Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Street Gambling
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The hidden piece in the entertainment city of Limno was just one.
And it wasn't even something I could use.
Without gates, there'd have been no reason to ride a carriage all day just to come to Limno in search of it.
But now that I was here, it felt like a waste to leave it behind.
With the thought that this might be the last time I'd be traveling separately from Eclair, I quickened my steps and followed the path I'd seen in the game.
'The streets are crowded—way too crowded.'
The biggest difference from the 15+ rated Akarite—enough to confuse anyone—was Limno's nature, free from the constraints of its censored world setting.
I pushed past the hawkers desperately trying to lure people into their shops.
I slipped into an alley lined with stalls pitched like tents at a night market in some tourist spot.
Mingling with the crowd heading the opposite way, I lightly evaded the hands reaching for my pockets and pressed deeper inside.
'Guys like that deserve to have their wrists smashed...'
I took a deep breath to suppress the surge of anger.
In a place teeming with people, screaming about a broken wrist would just cause a hassle.
Best to avoid drawing attention from anyone with sharp eyes or keen instincts.
Thud. Thud.
I was only a few steps from the hidden piece.
As I passed through the entertainment district without a shred of interest and turned my head, I stopped in front of one shop.
'Huh...?'
Would a starving sparrow just walk past a mill?
I had to check this out.
Like a sailor bewitched by a siren's song, I stepped inside. Naturally, every customer was human.
In Limno, overflowing with demi-humans, this was a brilliant shop drawing humans together. The true hidden piece was right here.
[Cat Headband]
[Skin-Adhesive Cat Tail]
[Rabbit Headband]
[Skin-Adhesive Rabbit Tail]
...
...
In the human-supremacist Empire, these items—condemned just for being sold—were openly on display.
I followed my heart. Followed what it desired.
Grabbing a basket, I picked one of each item, no duplicates.
"Thanks! Do lots of business!"
It probably didn't reach the ears of the busy staff amid the swarm of customers, but I meant it sincerely.
Skin-adhesive tails instead of plugs? Insane... weren't these basically beastkin?
Insertion types had their own appeal, but nothing beat this rejection-free masterpiece for an easy start.
'This is the hidden piece. This is art for humans. An invention.'
I hadn't even used them yet, but the satisfaction was already intense.
My bulging inventory felt like righteous spending, stirring up a surge of motivation to work.
True to Limno, where money was worthless, these accessories with no special effects cost a jaw-dropping amount.
But to me, money wasn't all that meaningful anyway.
"Hmm~"
I headed back to my destination, not hiding the tune humming from my lips against better judgment.
In Limno, you didn't need to set foot in a casino to gamble.
If you were fine with no guards or overseers—and scammers crawling everywhere—then gambling spots were literally anywhere.
Street gambling.
From blackjack to shell games and coin flips, it focused on quick resolutions, with much lower stakes than proper venues.
Drag.
I pulled out a chair from the alley and sat across from the gambler.
No shills here. No need for chit-chat.
The moment I sat on the damp wooden chair and pulled up to the table, the old man produced three cups and slipped a single bead under the middle one.
"Stakes?"
"One gold coin."
Cling!
The old man's lips twitched at the gold coin tossed onto the table.
"...Double if you find it."
With a hand on the cups, the old man began shuffling without a word.
Shuffle-shuffle.
Unbelievable hand speed for a liver-spotted geezer.
'Putting dwarf craftsmanship to use here, huh...'
Dwarves were always above average at hands-on work, so their gambling skills were no joke.
To a normal person, it would blur past afterimages—look like multiple hands.
Thud!
"Pick."
Fast for civilians, sure. But nowhere near enough to fool my eyes.
'Vision caught the middle, but instinct says right...'
Knowing the trick, I decided to raise the stakes first.
"Middle."
Click.
The old dwarf confirmed the empty cup and pocketed the gold on the table.
"Tough luck."
Cling!
I tossed another gleaming gold onto the table.
"One more."
...
...
As he started pocketing over ten coins, the dwarf began to sweat.
Scattering small wins was key for gamblers—to soothe tempers and placate marks.
In street gambling, where your body was the only thing stopping a furious customer, it was life-or-death.
From the fifth gold onward, the dwarf tried letting me win at least once to avoid trouble—no tricks, speed way down so eyes could follow.
But I kept picking empties on purpose.
Pretending offended, I let a wisp of mana leak. The dwarf's face drained of color, growing ashen.
"Th-that next one's the last. Got an appointment."
Clank!
A pouch stuffed with gold coins hit the table.
"Double or nothing."
Limno didn't suit Eclair's taste for quiet at all.
She wasn't here to enjoy herself—it was all business—but the endless noise and the dead-eyed stares of the gamblers filled her chest with nothing but disgust.
'If I keep digging into these collaborators, time might get tight...'
She needed to decide now.
It had only been a few hours since arriving in Limno, and she had zero leads on Cutler Duer's connections or collaborators.
No time or way to access the operations or funding of the prime suspects.
Even the Imperial Palace only suspected they 'might' exist.
Drop it.
'No sense chasing two rabbits and catching none.'
Without solid proof they even existed...
Eclair ruled to shelve them and focus on Cutler Duer and his knights.
When Roman got back to the inn, she'd explain the change and move out.
"Hoo..."
With a direction set, her stuffy mind eased a bit.
She rolled her neck to loosen it, and her eyes fell on the inn's firmly shut door.
'He's a little late...'
Just like that Golden Honey tavern, every shop she'd checked had no sign of the operators.
She'd stuck to the sunnier side of Limno.
Roman had argued that as an adventurer, he'd handle the shadier spots without suspicion and more efficiently. She hadn't argued.
What if Roman had refused and she'd come alone? How would she have...
'Thank goodness there's someone good at improvising.'
Thud.
Reaching into her pocket for the documents, her fingers brushed something.
Chocolate from the tavern—just bread and soup for her, but he'd given it in case she got hungry.
'...Roman. You still don't know me at all. Long road ahead.'
She hadn't told him, so of course he didn't know.
Unlike Chloe, she didn't crave sweets. No interest in desserts, barely knew popular brands.
As always, he'd been so confident handing it over.
Thinking of him boldly claiming it'd suit her taste made her want to tease him—don't even know your friend's preferences?
'Still... sometimes you need sugar to think straight, so...'
Viewing it as a necessary intake, Eclair unwrapped the chocolate and popped it in her mouth.
Crunch.
"Hm?"
She'd braced for tongue-numbing sweetness.
Instead, an elegant bitterness hit first, chased by a subtle sweet that teased her palate.
'Roman's taste?'
If it was like this, she could eat a few.
-Haaang!!
A lewd moan erupted from the next room without warning. She nearly bit her tongue.
'...It's an inn. Can't be helped.'
Old facilities meant poor soundproofing—it was to be expected. No point blaming them.
Since it was within expectations, she ignored the wall-piercing groans and spent the time sorting documents.
-Aang! Ang! I'm cumming...! I'm cumming...! Grab my tail pleeease!!
'...Cumming?'
Words that made her doubt her own ears.
Eclair and Chloe had completed basic sex education.
For nobles, education was a given. Ignorance of sex—something rarely discussed openly—was unacceptable.
They'd memorized procedures in order, down pat... or so she'd thought.
Nothing in her lessons or knowledge involved "cumming."
'No, probably not...'
What if it was slang or a term from sex? Then what the hell had she done in that carriage...?
Roman had seemed oblivious.
But if it really was that? Ignorance burned hot; her face felt ready to burst.
Rustle-rustle.
She crammed the spread documents back into her pocket somehow.
She desperately needed the cool outdoor air against her flushing face.
'Outside... I'll wait outside.'