103: Chapter 13 Blackjack!

"Blackjack..."

"Fine, but what are the stakes?"

"A Divine Artifact, of course."

"Yesterday you won my dream god earring; naturally, I want to win it back."

A ripple of lighthearted laughter came from the silhouette; the Dream God seemed quite pleased that Lu Yin had accepted the challenge.

The air in the room began to warp slightly as the table and chairs gradually faded, replaced by a hazy backdrop of a starry sky.

"Then, let the game begin."

The Dream God's silhouette waved a hand gently, and a card table woven from starlight emerged between the two of them.

A deck of poker cards was neatly arranged on the table, their backs featuring ever-shifting patterns of dreams.

"The rules are simple: there is no limit on how many cards you can draw, you can stop at any time, and the maximum is 21 points. Exceeding that is an automatic loss. If neither side exceeds it, we reveal the cards and compare the totals."

"An Ace can count as 1 or 11. Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 1 point, and others follow the number on the face."

"It remains a best-of-five series. If you win, I will gift you another Divine Artifact. If you lose, the dream god earring is returned."

Lu Yin stared at the deck of cards that seemed to contain countless dreams and said solemnly, "Fine."

These rules were exactly the same as in his previous life, making them very easy to understand.

The Dream God's silhouette seemed to solidify a bit more, carrying a hint of mockery.

"Human, are you ready?"

"This game relies entirely on luck."

"No one knows if the next card leads to victory or to ruin."

Before the voice could fade, the dreamlike deck flew up automatically, tracing a brilliant arc through the starry sky before landing neatly back on the table.

"You first," the Dream God's voice echoed ethereally.

Lu Yin took a deep breath and slowly drew the first card.

He flipped the card over; at the center of a deep vortex was a vibrant Ace of Hearts.

"An Ace of Hearts—a good start. It can be used as a 1 or an 11."

"If I can draw any 1, Jack, Queen, or King, I can hit the maximum of 21 points."

"I must draw!"

Lu Yin spoke in a low voice, looking at the Dream God. "Continue."

The Dream God's silhouette swayed slightly, seemingly satisfied with his decisiveness.

The second card flew slowly from the deck, tracing a trail of light through the starry sky before landing in front of Lu Yin.

Lu Yin held it in his hand and slightly peeled back a corner.

The King of Spades!

21!

I've got this!

As long as the Dream God couldn't draw the same number, he was guaranteed to win this round!

"I'm standing. It's your turn to draw."

Lu Yin placed the two cards face down and said with a smile.

"Oh? Choosing to end after only two cards? It seems these two cards of yours must be quite high."

The Dream God's silhouette trembled gently, as if laughing silently.

The deity elegantly raised a hand, and a card flew automatically from the deck, landing lightly in front of them, the dream patterns on the back flowing incessantly.

The deity did not flip the card over but immediately drew a second one.

"Let's test my luck today first."

"It's impossible to exceed 21 with two cards, but it is possible to hit 21."

As they spoke, the Dream God flipped the first card, revealing a red diamond and a large 'A'.

"It seems my luck is good. Now, let's see if the second card continues to bring surprises."

The Dream God's light brushed over the second card, and it flipped over to reveal the 1 of Clubs.

The combination of an Ace and a 1—also 21 points!

"Heh, 21 points. Human, show your cards."

Getting the maximum score made the Dream God exceptionally excited.

Lu Yin frowned slightly. He had thought this round was a guaranteed win, but he hadn't expected the Dream God to also hit the maximum with just two cards.

When Lu Yin revealed the Ace of Hearts and the King of Spades, the Dream God seemed to freeze for a moment.

"How interesting. It seems our luck is evenly matched."

The light swayed slightly, and a playful tone entered the voice. "A draw. This round doesn't count toward the five. Let's continue."

"This time, I'll draw first."

The Dream God discarded their previous hands and continued drawing from the remaining deck.

For the first card, the Dream God drew a Jack.

The second card was a Queen.

Added together, that was 2 points.

This was a very high number; if they wanted to continue, they could only avoid busting by drawing an Ace.

But two Aces were already gone, so the probability of drawing an Ace had significantly decreased.

Logically, there was no need for the Dream God to continue, so they placed the two cards face down.

"I'm done. Your turn."

Lu Yin looked at the two face-down cards and calculated quickly in his mind.

"Stopping at two cards again. It seems the score is at least above 18."

He slowly drew the first card; it was the 6 of Clubs.

"6 points. Not too big, not too small, but there's room to grow."

He stared at the deck, rapidly calculating the probabilities of the remaining cards.

"Continue," Lu Yin said solemnly.

The second card flew from the deck and landed in his palm.

He gently peeled back a corner, his pupils shrinking slightly. It was a Queen.

6 plus 1 made 7 points.

This score was delicate; it wasn't small, but it wasn't enough for a guaranteed win.

However, if he continued to draw, the probability of busting was also high.

Lu Yin looked at his hand, then at the blurred silhouette of the Dream God.

He resolutely chose to continue.

The third card fell into his hand, and Lu Yin checked it with a hint of nervousness.

It was a 3.

Added to his hand, it totaled 19 points.

This number should be enough.

Lu Yin placed his three cards face down and spoke to the Dream God.

"I'm finished. Let's reveal."

Clap, clap, clap!

Both slammed their cards onto the starlight-flowing table at the same time, and the cards burst with brilliant light.

Dream God: Jack, Queen—2 points.

Lu Yin: 6 of Clubs, Queen, 3—19 points.

"2 points against 19 points. It seems I've won this round by a narrow margin."

Pleased ripples came from the Dream God's silhouette, and a beam of starlight emerged at the edge of the table, condensing into a point of light on the Dream God's side.

Lu Yin's expression remained unchanged as he gently pushed his hand into the discard pile. "It's only the first round."

"Good attitude," the Dream God chuckled. "Then, let's continue."

The third round began, and this time Lu Yin went first.

He reached out and drew a card from the deck; the face revealed under the starlight was a 9.

Lu Yin then drew a second card.

This time it was the 8 of Hearts, totaling 17 points.

However, Lu Yin smiled slightly at this moment and placed his two cards face down.

"Lord Dream God, I'm finished. It's your turn."

Seeing Lu Yin's confident expression, the Dream God also smiled and said,

"It seems you've drawn two high cards again."

Lu Yin said nothing.

In truth, besides comparing hand sizes, this poker game had another layer of gameplay: psychology.

Making the opponent think your hand is very large to force them to draw more cards and bust by exceeding 21.

The strategy Lu Yin was using now was the latter.

By ending with two cards, he was misleading the Dream God into thinking his hand was very strong.

This strategy carried high risks, but as it was a game, risks were inevitable.

Whether it was drawing for himself or forcing the opponent to draw.

After all, Lu Yin had no way of knowing exactly what his next card would be.