Chương 38: Chapter 37 – Attack or heist?

No matter how well Joshua dressed, he still looked a little out of place in this city. His facial structure and clothing simply didn't match the predominantly eastern-looking people around him. That did not mean all the attention he received was negative, however. A few goddesses openly found him as eye-candy, and Joshua quickly discovered that being stared at with interest was far more uncomfortable than being feared, awed, or even hated. Those were reactions he knew how to handle.

Lustful looks were something else entirely. He had never been particularly comfortable with that kind of attention as a mortal, and becoming a god hadn't magically changed that part of him.

"Here we are." Gu Zhao stopped in front of an enormous building with a golden dragon wrapped around its entrance.

"The Golden Dragon Casino. You will need to accept a bracelet that blocks divine senses. Otherwise, people like us could simply cheat by seeing through everything."

"That makes sense." Joshua nodded as they passed through the gates. Two burly guards stood at the entrance and offered them the bracelets. Both gods accepted one and fastened it around their wrists. The moment Joshua activated his, the constant awareness of divine senses disappeared. It was almost strange. For a god, losing that kind of perception felt like suddenly losing a sixth sense. Joshua, however, found himself enjoying it more than expected.

He hadn't realized just how much information he was constantly taking in until it was gone. It felt like a valve that had been leaking ever since he became divine had finally been closed. Gu Zhao wasn't nearly as pleased.

"I hate this constricted feeling," he murmured, shaking his wrist. Joshua decided not to comment and simply followed him deeper into the casino. To his surprise, the Golden Dragon Casino didn't only have eastern-style games. There were tables with poker, games that resembled chess and several others Joshua had never seen before. Some involved cards, others involved strange little figurines or magical boards whose rules were probably complicated enough to require a university degree to understand.

One game was particularly absurd. Joshua stopped to watch as several players tossed small lizards into an enclosure. Inside was a tiny golden beetle among others, and whichever lizard ate it first was declared the winner. Joshua stared at the enclosure.

"... Seriously?" Apparently, gambling on which lizard would eat a beetle first was perfectly legitimate.

"Odd," Gu Zhao admitted.

"But it truly follows the rules of luck."

"That's certainly one way to look at it." Josh nodded as they continued through the casino until Gu Zhao eventually led him toward a staircase. - - - - - - - - - - - On the second floor, Zhang Jingyun and Mu Cheng'en were sitting on opposite sides of a large table, surrounded by seven other gods playing the same game. The board was covered in strange tiles, each holding different symbols, and dozens of small figurines were scattered across it.

The game was called Gan Ying Jiu Ying, and its rules were complicated enough that only experienced players dared to sit at the table. The entire game revolved around every seventh turn. A white flip meant that players had to win that round, while a black flip meant they had to lose in order to win. The trick was that a player's position before the seventh turn could become either an advantage or a disaster.

If someone got extremely close to winning just before the board flipped, they suddenly had to actively avoid winning on the next turn if the flip was black. Otherwise, they would lose everything. Most players deliberately stayed somewhere in the middle, giving themselves the flexibility to either aim for a victory on a white turn or deliberately lose on a black one. Both paid out handsomely. Winning during a black turn or losing during a white turn, however, sent all of your bets into the communal pool.

To make things even more chaotic, the entire board physically rotated after the seventh round. A player's carefully positioned figurine could suddenly find itself sitting on a completely different tile, potentially ruining an otherwise perfect strategy. Mu Cheng'en carefully pushed several of his figurines toward a small hill on the board before sliding another bet token into his pool. Several of the other players immediately became nervous.

It was the white turn, and Mu Cheng'en was only one move away from winning. Across the table, Zhang Jingyun seemed to realize exactly what was happening. Without hesitation, he picked up one of his figurines and tossed it down a shaft on the board, deliberately sacrificing his position and, with it, his enormous pool of accumulated bets. The other players stared at him in disbelief… then they understood.

By deliberately throwing away his own game, Zhang Jingyun had dramatically increased the potential reward for the next successful winner. The casino's starting bet would be added to the winnings, meaning that even after the house took its five percent cut, the payout would be enormous. The remaining players immediately scrambled to reach the winning position before the board flipped. One tried to move aggressively toward the hill. Another attempted to take a shortcut across a dangerous section.

A third player realized too late that his own figurine was now trapped behind another player's piece… of course none of them made it. Mu Cheng'en's final move landed perfectly. The board chimed, and the winning tiles lit up.

"Hah!" Mu Cheng'en laughed as the winnings began flowing toward him.

"We better drink to this." He left the table and met Zhang Jingyun near the stairs. Zhang casually nudged his shoulder.

"You buy." He then collected his share of the winnings with the expression of someone who had just executed a perfectly reasonable financial strategy.

"What if I buy for both of you?" came a familiar voice from the stairwell. Both gods turned.

"Elder Zhao!" They immediately greeted Gu Zhao with cupped fists. Joshua followed just behind him and raised an eyebrow.

"Elder? When did that happen?"

"Oh, long story." Gu Zhao waved it off before gesturing toward the two gods.

"Also, Zhang Jingyun, Mu Cheng'en, this is Joshua Steel, my sworn brother."

"A brother of Gu Zhao is a brother of ours." Mu Cheng'en immediately cupped his fist toward Joshua. Joshua returned the gesture to both men, appreciating the formality even if he still wasn't entirely used to it. The group moved away from the stairs and found a quieter corner where they wouldn't block the flow of gamblers moving between floors. After settling around a large round table, Gu Zhao called over the service and ordered a selection of food and drinks. For a few moments, everything remained lighthearted.

Then Gu Zhao's expression changed. The easy smile disappeared, replaced by the serious look Joshua had come to recognize. The drinks had barely been placed on the table when Gu Zhao leaned forward.

"We have something important to discuss." - - - - - - - - - - - Gu Zhao's expression remained serious as the food and drinks were placed on the table. He waited until the server had left and the surrounding noise of the casino had faded into the background before finally looking toward the two gods sitting across from him. Stolen novel; please report.

"There is something I need to discuss with both of you, and I would appreciate it if you heard me out before deciding whether you wish to become involved." Mu Cheng'en raised an eyebrow while Zhang Jingyun leaned back in his chair, his earlier amusement slowly disappearing as he noticed the seriousness in Gu Zhao's voice.

"That sounds rather ominous, Elder Zhao. Considering that you have brought a sworn brother with you and decided to speak about it in a casino of all places, I suspect this is not going to be a simple request for assistance with a troublesome cultivator." Gu Zhao gave a small sigh.

"It is considerably more serious than that. During my investigation into another world, I discovered a planet that is being used to harvest human souls. They are not merely killing people and taking their souls as some unfortunate consequence of war. The souls are deliberately collected, stored, and traded to gods as a form of currency." The change in the atmosphere around the table was immediate.

Mu Cheng'en slowly lowered his cup without taking a drink, while Zhang Jingyun's expression became considerably more serious.

"Human souls... being traded as currency?" Mu Cheng'en repeated quietly.

"That is difficult to comprehend. Even the most ruthless sects in our worlds would consider such a practice an abomination."

"It is exactly that," Gu Zhao replied.

"I encountered six gods overseeing the planet, and judging by their conversation, they are only part of a much larger operation. They spoke of other worlds that had already been exhausted and of competitors who possessed dozens more." Zhang Jingyun's fingers tightened slightly around his cup.

"In the martial worlds, the soul is considered sacred. Even when someone dies, their soul belongs to the cycle of reincarnation and the laws of heaven. To deliberately capture those souls and sell them as if they were spirit stones is not merely immoral. It is an insult to the natural order itself." Joshua nodded slowly.

"That is why Gu Zhao and I intend to pay them a visit." Mu Cheng'en looked toward him.

"A visit? I doubt its that simple." Joshua's mouth curved into a faint smile.

"We are not interested in conquering the planet, nor do we intend to fight every god connected to the operation. Our objective is much simpler. We want to destroy the machinery and magical infrastructure that allows them to harvest and store the souls in the first place." Gu Zhao continued the explanation.

"The planet is protected, and the gods assigned to it will undoubtedly respond the moment they realize someone is attacking their operation. Joshua and I intend to make ourselves the most obvious targets possible. We will draw their attention away from the planet while another group enters the surface and destroys the facilities." Mu Cheng'en frowned.

"And by 'another group,' I assume you mean us, right?"

"Exactly," Joshua said.

"We have ways of messing the other gods up. Well, I have plenty in fact." he allowed a dark smile.

"This means the other party will have to simply go down and mess up the tech and take all cards looking like this." he placed down one of the empty cards he had. Gu Zhao gave a small nod as he tapped the table.

"We are treating this as a strike rather than a war. We disrupt the operation, rescue whatever souls we can, and withdraw before the stronger gods have enough time to surround us. If the gods protecting the planet chase us, that only give you more room to accomplish the real objective." Mu Cheng'en remained silent for several moments as the idea clearly troubled him. He finally leaned back and folded his hands together.

"I cannot deny that what you have described deserves punishment. In our worlds, the soul is one of the few things even the heavens themselves are reluctant to treat carelessly. To turn human lives into a commodity for gods to purchase is a level of depravity that should not be tolerated." His eyes narrowed slightly.

"But six gods are already a considerable force, and you have admitted that you do not know how many more may arrive once the alarm is raised. There is a difference between standing against evil and throwing one's life away simply because the cause is righteous." Joshua gave him an approving look.

"That is precisely why we aren't planning to throw our lives away. We intend to be very annoying, very difficult to kill, and gone before they understand what happened." Zhang Jingyun suddenly laughed.

"That sounds considerably more interesting than anything I expected to hear tonight." He obviously looked hyped up for this. Mu Cheng'en turned toward him.

"You cannot possibly be considering this without hesitation."

"Why should I hesitate?" Zhang Jingyun asked, his expression becoming surprisingly eager.

"We were just told that there is an entire world used in human soul collection as it it was a hunt. What if one day either of our personal worlds are targeted?" He placed his cup down and looked directly at Gu Zhao.

"If you want me in, then I would be honored to join you." Gu Zhao smiled faintly.

"I was hoping you would say that." Mu Cheng'en sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Of course you were. You know perfectly well that once he becomes interested in something, there is very little chance of convincing him to remain uninvolved." Zhang Jingyun laughed.

"You make it sound as though I am some reckless youth who has just discovered his first adventure."

"You are worse," Mu Cheng'en replied dryly.

"At least a reckless youth has the excuse of lacking experience." Joshua couldn't help but chuckle.

"I think I already like this group." Gu Zhao shook his head with an amused smile before looking back toward Mu Cheng'en.

"And you? I would not ask either of you to participate if we believed the danger is unreasonable. Joshua and I will proceed regardless, but additional gods who share our principles could make the operation considerably safer and faster." Mu Cheng'en remained quiet for another moment. He glanced toward Joshua, then Gu Zhao, and finally toward Zhang Jingyun, who was already looking as though he had mentally packed his belongings for the journey.

"You all have made it rather difficult for me to refuse," he finally admitted.

"I still consider the plan dangerously ambitious, and I want to hear every detail before I commit myself. I will not participate in some reckless charge where we discover halfway through the battle that neither of you bothered to consider an escape route." Gu Zhao smiled.

"I assure you, I have considered several."

"And I assume Joshua has considered several more." Joshua raised his cup slightly.

"I have a habit of over-preparing."

"That," Mu Cheng'en said with a small smile, "is perhaps the first reassuring thing you guys have said." Zhang Jingyun immediately lifted his cup.

"Then let us drink to the destruction of the soul traders before we become too serious about it." Mu Cheng'en gave him a sideways look.

"We have not even agreed on a proper plan."

"Then we shall drink so we can make a successful plan." Joshua raised his own cup, amused by the exchange.

"To freeing those souls." Gu Zhao joined them, his expression becoming firm once again.

"And to making certain those who profit from them understand that some gods still remember what a soul is worth." The four cups met in the center of the table. Around them, the casino continued its usual noise, completely unaware that four gods had just begun planning what might become one of the more troublesome raids their corner of the divine realms had ever seen. Of course the next several hours went with sharing plans, rare objects and backup plans.

- - - - - - - - - - - - Arven Coles had made a rather comfortable living as an art thief, although calling it a living was perhaps being generous. He cared little who bought his expensive heist objects. Money was useful, certainly, but it had never been the reason he did what he did… the thrill was.

There was something about walking into a place that was supposed to be impossible to enter, taking something that everyone else believed was perfectly safe, and walking away without anyone realizing what had happened until he was long gone. The more arrogant the owner, the better. That was exactly why the newly built castle outside Glasgow had caught his attention. Arven sat in his small apartment with several monitors glowing in front of him, slowly going through the footage his drones had collected.

The castle itself was ridiculous. It wasn't simply a large house with a fancy exterior. It looked like someone had taken a wealthy nobleman's estate from a fantasy novel and dropped it into the Scottish countryside.

"Someone has way too much money," Arven muttered, leaning closer to one of the screens. He had already decided what he wanted… a trophy. Something he could keep for himself and occasionally look at while remembering how easily he had taken it.

"What kind of spoiled rich bastard needs a place like this?" He switched between the drone recordings. The footage came from the day several teenagers had arrived at the castle in a Jeep, which had turned out to be surprisingly useful. There had been enough movement around the property for Arven to get a good idea of how the place operated without having to rely on assumptions. His drones had captured almost two hundred useful images during the day. There appeared to be remarkably few people working there.

Two butlers, three maids, a gardener who looked like he had a bad leg, and a thin man who seemed to spend most of his time working in an office. Arven leaned back in his chair and smiled.

"That's almost insulting." He returned to one of the images showing the castle's main entrance.

"No security guards, one old pet dog, no obvious cameras... What kind of person builds something this extravagant and doesn't bother protecting it?" He chuckled to himself. There was no point rushing a good heist. Arven opened another piece of footage and examined the rear side of the castle. His equipment had detected surprisingly little in the way of conventional security systems. Even his electronic scans had failed to pick up anything resembling an alarm network.

"That's either incredibly stupid or someone is too confident no one would try." He considered the thought before shrugging.

"Probably stupid." He had encountered rich people who spent fortunes on ridiculous security systems simply because they wanted to brag about them, and others who apparently believed a thick front door was enough to keep the world outside. This place seemed to belong to the second category. He glanced toward the weather forecast on another screen. A moonless night. Clear enough that the weather wouldn't interfere with his equipment, but dark enough that the castle would disappear into the countryside.

Arven smiled to himself.

"Then we'll see what kind of treasure the mysterious castle is hiding." He shut down the monitors one by one, leaving only the image of the castle from afar on the final screen. For a moment, he imagined himself standing inside those lavish halls, trophy in hand, while the owners slept completely unaware. The anticipation alone sent a pleasant shiver down his spine.

"All right, castle," he whispered.

"Let's see if you're really as easy as you look."