All contestants were asked to check their decks before the game. Since Shad was delayed for a while at the witch's place, when he arrived at the back garden, everyone except him had already arrived.
The 16 tables for the first round were scattered in various corners under the grape trellises, surrounded by a large number of spectators, so Xia De had no chance to know who the contestants were.
After checking the life ceremony and wedding, he temporarily said goodbye to Baron Lavender and Baron Rwanda, and found a long table that had been set up in the middle of the garden path on the west side of the grape trellis. Sitting at the other end of the table was Colonel Lisbon, 42 years old, who did not have much military temperament, of course, this might also be related to his glasses.
The two did not say much. After Shad sat down, under the light of the gas lamp, Mr. Sikh from the Prophet Association immediately announced the start of the competition.
"Mr. Hamilton, I have heard of your great name for a long time."
Colonel Lisbon had a brown beard and wore a navy uniform and military boots to the banquet. A vertical gas lamp was next to it. It was a lighting fixture in the garden. Its general shape was similar to the street lamps on Silver Cross Avenue, but it was a little shorter.
The warm yellow light illuminated them. Tifa stood behind Shad holding Mia, and the colonel, who knew Shad's identity, greeted him politely. They all got their first cards, and the crowd lowered their voices slightly, looking forward to the game of the Grand City Player Champion.
I have to admit that playing cards in a noble manor with a pleasant view under the starry sky is indeed very pleasant.
"Colonel Lisbon, I heard you just came back from the New World?"
Shade asked, asking for a second card with the Colonel.
"Yes, we went ashore at Coldwater Harbor and took the steam train back. After all, it's the end of the year for the honors awarding season."
The colonel smiled. Like Carsonrick, Delarion also awards honors nationwide at the end of each year, and strictly abides by the rule of a small award every four years and a large award every ten years. This is somewhat similar to the concept of "year-end bonus" that still exists in this era, and is similar to the Five Gods Church giving gifts to core believers at the end of the year.
Of course, the low-level workers in the steam factories could only get blessings from the factory owners; the middle-class citizens could get some cash from their employers; the wealthy businessmen and factory owners spent their own money to reward themselves; and those who could participate in the year-end awarding of honors would get real status and honor.
"Honors season? Yes, 1853 is almost over."
Shad agreed, and then announced that he would stop playing, but he did not immediately turn over his cards. According to the rules, it is not necessary to show the cards immediately when stopping playing. His friend Captain Rades, who had made great contributions in the Battle of Midhill Castle, had also written a letter some time ago saying that he would return to Tobesk in winter to receive the reward, but he did not know whether Captain Rades could go further.
The colonel looked at the two cards in his hand with a total of 17 points and hesitated for a moment, then chose to stop playing. Then he saw that Shade had Star 10 and Star Eight.
"This year has been really hard. I hope every day can be peaceful."
Shade said, taking the first card of the second round, and then turned it over with a smile:
"Queen, New World Development History: Wind of Development. I can randomly draw another card. If it is the sunflower color, the queen will be regarded as the king. But I won't activate the effect. Colonel, I don't believe you can draw the king or 21 points. Do you want to try?"
"Okay, I give up."
The colonel stood up regretfully and shook hands with Shade who also stood up:
"I hope we can play cards together next time. It's a pity that I didn't see those founding series."
The venue for the second match of Shade was next to the small white stone fountain on the south side of the grape trellis. The fountain was an image of a little angel holding a water bottle, which looked particularly elegant.
Under the gas light, Tifa pulled out a chair for Shad, and Shad's opponent arrived late after Shad sat down.
The man in a red coat, white bloomers and a hat with feathers is Viscount Chekov, a local nobleman from Tobysk. The viscount has a lot of money, but he is a little-known poet by profession.
Like Colonel Lisbon, Viscount Chekov also expressed his admiration for Shad before playing cards with him. He recognized the maid standing behind Shad as the personal maid of Duke Carina, so after getting the first card, he began to praise Shad as a handsome gentleman, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
But this praise did not help him win the game. In the first round, the Viscount continued to ask for cards even though he had two 16 points, and unfortunately busted. In the second round, he cautiously stopped at 16 points, but was defeated by Shad with 18 points.
The guests around laughed and pointed out that the Viscount fell twice in the same place in different positions. The Viscount was not angry, but stood up gracefully and shook hands with Xia De:
"I knew it wouldn't be easy to defeat the champion of the big city players."
"I'm a little late. Are there any interesting players in this game?"
Shad asked with a smile, while Tifa was helping him put the deck together.
Viscount Chekov thought for a moment:
"It seems that there was a lady who attended the card game, which is rare, but I don't know the lady who seemed to be from Carsonrick."
"The lady playing cards?"
Shade frowned.
The third card game was played at the edge of the garden maze on the west side of the grape trellis. As the number of remaining players decreased, more guests gathered around each table. Of course, in order to avoid suspicion, no one except their servants could stand behind the players.
This time, Chad's opponent is Mr. Lois Berson, a gentleman in his thirties who is not a nobleman himself, but he is married to Baroness Lianna Pompey. It is worth mentioning that the noble lady is forty-five years old this year.
Mr. Bersong also admired Shad's name very much. After the two of them sat down, he even wanted an autographed photo of Shad, but Shad declined with a smile.
There was no suspense in the game between the two players either. However, in the second game, the special rule card drawn by Mr. Bersong, Jumanji: Wilde-style wrestling, aroused people's interest.
The rules of this card certainly won't make the players wrestle, but require the card holder and one of the players at the table to throw a 20-sided dice. If the points on the two dice are the same, then this card of the suit of moon 9 can be adjusted in the range of 7 to 11.
You know, among all the Rhodes cards that Shade has seen so far that can adjust numbers, only his Genesis Silver Moon can cross five numbers. Although the activation conditions of this brave man's game Wilde-style wrestling are extremely harsh, the adjustment rule that crosses five numbers means that once luck really comes, this card will play a decisive role.
Shade threw the number 1, and Mr. Bersong threw the number 13. The card rules did not work, which made the onlookers sigh with regret. When the two finished the game and shook hands, Shade revealed that he wanted to buy the card.
"No, no, Mr. Hamilton, I will not sell this card."
Mr. Bersong shook his head and said firmly:
"I will keep it in my hands until the day I die, and then let my children open my diary, take out this card from it, and tell them that this is the most precious gift I leave them."
His words caused the people around him to laugh, and Shade also smiled. He suddenly thought of Detective Sparrow. The previous detective left the Founding Silver Moon in the diary before his death, and let Shade inherit it.
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