While waiting, Xia De found an empty single sofa and sat down. Next to him was a group of strangers who seemed to have just met each other. They were gathered together to discuss current affairs.
Shade also listened with his ear tilted, and found that they were discussing the possibility of a full-scale war breaking out again between the northern kingdom of Drarion and the southern United Kingdom of Carsenrick.
But after a while, the topic shifted to the maritime trade and pirates of the Old World and the New World. One of the middle-aged fat men participating in the conversation seemed to be the manager of a trading company. He was very familiar with the situation in the New World and believed that as long as they had the courage to travel by ship, adventurers would always be able to win wealth.
The New World is rich in resources. Although there are no natives, there are many ruins of civilization. Coldwater Port, the most important port city in the western part of the Kingdom of Delarion, is a connecting 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 be identified, the topic finally shifted to the Rhodes deck. Men who didn't know each other compared their decks, showed off their newly acquired special cards, or laughed at the anecdotes of the Rhodes collectors in the city.
The middle-aged man with a mustache, wearing a black hat and placing a gold-studded cane next to the sofa, was the topic leader in the group because he had more special-faced Rhodes cards, one of which was the flower 13 of Artek, the northern city and capital of art, and even had special rules:
When using it, throw a 20-sided dice. If the dice number is equal to 20, you can re-draw the cards unconditionally.
This is a genuine card authenticated by the Prophet Association, so although the effect is ordinary, it is still excitedly touted by a group of Rhodes card enthusiasts.
The mustache man called himself Mr. Lavender. Seeing that the atmosphere was gradually getting heated and he had nothing to do, he suggested:
"Why don't we play Rhodes, using the simplest rules. If I win, you need to give me 5 pence, and if I lose, I can give the winner 10 pence. Oh, gentlemen, let's have some fun to kill this boring morning."
The so-called "simplest rule" means that each player draws three cards in a row, and the winner is determined according to the rules of 21. If both players bust, they will draw three more cards until one player wins.
The stakes were not very high, and chatting here was indeed boring, so the curious people gathered and crowded around Mr. Lavender to watch the fun.
Xia De also went over to watch the fun, but he had always hated gambling and was unwilling to participate even for such a small bet, so he just watched (note).
There were three men who would play cards with Mr. Lavender.
First up was Mr. Luke who worked at Chengnan Tobacco Company. He had just mentioned the tobacco trade and taxation issues of Delarion and Carson Limo, but unfortunately he was eliminated with a score of 25 points.
The second was Mr. Ponton, who made a living by collecting rent from local properties. He had thick knuckles and a crooked right eye under his glasses, but he was a first-rate Rhodes card player. He fought Mr. Lavender for three rounds before finally winning 10 pence, which won the cheers of the onlookers.
Finally, there is the sturdy Captain Sewell, whose ship travels in the waters of the Old World, mainly doing inland shipping. He is a frequent visitor here, and many people, including Mr. Lavender, know him.
Unfortunately, Captain Sewell had bad luck. The sum of his first two cards exceeded 21, so he had to lose five pence regretfully.
"Anyone else want to play?"
Mr. Lavender seemed to be in high spirits, and after defeating his third opponent, he invited the spectators. He often frequented the local Prophet's Society and various Rhodes card clubs, and was a well-known card player in the city, so the gentlemen who came to join in the fun were just making a fuss, but no one was willing to leave.
After all, five pence is money.
Mr. Lavender looked around and finally saw the unfamiliar face of Shad in the crowd. He also saw that it seemed to be his first time in such a 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. Instead, he smiled and said:
"Then let's not gamble and just play one round, how about that? My waiting number is 21, and it will be my turn soon. Let's just play one round and see what happens."
The people around were also cheering and pushed Xia De to the front row.
Shade thought about it and decided that since he didn't want to gamble, he could just play once as a pastime to kill time. So he sat on the sofa opposite Mr. Lavender and handed his business card to the wealthy gentleman:
"Shad Hamilton, Detective."
"The profession of detective is said to be very good at playing cards."
Mr. Lavender took the card and was surprised to see the address of the detective agency. He obviously didn't expect that the young detective had the money to open an agency in such a location.
“But I hardly ever played.”
As Shad spoke, he took out his own deck of cards, the same one he had picked up when he went to pick up Mia. Both players shuffled the other's cards, then drew three cards from the top of their own decks.
Mr. Lavender opened his deck with an excited expression. His deck was mixed with many special cards with exquisite card faces. One of the three cards he drew was:
"Look, Sun 5, Silver Moon 8, Star 4, 17 points, really good luck."
The people behind him were also whispering congratulations.
Since he didn't gamble, Xia De 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 expressed regret. Under the rules of blackjack, if two more cards were drawn, the probability of a bust was quite high.
Xia De turned over the second card, which was Star 7, adding up to 20 points. But under the simple rules, he could not stop the cards and had to draw three cards.
People were infected by the atmosphere and exchanged their opinions on the detective's last card.
Xia De was also curious about his luck today, so he picked up the last card, stood it up and carefully looked at the number on the card. The people behind him also leaned over to check, and then exclaimed together, and even the woman in his head chuckled, reminding Xia De that she was always there.
A smile appeared on Xia De's face, as if all the pressure from last night's events disappeared at this moment. Playing cards was indeed a good way to kill time.
Throwing Star 1 onto the table, Mr. Lavender, who was sitting opposite, immediately leaned over the table to look at it, and then showed the same amazed 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."