Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

By the fourth round of dealing, Baron Cobol's tense expression could no longer be masked. He probably thought he had a substantial advantage in this game of cards and held high hopes for that Roder Card. Now, having lost two rounds to Shard, he couldn't help but worry about losing.

Under such a mindset, there was an even higher chance of losing, a principle that even Shard understood.

They both received their hole cards, and upon a quick glance, Baron Cobol revealed a look of disappointment. It seemed it wasn't a King or Queen.

Following that, the second card dealt to each was a Moon 9 and a Moon 1 respectively. The Baron, who got the Moon 9, hesitated for quite a while before deciding to draw another card, which allowed the surrounding crowd to guess the range of points in his hand.

After seeing his hole card, Shard immediately chose to draw another card. The third cards they each received were even stranger; the Baron got a Sun 1, and Shard got a Flower 1.

Baron Cobol hesitated once again, prompting Baron Rwanda, who was dealing the cards, to intervene:

"If you keep hesitating like this, I won't even need to see your cards to know what points you have."

This caused the people around to break into laughter, and Shard joined in:

"Baron, fancy a gamble with luck?"

"Mr. Hamilton, will you continue to draw?"

Baron Cobol asked instead.

"Of course."

The Baron's mouth twitched:

"Fine, I'll continue to draw as well."

Subsequently, a King was dealt to the Baron, his eyes widened in a flash, and his mouth clenched as if he was out of breath. Unless Shard had a 21, the score would be tied at two each.

The people around murmured quietly, and the Baron abruptly looked up to see Shard's card – a Flower 8.

[Eastern Old Continent Scenery: Tis Lake], upon drawing this card, one could guess the number on the opponent's undisclosed card. If correct, they could choose whether to force the opponent's card number to increase by one after the opponent revealed their card. If the opponent turned over their hole card first, [Eastern Old Continent Scenery: Tis Lake] would have no effect.

Of course, if the opponent held a King or Queen, adding one point would mean busting, which was one of the basic rules.

Seeing Shard's card, the Baron was taken aback; he knew the effect of this card. Recalling the rules in his mind, he immediately reached to flip over his own hole card, but his hand wasn't as fast as Shard's mouth:

"I guess it's 9 points."

Shard said, his face showing no tension. There was no penalty for a wrong guess, and he now had a total of 11 points, allowing him to draw another card.

Baron Cobol gripped the corner of the playing card, pausing there.

"I guess it's 10 points!"

Dealing Baron Lavende immediately said with a laugh.

"No, the odds for 9 points are higher!"

Another dealer, Baron Rwanda, who wore a curly wig, countered.

"Flip the card already, what is it?"

The people urged, all eyes on Baron Cobol's hand. The Baron's face showed an ugly expression, then he let out a dry laugh, flipped the card over, and slammed it on the table:

"I shouldn't have hesitated earlier. Well, it's Star 9."

The small bag containing Blood Coins he'd thrown out slid across the table to Shard:

"I shouldn't have hesitated."

He repeated.

Shard opened the bag to look inside and nodded in satisfaction:

"Baron, I thank you for your generosity."

"Let's play cards together again sometime."

Baron Cobol, with a look of regret, stood up:

"Although I lost, Mr. Hamilton, I find playing cards with you truly interesting. A game like this, I can remember for 20 years... Hesitation leads to defeat."

He sighed such a sentiment, and the onlookers laughed once more.

Having won the gambling match, the dance at nine in the evening was about to start. The crowd that had been observing the game dispersed, leaving only a few people still playing Roder Cards. Shard took the opportunity to carry his antique Knight Longsword back to the second-floor lounge where Miss Beyas and Miss Annette were waiting:

"Look at this."

He tossed the small bag, fastened tightly, onto the coffee table, then returned the banknotes Miss Annette had given him earlier.

Miss Beyas, curious, opened the bag and marveled at the patternless Gold Coins inside, while Miss Annette found Shard's action strange:

"What do you mean by returning the money to me?"

"Didn't spend it, won at Roder Cards."

He said with a relaxed smile, clearly happy about the card victory:

"You know, I've always been quite lucky with Roder Cards."

He was referring to [Genesis: Silver Moon].

Only then did Miss Annette take back the banknotes and jokingly asked:

"Do you remember what the Priest said?"

"Of course I remember — 'Don't indulge in Roder Cards.'"

Shard repeated the words to himself, thinking of the Priest's worried expression:

"Miss Beyas, do you think I look like a gambler?"

He then asked the young lady who was fiddling with the Old Pounds, trying to discern their uniqueness, and she glanced at him:

"No, you don't."

That made Shard feel much more at ease.

Having obtained the additional five Blood Coins, Miss Annette immediately decided to perform what she called "precise divination."

As Miss Galina was still there, Shard worried that the Grand Witch, with her exceptionally sharp senses, would see through Miss Annette's secret, so he gave her a subtle reminder, but Miss Annette did not seem concerned:

"My secret can probably only be guessed by the gods."

Shard opened his mouth but did not continue with his question, and Miss Beyas did the same.

When Miss Annette conducted the divination, she did not avoid Shard and Miss Beyas, claiming that even if they watched the entire process, they would not be able to detect anything.

Actually, the process was very simple. First, Miss Annette took the Blood Coin she had used and tossed it a couple of times, before setting the coin down again:

"The secret of The Chosen One is indeed not something that can easily be divined, one Blood Coin is not enough."

So, she activated another Blood Coin won by Shard playing cards, using the method of "trading with oneself," but two Blood Coins still were not enough.

"After all, it is The Chosen One, the legendary beginning of the Sixth Era. If the result came so easily, it would make me doubt."

Shard said this, handing another coin to Miss Annette. But before Miss Annette could use the Gold Coin, Miss Beyas snatched it from her, shaking her head:

"Even if the Blood Coin is about to be consumed, causing the Curse to vanish, carrying so many Curses for a short time is not easy."

She held the antique Gold Coin in her palm and, noticing Shard and Miss Annette watching her, said with embarrassment:

"You both are helping me, and although I cannot divine, I want to do my part as well."

With that, she also activated the Blood Coin by "trading with herself" as Miss Annette had done. Only after the coin's heads and tails images appeared did she pass the Blood Coin to the Female Diviner.

"No, it's still not enough..."

Three Gold Coins stacked in her palm, Miss Annette looked uneasily at the Relic under the gaslight:

"It's okay, even if six aren't enough, I have other ways to pay the price... other ways."

Her expression made it clear that these other methods were anything but simple and might even hurt her.

"I'll go next."

Shard also picked up a Gold Coin from the small cloth bag on the table and activated it. He half-expected to feel something like "a cold breath entering his body," but in reality, he felt nothing at all.

Luckily, four Blood Coins were finally enough.

With a deep breath, Miss Annette, in the presence of Shard and Miss Beyas, tossed the Gold Coins, which contained the curses of marine Undead, into the air.

In that moment, it was as if time had stopped. Shard looked up at them, and in the room's light, his eyes clearly caught every detail of the spinning coins.

The air grew thick, and a rustling noise filled his ears.

As the Blood Coins spun and ascended, they rapidly decayed and completely corroded at their highest point. As they fell and turned to ashes, the ashes completely vanished before hitting the ground.

What Miss Beyas could observe, Shard did not know, but he saw light gray Light Traces streak across the ash-filled air and gather at the back of Miss Annette's head.

He tilted his head to look at the purple-eyed Female Diviner, and for a moment, he saw a transparent, ghostly figure of a woman leaning tenderly behind Miss Annette. The power of the Blood Coins was completely absorbed by her. Her hands were wrapped around Miss Annette's neck, and she was whispering something in her ear.

Neither Miss Beyas nor Miss Annette seemed to see the figure behind her, but Shard saw her:

"This is..."

The transparent and illusory figure of the woman was remarkably the likeness of Miss Annette but appeared more mature. Her expression was somewhat sad, and her body seemed incomplete, with some areas so ethereal they barely had form.

She noticed Shard looking at her, showing a surprised look before vanishing.

[This is her "other self."]

"But why... Miss Annette's so-called price for divination seems to be truly a special ability of her other self, not some powerful Artifact. But... that figure just now... it seems this isn't a normal case of 'another self.'"

While Miss Beyas was trying to catch the ashes of the Blood Coin, Miss Annette was tilting her head, listening to whispers no one else could hear. Clearly, they had not seen the figure that appeared for an instant.

"Did you see that just now?" Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

[I did, but I cannot give you an answer. All I can tell you is that her "other self" seems to be wounded, and incomplete.]

"Multiple wounds?"

[I cannot judge unless you come into closer contact.]

"The doctor's 'other self' is related to demons, while Miss Annette's other self can actually utilize the power of Relics..."

While Shard was still pondering, Miss Annette had already revealed a satisfied smile, seeming to have her answer:

"The answer obtained by four Blood Coins—to become The Chosen One of 'Balance,' the first condition is an Artifact containing Ancient God Power, the second is an understanding of 'Balance' itself, the third is a ritual, a special ritual—"

She looked at Miss Beyas, who sat up straight:

"Please go on."

"Pray to the Ancient God, willingly offer one of your eyes to gain the wisdom of measuring balance. Inverted, judge your fated enemy justly in front of those with special Fate, to set your own scale of balance, master the power of the Judge, and become the true Chosen One."