Chapter 103: Underground Casino
Bailu walked to the front desk following Li Wen’s instructions. She was very curious as to how the other party seemed to know what she was doing, even though she had only used a mind-reading spell.
“Hello, do you have any needs?”
The receptionist at the club, who had paid the entrance fee, smiled reassuringly and amiably.
“Ahem…” Bailu took a while to compose herself, then said in a slightly stiff whisper, “I want to get rich, do you have any avenues?”
Receptionist: “?”
“Idiot, just ask her about the entry rules for the underground gambling.”
No one told her any of this!
Bailu felt a little wronged but dared not complain further. She could only pretend nothing had happened and spoke again, “I want to participate in the underground gambling, do you know how to do it?”
Having worked at the Wolf Pack Club for several years, the receptionist had seen all sorts of strange members. She smiled kindly and politely, “You only need to pay one pound and twelve pence to become a member, and then pay a monthly membership fee of one shilling. You can then participate in gambling at any time.”
One pound and twelve pence?
Bailu’s eyes widened. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford it, but after being accustomed to saving, she found it hard to imagine spending such a large sum of money as an investment just to complete a task.
She didn’t know how to ask Li Wen if she could get reimbursed, so she could only put on a bitter smile and pay the membership fee.
This mission, before even starting, had already cost her 1 pound, 1 shilling, and 12 pence. She didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if it continued.
“Alright, here is your membership proof.” The receptionist handed Bailu a badge with a wolf’s head pattern on it. “Enter the door on your left and show your proof, and someone will escort you.”
While Bailu was heading to the Wolf Pack Club’s underground casino, Li Wen, on the other side, was intently staring at the parchment spread out before her.
She was currently in a private room of a restaurant next to the Wolf Pack Club. This location perfectly placed the Wolf Pack Club within the maximum range of “mind-reading,” making it easier for Li Wen to exchange information with Bailu.
Li Wen had currently fully unfurled the magic map and enlarged the Wolf Pack Club to its maximum, making the entire map occupied by the Wolf Pack Club.
At this moment, the club on the map was filled with dense clusters of small dots, all of which were active and had a certain size. This range was set by Li Wen herself. If needed, the magic map could even display creatures as small as ants.
Among this large number of gray dots, only one blue dot stood out.
This was Bailu. After Li Wen recorded her Aether reaction with the magic map while Bailu was casting, her accurate path on the map was clearly marked.
With just the magic map and the mind-reading spell, even without being present at the scene, Li Wen could roughly infer what was happening on Bailu’s side.
As she was contemplating, Bailu’s blue dot approached several gray dots.
“I’m in, the underground casino. It’s very crowded and noisy here.”
Bailu’s not-so-reassuring voice also rang out a moment later.
“Just wander around for a bit, or find a seat and try it out.”
Li Wen instructed. She knew that the club’s publicly visible manager usually guarded the underground casino. To negotiate with the Wolf Leader of the club, they first had to contact that person in charge.
Li Wen had already figured out how to make contact. She counted down the time, and after a quarter of an hour had passed, she instructed Bailu on the next step.
“Exchange some chips, not too many, about one pound. Then, take the chips to a dice gambling table and find a way to participate.”
Not long after, Bailu’s slightly flustered voice came through, “I’ve sat down, now what? The game is about to start…”
“Bet casually, bit by bit. Lose the first couple of rounds if you can, then start cheating with magic, winning every round until I tell you to stop.”
Bailu, with a stiff expression at the gambling table, was stunned. What did she mean by cheating with magic? Who would teach her how to do it?
However, since the game was about to start, Bailu could only hastily place her bet without even looking at where she was betting.
As a beginner, Bailu had good luck. She won the first round, earning chips equivalent to one shilling.
“I won, what did you mean by cheating with magic…” Bailu quietly asked Li Wen.
“You won? Alright, it doesn’t matter. You need to add a passage between the second and third segments of the Teleportation Touch incantation. The content is as follows… Then, while chanting, lift your little finger and index finger simultaneously. Keep other movements the same, and you will be able to manipulate the dice at will with this magic.”
There’s such a thing?
Bailu’s eyes lit up. She tried it herself and found that the normally conspicuous Teleportation Touch had become silent. If someone wasn’t sensitive to spells, even a Transcendent might not be able to detect it.
As someone who had undergone basic magic training and possessed strong magical talent, Bailu immediately thought of the further applications of this optimized magic and determined that the magic’s power was no less than that of an ordinary first-level magic, and it completely surpassed first-level magic in terms of casting difficulty, speed, and consumption.
Upon closer examination of the added incantation and hand gesture, Bailu could only exclaim that the mage who first discovered this was a genius.
Improving spells is inherently a very difficult task. Moreover, the spells that can be collected and recorded by the Magic Committee today are all rigorously tested, improved, and optimized spells. Even an ordinary Archmage would probably find it difficult to improve the currently commonly used basic magic. Mages who can do this likely wouldn’t bother with basic magic.
Bailu didn’t think this was an improvement discovered by Li Wen, as the latter did not seem like a mage and lacked the characteristic aura of a mage. If anything, she seemed more like a sorcerer or a hexer.
Suppressing her excitement, Bailu refocused her attention on the gambling table.
“Lose the first two or three rounds, then cheat with magic and win until I tell you to stop.”
Bailu followed suit. After learning another way to use Teleportation Touch, she was almost omnipotent at this gambling table. She could make the dice show any number she wanted. In less than a quarter of an hour, the chips in her hand had multiplied.
“Alright, now leave and switch to another type of gambling that can be cheated with magic.”
Following Li Wen’s instructions, Bailu conquered all sides of this underground casino. Relying on magic, she won time and time again, leaving behind her legend at almost every gambling table. The chips also grew rapidly, and soon the total value exceeded fifty pounds sterling.
Just as Bailu was about to forget what she came here for, an attendant dressed in black walked up behind her and said respectfully:
“Our boss wishes to meet you.”
