Under the night sky of Sacred Wrym Summit, Abigail, well-heeled and in high spirits, had booked the second floor of Heighten Tavern for a celebratory feast.
The attendees were Dustin and his companions. After all, making a fortune through unscrupulous means wasn’t that honorable. So, it was crucial to keep a low profile.
“Sir, I’m in a great mood today. We’re not leaving until we’re all plastered!” Abigail poured the wine and clinked glasses with Dustin before downing it in one gulp.
He smiled in response and took a sip.
“Come on, everyone. Dig in and enjoy! Don’t be shy about it.” She warmly encouraged Crystal and the others after downing her drink.
Dalen smiled and asked, “Ms. Robinson, that smile of yours tells a story. I bet today was a profitable day, right?”
“Just a small haul and nothing too extravagant,” she replied modestly.
“Ms. Robinson, it seems luck is always on your side. You always manage to turn the tide at the critical moment,” Crystal remarked. Her tone seemed to suggest something.
“Luck has nothing to do with it. It’s all about my ability to turn the tide with my smarts.” Abigail tapped her temple with her finger.
She continued, “I’ve strategically positioned several elites among the Group C contestants. Whenever they take the stage, I have complete control over the outcome. I determine the winners and losers, which gives me an unbeatable edge.”
Crystal was taken aback upon hearing that. She had noticed a few clues throughout the day but wasn’t sure about her assumptions.
However, she never anticipated Abigail’s blunt admission. It even led her to question if she had misheard. Miles and Ruby exchanged incredulous glances and were equally taken aback.
They believed winning and losing in the bet depended solely on intuition and luck. However, Abigail’s revelation completely shattered that belief.
“M-Ms. Robinson, are you telling us you manipulated today’s betting pool?” Miles asked tentatively.
“Not every game, but I did manipulate the outcome. Even so, it’s enough for me to gain the upper hand,” Abigail replied.
“But… aren’t you deceiving us?” Ruby asked and sprang to her feet.
After all, she was also one of the victims.
Abigail smiled ambiguously and said, ” Deceiving? I don’t see it that way. I’m just using my smarts to make some money. What’s wrong with that?”
She continued, “And let’s face it, if those gamblers weren’t so greedy, they wouldn’t have ended up as losers.
“Crystal also made a nice haul of celestial stones. You would’ve won a lot if you had listened to her advice earlier.
“You-”
Ruby was about to say something, but Crystal interjected, “Ms. Robinson is right. Being too greedy never ends well.
“If you know when to stop, you won’t lose everything. Today, Ms. Robinson has taught you both an important lesson, so you should thank her.”
“Of course, it’s Crystal who’d understand,” Abigail remarked with a faint smile.
She added, “I’m only being upfront because you’re Sir’s friends. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even bring it up.”
Miles and Ruby exchanged a glance of resignation. Despite their annoyance, they knew they had to acknowledge the reality before them.
They blamed themselves for lacking the sharpness to detect the deception and yielding to greed. Perhaps the result could have been different if they had been more perceptive.
Abigail suddenly asked, “Oh, by the way, are you Group B contestants?”
“Yes. Why?” Miles nodded.
“Group B contestants, huh? That’s great. It just so happens I could use your help,” she said.
Then, she took out several bags of celestial stones and placed them on the table. “I’ll be running betting pools for the tournament, but I’m a bit short on staffing for the acting part.
“If you can pitch in, I’ll reward you generously. These celestial stones are the down payment. Once everything’s settled, I’ll give you more.”
“Um…”
The group couldn’t help but look at each other upon hearing that. They hadn’t expected Abigail to make such a
request. “Isn’t this match-fixing? We’re disciples of major sects, after all. How could we stoop to such a level?” Ruby frowned and rejected the idea.
“Ms. Robinson, if we’re caught, it won’t just be our reputation on the line. The entire standing of our sect will suffer. That’s a risk we simply can’t afford to take.” Miles shook his head.
“If you feel like these celestial stones aren’t enough, we can always negotiate, “Abigail offered with a smile.
Miles couldn’t help but feel tempted by the offer. He knew he wasn’t among the top contenders in the Combat Tournament, so the outcome- whether he won or lost-didn’t trouble him much.
Yet, the prospect of accumulating a bunch of celestial stones in just a few matches was too enticing to ignore.
As a member of the Sword Union, he felt obligated to uphold the sect’s honor, which prevented him from taking any action that might tarnish it.
“Ms. Robinson, we appreciate the offer. But as the Sword Union disciples, we can’t compromise our sect’s integrity. I hope you understand,” Crystal declined politely.
Celestial stones were valuable, but not at the expense of their integrity.
“Don’t sweat it if you’re not interested in my offer. Integrity matters more than anything else. If you ever change your mind, just give me a shout. There’s no rush.” Abigail smiled warmly and left it at that.
As they chatted, a loud shout echoed from outside the tavern.
“Troublemaker! Come out and face the music!”
The booming voice reverberated out of nowhere.
Abigail’s smiling expression couldn’t conceal the icy glint in her eyes.
