Gacha Kingdom Building

Although Licerce is a charming city, it's not free of troublemakers like any other.

Case and point are the very bandits we met on our way here.

But in case that wasn't enough, rumor has it that if one is looking for trouble, all they need to do is visit the bar.

The reason for that is slightly different than what I was expecting though...

Isabella: "I demand that you cooperate. You hold no more authority than I do."

Marin: "And as I said, that is true only on land, the moment we're at sea, I call the shots. I won't bring a bunch of kids aboard my ship just because you want to go on a little adventure! You can go back home and cry about it to your father all you want, princess!"

Cassandra: "Oh~ Was that a compliment, little girl?"

At least someone was in a good mood.

As for our current dilemma, it was hard to see a way out.

Marin is the North Fleet Admiral. She's also most definitely not a little girl like Cassandra claimed, but for her, anyone who's not as old as Elizabeth may as well be a kid.

Still, Marin is an interesting person. She's both Licerce's shield, as well as its biggest troublemaker. It seems like she spends more time at bars than at sea, especially considering that the entire fleet recently moved to the southern border, previously Evretis' territory.

The are a few reasons for this sudden movement.

The North Fleet was never that big to begin with. There were only a few ships since there wasn't much threat due to a lack of commerce and population on the frozen lands.

Defending them against potential invasions of neighboring nations was also an afterthought. The land is not that valuable and any army marching through it would suffer like hell.

Once Evretis became a part of Terith's territory, the fleet moved to the south where the sailors found more opportunities and there was a need for ships to protect the trade against different threats.

Marin was a lowborn who rose through the ranks. She was born in Licerce, so even though moving to the south would give her better opportunities, she simply didn't want to leave due to an attachment to her home.

In other words, she's quite the thick-headed woman.

However, this time, I must concede that she has a point.

Without any context, it's easy to believe that we're a bunch of children who will just be a nuisance all the time.

Not to mention, if Isabella were to die on her ship she'd probably be hanged for it...

Isabella: "You know what? Whatever. I'll just get a ship with-"

Miwen: "No, we won't."

Isabella: "Ugh... C'mon!"

I fully understand her frustration, but this time, it had nothing to do with the restrictions I had set.

The ships [Gacha Kingdom Building] can bring vary wildly. If we suddenly brought one like we had during the Merchant's stay... Not only would we make a huge commotion, but also, we'd be unable to man it.

Well... Even a normal ship is probably impossible for us. The only one who seems to have some experience with it is Claire.

I had already identified that this could be a problem for us sooner or later due to the lack of sailors in the Kingdom, but honestly, I was hoping to not have to do any naval battles in the near future...

Thankfully, this could actually be an opportunity since not too much was at stake...

Marin: "Hmm?~ What's that? Think you can scare me?"

I stabbed her table with a knife, but she was confident enough

Miwen: "I'm more than willing to prove that we can hold our own."

Marin: "Ahaha! Sorry boy, but that's no use. I can't use my powers within the city."

I heard she had never lost a naval battle before, although there were times when her opponents managed to get away...

However, her Gift is a total mystery.

Miwen: "...In that case, how about a drinking game? I heard you've never been beaten at one either."

Marin: "Eh? Then if I win, I wanna play with you?"

Miwen: "Of course."

I decided to make things as fair as possible by drinking a bottle of whatever she was drinking before we arrived.

Judging by the smell alone I could tell that this wasn't like anything I'd ever had. It was intoxicating... Almost nauseating.

I was still feeling confident I could handle it though...

Miwen: "...Cough... What the... How the hell do you drink this? Tastes like poison."

Marin: "It's not meant for kids~"

It felt like that first bottle was never going to end.

She kept pressing me to drink faster, but every time I took a sip I'd feel my throat burning like never before.

The taste was also horrible... disgusting.

I feel like I could throw up even if there wasn't any alcohol in that bottle.

Marin: "First to throw up or pass out loses, alright?~"

Miwen: "...Fine. But how about we add another rule? It's a little boring if all we're doing is drinking."

Marin: "Are you trying to be promoted from a kid to a shady man?"

Miwen: "As long as I get you to accept us on your ship, I'll play whatever role."

I was betting on her feeling confident after that first bottle, and I must've hit the nail right on the head seeing as how easily she accepted my conditions.

First of all, we took our game to her ship.

I argued that I'd like us to be at sea so that she wouldn't be able to run away if she lost.

Second, no magic.

It wouldn't be fun if either of us tried to cheat with it.

Since I didn't know what her Gift did, I included it in the rules as well, so no using our Gifts to cheat each other.

Third, the girls were allowed on board to serve as the referees and preserve the game's integrity.

As for the game itself... We were going to play a type of blackjack.

The rules were a little different than normal though.

The dealer wasn't going to be a player, they were just going to hand out the cards.

To make things faster since Marin is a heavy drinker, we agreed that if one were to bust they would have to drink twice the amount that round.

Similarly, if one wins with a blackjack, the opponent has to drink twice.

Since this world has different card games, I explained the value of the cards, but I also added the Joker.

It would have no value as a card, but if you had one in your hand, you'd be able to discard it alongside another card of your choosing.

Aside from that, we also agreed that if a player were to stand, they could hide their cards, unless it was a bust. In case of a draw though, the first player to stand and hide their cards would be the one to drink.

And finally, like normal, each players start the round with two cards.

The first to reach a combination of cards with a value of 21, or the one closest to this number without going over it, wins the round.

The loser of the round is obviously the one who has to drink.

To ensure neither of us would cheat by shuffling the deck or drawing in a weird way we agreed to have one of the girls as the dealer.

In this case, we chose Isabella, since it would be unthinkable for a noble to risk their reputation by cheating on a drinking game.

Sadly, Marin didn't agree to a different drink.

She was confident that she would never lose the game if we chose any other drink from the bar.

As unbelievable as it might be, I personally knew how strong this one was, so at least I was sure no one would be able to drink it without eventually passing out.

And so, our first round began...

Marin: "Hmm... I wanna draw another one."

Three cards in her hand.

Of course, I had no way of knowing what they were, and it was too early in the game for her to give me an easy-to-read reaction.

Normally, you'd want to get to 10 as quickly as possible. From there, the odds of getting to 20 or 21 are pretty favorable.

And that's the crux of the game. Probability.

As well as luck.

In this first round, however, luck wasn't on my side.

A 2 and a 3 are hardly the cards you're looking for your starter hand.

The most probable card for me to get after this was one worth 10. The King, the Queen, the Jack, or the ten card itself.

Meaning I would probably reach 15 and at most 16. Neither of which were good hands.

Of course, even considering the three cards in her hand and the two in mine, I could still get a low number, potentially buying me another chance.

Miwen: "Hit me... Aw. Not like that. I want another card."

Maybe I forgot to explain the common phrases...

Still, my hand went from shitty to pretty solid after that draw.

Isabella gave me another 3, leaving me with a total of 8. With at least one 2 and two 3s out of the game, things were looking good for my next draw.

Marin: "Hit me!"

At least Isabella learned fast.

Miwen: "Hit me."

Four cards in hand. But a total of 15.

Since Marin had not ended her game, she probably wasn't feeling confident in her hand as well.

Marin: "Hit me! Oh, shit."

Miwen: "Bust?"

Marin: "Yeah..."

Huh. Two 4s and two 8s.

It's unlikely her starting hand was two 8s. She would have definitely stopped after drawing a 4 if that was the case.

If the starting hand was a four and 8, then she could've gotten either a four or an eight at the hit.

Again, it would be unlikely for her to draw again after reaching 20.

The most likely scenario then is that she drew until 16, with a starting hand of either two 4s or a 4 and an 8...

It didn't matter to a round I had already won, but it never hurts to understand how your opponent thinks in this type of game.

Since she lost by busting, she had to drink two times in the first round.

She also lost the second and third rounds the same way, so she quickly emptied two bottles.

Miwen: "Fuuh..."

Marin: "Having a hard time, boy?"

Miwen: "...No?"

Frankly, even though I hadn't busted, every sip of that drink felt like death.

I also failed to consider the impact of drinking at the sea.

It's something I had never done before, so I forgot that the swaying of the ship as well as the immense, never-ending blue of the sea would also help with the nausea.

I could tell my thoughts were getting a little slower even though I had barely drunk anything compared to her.

Miwen: "Alright, I'll go first this time."

Marin; "Oh? Feeling confident are we?"

Miwen: "Are you hoping it's 'cause of the alcohol?"

Marin; "Sure am!"

I asked Isabella to hit me again.

This time, my hand contained two 3s. When I asked her to hit me, I got a joker.

Overall, pretty bad starting hand, but the Joker opened up a few possibilities. After Isabella hit Marin, it was my turn again, and I got a 6.

We went again, and she handed me a 10. Thankfully I could discard it.

It revealed my hand was bad since I didn't win with a 10, but it was fine since Marin busted right after.

Marin: "I don't get it... I can't blackjack at all... Are you doing something?"

Miwen: "Who knows? Get us onboard and I'll tell you."

Marin: "Hah. Right. Dream on, kid."

Our game continued after that.

I lost 3 rounds, but I never busted.

On the other hand, Marin lost 10.

Since almost all of them were busts she ended up drinking 6 bottles to my 1.

Miwen: "...Why the fuck is the table moving."

Marin: "Bwahahahaha! Cough..."

I was already tipsy, but at least she was starting to give off a few signals of drunkness.

Which one of us would've won was still up for debate though.

Her endurance was way better than I expected, but she had already reached a state where I could read her quite easily.

She also hadn't figured out the trick and her chances were getting lower by the minute.

Sadly, or maybe thankfully, our game was interrupted midway by a huge sea creature.

One of its tentacles rained down ice spikes at the ship while the other one targeted the sail.

Miwen: "Claire! Mia!"

That Kraken-like creature was level 86.

While Claire and Mia were able to drive away the two tentacles that attacked us, with that creature's head still underwater, our options were limited.

Claire's magic was obviously a no-go. Licia's also wouldn't do us much good.

Since Anna wasn't a good swimmer... It was up to me and Mia.

With the girls' support, most of the magic it sent our way was intercepted, and we went ahead to fight it underwater.

I was surprised by how deep it truly was. The tentacles were extending a lot, and like a whip, it was hard to evade them all the time.

Thankfully, being underwater gave us a few more options with our movement, and since Mia and I were the fastest in the Kingdom, we made good use of it to approach the creature as much as possible.

Sadly, reaching its head wasn't so easy.

The creature was able to quickly block our way while still targeting us with the tentacles, and unlike it, even though I was extending our time underwater with an air bubble, we were against the clock.

With very few options remaining, I made Cassandra assume the form of a long sword. The longest sword possible.

Using it like a massive spear I pierced one of the tentacles and sent it alongside the main body to the surface.

There I could freeze the water around us, allowing Anna to join the fight.

Claire and Licia were also able to target it now, so we could all focus our efforts.

However, sadly, during the battle, I was hit in the stomach, and while it didn't injure me too badly... I ended up throwing up. All the movement already gave me a pretty bad nausea, but that was the final straw.

The battle was going pretty well but it was hardly a consolation prize.

It was then that I saw... More than thirty ships around us. Some of them navigating, others flying.

Marin: "Fire!"

Miwen: "...!"

I was truly impressed. Marin is a few levels higher than us, at an impressive 92.

But her Gift... It was something else entirely.

Miwen: "You're a summoner? And you summon ghost ships? That's cool as hell. Also sorry for your deck. Get me a mop and I'll clean it."

Marin: "You've seen nothing yet, kid."

As the ships approached the monster, phantoms started to disembark, running above water in its direction.

It made complete sense why there weren't any other sailors or ships in the North Fleet.

She is an entire army, or fleet, by herself.

It also explained why she refused to use her Gift to fight me in the city. All of those ships had the proper size, and they seemed to have a proper phantom crew as well.

That was bound to cause as much of a commotion as a modern ship summoned by [Gacha Kingdom Building].

With Marin's help, we made quick work of the Kraken.

Not only was she able to increase our offensive power, but she could also use the ships she summoned as barriers to protect the main one.

It was almost unfair how strong her Gift was.

Although it was a shame I had lost the game, at least no one got hurt, so-

Marin: "Actually... My response was delayed because I... Blanked... Well, I passed out for a few minutes when you guys were fighting. So, how about this, we'll call it a draw this time, and since you proved you can fight for yourselves, you can get on my ship. On the condition you tell me how you were cheating, you bastard."

Miwen: "...Sure. But... I wasn't cheating."

Marin: "...Eh?"

Claire: "What? Seriously?"

I only had one unfair advantage over Marin.

She understood the game pretty well from the start.

She aimed for the 10s and 11s to set up a good hand and knew that strong hands, those ranging from 17 to 20, were fairly common.

So, she tried to either get a blackjack or a strong hand.

And that was the problem.

She was trying to get in a good position.

Now... Although it's true that many combinations lead to a blackjack or a strong hand, conversely, it is rare to get hands with low total values, like 6 or 4.

There are simply fewer combinations to reach such values.

In this game, however, we rarely got 10s or aces. We'd always have to build to the double digits with lower numbers, some of the worst and most rare combinations.

This is not something that should normally happen, but... Isabella was the dealer.

There's no way good cards such as the face cards or 10s would reach that girl's hands, even if they are the most common.

The problem is that they are simply too good.

Marin and the girls were all suspicious that I was using the special rules to cheat, but actually, I used them according to their obvious intent.

The option to stand without revealing the hand just puts more pressure on the adversary, while also providing a disadvantage to make it fair.

I used it so Marin wouldn't realize I was standing with whatever hand as soon as I crossed 11.

I knew that blackjacks or strong hands were impossible, so once a hand was past 11 it was time to stand even if it was a 13 or 14.

No matter what the odds of the next draw were, it was definitely going to blow.

As for the joker... It played its part.

It was just a distraction. A way to add a new variable to make the game a little less predictable.

It also helped me buy a round to ensure Marin would bust.

Simply put, since it was impossible to get blackjacks or strong hands, the bad hands on the double digits were the strongest.

Or rather, they were the only ones we could aim for.

All thanks to my little catastrophe girl.

Miwen: "Even bad luck can be useful~"

Claire: "Woah... You're a cretin!"

Mia: "What part of that was not cheating!?"

Isabella: "..."

Almost everyone had something to say.

But surprisingly, the only ones who didn't say a word were the ones most involved with it, Marin and Isabella.

The former accepted her loss. At the end of the day, it wasn't impossible to figure out what was happening as long as she paid close attention to her own cards instead of trying to figure out how I was cheating.

As for the latter... There are things I want her to realize about herself, and while they might be hard, I believe a small push is all that she needs.