Chapter 26: Harnessing human greed to absorb energy

After leaving the hotel, Rahab and I followed the hotel staff's directions to a large casino in Florence.

With a battle imminent, I needed to absorb a lot of energy to prepare for the upcoming fight. A casino is a great place to absorb energy because everyone who enters has strong desires.

The casino was filled with smoke and noise. Every gambling table was surrounded by many gamblers, each intensely focused on the game, occasionally shouting.

I walked around the casino, allowing Rahab to observe the energy levels of the people.

Rahab's role on this trip was to help me identify people's energy levels because I hadn't mastered the method of estimating life energy values.

Rahab himself had a vast amount of stored energy because, since becoming a demon, he had taken every opportunity to make deals with humans and absorb their energy.

According to Rahab, even if he stopped absorbing life energy now, his stored energy would be enough to sustain him until the fourth angelic war.

Assuming the Earth still existed by then.

"Xiao Nuo, that man has seventy years of energy," Rahab said, pointing with his long tail at a bald, middle-aged fat man.

The fat man looked to be in his thirties, with a lot of fat and an oily face, playing blackjack at a table.

I silently approached the fat man and observed a few rounds, noticing that his luck was very bad. Each time, his cards were just a bit worse than the dealer's.

"Blackjack, the dealer wins!"

The fat man lost again.

He cursed loudly, looking like he had lost a lot of money at this table, and picked up his chips, ready to leave.

I quickly pressed him back into his seat, sat beside him, and patted his shoulder with a smile, "Brother, I didn't expect to run into you here!"

The fat man looked confused and wary, "Who are you? I don't know you."

"Oh, brother, you're such a joker," I whispered in his ear, "The dealer is cheating."

The fat man's eyes lit up, and he glared at the dealer. Playing along, he said, "Oh, it's you, Louis. The smoke here is too thick; I couldn't see clearly earlier."

I found it amusing because the dealer wasn't cheating. I lied just to keep him at the table.

I whispered to him, "I can help you win back your lost chips and double them."

The fat man was excited but then looked skeptical, "What's your motive?"

I smiled, "I have no motive. I just can't stand to see this. Are you scared? If you are, forget what I said. I thought you were a brave man."

The fat man fell for my provocation and immediately shouted angrily, "Fine! I'll trust you this once! If you lose a single chip, I'll take your life!"

I smiled and asked, "And if we win as I said?"

The fat man, still fuming, said, "I'll give you my life!"

I laughed heartily, "Deal!"

Smiling, I summoned the "Eye of Illusions" and glanced at everyone around the gambling table.

"Draw your cards, brother. You're going to be very happy soon," I said to him with a smile.

Actually, when the fat man wanted to leave but I pressed him back into his seat, I had already hidden a thin needle between my fingers.

When I patted his shoulder, the needle lightly pierced his skin, leaving a bit of the fat man's blood on the tip.

I then quickly pricked my own finger with the blood-stained end, mixing our blood to fulfill the conditions for a contract.

When he said he would give me his life if I won, it became part of the contract.

In the subsequent gambling rounds, we naturally won big, and the chips in front of the fat man piled up like a mountain.

The fat man went from initial disbelief to extreme excitement, now looking quite arrogant.

"Louis, you're really my benefactor. If I hadn't met you, this bastard would have taken all my money. Later, you can take half of the winnings," the fat man said gratefully.

"I told you; I just couldn't stand it. Don't worry, I won't take a cent. Once this round is over, I'll leave," I said with a smile, taking the cards handed to me by the dealer.

It was a seven of clubs.

If we won this round, the fat man's chips would be just about double his original amount.

"No way, you should take at least a little," the fat man said, surprised.

"I will take something, but not your money," I said, revealing the second card, a seven of hearts.

"If not money, then what do you want? I'll do my best to help you," the fat man said, patting his chest.

I smiled, "Did you forget what you said earlier? You said if I won back your chips and doubled them, you'd give me your life."

With that, I looked at the third card in my hand, a three of hearts.

The fat man forced a smile, "Louis, I was just saying that. You can take my money; you deserve it."

I squinted at him, "A man should keep his word."

The fourth card was a three of spades. The dealer's hand also had two pairs, but his highest pair was eights.

So, the last card had to be either a seven or a three to make a full house and win.

The fat man suddenly stood up, pale-faced, and trembling, "What... what do you want?"

I pulled him back into his seat and smiled, "Everyone dies eventually. Sit down!"

I handed him the last unrevealed card and continued, "This card will definitely be a seven of hearts. If you reveal it, you'll win, and your money will be exactly double what you started with. But you know what the price is."

With that, I got up to leave.

The fat man hurriedly asked, "Louis, where are you going?"

Without looking back, I said while walking away, "I'm leaving. Whether you reveal the card or not, whether you live or die, it's up to you."

The fat man shouted after me, but I ignored him, just waving my hand as I walked out of the casino with Rahab.

After enduring the smoky, chaotic atmosphere of the casino, the fresh air of the street was incredibly refreshing.

I checked the time and saw that it was already evening, with the sun half-set.

At that moment, Rahab emerged from my collar, sat on my shoulder, and said, "Xiao Nuo, you could have revealed the card yourself. Why give that pig the chance?"

I stretched my arms and smiled, "I don't know, maybe I felt a bit of pity and wanted to give him a chance."

Rahab frowned, "Humans are greedy creatures. Even for a little benefit, they won't let it go. I'm telling you, those seventy years of energy are as good as yours."

I didn't respond, just smiled at him. Suddenly, I felt full of energy, incredibly refreshed.

"Humans, they're truly incorrigible," I said,