The next morning, Leonard set up a shop in the middle of the busy market.
It was not a real shop, of course. It was just a made-up where he placed a beaten-up wooden table and a chair on the side of the street. On top of the table sat the carved dice he had made the night before.
Merchants scoffed, and shoppers gave Leonard strange looks as they saw him. Even children giggled and pointed at him too.
For them, Leonard was just an odd man, who was sitting behind a broken table with a cube of wood.
But Leonard wasn't discouraged by it.
It was still too early to feel bad. Aside from it, he didn't know the people here, so no need to feel embarrassed.
Instead, Leonard leaned back on his chair, crossed his arms, and smirked.
"This is it," he murmured. "This is where I make my first fortune."
He tapped the die against the table. The loud sound of it was sharp enough to turn a few curious heads around him.
"Hello everyone! Step right up!" Leonard announced out loud after gathering enough courage. As he said those words, his voice was loud and clear.
"This is a simple game of chance! Double your money if you win! All you need is luck!"
A few people paused at his announcement. Some men slowed their steps. Even the blacksmith who had sneered at him the day before glanced on his way.
Leonard's grin widened as he lifted the die and rolled it across the table. He let it tumble dramatically before landing on a six.
"See this little cube? I call it a dice! You just need to guess whether the number will be high or low! It's a 50-50 chance! Easy as that!"
He spread his arms wide as if telling the others to come check out his table.
"Come test your fate, my friends! Who's got the courage? Who's got the luck?"
Because of his continuous loud shouting, he had gathered a small crowd of people at his table. Their eyes gleamed with interest as he continued speaking. Some laughed, while others suspiciously muttered to themselves.
They wanted to know whether Leonard was just some crazy guy or not.
Leonard reached into his ragged pocket and slowly pulled something out. The morning sun caught it, and a brilliant flash of gold shimmered across his hand.
It was a golden coin.
The sound of gasps echoed through the small crowd. Even the skeptical blacksmith leaned closer, squinting his eyes at the shining coin.
For men and women who had been working through the market to earn a few golden coins at best, the sight of a free coin was enough to make their mouths go dry.
Leonard let the coin dance across his knuckles. He was a professional at it. He used to play with the chips on casino whenever he was bored.
He made his movement smooth, flashy, and deliberate. It was meant to keep their eyes glued on the coin.
'They didn't know the truth, but…' He playfully smiled..
That very morning, before the sun could fully rise, Leonard talked to the system nonstop. He begged and tirelessly asked for a few coins. He reasoned that it would be for good, for investment, for capital.
After an hour of begging the system, he was successful.
However, the system was too stingy that it only gave him 1 golden coin and a good luck after that.
Still, it was better than none.
"Listen here!" Leonard's voice cut sharply across the whispers. He raised the golden coin up high, showing it to everyone.
"This—" he waved his hand in the air, "can be yours. You can double your money. Right here, right now. All it takes is one gold coin too and you can roll the dice."
With what he said, murmurs spread like fire. People turned to each other.
"Bring me a gold coin, and I'll make it two." He tapped the dice against the table again, the wooden echoing. "It's a fifty-fifty chance. High or low. Just leave it to fate!"
The promise was simple, dangerous, and irresistible.
For a moment, no one moved. The blacksmith crossed his arms, scoffing again, but he didn't leave. A few farmers shook their heads, muttering about scams. But there was always one.
There will always be someone.
A young peasant with his tunic patched and sleeves rolled up, stepped forward hesitantly. His adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes darting between the dice and the coin in Leonard's hand.
Leonard's grin stretched wider.
"Ah. A brave soul!" he declared out loud and spread his arms. "Come then, my friend! Test your fortune! Today might be the day the gods smile on you!"
The boy pulled out a coin of his own. It was a mere silver coin that he managed to earn through half a day of labor. He placed it on the table, and the crowd hushed.
"Let me try this!" the boy said out loud.
Leonard blinked at the silver coin on the table, then broke into a wide grin.
"Oh? A silver coin?" He scooped it up between his fingers, flashing it for the crowd to see. "That is enough! Every fortune starts small, after all."
On the inside, though, he almost sighed with relief.
'Good thing I still had a silver coin left in my pocket… otherwise this would've been embarrassing.' He swallowed and flashed an even wider smile.
"Now then, my friend. Choose your fate. Low will be one to three, high will be four to six. What's your choice
The peasant licked his lips nervously, his fingers fidgeting at his sides.
"Uh… h-high!" he stammered.
Leonard's grin widened.
"A good choice!" he said confidently, as though the boy had just chosen the winning choice. He held up the dice for everyone to see, then placed it under a wooden cup.
"Look closely, everyone. I won't even look at it," Leonard announced. "I will shake the cup without seeing the dice. As I told you, the gods of fate will decide!"
He shook the cup. Once, twice, then more. He shook it loud enough to echo across the marketplace. The cube tumbled inside with a sharp clatter. He was an expert at shaking it.
The people craned their necks and held their breath. Some even leaned forward to see what would be the result.
Leonard, on the other hand, only smiled. A slow, wide, and dangerous smile.
At last, he set the cup down with a loud sound. Silence fell over the small crowd. Leonard paused dramatically, then lifted the cup.
The die revealed a five.
"It's a high!" the peasant shouted out loud, his eyes going wide. "I won! Hah—I won!!"
The boy jumped with joy, laughter spilling from his lips. His excitement was infectious. The crowd stirred because of it. Their murmurs became louder, and their faces showed a mix of surprise and envy.
Leonard threw his head back and laughed as well.
"You really won!" He plucked a silver coin from his pocket and slid it across the table. "See? You're a man of fortune! Congratulations! You just won a silver coin!"
The peasant clutched his original coin and the coin he had won like it was treasure. He jumped repeatedly in happiness. The smile on his lips stretched from ear to ear.
Leonard leaned back in his chair, folding his arms smugly.
He just lost a silver coin, but he was still happy.
Why?
The answer was right in front of him.
"Hah! Let me try that too!"
"I'll try!"
"Let me go next!"
"High! No, low! I'll choose low!"
"I'll try with my silver coin!"
"No! Choose me! I'll join with a gold coin!"