The main business of the Prophet Association is Rhodes. The association itself does not run gambling games, but it does hold competitions to promote exchanges among Rhodes enthusiasts, so there are reception rooms available for rent.
The two sat down on the sofa. Shad stuffed the notebook into the inside pocket of his clothes. Mr. Lavender put down his cane and reintroduced himself. It turned out that the middle-aged man with a mustache was not an ordinary citizen:
"I actually have the title of Baron, but you know that in a place like Tobesk, nobility is actually worthless. This is not the countryside, not a place where a poor noble with little property can control a village. Although this statement is a bit exaggerated, if you shout "Baron" on the street, more than one person will turn around."
He shrugged at Shad, and Shad understood what Baron Lavender meant. After all, this was the capital of the Kingdom of Draerion, and barons, especially those without much property, were not uncommon.
"Relatively speaking, I am not very wealthy, but I have met some great people playing Rhodes cards. This commission is related to Rhodes cards.
The thing is, this Sunday night, I was invited to attend a banquet at the Lake View Manor, which belongs to Count Crown, outside the city. It was an ordinary open-air banquet, and there would be a lot of people going, men who were hunting for beauty, ladies who were greedy for pleasure, idle people, or guys with other purposes... My friend Baron Rwanda organized a Rhodes card game at the banquet, a card game with a special card as the bet. "
The middle-aged man with a small mustache looked at Xia De and sized up his expression. Xia De thought for a moment and asked:
"So, you want that card?"
"Of course the Rhodes cards are important, but I want to beat that guy more. Do you know how he laughed at me last time when I lost the special card of my fairy tale theme deck - Match Girl? So, Detective Hamilton, I plan to find several card players in advance before the banquet to help me defeat him at the banquet."
The Lavender man nodded to Shad:
"Detective Hamilton, are you willing to accept this commission?"
"As much as I'd like to accept, I really can't play cards."
Xia De quickly shook his head. Although he wanted to make money, he would not accept commissions beyond his capabilities.
"No, no, no. Rhodes is actually a game that tests your luck. You can play it if you know the rules."
The Baron also shook his head:
"Sometimes luck is even more important than skill, and we generally believe that novice players always have good luck. For example, you just beat me."
"But it's just luck, and please don't be superstitious."
Xia De emphasized that he didn't want to get himself into trouble because of the commission. Moreover, he successfully obtained the appraisal certificate of the founder Yin Yue, and the final appraisal result was equivalent to becoming rich immediately. Although he must continue to maintain his identity as a detective, he no longer needs to accept those risky commissions.
"I not only found you, but also several other gentlemen. If you help me win the game, I can give you a reward of 1 pound as long as you win one game; even if you lose, I can give you 10 shillings. In addition, I will reimburse the cost of going back and forth to the manor, and you can also have fun at the banquet for free. If you are lucky, you can even meet a beautiful girl."
Baron Lavender continued to increase his chips.
Now Xia De hesitated. If the other party didn't mind him losing, then he could actually accept the commission. He could earn at least half a pound in one night, which was something that some special professions couldn't compare to.
Of course, he still had some questions, and Xia De was very self-aware:
"I'm sorry, Baron. Do you think I can help you just because I beat you in a round? I mean, this is just the first time we've met."
"Actually, my first thought was that I saw the location of your detective agency, so I judged that you must be extraordinary. Just now, I noticed that you went to the third floor with Vice President Mark. I think even if you don't know the Rhodes cards, you are definitely not an ordinary detective. The third floor of the Prophet Association is not so easy to get to."
The mustache man laughed and took out his deck of cards:
"Since you still won't agree to this, it shows that you are a very responsible detective. How about this, we still draw three cards, and if the number is less than or equal to 21, you will accept my commission, how about that?"
Now Shade also became interested. The risk of this commission was even smaller than that of Mr. Franklin, second only to finding Mia, a temporary member of the family:
"sure."
He took the Baron's deck, reshuffled it, and drew the top three cards.
This time it's not a coincidence like blackjack, and the cards in your hand are displayed on the table one by one -
Stars 1, sun 2, moon 3.
Baron Lavender and Shade raised their eyebrows at the same time:
"Look, Detective, I told you beginner's luck was a sure thing. Don't touch Rhodes until Sunday. It'll wear you out."
This statement is probably a common superstition like the "law of conservation of luck".
Lord Lavender grabbed Shad's hand:
"Detective, you must help me. Damn Rwanda, I'm sure to win this time."
Strictly speaking, this should be considered the second commission that Xia De had taken on (note). In order to make it more formal, he asked for paper and pen, wrote a commission contract by hand, signed it after both parties checked it, and kept two copies.
Shad thought that the rigorous habits of the previous Sparrow detective were very good, so he planned to continue using account books, notebooks and file books to record any formal commissions.
This also makes it easier to pay taxes.
Baron Lavender will mail the invitation to the Lakeview Manor dinner party to number 6 St. Teresa's Square later. The two of them should not meet at the dinner party, but pretend to be friends who met by chance and then go play Rhodes together.
Baron Lavender hopes to prove his luck to his friend Baron Rwanda in this way.
Shad expressed his concern about Baron Lavender's idea, but all he wanted was the half pound, and winning or losing was not really important to Shad.
"However, I don't know if the food for the dinner can be taken out, and what the dress code is... You can ask the doctor on Saturday. He looks like a so-called upper-class person."
His luck that morning was so good that Shade began to doubt whether his luck had really changed. After bidding farewell to Baron Lavender, Shade did not return home immediately, but walked to Old John's Pawn Shop where he had pawned his walking stick, and redeemed the expensive walking stick from the owner, which was said to be made from the heart of natural cedar wood from the Drado Mountains.
The owner was still the only one in the store. The pawn shop was somewhat shaded on this early summer afternoon, and the temperature was just right.
The shop owner, old John Jones, expressed regret for Shad's decision and repeatedly stressed that if Shad was short of money, he could sell the cane to him. Old John was willing to pay more for the cane than the pawn price.
"So how much are you willing to spend?"
Xia De did not refuse the suggestion. If he wanted to use a cane, he could just spend money to buy a cheaper one.
"Hmm...how about 7 pounds 6 shillings?"
The old man, who was still wearing a red woolen vest at noon in the summer, thought about it and made an offer.
The fingers with age spots twirled slightly:
“This price is not low.”
"Ten pounds."
Shade immediately raised the price, but the other party would definitely not accept this price. He was waiting for the other party to bargain. According to the current purchasing power of currency, ten pounds would be enough to dig out Detective Sparrow Hamilton and give him a grand funeral. This price was definitely not appropriate.
"make a deal."
Old John agreed immediately.