Alister stood on the third floor of the grand casino, overlooking the lower levels filled with gold-masked attendants and gamblers with various intentions.
Human nature was always greedy, always reaching for that higher possibility...
Just the B-level abilities exchangeable as commodities were enough to entice lower-level ability holders to gamble a few times.
What if they could win?
What if they could climb to the pinnacle of the hierarchy in the Sequence Game?
Time was running out, and opportunities had to be seized...
"So, if Himizuki becomes the Queen, the impostor can be brought to justice, right?" a distant gambler asked Alister, looking down at the ongoing games.
"The Queen has the power to inquire about and judge crimes, a rule that the impostor must abide by," Alister replied.
They continued, "What if the impostor becomes the Queen?"
"That would result in a tie; neither side would be able to overpower the other."
Given the premise that a Divine Envoy would not emerge, becoming the Queen would merely delay the impostor's capture. After the game ended, they would still be pursued by the Countermeasure Division.
Shinguya Tetsu's game was almost unbeatable.
"What about a hundred billion..." someone muttered, leaning on the railing, seemingly lost in thought. "It's impressive... I doubt I'll ever earn that much in my lifetime..."
Alister shifted his gaze to see her sighing.
"I also want to become a player..."
"But I know it's just wishful thinking..." her faint blue hair fluttered. "What's wrong with me tonight?"
Then, she turned her head, looking directly at Alister.
"Do you think... after the game ends, I can still chat with the real you?"
"Probably not," Alister responded, helpless.
Under the influence of the "Sight Suppression" effect, non-players would forget everything that happened.
"That's it..." she let her disappointment fade, putting on a smile, and asked in a lighter tone, "After all, no matter how much I think, the post-game me will still be that happy girl, right?"
Noticing the cheers from below, Alister pondered before replying, "So that's what they call 'psychological victory'?"
"Absolutely not!"
She huffed proudly, "This is called powerful self-control of the mind, a fundamental quality of a mental counselor!"
At that moment, the head maid led a few maids by.
As one of the ordinary people caught up in the Sequence Game, as an employee of the Chenghai Miracle Cruise, the head maid carried on as usual. Perhaps this was a mark of professionalism, sticking to her duties.
But aside from her, the other maids surreptitiously glanced their way—some excited, some fearful.
Out of curiosity, Alister asked the head maid, "You've been working on the Chenghai Miracle Cruise for years and know the truth of the world... What are your thoughts?"
Stopping her steps, the head maid replied calmly, "I have no thoughts."
"Really?"
The head maid sighed and responded with resignation, "When you work and experience some inexplicable things that challenge common sense from time to time, you should be mentally prepared."
"A response I can relate to. You've worked hard."
"Not hard at all."
The head maid nodded slightly, bidding farewell. "Whether players exist or not, you're passengers on the Chenghai Miracle Cruise. Enjoy your game."
As they watched them leave...
"That's a true professional maid..." Alister admired, "Even the head maid isn't a player. I'm even less likely..."
Luorou joined in, saying, "The more I think about it, the sadder I get."
Alister added, "Thinking about it only makes you more sorrowful."
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm thinking! I take it back!"
With that, she balled her hand into a fist and playfully aimed it at Alister's chest.
In an instant, a gold-masked attendant cast a gaze over, their emotionless eyes exerting a chilling control over those who met them.
"Rule Four: Order cannot be violated in any form," it reminded them.
"Please refrain from disrupting the order," it stated.
"...I got it wrong!" her actions suddenly froze, and she quickly hid behind Alister, flustered.
"We weren't fighting at all, I promise!" she peeked out.
The atmosphere was silent for five seconds, only the cheers of the gamblers below growing louder.
The gold-masked attendant paid no heed to their exchange, redirecting its gaze as if nothing had occurred.
"Phew... you scared me..." she let out a sigh of relief.
Alister also felt the rules suppressing his behavior had dissipated.
In this game of chance, the gold-masked attendants acted as both servants and rulers.
...
...
"Maybe gambling requires luck, but the information gap is the most lethal and absolute factor."
"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll just make a small bet."
Alister warned her earnestly as she walked towards the gambling tables.
At table number ninety-seven, a more remote spot, a few gamblers were scattered about. All of them were non-players.
A wealthy-looking girl in a white dress had just won against a foreign man.
The stakes were small, just a hundred dollars.
The foreign man left without much concern; for someone of his status, a hundred dollars was small change.
True high-stakes gambling took place on the first floor of the casino, where the real players engaged in their games.
Suddenly, a C-level player seemed to have lost quite badly, emitting a furious aura that swept through the area.
"Rule Two: Unpermitted harm and looting are forbidden," as if triggered by the aura, the gold-masked attendant's gaze shifted, and the oppressive force of the rule quelled the player's anger.
"Ugh..."
The C-level player left the scene, seething with anger.
As the attendant returned to observing the first floor, the girl in white looked around pitifully and said, "Alright, who's up next to challenge me?"
"I'm in!"
Plonking down in front of the gambling table, a girl with a radiant smile, full of confidence, sat down.
Heh heh heh, as the head of the Mental Rehabilitation Department, there's no way I'll lose to a little girl!
Accompanying her was Alister, who came over to watch.
"Is a hundred dollars okay?" the girl in white asked.
"...A hundred dollars is just fine!" Luorou seemed like a child. "What do you think, Alister?"
"...Whatever you want," Alister responded half-heartedly.
The gambling round began, not only here but also on the first floor.
Leaning against the railing, Alister shifted his gaze subtly, his demeanor as calm as still water.
In truth, with his "Heightened Senses," he was confident he could win against most of the players on the first floor, amassing a small fortune.
"The rules are quite simple, big sister. Let's play a game of roulette with my toy gun," the girl in white pushed a toy gun forward.
"Understood, little sister. Let's begin," she aimed to appear strong.
But currently, Alister couldn't expose his true power—he had already discerned the girl in white's cheating methods.
He had to consider the worst-case scenario in everything.
What if the Queen was chosen by someone with malicious intent, and he gained too much attention at the gambling tables...
The power to strip a gambler of their qualifications three times...
Alister didn't favor this situation.
"You go first, sister."
"No, I insist on going first!"
Thus, until he had exhausted his three chances to strip qualifications, Alister would continue to play the role of an innocuous bystander.
Then, as the Chief, he would challenge the highest difficulty, turning the tide of the game.
—In case the worst outcome unfolded.