Chapter 122
Chapter 122. A Game Beneath the Moonlight (10)
Luo Nan took a careful look at the surrounding environment and picked out the particulars.
At a glance, the entire environment had undergone a world-overturning transformation—much like the illusory projection of that Demon Realm tower in Round One.
But when he calmed himself, he knew the two of them were still in the Moonlight Greenhouse.
Only the flowers and greenery that had once varied in appearance were now stained entirely vivid crimson; the ground, the white pavilion, even the round table, had transformed into an immaculate, unblemished pure white.
A blood-red great sun and a pristine white Twin Moon Deities hung simultaneously in the vault of sky; the entire canopy of heaven seemed to have become a massive dye vat alternating between red and white.
"How is it? My sense of aesthetics isn't too bad, is it, Mr. Luo Nan?"
Aeldelin once again addressed him in the tone of "a little girl showing off candy."
Luo Nan gave a small nod—while he couldn't quite get behind Aeldelin's aesthetic sensibilities, he had no intention of provoking her at this final step.
"Naturally, your aesthetic sense…… does possess a distinct artistic quality." He gave a compliment.
"Artistic quality?" Aeldelin covered her lips and laughed softly. "I'll take that as a compliment. So then…… what is the theme of Round Three, my Luo—Nan—"
"Fate."
Luo Nan gave the answer he had long since prepared without a moment's hesitation.
"Fa……te?" The crimson-haired beauty seemed slightly unclear for a moment.
"Yes—fate," Luo Nan rose to his feet and rolled his shoulders; by now he had long since grown accustomed to the pressure Aeldelin bore down on him. "Or one could say……luck."
"So it's luck…… how interesting."
Aeldelin glanced at Luo Nan with radiant eyes. "Strength for Round One, Mind for Round Two, and Round Three…… is luck."
"Interesting, so terribly interesting!!!"
The crimson beauty suddenly erupted into something of a frenzied burst of laughter, utterly unconcerned that her full, graceful curves trembled before Luo Nan, exposing broad expanses of white.
Luo Nan had long since grown unsurprised by this, and merely watched quietly, as a gesture of respect.
Once Aeldelin had released her rush of exhilaration, Luo Nan continued:
"Before I reveal the specific rules of Round Three to you, I have one request—I hope My Lord can satisfy it."
Seizing the moment while Aeldelin was in high spirits, Luo Nan saw his opening and put forward the request he had planned long in advance.
"Oh? What request—go ahead and say it."
Aeldelin was clearly in a fine mood; she gave a faint nod, preparing to hear Luo Nan's request.
Luo Nan said: "It's like this, Lady Aeldelin—you still remember the purpose with which I initially came to find you and play this game, yes?"
"Of course—you want to take your maidservant away from me, correct?"
"Yes," Luo Nan nodded. "I said before—if I win, all three of us leave; if you win, I stay and let the two of them go."
"I agreed."
Aeldelin's ultimate goal was naturally Luo Nan, who had some connection to that great existence; as for the little maidservant……
While there were certainly secrets on her person that caught Aeldelin's interest, they were far from as compelling as Luo Nan's pull on her.
As for why not take everything?
Just as Luo Nan understood Aeldelin—in her long life, if she always pursued perfection in all things, wouldn't it be……
Too unbearably dull?
Preserving a small regret from each experience, tracing out a few peaks and valleys, was her means of ensuring she still retained that sliver of "humanity."
Besides, she quite liked Luo Nan von Medillion.
Based on Aeldelin's observations, Luo Nan did genuinely know her well—though she still didn't know where this little fellow had obtained intelligence about her.
But he knew her, and yet still dared come alone to the feast—this self-confidence, or rather courage, Aeldelin very much appreciated.
On top of which, the secrets he carried on his person……
"He truly is a little fellow I've taken a liking to~~"
She didn't mind satisfying him with one small request.
"Yes, Lady Aeldelin—this is what we agreed upon beforehand." Luo Nan wasn't afraid of Aeldelin having second thoughts at the last moment.
After all, he had already whetted this person's appetite.
"My additional request is this: please release Aina and Anya first."
"Just that?" Aeldelin was somewhat surprised; she had expected Luo Nan's demand to be something related to himself.
She hadn't expected him to want the two little girls to leave first.
Honestly, this had caught her off guard once again.
And made her like him…… even more!
She was already itching to tear open his exterior and swallow his truth whole!
Thinking of this, Aeldelin suppressed the tremor that arose within her—a tremor that felt as if it had never existed before—and said with a light laugh: "Of course."
"Hey hey hey—Luo Nan, what are you doing, what do you mean letting us leave first, don't you need me……"
She gave a wave toward the two girls on the white bench; in an instant, the figures of both vanished from the Moonlight Greenhouse.
Not even letting Anya finish her final sentence.
"Alright, Luo Nan—the two little girls have been sent by me to the gate of this palace; shall we begin?" Excitement and exhilaration flashed through her rose-red eyes.
Luo Nan felt for the Amber Pendant that Anya had given him, briefly sensing her location; after confirming the two were safely away, he gave a small nod and spoke:
"The theme of Round Three is 'Fate'—or one could say 'Luck.'"
"Literal meaning—naturally, this round we determine victory and defeat by luck."
He reached into his jacket and produced the Silent Hammer—loaded with six Sealed Purifying Light rounds etched with Magical Circuits—and set it down on the table with a clack.
"As you can see, this is precisely the magical revolver I produced in the last round's Mind Phantasm. You should know this weapon's characteristics and operation."
"Mm, I'm well aware~~" Aeldelin's jade eyes fixed unblinkingly on Luo Nan, not lingering on the gun in his hand for even a moment.
"In recent years, a game has been transmitted from the direction of the Rossan Empire in the north of the continent—I wonder if you have heard of it……"
Luo Nan picked up the Silent Hammer, swung open the magazine, and counted the six rounds of Purifying Light loaded within. "Its name is—Russian Roulette."
"Russian Roulette?" Aeldelin repeated.
"Yes—six chambers, load one to five rounds; once the magazine is closed and spun, participants take turns pointing it at their own head and pulling the trigger."
Luo Nan gave a concise summary of the rules of Russian Roulette.
"I see…… so it's a life-wagering luck game."
"Surely Mr. Luo Nan intends to play this with me?" Aeldelin asked without particular interest.
For an existence of her level, she didn't believe any mortal weapon could injure her.
A game like this could only be interesting if played by feeble mortals.
"Not quite—Lady Aeldelin, I know full well this weapon in my hand cannot harm you in the slightest; therefore…… the only participant in this round is me."
As Luo Nan had anticipated, hearing this, the expression of mild boredom that had settled on Aeldelin's face gave way once more to curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"Lady Aeldelin—even if I didn't come to find you, you would have used some means to forcibly 'drag' me here, would you not?" Luo Nan redirected the subject.
"You really do understand me~~" Aeldelin replied with a squinting smile, tacitly affirming Luo Nan's statement.
"Therefore, the situation I face is survival against all odds……" Luo Nan didn't mind either; the corners of his mouth curved into a slightly wild smile:
"Since that's the case, why not make the situation even more crazed, even more exhilarating?"