"Step right up, everyone! Come take a look! A fair, honest, and transparent number-ball game! Guess correctly and win a huge prize! Each entry costs only five silver coins!"
As they approached the crowd, they could hear someone enthusiastically calling out from ahead.
"What are they doing over there?"
Akali's curiosity was piqued, and she quickened her pace.
"Everyone, form orderly lines! Don't disrupt the queue! One at a time! There are twenty minutes left before entries close!"
The shouting rang out again.
Although plenty of people had gathered, the road was wide enough that it did not feel crowded. Several long lines were quickly formed.
Luke and the others joined one of the lines to see what the excitement was about. They were fairly close to the front.
The loud-voiced employee standing at the front called out again, "For those who just arrived, allow me to explain the rules one more time. Everyone can see these lottery machines, correct?"
As he spoke, he stepped aside, revealing two waist-high machines behind him. One contained small red balls, while the other held blue ones.
"The rules are very simple. The red-ball machine contains thirty-three balls, numbered from 1 to 33. The machine beside it contains sixteen blue balls.
"In a moment, I will pull the lever and draw six red balls and one blue ball. To play, you must choose a combination of six red numbers and one blue number. Should your choices match the numbers I draw, you win! The more numbers you match, the larger your prize! The grand prize is currently worth five thousand gold coins!
"The prize pool will continue growing as well. As long as no one wins the grand prize, it will keep increasing every day!
"However, matching fewer than four numbers does not count as winning. The detailed rules are written on this board for everyone to review."
The employee finished explaining everything at the top of his lungs.
After listening, Luke thought, Isn't this just a lottery?
It even followed the rules of a double-color number draw.
He glanced at the rules written on the wooden board. They were practically identical.
Akali and Ahri were both fascinated, since neither of them had ever seen this kind of entertainment before. The same was true of the surrounding crowd. Every restless heart was filled with longing for the grand prize.
Five thousand gold coins!
For an ordinary person, a single gold coin could purchase enough food to last three or four days.
Even in Ionia, coins were accepted practically everywhere. After all, there were businesses in every region that specialized in exchanging different currencies.
For only five silver coins, a person could gain a chance to win five thousand gold.
Furthermore, the five thousand gold accumulated over time. If no one claimed the grand prize, the amount would only continue rising.
Many people's eyes had turned red with greed, and they were eager to try their luck.
"Accurately guessing six numbers out of more than thirty won't be easy."
Akali was still clearheaded enough to immediately recognize how difficult the draw was. With so many balls, she could not even imagine how many possible number combinations there were.
Still, that did nothing to diminish her interest.
"Let's try it too. We're already here, so we might as well join the fun."
In truth, plenty of people present had realized the same thing.
Accurately selecting six numbers out of thirty-three while also choosing one correct number out of sixteen was practically impossible.
But so what?
What if I'm the lucky one?
Who doesn't think they might secretly be fate's chosen favorite?
After all, this relied entirely on luck.
The lottery model took perfect advantage of that mentality. Even if the chance of success was minuscule, a person only needed to risk an insignificant amount for the possibility of receiving an enormous reward and living comfortably for the rest of their life.
Why wouldn't they try?
That mentality was also known as the mindset of a hopeless gambler.
The registration process began. A dedicated recorder stood at the front of each line.
It was soon Akali's turn.
The recorder was a young woman with black hair. She gave Akali a practiced smile and asked, "Please tell me the numbers you would like to choose."
"5, 9, 14, 19, 23, and 27. My blue number is 6."
As Akali called out the numbers, she watched the black-haired woman skillfully carve them into a wooden token with a small knife. Once she finished, she handed it over.
"Please keep this token safe. Should you lose it, your entry will no longer be valid."
Akali accepted it and curiously asked, "How do you prevent counterfeiting? What if someone makes a fake token?"
"There is no need to worry." The black-haired woman smiled. "We use carving knives infused with spiritual energy. They leave a recognizable spiritual signature inside the wooden token that cannot be forged by outsiders."
"Oh."
Akali nodded, paid the entry fee, and stepped aside.
Ahri and Luke took their turns next. Each chose a set of numbers before leaving the line and waiting nearby.
Several tea stalls had been set up around the area. Many people were seated at their tables, clutching wooden tokens as they waited for the draw.
The three found an open table. After paying for tea, they settled down to wait as well.
Akali examined the wooden token in her hand. She could indeed sense a faint trace of spiritual energy within it.
Then she thought of something.
"Do you think the organizers might forge their own tokens?"
Outsiders might be unable to create them, but surely the organizers who possessed the spiritual carving knives could do so.
Luke considered it and smiled. "It's certainly possible. If several people win the grand prize, they would all have to split the money."
If the organizers wanted to create a winning token, it would be incredibly easy.
Alternatively, once the prize pool had accumulated to a certain amount, they could send one of their own people to claim it all.
However, unlike the lotteries Luke knew, the organizers here had no computers. They could not easily determine which combinations had never been selected.
Relatively speaking, the game was still fairly honest.
"I don't think they would deliberately ruin their own reputation." Akali glanced toward the lines, which were still packed with people. "They earn five silver coins from every entry. They must already make a fortune each day. Doing something like that would be completely shameless."
Ahri nodded in agreement. "I don't think they would either."
The three chatted and drank tea while they waited.
As time passed, the registration period ended, and it was soon time for the drawing.
"Everyone, the draw is about to begin!"
At the employee's loud announcement, the surrounding crowd immediately rose and surged closer.
"There are far too many people. Let's just wait here."
Akali frowned slightly. She had no intention of squeezing into the crowd.
Luke and Ahri nodded, remaining comfortably seated.
Many others stayed where they were as well. The results were not going anywhere.
Amid the noisy clamor of the crowd, the drawing soon began.
The employee turned the lever, and the first red ball rolled out. His voice was amplified through a large speaking horn.
"The first number is 8!"
His voice rose above the crowd and carried throughout the entire area.
Akali lowered her head and checked her token, then sighed. "I missed the very first one. What about you two?"
Ahri shook her head. "I missed it too."
"I got it," Luke said.
He placed his wooden token on the table. The two women looked over and saw that one of his numbers really was 8.
"Matching one number means nothing. There are still six more to go."
Akali pricked up her ears and waited for the next result.
"The second number is 12!"
She checked her token and sighed again. "Missed it again!"
"Me too," Ahri said with a small sigh.
They both glanced at the wooden token on the table. Their expressions changed slightly.
Luke's second number was also correct.
"The third number is 17!"
"Still nothing."
"I got that one!"
A pleased smile appeared on Ahri's face. Her beautiful eyes lit up brightly.
Her third number was 17.
The two women glanced at the token on the table again, and their expressions gradually became strange.
"You matched another one?" Akali checked several times.
Seeing Luke's indifferent expression, she could no longer remain calm.
He had matched three numbers in a row.
"Three doesn't mean much."
Luke casually took a sip of tea.
"The fourth number is 21!"
This time, Akali did not even bother checking her own token. She looked directly at Luke's and froze.
"You matched it again?!"
The first four numbers carved onto his token were exactly the same as the ones that had been called.
All around them, disappointed groans and sighs began to rise.
Anyone who had not matched at least three of the first four numbers had practically no chance of even winning a minor prize.
Akali stopped checking her own token altogether.
Ahri did the same.
The two of them were now far more concerned about Luke's token. Two pairs of beautiful eyes stared at it without blinking as they waited for the next number.
"The fifth number is 31!"
"He got it again!"
Both women's breathing tightened. Disbelief filled their eyes.
Five consecutive numbers had matched!
Luke's token had already qualified for a fourth-tier prize.
"The sixth one. Come on, the sixth one."
Neither woman dared allow herself to become distracted. They strained their ears to listen, feeling their heartbeats begin to quicken.
"The sixth number is 33!"
The moment the announcement rang out, Ahri and Akali's eyes widened.
Their breathing unconsciously grew heavier, and both of them stared in disbelief.
Akali's hand trembled faintly as she held the wooden token and stared at its sixth number.
"That's already a second-tier prize..."
All six red numbers were identical!
She almost suspected she was dreaming.
Wasn't matching six numbers supposed to be unbelievably difficult?
Then why had it happened so easily?
She looked up at Luke, who was still calmly drinking tea.
"Hey, all six of your red numbers matched. Aren't you even going to look?"
"It doesn't have legs. It isn't going to run away."
Luke could not help smiling at the way the two women kept gasping and shouting.
He knew that his luck had always been fairly good, but this time it seemed almost absurdly good.
Especially after they had left the Mountain God Temple.
How fortunate would someone need to be to hit an incredibly unlikely lottery combination on their very first attempt?
"There's only the blue number left."
Akali had already straightened in her seat, her eyes fixed on the drawing.
Ahri did the same.
The two women looked even more nervous than Luke.
"The blue number is 10!"
Following the employee's loud announcement, Ahri and Akali froze.
Disappointment flashed across their faces.
"What a shame! You were only one number away!"
Akali lowered her head and stared at Luke's token.
His blue number was 9. He had missed by only one!
But that single difference meant he had lost the grand prize.
"Such a shame," Ahri agreed, repeatedly nodding.
Luke smiled. "Matching all six red numbers is already extraordinarily lucky. A second-tier prize isn't bad."
Akali nodded. "That's true. Hurry up and claim it."
She handed the token back to Luke.
It was no longer a simple piece of wood. It was worth one thousand gold coins.
That was still an enormous amount of money.
As Luke took the token, Akali suddenly seemed to realize something.
Luke stood and walked toward the lottery shop.
Along the way, disappointed sighs sounded from time to time. Very few people were celebrating. Most had failed to win even the smallest consolation prize.
Still, five silver coins were not a devastating loss for them. After sighing, most quickly recovered.
They planned to return tomorrow and try again.
"I'm here to claim a prize," Luke said.
"Please come inside."
An employee welcomed Luke into the shop.
Several other people were already there. Most had won consolation prizes or fourth-tier prizes.
One man had won a third-tier prize and left with a broad smile, carrying a money pouch containing two hundred gold coins.
"Please hand over the wooden token you purchased," the employee told Luke. "You will only need to wait for a short while. We will inspect it, and once we confirm that everything is valid, we will issue your prize."
Luke handed him the token and waited patiently nearby.
The employee accepted it and glanced at the carved numbers.
He immediately froze.
Aside from the blue number, every number on the token was correct.
A second-tier prize.
Truthfully, this was the first time he had ever seen someone win a second-tier prize since he began working there.
He examined the spiritual energy within the wooden token. After confirming that there were no problems, he said to Luke, "Please wait here. I will retrieve your money."
Luke nodded slightly.
Before long, the employee returned carrying four heavy money pouches. He placed them on the table.
"Each pouch contains two hundred and fifty gold coins. You are welcome to count them. Once you leave the shop, however, we will not be responsible for any missing coins."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone nearby turned to look.
Some gazes were filled with envy, while others carried open jealousy.
"I trust your establishment's integrity."
Luke smiled, picked up the money pouches, and turned to leave.
The employee bowed slightly and watched him depart, unable to keep a trace of envy from his own eyes.
After all, that was one thousand gold coins.
It was enough to keep an ordinary family comfortably fed and clothed for at least ten years.
Luke soon reunited with Akali and Ahri.
Seeing the heavy money pouches in his hands, Akali could not help sighing in amazement.
"I have to admit, your luck is ridiculous. How is this any different from finding money lying on the ground?"
One thousand gold coins was not an especially enormous sum to her.
What truly made it difficult for her to remain calm was Luke's luck.
On his very first attempt, he had won a second-tier prize, exchanging five silver coins for one thousand gold.
He had made an absurd profit.
No wonder so many people behind him were staring with envy.
Even Akali felt jealous of that kind of luck.
She was going to eat an enormous meal today and make sure he spent plenty of his winnings.
"One thousand gold..." Ahri blinked. "That feels like enough to buy food for a very long time."
Now she would not need to worry about eating Luke into poverty.
The corner of Luke's mouth curved upward. He spoke with deliberate nonchalance.
"There's no need to make such a fuss. Money is merely a worldly possession to me. It is fleeting, insignificant, and completely unimportant."
"Please." Akali spat lightly, unable to stand his smug performance. "Who was it that just prayed for money at the temple?"
Her words reminded Ahri as well.
"Does this count as your prayer being answered?"
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