Reborn As The Minor Villain In A Romance Fantasy Novel

Chapter 250: How To Catch A Scammer

Minerva was pretty excited as she dragged Lucius along through the crowded entrance.

It was nice to spend some quality time with him especially, away from the other girls who were always competing for his attention.

This felt almost like a real date, something from the human customs she’d absorbed from his memories.

"I haven’t actually been to an Amusement park but I’m pretty excited about this." Minerva said as she stretched her free hand above her head, looking around with wide eyes.

There were different kinds of stands everywhere she looked... game booths with stuffed animals hanging from the ceilings, food vendors selling everything from hot dogs to funnel cakes, and a lot of people moving between attractions.

The air smelled like sugar, fried food, and that particular mix of excitement and sweat that only crowds could produce.

"Also... is this what you call a disguise?" She asked, turning to look at him critically.

He was wearing glasses with thick black frames and a hoodie, though it wasn’t pulled over his head.

He had also tied his long black hair back in a ponytail, so while he looked somewhat different from his usual appearance... it was still obviously the same person if you looked closely.

"You look like a low-budget celebrity trying to conceal themselves in the crowd." Minerva commented honestly as they walked toward the first stand.

The girls had started coming inside the park as well, and she could see them splitting off into groups of two to enjoy themselves.

Luna went with Vanessa, Elara paired with Emilia, Villy walked with Selene. Except Amber... she was left alone and she immediately strayed off to the side by herself, looking dejected.

Amber was wearing an actual disguise, and it was pretty believable honestly.

She had stuffed where her breasts were supposed to be with some kind of fiber padding, making her chest look significantly larger. She’d worn baggy clothes over that, then temporarily sprayed her distinctive black hair blonde with some kind of cosmetic product.

Finally, she’d adopted a dress that covered everything from neck to ankles, completely changing her silhouette.

Lucius felt like she was putting way too much effort into this, but he supposed that’s what happened when you were a President’s daughter and couldn’t risk being recognized.

"It is working..." Lucius said defensively as they passed by several people who glanced at him briefly before moving on.

If they knew he was Lucius Hohenberg, the rising star of the Awakened world with hundreds of millions of social media followers, they would have crowded him immediately.

Probably asking for autographs, photos, possibly even challenging him to fights. But it was peaceful now, and nobody gave them a second glance.

"See?" he added smugly.

"I’m sure it’s because of the fact that the humans aren’t expecting to see you here." Minerva said logically as they stopped in front of the first stall of the evening, a brightly colored booth with balloons and streamers.

A cheerful vendor stood behind the counter, calling out to passersby. "Here ye here ye~ You can exchange crowns for coins here... and you can also get cotton candy!"

The man was middle-aged with a friendly face and an enthusiastic sales pitch that he’d clearly perfected over years of working here.

"If I may ask..." Minerva started while placing a hand on the wooden counter, leaning forward with curiosity. "What are these coins for?"

"The coins? Why dear miss, they’re the currency for entering rides and playing park games." The man said while clapping his hands together with practiced showmanship. "The average game costs about 10 bronze play coins... however, if you can buy a gold play coin for about 10,000 Royals, you’ll have lifetime access to using everything in the Amusement Park."

He pulled out a sample gold coin from under the counter, letting it catch the light. It gleamed with genuine precious metal.

"This baby works at every Avalon Amusement Park location across all countries," he continued with a salesman’s enthusiasm. "Twenty-three locations worldwide, unlimited access for life. Think of it as an investment in fun!"

Minerva looked over to Lucius with hopeful eyes, already knowing what she wanted.

Lucius raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You know we probably wouldn’t be coming here again... right? What do you need a gold play coin for?"

It seemed excessive for what was essentially a single afternoon of entertainment.

"Come on..." She said and pouted cutely, deploying the puppy eyes technique with devastating effectiveness.

Her lower lip jutted out and her eyes went wide and teary, she even tilted her head slightly for maximum impact. "Let’s get unlimited rides..."

It was a coordinated assault on his decision-making capabilities.

In the end, Lucius succumbed to the cuteness of the dragon woman and pulled out his credit card with a defeated sigh.

"Swipe and charge, bro."

He couldn’t say no to that face. He was weak, and he accepted this fact.

Minutes later, they walked away from the stand with Minerva holding onto the gold play coin like a lifeline.

It was big... as big as a damn cookie, at least four inches in diameter. And contrary to Lucius’s expectation that it would be gold-plated or painted, it seemed to be made with pure gold.

The weight alone suggested several ounces of the precious metal, making the 10,000 royal price tag actually seem reasonable from a material standpoint.

"He said it... didn’t he? We can use it anywhere, even back home." Minerva said excitedly, turning the coin over in her hands to examine both sides.

After they bought it, the vendor had confirmed it was eligible in every country that had an Avalon Amusement Park franchise.

Though Lucius still doubted the practical utility of that benefit, he guessed he was happy that she was happy. Her excitement was contagious and honestly adorable.

"Let’s find our first game to play..." She said, already pulling him along again.

They looked along a corridor of colorful stalls to choose from, each one competing for attention with bright lights, loud music, and prizes on display.

Eventually she picked the first one that caught her eye.

"It’s called Fish n’ Pick." She said as they arrived at a booth decorated with ocean themes and cartoon fish.

Coming from the stall was a mother with a small boy who was crying his eyes out, tears streaming down his face as his mother tried to console him.

The kid clutched an empty hand where he’d probably hoped to be holding a prize.

Lucius immediately expected the stall of being rigged... That kind of disappointed crying usually meant the game was designed to be nearly impossible.

They arrived at the counter and stood while looking at the setup displayed on the table.

There was a fishing rod with actual line and a small hook, and three fish bowls arranged in a row. Each bowl contained crystal-clear water and a single small goldfish swimming in lazy circles.

The owner of the stand was a bald man, and he was so completely bald that a singular beam of sunlight reflected off his head like polished glass, making even Lucius wince a bit at the glare.

The man had clearly embraced his lack of hair, keeping his scalp shined to an almost unnatural degree.

"Welcome to my stand! It’s called Fish n’ Pick and your goal here is very simple..." The man said with a practiced smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "You will use the fishing rod and bait to catch a goldfish and transfer it into the bigger jar over here."

He gestured to a larger bowl sitting to the side.

"If you win, you can have a single reward from the board." He pointed upward.

Minerva and Lucius looked at the prize board hanging above the stall.

If one managed to catch all three fish successfully, they would get a big teddy bear... huge things easily three feet tall.

Out of the two options on the shelf, catching two fishes gave you mini bears about a foot tall, and catching a single one gave you chibi dolls no bigger than a hand.

Lucius simply couldn’t see the appeal with any of that plush merchandise, but Minerva was absolutely fired up.

Her eyes locked onto the pink teddy bear with laser focus.

She quickly extended her gold coin outward to him with determination. "I have a gold play coin meaning I can play the game without paying..."

The bald man’s eyes widened noticeably as he shifted his head, and the beam of light reflected directly into Lucius’s eyes even through his glasses, making him flinch.

’Fuck.’ The man thought, his internal panic not showing on his pleasant expression but he nodded outwardly with professional courtesy.

"Of course, let me check if it’s authentic." He said, reaching for the coin.

Minerva gave it to him trustingly, and he pressed his hands against it, checking the weight and feel.

Then he looked for the authentication code engraved on the edge, finding the tiny serial number and verification marks. He sighed internally with disappointment.

It was really authentic.

"It is, here you go." He handed it back with a smile that was slightly strained.

’Fuck!’ He thought again, more intensely this time as he looked at them.

He absolutely hated these people that bought gold play coins because how would he be able to scam them properly?

They didn’t need to pay anything now, which ruined his entire business model. The whole thing about the Amusement park’s economy was buying regular bronze coins so that the individual sellers earned commissions as well... or rather so that his scam would pay off properly and he could skim profits.

’Well, it doesn’t matter.’ He consoled himself.

His stall was one of the few that was considered quite unbeatable by anyone who’d tried it, and there were a certain number of desperate people that participated repeatedly just to get toys from him for their kids or partners... and they always failed eventually, leaving their bronze coins behind.

The sellers were allowed to keep a percentage of regular coins from each transaction, which was how he earned his actual income but his real profit came from the rigged nature of the game itself.

The baits that he used were specially treated with a chemical coating that smelled faintly of predator pheromones... things that fish instinctively avoided.

It was not strong enough for humans to notice, but enough to make the goldfish actively repulsed by it.

Even if someone got lucky and a fish approached, the hooks were intentionally dull and treated with a slippery coating that made them almost impossible to set properly.

And even then, he’d trained these particular goldfish through negative reinforcement to hate being hooked, making them thrash violently at any pressure on their mouths.

So it was basically free money for him, at the cost of making children cry and disappointing couples but then at the end of the day, those tears were what brought food to his table and paid his rent, so he didn’t mind much.

The park management had tried checking him for cheating many times over the years, but they couldn’t find anything technically illegal.

The fish were real, the hooks were functional, and he never explicitly lied about the game’s mechanics so they gave up investigating and he was free to run his operation however he wanted.

Minerva took up the fishing rod with both hands, getting a feel for its weight and balance.

The bald man stifled a laugh behind his professional smile. There was absolutely no way that she would succeed, gold coin or not.

She examined the bait already attached to the hook, a small pellet that looked like standard fish food but smelled wrong to anyone with enhanced senses then she hooked it properly onto the line and cast.

The man let out an internal sigh. Since he couldn’t earn money from them anyway... he would at least ensure to frustrate them as much as possible.

Small victories were still the best victories.

However, Minerva dropped the line into the first bowl and her eyes glowed with a purple dragon’s power, though the man couldn’t see it from his angle.

She focused her will on the fish, sending a direct mental command.

Against its will and every instinct screaming at it to flee, the goldfish swam directly toward the treated bait and took it into its mouth.

Minerva lifted it out smoothly before the fish could even process what had happened, transferring it into the bigger jar with practiced ease.

The man’s jaw practically dropped to the ground, his professional composure shattering.

’Huh??!! Impossible...’ His mind reeled.

There had to be something wrong with that particular bait. Maybe the chemical treatment had worn off, or that fish was defective.

The others would probably work normally, and he could part with a few chibi dolls as consolation prizes without losing too much face.

However, she cast the line into the second bowl and wheeled the second fish out with identical ease.

Lucius stood beside her, resisting the urge to laugh outright at the situation unfolding.

’On one hand... one person is cheating to keep more money and on the other hand... the other person is cheating to win a teddy bear.’ He thought with amusement, raising a hand to his lip to hide a snicker.

It was really a battle of scammer versus scammer, and he was thoroughly enjoying watching it play out.

Minerva cast into the third bowl and wheeled out the final fish, placing it in the big jar with the others.

All three goldfish swam in confused circles, probably wondering what had just happened to their survival instincts.

The bald man’s throat went dry, his face pale. "Impossible... I... I..."

This had never happened before, not once in five years of running this stall.

"My teddy bear." Minerva extended her hands out expectantly, her smile bright and innocent. "Give me the pink one..."

Meanwhile, Lucius extended a hand and called over the vendor who had sold them the gold play coin, the friendly middle-aged man from earlier.

The guy came over quickly, probably sensing trouble.

"I’ll be reporting you for scamming by treating your bait with chemical fish repellents and dulling your hooks to make them nearly impossible to set." Lucius said calmly, having observed the entire setup with his enhanced spatial awareness.

He could see the molecular structure of the bait, the intentionally degraded hook points, and everything else. "That violates the park’s fair play regulations, section 3, subsection B."

The manual had been open on the cotton candy man’s table and he had glanced at it... he found it cool to say right now.

The main park manager was already being summoned by the coin vendor, who looked deeply unhappy about having a scammer operating under his nose.

The bald man trembled as Lucius casually stated everything he’d done, exposing years of carefully hidden cheating in a single sentence.

’No, my money...’ He panicked, looking around desperately.

His eyes landed on a utility knife he kept under the counter for cutting packaging. He immediately grabbed it and stabbed forward in Minerva’s direction with desperate fury.

"My money!" he screamed irrationally.

Lucius caught his knuckles mid-thrust with one hand and crushed them effortlessly, applying just enough pressure to shatter several small bones.

The man yelled in pain, the knife clattering to the ground, though he quieted down immediately as he saw the purple glow of Lucius’s eyes under the glasses.

The unmistakable sign of a powerful Awakened, probably A-rank or higher.

"It’s just a game bro... are you dumb?" Lucius asked with genuine bewilderment.

Attacking someone with a knife over carnival prizes? That was insane even by criminal standards.

...

They soon walked away with the massive pink teddy bear that Minerva hugged possessively, while the stall owner knelt on the ground with metal cuffs behind his back.

For some reason, there were actually cops stationed at the amusement park, probably for situations exactly like this but Lucius was surprised at how strict the whole amusement park scamming enforcement was in this world.

Five years in jail for rigged carnival games seemed crazy harsh, but apparently Avalon took consumer protection very seriously.

The officer had explained that scamming at entertainment venues carried enhanced penalties because it targeted families and children specifically.

Minerva took his hand with a brilliant smile while she held her huge teddy bear in her other arm.

"Come, let’s go... play some more games!" She said excitedly, already looking around for their next target.