Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent-Chapter 145: Roulette

While Adam hunted the remaining Infinity Worms to reduce the rift’s saturation by the required 0.5%, Remedy drove down the expressway.

Her hands were steady on the wheel.

But her mind was elsewhere.

She had received a report earlier that morning, before heading to the Mission Hall with Adam and it required confirmation.

The car cut through traffic cleanly before exiting into a high-end district.

The architecture shifted immediately.

The streets were broader and there were constant private security patrols, with subtle essence signatures layered over estates.

This was where most of Tristan’s martial clans resided.

After a short drive, she stopped in front of a large hotel. It had polished glass, a stone façade, minimal signage and expensive restraint.

Remedy stepped out of her sports car as a valet approached immediately, nodding respectfully before taking the car to park.

Remedy walked toward the entrance and a doorman stood by the door.

Despite the availability of automatic systems, the hotel had decided to keep this simple act manual, as a strange display of class.

Recognition flashed briefly in the doorman’s eyes as he nodded at her, while she entered.

The lobby was the first thing she saw and it was spacious with controlled lighting and soft essence flow.

Within seconds, an aged woman with streaks of grey in her hair hurried toward her, followed by several sharply dressed staff members.

"Miss. Eve," the woman said with a polite bow. "We didn’t know you were arriving. Otherwise, we would have made proper arrangements."

Remedy or Eve, for the purposes of this district, smiled lightly.

"It’s no issue. I just came to gamble. That’s all."

The manager’s expression brightened.

"If that’s the case, we’ll take you to a table immediately."

She turned to one of the suited staff behind her.

"Escort Miss. Eve. Make sure she’s provided with whatever she needs."

The employee nodded and gestured respectfully.

"This way, ma’am."

Remedy followed without further comment.

The manager watched her go.

Only after Remedy disappeared from view did she release a quiet sigh of relief before returning to her duties.

****

From behind the reception desk, everything had been observed.

The valet’s immediate attention, the manager rushing out personally and the way the staff aligned themselves without being instructed twice.

A newly hired receptionist leaned slightly toward one of the older staff members.

"Who was that?"

The older receptionist glanced at her before her tone lowered.

"That was Miss. Eve."

There was a subtle mix of caution and reverence in her voice.

"She is the head of the Eden Group."

The younger receptionist blinked.

"The president? That young lady? She didn’t even look twenty."

The older woman gave a faint smile.

"That’s the point."

She adjusted the documents in front of her calmly.

"A company on the verge of bankruptcy rising to that level in such a short time doesn’t have a normal person at its helm."

The younger receptionist swallowed.

"But wouldn’t that put a target on her back?"

The older woman shook her head.

"Do you think she didn’t consider that?"

She leaned back slightly.

"She revived a dying company. It was no surprise when she attracted people most corporations can’t even approach."

The younger woman listened closely.

"She hired a chief of security rumored to have a star power above forty-five."

A pause.

"And she secured the services of Nigato."

The name alone carried weight and the younger receptionist’s eyes widening was proof of that.

"Nigato? The conduit and armament creator who just appeared out of nowhere?"

The older woman nodded.

"Unknown background. Unknown origins. But undeniable expertise."

"And he chose to work under Miss. Eve."

The younger receptionist was silent for a moment.

"How do you know all this?"

The older woman gave her a knowing look.

"You read the news."

She lowered her voice slightly.

"And if you work in a district like this long enough... you hear what others don’t."

The younger receptionist nodded slowly.

She had heard of Eden.

Heard of its rise.

But she had never connected the abstract name of its president to a real person.

Now she had.

The image of Miss. Eve walking calmly through the lobby would not leave her mind anytime soon.

****

Remedy sat at a private roulette table.

The room was insulated from the main casino floor.

The noise was low but the stakes were high. Around her sat wealthy tycoons, each with composed expressions and calculated risk tolerance.

The staff in charge collected the chips and spun the wheel.

The ball circled before slowing and dropping on a number.

"Black 17."

An aged man across from Remedy exhaled in satisfaction. He pulled the winning chips toward himself before turning to her.

"Better luck next time, Miss. Eve."

Remedy smiled faintly.

"Let’s see if you can back up that confidence."

She pushed forward chips worth seven million dollars and placed them on Black 7.

The motion was calm and unforced.

But the amount was not.

A few of the gamblers at the table stiffened.

Seven million was the maximum acceptable bet for this table tier.

Most of them had the liquidity, but few had the inclination to burn it casually.

Several players withdrew.

They stepped back from the table, choosing observation over participation.

The old man watched her carefully.

She held his gaze.

"Well?"

He didn’t hesitate.

"You’re on."

He placed seven million dollars’ worth of chips on Red 9.

The staff confirmed the bets and with no interference or hesitation, he spun the wheel again.

The ball bounced along the rim, clicking against the numbered dividers.

The table fell silent but Remedy didn’t watch the ball.

She watched the old man instead.

The old man was Lyon Tusk.

Head of Herbal X.

One of the largest pharmaceutical conglomerates in Tristan.

Herbal X wasn’t just a civilian company.

It supplied recovery serums, essence absorption enhancers and cultivation supplements refined from incursion resources.

A significant percentage of the martial resources circulating in Tristan passed through Lyon’s channels and he was the reason Remedy had come tonight. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Not for dopamine or entertainment, but for information.

The wheel slowed and the ball began losing momentum, bouncing irregularly between narrowing gaps, as Remedy shifted her gaze from Lyon back to the table.