject, "Mr. Olevi, for my sake, let her go. She doesn't have to take the gold." Though he had successfully extricated himself, Harvey hadn't anticipated the situation spiraling out of control. Olevi had just agreed to pay out the gold and let everyone leave, so why had he suddenly turned hostile? Serrated Blade was having none of it. Drawing a serrated scimitar from her waist, she barked at Olevi, "Come on then, stop wasting time! Even if I die today, I'm taking you down with me!" The female orc was fiercely aggressive. Before Olevi's mercenaries could even make a move, she charged straight at him. Her scimitar traced a bloody arc, slashing across Olevi's big belly as if to gut him open. Yet Olevi sneered and vanished right before her eyes. The man who had been speaking with everyone all along was merely an illusion—Olevi was a mage himself, and a high-ranking one at that. Serrated Blade was surrounded by the mercenaries and quickly fell into a desperate struggle, suffering wound after wound. Harvey's brow furrowed tightly. He had never intended for her to get hurt, but he had been far too full of himself. With a sigh, Harvey lamented how far he fell short of his teacher. Seizing the chaos of the melee, he fished a small, round trinket from his pocket and covertly dropped it to the ground. A cloud of smoke billowed out, instantly filling the tavern. This was Harvey's last resort. Hopefully, she could manage to escape.