Ember Dragon-Chapter 227: Cassius’s Secret Treasure (Part Three)

Chapter 227: Cassius's Secret Treasure (Part Three)

The serpent lady walked over with a smile, saying, "My dear customer, you must truly be blessed by the Goddess of Fortune. Would you like to try another one?"

Flying Witch clutched the staff nervously, hesitating.

She shook her coin purse, finding exactly five gold coins left.

As a mage player, the cost of scrolls and spell materials was astronomical. She didn't take on many missions from the Magic Affairs Bureau, so even with the backing of a large guild like Magic Coin, she found it hard to save any money.

"I seem to always be quite lucky."

"Maybe I really could get another one?"

In the end, she bit her lip and said, "Alright, I'll take another one."

The attendant was about to call over an ogre to bring another box when Flying Witch quietly spoke, "This time... can I pick the box myself?"

She wanted to restore the honor of her guild leader, to let him regain his dignity—Charlotte's method wasn't wrong!

The serpent lady responded patiently, "Please go ahead."

Flying Witch browsed the shelves, carefully choosing, and finally pointed to a box with an embarrassed smile.

"This one?"

"Yes."

Her hand trembled as she handed over the gold coins.

In the moment she handed over the money, Flying Witch felt a pang of regret. Just getting something once was already great luck, trying again seemed greedy. Plus, the eager gazes around her made her uncomfortable.

In the distance, Charlotte was watching silently. He lit a magic cigarette with a practiced motion, stuck it in his mouth, and gave a world-weary smile from his seat on the ground. "Ah, why bother?"

The metal box slowly opened.

Hundreds of eyes were fixed on that box, everyone holding their breath.

"Can she really get another one?"

"There's no way someone could hit the jackpot twice, right?!"

With a crisp clink, dazzling blue light once again seeped through the crack.

"Whoa—"

The crowd of players let out a synchronized gasp.

She had hit the jackpot twice!

A cloak adorned with white feathers lay quietly in the box.

[Winged Cloak]

Rarity: Rare

Item Description: When wearing this cloak, you can speak the command phrase, "Fly like a bird!" This will turn the cloak into a pair of bird wings on your back, which will continuously drop magical feathers during flight, ending the flight once all feathers fall.

"Do you think I'm an angel? No, just an old geezer who loves to travel." — Albert, the traveling mage currently staying at Celestial Mountain.

Even the onlookers were stunned into silence for a moment, and then a wave of excitement erupted.

"What the hell?! Miracle pull on a single draw?"

"Are miracles on wholesale over here?!"

"Gimme some luck too!"

"Let me rub that luck! I'm ready to go all in!"

They looked at Flying Witch not only with envy but also with deep respect.

This was not just good luck—it was divine providence!

In their eyes, Flying Witch seemed to be surrounded by a radiant glow, with the golden words "Lady Luck" floating above her head.

Even Cassius, secretly observing from afar, was left speechless. After all, he hadn't put that many valuable items in the boxes—even the rare gear was just carefully selected odds and ends from his collection. Yet this player had managed to pull two rare items in a row.

"How could this be..."

Charlotte watched, his expression dazed, the cigarette falling from his mouth.

The scenes of him making bold declarations, then going twenty pulls without a single decent item, finally collapsing on the ground coughing up blood, replayed in his mind like a flickering movie reel—again and again, each time in black and white.

Flying Witch, still unaware of the impact, held her newly acquired cloak and approached him, visibly excited.

"Guild leader, look!"

"I proved it for you! You were right—picking the box yourself does increase the odds!"

Her words were the final straw that shattered Charlotte's composure, breaking his heart into pieces.

"Huh?"

"Guild leader, what's wrong?"

"Wake up, please!"

Ah, youth, where even collapsing into a deep sleep is a luxury.

Charlotte couldn't hear a word now. Everything around him seemed like a silent black-and-white film, with those twenty failures playing on loop, tormenting his mind.

"Single pull, miracle success!"

"Who says there's no Lady Luck in this world?!"

"All in!"

"No child cries every day, no gambler loses every bet! Let's go, boys!"

"Take out everything you have—all in!"

Flying Witch's double miracle had rekindled the players' excitement for the treasure chests.

Many players used her as an example, rubbing their hands eagerly and diving into an all-in frenzy, rushing to shove their gold into Cassius's coffers, hoping they might be the next lucky one.

During this time, players did occasionally pull rare gear. Each time the blue light shone, others turned green with envy, driving more of them to join in.

Surrounded by his guildmates, Overlord stroked his chin.

"Should we go for a hundred pulls?"

"These boxes are limited edition, after all."

"Wait, guild leader, let's not act too hastily. We should observe a bit longer before deciding," cautioned Vice-Leader Windcloud.

Major guilds participated in the lottery, but they didn't spend excessively.

At first, Overlord, the guild leader of [Royal Authority], wanted to throw money at the event and buy a hundred boxes for the guild. But Vice-Leader Windcloud intervened, suggesting they observe others' pull rates before deciding.

After observing hundreds of pulls and conducting calculations, Windcloud found—this box system was a huge scam. The more you bought, the more you lost. The most cost-effective strategy was actually to buy gear off other players.

After all, casual players didn't understand the value of high-level gear. Knocking them over the head with a bag of coins was the real way to profit, and might even help recruit them into the guild.

In the end, amidst the somewhat disappointed gazes of his guildmates, Overlord bought just ten boxes for fun, and managed to pull a green-tier helmet, breaking even.

Cassius noticed that the forum had become incredibly lively.

"Epic Event! Grand Shutdown Lottery!"

"Has anyone actually pulled anything good in this game?"

"Flying Witch Miracle—Two Single Draws, Two Miracles!"

"About how I pulled a rare greatsword from a random box."

"Ugh, I was just sightseeing as a casual player, and ended up with a rare battleaxe. I can't even carry it."

Players who got rare items flaunted their luck on the forums, leaving unlucky players in the comments envious.

"Eat more veggies, maybe you'll live longer for more pulls."

"Curse you, lucky dog!"

"I'm gonna leech your luck—breathe in, breathe in—"

"Content induces extreme discomfort—reported."

"[Royal Authority] Guild buying rare items at high prices. Please contact through the office."

The unlucky lamented, wondering why luck never favored them, comforting themselves that it was all just random, and silently swore that next time they'd be the one flaunting on the forums.

"Heh, just like that, players' competitive streaks are endless."

"Come, come and obediently give me all your gold."

In the grand palace, Cassius browsed the forums with keen interest, a wicked smile on his face, his wings trembling slightly in excitement.

Nearby, Tinia cowered in fright, curling up, thinking she must have done something wrong and angered the mighty Red Dragon.

But at the thought of possibly being pinned down on the cold palace floor and roughly trampled, she felt a strange anticipation, her scales rising slightly.

"Rawr?"

"..."

Cassius finally noticed Tinia's oddly excited expression.

He looked at her as if she were an idiot, the corner of his mouth twitching, thinking that this silly dragon was beyond saving.