Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

In the instant their eyes met, both Dr. Schneider and Shard widened their eyes, with Shard even reading a "What are you doing here?" in the other's gaze.

Indeed, Shard had informed the doctor about having to attend a rather formal dinner due to a commission from his firm, but he didn't mention it was the dinner at Lakeside Manor; nor did the doctor ask where it would be, probably not expecting Shard to show up at such a place.

Wanting to leave the card table and head over to the doctor, but the doctor, looking serious, subtly shook his head at Shard while continuing his conversation with a friend about the differences in the striking areas of silverware and goldware.

As they passed by the grape trellis, some people at the card table greeted friends who were accompanying Dr. Schneider.

Without any verbal conversation with Shard, the doctor discreetly gestured a series of rather complex hand signals, making sure Shard saw them clearly before leaving with his companion.

"But what do those gestures mean?"

Shard stared at the grapes hanging above and wondered in confusion.

Although he saw them clearly, he didn't understand at all. Not knowing sign language or hints, the clarity of Dr. Schneider's gestures was of no use to him.

"However, now with Lady Lassoya of 'Blood of Mercury,' the Circle Sorcerer squad of the True God Church, a High Ring Sorcerer of unknown level, 'that lady,' and Dr. Schneider all present in Lakeside Manor, what on earth is going to happen here... I'll try looking for the doctor after the card game... I wonder if Miss Luisa and Priest Augustus are also here?"

The second round of Roder Card between Sir Solar, the horticultural artist, and Mr. Sic, the owner of the flour factory, was evidently more interesting than the barons' first round. The two were stuck in a back-and-forth pattern with one winning a hand and then the other, until both had sweat on their foreheads by the end.

And as the second round continued to a four-to-four tie, not only the players but also the onlookers hardly dared to breathe heavily.

"This round, I win," said Sir Solar as he flipped over an "upcard 12" to uncover a face-down card, letting out a sigh of relief as the "Sun 9" was flipped face up. Mr. Sic, sitting opposite him, sighed deeply, turning over his face-down card, and even Shard couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

The card facing up for Mr. Sic didn't matter because, astonishingly, when he flipped his face-down card, it was the "Queen." According to the competitive rules of Roder Card, once a player draws the "Queen" or the "King," they must stop drawing cards. The other player may continue to draw, but unless they end with exactly 21 points, they lose under any circumstance.

If both players draw a King and a Queen, with the same situation the other card is compared for value; with different situations, the King outranks the Queen. If a player holds both the "King" and the "Queen" at the same time, they automatically win, though this situation can only occur during the initial deal.

Therefore, Mr. Sic drew the Queen but lost to Sir Solar's 21 points, which would provide onlookers enough gossip for months.

Baron Lavende, his face flushed with excitement, craned his neck to look at the cards on the stone table, slapping Sir Solar's shoulder so hard that he almost knocked the toothpick out of the baron's mouth.

The players rose from the table, and the atmosphere, compared to after the first round, was noticeably better. Sir Solar and Mr. Sic had no conflicting interests, shaking hands amicably, with the latter continuously expressing his regrets.

Thus, the match was tied with each winning one round, and the choice of the final participant was particularly crucial. Baron Rwanda, looking very shrewd, decided to play again himself. Baron Lavende pondered for a moment, then took out a deck of cards, had his "friends" draw one each, and for some reason, Shard ended up drawing the King and was chosen to play.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

At this point, even Shard was at a loss for words:

"However, this kind of luck is getting a bit strange."

But Baron Rwanda had something to say, and being somewhat shorter than his friends around him, he seemed even more like a glowing potato after sitting down early:

"Sir Lavende, we agreed to a fair competition, inviting each other's friends, not Roder Card experts hired with money, otherwise there's no point in this game."

He didn't directly say there was an issue with Shard, but obviously did not approve of this stranger Shard playing against him.

"Yes, this young detective is my friend, and we were just having a great chat,"

Sir Lavende said unfazed, while Shard took the opportunity to hand out his remaining business cards to the shorter Baron, who, like the others, was somewhat surprised to see the address "No. 6, Saint Delan Square" and carefully put away the card.

"Look, I'm a local from Tobesk, not an out-of-town Roder Card Player. If I were some amazing player, you would have surely heard of me. Oh, Baron, if you don't believe me, I can swear to the True God that I am definitely not a Roder Card expert."

Shard stated earnestly, and though Baron Rwanda still regarded him with suspicion, he nodded to indicate that they could start the game. But before Mr. Candela of the Prophet's Society could start to shuffle, Baron Rwanda spoke to Sir Lavende again:

"Since Hamilton Detective is your friend, why don't you give him my wager if he wins, and I'll give you £20 as an additional wager."

Baron Rwanda's face was all smiles:

"Since you are friends, I presume that won't be a problem, right? You don't need to increase the wager."

Though £20 was a significant amount of money, it was still less valuable than the [Ancient Fairy Tale: Matchstick Girl] card. According to what Shard knew about the market value, a [Matchstick Girl] with special rules could sell for no less than £50 if a suitable buyer was found, making it a true collector's item for the wealthy.

Sir Lavende didn't want to agree, and there was no reason to accept such a request now. However, with everyone watching him, he steeled his heart and the issue of face instantly reached its peak. He said with his head held high:

"Of course, Hamilton Detective is my friend. If he wins this bet, the wager goes to him... and your £20 goes to Sir Solar."

As he spoke, he gave Shard—who had already taken his seat—a vigorous pat on the shoulder, understanding that Sir Lavende would surely take the cards after the event but compensate him with a sum of money.

"I have no objection either."

Shard said, while Sir Solar, who stood by watching the game, nodded indifferently.

So the third game officially began, with the decks still belonging to the two Barons, so after the shuffle was finished, Shard, with a faint red glow in his right eye, roughly knew the contents of the first two cards of his opponent.

He certainly couldn't remember the bloodstains on all 54 cards, but after using the Sorcery [Echo of Blood], he not only had a keen observation of minute bloodstains but also had his memory of those bloodstains enhanced, which is why he confidently believed he roughly knew.

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"The opponent's first two cards are flower 10 and flower 9, likely not to ask for more cards..."

Shard thought to himself, noting that his upcard was the sun 1 and turning over the hole card to reveal the star 9. He gestured for Mr. Candela to continue dealing, and the next card revealed was moon 11.

"No, this luck is absolutely wrong, what's going on?"