Chapter 869: Small Scene

This wasn’t a business trip type of journey. No one discussed serious matters, and some important people didn’t come themselves—they just sent their children.

That meant Lynch was unlikely to negotiate business with some of them. They weren’t decision-makers; talking now was pointless.

By afternoon, everyone gathered. The general manager of EveryMoment (Federation) appeared and gave a speech.

He thanked everyone for spending what even they considered absurd amounts of money, helping EveryMoment grow rapidly to its current scale—something even they hadn’t expected.

Some really spent one or two million yearly for a few tobacco fields and some natural-farming, clothes-free women. Anyway, he was grateful to every guest present; without them, EveryMoment wouldn’t be what it is now.

This trip was meant for everyone to enjoy themselves.

After the opening ceremony, the ship was already sailing. The Federation’s coastal guard followed nearby, but since it was a coastal route, no warships were dispatched.

If trouble arose, they could dock within an hour or two. This route had been used for over ten years without any issues, so everyone was confident.

After dining, the crowd dispersed. The waiters switched from males to young, attractive girls wearing simple clothes and bunny ears.

“I want to go to the casino!” Penny told Lynch. “I don’t like operas—they’re long, smelly, and I hate their flashy style…”

Operas sometimes exaggerated for drama and tension, like overly dramatic gestures to express inner emotions.

They were unpopular also because they lasted hours and were often broken into acts and scenes, making the plot fragmented.

Since it was stage play, it couldn’t switch scenes quickly like movies, which bothered those less interested in opera.

Just when you began to understand, a new act with unfamiliar characters and lines started—you’d have no clue what was going on.

For those who memorized every line, it wasn’t a problem.

Most young people disliked it, giving older generations reasons to dislike them.

“I don’t like movies either, because they aren’t as pretty or good-looking as me…” she added, rejecting the cinema.

“I also don’t want to go to the gym. Look at what we’re wearing—I didn’t even bring sports clothes…”

“I don’t want to go anywhere else either…”

She rejected many options, then concluded, “My butt hurts. I want to go to the casino!”

“What does your butt hurting have to do with the casino?” Lynch asked quietly, his logic nearly disrupted.

The girl stared at him, “Because my butt hurts, I want to go to the casino.”

She was still angry. During that game, she should have been on Lynch’s side, at least in the first half.

They were going to harshly punish the girl who spilled things and dirtied the carpet—she even placed a leather whip in plain sight!

But Lynch ruined her plan. She had to participate the whole time and was miserable!

No one had ever treated her like that growing up—not her father nor mother ever touched a finger on her!

Yet in that gym, Lynch’s punishment made her cry…

Thinking of this, her face flushed deeper with embarrassment and annoyance. She even wondered if something was wrong with her for reacting that way.

Sensing her mood, Lynch smiled and indulged her wish. “Alright, you convinced me. Because your butt hurts, we’re going to the casino.”

A victorious smile appeared on her face. She linked arms with Lynch, and they headed straight for the casino.

Federation law prohibited minors from entering casinos—

They might have already had relationships with dozens of people, even married and divorced with kids, but they still couldn’t enter or drink.

Federation laws were sometimes, as people joked, made by idiots.

Fortunately, this was a EveryMoment cruise ship—no police, prosecutors, minor rights volunteers, or judges.

No one stopped Lynch and a beautiful girl from entering the casino.

Penny was nervous before entering but became excited once inside.

“This is my first time in a casino. I never went before!” she whispered about her past.

“Even when filming, my agency avoided places minors couldn’t go, to keep me out of trouble.”

“I have to say, this is amazing. Let’s exchange some chips and change…”

They reached the chip exchange and used the key tags from their room to collect fifty thousand Sol in chips.

EveryMoment gave each invited couple chips for free. If they lost and wanted more, they’d have to pay.

Out of the fifty thousand, forty-nine thousand nine hundred were tokens—round and square, exquisite and beautiful.

The remaining hundred were one-Sol coins. The girl was fascinated by the slot machines.

Holding up her skirt, she ran ahead of Lynch. At each machine, she inserted a coin, pulled the lever, then rushed to the next.

Maybe it wasn’t about winning, just pure enjoyment.

Laughter, the clicking of the reels, and monotonous electronic beeps mixed together.

Some glanced over, smiled politely at Lynch, then quickly looked away.The hundred Sol was quickly swallowed up by the slot machines. The girl was slightly out of breath. “So unlucky, not a single win!”

She complained but showed no real frustration.

“You spread all your money across different machines,” Lynch explained quietly. The girl looked at him.

Lynch took a coin from his pocket, inserted it into a nearby slot machine, and pulled the lever.

The reels behind the glass spun rapidly.

“There’s a very precise mechanism inside. Every time you pull the lever, it signals another device that it has taken one more coin.”

“When it’s eaten enough to reach a certain number, the next time you put money in, it gives you a little reward.”

“But what it gives you is always less than what it’s taken. You spread your chances thin across every machine you pass, so it’s normal not to win.”

The girl stared at Lynch in a daze. After a moment, she glanced at a chip girl holding a tray nearby. “Is that true?”

The chip girl smiled without saying yes or no. From that pretty but false smile, the girl felt Lynch was probably right.

“Boring. Let’s try something else. Let’s bet against others. I’ve seen that in other movies…” She said as she headed toward a distant gaming table, Lynch following.

The advantage of money, power, and status was clear now. When Lynch approached a table, a young man suddenly stood, smiled with his companion, and gave up his seat to Lynch before leaving.

Someone had been watching nearby for a while but hadn’t given up the seat—until Lynch arrived.

Lynch smiled at the young man. If nothing unexpected happened, they’d probably bump into each other again and get acquainted.

There are many ways to socialize; this was nothing unusual.

“This is blackjack, Mr. Lynch.”

“The minimum bet is a hundred, max is ten thousand.”

“The dealer is chosen from the players; everyone takes a turn.”

“If you’re unsatisfied with the current maximum bet, we can arrange a private game for you.”

“Would you like me to explain anything in detail?”

Lynch shook his head and took a stack of chips from the tray held by the chip girl.

To keep the round chips from scattering, they had a special box for them—hundreds, two hundreds, and five hundreds inside.

He placed the chips in front of him, nodded to the players at the table, and said, “Let’s start.”

Blackjack wasn’t difficult, and the Federation used a different rule from Gephra’s linear hit-or-stand system. Instead, they used a free-form hit system.

In Gephra’s rules, the next player can only decide after the previous player finishes.

Here, anyone can hit anytime, with order determined by who calls first, increasing competition between players.

Lynch casually bet a small stack—maybe one or two thousand. He wasn’t worried.

The first hand was neither good nor bad—medium points. After watching others’ hit results, he chose to stand, thinking the chance of bigger cards coming up next was higher.

Lynch was calm. Whether it was a game of millions or just thousands, it didn’t make him nervous.

Penny, watching from the side, clenched her fists nervously.

Lynch noticed and teased, “Who are you planning to hit?”