Reeve, with a thumping heart, was guided like a sacrificial lamb toward the other side of the counter just as everyone else stayed in their lines while watching him like hawks.
Technically, he wasn’t nervous because this was supposed to be a freebie. He wouldn’t particularly die if he did poorly here, right?
Considering how he had already used all the luck of his life on becoming the booth’s first custor, he figured he was bound to experience his usual odds, which generally ant horribly unlucky.
But that was fine.
He should be fine. He already experienced sothing great earlier and couldn’t possibly be too greedy.
That was what he thought and had been telling himself... until he crossed to the other side and saw how maybe he should be nervous about this.
Because upon closer inspection, he realized there were actually several interesting, more like life-changing, things written on that wheel.
Like that standout slice in sparkling gold that said Golden Harvest Pass, as well as all those items with the word Access after them.
Reeve gulped, and as if noticing his hesitation, the golden-eyed guild leader gestured toward a small display board beside the wheel.
"Ah, if it helps, I can explain the items," Luca said gently.
A dozen necks extended forward at once.
Reeve nodded quickly. "Y-Yes, please."
Luca pointed to the golden slice first. "This is the Golden Harvest Pass. It’s our jackpot prize. The winner receives three hours at the restaurant/activity center, one hour at the cafe, a minimart run where one would have an allocation of twenty items, a garden farm tour, and a limited edition mug or jug."
Reeve’s soul left his body for a mont.
Beside him, several spectators clutched their bags like they were ready to pray.
Luca continued, "Next is the Garden Feast Slot. That one gives the winner a two-hour reservation inside the garden restaurant."
People gasped softly, as if a two-hour reservation was sothing noble families fought wars over. They weren’t even sure about what it was, but anything with a reservation was bound to be good, right?
"This one is the Café Comfort Hour," Luca went on. "It gives an hour inside the cafe area and includes one free drink upgrade."
Reeve nodded stiffly while trying to rember what was inside that tunnel he’d seen a peek of earlier.
But as if the cadet was stressed about sothing, he added quickly, "Please note that you only win the reservation slots. Food and drinks will be paid separately. But the general price range is affordable, and there are even discounts for children and seniors. Anything you can’t finish can also be packed for takeout!"
Everyone stared at each other.
There was clearly a lot to unpack there. For one, what’s takeout?
Reeve opened his mouth, then closed it again.
But the young guild leader had already moved on, tapping another icon on the board. "This one is called a Greenhouse Explorer Token."
That got everyone tilting their heads.
Luca’s eyes brightened as he explained, "Since it would be impossible to bring our entire facility over here or to bring the attendees over there within a reasonable ti, we decided to put up a mini greenhouse farm. It should help illustrate how we’re able to provide for everything you’ve seen and tasted."
Reeve’s eyes widened impossibly. "Your guild... farms the raw materials for the things I just ate?" He asked, incredulous.
"Yes, custor," Luca replied with a proud nod. "And that is our major exhibit for this year’s expo."
"!!!"
The crowd stiffened.
They didn’t know why the man who had eaten it earlier was reacting like that, but the way Reeve looked genuinely shaken made several people wonder if the food was secretly world-changing.
Could it possibly be as good as the popular food on Star Mall?
The vibrant cadet continued cheerfully, "Those who win the greenhouse farm tour will also receive a complintary crop or berry bundle."
The intern felt another internal explosion. His heart was doing flips now, uncontrolled and unprofessional. The others didn’t know it yet, but he tasted things.
Tasted. So if those were raw materials and they would be given for free, then wow, wasn’t that crazy?!
Even when Luca described the other prizes, such as the one, three, five, and ten-item minimart purchase allocations, as well as the Taste Tester Bonus that would allow for an additional free sample for the day, Reeve thought they were already jackpots.
And yet there were still things like the Lucky Herb Bundle, a photo op voucher, a free specialty drink voucher, and of course, the heartbreaking yet polite Try Your Luck Next Ti.
By the end of the explanation, Reeve could only breathe out slowly as the wheel glead before him like a divine trial.
There was no going back.
He had to spin.
And so, with his life apparently riding on the line, Reeve followed the instructions and the guidelines of definitely not cheating.
Then he pulled the wheel down with all his might.
The wheel jumped to life.
Whrrrrrrr—whrrrrrrr—whrrrrrrr—
The crowd leaned forward.
Soone whispered, "Oh no, he pulled too hard."
Another muttered, "Good. That ans fate will have to work overti."
More people had already taken out their terminals. So were streaming. So were recording. So were narrating as if this were a historic mont.
Well, even if it weren’t, just the fact that such a popular cadet was standing right by the wheel was more than enough for content.
The ticker began its rhythmic sound.
Tck. Tck. Tck. Tck. Tck.
Loud, sharp, painful to the soul.
The wheel spun in a blur of colors, each segnt flashing by.
Reeve felt his vision tilt. His knees wobbled. His conscience begged for rcy.
"Look at it!" soone shouted.
"I can’t!" Reeve cried back, eyes shut tight.
Tck. Tck. Tck. Tck... Tck... Tck...
"It’s slowing down!" soone yelled.
"Wait. Wait. Wait. No. Not there. Please, not there!"
Because it was approaching the most heartbreaking slice.
Try Your Luck Next Ti.
Gasps rippled across the lines. People clutched their hearts. A woman squeezed her friend’s shoulder. The friend squeezed back.
The child who had been following Reeve closely trembled. "Please! Please!"
Reeve, shaking, kept his eyes closed. He didn’t want to see his own doom.
The wheel crawled...
slower...
slower...
Tck... tck... tck...
A collective inhale filled the entire booth.
And then—
POP!
Bright strears burst above the wheel.
"???"
Shrieks. Screams. Gasps.
The intern’s eyes flew open.
"What?"
He froze.
Was he hallucinating?
Because the ticker had stopped directly on the glittering gold slice.
The Golden Harvest Pass.
He blinked once. Twice. A third ti.
Before he could even process it, soone burst out from the minimart section. A cadet with fluffy blonde hair practically skidded across the floor.
"Wow! Congratulations, custor!" the newcor cheered. His voice sparkled as much as his smile. "We didn’t expect to have a jackpot prize winner when the odds for that were so low! You must have insane luck, Sir!"
The other staff who appeared out of nowhere, much to everyone’s surprise, clapped enthusiastically.
"Congratulations, custor!" said Luca, whose angelic smile was so bright that it could’ve been blinding.
"Please head over this way so you can discuss your winnings and bookings with our other mbers."
Reeve walked forward in a daze, swallowed by applause and cheers. He disappeared under the decorative tunnel like soone being escorted into the afterlife.
Only...
Before the remaining attendees could finish grabbing their free samples, Reeve suddenly burst out of the tunnel again, looking utterly shaken.
Everyone stared.
He looked like he had witnessed a revelation that mortals were not ant to see.
"What happened?" soone whispered.
Reeve, however, didn’t answer them. He had more important things to do, like fumbling with his terminal as if a cosmic beast was chasing him.
"Thea! This is very sudden, but you have to drop whatever you’re doing right now!" he shouted the mont the call connected.
"Reeve?! Are you dying? Do you hear yourself?" the woman on the screen yelled back.
"No! But you’re going to kill if, in the future, you learn I had the opportunity but never told you about this. In the end, it would be certain death. If you don’t want to, then it’s okay, but you can’t forget this conversation and kill after I already told you to rush here!"
The entire line went quiet.
Every single person leaned in a little closer.
Whatever he saw inside must have been monuntal.
After a few more frantic, borderline-alarming exchanges, Reeve finally turned to go back into the tunnel.
Only to be stopped by a small voice.
"Mister. Is sothing wrong? Didn’t you just win? Why are you back outside?"
It was the sa curious child now holding a pack of warm, fresh, and clearly untouched mini doughnuts that Reeve himself had not tasted yet.
"No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that..."
How could he explain it?
How could he describe what he saw just from the reception area alone?
After a mont of stunned reflection, he said only, "Kid. I wish you the absolute best when you spin."
"Huh? Why? What’s in there?"
Reeve opened his mouth. Closed it. Tried again.
"Paradise," he said finally. "So good luck. And if you’re not sure what I an... then maybe you will understand after tasting those samples."
The intern blinked, confused.
Reeve disappeared back into the tunnel.
The child, still puzzled, lifted one mini doughnut and took a bite.
The world stopped.
Then expanded.
Then revealed its secrets.
The others watched the child freeze, eyes wide in dawning clarity.
And after a single bite, they understood everything.
The past.
The present.
And their possible future.
And it could be glorious.
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