National destiny: Starting with a coffin, building an aircraft carrier is broadcast live globally.

That was... his ticket to return to the human world.

The tall, thin man's body stopped convulsing, and the blood vessels in his eyes disappeared beneath his skin as if the tide had receded. His eyes gradually regained focus and slowly moved toward the two thin, round discs in his hand.

"Thank you... thank you, sir."

He muttered to himself, his legs still wobbling as he got up.

After hastily wiping away the snot and tears from his face, he staggered toward the door.

Renyi did not sit back down at the card table, but stood there quietly watching them leave.

Nathan stopped the childish game of stacking chips, and Mayor Willie slumped back in his velvet chair, stroking the golden handle of his walking stick.

—The three men's eyes met on the gambler's retreating figure, who had narrowly escaped death.

He walked further and further away.

I weaved through the frenzied, noisy crowd, and the bar was just ten steps away... I handed the two chips through the window, exchanged them for heavy gold coins, and pushed open the heavy, brass-clad wooden door...

The clerk at the window impatiently knocked on the bars, signaling him to hurry up.

The tall, thin man, as if waking from a dream, slammed two chips onto the stage with a "thud."

"Change to smaller ones...change them all to ten-gold-coin ones!"

Twenty brightly colored chips were pushed out.

He gathered the chips in his arms and strode toward a low-stakes gambling table surrounded by people, slamming the two chips onto the red numbers.

"Place your bet and you're done—"

The three people at the table watched the whole thing.

"Pfft."

"...Pfft...Hahahaha..." Mayor Vili burst into laughter, which grew louder and louder, causing his entire body of fat to tremble.

If it weren't for that round watermelon belly, I probably would have been doubled over with laughter.

"Look..."

Mayor Willy made no attempt to hide his schadenfreude. "Young man, did you hear the sound of the money you threw out in your goodwill?"

He thought, "You can't pull someone out of the abyss."

"They think the pit isn't deep enough, so they jump in even more enthusiastically!" He wiped away a few tears from the corner of his eye, which he wondered if they were from laughing, and tapped his walking stick with a loud thud.

Nathan silently stacked his last two chips together and sighed.

He had seen companions who, in dire straits, would share a half-mouthed sip of water with each other, only to bury each other in ruins after escaping danger in order to get an extra gold brick.

So, what exactly is he expecting?

He glanced at the young man who had returned to the table, but the young man simply picked up the perfectly warm cup of black tea and took a sip.

The steam enveloped his expressionless face.

"I think you've misunderstood something, Mayor."

The teacup was gently placed back on its saucer.

"We just arrived in your town yesterday, penniless. That gentleman gave me a few gold coins as a reward when he was feeling smug."

"These two chips today are just to settle yesterday's accounts, nothing more."

Once the accounts are settled, there is no longer any value in reviewing them.

He acts solely on his conscience; as for what happens next...

That has nothing to do with him.

Vili couldn't laugh. This stranger in front of him was too cold-blooded to be called a kind person, and too rational to be called a madman.

Nathan, however, was laughing heartily, his skin a mixture of black and white.

He loves it so much!

"What a madman," Vili muttered, pointing to the mountain of chips piled up in front of him.

"On another note, half of the money you have should rightfully belong to me."

He squinted his small eyes:

"Eight games in a row? Nobody can have that kind of luck... Are you cheating?"

Such accusations can be fatal in a casino.

Ren Yi, without the slightest hint of nervousness, casually shrugged and joked:

"The cards are yours, the person is yours, and whether I cheated or not... don't you know best?"

"..."

Vili felt a lump in his throat.

The dealer did cheat, but he should be the ultimate winner. Should he admit that he tried to win everything but was defeated by an outsider?

He benefited from the help of Willy and the dealer, but he did not cheat.

Moreover, because of the chips Nathan had given away, Willie's losses weren't enough to make him immediately break off relations, but...

The feeling of being outmatched in card skills and intelligence made him even more unhappy.

"One more round."

He slammed his walking stick on the table. "This time, we're not going to do any of those calculations. We'll just guess black and red."

No further response was given.

What gamblers fear most is losing money only to have the house close the game, and vice versa.

He slowly and methodically swept all the chips into the wooden box—

"Click".

One lid.

"I had a really big show to perform today, so I'm probably feeling sleepy." He nodded at Willy, who had a grim expression.

"Besides, a fun game is never decided by luck in one go. There's plenty of time. See you tomorrow, Mayor."

Until the two figures disappeared,

Willie gritted his gold teeth, and slammed his prized walking stick to the ground.

The second floor.

At the end of the corridor, a series of luxurious suites were connected.

The bathroom was making a constant splashing sound, and in the poorly soundproofed room, Ivan's snoring was deafening. Sita stared blankly at the decorative crystal ball.

Nathan casually tossed a heavy box of chips onto the coffee table.

"If we leave that Willy there, won't he cause trouble in the middle of the night?"

"No, it won't."

The heavy velvet curtains were drawn arbitrarily, blocking out the darkening sky outside.

He turned and walked to the armchair, where he sat down.

"The money we won today isn't enough to get us out of Golden Anchor Town, and besides... it's not even a tenth of the value of that golden anchor."

The implication is—

It's not time for Willie to be anxious yet.

Tomorrow... he'll offer even more chips, begging to keep playing with him.

"That's why I said... sunk costs shouldn't be involved in major decisions..."

He muttered to himself.

Nathan leaned closer to Ren Yi, reminiscing about the bet they had just made, and couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Seriously, how did you do that? You really didn't cheat?"

"no."

He was simply memorizing the cards.

By the second round, he had already figured out the dealer's shuffling and hiding habits, and he remembered almost exactly what the cards were in each person's hand.

"How is that possible! Do you know how much computation that involves?!"

After hearing the explanation, Nathan opened his mouth wide in exaggerated surprise.

If you can do this, you're banned from any casino on Earth!

"...You can do it too using my method."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nathan almost jumped up from the ground, and was just short of shaking him.

"Tell me quickly!"

"Eastern secret techniques? Or perhaps the internal energy cultivation methods of the Dragon Kingdom? Could it be...?" Imagination raced wildly, "...a breathing technique that resonates with cosmic energy?"

[(Calmly) Please speak (twisting and crawling)]

[Selling sunflower seeds, peanuts, and bottled water in the front row! Listen to paid content for free—it's a steal!]

[I can learn that too? Let me practice at Old Wang's house next door first!]

[That's too narrow-minded... When I return, I'll bestow upon each of you the title of Marquis of Guanwai!]

Faced with Nathan's ignited thirst for knowledge, Renyi's lips curved into a faint smile:

"Memory Palace"