'Hmm, the money is an issue. I need to generate money somehow to pay for the arrangements to take care of the Tenaris guy and Mike. But how do I do that?'
Glottis detested discipline and work. He would never do work he did not want to only to make money no matter what his parents forced on him. At least, that's what he liked to believe while telling others he was unfettered and unrestrained.
'I don't want to negotiate terms with opportunists and entrepreneurs to make money…' he thought, depressed at the thought of doing business.
As billionaires, their money generated even more money on its own. They funded many projects, some even unrelated to their family, in exchange for shares that would prove their worth later. Glottis' easiest way to make money was to invest in a promising startup, but it'd often take a year or two for the profits to materialize.
'Could I get rich with the lottery of my system?' he pondered. He acted upon thinking, never letting hesitation stop him from making mistakes.
"Hell System, I want to rotate the Wheel of Luck once."
A big window with a colorful wheel opened a meter away from him, on it were drawn many images depicting prizes. He placed his fingers on the wheel and spun it with a swing, imagining the sound of a casino in his head as he waited for it to stop.
+-----------------------------------------------+
| Congratulations! |
| You have won an item! |
+-----------------------------------------------+
| Third-Grade Chains |
| Description: Chains that can |
| bound third-stage cultivators |
+-----------------------------------------------+
A long chain appeared in the air before him and fell to the ground, making a metallic noise. He lifted it for a close inspection. It did not take him long to notice that one side weakened him and blocked his Qi when making contact with his skin.
'I guess it could be useful if I ever want to shackle Mike. Would anybody even buy it? It doesn't sound like something people have many uses for…'
"Hey System, what the hell am I supposed to do with that? I wanted to be rich! At least put it in the system's storage, didn't you say you have this option?"
The chains vanished in thin air as soon as he finished complaining, and another ethereal window opened in front of him, informing him that the transfer was successful.
+-----------------------------------------------+
| **Notice** |
| The chain was sent to the |
| system's storage |
+-----------------------------------------------+
'Now I have 13 Fate Points left and still no money,' he mumbled in exasperation. 'Wait… if my system can identify people, can it also identify objects?' an idea struck his mind. He looked at his table and said, "What the hell is this?"
+-----------------------------------------------+
| **Info** |
| Table made of normal |
| walnut wood |
+-----------------------------------------------+
"Hehehehe," Glottis chuckled uncontrollably. "It's time for stone gambling!"
*Knock knock*
"Young Master, are you up? It's time to go to school!" Annie's voice came from beyond the door. "Are you talking to someone?" she asked. She was sure he didn't bring home anyone last night.
"I am up, prepare the bath for me," Glottis called back and ignored the latter part.
"I did, just like every morning…"
"And the-"
"I also made breakfast and ironed your clothes," she answered in advance.
Glottis left his room in his birthday suit, walking straight to the bathroom. After his morning routine which included brushing his teeth, bathing, shaving, wearing the outfit Annie had picked for him, and having breakfast, he said goodbye and went to his car.
Since he had a plan, he chose to skip school and go straight to the gambling den. It was open twenty-four hours a day, but it did adjust the ambiance to the time. He stopped his car outside the shiny building designed as a pyramid, letting the valet take his Lumina to the parking lot.
The valets guessed whom they should serve according to the cars, attending the fancy ones while letting the normal people park on their own. This one was a bit lucky, finding a 10$ note that the young master had left as a tip.
"What are you doing here?"
Glottis was surprised to see two blondes coming in his direction, or more precisely, in the casino's direction. While one's skin was more in an olive shade, the other was pale enough to get sunburned on a cloudy day.
"Two blondes walked into a casino," Glottis smirked when he noticed the two were surprised to see him as well, "But, Mike, are you sure you can gamble? I thought you and your sister were struggling for money to buy food. Or are you trying to leave an impression on your new boyfriend?"
The pale boy frowned, "Mike, is this…?" he wondered who could talk to a Golden Core cultivator like that. While the offender might not know that Mike was a cultivator, it seemed unlikely due to the personal details that Glottis mentioned.
"This is Glottis Sonora," Mike said without adding. The name was enough for Klaus to know everything he needed.
"Won't you introduce me to your new boyfriend?" Glottis asked as the two stood a few meters away from the entrance. It was a large glass door adorned with a wooden frame and two tall bodyguards stood at each side of the door.
"No need, I will introduce myself," Klaus smiled and stepped forward. "I'm Klaus Tenaris, a classmate of Mike."
He stood face-to-face with Glottis, his approach saying that Glottis should not think of himself as superior.
"You are too close. One more centimeter and your lover will get jealous," Glottis did a light headbutt, connecting his forehead with Klaus's. The latter stumbled back and almost fell on the floor before Mike used an arm to stabilize him.
"Glottis! Are you trying to pick a fight with me in the middle of the street?" Mike hissed angrily as he helped his new friend balance himself. Klaus rubbed his forehead, distorting his face in pain.
"I thought you only liked to play knight with the girls you lust after, but it seems like you don't discriminate between boyfriends and girlfriends," Glottis mocked him, "I guess the boys from the Tenaris family need their lovers to protect them."
"He is not my lover!" Klaus eventually burst, "Don't try to provoke me into a fight, I know you are a cultivator," he grimaced. While the difference between a human and a cultivator allowed him to avoid the fight, it did not allow him to avoid the embarrassment of being a normal human while Glottis was a cultivator.
"Oh, sorry for assuming. I just thought that Mike gave up on women after being dumped by so many of them in the same week," Glottis laughed happily, enjoying it more and more as Mike turned angrier.
"I would beat you up right here if we were not in public," Mike threatened, "But since we are going to the casino anyway, why not settle things there? We both can choose three jade stones and match the best to the best and the worst to the worst. Dare to bet with me?"
Glottis raised an eyebrow at the offer. He would have taken it even without the system, he liked to gamble. Besides, he was not one to not do something after being asked if he dared do it.
"Of course I dare, but unless you turned into a billionaire since the last time I saw you a few days ago, I'm afraid you don't qualify to bet with me. This casino is meant for the big boys, we don't make twenty bucks bets here," Glottis bragged as he pointed at the place.
"How much do you want?"
"A cool million, can you afford it?" Glottis sneered at him, knowing that he couldn't. To his surprise, Mike did not flinch at the number. Instead, the blonde man turned to his other blonde friend, looking straight into his eyes.
"Brother Klaus, do you trust me?" Mike asked.
"I do, but a mil is not a number I can throw around," Klaus hesitated. He did not see Mike's expertise in rock examining, and a poor man would not have many chances to explore this field. Klaus knew that Glottis would hire one of the local experts, putting Mike at a disadvantage.
"Don't worry. I'm better than the so-called experts. Trust me, I will give you half of his million after I take it from him." Mike was confident in his ability to identify the rocks. It was not for no reason.
Golden Core cultivators were banned from those gambling dens due to their quick eyes and kin senses, but nobody other than Glottis and Klaus knew his exact stage. Luckily for him, nobody would suspect such a young-looking man to be so strong already.
All he had to do was to channel his Qi out of his body to the rock and test the Qi conductivity. Jades were much better than rocks in this area. The best part was that only Golden Core cultivators could channel Qi out of their bodies, which meant Glottis would be unable to do the same.
"Fine. If you win, you can keep all the money, but you need to treat your good brother for a whole week at the best restaurants around town," Klaus surrendered to his friend's whims and chose to trust him. In his eyes, a million dollars would be a worthy investment in nurturing his relationship with Mike even if they lose the bet.
"Haha, alright!" Mike laughed, having no idea how much the places Klaus visited charged per meal. "You heard him, he is my guarantor in case I lose. Let's go."
"Glad you straightened things between you. I would hate to be the one who made a couple break up," Glottis added one last tease before walking happily alongside the two.
"Stop. How old are you?" The guard at the entrance asked.
"Eighteen," Mike naively said the truth, making the other two facepalm.
"Sorry, entrance from age 21. You can't come in."