The corridor was covered with red carpet. Led by a waiter who was waiting at the second floor staircase, the staggering group of people went straight into the second room on the left.
The room was quite large, and the gas lamp was turned on to the maximum power, illuminating everything in the room. But at the same time, after leaving the chaotic environment downstairs just now, the normal scene at this moment instead showed a distorted feeling.
The interior of the room looked like an ordinary reception room, but with a large gambling table in the center.
The tabletop was wider and there were more seats. There was a wine cabinet against the wall, as well as two women wearing heavy makeup and dressed in inappropriate clothes. The drunkard and the waiter who was acting as the dealer did not notice Xia De, who should not have been there, and the group moved to a new room to continue their enjoyment.
Shad stood beside the sofa, trying not to attract attention, hoping to find a chance to slip into the hallway.
He was thinking whether he should use his "ignition" ability to create some minor troubles to attract attention, when he heard the drunk man he had just supported 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 more about how you were captured by those Southerners and shot yourself in the head eight times in an attempt to commit suicide in order to show your loyalty to the kingdom!"
The drunk laughed loudly, and Captain Rades, who was laughed at, lowered his head and said nothing, just looking at his boots dully.
"Rades has just been redeemed, so let's not talk about this anymore... 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, and the room was suddenly filled with a joyful atmosphere. Xia De took advantage of the opportunity when everyone laughed and took turns to make fun of the "Captain of Eight Guns" who had just returned home after being captured, and successfully left the noisy room and returned to the corridor.
The walls and doors were well soundproofed, and after Shade took a few steps, he could hardly hear the laughter in the room. He walked forward along the wall, and there was no one in the corridor, which was actually conducive to his actions.
Although he didn't know where little Franklin was, according to the records of the previous detective, there was an escape ladder on the second floor of the Lucky Southern Cross Club that led directly to the outside world, so Shad was not worried about being caught.
But as he was thinking this, he turned the corner and saw a man walking towards him wearing a uniform that was obviously different from the clothes worn by the casino guards downstairs.
Xia De walked forward with his chest held high, not wanting to show any fear. But even so, he was still stopped by the man:
"Excuse me, 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 once again that the enhancement of the ring warlock has an all-round meaning:
"Yes, I was invited up here. 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 from and gave him a puzzled look.
"You're really good at it."
"... The bathroom over there is broken. The vomit from those drunks has blocked the toilet. Oh, I really don't want to describe that scene to you."
Xia De was quite impressed with his own cleverness, but the man who stopped him still frowned:
"Sir, you are not a guest on the second floor, are you?"
Although it is a question, the tone is affirmative.
Xia De smiled awkwardly. There was no need to continue to argue. Fortunately, he didn't have any dangerous items on him, and he really didn't do anything bad in this club:
"Well, I was just curious about the second floor. I followed the guests upstairs just now... I left the club immediately. I understand."
Something unexpected happened, and Shade didn't have to fight with the gangsters who opened the casino for half a pound. He wanted to retreat, but was stopped by the next sentence of the man who blocked his way:
"Don't run around anymore. The second floor and above are all VIPs. You have to follow the rules when playing here. You don't have to leave. You can continue on the first floor... Wait, you're not here to look for 'poor guy' Franklin, are you?"
He frowned.
"Um... okay."
After thinking about the current situation, Xia De felt that there was no need to lie. The other party was still a reasonable person for the time being:
"If you mean the little freckled young man with the grey cap and sailor shirt, yes, his father asked me to take him away."
"His father sent someone again? Come with me, pay him back the money he owes, and you can take him away."
The man waved at Xia De and led him 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 off."
The guy who runs the casino is surprisingly reasonable.
"I don't think...how much does he owe?"
After Shad asked this crucial question, the accountant promised that if his son owed debts at the casino, the detective could pay it in advance and the money could be reimbursed, but Shad himself did not have much cash.
"One pound six shillings, including interest and his board and lodging here for the rest of the day, two pounds, and you can take him away."
The stakes on the first floor were not actually that big. Little Franklin could lose so much in two days, probably because he didn't bet on the winning or losing position once. But it was none of Shad's business. Mr. Franklin could pay the debt within 10 pounds, and Shad had exactly 2 pounds.
The man continued:
"Of course, since you are here on behalf of his father. 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 for you to take to 'poor' Franklin's father..."
It took Xia De several seconds to realize what the man meant. He had seen this kind of thing in his original world, but he was still shocked by the business acumen of the guy who opened a casino in the other world. He thought about it and shook his head:
"Thank you for your kindness, but let's forget it this time. Little by little, it goes a long way."
He just felt a little sympathy for Mr. Franklin, who was about to move his family, and thought that he didn't need to make money this way. The man leading the way also cared and agreed with Shade's opinion:
"That's right. Steady progress brings success. Anyway, Poor Franklin will come back again."
Shad admitted that he had very evil ideas about the club's so-called "debt repayment", but in fact, little Franklin was only forced to help wash dishes in the kitchen, and he would be let go after washing enough dishes.
When the man led Shade into the kitchen, he saw a fat man in chef's clothes knocking the young man with small eyes to the ground with one punch. The frail little Franklin fell on the Rhodes cards on the ground, and the blood from his teeth falling out 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 towards the pig's head. The fat chef seemed to be dealing with it just now.
"Stop beating him. Someone is here to redeem him."
The man leading the way spoke lazily, first waving his hand to dispel the kitchen smell in front of his nose, and then stretched out his hand for Shade to pay. Shade also stuffed the two-pound note that he had prepared long ago into the man's hand, and then pulled up little Franklin from the ground:
"It was your father who made me..."
"Mr. Nit, he can't leave now. This damn kid 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."