According to legend, before Jesus crucifixion, he shared a final meal with his disciples.
Including Jesus himself, there were 13 people at this last supper, with the 13th being Judas, who betrayed Jesus to the Jewish authorities for 30 pieces of silver.
Combined with the dinner occurring on the 13th day, believers came to view the number '13' as the source of Jesus suffering and misfortune, naturally establishing it as a symbol of bad luck among the faithful.
As Christianity spread and became widespread, this superstition traveled with it.
Gradually, even non-believers were influenced, and the association of 13 with misfortune became increasingly entrenched.
Buildings skip the 13th floor, queues skip the number 13—instances of "deliberately skipping 13" can frequently be observed in daily life.
This consensus formed at the subjective level has created tangible effects on the objective world, demonstrating just how powerful this superstition has become.
People who genuinely don't care about this superstition are rare to begin with.
Especially in a casino, where everyone who comes cares about 'luck' to some degree.
So when Bayonetta placed her chips on number 13, not only were Rhodes and Happy surprised, but the other guests at the table also showed varying degrees of astonishment.
Under the dealer operation, the roulette wheel began to spin.
The thumb-sized ball, like a teasing little sprite, bounced back and forth between the red and green slots.
The gamblers emotions were tightly bound to the ball movements.
With each bounce, some felt excited anticipation while others felt disappointed despair.
Finally, the wheel stopped spinning, and the ball obediently settled into one of the slots.
"Number 13, congratulations, madam."
For the dealer, this was just another ordinary round.
Once the result appeared, she immediately followed her usual routine, congratulating Bayonetta for hitting the number while gently pushing the chips toward her with a stick.
"Wow~! What a coincidence?"
Surprised that it actually hit, Rhodes widened his eyes, his expression so animated it rivaled that Nick Young meme from Earth.
Happy also wore a face full of disbelief, his chubby cheeks showing complete astonishment.
"MUA~."
Picking up the two chips she had wagered, Bayonetta brought them to her flame-red lips for a light kiss.
With seductive eyes, she smiled charmingly.
"I told you, 13 is my lucky number."
Was it really just coincidence?
Hitting 13 on the first spin might indeed be luck.
But in the time that followed, Bayonetta repeated successes relied on more than just fortune.
She had once used the power of the 'Eye of the World' to travel back in time, meeting her mother who had died during her childhood while in her adult form.
Together they cooperated to kill countless invaders in that final battle that destroyed the Witches forces.
If not for the time constraints that prevented her from staying in the past too long and fighting until the very end, truthfully, with adult Bayonetta power, she might have completely rewritten history, making the 'Fall of the Witches' nothing but a fantasy.
That's getting a bit off-topic, but ultimately, Bayonetta, who possessed the 'Eye of the World' could manipulate time to some degree.
Although the 'Eye of the World' wasn't as powerful as the Time Stone, and Bayonetta mastery of magic was far less extensive than the Ancient One, it was more than sufficient to handle the minor situation at the gambling table.
How could she possibly lose when she could see the result before placing her bet?
In just half an hour, the chips in front of Bayonetta had piled into a small mountain.
The female dealer operating the table was so nervous that fine beads of sweat had formed across her forehead.
"Bayo, this is..."
Looking at the scene before him, Shi Xiaolei felt surprised and somewhat embarrassed.
As for excitement, he felt none whatsoever.
The reason was simple. the hotel was Stark property.
Therefore, the money in the casino could, in a sense, be considered Stark.
Stark himself probably wouldn't mind, but as a friend, watching his companion aggressively taking money from his friend pocket was rather awkward.
That's right, after watching for a while, Shi Xiaolei had detected something amiss.
Although he didn't know exactly what trick Bayonetta was using, it was obvious that the current development couldn't be explained away as simply 'having good luck.'
"Bayo, we should probably stop now."
Leaning close to Bayonetta ear, Shi Xiaolei finally couldn't help but remind her.
Knowing Bayonetta temperament, Shi Xiaolei deliberately found a more effective reason to persuade her.
"More and more people are following your bets."
He could advise, but not interfere.
If he spoke too harshly to the point of interference, it would be equivalent to openly stating 'I know you're cheating' with an implied criticism and blame.
He might be a bit simple, but his emotional intelligence hadn't sunk that low—Shi Xiaolei would never say such a thing.
"Perfect timing, I was getting bored anyway."
With a playful smile, Bayonetta gracefully accepted Shi Xiaolei suggestion.
With one hand on the table and the other on Shi Xiaolei arm, she swayed her waist slightly as she stood up from the gambling table.
Pointing at the chip container on the table, she naturally commanded.
"Rock, grab the chips and let's go."
"Leaving already?"
Having just followed Bayonetta lead for a few bets and won over ten thousand dollars, Rhodes was currently at the height of his excitement and certainly didn't want to see his 'guiding light' leave midway.
"Won't you play a bit longer? Your luck is so good right now, don't waste it."
"My luck is always good, no matter what I play."
Despite her tone being as lofty and queenly as ever, not a single person found it inappropriate.
This was partly due to her unique beauty and aura, but more importantly because of the skill she had just demonstrated at the gambling table.
In the subconscious of the surrounding gamblers, a sense of 'follow her lead and you can't go wrong' had already formed.
In a way, this acknowledgment was submission to a 'leader.'
"OK, whatever you say."
See? Even Rhodes naturally collected his chips as if it was the obvious thing to do, and followed Bayonetta away from the table.
"What shall we play next? Texas Hold'em? Or something simpler like Blackjack?"
"Wait for me too!"
Remembering that Happy was Stark 'sidekick' Bayonetta casually asked.
"Where else is fun to play?"
"Let me think, hmm... Got it, follow me."
With the familiar Happy leading the way, there was no fear of not finding something entertaining.
Two hours later, Stark, who had just finished an 'endurance match' with Pepper, received a report call from the casino manager.
"Huh? Are you serious, not joking? It really was Happy guests, you didn't see wrong? OK, I got it..."
Lying lazily on the bed, having overheard Stark conversation, Pepper couldn't help but feel curious.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing major. Happy took them down to the casino to play, and Bayonetta had great luck, winning quite a sum from the other guests."
Stark smiled.
"Just over a hundred million. You know, for ordinary people, that's still quite a significant number."
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist?you can read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [[email protected]/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)