Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 156 The Card Game

It was precisely because of the strange attitudes of the three gentlemen that not only Old Duke Lucas himself, but also the other guests who had been invited, were somewhat eager to find out what they had just seen.

"Well then, let the match begin,"

Mr. Mark fiddled with the bowtie at the collar of his white shirt and black formal wear and announced loudly.

The two middle-aged men from the Prophet's Society were on Mr. Mark's side serving as the dealers. In this era, superstitions prevailed, and people believed that women would bring bad luck to Roder Cards, thus no sultry ladies were seen dealing the cards on site.

Shard received his first card and then felt a bit nervous. He actually had no idea how to play Roder Cards and had only picked up some Roder Card strategies during the intervals of reading and playing with cats in the past few days, but he was definitely not a match for the veterans.

Therefore, the "luck of the Genesis Series cards" that Miss Annette mentioned was probably Shard's hope for winning.

Although he had previously said that he didn't care about the outcome of the match, now that he was actually sitting here, being watched by so many people, especially by Miss Beyas, who he didn't know why was dressed as a Maid, he felt an inexplicable pressure.

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"Just play casually, try not to ask for more cards, after all, luck is the main part of the competition."

He comforted himself that his opponent's deck wasn't bloodstained this time; this was a very fair match.

"If I lose, it's actually not a big deal... I'll apologize to Miss Galina; it's not possible to lose every time I help her."

His mood returned to normal, and he looked down to check his first hole card: flower 13.

"Hmmm..."

He signaled for the next card, and the second card was dealt face up: sun 8.

"Hmmm..."

He rubbed his hands together and pondered for a moment before asking himself:

"Is there again some inexplicable person interfering with my luck?"

[I haven't noticed.]

"Then why... exactly 21 points?"

[Why not consider it your luck?]

Shard nodded in agreement, indicating that he didn't need another card.

"Is the young man so cautious?"

The Old Duke across from him chuckled, but he also didn't ask for a third card. Subsequently, when the cards were revealed, Shard had 13+8=21, while the Duke had 8+8=16. The latter was not disappointed but continued to smile and said:

"It seems there is a reason for the young man's caution."

The guests watching the card game whispered among themselves, while Shard saw Miss Beyas slip quietly out of the door amidst the focus of everyone's attention, not knowing where she was going.

"No chance to tell her there's a High Ring Sorcerer on this floor... but last time Miss Galina was already aware of Miss Beyas, so it should be fine."

Shard won the first round of the first set, but in the second round, his luck did not continue; the total of the first two cards was 17. The cautious Detective chose not to draw another, while the Duke pulled two 2s in succession until he stopped at the fourth card:

"That's bad."

Duke Lucas regretfully flipped over his hole card: 6+2+2+12=22. Shard's luck didn't need to be particularly good; it just had to be better than his opponent's.

In the third round of the first set, after Shard received his hole card, he was somewhat distracted to notice that Miss Beyas had already returned. She was still dressed as a Maid, and upon seeing Shard's gaze "peeping" at her from behind his Roder Cards, she even made a greeting gesture.

By the time Shard came to his senses, he had already received three cards and quickly called a stop; the total for his three cards was 18 at that point.

At this moment, a small gasp of surprise burst forth from the crowd as, for the first time in the match, someone drew the first Special Rule Card. Even though Old Duke Lucas was still behind, he couldn't help but reveal a triumphant expression as though he had already won the victory.

"Detective, it seems my luck might be a bit better."

[Firearm: Ruger Revolver], suit sun 10; after drawing this card, if the number of cards in hand including this card is odd and all suits in hand are different, then the player can adjust the card number between 10 and 11.

Duke Lucas didn't continue to draw. He carefully flipped over his other hole card with his finger, then flung it onto the table with a snap: moon 3, meeting the criteria for the Special Rule.

"Oh, my God—what luck!"

Once again, exclamations erupted from the crowd, with lively discussions and congratulatory voices all around. It wasn't just to ingratiate the Old Duke; the people genuinely thought it was an incredible occurrence.

"It seems that no matter what, the Duke's points are lower than mine... so I won the third round of the first set, securing the victory for this set, right?"

Shard quietly inquired of the dealer nearest to him; regardless of how the numbers on that Roder Card were adjusted, it should be his 18 points that had won. But the reaction of the crowd made him wonder if there was some special rule that meant he had lost instead.

"The first set ends, and Mr. Shard Hamilton is the victor!"

In the midst of the excited crowd's discussions, Mr. Mark announced loudly. Shard did not show any triumphant expression, while the Old Duke, dressed in a red army uniform, was flushed with the glow of victory as if he had just won a battle:

"See, Detective, this match is so interesting; you won the first set, and I encountered a rule card, which is truly fascinating!"

"I really am out of place with these people."

Shard sighed inwardly, while the Old Duke continued to praise:

"It seems that Galina has found an impressive Roder Card player, Detective. The next round won't be so easy."

Although the first game had only lasted a brief fifteen minutes in total, everyone still took a five-minute break before continuing with the second game.

During this interval, Shard, under the pretext of not drinking alcohol, asked for some grape juice and exchanged a few words with Miss Maid Beyas in her disguise. But the latter blinked and said nothing more, seemingly unwilling to involve Shard in her affairs.

Shard was relieved; this suited him just fine.

Duke Lucas's luck finally returned at the start of the second game, pulling the Queen on the third card of the first round. Holding 15 points, Shard, attempting to draw more cards, went over 21 points and was then chided by the Old Duke with a laugh for how luck is indeed constant.

In the second round, however, it was Shard who drew the Queen from his own deck. The Duke, just like Shard had done previously, continued to draw cards in hopes of getting 21 points or drawing the King. Unfortunately, he drew the card Star 13, adorned with a special pattern, and bust directly.

This kind of game, where one person wins a round, was far more exciting than the first. Enthusiastic, the Duke had servants summon a poet who could play the lute, to sing and add to the merriment while they played cards.

In the third round of the second game, Shard, slightly relaxed after winning a round, took a chance on his luck. Although he did not draw a Special Card, he managed to accumulate 20 points when he stopped. The Old Duke, on the other hand, drew a Special Rule Roder Card, which was "Ancient Hero: Knight Tim," another card that required a dice roll to activate.

But the Duke wasn't lucky this time, neither succeeding in using the special rule nor beating the Detective's 20 points.

"It seems my luck isn't too bad today."

Having won both the first and second rounds of the first game, Shard breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that one more win would secure his victory.

"Maybe you could make a living through gambling; it sounds rather nice,"

"I wouldn't gamble unless I absolutely had to; it's a matter of principle,"

Shard re-emphasized, then he overheard the pleasant light laughter of a woman. Having accepted her presence alongside his own, without pondering whether she truly existed, Shard grew more accustomed to the whispers of the woman in his ear and mind. It was like he previously wasn't fond of cats, but gradually got used to Mia becoming a part of the household.

One of the prices of delving into the mysteries and becoming a Circle Sorcerer was that whispers would follow him for the rest of his life. Sleeping, eating, socializing, and even in private moments... that was the price, as no power came without a cost. But every time he heard the gentle laughter by his ear, Shard felt it wasn't a price; it was a gift to himself.

As the fourth round of the second game officially began, Shard's first hole card was Flower 8, and the Duke, after glancing at his card, revealed it right away:

"King."

The robust old man, like a lion, couldn't help but laugh, his deep voice almost vibrating the glass:

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Galina has truly found a good card player this time. I'm not bad either, to draw a King and Queen in one round. The last time I was this lucky, my son was probably about your age. Detective, my hole card is the King; unless you draw 21 points, I'm set to win both rounds of the second game."

Onlookers excitedly discussed the state of the game, with something unusual happening nearly every round, which greatly increased the entertainment value of the game.

People were guessing whether the young Detective had the luck, and Shard was curious about this himself.

"Deal the next card,"

he indicated, not showing signs of nervousness. Even if he lost this round, the second game would only be tied at two-all, so there was no hurry.

He glanced at the black-haired Maid who had been standing behind him since the game began. Miss Maid met his gaze and her beautiful eyes seemed to say "Is there something you need?" Shard shook his head, but not before noticing from his upward angle certain body features that made him blush. The Maid Tifa was probably the best-figured among all the women he knew in this world.

Turning his attention back to the card table, he saw his second card was the Sun 12, which, combined with the earlier 8 points, totaled 20.

"Oh~"

Even he couldn't help but exclaim. Duke Lucas across the table was already smiling:

"Detective, do you forfeit this round, or will you take another card and try your luck?"

"Deal the next card,"

Shard said.

The Duke tapped the table lightly with a finger:

"That's the spirit of youth, taking chances on luck."

But Shard felt this wasn't a compliment, purely that the Old Duke wanted to secure a more complete victory.

The third card was dealt, and the people sitting closer to Shard couldn't help but crane their necks to see the card face, eager to witness the young Detective make an astonishing comeback to win the game.

Shard glanced at the card and raised his eyebrows:

"Perhaps, the hearsay that Genesis Series cards increase luck isn't just superstition after all."

He didn't have the luck to draw one of the aces among the four suits; instead, he drew a card with the number 3.

The third card was the Sun 3, "Genesis: Silver Moon," which allowed adjustment of numbers from 1 to 5.

Thump~

Glancing over, the silver-haired Viscount Ford, having covered his heart with a smile, finally slumped down.