Secret World: I Became a God Through Lies

Chapter 86: Gambler's Heart: Ghost Dice Game Showdown

"In the gamble of fate, the rules are never fair."

"When an opponent cheats, a true gambler simply outmaneuvers him with superior skills."

The atmosphere in the bar gradually heated up, and gamblers gathered around, staring intently at the dice rolling on the gambling table.

The light shone on the dice, casting slightly swaying shadows, as if the fate of this gamble was still undecided.

Sima Ming tapped the table lightly, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the black-turbaned pirate with a somewhat casual smile.

He twirled the dice between his fingertips, seemingly nonchalantly, but was quietly analyzing the strange feeling just now.

The black-turbaned pirate smiled with a hint of cunning. He picked up the wine glass and swallowed the liquor in one gulp.

Wiping the corner of his mouth gently, he said in a leisurely tone, "Luck comes and goes quickly, man. Don't get too complacent."

Siming smiled noncommittally, placed the dice on the table, and gestured, "Next round, it's your turn."

The black-turbaned pirate's eyes flickered slightly, and his fingers silently swept across the dice cup, as if adjusting the angle.

Then he casually shook the dice, and the crisp sound echoed in the bar.

He flicked his wrist, and the dice slid onto the table, rolled a few times, and finally stopped.

——Three nightmare octopuses.

The gamblers around him all murmured. Although the Nightmare Octopus's points were not as good as the Deep Sleeping Grave Whale's,
But it is second only to it. If Sima Ming's dice is not high enough, the outcome of this round will be clear.

Siming kept smiling, his fingers slowly slid across the dice cup, he gently squeezed it, closed his eyes, and moved his fingertips slightly.

He raised his hand and threw the dice casually.

The dice rolled across the wooden table, colliding with each other with a slight clicking sound, and finally came to a stop.

——Three sleeping whales in the graveyard.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and the eyes of the gamblers around all fell on the dice. Then, a low murmur of exclamation broke out in the bar.

"Damn it, this kid is so lucky..."

"Two consecutive high rolls?"

The black-turbaned pirate's smile faded slightly, his single eye flickered slightly under the light, and he looked carefully at Sima Ming's fingers, as if looking for signs of cheating.

But Siming just leaned lazily on the back of the chair, raised his chin slightly, with a faint smile on the corner of his mouth.

"You're right. Luck comes and goes quickly." Siming looked up at the black-turbaned pirate and said lightly, "But it's obvious that it's on my side now."

The black-turbaned pirate narrowed his eyes, the smile on his lips still there, but it was a little deeper than before.

He slowly reached out, picked up the dice cup, and said in an unchanging tone, "It's not over yet."

He turned his wrist, and the dice in the dice cup rolled again, and then he threw it violently.

The dice roll across the table and eventually come to rest.

——Two soul-eating ghost crabs and a nightmare octopus.

The gamblers watching around paused for a moment. Although this combination didn't look particularly strong, considering the rules—

"This guy is gambling..." someone whispered.

——If Sima Ming throws out two Deep Sleeping Grave Whales, the Soul-Eating Ghost Crabs of the Black Scarf Pirates will be able to devour them and directly reverse the outcome!

The atmosphere in the bar suddenly became more tense.

Siming glanced at the black-turbaned pirate calmly, then slowly picked up the dice.

He weighed it in his hand and gently stroked the surface of the dice with his fingertips.

Then he frowned slightly, as if he realized something was wrong.

The dice... became lighter.

He squinted his eyes and ran his fingertips along the edge of the dice, feeling a very fine carving mark.

This is a hollow dice.

This means that the center of gravity of the dice has been artificially adjusted, making the results more random and possibly even manipulated.

Sima Ming didn't say anything. The dice in his hand paused slightly, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

--I see.

He threw the dice randomly, and the dice rolled on the table and finally stopped.

——Two deep-sleeping whales in the tomb and one flying whale with wings.

The moment the dice cup was opened, the black-turbaned pirate's smile suddenly deepened, and he sneered softly.

"you lose."

Sima Ming glanced at the table, then raised his eyebrows slightly.

Although his two Deep Sleeping Grave Whales have high points, the Soul Devouring Ghost Crabs of the Black Scarf Pirates can just devour them.
The remaining Nightmare Octopus points are also higher than the Flying Wing Scales—

This round, the Black Scarf Pirates win.

The gamblers watching around shouted excitedly, and a few guys who had originally stood on the side of the Black Scarf Pirates laughed loudly and slammed the table.

"Hey, wasn't this kid quite arrogant just now?"

"My luck has run out!"

The black-scarfed pirate slowly picked up the wine glass, shook the liquid in the glass slightly, took a sip, and looked at Siming with a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"One to one, we're back to the starting point." He said with a smile, his tone hinting at provocation.

Sima Ming did not respond immediately. He just stared at the dice, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if thinking about something.

Then he blew gently on his fingertips and smiled slowly.

“…You’re such a con man.”

He murmured to himself, seemingly not in surprise, but with a certain casual interest.

The black-turbaned pirate's smile remained unchanged. He put down his glass and spread his hands. "Why, you didn't realize it just now, did you?"

Sima Ming smiled, and his smile carried a hint of danger.

"Okay, go on." He tapped the table lightly, his eyes revealing a deep meaning, and said in a lazy tone.

The gamblers around them suddenly became more excited, their eyes moving back and forth between Siming and the Black Scarf Pirates.
Obviously, they expected this bet to become more exciting.

The dice cup was raised again, the light shone on the dice, and the gears of fate continued to turn.

This gambling game has just entered the real contest.

The air in the bar became stagnant, filled with the smell of liquor and sweat. The gamblers stared at the gambling table and even forgot to drink the drinks in their glasses.

Amidst the flickering light and shadow, the sound of the dice rolling could be clearly heard. Every collision was like a blow of fate, stirring everyone's nerves.

The Black Scarf Pirate casually rolled the dice with a sly smile on his face. Three dice tumbled across the table before landing firmly on the ground: two Sleeping Mephistos and one Deep-Sleeping Grave Whale.

It’s not a perfect combination, but it’s still quite stable and enough to put pressure on the opponent.

The black-turbaned pirate leaned back in his chair relaxedly, tapping his wine glass with his fingers, his eyes falling meaningfully on Siming.

Siming took the dice and just as he held it, his fingertips detected a subtle anomaly. The weight of the dice was wrong.

Compared to the previous dice, this set is obviously much heavier, with a subtly tilted center of gravity. The surface appears smooth and even, but in fact the inside is filled with mercury.

This gambling technique is not simply cheating, but an advanced manipulation technique - the opponent uses the center of gravity of mercury to make Sima Ming only able to throw the results they have already preset.

Sima Ming narrowed his eyes, and the playful smile on the corner of his mouth disappeared, replaced by a sharp edge.

"Interesting." He murmured softly, gently turning the dice in his hand, feeling the change in inertia brought about by the flow of mercury.

The black-turbaned pirate noticed his hesitation, a barely perceptible smile flashed in his eyes, and he swung his wine glass leisurely, as if he had already seen Sima Ming's failed outcome.

Siming let out a light breath and adjusted the feel of his throw.

He knew that this time his control would be greatly weakened, and it would be almost impossible to accurately throw the desired combination.

But - a true gambler will never let the rules control him.

The dice slipped from his fingers, hit the table, and rolled with a strange sense of instability.

Finally they stopped - a flying winged scale, a demon bat sleeping shark, and a nightmare octopus.

Not an ideal combination.

The black-turbaned pirate was stunned for a moment, then burst into unbridled laughter. He slapped the table hard.

He shrugged at the crowd of onlookers and said, "Hey, this round is mine!"

The bar erupted in shouts of excitement, and several pirates slammed their hands on the table.

Whistling, some onlookers began to jeer loudly: "Hey, kid, has your luck run out?"

The black-turbaned pirate shook the wine glass in his hand and took a leisurely sip.
His eyes held a hint of malicious teasing. "Hey, man, I have to warn you...if you lose, the cards will belong to me."

Siming was silent for a moment, then rubbed his forehead with his hand, as if he was helplessly accepting reality.

Then he suddenly laughed.

"Alright... In that case, don't blame me for being rude."

His voice was calm, but his tone was dangerously confident.

The black-turbaned pirate narrowed his eyes, feeling a sense of unease inexplicably.

In this round, it is Sima Ming's turn to vote first.

He picked up the dice, rubbed his fingertips lightly across the surface, and slowly turned them, feeling the subtle changes in weight.

"Hollow dice, mercury dice... So, what will it be this time?"

His tone was gentle, as if he was talking to himself, or as if he was questioning some unknown rules.

The Black Scarf Pirate's technique was not very sophisticated, but he did have a way of manipulating the dice.
Use the different structures of the dice to change the throwing trajectory and affect the opponent's shooting stability.

In a normal gambling game, this is enough to make ordinary people lose.

But Sima Ming is not an ordinary person.

"You seem to have forgotten one thing..." He gently flipped the dice, his eyes slightly raised, and a sharp smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

“A true gambler relies not on luck but on feeling.”

He shook his wrist slightly, adjusted the strength, and threw the dice without hesitation.

The dice fell to the ground, rolled, hit the table, spun, and finally slowly stopped.

Three evil sharks that swallow boats.

The bar fell silent for a moment.

The gamblers watching exchanged surprised glances, several of them gasped, and even those who mocked Siming couldn't help but shut their mouths.

The smile on the black-turbaned pirate's face froze for a moment, and then a dangerous light flashed in his eyes.

He stared at the three dice for a second before slowly reaching out and picking up the dice cup.

He said nothing, but shook the dice solemnly, his movements more cautious than before.

The sound of the dice rolling in the cup was particularly clear, and seemed particularly eerie in the quiet tavern.

"Your technique is indeed quite good," he whispered, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's. "But the bet is not over yet."

The dice were cast, and everyone held their breath, their eyes closely following the rolling dice surfaces.

Finally, the dice cup was slowly revealed - a deep sleeping grave whale and two sleeping demon bats.

A good combination, but still not as good as the three-combo combo of the Ship-Swallowing Shark.

The black-turbaned pirate stared at the dice for a moment, as if he couldn't believe it, then he slammed the table and his face darkened.

Siming raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at him calmly, and said calmly: "It seems that you haven't played long enough."

His tone was light, but it was like a sharp knife, piercing straight into the black-turbaned pirate's self-esteem.

The gamblers watching were immediately in an uproar. Several pirates began to discuss in low voices, and some even cast mocking glances at the black-turbaned pirate.

"Isn't this kid really lucky?"

"This isn't just a matter of luck anymore... Did he see through the patterns on the dice?"

The black-turbaned pirate's face turned completely cold. He slowly clenched his fists and stared at Siming, with a hint of cold murderous intent in his eyes.

The score was tied - 2-2.

The air grew thicker, and the atmosphere in the bar changed.

The gamblers' eyes were filled with fanatical anticipation, as they knew that the next final round would determine the final outcome of the game.

The black-turbaned pirate exhaled deeply, slowly tightened his grip on the dice cup, his eyes as sharp as a beast about to pounce on its prey.

"Then, let's see who is the winner of this bet in the final round."

His voice was low, as if he was suppressing some emotion.

The noise in the bar completely disappeared, and everyone held their breath.

Sima Ming slowly moved his fingers, raised his head, and his eyes were as sharp as an unsheathed sword.

The corners of his mouth rose slightly with a faint smile.

"Yeah... Let's see who is the final winner."

The final round of the gambling game is about to come.

(End of this chapter)