Gun of Ashes

At night, the sky became clear instead. The dark clouds had somehow dispersed, and the stars emerged from the darkness, emitting bright light that fell upon the cold frozen ground.

Most areas of Ice Bay had fallen into silence, with only campfires slowly burning in the dark, intertwined with the steady breathing of people. But at the edge of the docks, the firelight soared, and shadows flickered.

Every day, countless Vikings arrived at Ice Bay. Most of them were from other territories, so a special area gradually formed here to serve these Vikings, including taverns, inns, casinos, and more.

Along with those gray businesses, some gray areas appeared, and as the Lords’ greed grew, these gray areas became even more chaotic.

Fortunately, no matter how chaotic it was, everyone agreed on certain rules and never broke them. But today... something unexpected happened.

In the crude hall, several gambling tables were set up. The Vikings were gathered around one of the tables, gasping for air. Although the atmosphere seemed harmonious, it felt as if they were facing some kind of battle. Their hearts were pounding fiercely, and their bloodshot eyes were fixed on the guests at the table.

In the enclosed space, the firelight flickered slightly due to the flow of breath, casting people’s shadows on the walls, appearing grotesque.

”Continue!”

The man at the table boldly pushed the chips in front of him onto the table, then turned to stare at the others at the table.

Each gambler he looked at appeared tense, with sweat covering their foreheads, not daring to meet his gaze.

Yet there was one reckless person who glared back fiercely, clutching the cards in his hand, finding a glimmer of hope. But just as he was about to speak, he found himself locking eyes with the man across from him. In that instant, a flame flickered beneath the man’s gray-blue eyes.

The gambler froze, still in the familiar casino, but for a moment, he felt an extreme fear, like something bizarre beneath the Ice Sea had seen him, and in the next second, it would open its mouth wide to swallow him whole.

His hands stopped moving, and by the time he snapped out of the terror, it was too late.

”Next... reveal the cards.”

The dealer took a deep breath, glanced at the guests beside her, and felt the pressure from the gazes coming from all directions.

The casino almost came to a halt, with everyone gathered around the table, staring at the game. Such things often happened, like when someone experienced a streak of good luck, winning several rounds, which would draw everyone’s attention. But today was special because...

”Oh oh oh! Won again!”

The man was exultant, mocking everyone present.

When the hole card was revealed, the gambler across immediately fainted, while several others clutched their chests as if having heart attacks, mumbling incoherent words and slowly collapsing.

The few gamblers still seated flushed as they looked at the man, pointing at him, seemingly wanting to scold something, but ultimately saying nothing, staring despairingly at the cards on the table.

”Sigh, this stuff came from Ingwig. You guys just aren’t good enough yet.”

When the Viking nations began trading with Ingwig, they brought not only wealth and technology but also some chaotic things like gambling cards.

The man couldn’t care less about the gazes around him. He reached out and swept all the chips in front of him, piling them up like a small hill.

Seeing this, the dealer also felt overwhelmed. It wasn’t that she hadn’t seen this many chips before, but she had never witnessed such a scene. This outsider had come in a few hours ago, and since sitting at the table, he hadn’t left. The gamblers at the table had changed one batch after another, but he remained unshaken.

”These people are too naive to play with, not as interesting as those in the Lower City District. That’s where the real scheming takes place.”

Lorenzo leaned back in his chair, propped his feet up on the table.

Although he said this, Lorenzo couldn’t be happier. In the Lower City District, he never encountered such honest and innocent Vikings. The Lower City District was full of cunning folks, and winning money from them was incredibly difficult.

Lorenzo had previously visited the Lower City District with Heracles, relying on Heracles’ photographic memory to earn a significant amount of money through card counting. Unfortunately, the casino was displeased, and Lorenzo had to fight his way out to bring that money out. Yet, since it was all thanks to Heracles, Lorenzo didn’t get much of a share.

”I wonder... can we gamble on finding the Lords’ spies here?”

Bola stood behind Lorenzo, lowering his voice, filled with helplessness.

A few hours ago, Lorenzo said he was coming out to find the Lords’ spies, but after moving around, they ended up here, where he sat down and never got up again.

”Spies? What spies?”

Lorenzo acted as if he couldn’t understand, his gaze sweeping around, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the next reckless gambler.

”With so many fools around, not taking advantage of it... do you think you can live up to the Purification Mechanism’s training?”

He loosened his collar, tugging at his chest. Lorenzo seemed equally excited, pulling out a cigarette and holding it in his mouth.

Bola was speechless. Engaging in verbal battles, he rarely won against Lorenzo. He felt hot; when the atmosphere was at its peak, he had joined others in cheering. But in the end, the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive, turning into Lorenzo’s clean sweep.