Hawking took a deep breath and signaled for the dealer beside him to start dealing.
"Then we'll start with [Magic Cards]. Three cards each, and we can choose to raise or concede-"
"Wait."
The old woman slowly raised her withered arm.
"I want to inspect the cards."
An uproar immediately broke out among the surrounding gamblers, and Hawking's expression stiffened.
Inspect the cards?
Inspect the house's cards?!
This was blatant provocation! In all his years running games at the Steam Wharf Tavern, Hawking had never encountered such an arrogant gambler!
Hawking cast an unobtrusive glance to the side. Several burly enforcers took the hint and immediately closed in.
Yet the old woman in the wheelchair seemed utterly oblivious to the approaching threat.
She said nothing, merely turning over one of the Cards dealt to her.
The card depicted a young man wearing a top hat. He had a thin mustache that curled upward, and the hat's shadow concealed the upper half of his face, obscuring his features, though a faint smile showed at the corners of his mouth.
His hands were spread elegantly, empty, while countless Cards fluttered down behind him.
"The Thrice-Great Emperor Trist," Vanessa said in a low, hoarse voice. "The creator of [Magic Cards], the author of the Emerald Tablet. He allowed commoners to set foot on a Path as well. I like this card very much."
The surrounding gamblers sucked in a breath.
Tryst's portrait-the only one in [Magic Cards]-
The Joker!
She had turned over the Joker without even looking?!
And-
The Joker was the highest card. If she had simply kept quiet and played on, she would almost certainly have won this hand!
Knowing she held the Joker, she had actually revealed her card outright?
Everyone turned to look at Hawking.
Was there really