Whispering Verse

The lawyer probably saw that Shade was young and didn't want him to get involved in gambling. Shade smiled and looked confident:

"Look at my old set of cards. Do I look like a newbie at Rhodes? The highest I've lost in a game is less than two shillings. I guess my luck is not so bad that I always lose... Sir, we have to find something to do on this boring morning."

He deliberately said it with a strong Tobesk accent, and the lawyer shrugged, indicating that he could start:

"I admire confident people."

The crowd around him was also very excited. Although no one had ever seen this young man, as long as the game continued and gave them something to do, they didn't care even if Shade was from MI6.

Xia De still adheres to the idea of ​​​​not gambling, and now he sits at the table because he wants to gain information by winning money. So, it's not gambling.

There is no formal gameplay in this kind of gambling game in a tavern. Both parties keep drawing cards and wait until the cards are suspended to count the points. Lawyers may have high skills and rich experience, but when facing Xia De, who relies on [Founder·Silver Moon] to bring him luck, he still loses more than he wins.

When Shade sat down, he was already prepared to lose and win. But after easily winning four of the first five games, I knew there was nothing to worry about.

At 10:30 in the morning, Shade already had a pile of small coins and a small amount of banknotes on his hand, and the lawyer only had the empty cup on his hand. His right hand, sweating on his forehead, concealed his last card. As his palm moved, his bloodshot eyes trembled slightly as he looked at the card that was gradually revealed:

"Oh, Moon 9, I'm blackjack this time!"

He exhaled slowly, with a thankful smile on his sweaty face. The three people standing behind him discussed with each other how many rounds the lawyer could hold on to after winning this time.

Shade on the other side also got the last card, and he also pressed it with his palm. The two people standing behind him looked down with him:

"Oh, King."

Shade said easily, then shrugged:

"Lawyer, it looks like I won again."

"No more playing, no more playing."

The middle-aged lawyer was stunned for a moment, and threw the last card on the table in frustration:

"My luck may have been used before you showed up. This is not because my skills are not good, but because of the conservation of luck."

He did not forget to defend himself in front of the acquaintances around him, but he did not suspect Shade of cheating. After all, he was surrounded by people.

"No more fun, right? 20p."

Shade knocked on the table and said. The pile of pennies and a few rare shillings on hand add up to about half a pound. About 3 shillings of it are the lawyer's money, and the rest is the lawyer's winnings from others this morning. Come.

“Really, I originally thought about going to find Laura at night, but now I can only take a shower at home.”

The middle-aged lawyer complained and touched his pocket, while people cheered and laughed at him.

"There's only two pence left, but I won't waste anyone else's money. Come with me to my house and get it. I live down the street."

The lawyer stood up and said in frustration. Shade packed up his cards and stood up. This was the reason why he came to play cards. A guy like this who gambles in a tavern will most likely not leave until he loses all his money.

He originally planned to claim that once he lost more than two shillings, he would claim that he had no money, take the lawyer to a nearby friend to get the money, and give him a 1-pound note along the way to give him change. But now, this plan is no longer needed:

"Okay, it seems I'm very lucky today. Do you want me to buy you a drink?"

Shade suggested.

"No need, I have work in the afternoon. If it were evening, I would definitely let you buy me the most expensive drink."

Of course, the people watching the card game wanted them to continue playing cards, but Lawyer Laurel left resolutely. He would not play cards in debt, and the lawyer knew the bottom line of gambling.

So they went together again to the apartment where Shade knocked on the door a few hours ago. After the middle-aged lawyer opened the door with the key, he originally wanted Shade to wait downstairs. But when he saw him entering the door immediately after him, he didn't say anything and asked Shade to go upstairs with him.

Rock Laurel lived on the second floor of this small apartment, renting three rooms on the entire floor.

Lawyer has become a middle-class profession in this era. Although the place where Lawyer Laurel lives is not very good, judging from the furniture and shoes placed at the door, his income is not low. Living here should be just a matter of getting used to it. living environment.

Just like Detective Sparrow's study, the middle-aged lawyer's home is also filled with stacks of papers and portfolios. While the lawyer was looking for small coins from the shoe cabinet, Shade stood at the door and sighed deliberately:

"They said you were a lawyer. I didn't believe it at first, but now I do."

"Can't lawyers go to the pub and play Rhodes? That's prejudice."

With that said, he handed the money he found to Shade. After Shade carefully took stock, he left directly, which baffled the lawyer who thought he had ulterior motives.

When he came to the street, Xia De felt a lot lighter. Judging from what people around me said and what I saw at the lawyer’s house, there was basically nothing fishy about the inheritance. Although he did not see the will and the inheritance, he would go to sign it with Mrs. Flamel, and he would also be able to help check it out.

In this way, after going home and writing the report, the first half of the commission is over, and the money is really easy to earn.

As for the change of about half a pound he had won in his pocket, Shade had no intention of keeping it for himself. He doesn't like gambling, and even if he keeps the money he wins, it won't have much of a beneficial impact on his life. Therefore, I thought about donating it directly to Dawn Church. While disposing of the money reasonably, I would also get a great sense of psychological satisfaction. I was even grateful to Priest August for not charging for the potion configuration. labor costs.

As for returning the money to the lawyer, Shade never considered it at all. He just hates gambling, and he doesn't want to be a saint. Even if Lawyer Laurel recognized him when he went to see the lawyer with Mrs. Flamel, there would be no reason to claim the money back.

"However, the Rhodes cards are indeed very useful, and I can now feel a little bit of the fun of playing cards."

He thought to himself as he walked along Queen Mary Street towards Dawn Square.

There was a candy store on the side of the next intersection on Queen Mary Street. When Shade passed by, he saw a familiar middle-aged woman anxiously talking to passers-by.

This was the woman he saw scolding her children when he knocked on the door of the apartment downstairs where the lawyer rented this morning, but now his children were not around.

It happened that the direction in which Sha De was walking was passing by the woman. The middle-aged woman with messy hair also spoke to Sha De:

"My child, little Ron, is lost. Sir, have you seen such a tall boy wearing a black hat around?"

Her eyes were dull, and her haggard expression ruined Shade's good mood.

"The child was lost? When did it happen?"

He asked in surprise, looking around.

"Ten minutes ago, I took him here to buy something. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared. I don't know whether he ran to play nearby or... was taken away by someone."

The woman's eyes were red, and the look in her eyes was difficult to describe in detail. It's not that he wants to cry, it's not urgent, it's not panic, it's a kind of extremely depressed despair. Shade has never thought that a certain emotion can be so strong that it can be radiated just through his eyes:

"Why don't you go to the police... pretend I didn't say anything."

Xia De took a deep breath. In this era, even if "child abduction" cases are frequent in the city, don't think that calling the police can solve the problem. It is better to hope that you can find some clues on the spot.

The outsiders have established a foothold in this world, but they understand that this era is far from civilization and order. The outsider had long thought about all the things that might happen in places he couldn't see, but he didn't expect that he would encounter them so soon.

After a little research on the situation, it turned out that the middle-aged woman's name was Marian Cook. She was a single mother living in a nearby neighborhood and had no relatives. As for where her husband had gone, Shade didn't ask or tell her.

Sighing, now that he had encountered it, Shade decided to get involved in this troublesome matter:

"I'll ask nearby passers-by for you. You can go to the nearby store and ask again."

Although this matter has nothing to do with Shade, since it happened to happen, there is nothing wrong with trying to help. Anyway, he has nothing else to do today.

If it was something like a lost wallet, he would probably inquire about the situation and then turn around and leave. But if the child is lost, I can help if I can.

Mrs. Cook turned around and went to the clothing store next to the dessert shop to inquire. Instead of talking to pedestrians as she said, Shade took a long breath and closed his eyes;

"Echoes from the past."

My ears felt itchy, and then the noisy street sounds reached my ears. This thaumaturgy related to [Time and Space] can only randomly hear sounds within 24 hours. Although it tends to hear human voices, this tendency cannot increase the chance that Shade happens to hear it on the street or in a store. Probability of key clues.

In the "Divine Afterglow" state, any thaumaturgy and incantation will be enhanced. The enhancement of [Echoes of the Past] does not increase the probability, but increases the 24 hours to 36 hours. This is what he learned when he was free to experiment at home.

Several more attempts were made, but none of the sounds in my ears were related to the missing child. The longer the time dragged on, the lower the chance of finding the child. He turned to look at the haggard woman who was holding her hands together and asking the clerk about the situation in the intersection shop. Shade sighed helplessly.

He touched his pocket and asked the female voice in his head:

"[Twenty-sided dice of fate]..."

[Are you going to risk your luck for a stranger? Nice idea, but I have to remind you that you only get one chance a day. And even if you get lucky points on the die, it may not necessarily be related to your thaumaturgy. 】