Heads or tails, forfeit or not?
Eliana harnessed her good luck, infused it into the coin, and then lightly tossed it up...
A brief yet seemingly endless moment.
On the surface of the spinning coin in midair, "Shadow's" face was reflected, refracting the golden light from the crystal chandelier...
Finally, Eliana's face was mirrored.
She raised her hand, opened it, and clenched it.
She caught this luck-infused coin, she caught her fate.
For this decisive gamble, "Lucky King" had provided a prediction...
Tails, do not forfeit.
"Oh dear, are you bluffing?"
Knowing the result, Eliana asked Alister with no emotional fluctuations.
Alister didn't speak, he just looked at her with the same gentleness.
In silence, it was the same response as before.
Do you guess?
...
Eliana had never tried to control someone so much, especially not a variable she couldn't comprehend from start to finish.
She was the princess of good luck; the world should revolve around her, it should have been that way...
"Distorting cognition, your luck is actually on my side."
The calm words from "Shadow" echoed suddenly in Eliana's mind, like a sword of fate governing everything.
Unable to prove, yet also unable to disprove.
If he could distort her cognition from the start of the game, shaping her every move through luck...
No, that's not it.
Even before they started playing, even before the possible interference happened...
"Lucky King" had already predicted that she would become the deity, the ultimate victor of this casino game...
But the moment this thought emerged, it was countered by another...
—Chess of the Dead, she was the loser.
In other words, the process might lead to defeat, but the result might still be her victory...
Subconsciously, Eliana held her breath and tried to think about how to make a decision.
The person designated as the chief by the system couldn't be a lunatic, and he wouldn't do something foolish with no chance of winning.
Eliana subtly surveyed her surroundings.
These high-level players who emitted an intimidating aura and couldn't be defeated...
They were against the birth of a deity, and they had no interests aligned with "Shadow." In theory, they should be neutral or even hostile...
But no one questioned his full bet...
It was as if they were saying, "Silly woman, don't gamble with him; after all, the deity won't be you"...
Keep in mind that even the greatest heroes and figures always faced criticism and hostility...
Due to factors such as interests, positions, values, there should have been voices of doubt.
Eliana withdrew her gaze from observing the casino and turned to the black-clad player across from her, her eyes twitching slightly.
What was his cheating method exactly?
"Please decide promptly, Queen."
"...It's noisy."
She was going to become the deity.
—At that moment, "Lucky King" couldn't be interfered with, informing her of her future.
Now she couldn't forfeit the game.
—At this moment, "Lucky King" could be interfered with, leading to her complete defeat.
Eliana had already made her choice; she knew what she had to do.
If the final outcome was certain to be a victory, why risk gambling on the process manipulated by an unknown method?
In Chess of the Dead, she had lost.
In this poker game, it was also possible she might lose...
Even if she forfeited, she would only lose one million in chips, which wasn't a big deal...
And furthermore, she would find out what Alister's methods were.
In the subsequent games, this cycle of suspicion wouldn't appear again...
Eliana disliked variables; she had always pursued safety, aiming to psychologically dominate her opponents.
This was something she had already confessed.
"I forfeit."
Eliana answered gently, awaiting the revelation of the cheating method.
In the instant her words echoed, the rules converged, chips were moved, representing Eliana's defeat.
Alister laughed, a disdainful and cold laugh.
"'Overconfidence is also a bad thing.' Those were your words, weren't they?"
"What do you mean?"
Subconscious decisions often slipped out in words.
"I still prefer enjoying the process of overpowering my opponents."
From the casual conversation before Chess of the Dead began, Alister had already known Eliana's choice.
Thinking that overconfidence was a bad thing and that she should stick to a safe process was your foolishness.
The game ended; the hands were revealed.
First round.
Eliana: 34567, a straight flush.
"Shadow": 55JJA, two pairs and one single.
Second round.
Eliana: 66666, a four-of-a-kind.
"Shadow": 36QKA, five single cards.
Third round.
Eliana: 88888, a four-of-a-kind.
"Shadow": 99KKK, three of a kind and one pair.
—Eliana's complete victory.
"..."
Eliana dangerously exhaled a breath, her gentle smile revealing a profoundly sinister intent.
A second later, Eliana adjusted her demeanor, confirming:
"So, you didn't cheat at all, did you?"
"Nonexistent cheating can't be uncovered."
Alister toyed with the chips, always in control of the game.
Even if Eliana had a means to discern lies, Alister could still lead her astray, ensnaring her in a chain of doubt.
When the opponent declared "cheating can't be uncovered," and it was definitely the truth...
Ambiguity had been born.
"Hehe..." Eliana was evidently angry. "So, you meticulously calculated from start to finish, Chief?"
"Confidence is at its peak; don't you think so?"
Whether it was a game of Chess of the Dead that blended skill and luck or a poker game solely reliant on luck...
Alister dominated Eliana, fulfilling the promise of mercilessly treating her tender feelings.
Regardless of real-world strength or psychological strategies...
"So what's with their strange emotions? I assume they couldn't be on your side, right?"
Eliana questioned an important factor that had led her to forfeit.
"Oh, that? They're just extras..."
With a snap of his fingers, the emotional chains were finally released, and the onlookers stared at "Shadow" with lingering trepidation.
The implication was clear.
Everyone's fear had been an illusion created by Alister, a method to manipulate the course of the game.
The power of "Dark Sovereign" that dominated psychological shadows.
If the earlier Chess of the Dead was a strategical domination of the senses, then the current poker game was a psychological dominance by the "Dark Sovereign."
Eliana fell silent for a second before adopting a relieved expression, speaking gently:
"Very well, let's begin the third round, and I'll set the rules this time."
"Shadow," who was playing with the chips, turned his gaze calmly.
It seemed to say, "I will win; you can do as you please."
Eliana was never a princess who would submit; she wouldn't allow herself to bow to anyone.
She only allowed the world to bow to her.
The game between the Queen and the Chief, the third round, was about to begin.
A showdown of pure strength, a crushing battle where defeat was no longer an option.