This morning's opening ceremony should be considered a fairly formal cocktail party.
Each of the visiting guests held a glass of wine, sitting or standing, and after listening to a brief speech by Mr. Rick, vice president of the Prophet Association, the final rules of the 1853 Big City Players Rhodes Tournament were announced by President Addis Stein of the local association.
Shad stood with his friend Baron Lavender, and next to him was the Baron's "archenemy", the short Baron Rwanda.
“It’s finally started.”
Baron Rwanda raised his head, looking very confident, as if he had heard the inside information early on. Baron Lavender held a champagne glass, tapping it with his fingers.
Similar to previous “Big City Players” competitions, this competition is also divided into three stages.
The first stage is the preliminary round. The 1,273 players who received the "Numbered Rhodes Card" before the registration ended yesterday will compete with other contestants starting today, the sixth day of the Harvest Moon, in the Prophet's Association, which has already been decorated, under the supervision of the Prophet's Association staff.
Xia De heard that not only were all the rooms on the first to third floors used for gambling during this period, but even the rooftop was set up with a Rhodes card gambling table.
Each registrant has 10 points. If you lose a game, you will lose two points, and if you win a game, you will gain one point.
Before 5:00 p.m. next Friday, the 13th day of the Harvest Moon a week later, contestants with 20 points can participate in the next stage of the rematch.
The preliminary round is a fixed rule for each "Big City Players" competition, while specially invited players, such as Xia De, can skip the tedious first stage and directly participate in the semi-finals.
“Phase 2 is different this year, it’s a brand new set of rules for the City of Tobesk!”
President Stan announced loudly, causing a lot of discussion below. People looked at him expectantly, and even Shade had a smile on his face. He was very happy that in addition to the drinks, the association also prepared juice:
"The Prophet Association cooperates with local clubs and shops, and the semi-finals will not only be held in the Prophet Association. In order to embody the spirit of 'big city players' as much as possible and let the Rhodes card players from all over the world enjoy the autumn of this city, the association has set up venues for the semi-finals in different districts of Tobesk. Players who get 20 points or our special guest players can go to six venues in the city starting from next Wednesday to play multiplayer games. The rules of the multiplayer games are as follows..."
The rules of the multiplayer game he announced were the same rules that Shade had played and won at the Queen's birthday party. Of course, the Queen offered 10 gold stars, while the association only offered "Big City Players 1853 Copper Commemorative Coins", and these coins could be kept privately after the game.
It seems that the people at the Queen's banquet were right in their guesses, and the Prophet Association had already been preparing to do this at this year's Big City Players.
"Each player who enters the semi-finals will need to play a multiplayer hand in each of the six venues. The semi-finals will end at noon next Sunday, when the number of copper coins in each player's hand will be counted. The top sixteen players will enter the finals."
“Where are the six locations?”
Baron Lavender beside Shad asked the question loudly, Vice President Stan gave the answer, and the staff of the Prophet Association carried a huge oil painting and a map of the city to show people the location.
"Eastern District - the residence of Marquis Martinez. The Marquis is also participating in this tournament as a special guest. I hope you like the aristocratic architectural style of the northern part of the Old World!
West District - Shadis Cotton Mill, thanks to the factory owner who owes us a large sum of money; Rhodes brand may be a perfect match with textile machines and steam engines!
North District - On the first floor of the Three Cats Inn, Mrs. Sang Mei generously lent us the venue and hoped that we would help her promote it; experiencing a common people's inn and playing cards with lutes and singing, this is a truly interesting card game!
South District - Hall 3 of the King's Opera House, De La Rio, thank His Majesty the King for his generosity; Rhodes is an elegant game, but don't forget to wear formal clothes!
University District - Tobysk University Assembly Hall, which we rented, thank everyone for the registration fee; the university district has a strong academic atmosphere, playing Rhodes cards in such a place may be a different experience!
Central City - Silver Cross Avenue Prophet Association third floor, which is the room we are in now. I hope you don’t hate it here! "
His humorous metaphors drew laughter, and Shad was also thinking about what he was going to do.
From next Wednesday to next Sunday, he needs to participate in six multiplayer games and try to accumulate as many copper coins as possible. Although only the top sixteen players can enter the finals, according to the proportion in previous years and the information that Vice President Mark secretly told him, the number of Rhodes players who can enter the semi-finals should be less than one-tenth of the total number of participants.
Therefore, it is not very difficult to get the top sixteen places out of a hundred people.
"Finally, it's the finals! Next Sunday afternoon, the association will draw lots for the top sixteen players based on the rankings. On the sixteenth day of the following Monday, the sixteen-to-eight match will be held. On Tuesday, the eight-to-four match will be held. On Wednesday, the four-to-two match will be held. On Thursday, the final match will be held. In addition to the usual 3,000-pound prize and the Big City Player 1853 Tobesk Champion Special Rules Card, this year's winner will also receive prizes provided by the Tobesk branch and the local Rhodes Card Club."
President Stan quickly listed the prizes, which were physical rewards given by local shops and clubs to promote themselves. For example, the Three Cats Inn promised to provide the winning player with a 30% discount on accommodation and dining privileges for one year.
It seems that Mrs. Sang Mei is sure that she will be able to make a lot of money during this year's Big City Players.
Sometimes, outsiders really have to sigh that people in other worlds are not lacking in business acumen. Even if he were to host the "Big City Players" competition, he couldn't do better.
President Stan's loud voice and the exciting game that was about to begin made the Friday morning reception even more lively. The reporters from the Threepenny Newspaper and the Steambird Daily, who were invited to attend, even interviewed Shade individually before the reception was about to end.
As the holder of three founding series cards, he was well-known among Rhodes card players. Therefore, the two newspapers paid a high interview fee of 3 pounds and asked Shad to express his views and opinions on this year's Big City Players Competition.
Of course, Shade was happy to earn the money, and he answered questions seriously and praised Vice President Mark for his efforts for this year's competition. But when he was asked to take a photo, Shade did not take a frontal photo, but asked reporters to take a back photo of him leaving with other players.
Xia De didn't want his clear photos to be circulated. It wasn't because he was a criminal who needed to cover up his crimes, but simply because he still had to go to Coldwater Harbor occasionally.
But at least for now, he will only enjoy the Steam Age card tournament in this city, in the entire Pearl of the North.
Aren't you a criminal
Shad refused Baron Lavender's invitation to go out for a drink, and on the way home, "she" suddenly asked.
Xia De thought about what he had done:
"Indeed it is not."
So why would you even think about it
Xia De was choked by her, and the pleasant laughter came to his ears again.
Taking advantage of the fact that he had nothing else to do this afternoon, Shade visited Father Augustus again. The Father had received a firm notice that he would leave Tobesk next week, and he was packing his luggage these days.
Because of his age, Father Augustus had not been sent on a business trip by the church for nearly ten years. This unexpected trip puzzled not only himself but also Bishop Owen, but the Vatican never gave a reason for the trip, only saying that a group of older and devout clergy had gathered to attend a meeting and training in the southeast city.