You win some, you lose some

Anna looked down, running circles in the soil with her boot.

"Who sucks at spying? I wasn't spying."

Staring back up her eyes narrowed. "I was—observing—yes observing."

Meryn arched her brows, clearly not buying. "Oh, of course. Observing."

Anna glared at her, stomping her feet on the ground. "I was!"

"Then why are you blushing?"

Anna's face bloomed crimson. "I AM NOT."

Chuckling lightly she walked back inside. "If you say so, spy."

Anna gritted teeth, watching Meryn walk away. "I'll get you back for this, princess. Just you wait."

Turning her attention back to the window.

___________________________

Inside the meeting hall the elders having calmed down significantly from the shock stared at Ethan.

Ludwig wiped a single tear.

Ethan stared at him incredulously. "Are you crying?"

Ludwig shudder lightly. "Just… just give me a moment."

Morris frowned, arms crossed. "Chief, I'll be blunt. People don't just walk into the forest and come back rich. Are we going to have problems?"

Ethan smirked, picking up a gold coin and tossing it in the air, "Only if you count having too much money as a problem."

Leaning forward he picked up the remaining coins. "Alright you three, it's just gold."

Ludwig stared at him in disbelief. "Just gold he says Morris, just gold."

"We can buy proper medicine, expand defenses, hire specialists—" He paused, rubbing his chin. "Or invest in high-quality parchment."

Helen scoffed at his last remark. "Parchments seriously that's all you can think of."

Ludwig shrugged. "A well written document is worth more than money."

Ethan tapped on the table to get their attention. "Anyway back on our agenda write a list on everything we'll need to expand this place. Focusing on economic growth, feeding and infrastructure."

"Oh and Helen, Meryn would serve as your deputy in overseeing crop production."

The elders frowned all sitting up right. Palpable tension in the air. Helen sighed, asking the question on their minds. "Do you trust her that much to put her in charge of something that significant."

Ethan leaned back, crossing his arms. "I get why you're worried. But her race aren't just good with plants—they are plants. Meryn can do things with crops we can't even begin to imagine."

"And like Morris said, she has to pull her weight if she has to stay here."

Morris nodded. "Aye!, we don't accept slackers here. Not even if they're royalty."

Helen frowned. "And what if she decides to leave? Or worse—if she's hiding something? I mean she's royalty nothing's ever straightforward with nobles."

"Then we deal with it. But for now, I'm betting on the fact that she and her kids need us just as much as we need her."

Standing up from his seat, Ethan swept his gaze across them. "That'll be all then. I'll be heading back home. it's been quite the journey."

"Can I see the coin one more time?"

Morris shook his head while Helen glared at him in playful contempt. "Ludwig."

With Ethan already out the door. Ludwig scoffed. "You two wouldn't understand it. You don't see the beauty in money."

Glanced toward the corner of a house. Ethan saw a very suspicious figure peeking around into the building. "Anna, what are you doing?"

Anna turned around startled. "I'm—I'm appreciating the architecture of our village!"

"Sure you were. Just so you know that is not subtle."

Anna glared at him. "Sure, bully poor little Anna now that your princess is here." Rolling her eyes as she left.

Ethan stared at her back fading into the distance flabbergasted.

___________________________

Inside his room, Ethan leaned back in his chair, cracking his knuckles as he pulled up the roulette menu.

"Alright, Lady Luck, what do you have for me today?"

A glowing wheel appeared in his HUD.

[10 bronze coins per spin.]

"Display reward probability."

[Probability:]

Common - 60%

Uncommon - 34%

Rare - 5%

Epic - 0.9%

Mythic - 0.1%

Ethan squinted. "So you're telling me there's a chance? Well, as a famous gambler once said. I like those odds."

He reached into his desk drawer, fishing out the single silver coin he got from Gareth's house. Staring back at the wheel. "Take it away."

The coin vanished from his hands, Ethan's eyes twitched. "The hell?"

[Payment received.]

He stared at the system with a deadpan expression. "I thought you said no magic tricks."

[Would me materialising a corporal form be better?]

Ethan shuddered at the thought. "On a second thought—keep the magic."

The roulette wheel pulsed, colors blurring together as it spun faster, the faint chime of metal against metal echoing in Ethan's ears.

"Come on, baby," he muttered, watching the flashing lights. "Give me something good."

[Congratulations: Five bronze coin (Common).]

Staring at the result, his lips trembled. "That's just daylight robbery."

[You're lucky you got to recoup half of your losses.]

Ethan clenched his jaw. "Alright. That was a warm-up."

He tossed in another silver coin. "This time, for real."

[Congratulations: Bag of Turnips (Common).]

Ethan stared at the screen, dead inside. "I hate this game."

Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "The river flows east for hundred years and west for hundred years."

Before slamming his hands on the desk. "Come on don't dilly-dally I have eight spins left."

Ethan's eyes stared intently across the screen as the results popped up.

[Congratulations: Wooden Plank x400 (Common)]

"Wood. I spent money… for WOOD?"

[Congratulations: Nail x1000 (Common)]

"I swear, this game is actually rigged."

[Congratulations: Beginner's Guide to Animal husbandry (Uncommon)]

Ethan's eye twitched. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?"

[Congratulations: A pair of boot (common)]

[Congratulations: Wooden Plank x500 (common)

[Congratulations: Minor Stamina Potion (+5 Stamina for 1 hour) (Uncommon)]

[Congratulations: Chiseled stone blocks x1000 (Common)]

[Congratulation: Null]

"What does that mean?"

[It's an empty box. You didn't think you'll win all the time did you?]

"Uhm, actually."

[You win some, you lose some. Welcome to gambling.]

"NULL? NULL? You mean I just gave you money for NOTHING?"

[Correct. Thank you for your generous donation.]

[All rewards have been delivered to inbox..]

Ethan sighed, staring at his disappointing rewards. Then, at the bottom of the list, something caught his eye.

[x1 logging cabin.]

Ethan blinked. "Wait… I have a cabin?"

[Oh, NOW you notice?]

"I forgot about that."

Ethan laughed while scratching his head. "Will be putting it to good use tomorrow I guess."

Then a voice interrupted him. "Will be putting what to good use?"

Startled he fell back nearly falling out of his chair. Stabilising himself, he turned to face the speaker. "Damn it, Anna—don't sneak up on me!"

She leaned in, her eyes narrowing. "Who's Lady Luck?"

Ethan scowled. "A cruel, heartless goddess who just took my money."

Anna frowned. "Where's she, I'd like to tell her a thing or two."

Ethan facepalmed groaning, pointing towards his desk cluttered with parchments. "Drop the food, I'll eat when I'm done."

Anna muttered, "Alright."

Dropping the food. As she walked towards the door she paused. "I'll be back in an hour to check if you've eaten and you better no have any excuses them."

"Wouldn't dream of upsetting my first lady."

Anna stumbled at the words, running away like a dear caught between headlights.

Ethan chuckled lightly, stared at the food for a while then back to the roulette. The at the gold coin in his palm. The rational side of his brain screamed. 'DON'T DO IT.'

The gambler side whispered seductively. 'But, what if we hit Mythic?'

He groaned, slamming his forehead against the desk. "I hate myself."

Then he threw the coin in. "I refuse to believe you're invincible RNG. Take ten silver coins."

The coin in his hand vanished, a clutter of silver coins rolled onto the table. The roulette began spinning.

"Come on buddy! Come on!"

After a while the wheel slowed down, displaying hundred gift boxes. Ethan glossed through them, his eyes dulling as it moved down.

Then he paused staring at the ceiling. Muttering incorrigibly. "Ten null! That's a silver coin down the drain! A silver coin!"

Sighing he looked back at the screen, a smile blooming on his lips. "Another rare."