Holding the bottle caps in his hand, Velin found a few more "not very smart" people and won some more caps.
When he returned to the center of the hall, he saw a large crowd gathered around a gaming table.
Out of curiosity, Velin asked a maid for a cloth bag, put away his bottle caps, and walked over.
Looking closer, he saw Kyle playing against a middle-aged man.
However, seeing the mountain of multicolored bottle caps piled to Kyle's right, then looking at the amount in his own bag, Velin felt somewhat defeated.
The nobles and merchants watching nearby did not discuss the match. Out of respect for the two players, no one spoke. They merely watched in silence.
Less than a minute later, the wealthy merchant had lost all his chips. He gave Kyle an apologetic smile, then rose and left his seat.
Before long, a confident noble sat across from Kyle, laid out his chips one by one, and signaled for the game to begin.
As time passed, more and more spectators gathered around. There was no clamor; they simply watched the match in quiet appreciation.
Two hours later, another unlucky fellow lost all the chips in his hand.
"That's enough for today."
Kyle rose from his seat, glanced at the bottle caps that filled half the gaming table, and waved to a maid some distance away, telling her to come collect them.
The surrounding nobles and merchants nodded slightly in apology before dispersing to enjoy their own games.
"I never would have guessed you were such an expert." Velin looked at Kyle somewhat strangely.
"Just a little skill." Kyle replied with a smile.
"My lord, you have ten Purple Bottle Caps, one hundred and fifty White Bottle Caps, and five hundred and sixty Blue Bottle Caps.