-"So what is going on with you all today?"-Kirari asked me after she arrived in Simulated Realm.
~"Day like every other. Why are you asking?"
-"Because of Elysia crying literal tears of blood."
~"Elysia is in the middle of repenting for her mistakes. This time, the punishment is light, only writing a ten thousand words apology letter to Ganyu. If she doesn't correct her behavior, the next letter will be twice as long and posted to all Astral Express crew to see."
-"Hmm, but this doesn't explain her resentful aura. There must be something else, right?"
~"Only forbidding her from approaching me for today. I cast a light curse, making her unable to be in a three-meter radius of me."
-"Uff, this is harsh."
~"It's only for a day, nothing serious."
-"It's serious! How can I live?! Yue is angry with me. You must no longer love me. My life has no meaning..."
~"Sigh."
-"Ehem. It's good to see you are still like always."
~"So, why did you want me to come earlier, Kirari?"
-"You see, I have a fun little game planned for today and wanted you to watch it."
~"Hou? What is the bet?"
-"This time, it's only my family."
~"So you finally decided to act."
-"Yes. If I want to have any chance to win our gamble, I have to take more risk."
~"Who is your opponent?"
-"All those who oppose me."
~"Then this is indeed something worth watching."
-"Then let's go. I'm already an hour late, so it would be a pity if someone left before I could have my fun."
~"Sure, I'll follow you. Elysia, when I'm back, I expect the letter to be completed."
-"Ugh..."
Ignoring the corrupted fairy left behind, I teleported to Kirari's world. As this was a mortal world, I appeared in 'modern' clothing, wearing a white suit with a black shirt underneath. I still had my Veil on and my long white hair bound into a high ponytail, so even if my height was barely average for a man, I still stood out in the crowd.
-"Oh my."
~"Like what you see?"
-"I'll bring you to a nice spot later. I hope you don't mind using your photo as a wallpaper for my phone."
~"Just don't do anything strange with it."
-"Why would I? I still have to keep the prize clean."
~"I didn't mean it like that..."
-"I know."-Kirari smiled and then linked her arm with me.-"For now, you are my chosen fiance."
~"Sure, I'll play along. Just don't lose me."
-"Never. They are not worth enough to make me consider using you as a chip."
-"You are finally here."-A woman with short black hair sitting in a wheelchair spoke, annoyed.-"As head of the family, how can you be so late for an appointment?"
-"Hey, I just gave you more time in case you needed it. after all, this home is not wheelchair accessible."
-"You..."
-"Ok, I admit that I'm late, but who can blame me? Would you want to spend time with me if you could be with your loved one instead?"
-"Like you are capable of loving."-A man with messy, spiky pink hair sneered.
-"Oh, I'm full of love. The love for gambling, for example."
~"Ehem."
-"Right, we don't have that much time. It would be a shame if I was late for my appointment."
-"..."-Even if the people present were already used to Kirari's shamelessness, they still became stunned after hearing this.
-"Whatever, bring the table. You are challengers, so I have the right to pick the game and dealer, while you can appoint an additional judge. Who will that be?"-Kirari sat at the main seat of the specially prepared poker table.
-"Kabura Tsuibami is going to be the judge."
-"Sure. Yue, would you be dear and play as a dealer?"
~"I don't mind, but you know that I can't go against the rules if I'm in that position."
-"I don't mind, but can you make contracts for us?"
~"Hmm? You sure?"
-"Yes."
~"Good. Dusk."
Responding to my words, Dusk appeared next to me. She was covered by illusion, making her tail and horns invisible, but still, her sudden appearance surprised those present. She didn't even spare them a look and simply gave me a scroll and a brush before placing an inkstone on the table.
~"What are the conditions?"
-"Just make sure that every party taking part in the bet is bound to the outcome and cannot go against it."
~"No problem."~I began making a comprehensive contract while listening to what Kirari would say next.
-"Then let me explain the rules. We are going to play a betting poker. A deck of cards without jokers will be used like in normal poker. Two cards will be discarded at the beginning, one face up and one face down. Next, everyone will be given two cards, after which the betting will start."
-"Sounds like a normal poker."-Spoke one of the people present.
-"The poker is always poker, but let me tell you what next. The first two rounds will be played like a Texas hold 'em, with cards being placed on the table for everyone, but the last two rounds will be different. The cards that would normally be given to players will be placed on the table, all but one face up. Rather than normal betting, players will bet on the card they want to take, and the person who bets most will get that card. Each player still in-game will have two chances to bet, after which the cards will be distributed."
-"What if someone lost his bet?"-Asked a short woman with two odango buns.
-"That person will receive the last, face-down card."
-"What if multiple people lose their bets?"-A girl wearing a gothic dress asked a further question.
-"If the face-down card is taken, you don't receive a card this round. The game ends after two such rounds. Each player should have four cards in hand and two on the table. Rest is according to the rules of normal poker."
-"We understand the rules. What about the bets?"-The woman in the wheelchair spoke as the leader of Kirari's opponents.
-"We will be using three different tokens as our bets. The past, present, and future tokens. The past tokens will represent the family branch and its possessions, so everyone will receive one such token. The present tokens will represent our current wealth, one per hundred million. The future tokens will represent our allegiance, one per person."
-"I get the present tokens, but what is the value of future and past ones?"
-"One past token is worth a hundred present tokens. If one doesn't own one at the end of the game, they will become Batsubami. The future token is priceless. It directly buys out the chosen card. If you lose it, you will become a possession of the person who owns said token at the end."
Hearing the stakes, everyone lost their previous annoyance and became solemn.
-"To start, everyone has to bet one token. The rest is according to the rules of poker, with precedence taken by those rules mentioned before. Any questions?"
-"What is the order of players?"
-"As one who was challenged, I'll start first. In each next round, the winner of the previous round will be the first player."
-"Good, we can start."
-"Yue?"
~"Here."~I threw the scroll on the table.~"Every player needs to sign the contract."
One by one, those who will play signed the contract. When the scroll returned to me, nine people sat around the table.
~"As a judge, you also have to sign."
-"Sure."-The woman with yakuza-like tattoos was last to sign the contract.
~"Then we can start. I'll be using these cards. you can check them if you want."~I created a deck that was blank on one side and had normal card values on the other.
-"There is no problem with them."
~"Then let's begin."
The game was underway, and while the players' emotions must be high, for an outsider, it was rather boring, so I focused on other matters. It also so happened that Jingliu finally came back.
-"Master."
I looked at Jingliu, who, at first glance, seemed the same as before, but in my eyes, she changed into an entirely different being. After becoming a god-slayer, she left the ranks of mortals, becoming truly immortal.
Her fight with Fūjin allowed her to prove her Dao, allowing her to become a Cultivation Saint. This makes her equal to beings such as the Three Pure Ones or Saintess Nuwa, though her strength is still behind those ancient beings.
I was expecting her sanctification, but what surprised me was the feedback I received. Most likely because Jingliu was able to become a Cultivator in my world, using essence from it to grow, so now that she achieved the pinnacle, her Dao became part of my world, strengthening and stabilizing it.
~"You finally achieved what you longed for."
-"Yes."-She showed a genuine smile for the depth of her heart.~"I cut down the stars in the sky."
~"Control your power. I'll help you get a better grasp on the changes in your state, but for now, be careful, as you can easily destroy the average mortal world just by seeing those words."
-"Thank you, Master."
~"Now that you have become Saint, what is your plan?"
-"What choices do I have?"
~"If you wish to continue growing, you can either comprehend more Laws or establish your own School to teach your Dao to others, gaining Fatih and Merit in exchange."
-"I can understand why understanding more Laws can help me, but why Faith and Merit are important to me?"
~"To explain that, you need to understand what is Sainthood. Saint is not a god. Dao and Divinity have different origins. Divinity comes from the world, making them much more powerful initially, especially if the world is strong, but they will always be limited by said world. Dao comes from you, making it much weaker but capable of growth. This can be achieved by gaining Faith and/or Merit."
-"Then what is the difference between Saint and Aeon, then? Aside from strength."
~"Again, the origin of power. While both Paths and Daos are born from a being, Dao is born from the understanding of Laws and power gained by Cultivation. Path, on the other hand, transcends Laws. It's not created from Laws but from the pure essence of the being. The second difference is the place in the world. Dao is akin to a Law, while Path is a Principle. Law is a building block of the world, while Principle is an instruction of how one can use those."
-"I see. Then, If I want to create my own Path, what should I do?"
~"Be yourself. There is no solid method. I advise you to continue growing as Saint while looking for a chance for Aeonhood."
-"I will do so. Thank you for dispelling my doubts."
~"You call me 'Master' so I should act as one from time to time. There are still some matters left in Takamagahara for me to deal with, after which we will stay a few days in the Far East before officially returning. Do you want to stay with me here or return to Hold?"
-"I'll return. I lack control of my new strength, so my staying here will only cause problems."
~"Then I'll meet you inside."
Jingliu bowed slightly before retreating into the portal leading back to Hold, where one of my Fox manifestations was waiting for her. Under my tutoring, she started to learn how to control and use her new powers, but she will need some time to get a grasp on everything.
After a few hours, my focus returned to the poker table, where the situation started to become tense. Despite everyone playing against Kirari trying their best to cooperate, she was the one who gained a great lead. The reason for this was simple: she was cheating. This was her plan from the beginning, and she executed it perfectly.
First, by asking me to be a dealer, she ensured that there would be no chance for conventional cheating, denying this opportunity to others. At the same time, because the dealer and judge are different people, It's not my role to ensure rules are followed, so she can freely use mystical powers that the judge can't detect.
Second, the game she picked. While it requires luck, card betting allows snowballing, making her able to more easily use the advantage she gains from cheating.
Lastly, her wealth was much greater than the rest, so she always had a head start. While together, they can compare to Kirari, as the past and future tokens were in the stakes, they needed to worry about themselves and not only about defeating her.
By the fiftieth game, over 80% of all tokens in the game were in Kirari's hands. She even gained two past tokens, making it hard for her opponents to quit.
This was because they were indeed cooperating. If they quit, not only would they lose most of their current capital, but two of them would lose their families, and as such, betrayal would make them unable to join forces ever again.
As for why the situation became tense, it was due to the desperate actions of one of the players. Miroslava Honebami, as I learned by listening to small talk between those playing, used her future to bet.
-"My, such a brave move. Are you sure?"-Kirari smiled while asking her opponent.
-"Don't try your games."-Miroslava gave Kirari a side eye, then continued to ignore her like she did before.
Kirari shrugged and placed her bet.
The round continued until it was finally time for the showdown. The first few hands were nothing special, a pair of kings and a strait up to eight, but soon it was Miroslava time. As she revealed her four cards, she was able to collect four aces, as one was on the table.
-"Four of a kind, huh."-Kirari's smile became more and more crazy.
One more player showed their hand, but once again, this was only a pair this time of aces. As the rest of the players folded, it was Kirari's turn, and she looked at Miroslava before showing her hand.
At first, the hand of two, four, five of spades, and seven of diamonds seemed not that great, but on the table were three of spades along with ace of the same suit.
-"Impossible..."
-"Sadly, it's not only possible, it is real."-Kirari continued to stare at Miroslava.
~"Lowest straight flush."
While four aces are the highest four of a kind, a straight flush is always valued higher, even if it starts with a low ace and ends with five. To bet on four aces was not wrong, as the chance to lose with such hand is about 0.02%, but a gamble will always be a gamble. The die had been cast, and now it was time for consequences.
With the first future token lost, the game entered the second stage.