Whispering Poems

Whispering Poems Chapter 55

2021-07-06

Chapter 55 Beginner's Luck
While waiting, Shade found an empty sofa and sat down , next to him, a group of strange men who seemed to have just met each other just now gathered because of current affairs.

Shade listens sideways too, finding them discussing the probability of another full-scale war between the kingdom of Delarion in the north and the United Kingdom of Kasenric in the south.

But it didn't take long for the conversation to turn to the old and new continent's seafaring trade and piracy. One of the middle-aged fat men who participated in the conversation seemed to be the manager of a trading company. He was familiar with the new continent and believed that adventurers could always win riches if they dared to go by boat.

The new continent is rich in products, although there are no aboriginal people, but many relics of civilization can be found. Coldwater Port, the most important port city in the western part of the Kingdom of Delarion, as a connecting point between the old continent and the new continent, there is never a shortage of opportunities.

After the middle-aged fat man was called to be appraised, everyone's topic finally shifted to the Rhodes card. Men who don't know each other compare their decks, show off their newly acquired special cards to each other, or laugh together at the funny story of the Rhodes card collectors in town.

The moustache middle-aged man wearing a black hat and putting a cheat cane beside the sofa is a conversation leader among a group of people because he has more special card-faced Rhodes cards, One of the card faces is the flower 13 of [Northland City Artek City], and even has special rules:
[When using, throw a 20-sided dice, if the number of the dice is equal to 20, you can unconditionally Redraw. ]

This is a real card that has been appraised by the Prophet Association, so although the effect is very common, it is still excitedly touted by a group of Rhodes hobbyists.

The moustache man called himself Mr. Lavender. Seeing that the atmosphere was getting warmer and he had nothing to do now, he suggested:

"Let's play Rhodes. , using the simplest rules. If I win, you need to give me 5p, and if I lose, you can give the winner 10p. Oh gentlemen, let's pass this boring morning."

The so-called "simplest rule" means that each player draws three consecutive cards, and wins or loses according to the blackjack rule. If both players bust, then three more cards are drawn until one side wins.

The stakes weren't too high, and it was really boring to chat here, so the good guys gathered around Mr. Lavender to watch the fun.

Shade also joined in to watch the fun, but he has always hated gambling, even such a small bet is reluctant to participate, so he just watched (bet).

There are three men willing to play cards with Mr. Lavender.

The first is Mr. Luke, who works at the Chengnan Tobacco Company. He just mentioned the tobacco trade and tax issues of Delarion and Kasenrick, but unfortunately he was directly out with 25 points;

The second is Ponton Old Mister, who lives by collecting rent from local real estate. He has a thick finger bone and a slanted right eye with glasses, but his Rhodes brand is top-notch. After three rounds with Mr Lavender, he finally won 10p, which won applause from the onlookers.

Finally, there is the sturdy Captain Sewell, whose ship travels to and from the old continent Water Element, mainly for inland shipping. He is a regular here and is known to many, including Mr Lavender.

Unfortunately, this Captain Sewell was really unlucky. The first two cards added up to more than 21, so he could only regretfully throw away fivepence.

"Anyone else playing?"

Mr. Lavender appeared to be in high spirits, and after beating his third-place opponent he extended an invitation to onlookers. He frequented the local Prophet's Association and various Rhodes card clubs, and was an expert with a small reputation in the city, so the gentlemen who joined in the fun were just booing, but no one wanted to end.

Fivepence is money after all.

Mr. Lavender looked around, and finally saw the unfamiliar face of Shade in the crowd, and also saw that he seemed to be in this kind of place for the first time:

"Sir, would you like to play cards with me?"

The middle age person kindly sent an invitation.

"Sorry, I don't gamble."

Shade shook his head, but Mr. Lavender was not angry, but said with a smile:

"Then we don't gamble, just play one game, how about it? My waiting number is 21, it's my turn soon, we just play a game and try."

The people around are also Booing, pushing Shade to the front row.

Shade thought about it, since he doesn't gamble, he can play it once, just as a pastime to pass the entertainment time. So he took the opportunity to sit on the single sofa opposite Mr. Lavender, and handed out his business card:
"Shade Hamilton, detective."

" As a detective, it is said that he is very good at playing cards."

Mr. Lavender took the business card, and after seeing the address of the detective agency, he started, obviously didn't expect young detectives to be rich in that kind of Lot to open office.

"But I hardly ever play it."

Shade took out his deck of cards, which was the one he picked up when he went to pick up Mia. Each side shuffles the other side's cards, then draws three cards from the top of their decks.

Mr. Lavender opened his card with an excited expression. There were many special cards with delicate card faces in his deck. One of the three cards drawn was:
"Look, the sun is 5, the silver moon is 8, the stars are 4, 17 o'clock, luck is really good."

The people behind him also whispered congratulations.

Because he didn't gamble, Shade didn't feel any pressure. He turned over the first card and threw it on the table. It turned out to be Sun 13, and the people around him immediately uttered regretful voices. Under the rule of 21 points, if two more cards are drawn, the probability of busting cards is quite high.

Shade opened the second card, the star 7, which added up to 20 points. But under the simple rules, he cannot stand and must draw all three cards.

People are infected by the atmosphere, exchanging views on the detective's last card.

Shade was also curious about his luck today, so he picked up the last card and raised it carefully, looking towards the number on the card. The people behind him all turned their heads to check, and exclaimed together, and even the woman in his head chuckled, reminding Shade that she was always there.

Shade had a smile on his face, as if the stress of last night's events had all disappeared in this brief moment, and playing cards was a great way to spend time.

Throwing Star 1 on the table, Mr. Lavender who was sitting opposite immediately leaned on the coffee table and stretched out his head to look, and then showed the same surprised expression as the onlookers:
"Oh , Blackjack. Beginners always have such wonderful luck, but Detective Hamilton, do you want to play again, I haven't been beaten by Blackjack in a long time."

PS1: The rules of Rhodes are sure It is different from "Blackjack". For example, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are calculated according to the numbers on the card in the rules of this book.

PS2: In order to prevent the occurrence of high-dimensional attacks, and in order not to promote incorrect values, this book will not involve the protagonist who makes a fortune by gambling, so there is no need to wonder why Shade does not rely on Gambling to win money. Hope to know.