This morning's opening ceremony could be considered a fairly formal cocktail party.
Every visiting guest held a glass of wine, sitting or standing as they listened to a brief speech by Mr. Rick, Vice President of the Seer Association. Then Chairman Yadis Stan of the local association announced the final rules for the Year 1853 Great City Player Rhodes Cards Tournament.
Shade stood with his friend Baron Lavend, beside whom was the Baron's "archenemy," the somewhat short Baron Rwanda.
"At last, it's begun."
Baron Rwanda held his head high, looking extremely confident, as though he had received inside information long ago. Baron Lavend, meanwhile, held a champagne glass and continuously tapped its side with his fingers.
Like previous Great City Player tournaments, this one was divided into three stages.
The first stage was the preliminary round. Starting today, the sixth day of Harvest Moon, the 1,273 card players who had obtained Numbered Rhodes Cards before registration closed yesterday would compete against other contestants inside the prepared Seer Association building, under the supervision of Seer Association staff.
Shade had heard that not only were the rooms from the 1st Floor to the third floor all being used for card games during this period, but even the rooftop had been set up with Rhodes Card Gambling Tables.
Each registered player began with ten points. Losing a match deducted two points, while winning one earned a point.
Before five o'clock in the afternoon next Friday, the thirteenth day of Harvest Moon, one week from now, any contestant with twenty points in hand could proceed to the next stage, the semifinals.
The preliminary round was a fixed rule in every Great City Player tournament, while invited card players—people like Shade—could skip the cumbersome first stage and participate directly in the semifinals.
"This year's second