Dean Fitz!?
Matthew almost couldn't believe it. Dean Fitz is actually a Nexian!?
He thought about Dean Fitz from his past life. Sadly, he couldn't rember much. The man left Destin City after graduation and never joined any class reunion. It was as if he simply vanished from the face of the Earth.
If Dean is here… then…
Matthew looked at the other people following behind Viper. Was it possible that Adam was there, too?
"Where are you looking?" Rick hissed. "Look at him… he's new, but he's pretty good at it."
Matthew said nothing.
"Unfortunately, if you want to join us, then you have to prove yourself first," Viper said when he saw Matthew looking behind him.
Matthew shrugged and turned his attention back to Galactica—or Dean—who had just finished selecting his stone. The man wore a fitted suit, but that wasn't what caught Matthew off guard.
It was how he moved.
His posture and the way he carried himself… it simply didn't match the Dean Matthew rembered. That Dean was all loud confidence and aimless swagger. Most of all, he was a follower.
He was always following behind Adam.
anwhile, this one was quiet, composed.
Matthew narrowed his eyes. Could he be wrong?
The tattoo on his neck was nearly identical, but people shared features all the ti. Maybe it wasn't Dean. Maybe soone else just happened to have the sa build, the sa tattoo, placed in the sa spot.
There were billions of people in the world. It was possible.
"He's new, right?" Matthew asked.
"Yep," Rick replied, still glaring at Galactica. "Only showed up a few months ago. Last Sunday, I paid him to help out. He showed up late, and he wasn't in the mood. I shouldn't have pushed him. That traitor!"
"What do you an, he wasn't in the mood?" Matthew asked.
"He looked off. Pale, shaky. Like he was sick or recovering from sothing," Rick muttered.
"Sick?" Matthew frowned.
The tiline didn't line up well. The incident with Dean had happened on Saturday. By Sunday, the hospital had cleared him. The doctor even said he could check out that morning. According to his own people, Dean left the hospital after a visit from Principal William late that night.
But they didn't follow him after that. No one knew where he went.
Matthew turned his attention toward Viper, who was watching them while whispering sothing to the person standing next to him.
"You know," Viper began. "Since Young Master Tian spent a fortune for help tonight, maybe we should make it worth everyone's ti."
Rick narrowed his eyes. "What are you suggesting?"
Viper tapped the edge of the table with two fingers. "Simple. A contest."
Matthew glanced at him but said nothing. Rick gave a short, tense nod. "Go on. I'm listening."
Viper gestured for the dealer to pause. "Three rounds. We take turns choosing stones. Each round, both sides select a slab. Dealer cracks them. The side with the highest-grade gem takes the round."
"And if both stones are empty?" Matthew asked.
"Then the round is a draw," Viper said. "First to win two rounds takes the match. Loser covers the full stake."
"What stake?" Rick snapped.
Viper's eyes sparkled. "One pouch of pri-grade spirit stones. You did say you wanted to bet, didn't you?"
Rick hesitated. "That wasn't the deal—"
"You can just tell us if you are scared," Viper said. "I wouldn't mind betting against soone else."
"You—"
"Naturally, I understand how you feel. Your uncle must be seething right now. I wouldn't want to upset him with another loss."
"What are you trying to say?" Rick was about to step forward when Matthew held his arm.
Hopeless, Matthew thought. "If we win, we keep your payout and walk. If you win, you get our stones. Is that the idea?"
Viper nodded. "Exactly."
"But isn't this a bit too simple?" Matthew asked. "How about we add sothing?"
"Oh?" Viper sounded amused.
"We're betting twenty million each. Winner takes everything—the cash, the spirit stones, all of it. Loser pays for every slab cracked during the match. House rules, right?"
Rick turned toward Matthew, clearly uneasy. "That's too much. What are you doing!?"
"It's fine," Matthew said. "You paid to win."
"Hahahaha—" Viper's laughter interrupted their conversation. He leaned back slightly. "Good. Then let's make this a bit more fun." He held up three fingers. "New rule—only one pick per round. No team huddles, no second chances. You trust your pick, or you lose."
Matthew didn't flinch. "Deal."
Rick opened his mouth, then closed it and stepped back, jaw tight. He was clearly frustrated, but there was no way he'd back down now. He was a Tian—losing face here wasn't an option!
The dealer imdiately looked between them. "First round?"
"I'll go," Viper said.
Galactica stepped forward without being told, eyes moving across the slabs laid out on the table. He hovered over each one, then pointed to the center slab.
"This," he said.
The dealer set it into the cutter.
Matthew frowned. All the stones on the table had so kind of pulse—faint, but real. Most likely had spirit stones inside, but one stood out. Its pulse was brighter, steadier.
Dean had picked correctly, too. That much was clear. It is possible that he could sense them just like Matthew. However, Matthew couldn't help but wonder why he didn't choose the better one.
Still, Matthew said nothing. He stepped up to the opposite side, letting his gaze move over the stones. He focused, searching for the smallest shift in energy. Three slabs—two gave off weak, scattered signals. One had sothing deeper. It seems that there's only one good one in this batch, he thought as he thought about the subtle, but steady beat coming from the stone earlier. That was the one.
He pointed. "That one."
The dealer cracked Viper's stone first. A sharp blade dropped. A thin line of dull blue shimred inside the split—a mid-grade gem.
Polite applause rippled from the crowd.
"Mid-grade on his first try?"
"That's lucky!"
"Hahahaha!" Viper's sharp laughter cut through the noise, drawing everyone's attention. "Mid-grade on the first try! Did you see that, Young Master Tian? A mid-grade stone!"
Rick snorted. "What, first ti seeing one?"
"You—"
"Well…" Rick snorted. "Since this is your first ti seeing one, then let this young master take you on a tour later. I've got a mountain of those playthings in my bedroom."
"…." Again, Matthew was speechless.
Reviews
All reviews (0)