“A special card?”
Xia De looked at the man across the table in surprise:
“Of course, I’m interested.”
But he didn’t think someone he met in a dockside slum hotel could casually pull out a special card.
The man lowered his voice, speaking with a distinctive cadence, with a downward inflection on the last syllable. He touched his scalp:
“I heard your conversation with the owner just now, and I saw you patiently studying a notebook here for half an hour. I’d bet you’re definitely a rhode cards player, and an experienced one at that. This kind of temperament can’t be faked. Are you interested in a game with me? A gamble with a special card?”
“Sorry, I don’t have a special card.”
Xia De shook his head, not wanting to cause any trouble while investigating.
“No problem, then we’ll bet on something else. If you win, you can buy my card for the cheap price of 20 pounds. If I win, you give me 20 pounds directly.”
This was no small sum. Xia De wanted to refuse, but the man had already placed the card on the table, his lips curving upwards at the corners, his eyes bright:
“Look at this.”
Xia De looked down, and his expression changed.
【Demon: Soul Stealer Bishop】, Moon 9.
When this card is drawn, if the opponent has not stood, they must draw two cards in the next round. If the two cards are of different suits, the opponent can choose to discard one of them. If the two cards are of the same suit, they must accept the numbers of both cards simultaneously.
“This is… a demon series?”
Xia De leaned on the table, lowering his voice. Even an Outsider was surprised at this moment.
The prosperity of rhode cards has a history of several centuries. Aside from the Founding series, the other five special cards in Xia De’s hand were actually from series released within the last one or two hundred years.
In fact, when rhode cards were first issued, the Prophet Association preferred to use folk tales and legendary figures as themes for the card series. It was only in modern times that they leaned more towards nature and civilization series.
And the demon series was one of the famous early rhode cards series. This set of cards was reissued many times, but each special card was only issued once; the next edition featured new demon cards. The card in front of him, indicated by the mark at the top of its face, was from the first edition of the demon series rhode cards.
Xia De couldn’t pinpoint the exact release date of the first edition of the demon series, but he was certain that if this card was real, its value would definitely not be less than 1,000 pounds.
Besides the 【Founding】 series, demon, angel, saints from various churches, and legendary heroes from ancient myths were all quite valuable rhode cards.
“Are you sure this is genuine?”
Xia De asked hesitantly. The long-faced man smiled and retorted:
“If I could confirm it, do you think I’d bet with you for a 20-pound stake? Sir, I obtained this in a very coincidental situation. Although I am a rhode cards player, I have always avoided demons, so I will not keep this card. I happened to meet you, so why not have a game with you?”
This sounded very much like a classic scam.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am a Demon Scholar. Sean Asmon. I’m currently investigating ancient rumors here in Coldwater Port.”
Saying this, he extended his hand to Xia De.
Xia De shook his hand, confirming that the other party was an ordinary person:
“Demon Scholar?”
The yellowish light from the kerosene lamp between them flickered. A black flying insect had flown into the lampshade at some point. It crashed into the flame, causing the light to waver, casting alternating shadows on the Outsider’s face.
“Yes, I don’t teach at a university. Instead, I specialize in accepting commissions from nobles to investigate ancient rumors that interest them. Actually, my main research is demonology. Oh, of course, there’s no such academic field; I coined the term myself. Although I study demons, I personally avoid anything related to them. I never carry any items connected to them on me.”
Mr. Asmont said, his eyes still on Xia De. He touched his bald head again, a habitual gesture of his.
Xia De nodded in understanding. He had heard Doctor Schneider mention such professionals. They were mystics among ordinary people. Most of them served nobles, a few were private researchers, and they were a group that even Ring術士 found annoying.
Only God knew what damned things these irreverent people had actually come into contact with.
“So, have you found any demons in Coldwater Port?”
Xia De asked with great interest.
“Of course not, and I’m not looking for demons. I’m pursuing Knowledge and stories related to demons. But this harbor only has rumored stinky Mermaids, and Mermaids reportedly sighted by fishermen.”
The long-faced man shook his head regretfully.
“Alright then, I’m John Watson, a Detective.”
Xia De continued to lower his voice as he introduced himself:
“I’m here on a commissioned task, please don’t make a fuss.”
“Of course, I knew you weren’t from the slums.”
Mr. Asmont said politely, then asked:
“Want to play a game of rhode cards? I know there’s a risk, but for a true rhode cards player, for a rhode cards that is possibly genuine, it should be worth it.”
Xia De didn’t want to play. If it was confirmed to be real, he might be very interested, but the other party looked like a swindler, and the reputation of professions like Demon Scholar wasn’t good.
Noticing Xia De’s hesitation, the long-faced man added:
“Since you’re investigating, how about this: regardless of whether you win or lose, I can tell you about this hotel. Since you’re here on a commission, you must be interested in this place. Although I don’t live here, I met a client upstairs and stayed there all morning, so I’m very familiar with the situation upstairs.”
He continued to tempt Xia De.
But his words indicated that he was not Mr. Darkness’s companion.
“Besides information about the hotel, I’d also like to ask you for some Knowledge about demons.”
Xia De thought for a moment and felt this was acceptable. Darkness’s information was worth the price. But even if he won, he would still have to pay twenty pounds, so he made an additional request.
In his heart, he didn’t believe the card was genuine.
“No problem, we can play cards and talk at the same time. I enjoy sharing strange Knowledge. Let’s play with some interesting rules: draw four cards each time, don’t compare the numerical value, but see who busts three times first. If you draw a King or Queen, regardless of other points, it’s considered not busting.”
The long-faced man suggested.
“Alright.”
Xia De hadn’t played this kind of game before.
Mr. Asmont took out his deck, and Xia De took out his.
He spoke cautiously while shuffling:
“Mr. Asmont, what do you think demons are? Are they rumored Xenomorph creatures like elves and Mermaids, or are they a product of people categorizing strange and evil things together?”
“Mr. Watson, that’s a truly interesting question. My research indicates that both of your answers are correct. There are indeed Xenomorph creatures that are demons, but demons also encompass evil entities whose true existence people cannot ascertain, those evil spirits mentioned by common folk, or the anomalies spoken of by nobles.”
Xia De nodded. Miss Felianna’s notes had mentioned these things. It seemed this Mr. Sean Asmon did have some ability.
He continued shuffling the cards:
“Do demons parasitize people? Just like in the rumors, inhabiting pretty women, requiring male exorcists to remove them with special methods.”
“Those people are all swindlers, greedy and lecherous swindlers.”
Mr. Asmont laughed. Under the light of the kerosene lamp, his smile, though seemingly normal, had an unsettling quality:
“How about I tell you a story about a demon?”
“Okay.”
Xia De and Mr. Asmont simultaneously slapped their respective decks onto the table. Both pulled gently, and the cards fanned out in an arc across the tabletop.
Xia De used 【Treasured Possessions】 to control the rhode cards, ensuring the deck wouldn’t scatter. It seemed this ability, derived from 【greed】, was indeed useful.
【You also said choosing this ability wasn’t for playing cards.】
She chuckled softly.
Xia De ignored the voice in his ear, because Mr. Asmont’s story had already begun. His husky voice, in the dim yellow light of the kerosene lamp and the intoxicating scent of alcohol, sounded very distinctive:
“I’ve forgotten which ancient text I read this story in. It was a very distant past, so distant that the sun was brighter than it is now, so distant that three Moons had not yet appeared in the sky simultaneously.”
Xia De wasn’t surprised. Some documents accessible to ordinary people did indeed record the number of Moons.
“A strange entity was born from lies, deception, betrayal, hatred, and death. People didn’t know what it was, so they called it a demon. Because of people’s thoughts, it truly gained the power of a creature called a demon.”
Both drew four cards. When revealed, Mr. Asmont had Moon 9, Star 2, star 7, Flower 13—a bust without even calculating. Xia De, on the other hand, had sun 1, Moon 13, Flower 2, and Flower 5, exactly 21 points.
“You’re really lucky… That strange demon had no name, because it wasn’t even a demon originally. It traveled to many places, and whenever it stopped, a conspiracy of deception and betrayal would surely occur there.”
For the second set of four cards, the long-faced middle-aged man had sun 3, Sun 7, star 3, Flower 7, exactly 20 points.
Xia De had Sun 7, Moon 1, Star 4, and a Queen.
“Tsk tsk, a Queen. It seems I’ve truly met a formidable opponent.”
Mr. Asmont shook his head, skillfully selecting cards for the third round:
“It was inherently evil and enjoyed the calamities it brought. It preferred to sign contracts with people under the pretext of helping them fulfill wishes, then use loopholes in the contracts to take everything from them.”
This certainly aligned with ordinary people’s perception of “demons.”
“However, in the rumors, this demon failed once.”
Mr. Asmont paused his story and opened the third set of cards with Xia De.
The former’s first card was surprisingly 【Demon: Soul Stealer Bishop】, which made him smile. Xia De had Sun 4, sun 5, Sun 6, Moon 5, twenty points.
Xia De did not bust in three rounds; he won.
“How did it fail? Did someone see through its contract trap?”
Xia De casually tossed the cards onto the table. He was very interested in the story.
“No, that person said—‘I have no wish.’”
Mr. Asmont looked at the cards on the table, shaking his head and laughing. Xia De also laughed, taking 20 pounds from his pocket:
“This is yours.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’m specifically trying to trick you with fake rhode cards?”
He leaned forward slightly, a strange smile on his face, his bald head seeming to reflect the kerosene lamp’s light.
“If you can tell me about the situation on the third floor, then this twenty-pound information fee is well worth it.”
Xia De said, narrowing his eyes.
“I like people like you.”
Mr. Asmont took the banknotes, tucked them into his notebook, then reached across the kerosene lamp and handed the card to Xia De.
