"You did that on purpose!" Kaguya glared at Richard with obvious displeasure.
"This was completely accidental. I had no idea what that wine was called, much less its effects," Richard replied calmly. "I simply asked for the most expensive and most popular drinks available. If you don't believe me, ask the bartender yourself."
He gestured toward the nervous server behind the bar. While Richard couldn't deny his attraction to Kaguya, he would never resort to such underhanded methods to pursue an intimate relationship. He had principles, after all.
Following his suggestion, Kaguya's cold gaze fixed on the bartender. "Is what he said true?"
"Yes, ma'am!" the bartender replied without hesitation, his voice respectful and slightly trembling. Though he didn't know Kaguya's identity, he'd personally experienced the crushing pressure she'd unleashed earlier and understood she was someone far beyond his ability to offend. Only his strong will had kept him conscious when her technique had knocked out everyone else in the establishment.
"How can that possibly be the most expensive wine here?" Kaguya demanded.
"Because it's extremely difficult to produce and has the unique effect of increasing fertility between partners," the bartender explained quickly. "Interspecies reproduction is notoriously challenging. Even without complete reproductive isolation, the probability of successful offspring between different races remains much lower than same-species reproduction. That's why Burning Night commands such premium prices."
Though the bartender's explanation was truthful, Kaguya still suspected Richard of deliberate manipulation. After shooting him another dissatisfied look, she activated her chakra circulation. As the energy flowed through her system, it gradually neutralized the wine's effects.
As the immortal Rabbit Goddess, Kaguya possessed a physique superior to most living beings. Even within the Marvel Universe, her constitution ranked among the most exceptional. Her body could easily withstand the vacuum of space and perform interplanetary jumps through sheer physical capability.
Within minutes, Kaguya had completely purged Burning Night's influence from her system.
Richard didn't bother circulating chakra like Kaguya—the aphrodisiac simply wasn't potent enough to affect someone of his enhanced physiology.
Once Kaguya stopped her chakra manipulation, Richard gestured to the remaining bottle. "This is supposedly the most popular drink here. Are you interested in trying it?"
"Absolutely not!" Kaguya snapped, turning her head away in annoyance.
Richard shrugged indifferently and poured himself a glass from the second bottle. After just one sip, however, he set it down with disappointment. Compared to Burning Night, this beverage was vastly inferior in both texture and flavor. Its only advantage was costing less than one percent of the premium wine's price—making it extremely cost-effective for budget-conscious drinkers.
Richard retrieved a stack of Kree currency from his system space and settled their bill. "Let's go."
Kaguya said nothing but rose and walked out of the bar.
For the next several hours, they wandered through Knowhere like typical tourists. Perhaps influenced by the Burning Night incident, Kaguya became extremely cautious when sampling local cuisine. She insisted on knowing not only the ingredients of every dish but also whether any foods possessed special effects.
In contrast to Kaguya's newfound wariness, Richard remained considerably more relaxed. As long as something didn't look revolting or taste bizarre, he was willing to try it. He reasoned that if these dishes qualified as delicacies popular throughout Knowhere, the ingredients couldn't be too exotic—the station's diverse population came from countless worlds, and truly strange foods wouldn't appeal to such a broad audience.
While most Knowhere residents could be classified as scum from a moral perspective, low ethics didn't indicate mental deficiency. They were simply bad people, not stupid ones.
After several hours of exploration and sampling cuisine from various planetary cultures, Richard and Kaguya checked into a hotel for the night.
In Knowhere, the Tivan Group owned all "land" and mining rights, but private businesses like hotels, bars, nightclubs, casinos, and pleasure establishments operated independently. Essentially, the Tivan Group functioned as a landlord, renting space while remaining uninvolved in tenants' specific operations. Likewise, the Group provided no personal protection to residents—if someone encountered danger, they had to resolve it themselves or accept their fate.
They chose the "Heaven's Edge" Hotel and its penthouse suite. Despite having limited funds remaining, Richard insisted on the best accommodations available. The expenditure consumed nearly all the money acquired from the original mercenary crew, but Richard felt no concern about potential poverty. With sufficient strength, earning money was remarkably simple.
Upon reaching their suite, Richard announced, "The master bedroom is mine. You can choose from the remaining rooms."
"Why am I limited to a secondary bedroom?" Kaguya asked immediately.
"Two reasons," Richard replied calmly. "First, I paid for this suite. Second, you can't defeat me in combat."
"You—" Kaguya's delicate features twisted with irritation. After mentally cursing Richard several times, she turned and stalked off to select a bedroom.
Once Kaguya left, Richard examined the master bedroom's bathroom and nodded with satisfaction. While not as luxurious as his Silver City palace facilities, it met his standards adequately.
Without hesitation, he stripped and settled into the large bathtub. As he soaked in the hot water, Richard contemplated their next destination. Knowhere was merely their first stop—he had no clear plans for where to travel afterward. This interstellar voyage combined his desire to explore the vast universe with his growing boredom with Earth-bound life.
After nearly half an hour of relaxation, Richard emerged from the bath. He used magic to create flames that instantly evaporated water droplets from his skin, then retrieved a complete outfit from his system space: an all-black buttoned coat with silver shoulder pads, matching pants, and appropriate footwear. The ensemble was modeled after Sephiroth's iconic design. While Richard could magically transform clothing, he'd had several spare sets crafted from Earth materials.
Fully dressed, he knocked on Kaguya's door. "I'm going out."
"Where?" Kaguya asked, taking note of his formal attire.
"To the casino. Going to play a few hands."
They had very little alien currency remaining that was accepted in Knowhere. With time to spare, Richard planned to visit a casino and improve their financial situation through gambling.
Kaguya frowned slightly at his announcement. After a few seconds of consideration, she stood up from her chair. "I'm coming with you."
"Do you know how to gamble?" Richard asked.
"No," Kaguya admitted without embarrassment.
"Fine, you can join me. But understand this clearly—if you lose all your money, don't expect me to lend you any."
Despite Kaguya's possession of the Byakugan and Rinne Sharingan, along with superhuman perception abilities, she had zero gambling experience. Even with her ocular powers, she would likely lose everything before understanding the basic rules.
"Don't underestimate me," Kaguya replied confidently. "Gambling can't be that complicated. I'll figure it out just by watching."
"I hope you're right." Richard didn't bother arguing further and headed for the door.
Kaguya followed immediately, and together they left their suite.
Richard had originally planned to visit an external casino to "earn money," but upon learning the hotel contained its own gambling establishment, he led Kaguya directly there.
Despite being an internal facility, the casino's floor space was impressively large and packed with gamblers—creating an atmosphere several times livelier than the bar they'd visited earlier.
Unlike her experience at the bar, Kaguya didn't attract excessive attention upon entering the casino. Gamblers cared far more about winning money than ogling beautiful women, even exceptionally exotic ones.
Both Richard and Kaguya exchanged all their remaining currency for gaming chips. Rather than immediately placing bets, Richard toured the casino floor to study the available games and their rules.
Similar to Earth casinos, numerous options existed—mostly card-based games that appeared fair on the surface while guaranteeing house profits.
After observing the various offerings, Richard found a card table and took a seat. The local playing cards differed significantly from Earth designs: instead of 52 cards in 4 suits, these decks contained 100 cards across 10 colors, with values ranging from 1 to 10.
Each player received 2 initial cards, with the highest value being 1. Points were calculated according to specific rules, and whoever achieved the higher total won. Players could also draw up to 2 additional cards. The rules were straightforward and uncomplicated.
Richard joined the active game without using any supernatural abilities or card counting—relying purely on luck for his initial hands. Whether due to genuine fortune or "beginner's luck," he won more often than he lost, watching his chip pile grow at a visible rate.
Encouraged by his success, Kaguya joined the table as well. However, when she began playing, Richard's winning streak immediately ended. Not only did he start losing, but Kaguya also began losing consistently.
Despite using her Byakugan, Kaguya seemed to suffer from either poor mathematical skills or terrible luck. She couldn't draw the cards she needed and watched her chips steadily diminish.
Richard paid little attention to Kaguya's struggles. After losing his initial winnings, he decided to get serious.
Using his super vision, Richard examined every card in the dealer's shoe, then employed his rarely-used enhanced intelligence to calculate probable holdings and discards for other players. When he began leveraging his extraordinary abilities to cheat, "good luck" returned with a vengeance. His chip stack grew at an alarming rate.
Within thirty minutes, Richard had accumulated an impressive mountain of chips. After estimating their value, he pushed the entire pile forward for one final hand of the evening.
His all-in bet drew surprised reactions from both Kaguya and the other players. The chips represented over 50 million Kree credits—a substantial fortune.
With precise calculations and flawless "assistance" from his abilities, Richard drew the two highest 1-value cards and won decisively. His initial investment of several hundred thousand credits had multiplied to over 100 million.
Satisfied with his success, Richard ended his gambling session. "Convert these all to Kree currency," he told the dealer.
Before the dealer could respond, a new voice interrupted. "Certainly, I'll arrange for someone to prepare your payout. Given the large amount and crowded conditions here, please wait in our VIP lounge."
A casino supervisor approached Richard with respectful demeanor, though Richard could sense the man's true intentions even without telepathy.
"No need. I'll wait here," Richard replied flatly.
The supervisor's expression immediately changed. The being had dark blue skin, an octopus-like head, and several tentacles extending from his chin. "You dare cheat in our casino! Do you know who owns this establishment?"
"I don't know who owns this casino," Richard said calmly. "But I do know you're attempting to default on a legitimate debt. Let me give you some advice—pay me what I'm owed, or I can't guarantee—"
Before Richard could finish his threat, Kaguya stood up and activated her Byakugan, releasing devastating pressure that instantly blanketed the entire casino. More than half the gamblers and staff collapsed unconscious within seconds.
"So the casino was cheating! No wonder I kept losing money!" Kaguya shouted at the octopus-headed supervisor. "Pay me what I'm owed immediately, or I'll tear this entire place apart!"