The words fell into Bai Lixin’s mind one by one: [Hurry up, don’t dawdle.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
The text was deleted, then re-entered: [Pass through this grand hall, through the long sacred passage, and you will find the slumbering God of Light in the rear hall.]
[Now, I will guide you in the right direction.]
A small firefly flew in from somewhere and circled in a figure-eight pattern in front of Bai Lixin before continuing forward.
The firefly flew two meters ahead, but Bai Lixin remained motionless.
Perhaps noticing that Bai Lixin hadn’t caught up, the firefly fluttered its wings, making a buzzing sound, and returned to Bai Lixin’s front.
It hovered at the bridge of Bai Lixin’s nose, circling twice to make sure Bai Lixin saw it this time before twisting its body again and flying forward.
Halfway through, the firefly found there was still no movement behind, so it stopped again.
The text from Mother Earth appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind again: [You…can’t you see…?]
Only then did Bai Lixin lift his leg and took two symbolic steps forward.
Guided by the firefly, Bai Lixin successfully walked out of the hall and came to a corridor behind.
As he walked deeper into the corridor, a faint light began to shine in Bai Lixin’s eyes.
When he walked out of the long corridor, a wall blocked Bai Lixin’s path.
The light emanated from this wall, and on the ancient bronze-colored wall with a sense of age, three huge stone statues of gods were engraved.
Besides having eyes similar to humans, the god on the first statue also had two extra eyes on its forehead, one on left and right.
The god on the second statue held a harp, with slightly drooping eyebrows and hands resting on the harp, seemingly playing a melodious tune.
The god on the third statue held something in his hands, it looked like a die.
There was no way forward for him here, as the wall ahead had no seams.
The text from Mother Earth appeared again: [These three statues represent three gods.]
[The God of Sight.]
[The God of Music.]
[The God of Gambling.]
[They are the three guardians under the seat of the God of Darkness. Choose one and defeat them. Only then can you proceed through here and find the God of Light who is slumbering.]
[Go on, brave child! For the world! Defeat them!]
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘A thirty-thousand-year-old child.
Thank you.’
He happened to be standing in the middle of this wall, facing the God of Gambling, who held the die.
Knowing what his luck was like, he took a few steps to the side and came to the God of Music.
No matter how he looked at it, the God of Sight seemed the easiest to defeat. He pointed at the God of Sight and said, “Him.”
As soon as he spoke, the slightly closed eyes of the statue of the God of Gambling suddenly opened, “Are you calling me? I accept your challenge!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘I’m not, I didn’t, go back!’
“Brave human, you dare to enter this palace alone. I applaud your courage, but if you wish to continue, you must defeat me. Win against me, and you may proceed. Lose, and you will face the punishment of the gods.” The voice of the statue resounded heavily, shaking the ground beneath Bai Lixin’s feet with each word it spoke.
Suddenly, the body of the God of Gambling turned colorful, a huge golden halo appeared above his head, and a square table appeared between one person and one god, with two twelve-sided dice lying on the table, awaiting their master’s use.
“This game requires no skill, only enough luck to win in the end.”
“And I, happen to have enough luck.”
“As long as you can defeat me three times in a row, you can pass through here.”
Bai Lixin looked at the twelve-sided dice in front of him. Only six of the twelve sides had numbers, while the other six sides were marked with “?”.
He pointed to those question marks, “What do these question marks mean?”
The God of Gambling: “The dice in front of you are called Lucky Dice. If two are rolled simultaneously and they land on the same number, that side wins. If both sides roll the same number simultaneously, the side with the higher number wins.”
“If a ‘?’ is rolled, you will face the punishment of the gods.”
Bai Lixin: “What punishment?”
“Hehehe.” The God of Gambling chuckled lightly, “That depends on what punishment the Lucky Dice give you.”
Mother Earth quickly typed in Bai Lixin’s mind.
[Poor believer, why did you choose the most difficult one.]
[The God of Gambling has the highest luck; he is unbeatable!]
[Then you must accept the punishment in order to pass through here.]
The withered hand of the God of Gambling stretched out from the stone statue, its sharp fingertips pointing at Bai Lixin, “I’ll go first.”
Bai Lixin watched quietly as the God of Gambling lightly waved his hand, and the two twelve-sided dice in front of him immediately started spinning rapidly.
The dice spun so fast that even to Bai Lixin’s eyes, they appeared as nothing more than a blur.
When he shouted “stop”, the dice stopped, and the side facing up on both dice showed two sixes.
The God of Gambling chuckled softly, as if victory was already in his grasp, “It’s your turn, brave human.”
Bai Lixin reached out and took the dice, rubbing them in his hands and exploring them.
He didn’t know what material they were made of, but they looked quite large, yet felt light and weightless in his hands.
Playing dice normally required skill; the weight of the dice, the numbers held in the hand, the direction and force of the throw, and so on, could all be controlled to keep the result within the range one expected.
But these dice were different from those. Bai Lixin glanced at the God of Gambling and asked, “If I receive a punishment, will I die?”
The God of Gambling: “Hehe, that’s a good question.”
“Death is just a phenomenon, a process of transition from movement to stillness. Don’t think too much about it. The only thing you can do now is to roll the dice.”
“The moment you awakened me, you joined this game. Quitting means surrender.”
Just as Bai Lixin was pondering how to roll two sixes, the God of Gambling in front of him spoke again.
“Oh, human.”
“Submit to me, worship me, offer your body and soul to me.”
“I will spare you from punishment.”
Bai Lixin was stunned.
The God of Gambling opened his arms, making a hugging gesture, “Come, join me… ouch.”
Suddenly, the God of Gambling covered his cheeks and exclaimed, “Who hit me?”
Bai Lixin: ?
Looking around, the God of Gambling finally locked eyes with Bai Lixin. “Is it you?!”
Bai Lixin: “If I was had such an ability, why would I waste time here with you?”
The God of Gambling raised his head arrogantly and snorted, “True!”
“Anyway, hurry up and roll!”
Bai Lixin felt that the god in this copy was somewhat sloppy. Under the urging of the God of Gambling, he used very little force to roll the dice during the grace period.
As soon as the dice landed on the table, they started spinning again.
They spun so fast that Bai Lixin couldn’t see what numbers were on top.
Was this really a game of luck?
Bai Lixin took a deep breath and said, “Stop.”
The dice, which had been spinning rapidly just moments ago, suddenly stopped, landing neatly on the table.
The God of Gambling suddenly burst into laughter, “Hahaha, two punishments! Brave human, it seems the God of Luck doesn’t favor you. If you are willing to become mine…”
The God of Gambling’s laughter abruptly stopped the next second. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the dice on the table.
The dice, which had already stopped, trembled for a moment and then moved twice more. They slowly rolled over, and the two dice finally came to a slow stop on “six.”
Bai Lixin: ?
The God of Gambling screamed, “This is impossible! It’s you, you must be cheating!”
Bai Lixin shrugged, “I really didn’t.”
A beam of light shot from the God of Gambling’s eyes, scanning Bai Lixin from head to toe like a scanner, and then slowly retracted. He muttered to himself, “How is this possible? Is the God of Luck standing on his side today?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Who knows.’
The God of Gambling gritted his teeth, “This round is a tie, let’s go again!”
Once again, it was the God of Gambling who rolled the dice first.
When he called “stop,” the dice landed perfectly on “six” again.
Just as he burst into laughter, the two dice on the table tilted to the side, showing two “?” facing upwards.
The God of Gambling’s laughter abruptly stopped and his eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets.
Bai Lixin: “Oh my, two question marks.”
The words fell into Bai Lixin’s mind one by one: [Hurry up, don’t dawdle.]
Bai Lixin: “…”
The text was deleted, then re-entered: [Pass through this grand hall, through the long sacred passage, and you will find the slumbering God of Light in the rear hall.]
[Now, I will guide you in the right direction.]
A small firefly flew in from somewhere and circled in a figure-eight pattern in front of Bai Lixin before continuing forward.
The firefly flew two meters ahead, but Bai Lixin remained motionless.
Perhaps noticing that Bai Lixin hadn’t caught up, the firefly fluttered its wings, making a buzzing sound, and returned to Bai Lixin’s front.
It hovered at the bridge of Bai Lixin’s nose, circling twice to make sure Bai Lixin saw it this time before twisting its body again and flying forward.
Halfway through, the firefly found there was still no movement behind, so it stopped again.
The text from Mother Earth appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind again: [You…can’t you see…?]
Only then did Bai Lixin lift his leg and took two symbolic steps forward.
Guided by the firefly, Bai Lixin successfully walked out of the hall and came to a corridor behind.
As he walked deeper into the corridor, a faint light began to shine in Bai Lixin’s eyes.
When he walked out of the long corridor, a wall blocked Bai Lixin’s path.
The light emanated from this wall, and on the ancient bronze-colored wall with a sense of age, three huge stone statues of gods were engraved.
Besides having eyes similar to humans, the god on the first statue also had two extra eyes on its forehead, one on left and right.
The god on the second statue held a harp, with slightly drooping eyebrows and hands resting on the harp, seemingly playing a melodious tune.
The god on the third statue held something in his hands, it looked like a die.
There was no way forward for him here, as the wall ahead had no seams.
The text from Mother Earth appeared again: [These three statues represent three gods.]
[The God of Sight.]
[The God of Music.]
[The God of Gambling.]
[They are the three guardians under the seat of the God of Darkness. Choose one and defeat them. Only then can you proceed through here and find the God of Light who is slumbering.]
[Go on, brave child! For the world! Defeat them!]
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘A thirty-thousand-year-old child.
Thank you.’
He happened to be standing in the middle of this wall, facing the God of Gambling, who held the die.
Knowing what his luck was like, he took a few steps to the side and came to the God of Music.
No matter how he looked at it, the God of Sight seemed the easiest to defeat. He pointed at the God of Sight and said, “Him.”
As soon as he spoke, the slightly closed eyes of the statue of the God of Gambling suddenly opened, “Are you calling me? I accept your challenge!”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘I’m not, I didn’t, go back!’
“Brave human, you dare to enter this palace alone. I applaud your courage, but if you wish to continue, you must defeat me. Win against me, and you may proceed. Lose, and you will face the punishment of the gods.” The voice of the statue resounded heavily, shaking the ground beneath Bai Lixin’s feet with each word it spoke.
Suddenly, the body of the God of Gambling turned colorful, a huge golden halo appeared above his head, and a square table appeared between one person and one god, with two twelve-sided dice lying on the table, awaiting their master’s use.
“This game requires no skill, only enough luck to win in the end.”
“And I, happen to have enough luck.”
“As long as you can defeat me three times in a row, you can pass through here.”
Bai Lixin looked at the twelve-sided dice in front of him. Only six of the twelve sides had numbers, while the other six sides were marked with “?”.
He pointed to those question marks, “What do these question marks mean?”
The God of Gambling: “The dice in front of you are called Lucky Dice. If two are rolled simultaneously and they land on the same number, that side wins. If both sides roll the same number simultaneously, the side with the higher number wins.”
“If a ‘?’ is rolled, you will face the punishment of the gods.”
Bai Lixin: “What punishment?”
“Hehehe.” The God of Gambling chuckled lightly, “That depends on what punishment the Lucky Dice give you.”
Mother Earth quickly typed in Bai Lixin’s mind.
[Poor believer, why did you choose the most difficult one.]
[The God of Gambling has the highest luck; he is unbeatable!]
[Then you must accept the punishment in order to pass through here.]
The withered hand of the God of Gambling stretched out from the stone statue, its sharp fingertips pointing at Bai Lixin, “I’ll go first.”
Bai Lixin watched quietly as the God of Gambling lightly waved his hand, and the two twelve-sided dice in front of him immediately started spinning rapidly.
The dice spun so fast that even to Bai Lixin’s eyes, they appeared as nothing more than a blur.
When he shouted “stop”, the dice stopped, and the side facing up on both dice showed two sixes.
The God of Gambling chuckled softly, as if victory was already in his grasp, “It’s your turn, brave human.”
Bai Lixin reached out and took the dice, rubbing them in his hands and exploring them.
He didn’t know what material they were made of, but they looked quite large, yet felt light and weightless in his hands.
Playing dice normally required skill; the weight of the dice, the numbers held in the hand, the direction and force of the throw, and so on, could all be controlled to keep the result within the range one expected.
But these dice were different from those. Bai Lixin glanced at the God of Gambling and asked, “If I receive a punishment, will I die?”
The God of Gambling: “Hehe, that’s a good question.”
“Death is just a phenomenon, a process of transition from movement to stillness. Don’t think too much about it. The only thing you can do now is to roll the dice.”
“The moment you awakened me, you joined this game. Quitting means surrender.”
Just as Bai Lixin was pondering how to roll two sixes, the God of Gambling in front of him spoke again.
“Oh, human.”
“Submit to me, worship me, offer your body and soul to me.”
“I will spare you from punishment.”
Bai Lixin was stunned.
The God of Gambling opened his arms, making a hugging gesture, “Come, join me… ouch.”
Suddenly, the God of Gambling covered his cheeks and exclaimed, “Who hit me?”
Bai Lixin: ?
Looking around, the God of Gambling finally locked eyes with Bai Lixin. “Is it you?!”
Bai Lixin: “If I was had such an ability, why would I waste time here with you?”
The God of Gambling raised his head arrogantly and snorted, “True!”
“Anyway, hurry up and roll!”
Bai Lixin felt that the god in this copy was somewhat sloppy. Under the urging of the God of Gambling, he used very little force to roll the dice during the grace period.
As soon as the dice landed on the table, they started spinning again.
They spun so fast that Bai Lixin couldn’t see what numbers were on top.
Was this really a game of luck?
Bai Lixin took a deep breath and said, “Stop.”
The dice, which had been spinning rapidly just moments ago, suddenly stopped, landing neatly on the table.
The God of Gambling suddenly burst into laughter, “Hahaha, two punishments! Brave human, it seems the God of Luck doesn’t favor you. If you are willing to become mine…”
The God of Gambling’s laughter abruptly stopped the next second. His eyes widened in shock as he looked at the dice on the table.
The dice, which had already stopped, trembled for a moment and then moved twice more. They slowly rolled over, and the two dice finally came to a slow stop on “six.”
Bai Lixin: ?
The God of Gambling screamed, “This is impossible! It’s you, you must be cheating!”
Bai Lixin shrugged, “I really didn’t.”
A beam of light shot from the God of Gambling’s eyes, scanning Bai Lixin from head to toe like a scanner, and then slowly retracted. He muttered to himself, “How is this possible? Is the God of Luck standing on his side today?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Who knows.’
The God of Gambling gritted his teeth, “This round is a tie, let’s go again!”
Once again, it was the God of Gambling who rolled the dice first.
When he called “stop,” the dice landed perfectly on “six” again.
Just as he burst into laughter, the two dice on the table tilted to the side, showing two “?” facing upwards.
The God of Gambling’s laughter abruptly stopped and his eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets.
Bai Lixin: “Oh my, two question marks.”
