Whispering Verse

"Since your blood money can only be paid as a price after you use it, why don't you divine it immediately after activation, but keep it in your hand?"

"Blood money also has an unimportant feature. Each blood money has the function of sensing other blood money. When I took the last blood money out of my containment method, it sensed the existence of Tobesk. Additional blood money. But the perception is very vague, and when activated, the perception will be enhanced."

She asked Shade and Miss Bayas to try touching the gold coins without gloves. Immediately, the trembling sensation of blood money spread from his fingers to his brain.

"Yes, I have found out that the holder of the blood money is at the banquet. I invited Miss Bayas to this banquet. I originally planned to find the batch of blood money with her, and then immediately perform divination on her. I didn’t expect that just when I wanted to tell her about this, you showed up.”

Miss Anat looked at Shade:

"Look, detective, don't worry about me."

"It makes people more worried if you say that."

Miss Bayas said that she didn't know what to say. The woman sitting next to her did such a crazy thing because of her.

"The batch of blood money totaled 5 coins. In the hands of Baron Cobol who attended the banquet, the baron seemed to think those old coins were his lucky charms. The dance at this dinner started after 9 o'clock. My plan is to take advantage of the dance. Make an appointment with him to meet alone, and then mention that I am a coin collector and want to trade the few old gold pounds he has. If he refuses...then we have to use other methods."

Other methods will probably not be legal.

"What's the market value of those five old gold pounds?"

Shade asked.

"Because we don't know exactly which era the five blood coins turned into gold pounds, the market value is difficult to estimate, but the maximum value of a single coin will not exceed 5 pounds. They will not become too expensive antiques. , otherwise it will easily be unable to be traded as currency.”

Blood money only triggers its properties when it is traded as currency. And if it is traded as an antique, then it is just an ordinary antique.

As he spoke, the soothsayer with short brown hair stood up:

"I'm going to implement my plan. You guys wait for me here. I'll do the divination immediately after I buy it."

"No need to bother, sit down, Miss Anat."

Shade stretched out his hand:

"Give me the gold pounds you want to buy blood money for. You guys wait here for me for a while, and I'll go get those antiques."

"Do you know the baron?"

Miss Anat asked, and then handed the prepared banknotes to Shade. She prepared 30 pounds to prevent the other party from raising the price.

"Of course we know each other, because of this."

He waved his Rhodes cards at the two ladies.

A full hour has passed since leaving the card game and returning, but the game is still going on in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the banquet hall on the second floor.

When they left, Baron Lavender and Baron Cobble were competing. When they came back, Baron Lavender was still sitting there, but his opponent became Baron Rwanda. The two barons had a long-standing grudge, and neither one was willing to admit defeat.

Baron Cobol stood behind Baron Lavender to watch the battle, and Shade invited the baron to the side to talk.

The Baron did not refuse, and he and Shade came to the floor-to-ceiling window away from the crowd. Looking at the city from the second floor, those yellow lights represent the power of this era.

After confirming that no one was around, Shade twirled his fingers at Baron Cobol:

"Baron, I heard that you recently obtained some old gold pounds in good condition? Are you interested in selling them?"

The Baron himself was in the antique business, and the news about the coins was not hidden, so Shade's transaction request was not unexpected:

"You also know that the shooting not long ago..."

The young detective pointed to his chest in embarrassment:

"So I've been looking for some coins that can bring good luck. I want to carry them with me, otherwise I always feel like I'll be blackmailed again. I have a friend who is a psychiatrist. He said this is post-traumatic syndrome. Sorry, professional vocabulary. I don’t remember clearly.”

Baron Cobol showed an understanding smile. This banquet could be held because of this:

"This is my lucky coin, but since you are the one who offered to buy it, I think I can reluctantly part with it. Mr. Hamilton, do you want all five of them?"

"certainly."

Shade nodded, but the Baron did not agree immediately. Instead, he thought about it and proposed:

"However, please allow me to change the transaction method. The transaction of gold pounds is really vulgar. I wonder if you are interested in getting a chance to obtain these antique coins for free."

"What's the meaning?"

Shade said hesitantly, a little worried that the other party actually didn't want to sell those gold pounds.

"If you want these five coins, then play Rhodes with me. If you win, these coins will be yours."

He took out a small bag with a tight seal from his pocket and shook it. Shade narrowed his eyes.

"If you lose, I will give you 50 pounds, and these five coins will be yours...but you must give me your [Northern City, Coldwater Port City]."

[Northern City Coldwater Port City] As a Rhodes card with special rules, its auction price is approximately between 50 and 70 pounds. The price of 50 pounds plus five old gold pounds is almost exactly the same. In other words, even if he loses, Xia De will not suffer any loss.

But the problem is that although the price of the special Rhodes cards [Northern City, Coldwater Port City] can be estimated based on the Rhodes card trading market, in fact, you can’t buy such cards even if you want to, and those old gold pounds are not very expensive. cherish.

In other words, this transaction was not because Shade wanted to buy the five coins, but because Baron Cobol wanted to bet his luck on buying Shade's Rhodes cards.

"If you win, you will help Miss Anat save a lot of money. If you lose, it will be equivalent to buying the blood money at a fair price... It seems that there is no loss at all, why should you refuse?"

Shade thought to himself, and then showed a provocative smile to the Baron:

"Of course, why not have an exciting game of Rhodes?"

Shade's return attracted people's attention, and when he and Baron Cobble announced that they would bet on Rhodes, people were even more excited. Compared with gambling, gambling with special rules cards is the most attractive.

"I noticed that the dance is about to start, so it doesn't need to be too complicated. The basic rules are, whoever wins three times first wins. Or the first person to empty their deck loses."

Shade didn't want to waste time here.

He still adheres to the good habit of not gambling, but this time he wants to save Baron Cobol. Those blood money left with him will sooner or later cause trouble. Captain Rades is a good example.

"Detective, are you really willing to bet a card? Those antique coins are actually worthless."

As Shade's friend, Baron Lavender persuaded him in a low voice, but Shade shook his head:

"Look, I won the title of knight today. How can we not have an exciting game of Rhodes on such a memorable day?"

Everyone who heard his words smiled. This kind of words was very suitable for the gentlemen gathered here at this time.

"I'm looking forward to your luck."

Baron Cobol rubbed his hands and said, his face also glowing, looking forward to this game. For him, the worst outcome is to lose those antique coins. This is also a game that he will never suffer a loss.

People gathered around expectantly, and Shade, who had already sat down, looked up at Baron Lavender and Baron Rwanda:

"How about you two come over to check the deck and deal the cards?"

"No problem at all."

People around became excited, and every time a special card changed hands, it could be discussed for a long time.

"Then I will be the notarizer to ensure that this card game maintains a fair spirit."

An elderly gentleman in the crowd said, and the person next to him introduced Shade. This is Viscount Cronenberg, who is also a famous local Rhodes player.

"There are still twenty minutes until nine o'clock, so it seems we can move faster."

Shade handed the deck to Baron Lavender, who walked to the table excitedly, while people gathered slightly towards the middle for fear of missing the wonderful scene.

In this corner of the banquet hall on the second floor, the atmosphere became increasingly lively. The unique culture has created a special group of Rhodes enthusiasts. This kind of card game participated by distinguished players is generally considered an "elegant game" and is most suitable to be held at such high-end banquets.

Everyone wasted no time, and the game officially began. The two barons dealt out the cards to both sides, but neither of them looked at the cards immediately, but signaled to continue dealing the cards.

Baron Cobol's second card was the 7 of the Sun, so he opened the hole card and took a look. Shade's second card turned out to be Sun 7, so he also checked his hole cards.

"Looks like I'm still lucky."

The baron revealed his trump card, Moon 13, for a total of 20 points. He touched his chin and raised his head at Xia De:

"Mr. Hamilton, what about you?"

"Keep asking for cards."

Shade said, and the subsequent card was a six. He shook his head regretfully, turned over his hole card, 8+7+6, and the points exploded.

The onlookers chatted quietly, and Baron Cobol showed a proud smile.

In the second round that followed, the two still didn't look at their respective cards, but Shade's second card was directly the queen. The baron continued to ask for cards with a serious expression, wanting to bet on blackjack, and then as expected, Also busted.

In this way, it's one-on-one. Shade's mentality is very peaceful, and he won't put too much passion into this kind of game. But Baron Cobol on the opposite side was already a little nervous. This was related to whether he could get a special card.

In the third round, the Baron first checked the hole cards before deciding to continue asking for cards. He finally stopped on the third card, with a score of 19.

Shade continued to play until the fourth card. The first three cards were Sun 1, Sun 4 and Sun 5. After the fourth card was dealt by Baron Lavender, it turned out to be Sun 10, which aroused people's concern. exclaimed.

Shade's Sun 10 is [Original Steam Engine·Mark No. 9]. When you draw this card, if you already hold at least two cards in your hand, and all the cards you hold are of the sun suit, you can change the number of this card between 9, Adjust within 10 days.

"Oh, Mr. Hamilton, you are very lucky."

Even Baron Cobol, his opponent, couldn't help but be surprised, but Shade thought it was bad luck:

"Whether it's a special card or not, I can win this round. The effect of the special card is wasted here, and my luck is wasted."

"Mr. Hamilton, do you also believe in the conservation of luck?"

The middle-aged officer in military uniform among the crowd of onlookers asked. This is a friend of Captain Rades, whom Shade had just met.

"Of course I don't believe it. I'm just a little regretful that this card didn't appear when I was at 22 o'clock."

He joked, which earned a laugh of approval.