“Let’s raise the stakes. Flawed sins cannot be used as chips. The minimum ante for each round is 1 mark of ordinary sin, and we must raise the bet with each draw. The winner takes all, and the loser loses their wagered chips.”
This meant that winning too much and losing too much would both lead to a bad end.
After speaking, the old man swept his hand across the table, and a set of rhode cards appeared. Xia De and Bernhardt also took out their respective cards. Seeing that Sister Devlin was unprepared, Xia De took out his spare cards and slid them across the table to her. The Sister thanked him softly.
“The most ordinary rules: after each hand, the drawn cards can be returned to the deck. I acknowledge special rule cards; they make the game more interesting. But here, I also have special cards left by past outsiders.”
The old man said, then fished out a rusty black iron figurine from under the table and placed it on top.
The blasphemy's spiritual light almost forced the three to immediately avert their gaze. Even Xia De was unwilling to stare at the statue for long; it was a statue of an Old God, an Old God statue without a doubt. The statue depicted a fat man with his fists raised, arms held high.
“My ante: this statue of the Old God, the Spreader of Misfortune, the Sleeping Father, contains 3 marks of rare sloth. This great one controls the power of slumber, idleness, laziness, misfortune, and poverty. If any of you win these 3 marks of rare sloth, it can be considered 30 marks of perfect sin.”
He pushed the Old God statue slightly forward:
“This building accommodates too much sin, but rare-grade sin cannot be contained by an ordinary body. The Old God statue is the best container. May the Sin Gods bless me; I think the card game will be very interesting.”
Saying this, he drew his first card.
Armand Bernhardt also immediately drew a card:
“My ante is 1 mark of ordinary bloodlust. I pass.”
He didn't even look at the content of his hole card, meaning he gave up this round. After all, what the Vampire sought was only perfect-grade sin. If he won this round, it would be a bad thing for him.
Sister Devlin hesitated for a moment:
“Ante 1 mark of ordinary greed.”
She did not pass.
Xia De considered that losing the card game was also a good opportunity to reduce sin, so he drew a card and bet:
“1.1 marks of perfect sloth.”
He took out the sin he had been forced to acquire in the Sin Mansion.
He glanced at his hole card: Flower 6, an ordinary card.
“Then let’s start the second round. This is the holy emblem pendant of the Old God, the Sleeping Father, containing 1 mark of rare sloth.”
The mansion owner took out another black iron pendant and placed it on the table, then drew his second card.
Xia De looked at Sister Devlin, who shook her head slightly at him:
“1 mark of ordinary sloth. Pass.”
Sister Devlin also gave up this round; continuing would be too risky. She could not bear 4 marks of rare sloth.
“Your betting method is not fair to us.”
Xia De said, but the dying old man just covered his second card. According to the rules, everyone reveals their cards at the same time each round, so he did not immediately show Xia De the content of his second card.
Xia De also drew his second card:
“Raise 0.1 marks of perfect sloth.”
This used up all the sloth he had acquired here, and Xia De’s second card was Flower Brave Saga: Bard Fletcher. Because the previous card was an even-numbered flower suit, it conformed to the special card rules, and the point value of 9 could be adjusted between 9 and 10.
He added all his special cards to his deck. Although this would let the Vampire Bernhardt know who he was, it was still better than losing the card game. After all, Xia De also knew Bernhardt's true identity.
“My second card is Moon 2, Steam Mechanical Ship: Roaring Blue Lyon.”
The mansion owner showed Xia De the card, revealing his yellowed teeth as he grinned:
“Rule: when Steam Mechanical Ship: Roaring Blue Lyon and Steam Mechanical Ship: Silent Red Yorker are drawn consecutively, the default points for this hand are 21.”
Then, he flipped over his hole card and showed it to Xia De:
“Look, my hole card is Sun 2, Steam Mechanical Ship: Silent Red Yorker.”
He stacked the two cards together, clasped his hands, and placed them on the table:
“So, do you still want to draw a card?”
Xia De's mouth twitched. He didn't remember the other party shuffling the cards before playing. And even if he had shuffled, he was quite sure that the other party had definitely cheated.
“Why not just good luck?”
“She” asked, laughing, in Xia De's ear.
“Looking at his expression, he looks like he’s deliberately trying to provoke me.”
Xia De was indeed a bit annoyed, but then he realized that the mansion's power was influencing him, making him more irrational:
“Good, since he’s playing like this, then don’t blame me.”
“Are you trying to slip him a card again?”
“She” asked, laughing.
“No, that’s too low-level.”
Xia De also flipped over both of his cards:
“First card Flower 6, second card Flower 9, total 15 points. Continue to raise, 1 mark of ordinary lie.”
He removed his mask. Bernhardt, beside him, looked at him in surprise, not understanding how this person, while playing cards, suddenly revealed his identity.
“Third card.”
Xia De placed his hand on his deck, slightly narrowed his eyes to concentrate, then suddenly pulled out the top card, flung it onto the table, and announced the card’s content:
“Flower 7, 【Genesis · Balance】.”
This was using his control over the all things are impermanent card to directly draw the desired card. Currently, Xia De could only do this with 【Genesis · Balance】, Genesis Darkness, and Carson Rick Southern Folklore: Moon Dance Festival.
He was a very fair person, so he had not used this ability even among the Great City Player. But since the other party had resorted to tricks first, Xia De no longer intended to play seriously with him.
Bernhardt’s eyes widened as he looked at the cards on the table. As someone who carried rhode cards with him, he naturally knew the Founding series, and even more so, he knew who should have this 【Genesis · Balance】:
“You are…”
“We’ll talk about identities later. Look, I have 22 points, bust. But the rule of 【Genesis · Balance】 is to discard all cards after busting and draw new ones.”
Xia De discarded the three cards in his hand:
“Raise 1 mark of ordinary lie.”
His eyes were fixed on the old man at the other end of the long table, and his hand covered his deck once again:
“Perhaps you think I’m cheating, but I was actually blessed by the Old God, the Thundering Black Hunter. Yes, that’s the God of Gamblers.
Therefore, every card I draw is destined.”
His hand drew a new hole card, but he didn’t hide it; instead, he held it upright, covering his left eye. His right eye narrowed slightly, and his eyes held anger and determination:
“star 11, Founding Darkness. When this card is drawn, if it is the first face-down card, ignore all rules and conditions and win directly. This card's winning priority is higher than any other rule, and after redrawing, this is indeed the first face-down card. Sorry, this time, I won.”
Bernhardt's face showed an expression of wanting to laugh but forcing himself to hold it back. Even Sister Devlin gave Xia De a faint smile.
The mansion owner was clearly stunned, and it took him a long time to softly praise:
“A good combination, truly a good combination. So that’s it, such a wonderful combination can even arise between the rules of rhode cards. I originally thought that two Steam Mechanical Ships were powerful enough.”
“So, do you admit that I won?”
“Of course, I admit it. Yes, you won 4 marks of rare sloth. You can leave with the golden pearl earrings. But you only won the essence of sloth itself; the Old God statue and holy emblem, as containers, still belong to the mansion. So, you need to absorb the sin before you can leave.”
The human figure standing behind him moved, bringing the statue and holy emblem to Xia De’s hand.
The proximity of the Old God’s power even made Bernhardt a bit uncomfortable. Xia De didn't want to harm others because of his own reasons, so after receiving permission, he moved his seat to the end of the long table directly opposite the mansion owner.
Touching an Old God statue was never something a wise person should do. The blasphemy element and the Old God's power were enough to tempt any strong mind towards madness.
When Xia De was still a Ring術士, he merely glanced at Vampire Duke Loyaer's statue and gained the Blood Echo spell in a blood-induced frenzy. And absorbing the sin contained in the Old God statue was clearly a deeper contact with the Old God's power than just glancing at it.
He hesitated for a moment, not risking directly observing the Old God statue and holy emblem, but instead looked up at the mansion owner at the other side of the table:
“Perhaps, before the next hand begins, each of us should reshuffle.”
“Do you still want to play?”
The dying old man asked.
“Of course not, I have already achieved my goal. I just hope that my two friends can participate in the card game more fairly.”
Saying this, he divided his deck into two portions, giving them to Bernhardt and Sister Devlin. Of course, the stack given to Sister Devlin had more special cards, a full 9 of them, while Bernhardt only had 3.
The two thanked Xia De softly, then began to shuffle. The mansion owner also tapped the table, and the stack of rhode cards automatically began to shuffle.
“Please remember the advice I gave you when you meet me with that cat as warm as the sun.”
The Sister suddenly said. Xia De was momentarily puzzled, then nodded, preparing to absorb the sin from the Old God statue and holy emblem.
