abcnovels
Chapter 654
Chapter 654
Chapter 654
Hi, please check out this patreon link /al_squad to support the translation, ad-free chapters, up to 21 chapters per week of BL novels and up to 516 additional chapters of BL novels!!
Chapter 654
"By the way, do you know of any places nearby where more interesting games are played?"
"More interesting games? Are you talking about dice games or something of that sort?"
"No. The fun I seek is... this."
Kishiar tapped lightly on the back of the card, adorned with a gold coin pattern, and smiled.
"Money?"
"It was good to come to Charloin with a purpose, but then I realized I was short on lodging money. I wouldn’t mind sleeping in the streets alone, but now I have companions."
Kishiar continued speaking while expertly shuffling the cards.
This meant he was searching for a gambling game involving stakes of money. Yuder didn't miss the slight change in the expressions of those who had been casually flipping cards.
"If you came to Charloin for a purpose... You're not, by any chance, 'those people'?"
The person sitting next to Kishiar gestured subtly towards a direction. It was towards the street where one could catch a glimpse of the top of the southern branch building of the Cavalry.
"Right. Haven't you seen more of our kind around here lately?"
"Hmm. Well, yes."
Despite their conversation hinting that Kishiar and Yuder were Awakeners who had come to apply to the Cavalry, the card players didn't seem overly surprised.
Without fear or hesitation, as they subtly met each other's gaze, Yuder was certain Kishiar had picked the right people to glean information from.
"You seem to have just average skills in the game. Aren't you looking into too dangerous a way to earn travel money? The games where you can make money are totally different from this kind of play."
"Oh, is that how it seemed?"
Kishiar cheekily responded.
"You all might have been too drunk to remember, but I've participated in four rounds since I joined this table. Win, lose, win, lose, and now it's ongoing. Does anyone remember by how many points I won and lost?"
"When you won, it was with a 5-point difference from the second place, and when you lost, it was by 5 points to the first place."
The previously silent Yuder answered, causing the men playing the card game to look at each other. In disbelief, they counted on their fingers, trying to recall the events. After a moment, they all fell silent.
"...It's true."
Simply controlling winning and losing was something a skilled player could easily do. But to alternate wins and losses by the same score difference without arousing any suspicion from others was truly an astonishing feat.
"That... Is that your ability? Did you use your power?"
"No. My power has nothing to do with this."
"Then how..."
"I'm just naturally good at this. Maybe I have a good sense."
Kishiar casually answered, shaking the cards in his hand.
"If I win this round too, by a 5-point margin, would you tell me some places where we can play a decent game?"
"Alright. Let's see you try."
What had been a light-hearted game before now took on a heavier, tenser atmosphere. The men stopped drinking and watched Kishiar intently, making sure he didn't use any small tricks.
Yet, despite this, the flag of victory was claimed by Kishiar La Orr.
"Exactly a 5-point difference. It's over."
"..."
Everyone fell silent at the last card Kishiar laid down.
"There was definitely no trickery..."
"He just said he's got a good sense."
As Kishiar bantered, the men scrutinized his cards, flipping them over and peering closely. Amidst their inspection, Kishiar, who leaned back nonchalantly in his chair, turned to Yuder and spoke.
"Ah. Perhaps I've played the game too earnestly; my throat is parched. It would be nice if someone awarded me with a cold beer."
"…Just ask for it normally."
Though Yuder spoke thus, he lightly picked up Kishiar's beer glass and brought it to his lips. He didn't forget to use a slight power to cool the beer inside.
The man who gulped down several refreshing sips widened his eyes and expressed his gratitude.
"There's no fun in just receiving. Anything received as a reward always tastes better. Even a 70-year-old Raifa wine wouldn't seem as sweet and refreshing as this single sip right now."
"…"
It seemed like an exaggerated comparison, but fortunately, he appeared satisfied.
Meanwhile, the men finally confirmed that there were no tricks in the cards and lifted their heads.
"Huh…"
"Do you believe it now?"
"I'm not sure what exactly you did, but yes… Hiding it well is also a skill. If this is true, you won't starve anywhere you go."
"That's been the case indeed."
"If you really want to test your luck, look for shops with a red dice painted under their signs. With more people like you around these days, many are going there hoping to make quick money."
"Red dice?"
"It's managed by a guy named Nukijo, famous for 'that' in Charloin."
When mentioning 'that,' the speaker gestured with clenched fists shaking left and right. It was a sign used to collectively describe underground groups involved in all sorts of unsavory activities.
"Hmm. I'm most curious about what kind of games they play there. Won't you tell me?"
"We don't know much about that. We've heard that some betting games are popular lately."
"Betting, huh."
"It won't be hard to find. Those guys are always lurking around here. Maybe they're even watching this game now and will approach you. I saw people like you playing games with them nearby and then following them not long ago."
After saying this, the men, feeling the game's excitement had dwindled, packed up the cards and left. Yuder, looking at the empty glasses left behind, spoke.
"The name Nukijo. It sounds familiar."
"Yeah? What about him?"
"If I remember correctly... In the previous game, he was the owner of the largest fighting arena in the South."
At that time, there were numerous fighting arenas in the South, but the Nukijo Arena was the largest. Nobles watched Awakeners and monsters fight there, betting money while drinking alcohol laced with drugs. An Awakener with the ability to entertain with various powers was nothing less than a top betting commodity.
On the lower floors, below the nobles, non-Awakeners were often forced to fight Awakeners for entertainment, in gambling fights targeting those of lower status. Those who fought there were usually heavily in debt, risking their lives.
If they lost, they were drugged, dismembered, and fed to beasts, all while onlookers laughed and enjoyed their drinks.
The orchestrator of that dreadful hell was the operator himself.
At that point in time, the fighting arena probably hadn't developed as extensively as in his previous life. However, the existence of such an establishment was evident from the attempted human trafficking by the Tain Duke's family seen in the West and through Ershi. Yuder believed that coming here would definitely lead to catching a tail.
'Had I failed to stop the human trafficking attempt by Tain Duke and Baron Willhem back then, they probably wouldn't be here now, trying to recruit people coming to join the Cavalry.'
Fresh blood is always needed in betting fights.
Since they couldn't obtain this blood from the West, Yuder figured they must be quite desperate by now.
And it seemed his conjecture was not wrong.
"It's good then. We just need to look for the places marked with red dice."
"Yes. Thanks to the Commander choosing the right people."
"If people are already sitting around playing card games before it's even time for dinner, it's obvious. Though they pretended otherwise, those guys are likely part of Nukijo's gang or somewhat connected. But..."
Kishiar, who had been smoothly continuing the conversation, suddenly paused, drawing out the silence.
'Has something gone wrong?'
Yuder quickly scanned the surroundings, preparing to unleash his power if needed.
"Isn't it risky to use such a title for addressing me here where someone might hear? It might also be dangerous to use it at our next destination. What do you think?"
"..."
Realizing that Kishiar's concern was completely different from what he had anticipated, Yuder relaxed his tensed muscles somewhat disappointedly.
'It's a valid point, though...'
"That is true. Shall we avoid using titles then? Or perhaps I could pretend to be a knight escort like Sir Zuckerman..."
"No. I absolutely do not want to be addressed as 'my lord'."
Kishiar shook his head, resting his chin on his hand.
"Isn't there something else?"
"...Something else, you say."
"Yes. There are various titles and forms of address in the world, after all."
Read up to chapter 737 (93 additional chapters) for just 5$ or up to chapter 1049 (405 additional chapters) for just 10$ on /al_squad
[Select the $10/month plan or the Foundation Establishment tier to access the chapters]
Hi, if you like the story, please rate and review this novel on novelupdates. Thanks!
Check out the latest chapter 1079 in /al_squad [Patreon members can access ad-free chapters, up to 21 chapters of BL novels per week and up to 436 chapters of Turning for a total of 516 chapters of BL novels!!]
Support us on Patreon to enjoy ad-free content, with more than 21 chapters of BL novels released weekly and access to an additional 40 chapters per novel (up to 436 chapters of Turning for a total of 516 chapters of BL novels!!)!For those who find it difficult to subscribe via Patreon, PayPal is also an available option.
Please ensure you have read the tier information on Patreon before proceeding with a subscription through PayPal.
Once you have subscribed, please send your Gmail address and PayPal ID to . I will then verify your account on PayPal and share with you the Google Doc containing the chapters that correspond to your subscription tier.
Please use the Patreon subscription first. Only if that route is hard then use the PayPal subscription.
Select your tier Qi Cultivating Stage $5.00 USD - month(s) Foundation Establishment $10.00 USD - month(s) Xudan $20.00 USD - month(s) Jindan $50.00 USD - month(s) Yuanying $100.00 USD - month(s)Check out the new project 1:
[BL] Bermuda
Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.
Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.
"Since when have you been watching me?"
Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.
"From the very beginning."
Check out the new project 2:
[BL] Cloudless Sky
Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'