Gambling Addict, Plague God

Upon hearing that Rein was a nobleman, the red-haired woman became even more enthusiastic.

But she wasn't just there to drink and sell her body; she was there to squeeze every last penny out of this "sugar daddy."

After listening to Rein boast about how his hometown once owned several mines, the woman cleverly asked, "Your Excellency, would you like to play cards? A handsome man like you is sure to win money tonight."

It was probably that mustachioed broker who told her that.

From the moment he stepped into the tavern, the mustachioed man received a commission for every purchase he made.

Since there was plenty of time, Rein readily agreed, "Okay."

After saying that, she stopped drinking and, with a smile, took Rein's arm and led him across the dance floor to the iron staircase leading downstairs in the tavern.

The woman seemed slightly tipsy, constantly leaning her delicate body against Rein, allowing him to clearly feel her smooth touch.

Rein remained composed, but his gaze secretly surveyed the entire layout of the tavern.

The second basement level is a gambling den, teeming with people.

Winning money through gambling is almost the most dopamine-stimulating activity a person can go on a tear, many times more so than sex. That's why there's never a shortage of gamblers in any world.

"Come on, place your bets! Put your bets on now!"

"The banker has 17 points, the player has 17."

"."

No need to exchange chips; the currencies of both empires can be used at the table, and you can even use "magic crystals" to place bets.

Rein entered the casino, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before settling on the blackjack table.

Because there was a guy there who was too conspicuous at first glance.

He was a dark-skinned middle-aged man, perhaps even elderly. His hair was gray, tied in a long braid and hanging down his back; he was so thin he was practically skin and bones. There was a pitcher of beer on the table in front of him. He tried to drink it, but when he picked it up with both hands, he spilled it all over the floor, his hands trembling as if he had Parkinson's disease.

This guy, who looked like he had one foot in the grave, was completely out of place among the flushed, excited gamblers in the casino.

When Rein saw the guy's atrophied muscles, he was immediately reminded of Tuster.

He wasn't sure if it was poisoning or an illness.

The red-haired woman looked over and introduced him with a smile, "That's Mr. Guy, a celebrity in our casino. He's a very skilled gambler, but his luck isn't great."

Rein listened with interest and said casually, "Let's play blackjack."

"Banker has 19 points, Player has..."

At the gambling table.

It seemed that the gamblers all knew this thin, middle-aged man, and they would chat with him during breaks in their betting.

Rein placed his bet, finding the conversation quite interesting.

"Hey, old Guy, I heard you're being chased all the way to City of Radiance because you stole from some marquis's wife?"

"Oh, you uncouth fellows, that's love! You understand, love! Though her husband may not approve, Lady Windsor and I are truly in love. You wouldn't believe it, but a true lady of high society has skin as smooth as milk. Compared to that, the women in this tavern have skin as rough as sandpaper, utterly unappealing."

"Guy, you're shaking even when you hold a wine glass now, is your thing even capable of handling this? Hahaha!"

"Why not! Let me tell you, when I was young, I was incredibly handsome. Noble ladies, female knights, beautiful wandering knights, and noblewomen all wanted to throw themselves at me."

"Hahaha"

"."

The gamblers laughed heartily and kept asking for details about the romantic escapades.

The middle-aged man named Guy didn't seem to mind, and even recounted details of how he climbed through the window to the Earl's house and enjoyed that half-hour love story.

Climbing over the wall, taking off clothes, crawling into bed, touching, and then discovering that the other person is a man, the details of being chased and jumping out of the window are so vividly portrayed, as if he had experienced it himself.

Everyone laughed heartily, treating it as a romantic tale, and no one took it seriously.

Rein wasn't interested in gambling and casually tossed his chips around. He was much more interested in listening to the stories.

But they seem to be lucky, winning more than they lose.

"Wow, Baron, you've won again!"

The red-haired woman serving him massaged his shoulders and occasionally helped him adjust his chips.

Rein also knew the rules of the casino. When he won big bets, he would put a few silver coins into her bulging bra, which would elicit a burst of giggles.

But Guy, the celebrity sitting a few seats away, doesn't seem to be so lucky.

He seemed to be a gambling addict; he wouldn't leave when he won, and he'd increase his bets when he lost. The stakes kept rising, and the gold and silver coins he had on hand, which totaled about twenty Gold Kron, were now all gone. For an ordinary hunter, this was definitely a high-stakes gamble.

Rein was even more curious. A person whose hands trembled even when handling chips couldn't possibly be a hunter, nor was he a nobleman. So where did he get so much money to gamble and become a regular at casinos?

Then in the next game, he lost all his money.

Then they heard Guy shout loudly at the tattooed man not far away.

"Hey! Captain Jim, give me some more chips, I'll give them back if I win."

"Hey Guy, you owe us eighty Gold Kron. You have to pay some back first, right?"

"If I win, it's yours! This time it's for real!"

"."

Listening to their conversation, Rein understood that they were borrowing money at exorbitant interest rates.

But loan sharks lend to people who can't repay.

Just as his doubts began to surface, he heard a gambler chime in, "Hey, Captain Jim, just lend it to him. I heard that girl from the Guy family made a fortune again. Those guys from the 'Iron Hammer Gang' had a good haul, they rewarded her with a hundred gold! She should be able to pay it back in a bit."

Rein understood too: this gambling addict had a daughter who could make money?

But he was also very curious: what kind of work could earn a hundred gold coins in one go? This amount of money was small for nobles, but it was a huge sum for commoners.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the tattooed man who lent money at exorbitant interest rates immediately changed his attitude.

He promptly pulled out a bag of gold coins and tossed it in front of Guy: "Alright. Here's another twenty Gold Kron for you. You've already pumped the water; take it and play with it."

Those who can sit at the gambling table are all high rollers, but there are also some casual gamblers with smaller stakes.

As a bag of gold coins clattered onto the gambling table, some people began to whisper among themselves.

"Hey, old Guy has a rich daughter?"

"You still don't know? Have you heard of 'the Ghost Girl'?"

"Oh, is that plague star a maid from Guy's household?"

"With her abilities, making money would be quite easy for her. It's a pity she got involved with such a gambling father; the money was gone before she even had a chance to enjoy it."

"Yeah, other people earn so much money and they're afraid of being targeted. But no one dares to shortchange that 'Ghost Girl.' Even street thieves don't dare to steal from her. I heard last time a thief from an enemy country stole a gold coin from her, and he was bragging to his accomplices when he was run over and killed by Steam Locomotive. Isn't that weird?"

"Tsk tsk. This father and daughter are quite a match, one a gambler and the other Plague God."

"."

People behind him were whispering, but Guy seemed used to it all, paying no heed to the gossip. He gambled when he wanted to gamble, drank when he wanted to drink, showing absolutely no sign of distress.

Rein finally understood. It turned out that the little girl he had met outside the city, who was called "the Ghost Girl," was actually the daughter of this gambler.

There was a slight glint in his eyes; any normal person would probably think he was a bastard upon hearing this news.

Your daughter works hard to earn money, and you just gamble it away?

However, the system's evaluation is strange. This gambler's overall assessment is not that of a "red-label" scumbag?

At that moment, he squinted and glanced at Guy's gambling details out of the corner of his eye.

"Pah~ My luck is terrible tonight. Hey Captain Jim, can I borrow some more? I want to go big, I'm sure I can win it all back."

That guy named Guy seems to be having bad luck. He lost almost all the gold coins he just got after a few rounds of cards and is now planning to borrow money again.

As luck would have it, just when Guy had a few silver coins left, the noisy casino, which had been boiling like water, suddenly stopped.

The sound grew fainter and fainter, and after two breaths it was completely silent, the entire place was utterly quiet.

No one spoke again, and a path automatically parted in the crowd. Even the most ruthless gangsters looked at each other as if avoiding a plague, keeping their distance.

Just then, everyone saw a little girl dressed in tattered rags come down the stairs from the entrance of the gambling den.

"It really is her."

Rein's pupils contracted slightly; this was indeed the little girl he had met outside the city.

She was holding a "sword" wrapped in tattered rags in her hands. Oh no, judging by its rusty appearance, it was just a broken iron bar!

She looked extremely weak and walked over with difficulty; with each step, you could clearly hear her panting heavily.

The little girl walked up to Guy, and like a mute who couldn't speak, silently took off a bag from her back. Then, because it was too heavy to lift, she stumbled, and the bag crashed to the ground, scattering gold coins everywhere.

Guh.

Gurgle

The gold coin rolled on the wooden board with a series of crisp sounds, then "clinked" and hit the corner table before coming to a stop.

If someone else had dropped the gold coins, they would have disappeared in the blink of an eye in this crowded gambling den. But at this moment, no one dared to scramble for the gold coins scattered on the ground; in fact, they were afraid that the coins would touch them, and quickly stepped aside.

No one helped her pick them up.

She lay on the ground like a helpless stray cat, picking up the fish bones she had painstakingly found in the garbage. She then gathered the gold coins one by one and held them in her hand.

Old Guy watched with a cold expression the whole time, showing no intention of helping.

Everyone in the casino watched quietly, no one spoke. The casino manager, seeing that it was affecting business, twitched his face several times, but ultimately dared not say a word.

Everyone watched as the little girl picked up the dozen or so gold coins that had fallen and put them into a leather bag.

Then, with difficulty, she dragged the bag of coins in front of Guy and placed it there, looking up. As if afraid of angering her father, she forced a sorrowful smile, as if to say: Here you go.

Then, the little girl seemed to remember something, and earnestly handed over the "iron sheet" wrapped in rags, as if hoping that the man in front of her would catch the sword.