After night fell, the sudden heavy snow showed no sign of stopping. As snowflakes drifted through the glow of the Gas Street Lamps, it truly felt as though winter had arrived.
Outside the Parliament Club beneath Belinder Big Ben, a carriage convoy bearing the family crest had already come to a stop. Inside one of the carriages, the Countess, wearing a white sable scarf because of the weather, handed the card in her hand to Shade:
"I heard there are three very valuable Rhodes Cards in this city. I had planned to find them for you, but unfortunately, I only managed to uncover some leads. Use this one for tonight first. May your luck at the table be good."
Her words also reminded Shade of those three cards. The out-of-town merchant who owned them had been killed by the Black Hand Gang. If he remembered correctly, Mrs. Frey at the Parsifal Club also had some clues, but he had no time to investigate for the moment.
Little Mia had already been sent home by Shade. Besides Shade and the Witch, there were also two maids in the carriage. A gas lamp hung from the ceiling, so it was not dark. Naturally, the card Miss Belinder handed him was a Special Rule Card. Its illustration showed Thunder descending from the heavens and striking a figure dancing in the street.
Shade raised an eyebrow:
"Fool's Story · Lightning Strike Maniac, Flower 4. Throw two 20-sided Dice; if their total is less than 5, you may choose to reduce this card's value to zero. How interesting. It's actually from the Fool's Story series."
The Witch smiled.
"What, is this series of cards special? I remember that this set was issued fifty years ago. Although it was never reprinted, it still isn't as valuable