The two continued to draw cards. Before Xia De could even look at his second card, Virgil Cameron laughed again:
“Look at my luck! I bet the final game this year will be talked about for many years.”
He revealed his second card:
“Special Card - Platform in the Whistle of the Star: When this card is drawn, if you hold 1 or 2 other special cards in your hand besides this one, you can guess the suit of any unrevealed card the opponent has. If correct, you can prevent the opponent's next card that adjusts the card face number from taking effect. It is ineffective against the Founding series.”
It sounded like a good effect, but the probability of this card taking effect was probably the lowest among all the cards Xia De had encountered.
“It seems your deck has a lot of cards from the Great Steam Age series?”
“Yes, three in total. I really look forward to getting the entire 13-card set of the Great Steam Age before I die. I guess your second card drawn is the Moon!”
“Incorrect.”
Xia De flipped the card:
“It’s the Queen.”
“Hmm?”
Virgil Cameron was stunned for a moment, then he also started to laugh:
“Is this considered good luck or bad luck for me?”
He had already drawn the King in the previous rounds of this game, so he could only rely on 21 points to defeat the Queen. But obviously, 21 points is not something everyone can draw.
Therefore, after five rounds of the second game, Xia De led 8 to 2. And if he continued to win, then he would be the champion of 1853.
Xia De took a deep breath, twisted his neck to relax a bit, and then stroked Mia, who was leaning on the table, looking around blankly, not understanding the game at all. Virgil Cameron frowned deeply, pondering his chances of winning, looking completely unwilling to admit defeat.
Taking this opportunity, the reporters who came for the interview, with permission, took a group photo of the two from the side. They were both facing the camera in profile, so their appearance in the photo was not as complete as the cat staring at them with wide eyes.
“Well, gentlemen, the sixth round of the second game begins. This round is a match point. Good luck to you, gentlemen.”
Vice President Mark, acting as the referee, announced loudly. At this moment, the surroundings quieted down. The dealer quickly handed the first face-down card to both of them.
Xia De lifted the corner of the card and took a look: Flowers Ten. It seemed that the cards he would need this round would probably not exceed four.
“Continue to deal.”
After looking at the face-down card, Virgil Cameron showed a cautious expression similar to Xia De's.
For the second card, Xia De received star 3, while Virgil Cameron received star 13. In this situation, both continued to ask for cards.
For the third card, Xia De received Flowers Two 【King's Order · Substitute】. Virgil Cameron, on the other hand, received star 7. In an instant, a look of ecstasy appeared on his face:
“Mr. Hamilton, I knew my luck was better today. This round, it’s mine—”
“Wait a moment.”
Xia De immediately revealed his third card:
“【King's Order · Substitute】: When this card is drawn, you can swap this card with an opponent's unrevealed face-down card, but you cannot stop drawing cards in this game.”
He pointed to Virgil Cameron's face-down card:
“Because I revealed this card before you flipped your face-down card, your face-down card must be swapped with this Flowers Two.”
Virgil Cameron's mouth slightly opened, looking incredulously at the card in Xia De's hand. The onlookers were buzzing with discussion. With the first card unknown, the second being 13, and the third being 7, Virgil Cameron had shown an ecstatic expression. Now everyone knew what his face-down card was.
“Please swap the cards.”
Seeing Virgil Cameron frozen there, Vice President Mark, as the referee, reminded him in a low voice. The latter closed his eyes and took a deep breath:
“It doesn’t matter. According to the rules, you have to keep drawing cards. You still have a chance to bust.”
He flipped his face-down card; it was star 1. If they hadn't swapped, he would have had 21 points, but after star 1 became Flowers Two, he had already busted.
“Is that so?”
The three cards in Xia De's hand were star 1 and star 3. Since the opponent could no longer draw cards, he preemptively revealed his face-down card, which was Flowers Ten:
“I now have 14 points. As long as the next card is within 7, I win.”
“The probability is close to one-half.”
Virgil Cameron narrowed his eyes, looking at Xia De. He was very nervous.
In fact, not only was he very nervous, but the dealer, the referee, and the onlookers were all very nervous. The result of the next card would determine whether this game would end here.
Xia De could even clearly see sweat appearing on Vice President Mark's forehead. People beyond the cordon were desperately craning their necks, wanting to see what would happen next.
Mia licked her paws. At this moment, only she was not nervous at all.
“The prize money is 3,000 pounds…”
Xia De said in his heart, then looked to the side:
“Please deal the card.”
The iron ruler held up the card and placed it in front of Xia De. The card table was covered with a soft tablecloth, and under the light of the crystal chandelier overhead, it seemed that all the light was focused on this card at this moment.
“What will it be?”
Xia De carefully reached out and stroked Mia again, causing the cat, who was leaning on the table, to let out a dissatisfied meow. People knew that the young knight was praying for good luck.
Xia De finally pressed his hand on the card. He had to admit, he himself was a little nervous.
【That's very normal.】
Her voice came close to his ear. Xia De almost felt the wind of speech truly by his ear. He turned his head. Tifa looked at him with an inquiring gaze. A bit lost, Xia De then said to the black-haired girl:
“Madam, could you open this card for me?”
Tifa looked at Vice President Mark, who was the referee. Vice President Mark then looked at Xia De's opponent, who immediately nodded:
“Hurry up and open the card, I feel like my heart can't take it anymore.”
The small joke made the onlookers laugh, but the laughter quickly disappeared, and everyone held their breath, looking at the table.
Tifa came from behind Xia De to his side, picked up the card, and took a look.
“Madam, what’s the result?”
Some impatient people were already asking.
“Xia De, congratulations.”
The maid placed Flowers Four on the table. 14 + 4 = 18. Xia De won.
After a moment of silence, a burst of discussion and cheers, like an explosion, erupted from the room. Xia De let out a long breath and took Tifa's hand:
“You truly are my lucky lady.”
The black-haired girl showed a serene smile.
And amidst this cheering, according to the pre-arranged procedure, Xia De and Virgil Cameron stood up and came to the referee's side, where the referee raised Xia De's right hand high:
“In the name of the Prophet Association, I announce that the champion of the Great City Player in the common era 1853 is Knight Xia De · Su Lun · Han Mi Er Dun!”
People applauded enthusiastically, and pre-prepared ribbons and balloons were thrown out. The reporters' flashlights lit up in bursts, and everyone's face was filled with joy and excitement. This was truly a legendary match.
Virgil Cameron covered his head, but a smile also played on his lips.
He generously extended his right hand to Xia De. Vice President Mark stepped back, allowing Xia De to shake hands with Virgil Cameron face-to-face, so that the scene of their handshake could be recorded by cameras.
“A good game, Mr. Hamilton.”
Sett Duke's lover said sincerely.
“You played well too.”
Duchess Galina's rumored lover also said so.
The two men shook hands, their strong hands clasped together. Although their ages and orientations were different, they truly admired each other greatly. Virgil Cameron couldn't help but sigh again, speaking words that only the two of them could hear:
“I can’t believe I lost to you even with 21 points in the end. As expected of a Royal Secret Agent.”
“Not a Royal Secret Agent, but a King's Secret Agent, and it's Secret Agent · Substitute. Oh, it's not Secret Agent either, it's 【King's Order · Substitute】.”
Xia De corrected him, and the two men exchanged knowing smiles:
“Knight, I'm truly glad to have met you during my trip to Tobesk this autumn.”
The photo of their handshake would be published in tomorrow's newspaper, and the title “King of rhode cards of 1853” would follow Xia De for life. Although the Outsider still looked down on the scarce entertainment methods of this era, he had to admit that he really liked rhode cards.
“Meow~”
Mia leaped up, actually jumping from the card table directly onto Xia De's shoulder. The people around, dressed in formal wear and suits, cried out in surprise, scrambling to try and catch the cat that was almost falling. Xia De was also startled, his body tilting to that side, but he was held up by someone.
The lively celebration scene instantly turned into a mess, but everyone's face was smiling.
Of course, he liked Mia even more.
