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The Dreamscape, Golden Hour.
The place where numerous amusement facilities gathered—Aideen Amusement Park.
All the games here required exchanging Credits for Aideen Tokens before they could be used.
So even in a dream, you still had to spend money—was that really reasonable?
Sol and Silver Wolf bought two tokens from Dancy, the token merchant who was drunkenly vomiting rainbows, and came to stand before the Lucky Wheel.
The wheel had eight slots—four Major Prizes, three Super Prizes, and one Grand Prize.
"For something that's technically the smallest prize, they really insist on calling it a 'Major Prize.' That's so insincere."
Silver Wolf complained while staring at the wheel.
"Just giving those with bad luck a bit of psychological comfort."
Sol deftly flicked the coin with his fingertips, the silver token spinning gracefully through the air. "Ready, Miss Silver Wolf?"
"Ready."
Silver Wolf nodded, then looked at Sol with a slightly smug smile. "But are you sure you want me to go first?"
This Lucky Wheel dispensed one prize per spin, and there was only a single Grand Prize.
As long as she secured the Grand Prize on the first spin, victory would be locked in.
Their wager only restricted the impact of cheating, not the means—both of them possessed the ability to guarantee a big win once.
Whoever spun the wheel first would have an absolute advantage.
And the Memoria that formed this dreamscape was also known as ether—precisely the domain of her Aether Editing.
With timing and terrain on her side, victory was assured!
"Ladies first. That way, you'll lose fair and square."
Sol smiled faintly, his words carrying deeper meaning. "The wager is set. You and I will leave it to fate."
It had been a long time since he last gambled.
Come to think of it, what was Yan Shuangying's first template best at again?
Bullets, maybe?
Even after pulling cards thousands of times, his Concept Skills were still just the original four.
"Your defeat is already decided!"
Silver Wolf inserted the coin into the machine and said confidently to Sol.
The wheel began to spin, the pointer swaying back and forth between Major Prizes, Super Prizes, and the Grand Prize.
She immediately activated Aether Editing in secret, manipulating the rotation of the wheel.
No—right in front of Sol, openly and brazenly performing behind-the-scenes manipulation.
At the same time, Silver Wolf focused intently on Sol's movements, ready to neutralize any interference the moment he acted.
However—
No fluctuation in Imaginary Energy.
No fluctuation in Memoria.
Silver Wolf detected no action from Sol at all. Everything proceeded so smoothly it was hard to believe.
No way… could Sol be deliberately letting me go?
That nice?
She almost felt touched—as if.
Silver Wolf's expression grew increasingly arrogant. She would win everything decisively. The weak deserved to be humiliated!
Soon, the pointer stopped—just as expected—landing squarely on the Grand Prize.
"Looks like I'm free!"
Silver Wolf lifted her chin toward Sol, radiant and spirited, as if she had returned to the moment of their first meeting.
"The prize hasn't come out yet. Nothing is decided—I might still be the dark horse."
Sol smiled slightly and, at the moment the Lucky Wheel began to dispense the reward, flicked his own coin with pinpoint precision into the slot.
"What?!"
Silver Wolf immediately tensed.
She stared at the prize chute of the Lucky Wheel, afraid that Sol might tamper with the reward itself.
Confirmation—Memoria calm, no fluctuations.
Confirmation—no abnormal Imaginary energy detected.
Confirmation—Aether Editing cheat codes unaffected!
After checking again and again, Silver Wolf finally confirmed that nothing had happened.
Sol had done nothing.
She had won for sure!
Silver Wolf proudly raised her head, her smooth chin angled toward Sol.
Now, the only question was whether Sol would go back on his word.
But the strong had their own dignity—he probably would not renege.
At that moment, a round, plush toy ball popped out.
After bouncing a few times on the ground, its spherical casing dissolved, revealing the prize inside.
"Mr. Sol, it seems I must bid you farewell."
Silver Wolf gave Sol a very gentlemanly bow and pointed at her prize. "Look, my Gran—"
Her voice suddenly caught. She rubbed her eyes, her voice barely a whisper. "My… Super Prize?"
The prize before her was unmistakable.
It was not the four-star Light Cone of the Grand Prize, but the beverage associated with the Super Prize.
So how did her foolproof Grand Prize turn into a Super Prize?
And at that very moment—
Another bouncing plush ball popped out. Its casing disappeared, revealing a four-star Nihility Light Cone [It's Showtime].
"How could this be~"
"Why did it turn out like this~"
Silver Wolf lowered her head, utterly deflated.
She could not understand it.
Her Aether Editing had been flawless. She had clearly detected no interference from Sol at all.
So why had her Grand Prize turned into a Super Prize?
Did that not mean… she had lost her freedom?
"Miss Silver Wolf, your freedom now belongs to me."
Sol walked up to her and pinched that fair, delicate little face.
He leaned down by Silver Wolf's left shoulder and took a deep breath, savoring the girl's scent.
Ah—the scent of a loser. Truly intoxicating.
"Why… why? My technique was clearly so perfect…"
Silver Wolf continued doubting herself.
Her gaze fell on the four-star Light Cone, completely baffled.
On it, a cute girl in a red backless dress wore a sickly yet charming smile, brimming with joy.
It was over. Truly over.
How had she gambled away her freedom so easily?
Silver Wolf was filled with regret—deeper regret than she had ever felt before.