World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 118 The Great Player Alone

Do you know the MGM Grand Casino?

Let's go back to shortly after Lin Angang left New Mexico.

He looked at Barry, who suddenly pulled out a cigarette, and raised his eyebrows.

“Of course, what surprises me more than the MGM Grand casino is that you actually smoke.” He picked up a bag of barbecue-flavored potato chips from the shelf. “Shall we leave this topic behind?”

Unfortunately, Barry had no intention of letting Lin An off the hook.

"The reason I can see through some people's lies is probably because I was a 'high roller' at the MGM Grand Casino for a few years when I was young."

"A high roller? Are you Chow Yun-fat?"

"Hehe, I'm sorry, I don't know your classmate." Because of the pronunciation of Zhongzhou's name, Barry mistakenly thought that Mingxing was Lin An's friend.

"My girlfriend's name is Zhou Qingqing."

Barry shook his head and continued.

"Generally speaking, casinos divide gamblers into three categories. The first is the 'commoners,' which refers to those who casually play slot machines and roulette with a hand of 25 yuan. They can get smiles from the service desk and occasionally free drinks."

"Secondly, there are the 'big players,' whose bets usually start at three or four figures. These people can stay in hotels for free and enjoy free room service. In Las Meadows, accommodation, food, and drinks are all included."

"Finally, there are the legendary 'high rollers,' a group of people who play games with stakes of $5000 each time. They have the full hospitality of the casino: airport pick-up and drop-off, luxury suites, fully automatic jacuzzi, leather sofas, widescreen TVs, and so on. The receptionists attract the high rollers and keep them glued to the casino."

"You know all this?" Lin An picked up a few bottles of cola. "Are you close to the owner of the MGM Grand Casino?"

“Gamblers and bookmakers have always been at odds.” Barry pulled a wad of cash from his wallet and handed it to Lin An. “But without a bookmaker, the game can’t go on. Go pay your bill, I’ll get a reusable bag.”

Lin An took the banknote and noticed that the serial number on the back had been scratched with his fingernail. He connected the marks in his mind and it seemed to be a ten-digit number.

What the hell?

Following the moose, a new riddle teller has emerged.

However, Barry seems to have some secrets he can't reveal openly, or even disclose in a way that's too outrageous.

Not only do you have Chow Yun-fat's past, are you still Andy Lau?

Lin An repeatedly combined each number and finally got the answer to the riddle that night.

This is a phone number.

While the others were resting in their cars, Lin An walked to a small grove of trees and tentatively made a phone call.

"You came."

Lin An wasn't surprised by the blunt statement from the other party. After a moment's thought, he replied calmly.

When is the betting session?

"July 2038, 2."

What are the requirements to become a 'high roller'?

"Heh, you should start as a 'big player'," the man chuckled. "The first hurdle is to come up with something that interests me."

"For example?"

"I will send someone to tell you."

After saying that, the other party hung up the phone.

Now that the dust has settled, Lin An, gazing at the dazzling, celebratory nightscape of Rasmedos, finally understood the ins and outs of the incident.

During their conversation, Barry had already joined the inspection team, but he was not truly obedient to them and was also suffering from the surveillance and eavesdropping of "White Dove," so he could only pass information to Lin An in a cryptic manner.

An event will occur at the MGM Grand Casino when passing through the city of Las Meadows.

Through that unknown phone call, Lin An learned that this incident occurred on February 15th. Calculating the date, the system would finish updating at 11 PM that night, which happened to be at an awkward time.

Couldn't it have been a day later?

Contrary to expectations, at 21:30 p.m. that night, Lin An was forced to take action with Evancia.

Along the way, he gradually understood Barry's two riddles.

First, it means "high roller gambler".

Because the stakes offered are high enough, the house is happy to offer free services to keep them around.

High rollers can use the facilities at will, meaning that if the house's conditions are met, the MGM Grand Casino will cooperate with Lin An's actions; if not, they will remain smiling bystanders.

Secondly, there's "Blackjack".

This is a bit hard to understand. After thinking for a while, Lin An believes that Barry's reminder is as follows.

Just remember the position of the "A" card, and don't worry about the outcome of other hands, because winning one blackjack game is equivalent to losing all the chips you've lost.

This "Ace" card was in the message from the "dealer".

"I will send someone to tell you what kind of chips I am interested in."

The person sent was Evancia. Through intelligence exchange and in-depth dialogue, Lin An learned that Evancia wanted to obtain the "Reader" fragment that Hill had attached to Lin An.

In other words, the bookmaker's goal is not money or power, but Hill Catherine, or rather, her mystery.

To make an even bolder guess, the dealer might be a medium for "seekers of knowledge" like Lin An, hoping to "devour" Hill Catherine and expand his own secret warehouse.

However, with Hill backed by the Inspectorate, he couldn't kill her the way he would a free agent, which would create some tricky and troublesome diplomatic issues for this suspected foreign mystery faction's boss.

As one of the deacons, Hill wouldn't voluntarily leave the organization, but having learned from Efron Ruben's example, Lin An quickly understood the task assigned to him by the owner.

Let Hill be a scapegoat.

For the sake of the bigger picture and overall reputation, the inspection team had to abandon pursuing the responsibility for killing the deacon; that is, they had to thwart Hill's actions and expose her plans to the public.

Lin An was overwhelmed and needed to coordinate with Barry. The only group Barry hadn't anticipated was the Dawn Association, because when Lin An confronted them, he found that they were completely oblivious to the situation.

I wonder if they believed me or deciphered my secret. Lin An thought.

Although he didn't know the specifics of the plan, Lin An had a feeling that Barry was prepared to "prove his innocence with his death".

Without the intervention of the Dawn Society, Barry, having infiltrated the enemy camp and delivered the intelligence, would surely have been killed by the Rasmedos branch inspectorate, which had surrounded him.

That's incredibly loyal.

The foundation must have saved your life in a past life.

If the Dawn Society had received Lin An's intelligence and arrived in time, Barry wouldn't have needed to sacrifice himself.

It seems that while gambling certainly requires skill, ultimately it depends on the whims of luck.

After Lin An completes his mission, the final step is to break free from Hill's marriage laws.

This is where Evensia's second "inclusion" method comes in. Ainx is the daughter of Toppe, the goddess of marriage, and a nymph who controls charm and love spells. She can complete a legal marriage without a witness.

In marriage law, if a man commits bigamy, it is the wife's responsibility.

They are men's closest partners, and they have an obligation to protect their husbands from lustful sins. They need to spend time and energy in their marriages so that men will not turn to other women.

Using Evancia's mystical arts, Lin An successfully "divorced" Hill, who might even suffer a backlash and be punished by the "judge's" rules.

At this point, even if the dealer kills Hill, it will no longer affect Lin An.

It was truly a long psychological battle.

Lin An exhaled, enveloped in the dazzling neon lights of the night scene. There was still one question he couldn't figure out.

Why did Barry voluntarily join the inspection team?
As long as he doesn't reveal their location, the inspection team won't be able to track them down.

If he's still alive afterward, ask him about it... and while you're at it, give this guy a good beating.

Lin An suffered a lot in order to cooperate with Barry.

Most importantly, I hate riddle people the most in my life!
Guess, guess, guess your grandpa!

Barry truly trusted Lin An's intelligence; if he weren't good at interpreting and making connections, he would probably have died in this city of ecstasy today without knowing why!

And you, the bookmaker, you better not get caught by me.

Stroking the cold surface of the wand, Lin An expressionlessly selected the red gem as the first test subject.

I've chosen you, Barry Fenton.

To be honest, Lin An wasn't interested in the power struggles of big shots; he was most grateful to have obtained the fourth gem in the wand.

This brings us to just one final step towards the Philosopher's Stone.

But it is also the most difficult step.

Lin An needs alchemical materials that embody "creation" and "the spirit of perfection".

The only person currently who could possibly provide this material...

Looking down from the rooftop, Lin An saw that the commotion Hill had created had attracted a bunch of fire trucks and police cars with sirens blaring, their sirens piercing the sky. They were evacuating the frightened crowds, holding up conspicuous banners that said "No Entry".

Through this chaotic scene, Lin An's gaze fell on the Thunderbird statue at the very bottom.

Only the creator god can help him complete the forging of the Philosopher's Stone.

Lin An wanted to save Thunderbird's life, which was the biggest point of contention between his position and that of the inspection team.

If Brother Lei unfortunately dies in the inspectorate's conspiracy, he will not be able to find a second creator god in a short time.

Little Canine Tooth might be willing to help, but Lin An doesn't even know where she is now, and the moose and beaver don't seem to want him to know the whereabouts of their creator god.

Unfortunately, the Thunderbird did not continue to reduce the level of pollution over time, and it is unknown when it will regain its senses.

Although the journey was about to end, Lin An and Thunderbird had more time to spend together than just this.

He remembered the words of the civilian minister of Dietrich.

"All department heads and team leaders in the foundation have received training from headquarters."

Stretching, Lin An turned around and walked easily towards the stairs of the MGM Grand Hotel.

"Junior Lin," Evensia said in her cool voice, "when you get back, remember to give my regards to Professor Emmett."

"Oh, I'll tell him."

"I hope you get your diploma from the University of Ann Arbor soon." Evancia pressed down her wind-blown hair. "Don't drop out halfway like I did."

"Don't worry, senior."

The night was dazzling, and the interlacing lights of the casino cast a glowing shadow on the young man's back, forming a luminous blanket. Evancia watched him disappear around the corner, then stood alone in the evening breeze.

She covered her empty left eye and gazed into the distance with her right eye, which was brighter than before.

The never-ending carnival of Las Médoc continues.

…………

The headquarters of the St. Anilov Foundation, the "Queen" floor.

All the foundation's senior executives were on high alert. Sitting opposite them were all the members of the inspection team at headquarters, as well as the remaining three deacons.

Seeing the tense atmosphere on both sides, President Yelig spoke up without making a sound.

"Then, the emergency meeting will now begin."

Thank you Dead Fish for the monthly ticket, and thank you everyone for your recommendations and subscriptions.
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(End of this chapter)