Whispering Verse

The floor of the corridor was covered with red carpet. The staggering group of people were guided by the waiter waiting at the stairs on the second floor and went straight into the second room on the left.

The interior of the room was quite large, and the gas lamp was turned on to its maximum power, illuminating everything in the room brilliantly. But similarly, after leaving the chaotic environment downstairs just now, the normal scene at this moment showed a distorted feeling.

The interior of the room looks like an ordinary reception room, but a huge gaming table is placed in the center.

The tabletop is wider and there are more seats. There was a wine cabinet standing against the wall, as well as two women wearing very inappropriate clothes and heavy makeup. Neither the drunk man nor the waiter who acted as the dealer noticed Shade, a guy who shouldn't be there. The group moved to a new room and continued their enjoyment.

Shade stood next to the sofa trying not to attract attention, trying to find an opportunity to sneak into the corridor.

He was thinking about whether he should use his "ignition" ability to create some small troubles to attract attention, when he heard the drunk man he was supporting just now say to a man with a scar on the corner of his mouth, who was sitting on the sofa with his head lowered:

"Captain Rades, tell us again about how when you were captured by those southerners, in order to be loyal to the kingdom, you shot yourself eight times in the head in an attempt to commit suicide!"

The drunkard laughed loudly. Captain Rades, who was laughed at, lowered his head and said nothing, just looking at his boots dullly.

"Rades has just been redeemed, so let's not talk about this... Why don't we find a pistol and let him demonstrate it to us, hahahaha~"

The man holding three cards at the card table turned around and said the same, and the room was suddenly filled with a joyful atmosphere. Shade took advantage of the opportunity for everyone to laugh and take turns making fun of the "Captain Eight-Gun" who had just returned home after being captured, and successfully left the noisy room and returned to the corridor.

The sound insulation effect of the walls and door was very good. After Shade took a few steps, he could hardly hear the roar of laughter in the room. He walked forward close to the wall. There was no one in the corridor, which was conducive to his actions.

Although we don't know where little Franklin is, according to the records of the previous detective, there is an escape ladder directly leading to the outside world on the second floor of the Lucky Southern Cross Club, so Shade is not worried about being caught.

But with this thought in mind, I turned the corner and saw a man walking towards me wearing a uniform that was obviously different from that of the casino guard downstairs.

Shade walked forward with his chest raised and his head raised, not letting himself show any timidity. But despite this, he was still stopped by the man:

"Sorry, sir, please wait a moment. I don't think I've seen you before."

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Shade's shoulder. Although Shade had no experience in close combat, his instinctive dodge was unexpectedly successful. This made him realize again that the enhancement of the Ring Warlock had all-round implications:

"Yes, I was invited up. I just went to the bathroom."

he explained.

"But isn't the bathroom over there?"

The man pointed in the direction the detective had just walked in and gave him a confused look:

"Your skills are really good."

"...The bathroom over there is broken, and the toilet is blocked by the vomit of those drunkards. Oh, I really don't want to describe that scene to you."

Shade admired his agility, but the man who stopped him still frowned:

"Sir, are you not a guest on the second floor?"

Although it is a question, the tone is already affirmative.

Shade smiled awkwardly, there was no need to continue to quibble. Fortunately, he had nothing dangerous on him, and he did not do anything bad in this club:

"Okay, I was just curious about the second floor. I just took advantage of the guests to go upstairs and followed them up... I left the club immediately, I understand."

Something unexpected happened, and Shade didn't have to compete with the gangsters who opened the casino for half a pound. As he spoke, he wanted to step back, but was stopped again by the man blocking the way's next words:

"Don't run around in the future. There are VIPs above the second floor. You have to follow the rules when playing here. You don't have to leave. You can continue on the first floor... Wait, you are not here to find a 'poor man' Franklin’s, right?”

He frowned.

"okay."

After thinking about the current situation, Xia De believed that there was no need to lie. The other party was still a reasonable person for the time being:

"If you're talking about the little freckle-eyed young man with the gray hat and sailor's blouse, yes, his father asked me to take him away."

"His father sent someone here again? Come with me and pay him back the money he owes, and then you can take him away."

The man waved to Shade and led him forward along the corridor:

"You should have said it on the first floor. For guys like this who owe gambling debts, we are still worried about how to find someone to pay them back."

The guy who runs the casino is surprisingly reasonable.

"Didn't I think... how much does he owe?"

Shade asked this crucial question. The accountant promised that if his son owed debt at the casino, the detective could advance the payment in advance and the money could be reimbursed, but Shade himself did not have much cash.

"One pound and six shillings, including the interest and his food and accommodation here these days, two pounds, you can take him away."

The bets on the first floor were actually not big. Little Franklin was able to lose so much in two days, and he probably didn't win or lose even once. But these are none of Shadd's business. Mr. Franklin can pay the debt within 10 pounds, and Shadd has exactly 2 pounds.

The man said again:

"Of course, since you are here for his father. Then just like last time, if you are willing to give us three pounds and six shillings, the casino can give you a receipt for five pounds to bring to the 'poor man' Franklin’s father…”

It took Shade a few seconds to realize what the man meant. He had seen this kind of thing before in his original world, but he was still shocked by the business acumen of the guy who opened a casino in another world. He thought about it and shook his head:

"Thank you for your kindness, but let's forget it this time. A long stream of water will last forever."

He just sympathized with Mr. Franklin, who was about to move his family, and felt that there was no need for him to make money like this. The man leading the way also paid attention, but agreed with Sha De:

"You're right, a slow stream flows slowly. Anyway, 'Poor Man' Franklin will come again."

Shade admitted that he had very evil thoughts about the club's so-called "debt repayment", but in fact, little Franklin was just forced to help wash the dishes in the kitchen, and he would be let go if he washed enough.

When the man led Shade into the kitchen, he happened to see a fat man wearing chef's clothes punch the small-eyed young man to the ground. Little Franklin, who looked thin and frail, fell on the Rhodes cards on the ground, and the blood from his fallen teeth splattered on the surface of the cards.

There was a bloody pig's head at the end of the kitchen, and the steam pipe was spraying hot steam on the pig's head. The fat chef seemed to be dealing with this just now.

"Stop fighting, someone is here to redeem him."

The man leading the way said lazily. He first waved his hand to dispel the smell of the kitchen in front of his nose, and then stretched out his hand to ask Shade to give him the money. Shade also put the two-pound note he had prepared into the man's hand, and then pulled up little Franklin from the ground:

"It was your father who asked me..."

"Mr. Nite, he can't leave now. This damn boy tried to escape and bit me."

The chef said angrily, stretching out his chubby hand to show the bloody tooth marks on it:

"Give me half a pound or he can't go."