Fine, Jia Yi admitted he was defeated by Baiya’s logic. After leading Baiya to the public area of the Second Level and pointing out the direction of the casino, Jia Yi returned to work with an exhausted expression.
‘A casino? Come to think of it, gambling is also a type of game. Without cheating, gambling is just a game of probability ruled by luck. When it comes to luck, I, Baiya, have the confidence not to lose to anyone.’ Baiya walked toward the casino with great interest. Jia Yi had told her this was the only way to make money on the ship.
“The operator of the casino is Pixie Vassa. He is one of the managers on the ship. He usually runs the casino to earn everyone’s money, though of course, everyone earns his money too. Every time we finish plundering other pirates, everyone with money in their pockets will cram into his casino.”
“That fellow Pixie’s casino accepts any collateral and any form of repayment. If you make money in his casino, you can exchange the chips for food. That way, Master Raymond won’t be able to make things difficult for you.”
While explaining the setup of the casino to Baiya, Jia Yi had imagined the scene where Baiya lost everything. He feared she wouldn’t even be able to keep her underwear.
Because Raymond had banned the pirates from playing with women on the ship for the sake of Molly’s physical and mental health, those who found it difficult to vent their desires could only rely on gambling for excitement. Even though not much time had passed since breakfast, the casino was already filled with all sorts of cheers and curses. Baiya raised her hands to cover her ears.
Since she was penniless, Baiya planned to just take a look first. She wanted to understand the rules while estimating her own abilities and calculating her win rate. If the value was below 80%, she would give up on the idea of obtaining food through gambling.
As it turned out, before she had even walked a few steps into the casino, Baiya sensed something unusual. The noise in the casino grew quieter and quieter until, gradually, everyone’s gaze was fixed on her.
This couldn’t be helped. Baiya’s status was simply too sensitive. A woman, a companion, and the person Master Raymond, the first mate, had specifically targeted—it was truly difficult for her not to attract attention.
Before the pirates, who intended to charge Baiya with dereliction of duty, could lash out, a short man pushed through the others and walked up to Baiya with his head held high.
“Won’t you try a hand at gambling, Lady?” the short man asked with interest. He was Pixie Vassa.
“I have no money, not a single cent.” Baiya looked at the bars appearing next to Pixie and confirmed the identity of the dwarf man before her.
“That doesn’t matter. The casino can lend you credit. You only need to add 20% profit when you repay it.” Pixie sneered in his heart. As long as Baiya agreed to start gambling, he guaranteed he would make her lose until she didn’t even have her underwear left!
“…The profit is too high; it completely exceeds my bottom line. Besides, I have no intention of gambling. I’m just looking around. Yes, just looking around.”
After saying that, Baiya turned to leave. If she couldn’t see the situation clearly, she would be no different from a fool. It was obvious a large group of pirates was prepared to trap her.
“Wait!” Pixie was so anxious that he tried to reach out and grab Baiya’s sleeve. How could he possibly do nothing and let her retreat unscathed?
Even though Baiya had her back to him, she seemed to have predicted the direction of his hand. At the last moment, she lightly shifted her body, causing his grab to miss, and continued walking toward the casino entrance.
“I know! Baiya Ifiel Clorom! Think about it, one bet might just solve your predicament!! Hey! Hey!”
Baiya naturally knew what Pixie was referring to, but she didn’t have a single shred of confidence in winning the gambling games used in this casino.
Baiya suddenly had a bold idea.
“If it’s Rock-Paper-Scissors, I could give it a try.”
“Rock-Paper-Scissors?”
“It’s a brand-new game that eliminates any possible form of cheating. If you agree, I’m willing to borrow credit to gamble.”
Just before stepping out the door, Baiya turned her head and asked Pixie. This was utilizing the pirates’ desire to harm her to gain an advantage for herself. As for whether Pixie took the bait, that was up to him. Whether it succeeded or not, she had nothing to lose.
“Rock-Paper-Scissors? …I need to know the rules. If they are unreasonable, I won’t agree!” Pixie frowned and thought for a moment before stating his requirement. He didn’t want to give up this rare opportunity to bully Baiya; perhaps he could even kick her off the ship in one fell swoop.
“Scissors, Rock, Paper,” Baiya said, raising her hand and changing her gesture, a hint of excitement curling the corners of her mouth. “Scissors are crushed by Rock, Rock is wrapped by Paper, and Paper is cut by Scissors. The three form an infinite triangular cycle. This is the game of Rock-Paper-Scissors.”
“Are you in, Pixie Vassa?”
‘Is she provoking me?!’ Pixie sneered. After carefully reading the rules of Rock-Paper-Scissors, he found it to be a simple yet perfect game. While surprised in his heart, he also nodded in agreement to gamble with Baiya using this game.
Rock-Paper-Scissors! Incredible. This game was very easy to pick up, much like a child’s game, and its versatility was extremely high. Was this the wisdom of this newcomer, Baiya? Or was it a popular game in her country? Regardless, after understanding the rules, Pixie realized that there really was no room for cheating in this game. He knew that, today, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to easily make Baiya suffer a loss.
Pixie unconsciously looked at Baiya with a higher level of respect. The favorability column in the bar appearing next to him changed, the value increasing by one point. The specific content was—[Favorability toward Baiya: 1 (Does not seem like someone who can be taken lightly)].
“Then let’s begin!” Pixie said excitedly. He also couldn’t help wanting to try this brand-new game of Rock-Paper-Scissors, though of course, bullying Baiya remained the main objective.
“As previously stated, I want to borrow credit from the casino. Lend me 1,000 gold coins as capital.”
Pixie had his subordinates bring chips worth 1,000 gold coins to Baiya. At the same time, he snapped his fingers, and the pirates consciously cleared an open space for Baiya and Pixie to play their game.
To be honest, Baiya really wanted to laugh. For such a childish game to lead to such a serious development—it was truly ridiculous to see a group of adults looking so solemn.
She had to be extremely grateful that the world of SLAVE did not have Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Before the game started, Pixie explained the betting rules to Baiya. The minimum bet could not be lower than 100 gold coins. After hearing this, Baiya lamented in her heart how much these pirates wanted her to lose everything.
The stakes were quite high. Baiya was very clear about the value of currency in the world of SLAVE and understood the conversion rules. One gold coin was equal to ten silver coins, and one silver coin was equal to 100 copper coins. One copper coin could buy a palm-sized piece of soft bread, and one silver coin could buy a piece of fine silk. As for one gold coin, it could ensure an ordinary family lived without worry for several days.
When she proposed borrowing 1,000 gold coins, Baiya hadn’t expected Pixie to agree so unhesitatingly. It seemed pirates were even wealthier than she had imagined.
Baiya naturally agreed to the betting rules Pixie proposed. Furthermore, she bet all her chips right at the start of the round. This shocking move caused quite a stir among the pirates for a moment.
“W-What are you doing? Are you sure you want to do this!” Pixie swallowed his saliva and asked with a slightly trembling voice.
“Deciding it all in one round—isn’t that a very pleasant thing~” Baiya raised her hand behind her and shook her fist. “Here I go! Scissors! Rock!”
She was the Best Player! Friends who knew her all knew her nickname was the Rock-Paper-Scissors Prince. Right now, this game was her home turf!
“Paper!”
The moment Baiya shouted “Paper,” Pixie didn’t have time to be shocked and hurriedly threw his gesture. At the same time, he secretly cried out in alarm. Baiya’s behavior had successfully disrupted his thinking! She hadn’t given him any time to react at all.
‘Does she also possess deep knowledge of the way of gambling? Is she a hidden master?’ Pixie couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander as he found himself unable to control the outcome.
After his thoughts stabilized, Pixie looked at the gesture of his own hand. His gesture was Paper. Seeing this, he felt even more that things were going poorly! Baiya’s final shout of “Paper!” had acted as psychological suggestion, luring him. She really wasn’t an ordinary person!
‘Her gesture must be Scissors! This crafty fox who has calculated everything!’ Pixie sighed and looked at Baiya with eyes full of admiration. She was a respectable opponent.
However, within his vision, Baiya’s gesture seemed to be… a fist. In other words, Rock?! Pixie confirmed it several times before proving to himself that he hadn’t seen it wrong.
“Huh?”
Baiya tilted her head. Judging by the current result, she had lost.
‘So unlucky…’
Amidst the cheers of the pirates, Baiya became indebted for 1,200 gold coins, equivalent to the expenses of an ordinary family for four years.
Under the strong suggestion of the pirates, Baiya had to repay the debt immediately, or they would strip off her clothes! This was the punishment! Otherwise, she shouldn’t think about leaving the casino!
Before the pirates’ wandering hands could touch her, Baiya relied on her Mind’s Eye Blade to dodge one grab after another, escaping the casino by the skin of her teeth.
‘To shoulder a massive debt so easily, in a sense, I should also praise myself.’ Baiya, who didn’t even dare return to her room, hid in a dark corner, watching a large group of pirates outside searching for her.
Baiya knew she was in big trouble. The debt she owed would become a reason for the pirates to deal with her. They could legitimately move against her. If she didn’t ask Molly to step in and help this time, she feared she wouldn’t be able to get through this crisis.
“Where is she?! Did anyone search her room?”
“Searched it! She didn’t return to her room!”
“Damn! She can really run! She must be hiding somewhere on the ship! Search carefully! We have plenty of time! Let’s see how long she can hide!”
“After catching that brat, strip her naked! Hang her from the mast!”
The pirates shouted without restraint. Baiya heard every single word, and she knew her difficult situation even better. To be caught by the pirates and stripped naked, running around like a pervert—she didn’t want to suffer that kind of ordeal at all.
“Oh well, I’ll take it one step at a time. No matter how much I think about it now, I can’t find a way out.” Baiya muttered softly. At this point, complaining about her misfortune was useless; she could only wait and see what happened.
Near her hiding spot, Baiya found an empty wooden barrel and climbed inside, carefully pulling the lid shut. The inside of the barrel was pitch black, just large enough to accommodate her petite body. After an unknown amount of time, under the double effects of exhaustion and hunger, she, having lost her sense of time, soon fell asleep.
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