The gambling on the other side also ended quickly. The blonde man who had first introduced Gimmighoul coins to Jacob also won his match, claiming all of his opponent's Gimmighoul coins.
Next was Jacob's final gamble.
The two sat at the gambling table, which was now covered with Gimmighoul coins. Nine hundred ninety-nine Gimmighoul coins were laid out on the table, emitting a faint glow. This was the goal everyone had been chasing.
"How do we gamble?" the blonde man asked softly, looking at Jacob through his mask.
"I'm fine with anything," Jacob replied.
"Actually, I don't like gambling," the blonde man suddenly changed his tone. "Gambling is the most boring thing."
"You think you're gambling with your opponent, with the casino, with the dealer, but in the end, you're just gambling with yourself."
The blonde man seemed to be talking to himself, but also seemed to be addressing Jacob. "This feeling of being out of my control and full of unknowns makes me disgusted."
"Compared to gambling, I prefer to control my own destiny through my own strength."
Jacob frowned as he listened to the man's words.
"How about you give me all the Gimmighoul coins you have?" The man looked at Jacob. "How about I exchange them with you at a three-to-one ratio?"
A three-to-one ratio was already an extremely high exchange rate. To be honest, Jacob was very tempted. He didn't have a Gimmighoul, nor did he need 999 Gimmighoul coins to evolve one. All he needed was the priority exchange right.
Moreover, the next gamble could only be conducted with Gimmighoul coins. Holding them wasn't particularly useful for him, so it was better to exchange them directly with the blonde man.
The man before him needed Gimmighoul coins, and Jacob needed more chips. For both of them, this was a win-win situation.
But the prerequisite was that the man agreed to give him the priority exchange right.
"I can agree to that, but I must have the priority exchange right," Jacob said, looking at the blonde man.
"You are truly greedy," the blonde man said, studying Jacob. "Alright, I agree. Happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation."
No one had expected the final gamble to end this way, with Jacob and the blonde man reaching an agreement.
The blonde man exchanged Jacob's Gimmighoul coins for chips at a three-to-one ratio. He took all the Gimmighoul coins, while Jacob received enough chips and the priority exchange right.
Jacob took the chips to the organizer's collateral vault for exchange. The vault was filled with various special items, all brought by contestants and pledged to the organizers in exchange for chips.
After losing all their chips, these pledged items became ownerless.
Jacob's priority choice was naturally the Ditto mask, which was also his goal for this trip, but just this one Ditto mask nearly depleted most of his chips.
With the remaining chips, Jacob used the system's ability to scan a few times, exchanged them for several cost-effective items, and converted all the remaining balance into money.
After Jacob redeemed all his chips, he left the top-floor gambling hall and returned to his room to rest.
It was already three in the morning, and the night of gambling had left him physically and mentally exhausted. He just wanted a good night's sleep.
The cruise ship's next destination was the Imperial Capital, so Jacob could rest for a day there before heading to Black Dragon City the following day.
Jacob's schedule was packed.
"Knock, knock."
Just as Jacob was about to rest, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Jacob asked.
"It's me," Raya's voice came from outside.
"Coming."
Jacob opened the door, and Raya, who had changed into casual clothes and was wearing sunglasses and a mask, appeared at the doorway.
"Why are you here?" Jacob asked, looking at Raya in surprise.
"I came as soon as I finished up over there," Raya said with a smile, looking at Jacob.
"Oh, and your birthday is in two days. Is there anything you want as a gift?" Raya walked into the room, kicked off her shoes, revealing her slender legs, sat on the sofa, and stretched, revealing her graceful figure.
"Uh... there's nothing I particularly want," Jacob said.
"Forget it. I won't get anything out of you by asking. I've already thought of what gift to buy you," Raya said with a smile. "Jacob~"
"Hmm?"
"It's late. Let's go to bed."
"Okay."
Exhausted from a night of activity, Jacob quickly fell into a deep sleep, snoring rhythmically.
What they didn't know was that a long-planned operation had just begun.
"Boom!"
At five in the morning, a violent explosion sounded, and the powerful impact caused the ship to shake violently.
"Thud!"
Jacob and Raya both fell off the bed from the shaking, landing on the floor, which woke them both from their sleep.
Jacob immediately opened his eyes. Just as he was about to stand up, his body couldn't help but lean to one side. It turned out that the ship had unknowingly tilted at a significant angle.
The drowsy Jacob instantly sobered up. Given the King's displacement and draft, for the ship to tilt this much, something major must have happened.
"What happened?" Raya's voice came from beside him.
"I don't know. The ship must have been attacked," Jacob said with a grim expression.
Jacob also braced himself against the wall and stood up, at the same time putting on the Ditto mask he had just exchanged for.
"Let's go out and see."
"Okay."
The two struggled to move toward the door, pushed it open with a click, and walked outside.
Screams, calls for help, and cries came from all around. The entire cruise ship was in chaos.
The sudden accident caught everyone off guard.
It was worth noting that as the world's top cruise ship, the King could carry up to ten thousand people. Even if only half were counted, this luxury cruise ship would have nearly five thousand passengers.
The sudden listing of the ship, as well as the raging fires and billowing smoke, made everyone realize that a major incident must have occurred.
Flying-type Pokémon continuously flew across the sky, and the sound of surging waves constantly echoed.
"Hello," Raya answered her phone. "I'm with Jacob, room number XX. Come find me."
After finishing the call, Raya said to Jacob, "It's Zion's call."
"Hmm." Jacob nodded. Just as he was about to speak, Raya's phone rang again.
"I understand..."
"Okay."
After finishing the call, Raya, with a grave expression, looked at Jacob and said, "I just received news that someone attacked the collateral vault, and a battle is currently taking place. Do you want to go and see?"
For some reason, after hearing these words, the image of that "fake Jacob" instinctively appeared in Jacob's mind.
Just then, a figure descended from the sky. Zion and Layne, riding Flying-type Pokémon, arrived beside them.
"Let's go check the collateral vault."