Whispering Verse

While waiting, Shade found an empty single sofa and sat down. Next to him, a group of strange men who seemed to have just met each other gathered together because of current political issues.

Shade also listened attentively and found that they were discussing the possibility of another all-out war between the northern kingdom of Delarion and the southern kingdom of Carsonric.

But after a while, the topic shifted to the topics of sailing trade and pirates in the Old and New Worlds. One of the middle-aged fat men participating in the conversation seemed to be the manager of a certain trading company. He was familiar with the situation in the New World and believed that adventurers could always win wealth as long as they had the courage to go by ship.

The New World is rich in products. Although there are no indigenous people, many civilizational relics can be found. Coldwater Port City, the most important port city in the western part of the Kingdom of Delarion, serves as the connection point between the Old World and the New World, and there is no shortage of opportunities there.

After the middle-aged fat man was called to undergo an appraisal, everyone's conversation finally shifted to the Rhodes cards. Men who did not know each other compared their decks, showed off to each other the special cards they had recently obtained, or laughed at the interesting stories of the Rhodes card collectors in the city.

The middle-aged man with a mustache, wearing a black top hat and placing a gold-encrusted cane next to the sofa, is the topic leader among the group of people because he has more special card-faced Rhodes cards, one of which reads [Northland] Flower 13 of Artek City, the City of Art, even has special rules:

[When used, throw out a 20-sided die. If the number of the die is equal to 20, you can re-draw the card unconditionally. 】

This is a genuine card that has been authenticated by the Prophet Association, so although the effect is very ordinary, it is still excitedly touted by many Rhodes card enthusiasts.

The man with the mustache called himself Mr. Lavender. Seeing that the atmosphere was getting warmer and he had nothing to do now, he suggested:

"How about we play Rhodes, using the simplest rules. If I win, you need to give me 5p. If I lose, you can give the winner 10p. Oh, gentlemen, let's kill this boring thing. Early in the morning."

The so-called "simplest rule" means that each person draws three cards in a row and wins or loses according to the rules of blackjack. If both sides bust their cards, then three more cards are drawn until one side wins.

The stakes were not very high, and chatting here was really boring, so the busybodies gathered around Mr. Lavender to watch the fun.

Shade also went over to watch the excitement, but he had always hated gambling and was unwilling to participate in even such small bets, so he just watched (note).

There were three men willing to play cards with Mr. Lavender.

The first is Mr. Luke, who works at Chengnan Tobacco Company. He just mentioned the tobacco trade and tax issues of Delrayon and Carson Rimmer, but unfortunately he was eliminated directly with a figure of 25 points;

The second one is Mr. Ponton, who makes a living by collecting rent from local real estate. He has thick knuckles and a crooked right eye wearing glasses, but his Rhodes playing skills are top-notch. After fighting fiercely for 3 rounds with Mr. Lavender, he finally won 10p, which won the applause of the onlookers.

Finally, there is Captain Serwell, a stout man. His ship plies the Old World water system, mainly for inland shipping. He was a regular visitor and was known to many people, including Mr. Lavender.

Unfortunately, Captain Sewell was really unlucky. The first two cards added up to more than 21, so he could only lose five pence.

"Does anyone else want to play?"

Mr. Lavender seemed to be in the mood, and after defeating his third opponent, he extended an invitation to the onlookers. He often visited the local Prophets Association and various Rhodes clubs, and was a well-known card player in the city, so the gentlemen who joined in the fun just made fun of him, but no one wanted to leave.

After all, five pennies is money.

Mr. Lavender looked around, and finally saw the unfamiliar face of Shade in the crowd, and also saw that it seemed like it was his first time in this kind of place:

"Sir, would you like to play cards with me?"

The middle-aged man kindly extended the invitation.

"Sorry, I don't gamble."

Shade shook his head, but Mr. Lavender was not angry either. Instead, he smiled and said:

"How about we stop gambling and just play one round? My waiting number is 21. It will be my turn soon. Let's just play one round and give it a try."

People around him were also cheering, pushing Shade to the front row.

Shade thought for a moment, and since he wasn't gambling, he could just play it once and treat it as a way to pass the entertainment time. So he took the opportunity to sit on the single sofa opposite Mr. Lavender, and handed his business card to this very wealthy gentleman:

"Shad Hamilton, Detective."

"The detective profession is said to be very good at playing cards."

Mr. Lavender took the business card and was surprised when he saw the address of the detective agency. He obviously did not expect that the young detective had the money to open an agency in that location.

“But I barely played it.”

Shade said as he took out his own deck of cards, which was the one he picked up when he went to pick up little Mia. Each player shuffles the opponent's cards, and then draws three cards from the top of their own decks.

Mr. Lavender opened his cards with an excited expression. His deck contained many special cards with exquisite faces. One of the three cards he drew was:

"Look, the sun is 5, the silver moon is 8, and the stars are 4. It's 17 o'clock. You're really lucky."

The people behind him also whispered congratulations.

Since he didn't gamble, Shade didn't feel any pressure. He turned over the first card and threw it on the table. It turned out to be Sun 13. People around him immediately made a sound of regret. Under the rules of blackjack, if you draw two more cards, the probability of busting the cards is quite high.

Shade revealed the second card, which was the 7 of Stars, which added up to 20 points. But under simple rules, he cannot suspend the cards and must draw three cards.

People were infected by the atmosphere and exchanged their opinions on the detective's last card.

Shade was also curious about what his luck would be like today, so he picked up the last card, stood it up and looked at the numbers on the card carefully. The people behind him also stretched their heads to check, and then exclaimed together. Even the woman in his head chuckled, reminding Shade that she was always there.

A smile appeared on Shade's face, as if the stress of last night's incident had disappeared at this moment. Playing cards was indeed a good way to spend time.

Throwing Star 1 on the table, Mr. Lavender, who was sitting opposite, immediately leaned on the coffee table and stretched his head to look, and then showed the same exclamation expression as the onlookers:

"Oh, blackjack. Beginners always have such wonderful luck, but Detective Hamilton, do you want to play another round? I haven't been beaten by blackjack in a long time."