The strangers met at the Prophet's Association. Due to the presence of the Rhodes cards, the conversation atmosphere was quite friendly. Shade introduced himself slowly while shuffling the cards. Above his head was the azure sky with large white clouds floating above, and downstairs behind him was the bustling winter square. Even if he wasn't waiting for Luvia, Shade was willing to spend time here:
"I just got off the train yesterday and visited an acquaintance. I had planned to go to the river valley wetlands outside the city to see the scenery today, but I still wanted to take a look at what the local Prophet Association looks like first. I was going to take a look and leave, but I didn't expect to see this terrace. I have to admit that if it is a warm summer afternoon, it is really comfortable to enjoy afternoon tea under the parasol while playing cards with friends."
“In fact, the scenery in winter is also pretty good.”
The gentleman with the local accent said, apparently struck by Shade:
"I like to play cards here all year round. Although the temperature and environment indoors are better, I still like it here."
Xia De then asked:
"How about it? Since you have nothing to do, do you want to play a few games?"
He slapped the deck of cards on the table in front of his left side, and pulled it to the right, so that the deck extended in an arc on the table.
The gentleman opposite Xia De smiled and nodded:
"It's so fun to play cards with strangers who unexpectedly come to this place on such a pleasant morning. I forgot to introduce myself, Donald Antonio. If you are interested, I can introduce you to this place while we play cards. I know a lot about the local scenery and folklore."
"That's great. I'm John Watson, a writer who travels around the Old World. Although I'm from Delarion, I've spent more time in Carsenrick in recent years... Mr. Antonio, you're not a folklorist, are you?"
Xia De asked with some concern, and the middle-aged man shook his head slightly:
"Of course not. I am actually a writer, but not a novelist. I am a playwright. I write scripts for opera companies, and occasionally write musicals and long poems. You have heard of the Golden Dawn Opera Company, right? I have also written scripts for them. Although it has not been performed yet, it has been selected."
“That’s really amazing.”
Xia De exclaimed with sincere admiration. Looking at Mr. Antonio's appearance, he was one of the rare people who could support himself by writing. Such people deserve respect in any era.
Mr. Antonio shook his head modestly, and paused while shuffling the cards:
"It was a fateful encounter to meet a stranger who I could talk to on an unexpected morning. So, Mr. Watson, do you want to bet on special cards with me?"
Shade admitted that this was a very tempting offer, but unfortunately, he couldn't show his deck in a strange city:
"Sorry, there are no special rule cards in the deck I brought with me today... I originally wanted to come here to take a look and then go directly to the outside of the city to enjoy the scenery."
He said rather embarrassedly.
Mr. Antonio expressed his understanding:
"It's okay, we can play cards first. If you really lose, you can give me your cards when you have time."
"That's my advantage... How about this, if I lose, I can bet 5 crowns here first."
Shade said with a smile, and the two men discussed the betting arrangements, and then they checked their decks and shuffled them. There were two special rule cards in the deck of the playwright, Mr. Antonio. He did not mention which one he would bet with Shade, which usually meant that after Shade won, he could choose any one at will.
Because it was just a private game, they didn't plan to make complicated rules. After all, it was to kill time, so it was a best-of-five game. The first person to win two rounds in each game won the game, and the next round would be played after reshuffling. So if you were lucky enough to have multiple draws, this game would probably last a long time.
"Randall Valley City is a really good place. Although it is not as prosperous as Willendel, at least you can see blue skies in every season here."
The two chatted while drawing cards. Xia De looked at his hole card, Star 3, and took the second one:
“I heard the forests, river valleys, and mountain scenery here are very nice.”
"Yes, the wood produced in the Innis Forest outside the city is famous throughout the United Kingdom. The Randall River Valley Wetlands and the Eldron Creek are the origins of this city. As for the mountains further east, they are good mining areas, especially stone mines. The local area is also called the City of Stonemasons because of those mining areas."
Mr. Antonio praised with a smile, while Shad compared the locations of these scenes on the map in his mind.
The western part of the Randall Valley City is an alluvial plain, the southern and northern parts are relatively flat, and the eastern part is surrounded by mountains, which almost turns the plain into a peninsula. The Randall Valley refers to the current location of the city, and the Eldron Creek is the area where the river connects the city to the mountains. Surrounding the valley and the creek is the Innis Forest.
I thought to myself that the first round of the first game had already decided the winner. Shade stopped at 18 points, while Mr. Antonio stopped at 17 points.
"Maybe I should have taken a little more risk."
The playwright said with some annoyance, and then continued to draw cards with Shade:
"Because of the special environment of the river valley, streams, and forests, there are more local legends and stories than in other cities. For example, it is rumored that elves lived here a long, long time ago. They left behind many beautiful stories. In the Innis Forest, you can even occasionally find their relics and the remains of tree houses."
"Elves? That's a really beautiful story."
Xia De took a look at the Flower 13 and Sun 4 in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and knocked on the table, meaning to stop.
Mr. Antonio continued to draw cards:
"Yes, to this day, there are people who claim to have seen elves deep in the forest. However, it is also possible that someone accidentally ate poisonous mushrooms in the forest. Oh!"
He showed his hand to Shade: Sun 7, Flower 9, Moon 8, 24 points:
"It's unfortunate. It seems that taking too many risks is not a good idea."
In this way, Shad won the first game.
"I've eaten poisonous mushrooms before."
The two continued to draw cards, and Mr. Antonio said something scary:
"Of course, it was an accidental ingestion. But the feeling at that time was really... strange."
"You saw the elves too?"
Shade asked with a smile, and the playwright shook his head:
"It was an even more fantastical scene. The earth and the sky turned into strange blocks of color. The chaotic colors dyed everyone in color. The ground was shaking, the sky was spinning, but I was the only one who was not spinning... I was unconscious for five hours that time, but after waking up, I created a very interesting story."
Xia De laughed dryly and did not comment. The poisoning of the poisonous mushroom was not big news in this era. Mr. Antonio was obviously a lucky man.
In the first round of the second game, both players stopped at 18 points, so they continued to draw cards.
"Of course, in addition to the elves, there are also rumors of forest statues in the local area. According to legend, the land of the Randall River Valley is alive, and the moist soil will gather into human shapes and have the ability to move freely. If you see ugly clay statues in the local souvenir shop, don't feel strange. This is a famous local souvenir, Mr. Watson, when you are ready to leave, you can take one or two as gifts for your friends."
That sounds like the alchemical puppets of the ring wizards.
In the second round of the second game, Shade's Star 7, Flower 12 and Sun 9 were all busted, but Mr. Antonio also busted. The gentleman lamented that his luck today didn't seem to be very good.
"Are there any more interesting local legends? I was chatting with the innkeeper yesterday, and he mentioned some rumors about the key."
Shade inquired, narrowing his eyes as he unveiled a new round of cards that he had never heard anyone else talk about.
"I don't know about this, but due to the excavation of mines in the mountains east of the city, people have discovered that there are countless natural caves underground. So, some people have speculated whether there are underground people living under our feet."
"Underground Kingdom? That's interesting. Oh, I'm on hold, 20 points."
"I'm 18, so let's try my luck again... Well, the flower is 10, which is really unlucky."
Mr. Antonio threw the drawn cards aside and continued to draw the next round of cards in the second round:
"There aren't too complicated beliefs here, and the Orthodox Church is developing very well here. However, there are many interesting festivals here, which are related to folk customs and legends of the old times. There are activities in almost every season. For example, in winter, on the second Monday after the year-end festival, we held a winter ice withering event to celebrate the passing of half of the snowy winter. Unfortunately, it's over now. When the first Randall flower blooms and spring officially begins, the city hall and the local nobles and chambers of commerce will jointly fund a grand city banquet, and that day every year will be very lively."
Shade nodded and showed his 20 points. This time he drew 4 cards. Mr. Antonio stopped after two cards. He had 19 points.
Xia De won the second game, and Mr. Antonio did not continue to be upset, but instead was a little excited.
"What about summer and fall?"
"In the summer, after the first heavy rain every year, there is a summer rowing competition. As you know, this city has plenty of rivers for rowing. It flows down the mountain pass, through the city and to the west end of the Randall River Valley. However, in recent years, because the competition affects the normal entry and exit of cargo ships, the City Hall... ... does not talk about these topics that spoil the fun."
Mr. Antonio smiled and shook his head:
"Autumn is the harvest festival, and the tradition of this festival is to give food to neighbors. Last year, I received a tea rock cake from an old lady next door, but I couldn't bite it... Then I soaked it in water and found that it could make a good soup."