The To-do List

The Casino (Part 2)

The air was filled with so much excitement, so thick that it started to influence Raizel.

"Empty!" Austin sighed.

"F**k, another empty one." Nathan swore.

Austin nodded in agreement. "It is the last three ones." He started at the box in front of him with so much intensity like he was willing it to bear fruit.

Nathan had collected 30 of the 50 spirit stones boxes and divided them into three. They had proceeded in opening the boxes turn by turn. 

Raizel had opened nine of the ten boxes. The first two boxes had nothing inside, five boxes had a piece of candy, one had a book detailing the dos and don't of cultivation, that Nathan kindly informed cost Fifty credits and the ninth box contained an energy absorption pill.

The body's ability to absorb the spiritual energy of Heaven and Earth was based on the person's talent. The more talent someone has, the more energy they can absorb. The less talent one has, the less energy one could absorb. For someone like Raizel blessed by the heavens with talent, the more time they spend on cultivating, the faster they grow and overtake their peers.

Raizel had entered the White Peak Sect at the age of thirteen with no cultivation experience and yet at the age of twenty, he was in the late stage of Dao Budding. That's talent.

 To him, absorption of spiritual energy was probably easier than breathing but it was not so for a large amount of the cultivation world. They needed extra help. 

The energy absorption pill automatically absorbs the spiritual energy. Very good energy absorption pills were rare but this one, Raizel looked at the low quality light blue pill in his hands, was as common as grass. If he recalled correctly, this quality was sold in the Sect's pill store for ten spirit stones.

He sighed as the pill vanished. He had bought ten boxes that cost 500 spirit stones, and so far he had earned roughly 11 spirit stones. 

His gaze settled on the last box. His eyes glittered as he began to activate his spiritual essence.

"Wait!" Nathan called out. He cleared his throat before saying, "Let's say a prayer first."

Austin, whose heart had skipped at the interruption, gave him a well-deserved sneer, "We are cultivators. We don't pray."

Raizel did not want to wait anymore. He sent a bit of essence into the box. 

Their breath hitched as they watched the box open slowly. 

Within it was a beautiful light blue pill. Raizel stared at it dumbfounded before picking the low quality energy absorption pill.

He was right. He finally understood properly after losing 479 spirit stones. Gambling is an evil one should never indulge in.

Austin looked at the pill in Raizel's hands. He then looked at Nathan like he was considering something. After a few seconds, he said in a quiet voice, "Perhaps we should pray."

Nathan rolled his eyes, "Coward."

Raizel watched Austin open his box with a smile. Austin had more luck than him. In his nine boxes, there were two empty boxes, three pieces of candy, three energy absorption pills and one low-grade dagger. 

The box opened to reveal a delicious-looking candy. Nathan burst out laughing, his whole body shook as he rejoiced in Austin's sorrow.

Raizel quickly calculated it, Austin had lost 369 spirit stones.

His focus shifted to the last but luckiest of them all. Austin had gotten an empty box, two pieces of candy, four energy absorption pills and two low-grade daggers. His money remained 260 spirit stones.

Nathan could sense their gazes on him and he revelled in it. He smiled coyly at Raizel, "Could you help me out?"

Raizel opened the last box. He looked at it silently before acquiescing Nathan was really the luckiest here.

There was a triangular jade disk flickering with light inside the box. On the jade disk were a water shaped signal and some characters.

"The Four-Turn Fire Formation Disk! We can finally struck gold." 

"We? Who are the 'we'? Haven't you opened your box already?" Nathan picked the disk as he turned it up and down.

"You.."

"I"

"Aren't you a mundane? What do you need a formation disk for?" 

"To sell and flaunt the money in front of bigots like you."

"I am not a bigot."

"Says the person who faked a cultivation malfunction just to sit alone on the plane."

"I did not fake it."

"Oh really?"

Their argument was illogical and uncalled for yet it threw Raizel back to carefree days. Those days he sat quietly and watched Lucas argue unreasonable with his master.

"Pfft!" A low chuckle escaped Raizel's lips. His low baritone had a magnetic and sensual quality that made people unable to resist doubting their ears.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh. Please stop it." Nathan's face was red to the tips of his ears as he turned from left to right.

Raizel was no longer shocked by this action, he just looked at him quietly but that did not stop the two workers from gossiping by the side. Although their voices were very low, it was clear and loud to Raizel.

"He has started it again."

"This is the reason the manager fired him. Screaming and harassing customers serves him right."

"Are you sure? I heard it was because he kept on winning the best prizes."

"How lucky!! He can get 5000 spirit stones from that disk alone. I have a lot I use the money for."

"Who doesn't?"

Austin looked at the red faced Nathan and spat out one word, "Weirdo."

Nathan seemed to calm down and his face returned to normal. He looked at Raizel with glistening eyes, "You..don't laugh anymore." He thought a little more then changed his words, "Don't laugh without me. If I am not there, then you have to record it and send it to me." 

Seeing the look he was getting from the two, he turned his face away, "I am not a pervert."

Austin had returned to his composed self and flashed Nathan a very kind smile, "I am sure you are not. Where are we going next?"

"The slot machine. Don't worry, it is very easy."