Xie Antong couldn't help but glance at the chips in front of her, confirming the count.

It seemed like her chip count was currently in the lead, with the opponent's number being about half of hers.

But this tactic of not giving any time, wanting to quickly move into the raise and game phase, should logically be a form of pressure exerted by the side with more chips against the side with fewer.

To be honest, if she could have been the first to raise this round, she likely wouldn't have given the opponent any time either, pushing her chips out swiftly.

But she didn't get that chance. Instead, the opponent did it themselves, causing her to feel a moment of confusion earlier.

"You've already... deduced what the rules of this wager game are?"

[Hehe, a game designed by a third-rate nobody. Does knowing the rules a bit early make you this smug?]

[Do you think the game is won by these things?]

Arbitrator: ......

Hearing the belittlement and mockery in [Pleasure]'s words, the Arbitrator couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Who is this insulting... What does 'a game designed by a third-rate nobody' even mean?

I didn't design this game! It's just His ability, using the Will of the universe to automatically generate it by balancing all requirements.

But He couldn't explain this either, otherwise wouldn't that be admitting He thinks He's that "third-rate nobody"?

That would be like a stone hitting a dog and the dog yelping in acknowledgment.

Already well aware that the gods held little respect for Him, the Arbitrator simply focused his gaze inward, on his nose and then his heart, and fell silent.

Xie Antong was also a bit speechless. The abnormality of [Pleasure] gave her an uneasy feeling.

Had she indeed missed some information? Facing an entity at the level of a [God], did she even have the right to think her current winning odds were higher?

She couldn't quite figure it out.

Bang!

Another crisp explosion sounded. The hourglass on the far left shattered once more, turning into fragments scattered across the gambling table, the white sand dissipating.

Now, only twenty-nine hourglasses remained. Those usable as chips numbered only 28...

Xie Antong took a deep breath, deciding not to be plagued by indecision and fear of loss while already holding the advantage.

If she consumed chips due to overthinking when the opponent had the advantage, and then still consumed them due to worry after turning the tables, wouldn't that make turning the tables pointless?

Not dwelling on this line of thought any further, Xie Antong raised her hand and picked up an hourglass.

Bang!

Six hourglasses were neatly pushed toward the center of the table.

This round, as the calling side, she had to bet at least four chips.

But this time she didn't dawdle, directly pushing out six chips. At this point, she couldn't possibly fold outright either; she had to see what the opponent intended to do.

"I call. Whether to raise further is up to you."

"Actually, speaking purely from a gambling perspective, I think we should just reveal now."

Xie Antong pressed down on the chips she had pushed out, staring into [Pleasure]'s eyes as she spoke.

[Pleasure] gave an extremely eerie twitch of his lips. This time, however, he said nothing.

He seemed somewhat bored, looking at Xie Antong opposite him with a mix of arrogance and mockery.

At this moment, as the initial better, He still had the opportunity to raise.

Or, He could follow Xie Antong's suggestion and choose to reveal the cards directly, proceeding straight to the wager.

But He did neither. He took no action, merely resting his elbow on the table, waiting quietly.

Beside the table, the phantom image of the thirty-second countdown flickered incessantly, recording the passage of time.

When twenty seconds remained, the surrounding spectator stands grew unusually noisy, as if everyone thought the great deity [Pleasure] had fallen into hesitation and self-doubt.

When fifteen seconds remained, the sounds from the surrounding stands began to gradually diminish, replaced by intense focus on the scene before them, afraid of missing anything.

By the time the countdown entered single digits, the noise from the Top Spectator Seats had diminished to a point of near-total silence!

What was He doing?

Dragging out the time on purpose? What was the point? The chips were already matched. Dragging it out until time expired would just mean revealing the cards directly, wouldn't it?

Had He still not figured it out by now, or was there some other reason?

Wait! If He made no choice at all by this point, would the game just start directly with these chip counts?

[Pleasure] glanced at the countdown timer beside him, then at the clearly puzzled Xie Antong before him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he spoke with a laugh:

[Little girl, perhaps the time we have left to interact is also not much. There are some things I want to tell you.]

[In real, top-tier contests, a meticulous mind, formidable calculations, and strategies are all necessary, the most fundamental things. But sadly, those are often not the decisive factors.]

[CHOSEN’S PARADISE! is not your video game. In real gambling, the truly decisive things are "changes," transformations that exceed all expectations and come with no warning whatsoever.]

[These changes can sometimes make the history books of your human history seem like a joke.]

[Your ultimate victors are sometimes called "favored by destiny," because on their path to success, there are far too many completely inexplicable coincidences and strokes of luck.]

[This is the power of "change." Whoever can better respond to change, utilize change, and even control change, determines the final outcome.]

With a smile on his face, He suddenly seemed like a patient mentor, completely disregarding the dwindling countdown. In these most precious seconds, He began chatting with Xie Antong.

The entire world seemed focused on that countdown, but He paid it no mind.

Ding!

A crisp chime sounded. By the time He finished speaking, the countdown for raising had ended.

The Arbitrator flashed to the front of the table once more, but not to announce the forced start of the game. Instead, he declared:

"[Pleasure] failed to decide whether to raise before the raising countdown ended, triggering a special circumstance for this game."

"This special circumstance is the second special event of the game!"

Xie Antong looked at the Arbitrator, frowning. When [Pleasure] delayed his decision, she had actually anticipated this possibility.

But the Arbitrator wasn't finished.

"The segment triggered by this special event is—for this wager, the hands of both parties will be exchanged!"

"What!?" Xie Antong's pupils instantly contracted. She let out a shocked exclamation.

Wasn't the trigger for a special circumstance supposed to damage both sides' chips and then allow their teammates to meet?

They can even exchange cards! How can this still be considered a wager?

At this moment, [Pleasure]'s smiling face gradually widened, taking on a somewhat twisted and ferocious quality.

[Little girl, the change has arrived.]

[Have you... made preparations to deal with it?]