A Wave of Lottery Draws

Across the European continent, dark clouds gathered. Ordinary citizens felt something was amiss, but life went on as usual—going out, coming home—giving them the impression that it was all just their imagination.

One shocking news story after another broke.

There were reports of a king from some country’s royal family embezzling vast sums of money, directly abdicating his throne to his son, and ultimately staging his own exile.

Then came scandals involving politicians and high-class escorts.

The owner of a high-class escort company was arrested, and the media eagerly reported on which politicians and dignitaries, which Saudi princes, and which members of the Rothschild family were high-profile VIP clients of this company.

In an instant.

The situation became turbulent.

Even…

San Lorenzo, which had been reported yesterday, experienced an eleventh-magnitude earthquake following the first one. The resulting mega-tsunami destroyed eighty-five percent of San Lorenzo’s territory.

This news was quickly drowned out by the flood of gossip and sensationalist headlines.

After all, how could a small country with a population of less than fifty thousand and no real global presence compare to the scandals and gossip erupting from the major European powers and kingdoms?

Year Zero Four was dubbed the "Year of Scandals" by Europeans.

And…

For the Security Council, Year Zero Four was almost the year of the cloning crisis, which could trigger a major crisis for human society and unleash a great tsunami.

By the end of November.

The Security Council reached a consensus: the five major powers jointly banned all forms of cloning experiments comprehensively. Upon discovery, the Security Council would directly and forcefully investigate and impose strong sanctions under the pretext of a "Human Security Crisis."

This was because after failing to cover it up, the Federation had directly leaked the cloning ledger found at Daniel Whitehall’s Parisian estate during the European S.H.I.E.L.D. raid, informing the other four major powers that they all had clones within their own ranks and that they should handle it themselves.

In short.

The European continent had been quite strange over the past half-month, but as the weeks passed, the storm gradually subsided. To most people, the sky was still blue, and the sea was still blue.

It was as if nothing had changed.

At most.

With the joint rescue efforts of the Security Council, San Lorenzo detected large amounts of mercury residue in the soil after the tsunami. It would take at least two years for San Lorenzo to recover.

To prevent unsuspecting civilians from trespassing, Belgium and the Netherlands volunteered, stepping up to strengthen their border patrols.

Undoubtedly.

Once the Security Council finished dealing with the residue in San Lorenzo, the country, which had practically become unclaimed territory, would be divided up by these two neighbors.

This was an evil backroom deal!

At this very moment.

Lake was on the top floor of the Immortal Castle, gazing at the large town at the foot of the mountain, which was already taking shape. It would become the settlement for the first batch of Immortal Bloodline members under the rule of the Immortal Royal Family.

Emilia leaned on Lake’s shoulder and said, "According to the agreement with the Security Council at the time, once the Immortal City is established, the Immortal Bloodline under the rule of the Immortal Royal Family will return to settle here. Do you think we’ve established a nation?"

Lake glanced at Emilia. "You are the Queen now, the Immortal Queen!"

"And you?" Emilia smiled. "The Immortal Prince?"

Lake laughed heartily. "I don’t mind."

Black King was a name he had casually chosen because he had thought of it as representing his dark side, while Lake Edwin belonged to the light side.

However…

At the time, his little cotton-padded jacket had teased him about it. Black King, Black King. Lake suddenly felt that, indeed, with just that title, someone unfamiliar might think his skin color was the same as his nickname.

In the afternoon.

Lake left the Immortal Castle and set off, taking a plane directly to the Federation.

December 1st.

9 AM New York time.

Lake, carrying his backpack, returned to Starlight Tower.

Thump, thump, thump!

Lake looked at Skye, who was walking down the spiral staircase wearing pajamas, and said with a smile, "Aren’t you going to school today?"

Skye, seeing that it was Lake who had entered, yawned and walked down the spiral staircase. "We’ve been on holiday since yesterday, okay?"

Lake raised an eyebrow. "Oh right, the blissful high school years."

Skye shrugged. "For others, yes. For me, no."

"Why?"

"Why did you sign me up for so many extra classes again?"

"Hahaha!"

Lake tossed his backpack onto the sofa and walked towards the wine cabinet. "Because I have the financial means, and knowledge makes people progress."

Skye walked over. "I can understand the four foreign language classes, but etiquette, combat, and shooting…"

Lake said, "Etiquette is something you might use after you come of age, or you might not. But if you wait until you need it, it’ll be too late to learn. It’s the same for combat and shooting. I’m an enforcer, and isn’t Gwen also signed up?"

Skye nodded.

Lake took a sip of wine from his glass. "Because of the nature of being an enforcer, you might not need these two courses. But when you do, they can save your life."

Skye tilted her head, sat on the high stool, and blinked. "I thought you solved all the trouble when you went out this time."

"I wish that were the case."

Lake smiled and said casually, "But the tree wants to be still, yet the wind doesn’t stop. I want a peaceful life, but unfortunately, some people always mistake my peaceful life for weakness."

Skye nodded, as if she understood but not quite. "So, you’re worried that one day I’ll be kidnapped and used to threaten you."

Lake paused with his wine glass, looked at Skye thoughtfully, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly. "I recall someone has already used you to threaten me once."

Skye’s mouth twitched.

The next second.

Skye’s eyes lit up as she looked at Lake. "Right, that time, the bullet you shot curved."

"Did it?"

"Yes, and you lied to me, saying I was hallucinating because of the bug in my head."

"Weren’t you?"

"No."

"It was a hallucination, you misremembered. How could a bullet curve?"

"…"

Lake gave Skye a mysterious smile, then poured himself a full glass of wine and walked up the stairs to the second floor.

Skye blinked, came back to her senses, turned, and said to Lake, "I wasn’t hallucinating. I will prove it."

Lake waved his hand. "Alright, if you can prove it, I’ll tell you something too."

Skye: "…"

Prove a bullet can curve?

Right now, Lake was probably the sole inheritor of the last intangible cultural heritage of "Bullet Curving."

Wow.

How come I feel like I’ve gained another title?

Lake blinked.

Assistant Director of Operations for the Department of Homeland Security, Director for New York State of the Department of Homeland Security, Major in the Army, the assassin Black King, and now, the sole inheritor of intangible cultural heritage?

I really am amazing.

Lake chuckled, entered the study, turned, and closed the door.

[Usable Draw Chances: 1447 (Max Ordinary Recharge Draw Chances)]
[Draw Ended, System Entering Upgrade Period, Estimated Time (Greater than 24 hours)]
[Upon successful upgrade, low-value items will be automatically removed from the Draw System Library, such as 'Keep Trying,' 'Thank You,' 'Red Wine,' 'Diamonds,' 'Gold Bars,' etc. The minimum guaranteed item tier will be upgraded to B-grade...]

This was after Lake gave the gold bars he obtained from San Lorenzo to Emilia and had Emilia transfer one hundred million directly.

The result…

Lake had intended to go all-in and do a thousand draws. Unfortunately, no matter how many tricks Lake had up his sleeve, his cheat system, which had the ultimate right of interpretation, had a limit.

The limit had been reached.

Good heavens.

When Lake first activated this system, he had been contemplating one thing: perhaps it would be difficult for him in the early stages to draw using cash, but as his cheat system’s power grew stronger, the draw chances would only become easier.

And this was based on the premise that Lake was a person with self-control.

If it were a traverser without any bottom line, they would probably turn into a freeloader after getting this system, directly leeching off Karen and Ross’s savings. In short, they would find anyone who could give them money.

However…

Such a person probably wouldn’t get the system. After all, after Lake got together with Emilia, he knew Emilia was very wealthy. Even though he was desperate for money, he never asked Emilia for any. Moreover, Lake insisted on splitting the child-rearing expenses with Emilia fifty-fifty.

The sky is big, but one’s face is bigger.

Trees need bark, and people need face.

Lake had always valued his reputation and dignity greatly.

However…

Drawing slowly is also a good thing.

At least, as Lake looked at the items that would be removed in the upgrade, his brow twitched incessantly. The draw chances in the early stages were already few, and he had been drawing with his hard-earned money. Fortunately, he hadn’t gotten anything like "Thank You" or "Keep Trying."

Forget it.

One thousand four hundred and forty-seven draws were enough.

Just maintaining my own invincibility is enough; lucky draws and such are just icing on the cake.

"Begin!"

"Boom!"

Instantly.

Shrunken golden treasure chests appeared one after another in Lake’s vision, and soon, they almost completely filled Lake’s sight.

[Ding!]

[Random Perspective Mirror: Grade A, Item, Fantasy type. When equipped on a telescope, it allows one to see through any wall, no matter how thick. Originates from the Doraemon series of items.]

[Ding!]

[Electromagnetic Grenade * 2: Grade D, Item, Technology type. Instantly releases electromagnetic energy, causing paralysis effects on electronic and mechanical equipment within a 25-meter radius. No harm to humans.]

[Ding!]

[Holy Water Grenade * 2: Grade B, Item, Modified Technology type. Deals massive damage to the undead, dark beings, spirits, and necromancers.]

[Ding!]

[……]