BLESSINGS AND BETTINGS

"Hey, empty hands won't win you the game. Take some food." Some audiences suggested Lirzod in a not-so-smooth of a tone. After all, he now was their silver dream—a silvery silhouette that could drag them out of the darkness and bring them at least fleeting comfort.

"Handling a cat is kids' stuff," Lirzod casually replied while standing in the ring, showing comfort through words, "I don't need food or even a rat's tail for that matter."

"Stop being so thoughtless, and take the damn food already," a man with an elongated face tossed a small bottle of milk to Lirzod, startling him. "You can thank me later."

"Oh, thanks," Lirzod opened the lid and began to gulp down the milk.

"That wasn't for you!" some of the audience shouted, but their voices were ineffective, for Lirzod didn't stop until he finished drinking half a liter in one go, thereby emptying the bottle.

"Weird but sweet," Lirzod cast the bottle away, and he appeared to be somewhat pleased with the milk.

"Of course, that's mountain goat milk," the man with an elongated face bore his gaze down on Lirzod. "It was meant for the cat. Give me my milk back."

"U-Uh," Lirzod didn't know what to say. "I drank it. Didn't you see?"

"You..." the man with an elongated face wanted to step forward and put his fists to work. "I can't believe you are the one who demeaned Hardy Brothers and climbed another deck to circulate the tale." If it weren't for that news, he'd have long jumped into the ring and would have ended the conflict with a couple of blows.

A nearby member among the audiences asked the man with an elongated face, "What do you think about the story he claimed about those brothers? You think that's true?" the man's voice carried waves of tension through the air.

"It's obviously a cock and bull story, but the brothers will probably get roasted for years because of it," the man with an elongated face said, his voice hitting other's ears like a rough melody. "Still, since he dared to skirmish with hardmen such as Hardy Brothers, I bet fifty copper in his favor and even gave him goat milk, but now, I feel like he's too rash for his own good."

"Yeah, I'm thinking the same as well," the man's lips pressed together in a slight grimace, "I bet five silver on this boy. With odds as they are, I hoped to make half a gold and get better armor, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"Guess we let our greed guide us," the man with an elongated face had a slumped posture. "I should have bet on seeing a single gesture, but now I can only hope I won't lose again."

"I bet 99 silver, so winning this will finally let me buy a ragron," one man covered in bandages said with confidence. "I'm putting my all hopes on the scar-faced boy."

Any bet less than a silver had 1:3 ratio earnings; any bet more than one silver but less than one gold had 1:10 ratio earnings; any bet more than a gold had 1:20 ratio earnings. In some rural regions of the world, it took over a month to earn one silver. Many people in the hall could be seen betting in copper, but a decent number of men also bet in silver. No one placed a bet in faces, for many traders on the ship didn't accept the face coin.

Upon seeing the high-range bet amounts, Burton had a hard time to breathe normally even though those betting odds were only for the win or loss category. The stakes for the gestures were different, and the odds rose through the roof—1:10 for a copper-grade bet, 1:15 for a silver-grade bet, and 1:30 for a golden-grade bet.

"Look at them sheeple betting for naught." Burton approached Sariyu in a tight mouth as if he tasted something bad. "Their lust for coins will lead them astray. I would be embarrassed if I were in their shoes."

"At least their passion is more so in their pockets than in their pants, unlike the donkey owner," she had an air of readiness around her.

"Maybe," Burton's forehead wrinkled just a bit, "but it doesn't change the chance of all the money going down the referee's pockets, I mean, down his superior's pockets."

"Only if Lirzod loses," Sariyu replied and gave him an easy nod.

"Well, yes, but do you honestly think he'll pass in his first attempt itself?"

Sariyu paused a moment before her lips slightly parted. "I guess I'm a sheeple, too," she bounced the two silver coins in her hand and was about to step onward.

"I didn't mean it for you," Burton blocked her path with his arm. "You know that, right?"

Sariyu didn't reply but looked elsewhere in an unfocused gaze.

"Gambling is a drug that hurts one's gut. I just don't want you to get this betting habit, that's all," Burton said, feeling a tightness in the chest. "This dumb-lord is acting too careless. Let him suffer once, so he'll know his wrongs."

Sariyu's eyes expanded, and brows rose a notch, but she was quick to contain her expression.

"All I'm saying is," Burton continued, placing his hands on the hips, "you know that Lirzod hates losing, but you can never know how he's going to try and catch the cat. So I don't see any substantial reason to risk a bet. If you are still going to bet anyway, at least don't bet on gestures."

Sariyu looked in his eyes for a brief moment. "Thanks for your unwonted concern toward my capital." Saying that she walked in the direction of the betting spot.

Burton folded his hands and mused to himself. "Why's she in a temper when I was only trying to tell her to think a bit before placing a bet?" He glanced toward the long-nosed man who was standing by the side, holding onto a copper coin. "Are you betting as well?"

"Yeah, I'm thinking to bet—but I can only spare this much and not suffer from cold," the long-nosed man said with an awkward expression because was amount was too low compared to that of Sariyu.

In the meantime, as Sariyu was heading toward the betting counter, she remembered the words that Burton had told her moments ago—gambling is a drug that hurts one's gut. It made her remember a customary song 'Melody of Money' played during special occasions in their clan's schools, for she attended different schools in the past.

"Never fall in love with money

For it will break your heart apart

Like gold does to hundred silvers

Silver to hundred coppers

And copper to twenty faces

The said pieces when put together

Never add up to the necessary."

"Does gambling make one fall in love with money?" she brought her brows together. It had been quite some time since she last thought back about the song, and the memory brought a faint yet friendly smile on her face. "This betting isn't solely based on my interests. Win or loss, I intend to take it the same way."

Later, Sariyu bet two silver that Lirzod would win, surprising Jehez as two silver wasn't a small amount, and because she also seemed to be acquainted with Lirzod, he couldn't help but frown on the inside at the possibility of Lirzod winning the test. Given the number of bets in Lirzod's favor, if he were to win, Jehez would not only not earn any profit, but his job might also be in jeopardy. He started to have forebodings about the upcoming test and just realized that his blood had long begun to run cold from dread.

The long-nosed man soon came to the betting counter, but Jehez refused to take his money. "Sorry, mate. You just came a tad bit late," he told him that after enough number of bettings were made, the referee could close down further bettings. The single copper coin in the hands of the long-nosed man didn't quite help change the referee's mind either.

Jehez then signaled—with a whistle and a hand gesture combined—to Lirzod to come to him.

Lirzod quickly came over to the betting counter, and Jehez promptly checked him to make sure that he wasn't carrying any weapon or anything of the sort. Usually, Jehez didn't have to do this procedure, but considering the bettings, now he had to be twice as sure.

At the moment, just the two of them were present near the betting counter.

While checking Lirzod's pockets, Jehez said in a soft voice, loud enough to reach just Lirzod's ears, "As a referee, I have my connections on this belt. If you lose, I'll make the ship-climbing easier for you." He didn't even make steady eye contact with Lirzod. "What do you say?"

"Are you done?" Lirzod asked, startling the referee, "With the searching, I mean."

"Y-Yeah," Jehez's heartbeat wasn't under his control, but he had enough heart to now make steady eye contact. "Do you agree to my proposal or not?"

"I'm afraid I can't," Lirzod said, a vague smile tugging his lips. "There is only one test per deck. Though we can participate over and over again, I don't like to waste any first opportunity where every experience is fresh, if not fruitful. In any case, if I let this chance wilfully slip away, I'll have betrayed others' trust." Lirzod's words hardened Jehez's expression.

"But it doesn't do well for me if you win now," Jehez's voice contained a bit of ego. "On the other hand, if you listen to me, it will do well for both of us."

"You are right," Lirzod sighed a bit and placed his hand on the referee's shoulder. "Things may get hard for you if I win, but hey, my old man used to say that finding an easy day in a grown man's life is harder than finding a needle in a haystack."

"So what?" Jehez let out an impatient snort, "do you expect me to purposefully make my life harder when I can easily walk in a much simpler path? Your old man might have had tried to be hilarious with you, but you ended up taking it seriously." He then mumbled, "If not, he's as impractical as you are."

Lirzod's gaze lost focus for a moment, for he couldn't help but remember Picazo's words which were often told by many teachers in the schools: Life is a river of ordeals that makes men swim upstream so that they may chase after their dreams, and whoever refuses to swim gets washed away downstream and be dragooned to drown to its defeatist depths.

"You are right," Lirzod said, staring at Jehez in the eye, "I also found his words hilarious as heck back then. I thought he was giving excuses for being unable to spend some time with me, but now I know better. We all live in a world where rumors and lies spread faster than the truth, and my old man has been fighting some of that evil from dragging my clansmen down into darkness. In his case, the evil had the face of laziness. Day and night, he helps people get through their hardships and hopes for them to be able to pick themselves up the next time and even help others if they could. Many people I know take their jobs for granted, but my old man sure as hell don't. So, don't talk as if you know my old man."

Jehez paused for a moment and raised his hands a little. "My apologies. Whew... Nevertheless—my offer still stands. If you think that I'm right," he spoke through the teeth with a strained voice, "then agree to my proposal. I promise you'll not be disappointed."

Lirzod smiled a bit. "Well, you are in the right when the matter concerns only the two of us, but that's not the case when many others are involved. Besides, who are we to decide what's right and what's not? On this ship, the captain decides that. In the whole world, the one watching over it from above the heavens decides that. However, we tend to disregard that and go with what we feel is right. I'm sorry, but I can't let you do shady stuff, not when I'm around." Lirzod's bluntness made Jehez go unnaturally quiet.

"At the end of the day, you just want to deepen your pockets like all of us. So stop coaxing your words."

"I'm not coaxing or cooking anything, sir," Lirzod replied right away. "You can think of me however you want to. Some of my friends say that my heart has hardened over the years for whatever reasons they may have, but what they don't see is, I still don't like to see tears in a cat's eyes much less a woman's eyes for any reason." Lirzod leaned even closer and continued to speak in a hushed tone, "You can just place a bet in my favor and make things easier for you, even if it's only a little bit."

Jehez's chest hitched, and eyes went dull. Just as Lirzod was walking back to the cat ring, Jehez said, maintaining a downward gaze, "I'm neither a cat nor a woman."

"I have never said you were," Lirzod gave him a thumbs up without looking back.

Jehez didn't know what to say, but his brows, however, pulled in. Being a referee, he couldn't participate in the bettings, but he could surely lend his money to others and let them bet in his stead; howbeit, given that he had announced the closing of the betting counter, he could no longer resort to such an option even if he wanted to.

From seeing the betting counter closing, most men gathered around the cat ring and chatted with unrealistic expectations.

"Till now, we've tested contestants with our taunting tongues, but this time, our target will not be the contestant but the cat itself."

"Yeah, if need be, we should scare the cat into skedaddling out of the circle, haha."

Lirzod didn't feel great after hearing their discussion. "I don't want any more help from you lot. I can take care of things from here on, so stand there and watch me win. Got it?"

"You can't be serious, kiddo." Many men cracked smiles as if Lirzod had just joked. "Did you think we all bet on you so we could stand here and do nothing? Get real."

"For the love of trust—" Before Lirzod could even respond, another man approached him with a pitcher of milk. "W-What's this for?"

"Use it however you see fit. If I had meat, I would have given it to you, but to our bad luck, milk is all I have," the man said and left the cat ring quick.

Another man made his way to Lirzod in a hurry and handed him a few blades of grass. "Cats like to nibble on grass. All the best." Saying that he left the ring fast.

This time, the long-nosed man stepped in the ring, holding a slight red-colored box in his hand. Upon reaching Lirzod, he opened the box, revealing an egg. Afterward, he spoke in a low voice. "Hardened eggs like this one don't rot for years." He closed the box and put it in Lirzod's hand and folded his fingers. "Only a few teeth on this ship can dig through this egg. It can break even hardened hearts. May it serve you well."

"Whoa, why are you giving this to me then?" Lirzod's skin tingled a bit. "I don't need this."

"Don't be like that. You can use it to lure the cat." The long-nosed man smiled as he rubbed underneath his nose. "Of course, it's not as effective as catnip, but it may very well get the job done."

"But that'd be boring," Lirzod tried to give the egg back, but the long-nosed man put his hands behind his back and continually stepped backward while facing Lirzod. Frequently, Lirzod had gotten used to getting things done the way he wanted, but now, time and time again, he was on the losing end as far as opinions were concerned. All this sudden change made him feel strange in a way that he couldn't put to words, but since he was the one who started it all, he could only suck in a quick breath.

However, from the ongoing vainglorious laughter outside the ring, Lirzod somewhat understood their intentions. Previously, he finished a bottle of milk, but now the quantity almost tripled thanks to the pitcher. Having already drunk more than he usually liked to, Lirzod didn't even want to take a sniff at milk anymore.

He shoved the egg-box in his pocket and put down the pitcher of milk. The only remaining things left in his hand were the blades of grass. After looking at the grass again, he ended up remembering the time when he had seen Primera shave the light fuzz off her legs with a blade of grass, and the memory made him giggle a little. "I guess I will try shaving the cat."

Fortunately, no one heard Lirzod's words, or else some of them would have surely weirded out. After all, fur was one of the main reasons that helped cats to fascinate others, especially humans. Without such fluffy fur, cats would probably no longer be cute, in more ways than one.

"Better luck next time, buddy," Burton spoke out to Lirzod and then wore a sarcastic smile on his face. His voice wasn't loud enough for everyone to hear, but whoever heard him had their expressions changed, although not right away.

Before anyone else responded, Lirzod smiled back, albeit with some effort. "Thank you, Big Brother."

"What the hell are you talking about?" some men barked at Burton. "The test hasn't even begun, and you are talking gibberish."

"A bad omen from a brainless bastard isn't worth anyone's time, but you better take back your words, or you'll regret this day forever," some men threatened Burton by pumping their fists; however, Burton didn't move an inch.

"Hmph," one man stepped closer to Burton, but a glance from Burton was all it took to make him stop. "E-Even if you don't take your words back, our blessings are more powerful. He'll definitely win."

Burton sighed and said, "I also wished him good, but mine was a blessing in disguise, that's all."

A few fellows gnashed their teeth. "You are pushing our patience too far."

At that moment, the assistant referee came out of the room, leaning forward, his bum turned toward the audience.

"Hey, look! The assistant referee is out!" Many men got excited, but they couldn't see the assistant referee's face, for he was facing toward the cat room. "Wait, he's acting weirdly. And where's the cat?"

In a matter of seconds, the assistant referee got about ten meters away from the cat home, and a finger-length slice of poultry dangled from his hand. Some men had a bad feeling when their eyes lay on the meat, and they immediately shifted their gazes toward the cat home when a black cat dashed out of the room with its eyes set on the poultry.

'T-That is…" Most guys had their eyes enlarged, and their mouths forcibly opened as they caught sight of the black cat with a white point. "L-L-Lo-Lo-Lord Bruiser!"

The scratches and bruises on the bodies of many men ached almost instantly, and their instincts made them turn and take to their heels.

"No way! That's Lord Bruiser!"

"Are you freaking kidding me? Don't tell me the chosen one is that monster cat!"

"Of all cats, did it have it to be him, who's good enough to get his name dubbed after those who work at the martial temple? What'll happen to my money now?"

"Shit, I shouldn't have placed a bet."

"Everyone, run, or he'll rape us all!"

Burton and Sariyu were quite perplexed from seeing several men make a run for it just from a cat coming into view.

The corners of Burton's mouth were downturned as he observed Bruiser, which ran straight toward the assistant referee. "An appearance that leads men astray." He glanced in the direction of Lirzod. "So, you have picked a nasty one after all."

"As expected of him, but still, the rattail should do the job," Sariyu opined as she noted that the headband was tied to Bruiser's tail.

Meanwhile, the assistant referee tossed the slice of poultry into the cat ring, and Bruiser rushed forth into the ring and got hold of the meat.

With a rising smile on his face, Jehez turned to look at the assistant referee's hand from a distance and noticed the blood. "So he was bringing Bruiser out all this while. No wonder he took so long." His smile subsided for a moment, but when he looked back toward the ring, his smile rose again at the prediction of Lirzod losing for certain. (You've picked probably one of the two cats on this deck that wouldn't run away in the presence of a tyrobeast. I doubt you can handle Lord Bruiser—the fastest and the most furious feline of all.) He then brought a single word out of his mouth, "Meow!"

Jehez's voice was a trigger in action. Bruiser, who had just finished swallowing the poultry and was beginning to gambol, now put aside his playtime and darted straight toward Lirzod, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Not only did the cat's response surprise Lirzod, but it also made the scampering-away men bring their feet to a halt against their will and turn back only to see Bruiser in midair, his paw already slashing at Lirzod's neck.